It was cold outside, and the chilled air immediately got to her. She was glad to be wearing her warmest winter coat and gloves, but her legs, even in wool duty pants, felt the frigid air immediately.

During the short trip over to the medical examiner’s office, she took the opportunity to ask a few questions. She found out that "The Corpse" was the nickname for Leland Corsican, the autopsy specialist the detectives liked the most. He had worked with the two investigators for the better part of three decades. Rather than rely on in-house police expertise, they almost always turned to him for a more precise scientific interpretation of DNA or autopsy reports. She asked for the report that Parkins had in the front seat next to him, and from her spot in the back seat, she pored over the paperwork. She had spent time in Police Academy learning about DNA. It didn’t come easy to her. Vague remembrance of chemistry and biology classes in high school didn’t help much, and she found the concepts difficult to remember - too many acronyms and oddly spelled words. She couldn’t even remember now what the D and N stood for, though she knew the A was for acid, and that DNA were microscopic strands, like a zipper, that revealed hereditary characteristics in every human being. She had learned that with even an almost microscopic sample of blood or tissue, a person’s DNA "fingerprint" could be determined.

She looked at the charts of smudgy marks attached to the complicated report. One chart was labeled with Tivoli’s name, a second with "Fetus Doe 01 - 02A," and the third with "Jane Doe 01 - 02." She frowned. Arraying them in front of her as best she could, she compared them to one another. Before she could say anything further, Parkins wheeled into the lot and slammed on the brakes.

"Let’s go find out what The Corpse has to say, honeybun," Tsorro said. He was out of the car and opening her back door before she could get the report put back in order and into the folder. He waited while she organized the paperwork, then she got out and followed them into the building.

When they arrived in the lab, she saw that Leland Corsican’s nickname was rather appropriate. He appeared to be in his late sixties and was a gaunt, cadaverous looking fellow wearing a blue dress shirt and a wrinkled white lab coat. His coloring was nothing less than gray - gray with dark circles under his eyes. His rheumy blue eyes watered, and she watched as he pulled a folded handkerchief out of the voluminous lab coat pocket and dabbed his eyes, then returned the hanky to his pocket. He stood to the side of the room, facing them, from behind a free standing counter, which was covered with test tubes and beakers. There were metal tables in the center of the room, but none of them contained a body.

When "The Corpse" heard them enter, he looked up, startled. "Gentlemen . . . ." He nodded toward her, "And ma’am. I do not believe I have had the pleasure . . ."

Tsorro made introductions and Jaylynn smiled and said, "Nice to meet you, sir."

He made no move to shake her hand, instead plunging his hands into his pockets and stepping around the counter to follow them. They walked from the lab, down the hall, and around the corner to a large windowless office. A desk, table, and four visitor’s chairs sat in the middle of the room, and all around, on every stretch of wall were bookcases, file cabinets, and shelves stacked and packed full of books, papers, notebooks, and folders. Next to the desk on a wide table sat a printer, a fax machine, and some other device that Jaylynn assumed was a small copy machine. The desk was piled at least six inches high with papers that, when seated, formed an upside - down U around the sides and back of the M.E.’s desk. One open space perhaps two feet square gave Corsican enough room to write, but otherwise, there were no clear surfaces in the room.

He gestured to them to have seats, then went around the desk and sat in an executive type tall black chair. Jaylynn sat in a chair near an overburdened bookshelf literally stacked to the ceiling. She looked up, and she could swear that the books and papers on the shelves swayed ever so slightly. It made her nervous.

Corsican reached a hand out over the desk, looking at Jaylynn. She froze, then realized he wanted the folder she held in her hand. Taking it from her, he opened the manila folder and spent less than a minute perusing the reports. "Hmm. This one’s simple." He closed the folder and handed it back to the blonde, then turned to the men. Pulling his handkerchief out, he dabbed at his eyes, then stuffed the hanky back in his pocket. "I know you fellows figured on this being a happy little family - father, mother, and unborn baby. But I got bad news for you. The DNA shows otherwise, though they are all related."

