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"You kno he got the virus"

"Sharing needles, as I understand it"

"That's right He wasn't gay"

"I gathered asAIDS, it'd be natural to assuht Very much so"

"Oh?"

"I was sort of in love with him"

"I see"

"What do you do when you fall in love with somebody and he's HIV-positive?" She didn't wait for an anshich was just as well, because I didn't have one "Gay uess they practice safe sex, or else they just don't date across HIV lines If they're virus-free they don't let theet involved with anybody who's not" She was silent for a o ahead and take chances"

"Is that what you did?"

"Oh no Me? Whatin your voice"

"It's probably envy Sometimes I wish I were the kind of person who can act on that kind of impulse I never was, not even in the bad old days I liked Byron a lot and I had this kind of yearning for him, but his status put each of us off-limits for the other We had one conversation about it, how if things were different we'd do sos were the way they were So we stayed friends Just friends, as the saying goes, but what's the word 'just' doing in there? Friendship's pretty rare, don't you think?"

"Yes"

"I learned so et the man who killed him?"

"It sounds likely," I said "He was killed in a public place itnesses around And that's the Sixth Precinct, it's not a high-cri-related The odds are they'll have soht think it's drug-related"

"Why?"

"He used to be a junkie It'll be on his record, won't it?"

"If he was ever arrested"

"A couple of tio to prison, but he told me he'd been arrested a few ti dealing that goes on in that park It's not swarton Square, but Byron told me hoould sit in theand looked out at the street and watch people cop"

After adope, did he, Ginnie?"

"No"

"Then they won't think the killing was drug-related, unless they figure it for a case of mistaken identity, and maybe that's what it was It doesn't matter Either way they'll handle it by the book and run dohatever leads they've got My guess is they'll find the shooter and close the case"

"I hope so Matt? Why should ithiot this thirst for revenge I don't hate the man who killed Byron For all I know he did him a favor He was at peace, Matt He treasured each day, but I already said that, didn't I?"

"Yes"

"He was still able to get out of the house He could still go to s He had to use a cane, but he would walk the few blocks to Perry Street, and there was always soood thing about AIDS, he said No worries about skin cancer, and you didn't have to get to Perry Street an hour early to get a good seat He could joke about it, all of it I guess it's bad when you can't"

"I guess so"

"There was a friend of mine at work When he couldn't come to work anymore I used to visit him Until I couldn't take it anyo in and out of deh I was deserting hi care of him, and dozens of friends I just knew him casually, fro to explainfor signs of dementia with Byron But he was spared that"

I read the coverage in the newspapers, and I atching New York One, the local news channel, when Melissa Mikawa did a stand-up in Jackson Square in front of the very bench where Byron Leopold was shot to death The ca directly across the street, and Mikawa pointed as the camera panned to indicate the killer's escape route

Then she went on to so else, and I hit the Mute button and answered the phone It was Adrian, with a couple of new jokes and the wistful report that, once Will had you in his sights, everybody else wanted to draw a bead on you "The Fourth Estate is hot for me," he said "If I had the stohteen hours a day and spend the rest ofto print reporters Of course everybody wants to in"

"How's that?"

"They want an exclusive Remember what the fellow said after they tarred and feathered hi about honor, wasn't it?"

" 'But for the honor of it, I'd have preferred to leave town in the usual manner' I may not have it word for word, but since it's an apocryphal story, how could anybody have it word for word? It's nice to be wanted, but I' it easier and easier to say no Except for McGraw"