"That's not it!" He sounded offended. "Give me a little credit, here. I know what they did to Dakota and Tony. Everybody knows...."

I didn't know whether to be irritated or gratified at his concern. "I didn't know you cared."

He paused. "Uh, doesn't matter. You're dating Grant Meriwether."

I blinked. "No."

"You're not?"

"I went out with him once for ... well, not for romantic reasons."

"Interesting." His voice was suddenly more cheerful.

Okay, I decided. Gratified. I decided to feel gratified by his concern.

I thought about Joe for a moment, trying to separate him from his role of team captain, and Brett's friend, and even the guy who'd unintentionally put down my academic skills. He was taller than I, not as tall as Brett, but much taller than Grant. He dressed like he didn't care what other people thought, but nothing embarrassing. His complexion was mostly clear. I pictured his face, his beaky nose, his angular torso.

My heart went pitter-pat.

Tongue-tied, suddenly, I let the silence grow.

He cleared his throat. "So, if you're not dating Grant, are you dating anyone else?"

My mouth was suddenly dry. "I am not."

"Sure you don't want to ride with us in the van tomorrow?"

"Positive, why?"

"Thought we could sit together."

"What about Lany? I thought there was something going on with you two?" They touched a lot, horseplay and hugs.

He laughed. "She's my first cousin. And she's going out with a college boy. How about the van?"

"A four-hour drive is your idea of a good time?"

"Depends on the company."

There was that, but the last thing I wanted to do was sit with Joe while Brett was in the same vehicle.

"Not interested."

"Oh." The cheer in his voice vanished.

"In the van ride. But I'm free tonight."

There was a clatter as he dropped his phone. I heard him saying, "Shit! Shit!" as he scrambled to pick it up again. "Are you still there?"

I didn't say anything.

"Cent?"

"Yes."

He exhaled. "Want to go out tonight?" He said it in a rush.

"Trying to get that in before you drop the phone again?"

He laughed, a breathless kind of laugh. "Yeah. Kinda. You surprised me, there."

I'd surprised me.

"Can't stay out too late. I've got this, uh, snowboard thing tomorrow, but you can pick me up at seven." I hesitated. "Oh. You don't have a car, do you?"

"Not to worry-I can borrow wheels! Uh, I already know your address."

You do?

"All right. Seven, then," I said.

TWENTY-SEVEN.

Millie: "Letting Go"

Davy rose from the table as soon as Joe and Cent left.

"Where are you going?" Millie asked.

He turned his head quickly, touched his lips with his tongue.

Millie laughed. "No! Don't even think about it."

Davy slowly sat back down.

Millie said, "When you lived in New York, when we met, how would you have liked it if your father had followed you around watching everyone you talked with?"

Davy looked away, saying, "I am not an alcoholic!"

"No. So? What does that have to do with her right to privacy? To her right to make her own mistakes?"

"Making her own mistakes could get her killed!"

"If you're not careful, you're going to do just what your father did to you: drive her away."

He looked shocked and angry. "My father was physically abusive!"

"Yes, he was. And emotionally abusive, too. But don't compare your behavior to his. We can always find someone who is behaving worse than we are. Doesn't excuse our own behavior."

"What is the objective standard, then?"

"You could do worse than the golden rule. If you were in her shoes, would you like to be followed around by even a benevolent parent?"

"What if she needs my help? Our help?"

Millie held up her cell phone. "Wait until she asks."

Millie did go out herself, later, to download her e-mail. On reading one, she jumped to the DC Metro and found a public phone.

"Martingale." Millie could hear silverware on china and the clinking of ice cubes in the background.

"It's Millie. Is this a bad time?"

"One second." Away from the phone Martingale said, "Work call. Won't be a moment." The sound of the cutlery faded and Becca said, "Okay. I'm back near the restrooms. You got my e-mail." It wasn't a question.

"Yes. Who saw her?"

"Sheer coincidence. An agent out of the LA office was reviewing some security camera footage related to a bank robbery, checking the previous day's video to see if the suspects had cased the lobby, and she showed up though the window. Nothing to do with the robbery, but the agent had seen a recent circular on her prison escape."

"When was this?"

"Last Thursday-the robbery was Friday."

"And where, exactly?"

"Venice Beach."

"It's not much. Checking the area?"

"Of course. Police and agents. But Hyacinth wasn't alone in the picture. We don't have an ID of the man yet, but we're working it."

"Could you e-mail me that image?"

"Sure. First thing tomorrow, okay?"

"Thanks."

TWENTY-EIGHT.

"Potential"

Dad took it well. Okay, he took it better than the previous time.

"Got a date tonight," I said at supper.

Dad didn't say anything, mainly because he'd inhaled some iced tea.

While he was coughing, I added, "I won't be out late, though, because of the meet tomorrow"

Mom whacked Dad on the back, between his shoulder blades, and said, "But you're jumping there. Why should it matter if you stayed out late?"

Dad, still coughing, glared at Mom.

Mom ignored him and kept whacking. "You can sleep in tomorrow morning."

"Sure, but he can't. He's on the snowboard team, too, and he'll have to get up early to catch the van."

Dad got his coughing under control. "Not Grant?"

"Right. Not Grant."

Dad looked at with raised eyebrows, waiting.

"It's Joe Trujeque, the team captain. You met him when you dropped me off at the van, that first day of practice."

"Isn't he a senior?"

"Junior."

Dad said, "A little old for you?"

Mom and I burst out laughing.

Dad grinned, too, and winked.

Oh. This time he was being funny.

Mom followed me back to my Yukon bedroom. "Dressing up?"

I shook my head. I changed to an oversized sweatshirt and added my Yomiuri Giants baseball cap. I only had to use one bit of cover-up for a healing zit. Then I flossed and brushed my teeth really well.