Dream Park

He raised both hands in protest. "Oh, no. No more for me, thanks."

She snorted derisively. "Like hell." Her grin faded to something softer. "Come'ere, Griffy. There's somebody I want you to meet."

Alex followed her to the Braddons, who greeted him with weary nods. Margie asked, "Did you hear about the frogman, Alex?" He shook his head negative. "Go on, tell him, Mary-em."

The short woman laughed. "Remember when I went under, Griffy?"

"Do I! Jesus. All I remember is, you went ‘glub' and disap­peared, and a cold hand clamped on my ankle and... wait a

minute. I felt a hand. At the time I just... just accepted it. Am I

nuts?"

"You aren't. That maniac Lopez actually had a guy in scuba gear under the water. He pulled me down and fed me air. I laughed so hard that I almost drowned." She shared their laughter, then pulled Griffin over to the boy who sat in the wheelchair.

On closer estimate, Griffin revised his estimate of his age. He looked closer to thirty than seventeen. His unlined face and thin body carried the illusion with ease at any distance over a few feet.

"Griffy," she said, and there was a tone in her voice, a gen­tleness and caring, that transformed her face into something lovely. "Grifly, I'd like you to meet my brother Patrick. Patrick-?" Her voice was sweet, low, as if talldng to a beloved child. "This is

a very important man. This is Alex Griffin, the chief of Security for all of Dream Park."

Patrick reacted slowly, his head weaving in little circles as he raised it to say, "H-hello, mis-mister Griffin." He fought over the last syllable of Alex's name. He raised a frail hand for Alex to shake, the effort of keeping it in the air a heartbreaking thing to watch.

Alex took it in the gentlest of grips. "I'm pleased to meet you, Patrick."

"Y-you're a nize man, mi-mister Griffin. I saw you s-save muh my sister twice." Patrick's eyes lost their dull sheen as they

glowed with the memory.

Alex crouched down. "She was worth it, believe me."

"Patrick watched the whole Game," she said, beaming with ap­proval. "He always watches."

Griffin took a hunch. "Did your brother ever Game himself?" Mary-em nodded, sensing that Alex understood. "Until the ac­cident, yes. Now-" She touched his head fondly, and he rubbed it against her hand like an affection-starved kitten. "Now he just watches his big sister. He can even understand most of what hap­pens."

He looked from one of them to the other, the crippled man/child and the stunted warrior, and the hunch grew solid. "How long have you been Gaming, Mary-em?"

She nodded. "Right again, Griffy. You're definitely detective material."

"That's a relief. Nice knowing you, Mary-Martha." He nodded to Patrick, who watched his sister with worshipping eyes. Griffin softened his voice. "And you too, Patrick."

Mary-em grabbed Alex's arm and wrenched him down, planting a big wet kiss on his cheek. "You ain't shed of me yet. We'll go crazy again, sometime."

"Maybe so." He picked his way across the room to Acacia, who sat with Gwen and Ollie. There was an empty space next to her that no one had filled, and Griffin could almost feel Tony's ab­sence. There were weary smiles in the group of three, and their voices were subdued.

Gwen and Ollie, for once, weren't touching. Somehow it didn't seem to matter. They sat very close to each other, and the affec­tion between them was virtually a tangible thing, making the corner a warm place to be.

As he walked toward them, the blare of the music receded to a dull throb in his ears.

He stood directly behind Acacia, and Ollie's eyes flickered up to meet his as Griffin laid a large warm hand on her shoulder.

Without turning, she said "Hello, Alex." He lit up inside, the weariness vanquished by the magic of her voice.

He sat next to her, understanding who the space was really for. She turned slowly until her soft brown eyes sca

"You know," he said, as honestly as he could, "I've wanted you to say my name for a long time."

Her answer was a meld of warmth and reserve. Only the dark rings under her eyes betrayed a lack of sleep. "I wish that I'd known it." And she waited: a silent question- Griffin shook his head. "I can't say, Cas. II it's Tony's first offense-"

"It is."

"And he continues to cooperate, and if a reasonable doubt ex­ists as to the degree of maliciousness or premeditation..." He heard the whistle of air wind its way from his lungs, and felt old. "Maybe ten years. I don't really know."

She was outraged. "And you can't help?"

"Acacia..." Jesus. How to say it? "I like Tony. I don't have anything against him at all. But he pla

If a fire in her head had been stoked with gasoline, her eyes couldn't have blazed hotter. He cut off her outburst.

"Acacia. To you, this is someplace you visit once or twice a year, filled with people whose names you never know working overtime to provide your thrills. Now, I'm not blaming you. If I were you I'd probably think the same way about this. For us it's-"

"It isn't fair, Alex! He didn't mean to kill anyone. Tony would never do that." Desperation seeped into her voice. "I thought I knew him. Dammit, I do know him. I'm sure he checked that guard's breathing before he left him. Alex, I know hhn."

"Tell it to the coroner. Tell it to Rice, for that matter." Alex fought to keep irritation from his voice. This wasn't what he wanted to talk about, or what he wanted to say. Maybe he should just leave. .

But Gwen reached across and touched Acacia's shoulder, and her budding anger melted.

"All right. It was all his fault."

There was a hollowness in the air that Alex wanted to fill with something. Words... touches.

But he sat there next to her, almost touching but not quite, until Ollie tugged at Gwen's hand. "Come on, hon," he said, "I think we should go count some sheep. These two need to talk. Acacia- breakfast tomorrow?"

"You know it. Goodnight, Gwen."

"Good Game, Griffin." Gwen hugged Acacia goodnight.

Acacia watched the two of them leave. "You should have seen the reunion."

"Ollie and Gwen?"

"Yes. It was weird. Ollie seemed scared to touch her at first. She had to grab and kiss him before he could move."

They both laughed, and both knew it was only postponing the inevitable. When the chuckle died they said nothing, then Griffin's hand stole over to find hers. She squeezed it weakly.

"Leaving tomorrow, Cas?"

She smoothed her hair back with her free hand. "That's what the ticket says."

"Then I guess that's it. Nice knowing you. I mean, really."

She clenched her teeth and bored into the rug with her eyes. "I wish I could say the same thing."

Alex felt her hand cool, and withdrew before she could break contact. "It's down to that then?"

"Don't misunderstand me. You're fascinating, Griffin. And sexy as hell. And a little frightening. Did you seriously come in here to put the make on me after sending my boyfriend up for ten years?"

That was that. The air clouded with frost. Oh, for a word, a clever line. It's just the neutral scent talking, babe, don't flatter yourself.

"I was invited," he said, and stood up.

"Griffin," she called up to him, her eyes impossibly wide. "There was an accomplice, wasn't there? An inside man? Suppose Tony was set up. What if they did get away with whatever it was that they wanted? Suppose Tony was just a patsy, and while you prosecute him, the big people are all getting away?"