Jaylynn watched the detectives out of the corner of her eye as her excitement rose. Ah, that’s why the DNA smudge patterns looked funny to me. They’re similar! And they’re similar because they share some of the same genes.

Tsorro had a puzzled expression on his face, but his partner was nodding. Parkins said, "So Tivoli is related to the girl, but he did not father the fetus?"

"Exactly." The gaunt man sat back in the chair and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Well, I’ll be damned," the Italian said. "What is he then - the girl’s father? Uncle? Grandpa?"

Corsican said, "Looks like they did enough calculations to verify a 99% probability that Mr. Tivoli was Jane Doe’s birth father."

Tsorro shook his head. "Well, shit. So the kid sees her papa shot in the head, then gets chased down herself." He looked over at Parkins and sighed. "At least we have a new lead. All we need to do now is find out about the kid."

Parkins was shaking his head slowly. "I gotta bad feeling here, Zorro. We never turned up a single scrap of evidence pointing to Tivoli having a child. No kid ever visited him in prison."

"Kinda reminds me of that one case a couple of years ago," Parkins said.

The three men began to discuss an old case they had resolved with the help of DNA. Jaylynn stopped listening to the men’s conversation as her mind spun through investigative possibilities. Canvass every public school in St. Paul? Go through Tivoli’s bank records and see if he ever paid child support to the girl’s mother? Check with the county child support enforcement people? Her thoughts were halted when the three men rose. She stood, glancing up at the teetering stack of books and documents on the shelves over her head, then eased her way back.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Corsican-"

He interrupted her by raising a hand and shaking his head from side to side. "No need for formalities here. I’ll call you Savage - you can call me Corpse like the rest of them do."

"Okay, sure. Thanks." She started to move as though she would reach for his hand, but Parkins hip checked her. She frowned and shifted past the chair, dodged the bookcase, and squeezed out the door in front of the two detectives.

"See you guys around," the M.E. said.

"Yeah," Tsorro said. "We owe you. Again."

"No problem. You guys pay your debts."

They strode silently to the front door, and Parkins grabbed the bar and pushed, sliding the heavy metal door open for Jaylynn to exit. He followed her and Tsorro brought up the rear. When they got to the car, Parkins opened the back door for the blonde and said, "Savage, I apologize for pushing you out the door in there. I figured you didn’t know the unwritten rule at the M.E.’s office."

She had not yet gotten into the sedan and stood, one leg in the car and one leg out. "What do you mean?"

"Never shake hands with those guys." He must have been able to see that she did not understand. "The Corpse just walked out of the lab. Who knows what he’s been touching - dead people, blood and guts, bacteria, germs. You never shake their hand."

"Oh. I see." She sat back onto the car seat and pulled her other leg in. It occurred to her that there were a lot of rules - written and unwritten - that she had no clue about in the world of homicide investigation.

* * *

Dez sat on the couch in her apartment, Shawn Colvin’s new CD playing in the background. She had just finished cleaning the bathroom, and now her apartment was spotless. She looked at her watch. Six thirty p.m. Picking up the phone, she dialed the phone number and extension for Jaylynn. Instead of the blonde, however, someone else picked up and informed her that the rookie was out on a call.

"What do you mean ‘out on a call’? She’s on desk duty."

There was a pause and Dez could hear a crinkling of papers, and then the female voice said, "I don’t know where they went, but she and the detectives are on a call. That’s all I know."

"Okay, thanks." Dez hung up the phone feeling a vague sense of unease.

She rose and went into the bathroom to look out the window there. She had a good view of the street in front of the duplex. Right now, the streetlights blazed and it was almost full dark, though she couldn’t see any moonlight at all. She hunched down and looked up at as much of the sky as she could see. She didn’t think the moon would be visible at all tonight. Earlier in the day, heavy clouds had moved in, and the forecast was for snow. As she watched, an oversized kid on a bike wheeled past on the sidewalk, and a fluttering around him caught her eye. Staring over at the streetlight, she saw the flecks clearly. Snow. The first snow of the season.

