seem to bother me a lot more. Iâm trying my damnedest to avoid the stereotype. You know, the woman who grins and bears it during the courtship, all the while thinking sheâs going to change her man once theyâre married. But he doesnât make it easy.â
âWhat eccentricities? Gibbons has been my partner for eleven years; Iâve never noticed anything that eccentric about him. I mean, heâs a pain in the ass, and he can be a mean son of a bitchâand very sarcastic to bootâbut other than that heâs the salt of the earth.â Tozzi was grinning, waiting for her reaction.
âWell, he can be the salt of the earth occasionally. But there are just some things he does . . .â She pressed her lips together and shook her fist. âIâd like to brain him sometimes.â
âMe too. Like today. He was in a foul mood all day, bit my head off every time I turned around. And just because he saw this guy in court he canât stand, a guy who used to be an agent with us.â
Lorraineâs eyes narrowed. âWhatâs his name?â
âJimmy McCleery.â
Lorraine closed her eyes and winced. âThat explains why he was such a bear last night. Oh, God.â Her eyes suddenly snapped open and she snatched a green Christmas tree from the cookie tin. âWhy am I eating these?â
âYou know McCleery?â
She looked at him for a moment as if she were debating whether she should tell him or not. âYes,â she finally said, âI know him.â
Tozzi set down his coffee cup. âHow well do you know him?â
She made a face. âNot that well. We had a few dates, thatâs all.â
Tozzi was shocked. âWhen was this?â
âYears ago. Jimmy had just arrived at the Manhattan fieldoffice. At the time, Gibbons and I had just had a big fight, a serious fight. We said some pretty awful things to each other, and I told him I didnât want to see him anymore if that was the way he felt. Neither of us was willing to back down, and so we stopped seeing each other. I eventually calmed down, and I wanted to make up with him, but you know Gibbonsâeverything is Iwo Jima with him. He wasnât ready for a truce yet. I had just met Jimmy at a Christmas party. I saw right away that he was the type Gibbons loathed, so to goad him into coming to his senses, I jumped at the opportunity when Jimmy asked me to go out with him.â
âYou went out with Jimmy McCleery? I canât believe this.â
âIt never went very far, Michael. It was just two or three dates, I canât even remember. Nothing happened. I told you, I just did it to make Gibbons jealous. And it mustâve worked. We made up pretty soon after that. It was Valentineâs Day. I remember it very well. He brought me roses.â
âGibbons bought roses?â
Lorraine raised the cup to her lips but didnât drink. âHe isnât on the job all the time, you know. Gibbons does have a soft side. It may be buried deep inside him, but itâs there.â
âYeah, like the center of a Tootsie Pop.â
Lorraine frowned sternly. âI donât appreciate the sarcasm. I get enough of it at home.â
âIâm sure you do.â
Lorraine ignored him and rummaged through the cookie tin again. More nervous eating.
âTell me the truth, Lorraine. You really went out with Jimmy McCleery? I just donât see it. I mean, heâs soâI donât knowâso full of shit.â
âBut he has a beautiful voice. And a real passion for Irish literature. I remember he quoted Yeats on one of our dates. âLeda and the Swan.â He even recited passages from Molly Bloomâs monologue in Ulysses , verbatim. He was quite mesmerizing.â
Tozzi sipped his coffee and nodded. Sounds like a real fun date .
âJimmy McCleery is a very sweet person. Heâs not Gibbons, but heâs sweet.â
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