3rd Pass Pages
ManInMyBasemnt_HCtext3P.qxd 10/24/03 8:16 PM Page 126
Walter Mosley
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Bennet worked the key, which was new, in the lock and 2
the long loop came away from the barrel-like body.
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“It fits the center hinge on the door,” he said.
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He crawled into the cage, dragging his red chair, and I 5
fit the lock through and slammed it shut. Then I pulled 6
hard to make sure that the lock held.
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The loud crack of the lock snapping shut had a pro-8
nounced effect on my self-proclaimed prisoner. His face 9
visibly paled and he grabbed onto the bars of the door 10
with both hands.
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“I thought you wanted this,” I said.
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“I do.”
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“Then why do you look so scared?”
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“I had certain experiences thirty years ago that made 15
me nervous about close spaces and locked doors,” he said.
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“So then why you want to lock yourself in a basement?”
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“This is a punishment, Mr. Blakey, not a vacation.”
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