He hesitated before peeling off a wedge and placing it in his mouth, at which he closed his eyes and seemed to melt, hanging back his head, working his jaw in a circular motion, reopening his eyes-pausing suddenly.
"What?" I asked. "What is it?"
He tilted his head, peering into the branches. "Isn't that strange?"
I followed his gaze into the tree but, alas, saw nothing. Which, of course, was precisely the problem; there was nothing-no oranges, no leaves, no uppermost branches, it was as though someone or something had picked the treetop clean.
"Someone has a helluva reach," said Maldano.
I looked around the lot: at the lichen-covered Public Market and the Jersey Mike's Subs with the Prius in its window, at the Vietnamese Nail Salon and the El Buzo Peruvian Restaurant. "We should split up, canvas the area. Make sure-there's nothing else."
"Yeah," said Maldano. "I think you're right."
I headed for the Public Market. "Make a sweep of the strip mall. I'm going to check out that grocery store."
He laughed a little at that-which caused me to pause.
"Orders-Hooper?"
I half-turned, but didn't make eye contact. "Sorry?"
"I mean, in all this? This Big Empty? This 'world tenanted by willows … and the souls of willows?'"
There was something in his voice. Something subtle, something contentious.
"Call it what you like," I said, and continued toward the market.
Dieser Download kann aus rechtlichen Gründen nur mit Rechnungsadresse in A, B, CY, CZ, D, DK, EW, E, FIN, F, GR, H, IRL, I, LT, L, LR, M, NL, PL, P, R, S, SLO, SK ausgeliefert werden.