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？' and looked at everything again； just to make sure。 This time he saw a cricket hop toward the shadowy protection of a wall； and for a second almost could have believed that magic was real and some malign wizard had happened along and 。 。 。 the cricket reached the wall and slipped into an invisible crack。 No； his father had not been turned into a cricket。 Of course he had not。 'Hey；' the boy said…to himself it seemed。 He walked backward to the side door and left the garage。 Sunlight fell on the lush； springy lawns of Rodeo Drive。 He would have called someone； but whom？ The police？ My daddy walked into the garage and I couldn't find him in there and now I'm scared
Two hours later Phil Sawyer came walking up from the Beverly Wilshire end of the street。 He carried his jacket over his shoulder； had pulled down the knot of his tie…to Jack； he looked like a man returning from a journey around the world。
Jack jumped down from his anxious elevation and tore toward his father。 'You sure cover the ground；' his father said； smiling； and Jack flattened himself against his legs。 'I thought you were taking a nap； Travelling Jack。'
They heard the telephone ringing as they came up the walk； and some instinct…perhaps the instinct to keep his father close…made Jacky pray that it had already rung a dozen times； that whoever was calling would hang up before they reached the front door。 His father ruffled the hair on his crown； put his big warm hand on the back of his neck； then pulled open the door and made it to the phone in five long strides。 'Yes； Morgan；' Jacky heard his father say。 'Oh？ Bad news？ You'd better tell me； yes。' After a long moment of silence in which the boy could hear the tinny； rasping sound of Morgan Sloat's voice stealing through the telephone wires： 'Oh； Jerry。 My God。 Poor Jerry。 I'll be right over。' Then his father looked straight at him； not smiling； not winking； not doing anything but taking him in。 'I'll e over； Morgan。 I'll have to bring Jack； but he can wait in the car。' Jack felt his muscles relax； and was so relieved that he did not ask why he had to wait in the car； as he would have at any other time。
Phil drove up Rodeo Drive to the Beverly Hills Hotel； turned left onto Sunset； and pointed the car toward the office building。 He said nothing。
His father zipped through the oning traffic and swung the car into the parking lot beside the office building。 Already in the lot were two police cars； a fire truck； Uncle Morgan's pocket…size white Mercedes convertible； the rusted old Ply…mouth two…door that had been the handyman's car。 Just inside the entrance Uncle Morgan was talking to a policeman； who shook his head slowly； slowly； in evident sympathy。 Morgan
Sloat's right arm squeezed the shoulders of a slim young woman in a dress too large for her who had twisted her face into his chest。 Mrs。 Jerry； Jack knew； seeing that most of her face was obscured by a white handkerchief she had pressed to her eyes。 A behatted； raincoated fireman pushed a mess of twisted metal and plastic； ashes and broken glass into a disorderly heap far past them down the hall。 Phil said； 'Just sit here for a minute or two； okay； Jacky？' and sprinted toward the entrance。 A young Chinese woman sat talking to a policeman on a concrete abutment at the end of the parking lot。 Before her lay a crumpled object it took Jack a moment to recognize as a bike。 When Jack inhaled； he smelled bitter smoke。
Twenty minutes later； both his father and Uncle Morgan left the building。 Still gripping Mrs。 Jerry； Uncle Morgan waved goodbye to the Sawyers。 He led the woman around to the passenger door of his tiny car。 Jack's father twirled his own car out of the lot and back into the traffic on Sunset。
'Is Jerry hurt？' Jack asked。
'Some kind of freak accident；' his father said。 'Electricity…the whole building could've gone up in smoke。'
'Is Jerry hurt？' Jack repeated。
'Poor son of a bitch got hurt so bad he's dead；' said his father。
Jack and Richard Sloat needed two months to really put the story together out of the conversations they overheard。 Jack's mother and Richard's housekeeper supplied other details…the housekeeper； the goriest。