The tall woman stood and ran her hands through her long, dark hair. If Jaylynn was with Zorro and Tonto, she was probably just fine. She just hoped that they hadn’t cracked the case and gone off to collar the bad guy, the rookie in tow. The thought of that made her shudder. Parkins wouldn’t be that stupid . . . would he?

Staring at the angry face in the mirror, she grabbed a brush and raked it through her hair, then reached up and worked the thick mane into a French braid. She stared down at the scale on the floor near the big Jacuzzi tub. She couldn’t resist and stepped up on it. She let out a sigh. 186. She was 28 pounds heavier than when she had competed in the bodybuilding competition earlier in the summer. She was carrying a minimum of ten pounds she didn’t want. No wonder all her clothes were tight.

When she stepped off the scale, disconsolate and disgusted, she looked at her watch again. Six forty. What was she going to do for the next four and a half hours until Jaylynn came home safe?

Moving out of the bathroom, she returned to the couch and picked up the mystery she was reading. Maybe she could kill time with a good book.

* * *

The blonde reached out and touched the blue sleeve of her big partner. They sat in the break room at the main precinct at Dez’s dinner break. "What are we going to do about Thanksgiving?"

Dez turned and looked at Jaylynn with a frown on her face, and the blonde almost laughed because the look on Dez’s face said it all - Thanksgiving? What do you mean - Thanksgiving?

Before Dez could respond, Jaylynn rolled her eyes. "You know, Thanksgiving? The fourth Thursday in November when family and friends come together to celebrate their love for God, country, and each other?"

Dez gave her a level gaze. "I’m perfectly aware of the tradition of Thanksgiving." She looked at her watch. She had twenty minutes before she needed to be back in the car and on patrol. "What’s your point?"

"Listen, Miss Anti-Holiday, Turkey Day is coming up in three days. What are we going to do?"

Dez shrugged. She didn’t much care about the holiday. Most years she either worked or hung out helping Luella host her rag tag family. She hadn’t given it any thought this year.

"Dez! We’ve got four invitations. Do you plan on attending all four and eating until we die of surfeit?"

"Where do you come up with this stuff? What the hell is surfeit?"

Jaylynn jabbed her in the ribs, but she couldn’t get any pressure due to the thick protective vest the dark-haired woman wore. "This is no fair. You deserve a good poke in the ribs for that."

In a low voice, the big cop said, "Guess you’ll have to wait until we’re in private - and unclothed." Dez watched a flush of pink creep up into the rookie’s face, and she found herself grinning in response.

"Listen, you can avoid the question all you want, but we have to make a decision - unless you want to go to two and me to the other two."

"What? I don’t wanna do that. I’m not interested in any of them."

"Have you got a clue who’s invited us?" The dark haired cop frowned. "You haven’t paid the slightest bit of attention lately, have you?"

"Luella. Luella and Vanita invited us."

"That was a no-brainer!"

Dez searched her memory. Nope, nothing coming up. With a guilty look on her face, she mugged a funny face and shrugged again.

"You can remember every single car on the Hot List, but you can’t think who might invite us to Thanksgiving?"

"I’m pretty sure it wasn’t my mother."

"Good thinking." Jaylynn ticked off the names on her fingers. "Luella and Vanita. Kevin and Tim. Julie and the kids. Crystal and Shayna."

"What? Julie asked us to Thanksgiving?" She hadn’t heard from Ryan’s widow for several weeks.

"Dez! She called last weekend. I left a note on the table."

The big cop shook her head. "Never saw it."

"It’s still sitting there, right on the kitchen table along with several other notes." She rolled her eyes and shook her head. "So what should we do?"

"Run away to Duluth?"

"Dez!"

"Okay, then, drive to Duluth?"

Jaylynn gave her a withering look. "Will you be serious?"

