Payne, who is a bachelor, recently graduated from the University of Pennsylvania. He declined to answer questions from the press.

After that, Chief Coughlin was no longer quite so sure that Officer Payne would soon resign from the police department. And he didn't.

"Captain," Sergeant Payne said now, "those two can do anything they're asked to do." He looked at Lieutenant McGuire. "I'd really like to have them."

"Wohl said 'anything we think we need,' " McGuire said. "Let's see if he meant it."

He asked permission with his eyes to use Captain Quaire's telephone. Quaire nodded. McGuire punched in numbers.

"Lieutenant McGuire for Inspector Wohl, please."

Then he reached to Quaire's phone and pushed the Speaker button.

Peter Wohl's voice came somewhat metallically over the speaker:

"Hey, Gerry, what can I do for you?"

"Inspector, you said I could ask for anything for the Stan Colt job."

"My toothbrush excepted, ask away."

"Mutt and Jeff. They on something that won't wait?"

"When and where do you want them, Gerry?"

"North Philadelphia Airport at three. Tell them to report to Sergeant Payne."

"They'll be there."

"Thank you, sir."

"Any time."

The line went dead.

"Why don't you take Lassiter to Northeast Detectives now, and get that over with?" Quaire said.

"Yes, sir."

"And then I'll see you at the airport at three," McGuire said.

"Yes, sir."

[FOUR] Matt stood patiently by Olivia's desk and waited until she finished talking on the telephone.

"I really appreciate that, Lieutenant," she said. "We really want to get this guy."

She put the handset in its cradle and looked up at Matt.

"Cincinnati Homicide," she said. "Nice guy. Nothing that he can think of offhand, but he's going to check around for me. What's up?"

"Let's go out to Northeast and get our statements out of the way," Matt said.

She didn't reply, but stood up, and took her purse from the desk drawer, and then waited for him to lead the way out of the office.

In the elevator, she asked, "What was going on in the captain's office?"

"That was Lieutenant McGuire of Dignitary Protection," Matt said. "He's about to protect Stan Colt from his horde of fans."

"And?"

"I'm going to help him," Matt said.

"What's that all about?"

The elevator door opened onto the lobby.

"I'll tell you later," he said, and held the keys to the Porsche out to her. "Follow me to my place, and I'll dump the car there."

It seemed for a moment as if she was going to object, but she finally took the keys without comment.

Matt drove the unmarked Crown Victoria into the basement garage first, pulled it into one of his slots, and got quickly out to show her where to park the Porsche.

When she opened the door, he was standing there. When she got to her feet, they were so close that he could feel her breath on his face.

He resisted the impulse to put his arms around her, but bent slightly, far enough down to kiss her.

"Oh, God!" she said. "I should have trusted my instincts."

"About what?"

"About what you had in mind when you handed me the keys."

"What I had in mind was getting the Porsche out of the Roundhouse lot before it got ticketed or boosted," he said.

Her face told him she did not believe this at all.

"All the way here, I thought of reasons why I shouldn't let you kiss me."

"Which are?"

"I can't remember," she said, and they kissed again.

She looked into his eyes.

"What are you thinking?" she asked.

"Which question would get the desired response," Matt said. "One, 'Would you like to see my etchings?' or two, 'You want to come upstairs for a minute?' "

"You really have etchings?" she asked.

He nodded.

"If we go to your apartment, you know what will happen."

"I hope I know what will happen."

"I mean it will take longer than a minute."

"The way I feel right now, I'm not sure it'll take as long as a minute."

"Oh, God!" Olivia said.

Olivia came out of Matt's bathroom wearing his terry-cloth robe. He thought she looked adorable.

"Well, now we know, don't we?" she asked.

"Know what?"

"That just beneath my nice girl surface there is a lewd, lascivious, and shameless slut."

"Come on!"

She walked to the door and began picking her clothing up from the floor.

"I don't suppose you'd believe me if I said I never have behaved like this in my life."

"Yeah, I would," he said.

"I don't believe you, but thank you anyway."

Matt's cellular buzzed.

"Don't answer it!" Olivia ordered.

Matt picked it up.

"Payne," he said, then, a moment later, "Hold one."

He shoved the telephone under a pillow on the bed.

"I asked you not to answer that," Olivia said.

"It was more like an order, but I have worked for Peter Wohl for five years, and have developed an uncontrollable Pavlovian response to my phone ringing: Answer it immediately."

"That's Inspector Wohl?"

"No. It's my regular girlfriend."

He could tell by her face that she could not quite make up her mind whether to believe him or not.

"You want me to go in the bathroom and give you a little privacy?"

"No. Come and eavesdrop," he said. "You'll probably find it interesting."

She headed for the bathroom.

"Hey!" Matt called. "Here!"

He pointed to the bed.

She didn't move.

He took the cellular out.

"Detective McFadden," he said. "It warms the cockles of my heart to hear your voice."

He pointed to the bed again, and Olivia came and sat gingerly on the edge. He moved the cellular away from his ear so that she could hear.

"Matt, what the fuck's going on?" Detective McFadden demanded.

"You mean right now?"

"Yeah."

"I'm in bed with a beautiful, almost naked woman."

Olivia pinched Matt painfully on his inner thigh.

"I wouldn't put it past you, you bastard." McFadden chuckled. "I mean, Dignitary Protection at the North Philly Airport at three o'clock. Wohl just told me."

Matt responded to the pinch of his thigh by reaching into Olivia's robe and taking her nipple between his fingers.

"You wouldn't dare!" she whispered furiously.

"You and Man Mountain Martinez have been selected to assist Lieutenant McGuire and his staff, and me, in the protection of Mr. Stan Colt, the movie star…"

"What?" McFadden challenged incredulously.

Matt let go of Olivia's nipple, then kissed the fingers that had held it with appreciation. Olivia shook her head in resignation.

"With particular emphasis on protecting Mr. Colt from himself."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"He likes very young girls, Charley. We are going to see that he doesn't get any while he's in town."

"You're not pulling my chain, are you?" McFadden asked, seriously.

"No. If there is an… incident, we are all up that famous creek without a paddle."

"How the hell did you get involved in this?"

Matt started to push his robe from Olivia's shoulders. She stiffened, but then relaxed and then shrugged out of it.

"Colt is here to raise money for West Catholic High-"

"I saw that in the paper," McFadden interrupted.

Matt raised his head and kissed Olivia's nipple.

She sighed. When he lay back down, she shook her head, tolerantly.

"-Monsignor Schneider, who's the cardinal's man for the visit, is a cop groupie. When Colt told him he would like to see real cops at work, Schneider thought of me and went to the commissioner, and I got stuck with it."

"But why you?"

"Schneider thinks I was a real heroic cop in Doylestown," Matt said after a perceptible pause.

"Oh, shit!" McFadden said, sympathetically.

Susan Reynolds's sightless eyes came to Matt's mind.