skippy kills one stranger then tosses his empty hand gun . i watch them pick at their plates . just climbing the stairs will take two hours ! some poor stock boy getting blamed for it . or this will turn out to be a big joke , or a trick . i wish you had n't convinced me to come here . '' she scrubbed a hand down her face , a mimic of him . she cleared her throat , too afraid to ask . the paper-tearing episodes were gradually becoming more frequent . 