It revealed a cruelty that really made one wonder if the universe was such a good idea after all.

I had killed our careful relationship by driving my tongue through its heart and pushing it off a cliff.

What to wear? I could think of no guidelines on what we were wearing this season to a party forced on you to celebrate an unwanted engagement that might turn into a violent confrontation with a vengeful maniac. Clearly brown shoes were out, but beyond that nothing really seemed de rigueur.

I don't do my job to catch the bad guys. Why would I want to do that? No, I do my job to make order out of chaos.

And as always seems to happen when I have reached the point where I am ready to take decisive action, everything began to happen at once.

I think that's nice, and if I could have feelings at all I would have them for Deb.

What do you want a clock for?” “To find out what time it is,” I said. “I think that’s the usual purpose.