Jagger stepped back. “Where were you before? I thought you were supposed to be home resting.”

“I was.” He looked at me. Damn it. Why did I even try? “Okay. Okay. I got into Pansy’s office and then Payne’s again.”

“And?”

“And she’s cleaned everything out, if there was anything, which I highly suspect there was.”

“And in Payne’s? Anything new?”

Suddenly the vision of waking up with Sky Palmer leaning over me, dripping a cold compress on my head came over me. “Er…no. She must have cleaned that out too. Where do you suppose she took it all?”

“I’d say her home.”

“Damn it. Now we need to find out where she lives and get into her place? That could be more than I’m capable of or at least willing to do.”

Jagger chuckled. “It’s not as if you’ve never committed breaking and entering, Sherlock.”

I smiled.

He smiled back.

We smiled together, and suddenly I felt something. Some kind of bond with Jagger.

Could life get any better?

“She and Payne had apartments in the Tudor-style house on the northern part of the TLC property.”

Leave it to him to know that. “Wait! That means it’ll be easier to get into it, since it’s on the property.”

Life did just get better, until Jagger shook his head.

“What?” I said. “What?”

“Why does that make it easier? It’ll still have to be B and E.”

I punched his arm, said, “You are always so freaking negative,” and walked away, all the while knowing full well that I had no idea why I’d said it’d be easier-other than the fact that I hoped it would be. Wait! After the memorial service. Great timing. Yeah.

Back at the dining-room table, I sat down, ignored looks from everyone-who I’m sure was wondering what the hell was wrong with me that I was gone so long-and picked up my knife and fork.

“You can cut my beef with a fork, Pauline,” my mother said in a chastising tone.

I looked up. Yes, everyone was staring. “Force of habit. Guess I’m just used to eating my own cooking.” I forced a laugh.

Goldie returned and joined us.

“Where’s Mr. Jagger, Goldie?” Mother asked.

“Oh. He said he was sorry, everything was delicious but he had to go.” Goldie sat down and picked up his fork, cut his meat and took a bite.

Damn it.

And where the hell did Jagger go? If he went to snoop at Pansy’s by himself, I’d cut him with my fork.

“You boys sit still,” Mother said to ER Dano and Buzz. “Pauline and Lilla will help clean up.” She gave me the “mother eye”.

I sat mesmerized for a few seconds as if in a trance. She tended to do that to me. Then I came to-obviously the change in my career also included a change in personality-and said, “Why? Why do women have to do all the work?”

Goldie and Miles gasped.

Buzz remained silent, although he looked frightened. Obviously he’d gotten to know my mother in a very short time.

Lilla mumbled that she didn’t mind helping.

And ER Dano grinned.

I looked him square in the eye. “How about it? A little help?”

He got up, gathered up a stack of dishes and started toward the kitchen.

“Payback for me cleaning the ambulance,” I whispered as he passed me but fully not intending for him to hear.

“Touché,” he said over his shoulder.

Yikes. I had to keep my thoughts to myself around this guy. He was a sharp one.

Sharp enough to commit fraud?

I leaned back and watched him walk through the doorway.

Great butt.

Geez, I hope he wasn’t involved…in the fraud…or with anyone!

Thank goodness I had the job of cleaning up, I thought. It at least kept me from continuing to ogle ER Dano and his great butt.

How pathetic.

Once the dishes were cleared, I took the salt and pepper shakers-Mickey and Minnie Mouse, which Mother had since the fifties I’m sure-into the kitchen. Lilla was wiping the counter.

Daddy had gone to the living room to read-an all-night affair. Uncle Walt excused himself to go out-a date with Old Lady Wimple, he’d whispered to me with a wink.

Eeeeeeyew!

“I’m beat, Mrs. Sokol,” Miles said. “Gold, you ready?”

Goldie looked horrified.

My mother touched his arm. “Not to worry, dearie, I’ll put a slice of chocolate cake on a paper plate and you can take it home. Okay?”

He looked like one of my nephews on Christmas morning.

Gotta love Goldie.

Buzz watched my mother cut the cake, and I think he started to drool.

I had to laugh, until I noticed ER Dano-staring at me.

I wanted to say, “What?” but held my tongue so as not to get into an argument in front of everyone. What the hell was he looking at? When I peeked at him again, he nodded his head toward the back door. Toward the back porch door.

Did he want me to follow him?

When he turned and hesitated, I nearly pointed to my chest and mouthed, “Me?” but it was clear, so I said, “I need some air after all that work,” and before my mother could ask what work, I headed out the door. I heard Dano say, “Good idea. Save me a piece, Mrs. S.”

The moon’s glow shone rays of light onto the porch. In the distance the peepers chirped and a gentle breeze bathed the porch in comfort. The neighbors were their usual quiet selves and only the din of traffic could be heard in the distance.

How very romantic, I thought, until I turned around. Romantic is not the term I’d use to describe ER Dano’s glaring at me.

“What the hell were you doing in Payne’s office today, Nightingale?”

Oops.

I was never a good liar, but standing out on my parents’ porch with ER Dano interrogating me in an almost threatening way, I decided I had to give it a shot. Lying that was. And, oh yeah, that sure was a threatening way.

“I got lost.” Even before the words came out, I heard myself scream inside my head, “Are you nuts? That’s the worse excuse I’ve ever heard, Pauline!” However, the stupid words still came out. And now I felt stupid.

And you didn’t want to feel stupid in front of Jagger or ER Dano.

Nope.

He took a step forward. I told myself, as I backed up, that it was his way of intimidating me and I shouldn’t let him. My butt touched the railing. Nowhere else to go but leap over. And that I couldn’t do, or I really would feel like a fool when I landed on my butt in Mom’s hydrangeas. Besides, I had to stand up to Dano or forever face his chauvinistic attitude.

“You got lost?” His tone was almost sympathetic now-as if he thought I was some moron.

Moron? Well!

“Yeah,” I said and pushed past him, with every fiber of my being trying not to notice that I’d touched his chest. Solid, rock-hard, works-out-four-or-five-times-per-week chest, by my best guess. Geez. I had to find a guy soon.

Dano turned and followed me, getting closer and closer until his hand was on my arm. Not as if he grabbed me. Nope. More as if he just wanted to touch me. I looked up into his darkened eyes.

Touch away, buddy.

In seconds I reminded myself that I was a professional and pulled back. “Excuse me? Excuse me?” Not sure even what I meant, I looked to see him just as confused.

“Why? What did you do, Nightingale?”

I faltered. The damn nickname. Then I pulled my shoulders straight and gathered up every ounce of hormone-free sanity that I could muster. “I didn’t do anything.” This time I pushed him enough to get myself to the other side of the porch. “Nothing. I got lost and you sound as if I did something…something wrong. And don’t touch me like that.” Okay, that last bit was overkill, but I knew if he touched me I might crumble.

Now, mind you, I was not some namby-pamby weak female. Nope. But any female would crumble around a tower of testosterone like ER-and she’d probably love it.