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"Hells, woman" Gavin’s voice fills my ear "You didn’t tell irl’s phone? It’s pink and has unicorn stickers all over it I hope ironically Anyway, it says ‘Jazz’ on it in purple sparkles"

I close ain "Where was it?"

"Under his damn pillow," Gavin says He sounds uy is a freak Who keeps a dead girl’s phone under his da this intoa new screenplay just so I can put this in it You should see this shit This guy is Hannibal Lecter the Second How did he pass the test to becouy Who hired hiue, I want to reply, but I’s, please?" a voice at rab soently into the phone, "please do as I asked Leave Howard’s room now, and come back down here with that phone i," Gavin says "This is research, dude I have never seen anyone who ht You could bounce quarters off this shit This guy’s mom must have warped his brain to one dry That’s because as I’ve straightened up to hand over the trash bags, I see the face of the person who’s asked for them

It’s Howard Chen

He looks as shocked as I feel His lips are parted in confusion, his eyes wide, his fingers, on the trash bags I’ve just handed him, white-knuckled

"Did I hear you tell Gavin to leave my room?" Howard asks "And to co a coh "Of course not Why would Gavin be in your roo way too long, which is why I’et back down here"

"Uh-oh," Gavin says inout of here, quick"

There’s a click Gavin’s hung up

"Okay, Gavin," I say, pretending Gavin’s still on the line "No, I don’t care if you’re talking to your mom, I want you back down here now I have work to do and need to get back to my office"

I slam down the handset and roll ht? So, you’re going to start s? Getting rid of old stuff?"

Howard isn’t falling for my act

"I knohat I heard," he says in a voice without a hint of humor--much like his face "You said, ‘leave Howard’s room now, and come back down here with that phone’ "

"Noould Gavin be in your roo over to the pile of newspapers on which I’ve lefta little erratically Earlier, I had absolutely no intention of taking out the gun Hal insisted I bring to work