As she inserted her key into the padlock on the front door, the strangest sense of dread hit hen It started as an eerie skittering over her skin and ended with a thud deep in her chest. She looked behind her-it was a reflex-and saw nothing but the minimally maintained yard, the drive, and an empty road beyond. But she swore she felt someone's eyes on her.

LoriSue shook it off, figuring it was simply the disgust she felt at finally catching Jimmy in the act. She removed the digital camera from her purse and clicked on the power.

Two could play this game.

Joe was amazed. He suddenly felt a little pang of sympathy for Kurt Tasker-because Charlotte's poetry was hotter than hell, so hot that he was feeling a bit uncomfortable himself.

She'd dated each poem, and they started four years ago. He wondered if there were earlier journals anywhere. He wondered if he could read those, too.

He had a few favorites, but the poem titled "Slut" just about did him in. The one where she worried that he would hurt her felt like a knife to his gut.

Joe barely got the drawer closed and locked before Justin and Matt clomped up the stairs and arrived breathless in the bedroom.

Matt looked around furtively, then whispered, "Did you get them?"

"Get what?" He hoped the boys didn't think anything was odd about him being in Charlotte's bedroom, standing in front of her nightstand.

Matt looked toward his mother's closed bathroom door and walked close to Joe. The pictures, he mouthed silently.

Hell-he'd forgotten to pick up Matt's pictures! He knew he'd forgotten something!

Joe sighed. "They're going to have to wait until after the recital. Look, I'm sorry. I just forgot, Matt."

"Forgot?" Justin's eyes went wide. "Man, we really wanted Chief Preston to look at those pictures! We found these two spies in town the other day, Joe-two creepy-looking guys hanging around for no reason. We'd never seen them before!"

Joe smiled, remembering being this age, when adventure and danger were the mainstays of his imagination. Then he got a load of Matt's expression and stopped smiling. The kid was devastated.

"You promised me." was all Matt said.

Joe looked at Charlotte's clock. He'd be cutting it close, but failing to follow through on the first promise he'd ever made to Matt was no way to start this relationship. It would be hard enough easing into Matt's life with a clean record.

"Okay. I'll get them."

Both boys exhaled in relief.

"Please tell your mother I'll be back in ten minutes, tops. Okay?"

"Sure, Joe!" Matt's smile took over his whole face. "No problem."

Joe was glad he'd left the film at the drugstore at the intersection of Hayden Circle and the state highway-it took him three minutes to get there. He ran into the store and took his place in line at the photo counter, cursing the other two people ahead of him, repeatedly checking his watch.

Finally, it was his turn. He handed three small tear-off receipts to the teenage clerk and had already pulled money from his wallet when the kid returned with a clipboard.

"We got a problem," he said.

Joe closed his eyes for an instant, then said as calmly as possible, "What kind of problem?"

"Your negatives were part of a group that was damaged when the machine went haywire the other night. You have to sign for the damaged prints." He held out the clipboard and pen.

"Damaged? How?"

The kid opened an envelope and flipped through a stack to reveal ja bright yellow streak that cut through the center of each print "You need to examine your prints and sign this waiver that you accept them in their damaged condition and don't plan any legal action against the store."

"Legal action? Jesus-tap-dancing-Christ! Here-just take my money and give me the pictures, okay? I'm in a hurry."

The kid looked hurt. "There's no charge, sir, and it's store policy and I'll lose my job if-"

"Okay, okay. I'll examine them for crying out loud. Hand 'em over."

Charlotte nearly tripped in her attempt to put on her left sandal and her right earring at the same time, and she stumbled into her bedroom expecting to see Joe but seeing the boys instead.

"Where's Joe?"

Justin and Matt looked at each other; then Matt said, "Not sure, exactly. He mentioned that he had to run an errand and that he'd be back in ten minutes."

An errand? She looked at the clock. Now? But they had to leave now!

Then it hit her-Joe had read a few of the poems and bolted. Charlotte finished buckling the strap of her sandal and took just a moment to focus on breathing, because it almost felt as if she was going to black out.

Wait She was being ridiculous-of course she was. Joe hadn't been scared away by her poems. Sure, some were a bit earthy, she realized, but Joe liked earthy, didn't he? Joe. loved earthy.

Didn't he?

"Oh God," she sighed, ushering the boys out of her bedroom. "Go wait for me downstairs. Make sure Hank is ready."

Charlotte checked under the lamp-yes, the key was back in its place. She unlocked her nightstand drawer- yes, the journal had been returned.

She grabbed her purse, and as she raced down the steps she told herself that it was for the best that she'd scared him away. Then she whispered, "Please come back, Joe."

The moment her feet hit the foyer floor, she heard the kids shouting, "Hoover just ran out of the yard!"

LoriSue's digital camera silently took photo after photo of Jimmy-well, Jimmy's flaccid white rump, anyway- flailing away at some girly with a dragon tattooed on her inner thigh.

He'd obviously been using the vacant house as his hose palace and, vintage Jimmy here, had spared no expense in setting the scene for seduction-a bare inflatable mattress lay on the floor, next to a little battery-operated lamp.

No wonder the house hadn't sold. She bet Jimmy, as the listing agent, had been turning away potential buyers in droves so he could keep his little hideaway.

LoriSue cleared her throat, and the next shot she got was a keeper-Jimmy disengaging himself in a panic, his eyes wide in horror. Too bad the Little League Web site had gone live three days earlier, or she could have used this picture on the home page instead of the one of Joe Mills doing concession stand duty.

Oh, well-Joe was far better looking, even in a barbecue apron.

"It's not what it looks like, babe."

LoriSue howled with laughter at her husband's comment. And as the naked chickie screamed and lunged for her clothing, LoriSue noted the array of condom wrappers flung all over the Berber carpet. At least Jimmy wasn't completely stupid, and for that she was grateful.

"So how did you do it, Jimmy?"

He tried to divide his attention between the girl now running past LoriSue into the hallway, and his wife but couldn't quite manage it "Do whaaa?"

"Block my bid on the townhome, you needle dick."

"Hey!" He held out his hands, palms out ajid fingers spread in surrender. "We can talk about this, LoriSue."

She bent down and grabbed his briefs, khakis, shoes, socks, and dress shirt, wadded them up in a ball, and held them behind her back. She promised herself it would be the last time she ever picked up the man's dirty clothes, so help her God.

"So talk. What did you do, advise the sellers to hold out for a higher bid? Bid higher yourself?"

"Uh…" Jimmy dropped Jus head in his hands. "I just didn't want you and Justin to leave."

For a second, LoriSue was speechless. Then she snapped out of it "Cut the crap."