screen slammed behind him I as he went into the house, then slammed

again when he came out. He grinned at her as he settled in the

pa.s.senger seat. "You saved me from another hour's mowing. Dad'll never

be able to let it sit like that until I get back. Too organized."

"Glad I could help."

She drove aimlessly for a while, content to let the wind move through

her hair, listen to the music on the radio, pa.s.s idle conversation. When

she heard her father's voice come clear and strong through the speakers,

her lips curved.

"Does it ever feel weird?"

"Hearing him?" 14er smile widened. "No, not really. I knew his voice

before I knew him. It's hard to think of Dad without thinking of his

music. It must be the same for you. I mean he's your father, but he's

a cop. I'm sure it's natural for you to think of him wearing a gun or a

badge or whatever."

"Whatever. Still, it was pretty strange when I first started working

for him."

"Working for him?"

"Yeah. I caved in." He sent her a breezy grin. "As Johnno once said,

I'm following in the old man's flat feet."

YOU'RE A COP?" Emma braked at a stop sign and took the opportunity to

turn and study him.

"What my father's fond of calling a rookie." He grinned again. "What?

Have I grown a snout?"

"No." She sat a moment, then drove on. It was silly, she supposed, to

have her idea of police focused by her impression of Lou, and at the

other end of the spectrum, shows like StarsA:y and Hutch. "It's just

odd thinking of you that way."

"Well, that's something. I never figured you thought of me at all."

She laughed. "Of course I did. When our picture hit the paper, I was

the most popular girl at school for weeks". Of course, I exaggerated

the whole business for my own benefit."

"So did I." He tossed his arm over the seat to play with the ends of her

hair. "I got a date with Sue Ellen Cody on the strength of that

clipping alone."

"Really?" She shot him a quick, slanted look.

"It was my fifteen minutes of fame. I kept hoping you'd come back."

"Sweeney spilled it to Dad." She shrugged. "And that was the end of

that. Do you like being a cop?"

"Yeah. Right up to the time I walked into the academy I was sure I'd

hate it. But there you go. Some things are just meant, and no matter

how many times you walk away, you end up where you belonged all along.

You take this road here if you want to go up to the house."

She stopped again, staring straight ahead. "How do you know?"

"My father used to drive up there. I'd go with him sometimes. He'd

just sit and look. I thought you might like to know that he's never

forgotten what happened, and he's never really accepted that he couldn't

find them."

"I think I knew," she said slowly. "That's why I wanted to see him,

talk with him again." She let out a sigh. "You knew what I intended