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So he sat on the stage, still dressed with the final courtrooht with some amusement, as he used his personal palm computer to scan updated stock reports and revise a departmental memo

He’d turned the stage lights on, though that had simply been for convenience When she tracked him down, he sat in the dock under a cool blue spot, and he looked as seductive as a condeel

“They ever get you that far?”

“Hlanced up “You’ve seen my records No arrests”

“I’ve seen what’s left of your records after you played with them”

“Lieutenant, that’s a serious accusation” Still, a smile flirted with hismyself in a court of law on a criminal matter How’s the boy?”

“Who? Oh Ralph A little shaky” She climbed the stairs to the dock “I had a couple of uniforain And after he recovers, he’ll have all his pals buying him a beer to hear the story”

“Exactly so You’re a fine judge of human nature And how’s our Peabody?”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re a good teacher, Lieutenant, but a fierce one I wondered if she’d recovered froave her”

“She wants to o on a scene, you don’t bring anything with you No preconceptions, no conclusions And you don’t take what you see at first glance on face value You think Feeney didn’t slap me upside the head with that a few times when he was my trainer?”

“I iine he did and had plenty of bruises of his ohen he hit the rock of it”

“If that’s a fancy way of saying I’m hardheaded, it doesn’t insult me She’ll learn, and she’ll thinkup”

He reached up idly to brush his knuckles over her cheek “I thought the same myself Nohy don’t you think this is self-termination?”

“I didn’t say I didn’t There are a number of tests to be run The ME will make the call”