“Dar, was that true about IBM?” Duks drew attention away from her gracefully. “About the hospitals?”
Dar nodded. “Yep, it sure was. I was talking to one of their account reps, who was telling me it was a good thing we did a no-bid on them.” She glanced up as their appetizers arrived, suddenly finding herself starving. “Sorry about that accident before,” she told the waiter.
“No problem, no problem, lady always comes in, cause fuss, no tip,” the waiter confided. “Worth spoiled fish.” He put a plate down before Kerry, containing a beautiful piece of fried wonton skin shaped into a swan. The swan’s body held a delicious-smelling mixture of chicken, peanuts and spices.
“Chef make special for you.”
Kerry looked up at him and smiled, a blush coloring her face. “Thank you.” She tasted it, then grinned. “This is really good.”
Dar sniffed at interestedly. “Looks like it.”
“Uh uh.” Kerry cupped her hand around the swan teasingly. “Mine.”
Dar raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t say I wanted any,” she retorted, returning her attention to her plate.
A moment’s silence, then blue and green eyes looked up at the same time and met, and they both started laughing.
“This is so cute, it makes me want to sing,” Duks announced, swallowing a mouthful.
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“Oh god, cut it out, Kerry,” Dar said instantly. “You don’t want him to start that.”
“No?” Kerry inquired curiously.
“He thinks he’s Placido Domingo.” The dark-haired woman waved her fork at him. “Wait till he gets a few beers in.”
Another laugh, which Duks cheerfully joined in on as he raised his wine glass to the table. “To palmetto bugs. Long may they wander.”
THEY PARTED IN the parking lot some time later, under the bright stars of a cool night. Even from here, Kerry realized she could smell the sea, and she took a large breath of air as she and Dar strolled back towards where they’d parked. “Well…” She cleared her throat and glanced at her taller companion.
“That…didn’t quite go as expected.”
Dar laughed. “No, it sure didn’t,” she agreed. “But it’s all right, I was thinking about what you said. You know, about telling Mari what was going on, and I’d halfway decided to do it. Maybe it was fate.”
“So, you’re not mad at me?” Kerry asked quietly. “I didn’t… Jesus, Dar, that wasn’t planned. I don’t know what came over me.”
Dar glanced at her. “Mad at you?” she asked incredulously. “Nah, I’m not mad at you. I just wish I’d had a movie camera.” She glanced down and shook her head. “That certainly changes the scene I always picture when I think of her.”
They reached their cars and turned to face each other. “Thanks,” Dar said simply.
“You’re welcome,” came the simple response. “After all, that’s what friends are for, right?”
Dar cupped her cheek and smiled. “You bet.” A soft beep startled both of them and Dar reached for her cell phone, only to find it silent. “It’s not mine.”
“Mine.” Kerry pulled hers out and opened it. “Hello?” Her face tensed, then took on a shocked look. “Okay, okay, I’m on my way back there now. Be about…forty minutes or so. All right. Bye.” She folded the phone closed and looked up at Dar grimly. “My place was broken into.”
Dar’s eyes narrowed. “Let’s go.”
Kerry kept her hands clenched on the steering wheel the entire way home, aware of the comforting presence of Dar’s Lexus right behind her. She pulled into a parking lot full of police cars and spotted Colleen’s agitated figure near the door to her apartment. “Shit.” She wasn’t sure whether to be upset, angry, frightened, or all three, but she got out of the car and hadn’t taken two steps before Dar was right there, with a hand on her shoulder.
Colleen spotted them, and ran over immediately. “Thank god you’re here. I just got home, and I went to see if you were back yet. When I found your door wide open, I called the cops.”
Too late to do anything about that now. Kerry sighed inwardly. “Great, just great.” She shook her head. “Thanks, Col.”
“No problem. They won’t let me in there, but I poked my head in and the place looks pretty trashed.” She paused for breath. “Hi, Dar.”
“Hi,” the taller woman answered briefly. “Anyone see anything?”
352 Melissa Good Colleen snorted. “These self-absorbed yuppies? They wouldn’t have seen anything if Fox Mulder had landed a frigging alien spacecraft in the parking lot and gotten out to do the hula.”
Dar had to suppress a grim chuckle at this description. “C’mon, let’s see what the deal is.” She gave Kerry a tiny nudge. “You have renter’s insurance?”
Kerry had to think through what Dar was asking. “Yes, State Farm,” she answered absently as they moved through the lot and up to her front door, peering inside. She was vaguely aware of Dar’s voice muttering into her cell phone as she tried to make her mind see order where there was only…
Colleen had been right. It was a mess. Things were torn apart and thrown everywhere. Her eyes flicked to the television, then to the computer, both of which were still in place. A policeman came towards her. “Ma’am?”
“I live here,” Kerry said quietly. “What happened?”
The officer shook his head. “Beats the hell out of me. Looks like whoever it is, was looking for something pretty bad. You keep cash in the apartment?”
She shook her head. “No. Well, five or six bucks in change, sure—on the dresser. That kind of thing.”
He nodded. “Yeah, gotcha. Any jewelry?”
She felt her neck and pulled out her single gold chain. “This, a few pairs of earrings, and a ring are all I have.” She glanced over. “Nothing seems to be missing.”
The cop was writing furiously on his pad. “Probably druggies looking for cash for a buy, Ms.—” His eyes questioned her.
“Stuart,” she answered. “You think so? I guess they went away empty, then, huh?” She moved into the room and peered around. Cushions were scattered everywhere from the couch, and she crossed to her bedroom and pushed the door open. Every drawer was emptied, and the bedding was torn from the bed. Pooh was thrown against the wall and she picked him up, hugging him to her in reflex. Kerry walked back into the living room.
“Everything looks like it’s here.” She told the policeman quietly.
He glanced at her, then at Pooh, and gave her a pat on the shoulder.
“Listen, sorry about your fish there. Looks like some chemical can fell in the tank.”
Kerry’s eyes tracked to the glass enclosure and saw the floating forms.
Dar’s eyes went the same way, then went to her face in quiet compassion. The blonde woman walked over and stood staring at them, bobbing lifelessly on top of the water. A half empty container of kitchen cleaner bobbed next to them. With exaggerated care, she pulled the container out and closed the lid, aware of Dar’s close presence behind her. “I keep that cleaner in the cupboard in the kitchen,” she said quietly.
Dar’s hands closed on her shoulders. “Go siddown. I’ll take care of this.”
“Dar, someone killed my fish,” she whispered sadly.
“I know,” came the low, vibrant response. “First, we’re going to get this place cleaned up, and then we’re going to get some sleep. Tomorrow morning, I’m going to take you to get more fish.”
Kerry exhaled. “Maybe that’s not a good idea.”
“Yes, it is,” Dar insisted quietly. “Don’t let them win, Kerry.” She Tropical Storm 353