face as I told her so。 Maybe I should have。 It's terrible to be alone and frightened at any age; but I think it's worst when you're old。 But I had this other thing on my mind; this load of old and still unfinished business。
〃Anyway;〃 I said; 〃you're right…I've been scribbling about how Wharton came on the block and almost killed Dean Stanton … One of the guys I worked with back then … when he did。〃
〃How could he do that?〃 Elaine asked。
〃Meanness and carelessness;〃 I said grimly。 〃Wharton supplied the meanness; and the guards who brought him in supplied the carelessness。 The real mistake was Wharton's wrist…chain … it was a little too long。 When Dean unlocked the door to E Block; Wharton was behind him。 There were guards on either side of him; but Anderson was right … Wild Billy just didn't care about such things。 He dropped that wrist…chain down over Dean's head and started choking him with it。〃
Elaine shuddered。
〃Anyway; I got thinking about all that and couldn't sleep; so I came down here。 I turned on AMC; thinking you might e down and we'd have us a little date…〃
She laughed and kissed my forehead just above the eyebrow。 It used to make me prickle all over when Janice did that; and it still made me prickle all over when Elaine did it early this morning。 I guess some things don't ever change。
〃…and what came on was this old black…and…white gangster movie from the forties。 Kiss of Death; it's called。〃
I could feel myself wanting to start shaking again and tried to suppress it。
〃Richard Widmark's in it;〃 I said。 〃It was his first big part; I think。 I never went to see it with Jan … we gave the cops and robbers a miss; usually … but I remember reading somewhere that Widmark gave one hell of a performance as t