In the firelight, Hinzelmann seemed ugg boots on sale more like a gargoyle than an imp. "This is a good town," he said. Without his smile he looked waxen and corpselike. "You could have attracted too much attention. Not good for the town."
     "You should have left me back there on the ice," said Shadow. "You should have left me in the lake. I opened the trunk of the klunker. Right now Alison is still iced into the trunk. But the ice will melt, and her body'll float out and up to the surface. And then they'll go down and look and see what else uggs discount they can find down there. Find your whole stash of kids. I guess some of those bodies are pretty well preserved."
     Hinzelmann reached down and picked up the poker. He made no pretense of stirring the fire with it any longer; he held it like a sword, or a baton, the glowing orange-white tip of it waving in the air. It smoked. Shadow was very aware that he was next-to-naked, and he was still tired, and clumsy, and far from able to defend himself.
     "You want to kill me?" said Shadow. "Go ugg boots for 2012 ahead. Do it. I'm a dead man anyway. I know you own this town-it's your little world. But if you think no one's going to come looking for me, you're living in a dream-world. It's over, Hinzelmann. One way or another, it's done."
     Hinzelmann pushed himself to his feet, using the poker as a walking stick. The carpet charred and smoked where he rested the red-hot tip, as he got up. He looked at Shallow and there were tears in his pale blue eyes. "I love this town," he said. "I ugg boots clearance sale really like being a cranky old man, and telling my stories and driving Tessie and ice-fishing. Remember what I told you? It's not the fish you bring home from a day's fishing. It's the peace of mind."
     He extended the tip of the poker in Shadow's direction: Shadow could feel the heat of it from a foot away.
     "I could kill you," said Hinzelmann, "I could fix it. I've done it before. You're not the first to figure it out. Chad Mulligan's father, he figured it out. I fixed him, and I cheap rolex watches can fix you."
     "Maybe," said Shadow. "But for how long, Hinzelmann? Another year? Another decade? They have computers now, Hinzelmann. They aren't stupid. They pick up on patterns. Every year a kid's going to vanish. Sooner or later they'll come sniffing about here. Just like they'll come looking for me. Tell me-how old are you?" He curled his fingers around a sofa cushion, and prepared to pull it over his head: it would deflect a first blow.