Chapter Five
Starsky wandered around his
apartment, wondering just what to do with himself. He really wanted to go out and start driving around in hopes of
finding Sharman, just to be sure she was alright. But he told himself ‘no’.
This overwhelming need to protect her was silly. ‘It’s not like before. She doesn’t need me like she did.’
He resolved himself to cleaning up
the few dishes in the sink and straightening up a few books on his shelf, then sat
down in front of the television in hopes of watching something of
interest. The soaps were not that
interesting. Seemed they had the same
story lines and plot the last time he had watched, nearly four months ago after
getting shot. He dozed into a light
sleep.
<O><O><O><O><O><O><O>
Sharman let herself into the
apartment, feeling worried since Starsky’s car was out front, yet no lights
were on. When she got inside, she could
see by the light of the television that he was on the sofa. His head was bent forward a little, and she
felt some relief as she realized he was merely sleeping. Deciding to take advantage of the situation
she’d walked into, she slowly walked up behind him, and, standing directly
behind the sofa, reached her hand around, slipping it down his shirt.
Starsky grabbed her arm, bringing her
forward in a thrusting motion as he pulled her over the sofa in an act of
sudden defense. Sharman was on the
floor and on her back in a matter of seconds, stunned almost to unconsciousness.
When Starsky’s eyes adjusted and saw
just who was lying there, panic took over and he cut the lamp on, seeing
Sharman as she lay motionless beside the coffee table. He fell to his knees beside her, calling her
name. When she didn’t respond to his
voice and touch, he reached for the telephone and began calling for an
ambulance.
“No.
No, I don’t need that,” she said
weakly, letting her hand rise to the back of her head and rubbing it as she sat
halfway up. Starsky dropped the
receiver back down on the phone as he sat himself back down with her, helping
her to sit up.
“What the hell happened?” she asked,
still rubbing the back of her head, taking deep breaths as she regained the air
that had forced its’ way out from her lungs.
“I think you tried to sneak up on
me. Are you all right?” he asked
sweetly, his voice gentle and his eyes filled with worry.
“Oh yeah. I remember. You were
asleep on the sofa and the television was on and I wanted to surprise you.” She
watched as he stretched his legs out in front of him. He sighed, then leaned his face towards hers.
“Never sneak up on a cop,” he said
seriously. His expression soon changed
into a lop-sided grin, and she smiled back at him.
“Guess I won’t make that mistake again. Although I should be used to it after today.”
Starsky stood up above her and held
out his hand to her, helping her to stand.
She wobbled a little at first, and he put his arms around her for
support.
“What happened today?” he asked, leaning her forward to take
a good look at her.
“Well, I had to go back to the Pits
because I left my sunglasses there. I
saw Stephanie and she remembered me, even had the sunglasses waiting for me
behind the bar. We began talking since
she’s all excited about that date of hers with Hutch tonight. She’s really a nice girl. I think they’ll get along really well, if
Hutch can stop running into her like he has been.”
Starsky noticed a hesitancy in her
voice. “Yeah. And?”
“And, well, when I left, I guess I
wasn’t paying too much attention and I almost got run over by a garbage truck
when I went to cross the street. If it
hadn’t been for Stephanie leaving work at the same time I was heading out, I
might have been squished.”
“Squished? You call getting’ hit by a garbage truck being ‘squished’?”
“I try not to be gruesome. Where I wasn’t paying attention, thank
goodness Steph was. I guess I could’ve
been hurt.” She smiled, although it was a bit nervously.
“You sure you’re okay?” he asked,
scowling. She grinned at him, joining
his hold on her with hands around him.
“I am now.” She leaned in and kissed
him passionately.
Starsky stood with Sharman in his arms for a long time,
enjoying the kiss she offered. He took
control of the encounter and brought her down with him on the sofa. They were necking like teenagers, caressing
and feeling each other while keeping the kiss going. Finally she broke free, rubbing his hair with her hand and
smiling down at the gorgeous blue eyes that watched her.
“Have you eaten?” she asked, staring
at the eyes that were admiring her.
“Not since lunch with you today.”
Starsky pulled her back into him, kissing her deeply, making her body tingle
with excitement. She pulled briefly
from his hold.
“You need to eat,” She teased him
with her lips, hardly an inch from his own.
“I’m working on the appetizer.” With that, she kissed him slightly on his
lips, making them reach out to hers only to be taken away again. Unable to stand any more, he held her
tightly, pulling her with him as he slid into the floor, kissing her so deeply
that she felt she would explode.
Once they were on the floor, she
found an opportunity and took advantage of it, straddling his torso as he laid
flat on his back.
“Right where I wanted you.” She
smiled evilly, enjoying the role play.
“Not quite,” Starsky replied, letting
his hands sneak up around her as he began tickling her, making her scream like
a child in giddy protest. Before she
knew it he was straddling her. He
grabbed her hands and held them away from her, rendering her helpless as he
leaned down and kissed her lips, then her neck, then slowly edged his way to an
ear. She screamed from excitement, and
below her ear, a smile peeked through, as Starsky knew the intent of his action
had played through.
Showing off his experience with the
fairer sex, Starsky slid a hand behind her back, making it arch as he kissed
her between her breasts. She moaned
loudly, enjoying his magical ways of enticing her. Slowly, he used his other hand to unbutton her blouse, grateful
to see the front-hook bra in view.
Sharman reached up both hands, letting them run freely through the curls
of his thick hair, then pulled him into her as her bra was released.
Never had she felt such passion and
need before. Never had he known the
intenseness he was feeling with her now.
Hutch pulled the LTD into an available parking space in front of the Pits and cut the engine. He adjusted his tie in the rear view mirror, then checked his hair, taking a hand and patting it down where the wind from the open car door window had tousled it. Once he got out, he began walking away, then turned himself around and looked in the side mirror of the car, checking himself over. He felt more nervous than he had going out on high school dates, and chuckled at himself for feeling that way. He walked in, noticing the loudness of many patrons enjoying their evening, only broken by the loud whistle that came from the bar. He walked towards Huggy.
“Well, well, well, you here to take
her out or marry her?” Huggy asked with a sarcastic grin. Hutch just looked at him, his grin one of
slight embarrassment.
“Too much?”
“Nah. She’s all prettied up too.
Never seen her look that good if you must know.” Huggy said smiling.
“She’s here?” Hutch’s eyes wandered
the bar, looking hopeful in finding her.
“Yeah, she’s here. She’s in the kitchen talking to Jody. Those two gals hit it off from the get-go
and I’m guessing they’re talking ‘bout you.” Huggy was teasing his nervous
friend, but when he realized just how nervous
Hutch seemed to be, he pulled a beer from under the bar and handed it to
him.
“Settle down Hutch! It’s a date. What’s got you so spooked?
You been out of the game that long?” Huggy was beside himself, no longer
able to control the laughter from escaping him. But Hutch was ignoring him.
Instead, he was looking at the vision that came out from the kitchen and
headed towards him.
Stephanie walked out between the
saloon style bar doors, moving slowly as she looked around for her date.
Her long brown hair was free of the
ponytail that had secured it earlier and was now styled with waves of curls
that shone shiny locks encircling her face.
Her make-up was tastefully done, showing off her cheekbones and accenting
her beautiful eyes, making him stare at her intensely. Her lips were slick with a light colored
gloss, making them call to him as they shimmered with her smile.
Dressed in a little black dress which
accented her curves snuggly; it showed off the body she was obviously proud
of. The neckline plunged down from her
shoulders, giving an ample, though not too revealing view of her cleavage,
tastefully covered in black lace. With
black lace also fringing around her thighs, the shortness of the dress only
accented the curves of her long legs which presented themselves in black
nylons. Her shoes were also very
stylish, black with open toes combined with three inch heels that brought her
closer to his own height, although he still was taller. She was like wine; smooth and robust, and
very tasteful for the occasion.
She spied him sitting at the bar, and
smiled at his admiration of her efforts.
As she walked over to him, his mouth remained slightly opened, making
Huggy snicker quietly as he watched the fairytale unfold.
Slowly, Stephanie walked around the
bar towards Hutch, letting him enjoy what she had worked so hard the past hour
to please him with. He was definitely
impressed.
“Wow. You are beautiful,” Hutch told her, smiling at the woman who
leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.
The perfume she wore was sinful, making Hutch breath deeply to absorb
the heavenly aroma.
“Thank you. You look very handsome as well.”
Hutch remembered the last time she had seen him, dressed in his gray
jogging sweats, and knew most anything was an improvement.
“Shall we?” Hutch asked, standing
from his seat and motioning her towards the door as he held out his arm to
her. She accepted his invitation
silently as she entwined her arm into his, allowing him to lead her out from
the bar.
Huggy watched them as they left,
already mesmerized with one another, and smiled as he headed back towards the
kitchen.
<O><O><O><O><O><O>
Hutch and Stephanie smiled at each
other across the table, a single candle flickering, giving off the best of
romantic shadows. Dinner had been
exceptional, and now they were left to stare at one another, silent thoughts
encased by secret wishes and wonderment.
The giddy feeling of a childhood
crush had progressed to a curiosity and wanting of one another, and neither
noticed the waiter as he placed their cups of hot tea in front of them. As Stephanie reached for the sugar bowl which
sat between them on the table, Hutch, without thinking, reached his hand out to
hers, gently enfolding it with his own.
His touch felt like electricity as it
sent waves through her body. His eyes
were almost hypnotic as they stared deeply into hers.
The candles gave her the appearance
of a romantic painting, soft curves and shadows that blended into warm colors
and hues, making him feel a need for her that was unexplainable. The desire was born of attraction, but had
quickly become more. They talked so
easily with one another. They shared
the same strange point of views about certain things. She would not simply say what she thought he wanted to hear, yet
her thoughts and his seemed to be one.
She actually wanted to listen when he spoke, something he wasn’t too
used to when it came to most women. And
she was real. No pretenses.
In the touch of her hand, he felt a
tremble in her hold that made him believe that she felt the same as he
did. He also knew that mere words would
not be necessary.
Hutch reluctantly let go of her hand
as he stood and placed a handful of money on the guest check which had been
discretely placed on the side of their table.
Stephanie watched him, then accepted his hand again as he offered it to
her, helping her to stand as his eyes gazed into hers, entrancing her with a
warmness she felt within her.
In silence, they walked out to his
car. She stood beside the passenger
door as Hutch stood behind her, inhaling the fragrance of her hair as he
reached around her, unlocking the car door.
It was almost more than she could stand; feeling his body so close to
her own.
He drove her back to Venice Place,
neither saying a word during the three block drive, only holding each other’s
hands.
After escorting Stephanie upstairs
and leading her into his apartment, the silence between them was finally
broken. Turning on a couple of dimly
lit lamps, Hutch turned and faced her, looking serious as his blue eyes stared
into her soul.
“I’ve never been out with anyone like
this and had it feel, so, so right from the beginning before. Am I being crazy here?” His facial expression melted her, the
sincerity of his softened voice pleading with her emotions.
“I know. I feel it too.”
With those words, Hutch filled his
arms with her, kissing her so passionately that she felt like she was
floating. He kiss was soft at first,
then stronger as the passion between them took on more intensity.
Standing in his living room, Hutch
slowly eased his lips from hers, and they both smiled, leaning their foreheads
into one another.
“Come here. I want to show you something,.”
Hutch said, taking her by the hand and walking towards the back of his
apartment.
Stephanie grinned. Then she giggled a little. Then, probably as a release of the sexual
tension, she began to laugh out loud.
Hutch stopped and turned to face her, his face smiling at her jovial mood,
yet questioning the sudden outburst.
“I’m sorry,” she said, trying to
stifle her laughter. She controlled it
only for a moment, then burst out freely with it again, tears forming in her
eyes in an effort to stop herself.
“Okay, okay. I have to know. What is so funny, beautiful lady?” Hutch was laughing with her,
her laughter too contagious to be ignored.
“Well, it’s just that when you said
‘I want to show you something’, well, I, haha, I, wellllll …” Hutch’s face reddened when he realized what
exactly had tickled her so. He laughed
out loud with her, then looked at her, trying to be serious, fooling no one.
“That would be rather, uh, blatant,
wouldn’t it?” he asked, a grin sneaking across his face.
“Well, that depends on what you had
to show.” Instantly, tears fell down
her face as laughter took over again; she couldn’t stop it. Hutch was also laughing, and it took them
both a few minutes to calm down.
“Stephanie, would you like to see my
plants?” Hutch asked, hoping his recovery had been a better approach. Stephanie burst into laughter all over
again, having to sit on the sofa this time.
Finally Hutch could take no more, and
grabbed her up in his arms, leading her out through the side door. She still was laughing, though it was
calming and in control when she began looking around. Her eyes became wide as her mouth opened slightly, truly
awestruck of what she saw. As he placed
her feet back down underneath her, she quickly moved around the area.
“Oh my. This is absolutely exquisite!
It’s so beautiful!” she exclaimed, her eyes wandering from the plants to
look up at the stars above her. A
gentle breeze blew in, catching her hair as it lifted it little by little from
her face. The moonlight was
intoxicating to them both.
“Not as beautiful and exquisite as
you.” He looked seriously into her eyes, letting his lips move in towards her
own. His hands enveloped her body,
feeling their way along her curves as she moaned with pleasure, allowing his
tongue to explore hers. She pressed
herself against him, wanting to feel all of him as she enjoyed the sensations
he developed within her.
When she felt his hand pulling at the
zipper on the back of her dress, a warm rush of passion steamed her body,
making her heart pound hard within her.
As Hutch finished unzipping the dress, she stepped away from
him. His eyes suddenly filled with
worry, thinking he might have over-stepped the boundaries.
Seeing the concern on his face, she
simply smiled at him, wriggling her body just enough that the dress fell
gracefully to the floor, revealing the black teddy she was wearing
underneath. Hutch nearly gasped.
Standing before him, Stephanie held
her arms out, showing off the black lace teddy that revealed every inch of
her. Garters held the black stockings
that encased her sexy legs, and Hutch ached as his manhood reached limitations
within his slacks. Stephanie saw the
‘distress’ she was causing him, and released him from the binds that tied.
Hutch leaned in and kissed her, more
deep and passionate a kiss than she had ever known. Never releasing the kiss, she unbuttoned his shirt. He reached down with his hand, letting it
slowly rise up her inner thigh, and they both moaned with pleasure.
“I, I have to sit down,” Stephanie
said, looking at him with lust in her eyes as she led him down to the ground
with her. She was almost feeling faint
from the excitement of his touch, and feared that any more would certainly pull
her under. Never missing a beat, Hutch
slid down on the floor with her, keeping his lips on hers and his hands
encircling her voluptuous body.
Soon they were stretched out across
the floor, and Hutch had maneuvered her onto her back, letting her watch the
stars as his lips moved across her body.
She gasped with each breath he released upon her. Grabbing hold of him, unable to resist the
passion that fired within her, she kissed him deeply, and their enchantment
with each other became more than magical.
He continued to caress her with
fingers soft of touch, yet expert in finding all the right places to make her
moan with pleasure. She allowed him his
exploring, unwilling to make him stop the intense sensations that erupted
within her. She was on the verge of
explosion, her moans soft like a tiger’s purr.
He knew he’d placed her on a boundary of ecstasy.
Quickly she pulled herself from him,
not wanting to give in just yet to the complete pleasure he so easily offered
her. She sat up beside him, smiling,
then leaned into him, touching and tasting him as she slowly maneuvered herself
from the binds of her teddy. He sat
there smiling, eyes closed, enjoying the touch of her tongue as it left his
lips to kiss down his neck, then his chest.
He moaned at her arousal.
When she stopped, he opened his eyes and saw her, sitting in
front of him wearing only a smile.
Unable to control himself much
longer, he pulled her into him, pressing himself against her hard as he kissed
her softly. Then his kisses became more
intense, deep and passionate.
She never knew when the rest of his
clothes came off, only that suddenly they were entwined in each other’s naked
bodies. She could feel him throbbing
against her, his need as hungry as her own.
Their breathing was rhythmic, and soon their bodies were also, making
love under the stars they no longer noticed.
Passion exploded, and her screams of satisfaction filled the once silent
night air. His moans of pleasure were
equally loud, enjoying their sexual bliss simultaneously.
Their heavy breathing slowly subsided
as their bodies began cooling from the evening air. Laying side by side, never saying a word, Hutch reached out to
her at the same time she reached for him, their hands entwining within each
other.
“That was fantastic,” he cooed to
her.
“Sure beats meditation,” she
answered. They both began laughing out
loud.
Starsky stood quietly and stretched,
decidedly not tired enough to fall back asleep and unwilling to disturb Sharman
as she lay there, content in sleep from their passionate evening. He walked into the living room, noticing the
clock on the wall that glared at him.
Six AM. He peeked out from the
window, noticing the car she had rented sitting behind the Torino, although he
couldn’t tell the make or model through the darkness. He sat on the sofa and grabbed an old newspaper, switching on the
light next to him and, after deciding he had already read it, got up and turned
on the television, deciding to catch the early news show. As soon as he sat back on the sofa, he heard
the footsteps.
“I am slowly walking up behind you,”
came the warning. He grinned.
“I am going to put my arms around
you.” He soon felt the touch of gentle
hands on his shoulders.
“Now I am going to kiss you so deeply
you’ll forget who you are.”
Her last sentence had him giggling as
she leaned forward and met his lips as they turned towards hers; half
puckering, half smiling. Soon he
grabbed her by the waist and pulled her into him across the back of the sofa,
and they kissed deeply, igniting some already very familiar feelings. Finally, they came up for air.
“What are ya doing up so early?”
Starsky asked, smiling as he tried to tame the wild hairs that went in every
direction on her head.
“I have a lot of things to do this
morning … and this afternoon for that matter.
So I figured when I woke up and you weren’t there beside me that I might
as well get up.”
“What all do you have to do
today? I thought maybe we’d go out and
do somethin’ together.” Starsky’s face was a cross between a frown and a pout,
which Sharman found endearing.
“Well, how about I do some things
this morning, then come back here and you and I can find something to do, and
then I’ll go back out later this afternoon?” she asked, hoping to appease
him. He raised an eyebrow, bottom lip
still trying to protrude.
Finally, he winked at her.
“I can live with that.”
They both smiled as they leaned into
each other, kissing passionately.
Starsky watched her get up and head
for the bathroom door. She leaned back
out from the doorframe, inciting him to join her. His smile was broad and mischievous as he eagerly accepted her
invitation.
<O><O><O><O><O><O>
Stephanie awoke to strange
surroundings. A bit unsettled at first,
the warm body that leaned in behind her and the arm that surrounded her
protectively quickly put a smile on her face as she remembered it all. A night so filled with passion that she felt
flush at the mere memories of it.
Very gently, she turned herself to
face him. Looking at the sleeping man
in front of her, she couldn’t help but touch his cheek with her hand, almost as
if to be sure she wasn’t still locked in the dreads of merely a dream. His angelic blue eyes opened, and he
smiled. Leaning into her, he hugged her
fully, and she knew it had all been real; as incredible and as real as anything
she had ever known.
Hutch kissed her on the forehead,
then looked lovingly into her eyes. She
knew his eyes were seeing every thought that she had; saying what she felt
without words; embracing her. Words
were suddenly unnecessary, although she felt a need to tell him how she
felt. Instead she decided to show him.
Nothing had ever happened to her like
this before, passion born from a glance, need born by only the sound of his
gentle voice, and wanting, born only of the touch of his hand; all so genuine
that she felt she had known him all her life.
As their body’s became one and their
intenseness grew even stronger for one another, she could no longer think
rationally and could only give in to the completeness that he instilled into her
very soul.
Starsky began pacing his kitchen
floor, not realizing it at first, then stopping himself as soon as he did. It was after eleven o’clock, and Sharman had
told him she’d be back by then for him to ‘do with her as he would’ with the
plans he was making for them today. He
figured she’d probably gone shopping or something of the like and that time had
simply gotten away from her, unaware of how fast the morning was slipping
away.
When the phone rang, he nearly jumped
from the intrusion on his concentrated silence. He picked up the receiver, and before he was able to say “Hello”
he heard Captain Dobey on the other end of the line.
He frowned.
“Hey, Cap. What gets you calling me on my vacation?”
“Starsky, I just got a call from
O’Riley from the downtown division. He
just responded to an accident down on River Drive. Says there’s a female Caucasian on the way to the hospital that
was asking for you. He said … Starsky, you there? Starsky!”
Starsky had dropped the phone and was
already out the door before the Captain had noticed.
The emergency room at Memorial
Hospital was comparatively slow from what he’d been used to, and he’d been in
there plenty of times before to make just such a comparison. Nervous and unknowing, he walked up to the
receptionist’s desk in time to be met by Dobey, who was waiting for him to
arrive.
“Cap? What’s going on?”
“It’s Sharman Crane.” Dobey looked at his detective. “But you already knew that, didn’t
you?” Starsky nodded.
“How is she? What happened?”
“Hit and run.” We have a few witnesses, but seems the
license plate was missing off the ass-end of the station wagon that plowed into
her. She was unconscious when they
brought her in.”
Starsky turned sharply towards the
nurse behind the desk in front of them.
“Sharman Crane. Where is she?” His question more of a demand
than a request.
“She’s in ER three, but sir, you
can’t go in there. Sir? Sir!” The nurse’s attempts at stopping him
were futile as he barreled down the corridor, easily finding the room and
walking in without consent.
Sharman was sitting up on the gurney,
fully conscious and shaken by his abrupt entrance.
“David? How’d you know? What are
you doing here?”
Starsky looked her over. She was bruised on mainly the left side of
her face and arm, and a nurse was steadily cleaning the dried blood from her
face, oblivious to Starsky’s intrusion.
“You were asking for me at the scene
of the accident. Captain Dobey called
as soon as one of the guys down there told him what had happened.” He walked to the right side of the bed,
leaving the nurse to finish her work as he sat beside Sharman.
“Are you okay?”
“I am now. I just want to go home.
Will you take me home, Dave?”
“I wouldn’t recommend it,” came a
voice from behind them. A doctor,
carrying a chart in one hand and some x-rays in another, walked up to the foot
of the bed.
“You’re a very lucky lady. But when you got here you were unconscious,
and even though I don’t see anything broken, you do have a mild concussion and
I’d like to keep you overnight, just to be on the safe side.”
“You sure she’s alright, Doc?”
Starsky looked the man dead in the eyes, waiting to see something he wasn’t
saying out loud. Instead, he saw a
smile.
“Like I said, very lucky. From what the paramedics who brought her in
told us, she should have had several broken bones and more than the slight
concussion she received.”
“Good thing I didn’t rent the little
sports car that I really wanted. Bet
I’d have been pretty torn up then. That
guy just came out of nowhere. HE was
behind me for a while, then the next thing I knew, wham! Into the side of my car. Probably drunk from the way he swerved into
me.”
<O><O><O><O><O><O><O>
Ken Hutchinson arrived at the hospital
almost an hour after Starsky did.
Summoned by his Captain after briefly being told of the situation, he
hurriedly got out from bed, regretfully leaving Stephanie.
“I haven’t told Starsky yet, but the
officers on the scene believe this was a deliberate hit. Looks like this car was following her, then
decided to come around and slam into her car.
I’d like to know what you think about this. Tell me why you think someone would be going after her like
that. And tell me when those two got back
together, for that matter. I thought
she’d moved to New York.” Dobey was
acting the dutiful Captain, curiously wanting to know all the particulars. Hutch briefly explained her coming into town
again, and also told the Captain about Sharman’s stepfather - and his
‘reaction’ to seeing his stepdaughter again.
Dobey frowned.
As Captain Dobey began to speak,
Starsky came walking out of the room, looking at them both curiously as he came
to a stop in front of them.
“You want to tell me what’s going on
out here? What’re ya doing here,
Hutch?”
“I called him,” Dobey said flatly.
“Yeah, I didn’t like the sound of how
this accident happened myself. Sharman
was telling me about it. Thanks Cap.”
Starsky grinned slightly.
“I want to know when you two come up with anything on
this. Starsky, how is Miss Crane, by
the way?”
“She’s ready to come on outta here
and go home. Doc says she’s got a mild
concussion and wants her to stay over night, but she wont do it, so I’m gonna
take her home as soon as she gets dressed.”
“You really think that’s a good
idea?” Hutch asked, looking with concern towards the door that Sharman was
behind.
“No, but I don’t see where I’ve got
much of a choice. Stubborn. She’s getting out of here whether I take her
or not. I’d rather keep an eye on her,
ya know?”
“Well, I’m going back to the
office. Give my best to Miss Crane,
Starsky.” The Captain smirked as he patted Starsky on the shoulder and walked
away.
Down a little from the room, as he
turned the first corner that led to the hospital’s entrance, Dobey almost ran
into the young woman who stood as far away as she could, listening to the
detectives as they discussed Starsky’s girlfriend and the ‘case’ that was
evolving around her.
“Excuse me, ma’am,” the Captain
offered.
“Excuse me,” Stephanie replied
courteously, making sure she had not been noticed by the two detectives that
stood down the hallway.