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The neighborhood I was driving through wasn't where I'd expected someone of Meshek's wealth to hide in. This was squarely middle class two kids family homes. Some of those kids were playing on the front lawns right now. My folks' house was in such a neighborhood.

The house was like all the other, in that it looked normal, but it had a realtor sign on the lawn. I drove by twice, looking for any indications he knew I was coming, but the drapes were closed, and it was still light out, so I couldn't know if the lights were on in the house. The previous owners had had good tastes, I thought. The siding was yellow, and the front of the house blue.

I parked in the parking of a kid's park three blocks away and walked back to the house. Parents nodded to me as we passed each other, and I made sure the back of the suit covered my stunner. I guessed the suit didn't look as expensive as I knew it to be.

I adjusted my pace so that as few people as possible would see me walk up to the door. I felt eyes on my back, but I didn't turn away. I was just a realtor coming to take a look at a house for sale. I put gloves on as I neared the door. The lock on the door was new, there was none of the tarnish that came of years

of use. The realtor had probably changed it to a model he, or she, trusted.

I didn't knock. I wanted the element of surprise. I pressed my phone against the lock and ran the lock slashing program. Yanick had equipped it with the best programs available, and this one took less than a minute to unlock the door.

I entered as quietly as I could, and gently closed the door behind me. I was in a plain entryway. A small table by the door where a family might have a knickknack bowl and picture of their two and a half kids.

I listened.

Nothing. No one moving about, no music, no clatter of plates. Maybe Julien had called and Meshek and bolted. I hoped not. If I was lucky he was just doing something quiet, like reading, or sleeping. I really hoped he hadn't left.

The house was divided in two, with a hallway down the middle. It was deeper, and only had one floor. The living room was on my right, with a dining room to my left. On the left past that was the kitchen, and on the right the first bedroom.

I stopped. There was someone lying on the bed. I didn't think he was sleeping, there was too much blood soaking the sheets. The dark green suit jacket was hanging off a chair, the silver thread at the cuff and hem standing out. The mule on the bed wore pants of the same color with a paler green shirt.

I pulled out my stunner and looked around the room. No one else was there so I entered it. I checked the closet, also empty. I went through the jacket's pockets and pulled out a wallet. The driver license confirmed this was Mesek Sarasen. Great, someone had gotten to him before me. Had they been after him for personal reasons? Or were they also after the briefcases?

I put eh wallet back. I needed to clear the house. The blood on those sheets was still bright, he hadn't been dead for very long. The killer might still be here. There two other bedrooms, one a master, both empty, and a large bathroom, also empty. The basement was one large unfinished room with a root cellar, it was empty.

The killer had left.

Back next to Meshek I crouched., This hadn't been a mugging, there had been a thick stack of bills in his wallet, and the briefcase wasn't here. Someone else was after it? Who? And why? All right, the why was obvious, there were secrets in it. Which meant that it was someone from the Society, they were the only ones with an interest in what was in it. And it looked like they had no problem killing to get it.

Carefully, so I wouldn't move him, I searched his pocket. I came back with a piece of paper, with a phone number on it. It was hand written, in a neat script. Not many people wrote like that anymore.

"Hey, Spotty-butt."

I was up, stunner pointed at him before I registered the words. The badger was leaning against the door frame, a wide grin on his face.

"Marrows, I growled.

"Long time no see."

"What are you doing here?" I'd met Tom Marrows during my last year of college. I still went to the clubs back them and we'd hit it off. He'd been ten years older than me and had a wild streak that was a real turn on. I had a lot of memories from those time I both cherished and blushed at. He'd taken me on many sexual adventures.

We saw each other every few weeks. He spent a lot of time on the road, he'd told me, being an insurance salesman, but any time he was back in Denver he sought me out, and he'd get me to have sex somewhere else I wouldn't have dared to before.

