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Page 263
motel and gave the V in my neck a closer inspection. On the other hand, it didn't seem to be the time or place for one of E.G.'s flippant remarks. The old girl just might squeeze.
"No," I answered, knowing full well I couldn't have produced the evidence to support my contention even if I had lied to her.
Somehow the convoluted old face conveyed a look of sympathy, as though she felt sorry for me.
"Then I cannot reveal the contents of the great book to you."
"When will we witness this so-called great hour?"
"It has already begun," she announced solemnly.
Suddenly there was a chill in the room, like a cold draft. The tapered candle next to the sacrophagus flickered, and the sprig of pine swayed perceptibly. The old woman closed her eyes and appeared to lapse into what cultists like to call a state of deeper communication, a dialogue with another dimension. Her face seemed to relax, and for a fleeting moment there was a trace of a smile. Then her eyes opened.
"I have counseled with the Power," she announced. "He informs me that you are a skeptic and that you cannot be trusted with further revelations."
"I take it then that our little conversation is over."

 
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