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the next. Only now was there the blessing of darkness and anonymity. |
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They were like recorded questioning voices, different pitches, garbled, uneven, fragmented. He tried to concentrate on what they were saying. |
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In the background, he could hear screeching gulls and unrelenting surf. Somewhere, in the hazy distance, two children were laughing, and he could hear the wind carry away their frantic, playful words. |
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The other voices were clearer now. The words were strung together in whole thoughts, things he could identify. |
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"What do you think happened?" a woman's small, anxious voice asked. |
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Another voice, further away but more authoritative, speculated. "See that broken railing up there on the third floor? Looks like he fell from there." |
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"Damn, that's three floors," a duller voice exclaimed. |
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The children were laughing again. They were closer now. Maybe they were coming to join with the other voices to see what the fuss was about. |
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"Well," still another voice droned, "at least he's alive. We can tell that much. Only question now, I guess, is how bad is he hurt?" |
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Another voice, one he hadn't recorded be- |
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