"How about dinner?" he asked.
"That's good."
"Okay. I asked you on a date. We'll go out. You happy?"
"It's not a date yet. You have to tell me when. And I mean exactly. Not a month, not a week."
"I'll call you."
"Oh, that? Are you kidding? Are men genetically programmed to say those three little words? Gimme a break."
He looked around helplessly. "I don'
t have my Daytimer here."
He'd call her and he had a Daytimer. This was scary. Richard was rapidly losing his appeal.
"Never mind," she said cheerfully.
"Okay, how about tomorrow?" he asked. "I know I'm not doing anything tomorrow."
Not too eager now--watch it. "I guess."
"Where do you want to go?" he asked.
"You can come here. I'll cook."
"I thought you didn't cook."
She said, "I don't cook well. But I do cook. We'll save the Four Seasons for a special occasion." She looked at her wrist. She wore two watches. They'd both stopped working. "What time do you have?"
"Eight."
"Shit, I have to go," Rune said, slipping off her T-shirt.
She could sense Richard watching her thin body, eyes sweeping up and down. She turned to him, wearing only her Bugs Bunny panties. "So, what are you staring at?" Put her hands on her hips.
And got him to blush.
Yes! Score one for me.
"Glad you don't shop at Frederick's of Hollywood," he said.
A good recovery. This boy had potential.
As she dressed, Richard asked, "What's the hurry? I didn't think your store opened until noon."
"Oh, I'm not going to work," she said. "I'm going to the police."
CHAPTER SEVEN
"Miss Rune," Detective Manelli said, "we are investigating the case."
She looked at his organized desk. Here--not standing in front of a corpse--he seemed like an insurance agent. The close-together eyes weren't so noticeable; they moved quickly, surveying her, and she decided he might be smarter than she'd thought. His first name was Virgil. She looked at the nameplate twice to make sure she'd read it right.
She nodded at the file open on his desk, the one he'd been reading. "But that's not his case. Mr. Kelly's, I mean."
He took a breath, let it out. "No, it's not."