@@@@@I know it's wrong to ask, but-" A new 676
@@@@@I know it's wrong to ask,
but-"
A new thought struck himHe got to his feet and
stared out at the waterThe
skin was so tight on his cheekbones that it shone
His hair hung over his ears in clumps, badly
needing a wash
"If I die - and I could, I could go out in a wink
just like Senor Brown - you'll have to take over
here until the estate can find a new live-inIt
won't be much of a hardship, you can paint right
out hereThe light's great, isn't it? The light's
terrific!"
He was starting to scare me"Wireman-"
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He whirled around and now his eyes were blazing,
the left one seemingly through a net of blood
"Promise, Edgar! We need a plan! If we don't have
one, they'll cart her away and put her in a home
and she'll be dead in a month! In a week! I know
it! So promise!"
I thought he might be rightAnd I thought that if
I wasn't able to take some of the pressure off his
boiler, he was apt to have another seizure right
in front of meThen I said, "You
may end up living a lot longer than you think,
WiremanBut I'll write everything down anyway
iii
He once more offered me the Palacio golf cart for
the return trip to Big PinkI told him I'd be
fine walking, but I wouldn't mind having a glass
of juice before setting out
Now I enjoy fresh-squeezed Florida oj as much as
anyone, but I confess to having an ulterior motive
that particular morningHe left me in the little
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receiving room at the beach end of El Palacio's
glassed-in center hallHe used this room as an
office, although how a man who couldn't read for
more than five minutes at a stretch could deal
with correspondence was beyond meI guessed - and
this touched me - that Elizabeth might have helped
him, and quite a lot, before her own condition
began to worsen
Coming in for breakfast, I had glanced into this
room and spied a certain gray folder lying on the
closed lid of a laptop for which Wireman probably
had little use these daysI flipped it open now
and took one of the three X-rays
"Big glass or little glass?" Wireman called from
the kitchen, startling me so badly that I almost
dropped the sheet in my hand
"Medium's fine!" I called backI tucked the X-ray
film into my collection pouch and flipped the
folder closed againFive minutes later I was
trudging back up the beach
iv
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I didn't like the idea of stealing from a friend -
not even a single X-ray photogra
