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He let his chair drop to the ground with a scowl in her direction "I’ll have you know, Ms Leighton, that I’ve got a lady friend who’s very anxious for "

"Yeah, but she only wants you to scratch her belly while you watch Wheel of Fortune, and that doesn’t come on for a couple of hours yet"

Eckhoff shook his head in disgust "You wound o, Cyn How’s a man supposed to s like that to hih and flopped down on the chair in front of his desk, painfully aware of her short skirt and bare legs

"Rough day?" he mocked

"You have no idea" She eyed her old friend "You look good, Dean Maybe you really do have a lady waiting for you" Eckhoff was a tall, skinny guy who dressed like an Oxford don and could talk like one too, when he got the urge Which urge usually involved an inordinate amount of alcohol His eyes were a washed out blue and as left of his hair still showed soray He’d worn a co bald, until Cynthia had given him her unvarnished opinion on comb-overs Turns out he had a perfectly nice skull

"So what brings you way over here today, grasshopper?"

She s a job for a client It looks like a kidnapping, probably extortion to get souy Soht be a connection to the Russians"

Eckhoff frowned "Isn’t that a little out of your league, Cyn? Did you tell him to call his friendly police force?"

"You know uy’s not gonna ood ones, actually"

Eckhoff regarded her somberly "This one of your special clients?"

"Maybe," she acknowledged, which was the sa it

"Yeah Well, that does uy for wanting to keep a low profile So who’s working it with you?"

"Just me, all by my lonesoer wearing a blue unifored "Partly So, what do you know about the local Russians? I’ve got a couple--"

"Not my territory, sweetie"

"Not directly, no But you s?"

"Not lately Listen, Cyn, I really do have to get out of here You want to walk out with me?"

"Sure," she said, puzzled "I’m parked out back"

"Perfect"

Eckhoff put a companionable arm around her and pulled her close as the station house door closed behind the about the Russians around here, Cyn," hetheure out who it is They’ve pulled everyone frohed up at hihthearted conversation "How long?" she asked

"Couple of months, ot two nauy’s na shot Pushkin And a possible hit on a phony export company over in East LA Pretty weak, but it’s all I’ve got so far"

"I don’t know anybody named Pushkin, but Kolinsky runs out of Odessa Exports over on Ver shot handy; I’ll fax it to you He’s not the top guy," Eckhoff continued "But he’s pretty damn close Your friend Carballo would knowthat side of town these days"

"Benita?"

"The only one I know"

"That’s not her usual beat"

"Hey, I don’t ask questions But I’m pretty sure it’s reliable Listen, Cyn That’s a bad crew These Russian guys are soo in there alone, you hear me? Even if it’s only to ask questions, you take so I hear they put even the Coloive your girlfriend an extra belly rub for rinned, then stood on her toes and kissed his freckled cheek