Dez sighed. She hated holidays. It was so much easier if she just worked, but even so, they still had time before shift started this coming Thursday to make an appearance somewhere. "Do you have a preference?"

"Don’t tell the guys, but I don’t have any desire to get all dressed up for their Gay Soiree. They are having a formal luncheon, and Tim is doing all the food. He’s been cooking and baking and doing origami with napkins all week. All those fussy gay guys will be there . . . I could do without all that pressure." Dez made a snorting sound. She was in total agreement with the rookie. Jaylynn went on. "Crystal and Shayna are hosting friends and various parts of both of their families, and I could do without all that Latino versus African energy and everyone arguing about everything."

Dez smiled and gave a little nod. Crystal’s family was a very opinionated bunch, and Shayna’s crew weren’t far behind. They all liked to argue - and with great volume, too. It always sounded like fighting to Dez, though she had to admit that there was also genuine affection between various members of each clan. Still, she had no desire to try to eat at a table where everyone shouted at once. She looked to the side at the serious look on the blonde’s face. When Jaylynn was thinking hard, she got a frown on her face and a little furrow of wrinkles just above her eyebrows. She looked so cute that Dez longed to reach over and take her into her arms - but of course, that was not an option, not when she could hear voices out in the hall and footfalls on the stairwell.

Hazel eyes met hers thoughtfully, and Jaylynn took a deep breath. "So it’s down to Julie or Luella, and if you want to know the truth, I vote for Luella. Even if Vanita’s little squirt grandkids come, it’ll still be a more peaceful day."

Dez arched an eyebrow. "Luella, huh? My choice, too. We haven’t seen Vanita for a while, and I’d like to."

"Okay, then. It’s settled. You call everyone and-"

"Oh, no. I hate doing that."

"Well, I had to field all the calls, why can’t you call ’em all back?"

"I hate social engagements."

"It’s not so bad - come on, admit it."

Dez refused to admit anything. She crossed her arms and looked away. She thought that having obligations to other people was often a big pain. Expectations - another "E" word that she didn’t like. She never knew what to say at parties, so she was glad they weren’t going to Tim and Kevin’s event or to Crystal and Shayna’s. She wouldn’t mind seeing Julie and the kids, but some of Ryan’s family might be there, and it was just too hard still. She didn’t want to think about him - didn’t want to deal with the feelings his memory brought up. She was relieved that a group of officers entered the break room then. She half listened to the good natured bantering for a few minutes, responding to a few comments they directed her way. Looking toward Jaylynn, she knew they would have to resolve this issue soon. She changed the subject. "You told me the P.T. appointment went great, but did they say when you go back to work?"

Jaylynn nodded with enthusiasm. "The therapist is going to work with me two more times, and then it looks like I am all set for next Wednesday." Dez accepted the information without comment. "I’ll miss Tsorro and Parkins."

"You will, huh?" Dez held back a smile. "You’ve enjoyed being coddled and called ‘Dollhead’ and all?"

"He’s never called me ‘Dollhead’! But he does use a lot of goofy endearments and Italian words that I don’t even know the meaning of. He doesn’t mean anything by it. I’ve grown to like working with Tsorro, and you know what? Parkins is really something. He looks like this cloddy, chubby duffer - but he’s not. He’s very astute. Doesn’t miss much at all."

"Hmm. If you say so."

"What? You don’t believe me?"

The dark-haired cop shrugged. "I know they close a lot of cases."

"Now you know why. They do a good job. They may be comical looking, but they’re effective."

Dez checked her watch, then stood and scooted her chair back. "I better get back out there."

Jaylynn looked at her own watch and stayed seated. "I’ve got a few minutes left. See you shortly after midnight?"

"Yup."

"Just think, starting tomorrow, I can drive myself to and from work."

Dez reached an arm out and patted the rookie on the shoulder, then gave her a wink. "Later." She strode across the room and out the door, never looking back.

