Chapter 16

“Where do you want to look today?” I asked.

“Gazebo,” he said.

I walked him there through the heat. The grass was so dry, lacking water; I could hear it make a brushing noise under my feet.

Takis said behind me, “How long have you worked here?”

“Three years.”

“You get along with David Claire?”

“We rarely have dinner together, but we’re friends.”

“He travels a lot for his eyes, right?”

“Yes. He does.”

“This means you’re here alone. All by your lonesome. Right?”

“Yes. This is true.”

How about the guests? You usually get along with them?”

“I do. There’s a few I could have lived without through my years here. But all in all, they come and go without any problems.”

“You remember Matthew Lavender staying here?”

“I don’t. Wasn’t here the day he was.”