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"What?" she demanded
"No, I still think… maybe you should take a vacation"
"I can’t take a vacation We just lost a guide, remember? And everyone else was shaken up, too"
He leaned forward, speaking softly "The rest of us aren’t seeing ghosts, Nikki And Max could get his ass back from wherever he is to help out"
"I’m fine," she insisted
They were seated in the courtyard, and Nikki wasn’t surprised when Mada to fill her cup
"You doing okay, Nikki?"
"Yes, thanks, Madame"
"No, she’s not doing okay at all," Julian said
Nikki kicked hiri his shin
"Ghosts?" Mada shocked, just concerned
"Andy coht"
"Julian!" Nikki could have kicked hiain
"Oh, Nikki," Madame said with soft syhed "I’uys I’ll be fine"
"Well, you know I’lared at Julian "Sos Anyti into pal up the tarot, Madame?" Julian asked
She scowled at him "What Nikki doesn’t need is for her friends to ave him a superior stare and le you," Nikki hissed to hihosts"
"It’s not sooing on"
"So you adroaned "Julian, I’hosts exist or that I’ my mind, I’m not sure The point is, one way or another, I’d rather not share my state of confusion with the world"
"Sorry… sorry," he ht that if I said it out loud like that, it would make you… well, lanced at her watch "Meeting here, in ten minutes"
"Ten minutes?"
"It’s almost three"
"Wow, the day just kind of went, huh?"
"Ti you’ve seen deadit all to a shrink," she assured him
"Hey, you knoe didn’t do?" Julian said
"What?"
"Get the real lon on that guy… Tommyhawk or whatever"
"Blackhawk"
"Yeah, yeah… he cauy was dead… and you freaked"
"I didn’t freak"
"You did"
"All right, all right, so?"
"So we didn’t really find out anything about hiuy or Blackhawk We really should find out everything there is to find out about both of theuy" He looked around, as if he was suddenly afraid of being overheard "Okay, point one You hosts Point two--my personal choice--thein your et to the front burner but should"
"What does thatyou shouldn’t know And Andy knew it, too Maybe you and Andy knew souy at Madauy?"
"Yes, except maybe he wasn’t dead when you saw him the first time" He leaned closer still, a tone in his voice that sent tre,about him… and Andy died because of it And that… well, that wouldn’t be good news for you"
Nikki sat back, staring at Julian in horror "What on earth are you saying?"
Julian apparently realizing … nothing! I don’t know"
"Da-time"
"I don’t want to scare you I want you to be careful Beyond careful Until the cops get… whoever What I’ on around here Oh, what the hell do I know? I’m just a storyteller"