The blonde’s eyes followed her until the tall cop turned the corner and disappeared. I can’t believe how lucky I am. I just can’t believe it.

* * *

Thanksgiving morning dawned cold and clear, with a silvery layer of frost on the yards all around the house on Como Lake. Jaylynn looked out the window into the early morning quiet. She had slept well, but Dez had been restless, so she let the bigger woman sleep. Creeping out of bed, the blonde slipped into some insulated warm-up pants, a heavy sweatshirt, and running shoes. She headed downstairs for some orange juice, then slipped out the back door and walked around to the front of the house, across the street, and down the slope that led to the paved paths around the lake.

The air was so chilled that she could see her breath. She stepped onto the path, grateful that it was clear of ice. It hadn’t snowed much so far after all, but it wouldn’t be very much longer before ice and snowdrifts prevented her from running outside. That was one of the things she disliked about Minnesota. Even when the jogging path was clear, sometimes it was just too cold to run outdoors. And a workout just wasn’t quite the same on a treadmill in a health club.

Shivering, she moved into a light jog, pumping her arms and letting her body loosen. Halfway around the lake, at about the three - quarter mile mark, she felt warm and her muscles moved effortlessly. She slipped into a faster, steady rhythm, legs stretching out and flying over the smooth concrete. By the time she had run for twenty minutes, her mind and body were in sync, and she no longer even noticed her surroundings. She strode smoothly, at about a nine minute mile pace, and her thoughts turned to her reticent partner. She was still worried about her. She couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong, but she also couldn’t figure out a single way to subtly broach the subject without seeming to pry or poke around in Dez’s private thoughts. She was sure the dark-haired woman would not appreciate that.

She moved to the side of the path to pass a woman pulling a red wagon. Two tired looking girls, very well bundled in pink coats and swathed in bright - colored scarves and winter hats, sat motionless. Jaylynn moved past them, her warm breath emerging from her mouth in white gusts.

I don’t think I have ever been happier in my entire life while feeling more on edge. Something doesn’t feel quite right. For the remaining laps around the lake, she puzzled over that, but she was unable to explain her uneasiness.

When she returned to the house, she found Dez sitting in the kitchen, elbows on the rickety table, with a cup of hot tea in front of her. The kitchen felt like a hothouse compared to the brisk air outside, and she broke out into a sweat before she even got the door shut.

"Hey, sweetie," she said to the big woman as she came to stand next to her. She leaned into the dark-haired woman and put her arm across her shoulders. Stooping down, she placed a soft kiss on the pale forehead. "How’d you sleep?"

Dez shrugged. Her arm came up and wrapped around the smaller woman’s waist and she leaned her head into the warm body next to her. "You’re up early."

"Yeah, I needed to run."

"Shoulda got me up."

Jaylynn pulled away and went to the cupboard for a bowl. "Seemed like you needed your sleep." Dez didn’t respond. When Jaylynn looked down, the big woman was staring out the window. "You want some cereal?"

"No, thanks. Tea’s good for now."

The blonde gathered up the bowl, silverware, Rice Crispies, milk, and a banana and sat across from Dez. She set to work slicing up the fruit to put in her cereal. "What have you got planned for this morning?"

"Not much." The tall woman glanced at her wristwatch. "It’s nine a.m. We go over to Vanita’s in three hours."

Jaylynn nodded. "I probably should do a load of laundry-"

"Already in. I put in a dark load a bit ago."

The blonde smiled and reached across the table to grasp a big hand. "Thanks for doing that. You’re spoiling me."

"Nah . . . you were already spoiled rotten."

The warm affection in the big woman’s voice was a relief to Jaylynn. She looked up into the tired eyes and puffy face and without thinking said, "Should I be worried about you, Dez? You seem so exhausted lately."

Like a shade being pulled down over a window, the dark-haired woman’s open look changed and she released Jaylynn’s hand and looked away, out the frosty pane to the backyard. "I’m fine."