I have never been able to go to the opera again, not after that time we sneaked in, climbed the scaffolding and fucked over the stage, while a presentation of The Widows of Toulouse was happening. We barely finished before the techs came to investigate what was making the backdrop shake.

He'd never spent the night, most of the time leaving not long after our orgasm. The few times I fell asleep with him there, I woke up alone. I never worried, I knew he'd find me again and we'd have more fun. Until one morning when I found a message typed on my desk. 'It's been fun, but it's best that this ends now. I loved the time we had. Have a good life.' I'd been disappointed he hadn't given anymore reasons than that. I hadn't been in love with him, even back then I didn't do relationships, but I'd felt our sex life had deserved more than a simply 'bye'.

I'd pretty much forgotten about him by the time I came across his picture, two years later. It was a nation wide report about the assassination of New York city councilwoman Willow. The killer had been identified as Victor Andrews. Except I'd knowing him as Tom Marrows. I'd been certain I'd recognized those gray eyes, even if in the mugshot they had been on a teen. I confirmed it by going through the list of his aliases. Tom Marrows was in there.

"I hear through the grape vine you'd given up being a cop. I figured it was safe to come back. Also heard you bottom now, just what happened to make you a switch?"

"What are you doing here?" I repeated. I glanced over my shoulder at the body. I then marrowed my eyes at Tom. He rolled his.

"Please. If I'd been the one to do that, I wouldn't have left a body to be found." He nodded to my stunner. "Can you let go of your piece? I know it doesn't have any bullets, but I'm not wearing an interference vest, and that hing still stings."

"Give me one good reason I shouldn't stun you and turn you over to the police?"

"From what I hear, they'll arrest you at the same time." He took a step toward me, and I stepped aside, keeping the stunner trained on him. "I wish you'd told me you had mob connections. I could have stuck around." He crouched down and looked at

Mashek's neck. "Ouch, that's a sloppy job."

I looked at his profile, his pointed muzzle the black and white face. I'd missed the bastard. I looked at my stunner and then put it away. "Why did you leave?"

He gave me a sad smile. "You were about to become a cop.

What we had was going to be ruined the moment you found out what I did. And as fun as the thought of you putting cuff on me sounds, I didn't want you to have to pick between your job and our fun."

"I can't believe I ever believed you were an insurance salesman."

He shrugged. "Why wouldn't you. They're still around. They'll be around until the world blows up. And probably past that."

"I was becoming a cop," I said, the anger in my voice directed at myself.

"Don't be so hard on yourself. I've been giving the cops the slip since my teens."

I sighed. "So, should I call you Andrews then?"

"That isn't my real name."

"Is Tom Marrows?"

He came to me, all smiles. "No, but since it's the name I had when we met, I'm going to go back to using it."

Damn it, he looked good. He couldn't be more than in his early forties, but he looked older, more mature, and he still walked like he didn't have a care in the world.

I looked in his eyes. "Damn it, Tom, Why are you here?"

He ran a finger along my muzzle. "I missed being fucked by you." He leaned in. His finger went down my neck, and along my arms. Then I forgot about it as I felt his breath against my ear. "You know, I've never had sex in the same room as a dead body before."

Reality set back in like a brick. I pushed him away. "No, absolutely not."

Hwe tilted his head. "Really? Denton is saying no to sex?"

"In a crime scene? Damn right I'm saying no. How did you even know I was here?"

His smile grew until it was ear to ear. "Ive been tailing you for a few days now. Waiting for the perfect moment to show up."

"And you decided to do that in a family home for sale?"

"I'd figured you were looking for someone, and that meant you were going t obe distracted so I could get close before you shot me."

"Look--" We both tensed at the sound of sirens.

"I think that's our cue to get out of here," Tom said.

I didn't say anything. I ran for the door, only to have the outside one open as I pulled on the inner door. A gray hare glared at me, and then I was looking at the barrel of a gun.

"I knew it was just a question of time before I caught you doing something illegal." Alice had a satisfied smirk on her face.