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wore no makeup, and her brown hair was pulled back in a tight knot. She looked like an Amish thug. |
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"Didn't think you'd actually show, ma'am." Her disappointment was palpable. |
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The "ma'am" rubbed Terry wrong, but she took a deep breath to put it away. She rested the weighted bottom of the trash bag on the floor. The head was buried under two store-bought bags of ice cubes. She held out the neck of the Hefty, but the woman didn't take it. |
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"Been a change of plans, I'm afraid. I'm just too pressed too make it to the lab today. Probably not until Friday, if then." |
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Terry felt she'd been dismissed. "And just what do I do with this?" |
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The woman tipped her head to say it wasn't her problem. "Can run it over yourselfthey're open until four-thirty. Or pop it in your refrigerator until I get a window. And before you ask, we don't have one." |
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The little victory grin made Terry's blood boil. There was no way she could take it herself. In an hour she had to pick up Matty from school to run him over to Dr. Tojian's. "I can't accept that," Terry said. |
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The woman gave a shrug. "Suit yourself." She started away. |
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"Are you happy with your job, Ms. Burdick?" |
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That stopped her. She turned around. "Beg pardon?" |
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"I ask because I'm wondering how the town would react if it knew that its animal inspector resisted testing the ravaged remains of a raccoon suspected of a rabid attack." |
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"Are you threatening me?" |
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"Yes. And here's more: I've got a twelve-year-old son who likes to walk through the woods. Were I to learn that rabid animals are running around, or, God forbid, were he to get bitten by one because you were too fucking negligent in your job, there's no telling what kind of anomaly I'd commit on you." |
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Helen Burdick's face went tight. Suddenly she was aware of the lobby full of staffers and townfolks frozen in fascination. The receptionist looked like a still life, only her eyes shifting from Terry to Burdick. |
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The effect was immediate. Ms. Burdick wiped her mouth and made a sheepish grin to the small audience. "Suppose I can get over |
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