Jaylynn busied herself with her cereal. She knew now that something was wrong, but she decided there was no use pressing it. "Are you sure Luella didn’t want us to bring something over?"

Piercing blue eyes turned back to her. "She won’t let us bring anything - you should know that. Thanksgiving is one of her favorite holidays. So she’ll have whatever she needs."

"Okay, just checking." She shoveled in another big mouthful of crispy cereal and banana slices.

"Maybe I should go back to my place and pick up a few things."

Jaylynn nodded. "I’ve got some chores to do around here that’ll keep me busy. I am really thankful that we get a late start today at four."

Dez rose and carried her tea mug to the sink. "Yeah, that works out well." She turned and headed out of the kitchen, and Jaylynn could hear the creaking of the steps as the dark-haired woman went upstairs. She finished her cereal and cleaned up after herself, wondering when Tim and Kevin would descend upon the kitchen. Their Thanksgiving party didn’t start until three p.m., so they could afford to sleep in. She crammed the milk carton into the bulging refrigerator and put her dishes in the sink, then headed upstairs where she found Dez lying on her side on the bed, fast asleep. She picked up an afghan and spread it over the tall woman, grabbed up her journal and a pen, and crept out of the room, leaving her partner to sleep.

* * *

On her last night in homicide, it was with some reluctance that Jaylynn bid farewell to Tsorro and Parkins when they went off duty at six. Her collarbone was healed, and the physical therapist had given her a clean bill of health. She was cleared to return to patrol the next day. She felt real regret about not being instrumental in solving the Tivoli murders, and she told the two detectives that.

"Don’t worry about it, hon," Tsorro said. "We’ll keep working on it, and when we track down the bastard who did this, you’ll be the first to know."

She shook hands with both of the detectives.

Parkins patted her on the shoulder. "Thanks for your help, Savage. You really sped things up. I bet you saved us days - maybe weeks - of paperwork."

She smiled. "That’s good to know. I just wish I could be here when you crack the case."

Lieutenant Finn came out of her office just then. Some days she was gone for the day by five or so, but tonight she had stayed late. She joined the three of them. "Savage, thanks for the good work you’ve done. You can come do desk duty here any time you’re injured."

The two men chuckled as Jaylynn shook her head. "I think I’ve had enough injuries to last a few years, thank you very much." She flashed a bright smile. "But I’ve learned a lot. I appreciate all the three of you have done for me."

The lieutenant shook her hand and gave her a wave, and the rookie watched her follow the detectives out of the squad room.

The rest of the evening passed slowly. She made several calls to follow up on small details with witnesses, and she put the database in order. She was well aware that after she left, the guys wouldn’t update it again, so she reformatted the whole document, leaving lots of space between the 188 people listed. She printed out two clean copies, one for each detective. She knew they would keep notes all over this final copy, and maybe it would help them after all.

When eleven p.m. rolled around, she tidied everything up, returned all files to Parkins’ desk, and said goodbye to Lieutenant Graul and some of the other cops who happened to be in the squad room. Without fanfare, she strolled down the long hallway to the door, which led to the parking lot.

It was bitingly cold, with a stiff north wind whipping at her. She hustled to her Camry and wrenched the door open with difficulty. As she squeezed in, the blowing wind nearly shut the lightweight door on her leg. She sat shivering for a moment, then looked at her watch. Only about an hour and Dez would be off duty. Jaylynn looked forward to it. In the last few days, her chest and shoulder had finally started to feel more like normal. She longed to make some popcorn and cuddle up on the coach with her partner, and now she wouldn’t have to worry about feeling kinked up or twisting wrong. The last couple of nights she had slept more comfortably, too. It made a huge amount of difference in her energy level.

She started her car and sat, waiting for the motor to run for a minute and heat up. A peppy pop rock song was just ending on the radio. She closed her eyes and inhaled, thinking of snuggling up close to Dez, running her hands over soft skin, kneading lean muscle, kissing her neck, her mouth, her - she opened her eyes and took another deep breath. Suddenly it was warmer in the car than she expected. Whew! I think I’ve missed making love. Throwing the car into gear, she backed out of the lot and headed toward home.

