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"What's she look like?"
Dodge grinned. "Put it this way, it won't be hardship duty."
"Tits?"
"Two," Dodge said, then laughed at Gonzales's expression. "C cup at least. Good legs, too."
Gonzales gazed at him with a mix of admiration and envy. "And you're getting paid to put the moves on her."
Dodge glanced around. "That's not my official assignment, you understand." He pulled a somber expression. "HPD wouldn't condone an officer using--"
"Save it," Gonzales said. Then, leaning across the table, he whispered, "But we both know that's what they want you to do." He stuffed a three-ply wedge of syrupy pancakes into his mouth. "You live a charmed life, my friend."
"Don't forget that she's got a hard-case felon for a boyfriend. What I've heard of him, he'd probably slit my throat for taking a gander at her tits. Just for thinking about taking a gander at her tits."
"Bad one, huh?"
"Real bad. Series of armed robberies. Two assaults. One rape charge fell apart in pretrial, so he squeaked by there. He was suspected of a fatal stabbing in the prison shower, but the weapon didn't turn up, and, if there were any witnesses, they were too scared to come forward." Nodding somberly, Dodge said, "He's bad."
Gonzales frowned with concern. "Get the information from his old lady. Get the robber, get a medal, get detective. But don't get killed in the process, okay?"
"I'll do my best."
More than that Dodge couldn't say about his undercover work, not even to his trusted former partner. Gonzales understood that, of course, so when Dodge asked him about his new partner, he shifted subjects gracefully.
"He and I get along okay. Goes without saying, he's not you."
"Miss me?" Dodge teased.
"No. Hell no. When I said he wasn't you, I meant that he's better than you. But Doris at the 7-Eleven is pining. She's gone stingy with free doughnuts and ice cream bars."
They finished their meal and paid their tab. When they reached the parking lot, Gonzales paused and looked toward the freeway, where the rush-hour traffic was moving at a blistering five miles an hour. Then he studied the clouds scuttling in off the Gulf. He looked at just about everything except Dodge, who sensed Gonzales was struggling with indecision.
"What's on your mind, partner?"
"Nothing much." He glanced at Dodge, looked away again. "I just ... Look, this is none of my business, okay? And it probably doesn't matter to you anyway."
"But?"
Finally he looked at Dodge directly. "Night before last, my partner and me responded to another call for help on Shadydale." He watched Dodge warily, to see if the street name rang any bells.
It did, of course. A couple of months had gone by since he'd come to Caroline King's rescue, but it seemed like yesterday. Dodge's whole system started humming with wrath, with dread. "Did he hurt her?"
"No. Didn't amount to anything, really. In fact it was the neighbor next door who called. Said she heard loud noises, shouting, abusive language. Campton had split by the time we got there. I talked to Ms. King. She was embarrassed. Hated that her neighbor had been disturbed. But Campton hadn't hit her this time."
Gonzales hesitated before continuing. "I didn't know if you still ... you know." He bobbed his shoulders in a quick shrug. "The only reason I mentioned it is because ... That night you and I were there? Seemed to me you were especially interested in this lady's welfare."
Dodge clenched his jaw and didn't say anything.
"They're still engaged," Gonzales continued. "I asked. And anyway, it was hard to miss the diamond on her hand."
Dodge nodded.
Gonzales made a sound of regret. "Hell, I'm out of line here. I shouldn't have said anything."
"No, I'm glad you did, Jimmy. Thanks for telling me."
> Then, worried for a different reason, Gonzales asked, "You're not gonna do something stupid, are you?"
