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“Oh, yeah. Sure.” Co
O’Brien laughed again. “You’re smarter than you look, Co
“Gee, thanks.”
They continued moving along the tu
He was thinking about suggesting they sing “One Hundred Bottles of Beer on the Wall,” when he heard O’Brien let out an abrupt cry.
“What is it?” he asked urgently.
She didn’t answer, but he did hear what sounded like a scraping or crashing sound, followed by a heavy thud. “Oww!”
“O’Brien! What’s wrong?”
She didn’t answer.
“O’Brien?” His voice was tinged with concern. “Talk to me!”
“I’m all right,” she answered. “More or less, anyway. There seems to be a small crater here in our otherwise reliable tu
“Are you okay?”
“Ankle feels twisted.” He heard more scraping noises, followed by a strong grunt. “Can’t seem to get my foot free.”
“Let me help.” Co
“Damn. I’m stuck. I think I feel blood trickling down my foot.”
“We’ll figure something out. Don’t panic.”
“Thanks. I wasn’t pla
Co
He tested some of the surrounding brick and mortar. It felt loose and crumbly. “I think I can get you out of here.” He hesitated. “Um… I have to… um…” He cleared his throat. “Have to, you know. Reach between your, um, legs.”
“What are we, in kindergarten? Just do it already.”
“Right, right.” Co
“Having any luck?” O’Brien grunted. Co
“Yes,” he answered. “But it’s slow work.”
“What do you weigh, anyhow?”
Co
“Are you sure? Maybe you should lay off the frozen margaritas.”
Co
After about two more minutes of making like a gopher, Co
“Think you can walk on it?”
“Assuming I can get out of these tu
“Stiff?”
“A little.”
“Here. Let me massage it.” To his surprise, she didn’t protest. He wrapped himself over her again and began rubbing the sore calf and foot.
Her foot was soft and warm, and despite the bizarre circumstances, Co
“My momma always said it was my best feature.”
“Well… I wouldn’t go as far as that.” He continued massaging the sore muscles, working his way slowly up her calf.
“You can quit if you’re tired.”
“No. I don’t mind.” Taking her shoulders, he adjusted her slightly, pulling her up into his lap. Again she didn’t resist.
She turned slightly and so did he, till they were almost face-to-face. Even if he couldn’t see her very clearly, he could definitely feel her presence.
“O’Brien,” he said.
“Yes?” she whispered.
Whatever it was he was pla
“How’s your foot?” Co
“Foot?” she replied, and a second later, they were kissing again. The brush of her lips sent warm shivers cascading down his spine.
Abruptly, she broke it off. “I’m sorry,” she said, placing a hand against his chest.
“Sorry? Why? I’m not.”
“It’s just-I just-“ She paused. “I shouldn’t be doing this.”
“But-why?”
“I’m still on duty.”
“We’ll call this a coffee break.”
“But-I can’t-for all I know-”
“What are you saying?”
O’Brien grabbed the flashlight and began brushing herself off. “It wouldn’t be appropriate, Co
Co
“Anyway,” she said, changing the subject, “let’s move on.”
“Right. Fine. Whatever you-“ Co
Co
Co
“This doesn’t look like part of the sewer system,” Co
“I do,” O’Brien said anxiously. “It’s an electronic voice disguiser. Our killer must’ve left that behind.” She took the box from him and carefully wrapped it in a handkerchief.
“But why did he leave it down here?”
“I don’t know. Probably an accident. Maybe he fell into the crater, too. Maybe he dropped the thing without realizing it. Whatever the reason, it’s a big break for us.”
“What-another serial number to trace?”
O’Brien shook her head. “I’m hoping for something even better. Fingerprints.”
29
An hour later, Co
“I never knew the Gipper.”
She squirmed. “Then win it for some other dead sports guy.”
Co
Just before he arrived at the first tee-off, Co
Fitz motioned him to the side. “I want a word.”
Co
Fitz shook his head. “Do you have any idea what’s waiting for you up there?”
“This is just a wild guess, but… my golf clubs?”
“Yeah, that-and three camera crews and about a thousand golf fanatics.”
Co
“Yes! And they’re all here to see you.”
“But-why?”
“You’re the man of the hour. The latest phenom. The underdog who bounced back from personal tragedy to batter down the favorites. You’ve got a story no reporter-or fan-can resist. You’re practically a folk hero.”
Co
“I’m not cynical about your performance yesterday. I thought that was incredible. I always knew you had it in you. I just didn’t know if I’d live to see it.”
“Then what’s your problem?”
“The problem is I don’t want you to blow it after you’ve come so close.”
“And of course, it goes without saying that I would normally blow it.”