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Horror nodded "Thought I s"

"Yeh," said Sluggsy eagerly, "that's right too" He turned to this Mr Bond "Now don't you go listening to any crap from this little hustler We're frouinetti He's a big wheel in Troy Owns this outfit Well, there'd been cos too So we coation, sort of, and e put the question to this little tra on the think-pot See for yourself" He waved in the direction of Horror "No d'ya like that? So as just restraining her, sort of, when you coht, Horror?"

"That's on the level That's hoas"

I said angrily, "You know that's a pack of lies" I walked over to the back door and pointed at the bent fraet there?"

Sluggsy laughed heartily "Search me, sister" He turned to Horror "You seen any bullets flyin' around?"

"No, I ain't" Horror's voice was bored He waved a languid hand toward the floor round the eating counter "But I seen plenty hardware being slung at ht, lady? An' there's a big carving knife down there so"

"You do that!" I said hotly "Just see where it'll get you! You know perfectly well I was trying to defend myself And as for that story about the money, that's the first I've heard of it And you know it"

The Englishht tiistry so that I can sign it?"

Sluggsy said curtly, "Register's with de boss No purpose in signin' nuthin' You ain't payin' The place is closed You can have your bed on the house"

"Well, thanks That's very kind of you" Jas and bacon and coffee? All this talking's ry I can cook it myself if the stuff's there"

"Oh, no" I almost ran behind the counter "I'd love to do it"

"Thank you very sy and sauntered over to the counter and hoisted hi his case on the next one

Out of the corner of sy turn on his heel and walk quickly over to the thin ently

Jaot down off his stool and took off his raincoat and hat and put them on top of his case and cli mirror at the back of the counter, while I busied lances

He was about six feet tall, slihtly tanned face were a very clear gray-blue and as they observed the ave his good looks the dangerous, alhtened me when I had first set eyes on hiht his face only exciting, in a way that nowhite silk shirt with a thin black knitted tie that hung down loosely without a pin, and his single-breasted suit was ht ood hands lay quietly on his crossed arms on the counter, and now he reached down to his hip pocket and took out a wide, thin gunarette case and opened it

"Have one? Senior Service I suppose it'll have to be Chesterfields frohtly down as he smiled

"No, thanks Not now After I've done the cooking"

"By the hat's your name? You're Canadian aren't you?"

"Yes, froland the last five years or so I'm Vivienne Michel My friends call et into this fix? Those are a couple of the toughest hoodluster suburb to Albany The thin one's just finished a long stretch in jail, or I'll eat my hat The other looks like the worst kind of psycho How did it happen?"