@@@@@But I'm pretty sure she'll talk to 410
@@@@@But I'm pretty
sure she'll talk to Tom
"Then I guess that'll do, pig He was
all the way in now, and looking around curiously
"I like what you've done to the place
I burst out laughingI hadn't even removed the
no-smoking sign on top of the TV"I had Jack put
in a treadmill upstairs, that's newYou've been
here before, I take it?"
He gave me an enigmatic little smile"We've all
been here before, amigo - this is bigger than pro
footballPeter Straub, circa 1985
"I'm not following you
"I've been working for Miss Eastlake about sixteen
months now, with one brief and uncomfortable
diversion to StPete when the Keys were evacuated
293
for Hurricane FrankAnyway, the last people to
rent Salmon Point - pardon me, Big Pink - stayed
just two weeks of their eight-week lease and then
went boogie-bye-byeEither they didn't like the
house or the house didn't like them Wireman
raised ghost-hands over his head and took big
wavery ghost-steps across the light blue living
room carpetThe effect was to a large degree
spoiled by his shirt, which was covered with
tropical birds and flowers"After that, whatever
walked in Big Pinkwalked alone!"
"Shirley Jackson," I saidAnyway, Wireman was making a point, or
trying toBig Pink THEN!" He swept his arms out
in an all-encompassing gesture"Furnished in that
popular Florida style known as Twenty-First
Century Rent-A-House! Big Pink NOW! Furnished in
Twenty-First Century Rent-A-House, plus Cybex
treadmill upstairs, and"Is that
a Lucille Ball dolly I spy sitting on the couch in
the Florida room?"
"That's Reba, the Anger-Management QueenShe was
given to me by my psychologist friend, Kramer
But that wasn't right
