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"It was worth a shot. Thank you for your time." # A shadow moved through the darkness with sure, quiet steps through Hunt's upscale apartment, into the bedroom, and straight to the closet. Just as it knelt down and removed a box, the lights flashed on. "Looking for this?" Garret held up a brad bound manuscript and an envelope. Barbara Wallace made a lunge for it, but Garrett easily sidestepped her as Jackson restrained any further movements. The older man leafed through the pages. "What were you looking for, Ms. Wallace?" "You
already know." "You were afraid of what Hunt wrote about you? That he spelled out all your deepest, darkest secrets in his book?" "You should know..." Barbara narrowed her eyes. "There's no second copy, is there?" Garrett fanned the manuscript he'd been looking through. The pages were blank. "Yes, but this..." He held up the envelope. "This isn't empty. He did leave behind some notes." Barbara sagged in defeat. "I have to know one thing." "What?" Barbara asked. "You want to know why I did it? I had to stop the book. I had to stop Carter. If that book had gotten out, I would've been ruined." "Oh, I don't doubt that. That's not it." "What, then?" "Why the pen?" "You know that old saying?" "What saying? "The pen is mightier than the sword. He was going to use that pen to destroy me. I returned the favor." Garrett nodded to Jackson. "Get her out of here." # "What will you do now?" Garrett asked Ginger as they walked hand in hand through the park. "Oh, I'm still going to write." "About this?" "Oh, no. Besides, who'd believe it." She stopped walking and turned to him. "Thank you." "What for?" "For not giving up. I owe you my life." Garrett stubbed the toe of his shoe in the dirt. "Aw, shucks, ma'am, I was just doing my job." "It was more than that, and you know it. Which is why this next part is so difficult...I like you al lot, Garrett, but I'm leaving...town...for a while." "What?" "Some friends have a cabin up in the woods. I'm going there for a while to clear my head and start my own writing." "Oh." Garrett dropped her hand and started to turn away. She stopped him. "It's not goodbye, Garrett." "Then what is it?" She kissed him a way that he'd only seen in movies. His toes curled. His head swam. After an eternity in an instant, she broke the embrace and winked saucily. "It's come up and see me sometime." Before
he could form a coherent word, she was gone. Jackson materialized
at his elbow. "I told you she was going to be trouble." *******End*******
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