Karen Rose - Have You Seen Her?

She did, and the look in her eyes made him kiss her again. "Just don't take too long, okay? I need you in my life. I'm not a normal guy. I won't have time for beer and hot wings all the time. I have soccer games and bedtime stories and I need you to have those things with me."

His plea pulled at Jenna's heart and she was so tempted to give in and go home with him today. The picture he painted was everything she ever wanted. But they did need the time to get to know each other. To ensure they'd be a functioning family unit once they took that irrevocable next step. "Let's give ourselves till Christmas," she said. "Then we can decide what to do next."

"Christmas it is," he whispered, cupping the back of her head, reminding her-as if she could forget-that she had no hair. But he honestly didn't seem to care so she tried not to either. He grazed her lips with his. "We don't have to wait for everything, do we?" he murmured. "I mean, we can still…"

"I should think so," she whispered. "We've still got two unopened boxes."

He groaned and kissed her. "I was hoping you'd see it that way."

Friday, October 28, 9:00 A.M.

Steven walked into the hospital room, wishing he had better news for Neil Davies.

Davies was sitting up in bed, looking grim, and Steven knew he'd already heard.

"How are you?" he said and Davies scowled.

"My ass hurts and the whole sponge-bath thing is a damn myth."

Steven's lips quirked up. "You're feeling better then."

Davies grunted. "Yeah. I guess so. How's Jenna?"

"She went to karate last night, looking very scary in her gi with that hair. Like an extra in a very bad Jackie Chan flick."

Davies grunted again, but this time with the ghost of a smile. "Grace Jones watch out," he said, then sobered. "And Kelly?"

"She's been released from the hospital into the care of a therapist. Her parents are talking about moving to another town. Getting a new start."

"Sometimes that's the way to do it," Davies said.

"Are you going back to Seattle?"

Davies smiled. "And don't you just wish I were?" But it was said without antagonism.

"Honestly, yeah. But if you stay you know you're always welcome in my home."

Davies chuckled. "I knew I hated you," he said compan-ionably. "I try to steal your woman and you invite me home for supper."

Steven raised a brow. "Of course I have heard Seattle is pretty this time of year."

Davies shook his head. "Actually, I was thinking about going down to Florida. My brother owns a charter boat and he's asked me to come and give him a hand with the fishing excursions."

"I can think of worse places to recuperate," Steven said.

Neither of them said anything for a full minute, then Steven handed Davies the newspaper he'd brought. "You heard, I take it."

"Yeah, I saw it on CNN. ' Mother of serial killer kills family, killer, then self' Davies read, then looked up. "Chilling courtroom drama," he said dryly. "Sorry I missed it."

"Nora hid the needle in her lipstick. She apparently went to the ladies' room just before the arraignment and assembled the syringe. Then when the judge banged his gavel, she jumped up, hysterical. Hugging Josh. Then ten seconds later Josh hit the deck and everybody scrambled. She'd stabbed the needle in his heart and hit the plunger. The ME said there was enough tranq in that syringe to take down an elephant." He sighed. "The bailiff was trying to make Josh stand up-he didn't realize he was dead already. Nora grabs his gun. Eats it. The end."

"And they all lived happily ever after," Davies said dryly.

"In hell."

Davies looked down at the paper. "She shot the other two before she left the house."

Steven rubbed the back of his neck. The sight had been a grisly one. "Rudy was in his bed. Didn't look like he suffered. Her husband was on the toilet, of all places." Steven thought of the shots to Victor Lutz's head, heart, and groin, the latter probably for all his unfaithfulness over the years. "I think he did. Suffer, that is."

"Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy."

"I'd have to agree with you there."

"I can understand the husband, but not the kids," Davies said. "Why'd she do it?"

"Nora left a note. Said she couldn't bear the thought of her son in jail, that he was sick, needed help, et cetera, et cetera. If he couldn't get help it was better to die than to rot in prison for the rest of his life. She couldn't live without Josh and she didn't want Rudy to have to survive without them all. After Rudy's arrest in Seattle she took Josh to a psychiatrist without Victor's knowledge. She suspected then that it was Josh, not Rudy, who'd done the crimes. Apparently she'd caught Josh doing some pretty sick things to the neighbor's dog and knew her kid wasn't right. Anyway, she paid someone to tamper with your evidence, then had the shrinks dope Josh up. To control him. His psychiatrist from Seattle called me yesterday after he heard Josh was dead. Told me his doctor/client no longer applied and he filled in a few more blanks. He said that Josh and Rudy were twins but that Nora pulled Josh out of school for a year after Seattle for treatment. That's why he was a year behind Rudy." One corner of Steven's mouth lifted. "Told me that in his clinical opinion Josh Lutz was one sick bastard, but that Nora might have been worse."

Davies folded the paper. "Guess the apple didn't fall too far from that tree."

Steven pushed away from the wall he'd been leaning against. "Like you said, couldn't have happened to a nicer family." He turned for the door, hesitated, then turned back. "Neil, thanks."

Davies looked away. "I still hate your guts."

Steven's smile was more rueful than anything else. "Just so we're square. Drop by before you head south. I know Jen will want to say good-bye."

He'd made it to the door when he heard, "Thatcher."

Not looking back, he said, "What?"

"You're welcome. Don't fuck up again 'cause I don't plan to be as benevolent next time."

Steven sucked in his cheeks. "You're a real prince, Davies. See you around." He walked to the end of the hospital corridor where he punched the down button on the elevator, a definite spring in his step.

Tonight he had a date with Jenna. Beer and hot wings. And afterward he was planning to get very, very lucky.

Sunday, December 25, 10:30 AM.

"Is it always like this?" Jenna asked, humored exhaustion in her voice. She and Steven sat on the sofa looking out at the sea of wrapping paper covering the living room.

Steven put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him, enjoying the scent of coconuts and the feel of her breast pushed against his side. "Sure. This was actually pretty tame."

At that moment Cindy Lou tore out of the kitchen through the living room sending wrapping paper everywhere. Nicky ran after her, Jim and Jean-Luc at his heels. His boy was happy, laughing. And sleeping through the night in his new bed shaped like a car.

Brad had sent out his college applications and now his only reason to frown was over which school he would choose when he was accepted.

Matt… was Matt. And Steven was awfully glad it was so. No traumas, not yet anyway, except Matt had brought a girl to the Christmas party they'd had the weekend before. Scary.

Jenna snuggled closer against him. "I saw the postcard you got from Helen."

"The one with the naked natives?" Steven asked wryly.

Jenna choked. "No. I saw the one of the safari truck on the Serengeti plain." She looked up at him with a naughty grin. "Where'd you hide the one with the naked natives?"

"For you to find later." He kissed her and she settled into him like warm honey. "How'd you like your presents?"