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It was a month later that Bob got word to me he was having a party. I went to Blenheim Palace on the night in question and tethered up my Coastal Pro-Mac V hovercraft in Bob’s safe pen. Looking up I saw that the lights were on in his luxurious apartment and people were milling around with drinks in their hands, clearly visible as they passed the windows. The considerable noise told me they must be having a good time.
I went inside, climbed the stairs to the landing, and knocked on the door. I knocked again, louder this time, to make sure somebody heard me. Somebody did. James. He opened the door and gave me a beaming smile, which wasn’t at all like him. Then he gave me a big hug, which was even less like him, and when he let me go and took a step back he looked me in the eye and said:
