They were jogging and came upon each other randomly, supposedly, when Becky saw Angela stopping for a breather in the park.

---

“Hey. How ya doin’?”

“Oh, hello. Good. You?”

“Great. You normally run alone?”

“No, but lately, I have to. One husband short of a full load.”

“Too bad. Didn’t want to run today?”

“No, he was killed by a couple of cops in a case of mistaken identity a few months back.”

I already knew he was dead and it was my current partner and another cop that shot him. The identity wasn’t mistaken, just the wrong culprit died when they got caught up in it and was fatally shot. The buyer, instead of the seller, in this particular case. The seller was shot and wounded, too, but lived.

“Wow, that’s terrible. Can I admit something to you, and have you not try to run like hell?”

“Oh, shit! You’re a cop, aren’t you?”

“Yes, but I’m not on duty.”

“Cops are always on duty.

“Not when they are trying to meet someone.”

“WHAT?”

“I’m not on duty and I wanted to see you and get to know you. I’m sorry, but ever since I met you, that first time, I’ve wanted to see you again.”

“Oh, my God. Was that you in the back of the cop car?”

“Yes, Angela, it was me. Detective Becky Collier.”

“Jesus. That night was so chaotic. So horrible, but you sat with me the whole time and held me. Why?”

“For the first five or ten minutes, I just wanted to make sure you were going to be okay. We were worried about you. The rest of the time, after that, I just didn’t want to let you go. I… I felt something. Are you OK with that?”

“No. I’m not, I don’t think, but honesty is nice. That sounded honest.”

“It was.”

“Why aren’t you asking me about Jake?”

“I’m not here working, Angela. I’m here FOR Angela. I don’t care about Jake. The trial is over, my partner and the other cop were exonerated, the drug guy is in jail, and I just don’t care. I wanted to meet with you.”

“Prove it.”

I reached my hand into my pocket, then extended it out to her in order to hand her my gun. It was pointing back at me as I was holding it by the barrel.

“Never mind,” she said, “I wouldn’t know what to do with that thing anyway. Do you really find me that interesting?”

“You have no idea.”

“Even without the money?”

“What money?” At the time, I didn’t know of any money floating around.

“Oh, never mind. OK. I’m game. Phillipe’s. Tonight. Eight o’clock. Just tell them you are with me. Becky… Don’t disappoint me. Please.”

“I won’t, Angela. I just want to keep this between us, though. Is that all right?” She nodded. “Dress?”

“Please. If you were naked, it would be considered inappropriate. It would be nice, I’m sure, but a cute cocktail dress would be better. I don’t know you well enough for the other quite yet.” She giggled. I think that giggle was what did me in.

“Tonight, Angela. Tonight. Thank you.” I ran off a side trail and back to my car. I was so wet I could feel my thighs squishing. It was so ickkky, yet so WOW!

---

I walked into Phillipe’s at about seven fifty-five and checked with the woman at the hostess station. I mentioned I was there to meet Angela Pasini. The hostess in charge immediately smiled genuinely like I was royalty or something and escorted me to a table in a back corner. It was both dark and quiet, but I could plainly see Angela sitting there looking up at me as I arrived. She was gorgeous. Her little black dress, and I do mean little, with a double strand of small pearls high on her neck made her look like the royalty I thought I was being treated as attending. Her hair was exquisite. If she hadn’t spent all afternoon with a stylist, I would have been surprised.

“Good evening, Angela. Thank you for meeting me tonight.” The hostess assisted with my chair as I sat and looked deeply into Angela’s eyes.

“Thank you for asking, Becky. I’ve thought a lot about this since this morning. More on that in a bit. Your dress is quite beautiful. Redheads in green are quite the thing, in my opinion, anyway. In any case, you look stunning. May I ask where your gun is? Your clutch isn’t big enough for anything but a little straw and a spit wad.”

“You really want to know, Angela? Is it important? Seriously?” I asked her. She nodded. I rose and walked to the other side of the table, my back toward the rest of the dining room. I took her hand and placed it under the hem of my dress and brought it up to where I could put her hand on the little Kahr three-eighty I was carrying in a thigh holster. I leaned down to kiss her cheek, but she caught me as I rose and kissed me on the lips. I inhaled quickly in more of a surprised gasp than anything else.

“Still being honest. Always, evidently. You don’t know how much I appreciate that. Jake was a liar. His friends were liars. His girlfriends were liars. I’m tired of liars. I can’t think of one other person that would have actually done what you just did. ‘None of your business,’ or some other silly line was what I would have expected, but from you, just the truth.”