Crazy in Chicago by Norah-Jean Perkin

involved romantically. About the real reasons why—despite the feelings he’d sparked in her—she wouldn’t go out with him.
    She squirmed on the leather bucket seat, then glanced at him. He hummed a cheery tune, apparently unperturbed by the terms of friendship she had laid out before agreeing to come with him. If he’d only known how difficult it had been for her to hide her eagerness to accompany him no matter what.
    Guilt welled up in Roberta and she pressed her lips together to keep it inside. The real reason rested in the file lying open on her kitchen counter. The file containing the newspaper clippings about his disappearance. The clippings that had lead her to suspect more than a year ago that he had been abducted by aliens.
    But she couldn’t tell Cody that. Not until she had enough proof to overcome his skepticism. Not until she had enough proof to build a convincing case of alien abduction, one that would give her respect within her field, one that would make even Garnet take notice and stop patronizing her.
    Her fists clenched in her lap. What a lucky coincidence that her neighbor should turn out to be a potential alien abductee! But coincidence or not, she couldn’t jeopardize her first real chance at a big case by dating the subject of her investigations. When she proved her case—and her intuition told her she would—she couldn’t risk an emotional attachment that might contaminate her objectivity and the results of her investigations. No one would accuse her of subjectivity! That had always been the biggest problem with Garnet’s books, especially the ones involving his own abduction.
    She winced as her nails dug into the palm of her hands. Still, she felt guilty about not telling Cody. With a pang she recalled the genuine delight in his eyes when she’d agreed to come with him tonight.
    Â  I’m doing this for his own good. Abductees always feel better once they know and accept the truth, she insisted to herself. With determination she shoved the guilt aside and concentrated on what was going on now. “So who are these people we’re visiting?” she asked. “Anyone I would know?”
    Cody shook his head. “Probably not. But you might have heard of one or the other. Allie and Erik Berenger. They both work at The Streeter. He’s a photographer and she writes the column “Street Beat”. She’s the one who wrote all the articles about my disappearance last year.”
    â€œOh.” Roberta remembered all right. “The one you were going to marry?”
    â€œYes.”
    Roberta mulled that one over. “And you’re still good friends?”  
    Cody glanced at her, then shook his head in amusement. “Actually, Allie and I are probably better friends now than when we went out together.”
    â€œAre you sorry it ended the way it did?”
    â€œNo, not really.” Cody sounded matter-of-fact. “Allie’s great. We just didn’t work together as a couple.”
    A spurt of relief surprised Roberta. “And what about Erik?”  
    Cody frowned. “He doesn’t like me. I’m not sure why.”
    He glanced at her again and his lips curved upwards in that winning smile that made her feel as if he’d never smiled at anyone else.
    â€œThat’s why you’re here,” he continued. “To shield me from his disapproving glare. And also to hold the baby. I’m not much good at that.”
    Roberta struggled to find something to say that would diminish the effect of his smile. “I guess holding the older babes is your specialty, right?”
    â€œOuch!” Cody looked wounded.
    â€œSorry.” Roberta suppressed a chuckle.
    â€œI told you I’ve reformed,” he continued, pulling into a parking space on a street in the largely commercial area of North Chicago. “And you have to admit, I’m on my best behavior today,