had been talking to was actually Jules.
She came fully awake with a wry smile on her face. For some people, messages from the unconscious mind needed to be pretty blatant. Kate got the point.
When the sun was a bit farther up, she phoned Jules. Jani answered, a lovely, low voice with a lilt of accent.
"Good morning, Kate. Are you looking for Al?"
"Er, well, no, actually. I was hoping to catch Jules before she left for school."
"She is still here. Just one moment." Kate heard the muffling distortions of receiver against hand as Jani called, "Jules!" and then, again to Kate, "She will be here in a moment. How are you, Kate?"
"Fine. Just fine."
"And Lee, how is she progressing?"
"Lee's fine."
"Will you come to dinner soon? Both of you?"
"Well, that might be difficult."
"I understand," she sympathized, not understanding in the least. "But as soon as it is possible. Here is Jules."
"Kate?"
"Hey, J. How're you doing?"
"Did you find him?"
"Find... Oh, Dio. No, I'm sorry, nothing's come in. I was calling to see if you'd like to go and do something this weekend. I'm supposed to be off, unless something comes up, and I thought you might like to spend Saturday in riotous living. If it's okay with your mother," she added, belatedly aware that she sounded like an acned teenage boy with sweating palms, asking for a date.
"What would we do?"
"Whatever you like. Movie, the beach. Shopping," she suggested desperately. What do girls like Jules do in their spare time, anyway? Go to the library? Maybe this wasn't such a great idea.
"I'd like that. Let me ask Mom." Again the muffled sounds, the occasional mutter and word of a brief conversation. "Kate? She says fine, what time, and do you want to come back here for dinner?"
"Ten too early for you? And if you want, we could stay out, have a hamburger or some Chinese. Cruise the bars, look for some action?"
That raised a giggle, unexpected from that particular set of vocal cords.
"Ten is fine. Thank you."
Twenty minutes later, the telephone pulled Kate out of the shower, where she'd been berating herself for such a dumb commitment, picturing herself locked up in the car with Jules, driving up and down mumbling, So, what do you wanna do? and Jules answering, I dunno, what do you wanna do?
"Hello?"
"Kate? It's Jules," the girl said, sounding oddly furtive. "There's something I would like to do on Saturday, if it's okay with you."
"Is it legal?" Kate asked warily.
"I think so. If it isn't, don't worry - it was just an idea."
"What is it?" Kate wiped a dribble of shampoo away from her eye with the edge of the towel.
"I'd like to try shooting a gun somewhere."
Probably the very last thing Kate had expected.
"Sure. What kind of gun?"
"What do you mean?"
"Pistol? Rifle? Machine gun? Grenade launcher?"
"Just the pistol, I guess."
"Fine, if your mom doesn't object." Silence. "You think she would?"
"Probably," she said darkly.
"I really couldn't take you if she didn't approve. Ask Al to convince her."
"She doesn't like guns."
"I'm not crazy about them myself. They make a lot of work for me," she said darkly, Lee and the murdered Jules-like girl very much on her mind. "Ask Al."
"Okay."
Kate returned to her shower in a better frame of mind.
Nothing came up to keep Kate from her appointment with Jules, and on a gorgeous crisp autumnal morning, she drove down the peninsula and parked outside the apartment building. She was buzzed in, took the elevator up, and Al opened the door, unshaven and in a dressing gown and slippers. He nodded Kate in. She looked everywhere but at the partner who was in fact her superior officer. He did not seem to notice.
"Coffee?" he asked, holding out his own cup.
"Not if you made it, thanks."
"I think Jules did." She followed him to the kitchen and they examined the glass carafe. The coffee was still more brown than green. "Not too old."
"Yes, then I will have a cup."
"Taking her to the range, then?"
"If it's all right with Jani."
"Jani
She came fully awake with a wry smile on her face. For some people, messages from the unconscious mind needed to be pretty blatant. Kate got the point.
When the sun was a bit farther up, she phoned Jules. Jani answered, a lovely, low voice with a lilt of accent.
"Good morning, Kate. Are you looking for Al?"
"Er, well, no, actually. I was hoping to catch Jules before she left for school."
"She is still here. Just one moment." Kate heard the muffling distortions of receiver against hand as Jani called, "Jules!" and then, again to Kate, "She will be here in a moment. How are you, Kate?"
"Fine. Just fine."
"And Lee, how is she progressing?"
"Lee's fine."
"Will you come to dinner soon? Both of you?"
"Well, that might be difficult."
"I understand," she sympathized, not understanding in the least. "But as soon as it is possible. Here is Jules."
"Kate?"
"Hey, J. How're you doing?"
"Did you find him?"
"Find... Oh, Dio. No, I'm sorry, nothing's come in. I was calling to see if you'd like to go and do something this weekend. I'm supposed to be off, unless something comes up, and I thought you might like to spend Saturday in riotous living. If it's okay with your mother," she added, belatedly aware that she sounded like an acned teenage boy with sweating palms, asking for a date.
"What would we do?"
"Whatever you like. Movie, the beach. Shopping," she suggested desperately. What do girls like Jules do in their spare time, anyway? Go to the library? Maybe this wasn't such a great idea.
"I'd like that. Let me ask Mom." Again the muffled sounds, the occasional mutter and word of a brief conversation. "Kate? She says fine, what time, and do you want to come back here for dinner?"
"Ten too early for you? And if you want, we could stay out, have a hamburger or some Chinese. Cruise the bars, look for some action?"
That raised a giggle, unexpected from that particular set of vocal cords.
"Ten is fine. Thank you."
Twenty minutes later, the telephone pulled Kate out of the shower, where she'd been berating herself for such a dumb commitment, picturing herself locked up in the car with Jules, driving up and down mumbling, So, what do you wanna do? and Jules answering, I dunno, what do you wanna do?
"Hello?"
"Kate? It's Jules," the girl said, sounding oddly furtive. "There's something I would like to do on Saturday, if it's okay with you."
"Is it legal?" Kate asked warily.
"I think so. If it isn't, don't worry - it was just an idea."
"What is it?" Kate wiped a dribble of shampoo away from her eye with the edge of the towel.
"I'd like to try shooting a gun somewhere."
Probably the very last thing Kate had expected.
"Sure. What kind of gun?"
"What do you mean?"
"Pistol? Rifle? Machine gun? Grenade launcher?"
"Just the pistol, I guess."
"Fine, if your mom doesn't object." Silence. "You think she would?"
"Probably," she said darkly.
"I really couldn't take you if she didn't approve. Ask Al to convince her."
"She doesn't like guns."
"I'm not crazy about them myself. They make a lot of work for me," she said darkly, Lee and the murdered Jules-like girl very much on her mind. "Ask Al."
"Okay."
Kate returned to her shower in a better frame of mind.
Nothing came up to keep Kate from her appointment with Jules, and on a gorgeous crisp autumnal morning, she drove down the peninsula and parked outside the apartment building. She was buzzed in, took the elevator up, and Al opened the door, unshaven and in a dressing gown and slippers. He nodded Kate in. She looked everywhere but at the partner who was in fact her superior officer. He did not seem to notice.
"Coffee?" he asked, holding out his own cup.
"Not if you made it, thanks."
"I think Jules did." She followed him to the kitchen and they examined the glass carafe. The coffee was still more brown than green. "Not too old."
"Yes, then I will have a cup."
"Taking her to the range, then?"
"If it's all right with Jani."
"Jani
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