Sometimes she didn’t understand things at all. Sara had asked her recently what exactly it was about Dez that drew her to the tall woman. She was at a loss to explain. She just had a craving to be with her, to talk with her, to touch her, to be touched. Nobody had ever made her feel so cared for or nurtured. She liked how the big cop made her feel.

A new song came on the radio

Please forgive me if I act a little strange, for I know not what I do. Feels like lightning running through my veins, every time I look at you, every time I look at you . . .

She smiled and turned onto University Avenue. Yes, this guy’s got it! It does feel just like lightning in my veins. She headed down the dark street, passed the State Capitol, all lit up with spotlights, then wheeled by all the closed up office buildings and stores.

Help me out here all my words are falling short, and there’s so much I want to say. Want to tell you just how good it feels, when you look at me that way. Throw a stone and watch the ripples flow, moving out across the bay, like a stone I fall into your eyes, deep into that mystery, deep into some mystery . . .

She turned the song up and drove along, humming. She didn’t understand Dez, and she didn’t always understand herself. What she did know was that she wanted to make a life with Desiree Reilly. She hoped and prayed that her partner felt the same way, and for a moment she allowed herself to imagine a taste of the anguish she might feel if things didn’t work out. She got a lump in her throat and felt tears spring to her eyes. She pushed back the feelings and reasoned with herself that it was unlikely. She was pretty sure of Dez’s love for her - even if the other woman hadn’t yet shared it in precise words. She shared it every day in the way she touched the rookie, the way she listened to her.

That’s it. Tonight I’m talking to her.

She steered the car down Dale Street and over toward Como Lake. When she pulled up to the house, she was surprised to find it dark. She knew Tim and Kevin were working at the restaurant. Bill and Sara must have also gone out somewhere. She parked and ran from her car to the front door and was relieved to find that someone had left the heat on. Lately, their fuel bills had been high, so half the time it was less than sixty degrees in the old house when she arrived home. She hated that. It took a good hour to warm up ten more degrees, and her electric blanket had stopped working weeks earlier. She kept meaning to get a new one, but hadn’t gotten around to it. After checking the thermostat and cranking it up another five degrees, she went to the kitchen and foraged for a snack, coming up with milk and some Oreo cookies.

She went up to her room, flipped on the radio next to her bed, and changed from her uniform into flannel pajama bottoms and tops, socks, and slippers. Rummaging around her desk, she pulled out a pad of paper and a pen, then sat on the couch to munch on cookies and write a letter to her Aunt Lynn.

An hour passed quickly, and it was nearing midnight. She couldn’t keep her eyes open any longer and leaned her head against the back of the couch. The pad slipped from her lap along with the pen, and she drifted into a warm, blissful place.

It felt like hours had passed, but it must have only been a few minutes when Jaylynn felt something. A tremor of alarm coursed through her, and she stirred. She didn’t want to open her eyes, didn’t want to awaken at all, but she did, her heart beating wildly.

In the dim light of the doorway stood six feet of tension topped off by a face more pale than usual. The big cop held her black duty boots in one hand with her other hand clenched tightly into a fist.

Jaylynn jerked to attention. "Dez! What’s the matter?"

The dark-haired woman, still dressed in her blue uniform, radiated fury. "I probably shouldn’t be here . . ." she growled out.

"Why? Why not?"

"Because I am so goddamn angry that I wanna kill somebody." The boots in her right hand hit the floor hard, and she kicked them, one at a time, across the room. They each came to a stop against the wall near the foot of the bed. She stepped into the room, shut the door, and paced five steps forward, five steps back, like a tiger in a cage.

Jaylynn watched her as the tall cop put her hands to the sides of her head and literally pulled her hair until it came loose from the neat French braid. The rookie debated rising from the couch and going to Dez, but instead, she waited, watching the taut figure in front of her.

