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498 He sat back in his chair, laughing and...

498 He sat back in his chair, laughing and groaning at the same time"Por Dios! Just when I thought I couldn't sink any lower in life, I become a ****ing talent agent! Excuse the language, Miss Eastlake She took no notice, only stared sternly out at the Gulf, where - at the farthest, bluest edge of vision - a tanker was dreaming north toward Tampa It fascinated me at onceBoats on the Gulf had a way of doing that to me Then I forced my attention back to Wireman "You're responsible for all of this, so-" "Bull**** you say!" " - so you have to be prepared to stand up and take your cut like a man "I'll take ten per cent, and that's probably too muchTake it, muchacho, or we start discussing eight I stuck out my hand and we shook over Elizabeth's crumb-littered trayI put the little recorder in my cartier roadster swiss watches pocket"And you'll let me know if there's any change in your I pointed at his red eyeWhich really wasn't as red as it had been He picked up the contractThere were crumbs on it from Elizabeth's pastryHe brushed them off and handed it to me, then leaned forward, hands clasped between his knees, gazing at me over the imposing shelf of Elizabeth's bosom"If I had another X-ray, what would it show? That the slug was smaller? That it was gone?" "I don't know "Are you still working on my portrait?" "Yes "Don't stop, muchachoBut don't get your hopes up too high, okay?" "I won't Then another thought struck him, one that was eerily similar to Dario's stated concern "What do you think would happen if lightning struck Big Pink and it burned flat with that picture inside? What do you think would happen to me?" I shook my rolex air king automatic watch headI didn't want to think about it I did think about asking Wireman if I could go up to El Palacio's attic and look around for a certain picnic basket (it was RED), then decided not toI was sure it was there, less sure that I 500 wanted to know what was in itThere were strange things kicking around Duma Key, and I had reason to believe they weren't all nice things, and what I wanted to do about most of them was nothingIf I left them alone, then maybe they'd leave me aloneI'd send most of my pictures off-island to keep everything nice and peaceful; sell them, too, if people wanted to buy themI could watch them go without a pangI was passionate about them while I was working on them, but when they were done, they meant no more to me than the hard semi circles of callus I'd sometimes sand off the gucci wholesale sides of my great toes so my workboots wouldn't pinch at the end of a hot August day on some job site I'd hold back the Girl and Ship series, not out of any special affection, but because the series wasn't done; those paintings were still live flesh I might show them and sell them later, but for now I meant to keep them right where they were, in Little Pink xv 501 There were no boats on the horizon by the time I got back to my place, and the urge to paint had passed for the time beingI used Wireman's microrecorder instead, and put the sample contract on tapeI was no lawyer, but I'd seen and signed my share of legal paper in my other life, and this struck me as pretty simple That evening I took both the contract and the tape recorder back down to El PalacioWireman was making supperElizabeth was sitting in the chanel shopping bags China ParlorThe gimlet-eyed heron - which was a kind of unofficial housepet - stood on the walk outside, peering in with grim disapprovalThe late-day sun filled the room with light China Town was in disarray, the people and animals tumbled here and there, the buildings scattered to the four corners of the bamboo tableThe pillared plantation-house was actually overturnedIn her chair beside it, wearing her Captain Bligh expression, Elizabeth seemed to dare me to put things right Wireman spoke from behind me, making me jump"If I try to set things back up in any kind of pattern, 502 she sweeps it apart againShe's knocked a bunch to the floor and broken them "Are they valuable?" "Some, but that's really not the pointWhen she's herself, she knows every one of themIf she comes around and asks where Bo louis vuitton wallets Peep i

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