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"Love!" Bootsie scoffed "Love? Who are you in love with, young lady?"

"Tall, dark, handsome and somewhatAbby

"Love! Bah Abby and that fed, they’re both cops," Bootsie muttered

"Cops fall in love," Macy said

Dirk winked "And everyone falls in lust from time to time"

"Come on, Abby," Grant said "What’s the deal with the tall, dark and handsome G-man?"

"You mean Malachi?" she asked innocently

"Let’s hope--or else our girl’s becoet the impression that the cute little blonde G-woman is with tall, dark, exotic actor G-man And the pretty blondish one is with tall, dark, handso G- up in the apartment"

"Noould you be worried aboutthe question

"We’ll alorry about you, Abs," Bootsie said

"We’re like the great-uncles you’re really glad you never had," Dirk told her, which h

"Hey, I’uys know I dreaovernent," Abby said "You know I’ll go back to ith a unit, wherever I’ned"

"Yeah, but I looked this unit up," Grant said sagely "They’re the Krewe of Hunters"

"What does that mean?" Bootsie asked

"They ask the dead questions--and the dead help theled at that "Seriously? Come on, Grant The one woman is a medical examiner If they could talk to the dead, she’d just ask the corpses whowho turned them into corpses Oh, I sound terrible--I’rateful you found Helen, Abby, and praying that Roger’s girlfriend will be found, as well But it’s not looking good for her, is it?"

"We don’t have any real answers," Abby said

Bootsie made a sound of derision "All those feds and cops--and nothing You people, all that schooling--and a pirate’s walking all over you" He raised his beer "Ask the dead questions, my ass!"

"Bootsie," Dirk remonstrated quietly

"It’s just us here," he said He looked around "Hey, where’s our third? I haven’t seen Aldous all day"

"I’ away froet a drink order froreed

"Hey, you reat wench, Abby," Grant told her

"Gee, thanks Which reet out of this now" Abby turned but then paused, looking back "Do o out on a date instead of staring at each other all the ti"

Macy’s face went bright red "Abby!"

Dirk was silent

"Now there’s a sensible question," Bootsie said He gave Dirk a nudge "Here’s your chance, boy Ask her out"

"Um" Dirk said

Macy found her voice "Dirk, I don’t knohat these people are doing, but don’t you dare feel obliged to ask ed, Macy"

"Good"

"Butwe should go out sometime To a restaurant We’re in a restaurant IOr we could go dancing Or"

"Dirk Johansen, are you asking uess I a I’ to put you in a bad position--"

"I would love to go out with you, Dirk!" Macy said

"Thank God! That’s settled," Bootsie said "Now, can we get back to sitting around the bar and bitching about everyone we see? Macy, shoo! Go back to work"

Macy smiled and walked back to the host stand Grant took a seat at the bar

"That," he announced, "was really cool Good work, Abby!"

"Thank you, thank you Now, I’et out of this ridiculous outfit!"

Leaving them at last, she ran up the stairs as quickly as she could, encumbered by the skirts that had defined her as Missy Tweed for a few hours

Helen was doing uard was seated in the hallway, reading the newspaper

Angela Hawkins was in the room with Helen, as were her coworkers, Jack and Blake They were still in their pirate attire fro sail of the Black Swan; Malachi assumed that, like Dirk, they usually took the two hours between sailings of the "pirate" vessel to either have lunch or get their errands done