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to probe, how much he's willing to reveal. Some old hurts never heal. |
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"I was thirty-seven at the time. Saddle sore. Broke. And just beginning to come to grips with the fact that I was a natural-born loner. So one morning I just marched into the Detco and resigned. He had me fill out a bunch of forms, and when I was done with all that nonsense, I crawled into my old pickup truck and headed east. Oh, I stopped a couple of times along the way, got to know a few people, spent a little time in Winnipegand then one day I landed here in Chambers Bay." |
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"Why did you stay in Chambers Bay?" |
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Madden gave me a sideways glance and an easy smile. I had the feeling it wasn't the first time he had been asked that question. |
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"It was a Sunday mornin'," he reflected. "I'd been drivin' all night and had stopped down at Vernice's diner, the same place where I met you folks. When I went back out to my truck I had a flat tire. There I was, my right rear flatter than a fritter, the gas tank empty, and I had three dollars to my name. Even if I solved one problem, I still had the otherso I just stayed." |
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"And?" I knew there was a bottom line, and I instinctively knew I was supposed to ask. |
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"'Bout a year later, four bikers showed up, real bad dudes. They strutted around, |
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