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Page 131
"I was scared. I had the feelin' somethin' bad was wrong. I crawled back across the roof and looked into the window again. I know I'll have to pay for the damage I did, but I knew I had to get into her apartment. I knew somethin' was wrong . . . real wrong."
"How did you get in?"
"That was the easy part. I saw them do it in a movie once, when a house was burnin' and some little children were trapped inside. I wrapped my apron around my hands and used my arms like a club. I was surprised at how easy it broke, just like in the movie."
Machino leaned back in his chair, a wry smile playing with the corners of his mouth. The woman wasn't quite as committed to self-destruction as he had first thought.
"I know you've been through all of this before, Mrs. Markle, but I wonder if you'd mind walking me through it one more time?"
She stared timidly back at the patient man, not wanting to but knowing she had to, because he was the law and he was asking her to.
"Like I said, I broke most of the window. The moment I did I could smell the terrible smell. It was like . . . like spoiled food. I made myself crawl through the window. Everything was rancid. I never smelled anything like it before."
"And where did you find the body of the man?"

 
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