After a few moments, Dez came to a stop and stood looking across the room toward the younger woman.

Jaylynn frowned. My God, she is furious. "What in the world . . . Dez tell me."

Shaking, the big woman spat the words out. "Lieutenant Malcolm called me into his office after shift was over. He - he - dammit!"

She looked at Jaylynn, misery etched on her pale white face. Still Jaylynn waited, her heart beating fast.

Dez shook her head and let out a big sigh. "We aren’t allowed to ride together anymore. Some fuckhead reported us, Jay." All the air seemed to go out of her, and she took two big steps over to the unmade bed and sank down onto the edge with her head in her hands.

Jaylynn stayed on the couch, stunned. Reported us? Reported us for what? "I don’t understand, Dez. What-"

"For cripesake, Jay! Somebody told the brass that we’re lovers."

"Oh." She sat back on the couch, letting it sink it. "Did he say who?"

"Hell, no! They never tell you shit like that." She stood again and paced back and forth.

"I see." Jaylynn nodded absently. Somebody ratted them out. She wondered who, but it could have been a number of people. It could also have been something innocent that led the Lieutenant to put things together. Who could tell?

"Are either of us facing any sort of discipline?"

"No," Dez said in a scathing voice. "He was pissed as hell, though, that I hadn’t informed him. Said I shouldn’t have stayed your FTO and that it puts him in a hell of a position now that he has some performance problems with another rookie." She passed her hand through her hair again, which was looking quite bedraggled. "Dammit! I should have told him. I knew it."

Jaylynn wondered what the source of Dez’s desperation was. Was she ashamed? Caught off guard and embarrassed? She hoped it wasn’t either of those. "You know, it’s not the end of the world."

Dez gave her a withering look and turned away. She put her right forearm up against the wall and leaned her head on it. Even from ten feet away, Jaylynn could see that the dark-haired woman was shaking, so she rose from the couch and moved over behind the tall cop. She put her arms around the trembling waist, realizing that Dez still wore her protective vest. Pressing herself against the back of the long legs, she laid the side of her head against the broad back. Even through the vest she could hear the beat of her heart, fast and loud. Dez did not respond, but her heart rate slowed perceptibly.

Jaylynn pulled the big cop away from the wall and turned her around.

"I should go," Dez said. Her eyes filled with tears, and she turned her head to the side, toward the door, so that Jaylynn wouldn’t see.

The blonde didn’t say anything. She reached up and undid the top button of the blue uniform top, then the second button, then the third. She unbuckled the belt, untucked the shirt, and finished unbuttoning the shirt. Reaching up, she tugged the shirt down off the broad shoulders and let it drop on the floor behind them. She ripped away the velcro straps and loosened the vest.

Dez shrugged out of it, and let it fall on top of the shirt behind her. She unsnapped and unzipped her pants and let them fall so she could step out of them. Still quivering, she stood uncertainly in briefs, t shirt and socks until the rookie took her arm and led her over to the bed. She all but pushed the dark-haired woman onto the bed and crawled in with her only to find the big cop stiff and unyielding. She turned on her side, away from the rookie.

Jaylynn went up on her knees and leaned over as Dez curled into a near fetal position. With her arms on either side of her, the blonde said, "Dez. Talk to me. C’mon Dez."

"There’s nothing more to say."

Jaylynn sat back. She reached a hand out and stroked Dez’s left shoulder. "Gosh, you are unusually cold." The pallid skin was chilly to the touch, and even in the dim lamplight, she could see goose bumps on the tall woman’s back. She pulled the sheet and blankets up from the foot of the bed and covered them both with them, then arranged the pillows next to Dez. She curled her body around the bigger woman, her right arm under the dark head and her left around her shoulders.

They lay like that for several minutes until Jaylynn felt warmth emanating from her partner. She pressed her lips to the warm neck next to her and leaned her cheek against the side of the wan face. A big hand moved up and took hold of the fingers on her left hand.