shoulders from behind, and was immediately tossed backward as Pete flinched and threw his arms out to get mine off his.
“Hey! What the hell?”
“Oh, shit, I’m sorry. You startled me.” Pete stood up, turned and reached for me. “I’m sorry. I didn’t punch you, did I?”
“No. What was that about?”
“Nothing. You just startled me.” But he had his closed face on. I knew it wasn’t just that, but I couldn’t tell what he was thinking. He took my hands in his and kissed my left palm. "Sorry I couldn't join you in the shower. Rain check?"
" Absolutely. Did you get the grading finished?"
" Yep." He hugged me and we stood there like that for a minute. I could feel the tension in his back muscles. He said, "Your hair smells good."
"It's that bargain shampoo."
"Mmm hmm." He let go and studied at me from arms' length away. Then he smiled. "Okay. I'm going to take a quick shower and wash the scent of student failure off of me. Then I'll meet you in bed."
"Sounds good." I watched him walk out of the room, wondering what the hell had just happened.
I got settled in bed and was reading when Pete stepped out of the bathroom, rubbing his hair dry. He hung up his towel and slid into bed. "You know, I've been thinking about who might have been the junk man's accomplice."
I chuckled, reli eved that we weren't going to talk about mine vs. ours issues. "That's the ex-cop coming out of you."
"Yeah, I guess." Pete rolled onto his side and propped his head up on his elbow. "I left the force before I got to be a detective. I think I would have enjoyed it. Anyway...let's think logically. That box was buried under five years' worth of junk. Who could have known it was there?"
"Hmm. Okay. Jennifer got the boxes of books when her aide died. Miss Lucille told Jennifer that she didn’t have any family, but maybe that wasn’t true. Or maybe she was estranged from the family. In her mind, she didn’t have any family, but there are relatives out there who know about the boxes."
"Sure. That's one possibility." Pete rolled onto his back, reached into the drawer of his bedside table, and pulled out a small spiral notebook and a pen. I raised my eyebrows. "I didn't know you had anything but condoms in there."
"Ha ha." Pete grinned. "This is to record any strokes of genius that might occur in this location."
"Right. Not much recorded yet, I see."
Pete smirked. "I've been busy with other things in this location recently." He turned to a clean page and started a list. "Okay. Number one, did Miss Lucille have any family, and if so, did they know about the boxes. Who else?"
I mused. " Jennifer could have told someone. I don't know who, though. Someone that she works with? But again, even Jennifer didn't know exactly what was in the boxes. All she knew was what the old lady had told her."
"Right. But it's still a possibility, however unlikely." Pete made another note. "Could anyone associated with the TV show have known?"
"I don’t see how. Jennifer would have to have told them, and she apparently didn’t know."
"And what about Wally himself? Was he the one who made the initial discovery, then alerted someone else? We don't know anything about his background, either. He could be an unemployed rare books dealer, or something like that."
" True. He didn't look like a career junk man."
"No, he didn't. He was too clean. Although that's a stereotype, isn't it?"
"Yep. I had no idea you harbored these prejudices against junk men."
Pete laughed. "Neither did I. Did you talk to Wally at all on Saturday?"
"Not really, not beyond a few interactions like 'You got that?' and 'Thanks.' Did you?"
"Nope, not even to that extent. I don't remember hearing him talk much to anyone."
"Me either. We were all too busy hauling junk to talk much." I yawned. "Did you notice anyone working in that area in particular? Over where those particular boxes were?"
"No. I don't remember anyone being in that corner for any length of time. We didn’t
“Hey! What the hell?”
“Oh, shit, I’m sorry. You startled me.” Pete stood up, turned and reached for me. “I’m sorry. I didn’t punch you, did I?”
“No. What was that about?”
“Nothing. You just startled me.” But he had his closed face on. I knew it wasn’t just that, but I couldn’t tell what he was thinking. He took my hands in his and kissed my left palm. "Sorry I couldn't join you in the shower. Rain check?"
" Absolutely. Did you get the grading finished?"
" Yep." He hugged me and we stood there like that for a minute. I could feel the tension in his back muscles. He said, "Your hair smells good."
"It's that bargain shampoo."
"Mmm hmm." He let go and studied at me from arms' length away. Then he smiled. "Okay. I'm going to take a quick shower and wash the scent of student failure off of me. Then I'll meet you in bed."
"Sounds good." I watched him walk out of the room, wondering what the hell had just happened.
I got settled in bed and was reading when Pete stepped out of the bathroom, rubbing his hair dry. He hung up his towel and slid into bed. "You know, I've been thinking about who might have been the junk man's accomplice."
I chuckled, reli eved that we weren't going to talk about mine vs. ours issues. "That's the ex-cop coming out of you."
"Yeah, I guess." Pete rolled onto his side and propped his head up on his elbow. "I left the force before I got to be a detective. I think I would have enjoyed it. Anyway...let's think logically. That box was buried under five years' worth of junk. Who could have known it was there?"
"Hmm. Okay. Jennifer got the boxes of books when her aide died. Miss Lucille told Jennifer that she didn’t have any family, but maybe that wasn’t true. Or maybe she was estranged from the family. In her mind, she didn’t have any family, but there are relatives out there who know about the boxes."
"Sure. That's one possibility." Pete rolled onto his back, reached into the drawer of his bedside table, and pulled out a small spiral notebook and a pen. I raised my eyebrows. "I didn't know you had anything but condoms in there."
"Ha ha." Pete grinned. "This is to record any strokes of genius that might occur in this location."
"Right. Not much recorded yet, I see."
Pete smirked. "I've been busy with other things in this location recently." He turned to a clean page and started a list. "Okay. Number one, did Miss Lucille have any family, and if so, did they know about the boxes. Who else?"
I mused. " Jennifer could have told someone. I don't know who, though. Someone that she works with? But again, even Jennifer didn't know exactly what was in the boxes. All she knew was what the old lady had told her."
"Right. But it's still a possibility, however unlikely." Pete made another note. "Could anyone associated with the TV show have known?"
"I don’t see how. Jennifer would have to have told them, and she apparently didn’t know."
"And what about Wally himself? Was he the one who made the initial discovery, then alerted someone else? We don't know anything about his background, either. He could be an unemployed rare books dealer, or something like that."
" True. He didn't look like a career junk man."
"No, he didn't. He was too clean. Although that's a stereotype, isn't it?"
"Yep. I had no idea you harbored these prejudices against junk men."
Pete laughed. "Neither did I. Did you talk to Wally at all on Saturday?"
"Not really, not beyond a few interactions like 'You got that?' and 'Thanks.' Did you?"
"Nope, not even to that extent. I don't remember hearing him talk much to anyone."
"Me either. We were all too busy hauling junk to talk much." I yawned. "Did you notice anyone working in that area in particular? Over where those particular boxes were?"
"No. I don't remember anyone being in that corner for any length of time. We didn’t
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