Jerry Bledsoe had e in on a Saturday to try to iron out some of the kinks in the building's security system。 If he tampered with the delicate system on a weekday； he was sure to confuse or irritate the tenants with the Klaxon alarm whenever he accidentally set it off。 The security system was wired into the building's main electrical board； set behind two large removable walnut panels on the ground floor。 Jerry had set down his tools and lifted off the panels； having already seen that the lot was empty and nobody would jump out of his skin when the alarm went off。 Then he went downstairs to the telephone in his basement cubicle and told the local precinct house to ignore any signals from the Sawyer & Sloat address until his next telephone call。 When he went back upstairs to tackle the mare's nest of wires ing into the board from all the contact points； a twenty…three…year…old woman named Lorette Chang was just riding her bicycle into the building's lot…she was distributing a leaflet advertising a restaurant which was due to open down the street in fifteen days。
Miss Chang later told the police that she looked through the glass front door and saw a workman enter the hall from the basement。 Just before the workman picked up his screwdriver and touched the wiring panel； she felt the parking lot wobble beneath her feet。 It was； she assumed； a mini…earthquake： a lifelong resident of Los Angeles； Lorette Chang was untroubled by any seismic event that did not actually knock anything down。 She saw Jerry Bledsoe set his feet （so he felt it； too； though no one else did）； shake his head； then gently insert the tip of the screwdriver into a hive of wires。
And then the entry and downstairs corridor of the Sawyer & Sloat building turned into a holocaust。
The entire wiring panel turned instantly to a solid rectangular body of flame； bluish…yellow arcs of what looked like lightning shot out and encased the workman。 Electronic horns bawled and bawled： KA…WHAAAAM！ KA…WHAAAM！ A ball of fire six feet high fell right out of the wall； slammed the already dead Jerry Bledsoe aside； and rolled down the corridor toward the lobby。 The transparent front door blew into flying glass and smoking； twisted pieces of frame。 Lorette Chang dropped her bike and sprinted toward the pay telephone across the street。 As she told the fire department the building's address and noticed that her bicycle had been twisted neatly in half by whatever force had burst through the door； Jerry Bled…soe's roasted corpse still swayed upright back and forth before the devastated panel。 Thousands of volts poured through his body； twitching it with regular surges； snapping it back and forth in a steady pulse。 All the handyman's body hair and most of his clothes had fried off； and his skin had bee a cooked blotchy gray。 His eyeglasses； a solidifying lump of brown plastic； covered his nose like a poultice。
Jerry Bledsoe。 Who plays those changes； daddy？ Jack made his feet move until he had gone half an hour without seeing another of the little thatched cottages。 Unfamiliar stars in unfamiliar patterns lay all over the sky above him…messages in a language he could not read。
CHAPTER 12
Jack Goes to the Market
1
He slept that night in a sweetly fragrant Territories haystack； first burrowing his way in and then turning around so the fresh air could reach him along the tunnel he had made。 He listened apprehensively for small scuttering sounds…he had heard or read somewhere that fieldmice were great haystack fans。 If they were in this one； then a great big mouse named Jack Sawyer had scared them into silence。 He relaxed little by little； his left hand tracing the shape of Speedy's bottle…he had plugged the top with a piece of springy moss from a small stream where he had stopped to drink。 He supposed it was entirely possible that some of the moss would fall into the bottle； or already had。 What a pity； it would spoil the piquant flavor and the delicate bouquet。
As he lay in here； warm at last； heavily sleepy； the feeling he was most aware of was relief 。 。 。 as if there had been a dozen ten…pound weights strapped to his back and some kind soul had undone the buckles and allowed them to fall to the ground。 He was in the Territories again； the place which such charming folks as Morgan of Orris； Osmond the Bullwhipper； and Elroy the Amazing Goat…Man all called home； the Territories； where anything could happen。
But the Territories could be good； too。 He remembered that from his earliest childhood； when everyone had lived in California and no one had lived anyplace else。 The Territories could be good； and it seemed he felt that goodness around him now； as calmly； inarguably sweet as the smell of the haystack； as clear as the smell of the Territories air。
Does a fly or a ladybug feel relief if an unexpected gust of wind es along and tilts the pitcher plant just enough to allow the drowning insect to fly out？ Jack didn't know 。 。 。 but he knew that he was out of Oatley； away from F