Perplexed, Graham said, 'He was trying to kill us.'
'He was one of the best people. One of the very best there ever was. I
did a program about vice cops, and he was one of the guests.
Within minutes we knew we were two of a kind.'
'He was the Butcher, the one who-' Prine was extremely agitated.
His hands were shaking. His left cheek was distorted by a nervous tic.
He interrupted Connie and said, 'Dwight was half the Butcher.
'Half the Butcher?' Connie said.
Graham lowered his hand from the switch and gripped the pillar of the
brass table lamp.
'llwastheotherhalf,'Prinesaid.'Wewereidentical personalities, Dwight and
l.' He took one step toward them. Then another. 'More than that. We
were incom 3W plete without each other. We were halves of the same
organism.' He pointed the pistol at Graham's head.
'Get out of here!' Graham shouted. 'Run, Connie!' And as he spoke he
threw the lamp at Prine.
The lamp knocked Prine back into the easy chair.
Graham turned to the foyer.
Connie was opening the front door.
As he followed her, Prine shot him in the back.
A terrible blow on the right shoulder blade, a burst of light, blood
spattering the carpet all around him ...
He fell and rolled onto his side in time to see Ira Preduski come out of
the hallway that led to the kitchen.
He floated on a raft of pain in a sea that grew darker by the second.
What was happening?
The detective shouted at Prine and then shot him in self-defense.
Once. In the chest.
The talk-show host collapsed against a magazine rack.
Pain. Just the first twitches of pain.
Graham closed his eyes. Wondered if that was the wrong thing to do. If
you go to sleep, you'll die. Or was that only with a head injury? He
opened his eyes to be on the safe side.
Connie was wiping the sweat from his face.
Kneeling beside him, Preduski said, 'I called an ambulance.' Some time
must have passed. He seemed to fade out in the middle of one
conversation and in on the middle of the next.
He closed his eyes.
Opened them.
AL 'Medical examiner's theory,' Preduski said.
'Sounded crazy at first. But the more I thought about it .
I'm thirsty,' Graham said. He was hoarse. 'Thirsty? I'll bet you
are,' Preduski said.
'Get me . drink.'
'That might be the wrong thing to do for you,' Con the said.
'We'll wait for the ambulance.' epil c The room spun. He smiled.
He rode the room as if it were a carousel.
,l shouldn't have come here alone,' Preduski said miserably. 'But you
see why I thought I had to? Bol MMDAY linger was a cop. The other
