�So I �found� the body, called my department, and ran the DOA through there. I paged Diane to come to the scene, making an excuse that I was standing her up on a date so it wouldn�t be strange for someone from the 1-5 being on my turf. At that point, I gave the, uh, pendant to Diane so she would have it as sufficient proof that Don was the DOA. I figured she could use that to pass along a convincing message to his ex-wife so she could prepare the rest of the family for the inevitable. I wanted there to be an official, unofficial ID of the body so I could pretend for Jill that the DOA was Don, and for the Job that he was a John Doe. It was better if the Job, and all other parties, thought Don had jumped protection.�

�What happened to the stash Don stole?� Diane had jumped in, eager to turn Bob�s attention away from her involvement.

�Well, great minds do think alike, don�t they? That was going to be my very next question,� Bob smiled at Diane.

Harry inhaled deeply, steeling himself for the news he was about to give.

�Well, that�s what caused his escape to backfire,� Harry said.

Martens burst into the coffee room at that moment, his face red and veins protruding. �Russell and you, whoever you are, OUT. Denby, you stay put.�

�Let me introduce you to my attorney, Bob Martinez,� Harry said, challenging Martens.

�I don�t give a rat�s ass who he is. This is police business, and it has nothing to do with him,� Martens retorted, �There is no way in hell you can hide behind his skirts on this. I am talking about your gig this morning at the bank.�

Bob winked at Diane, and nodded his head toward the door. Reluctantly, she got up and headed for it. Bob put his hand on the small of her back and guided her out. Harry�s eyes followed them, longing to knock away Bob�s hand and put his own in its place. As Diane turned to close the door behind them, she gave Harry an encouraging little smile.

Diane couldn�t help herself. She waited outside the coffee room and watched through the frosted glass. She could hear Martens yelling, but couldn�t make out what he was saying. The shadow of Martens stood next to the Denby shape, bent over him, hands pointing to Denby�s chest, punctuating his speech. After a few minutes, Denby stood up and walked around the room, towering over Martens. Martens followed him around the room, confronting him like a pit bull at every turn. She could see Denby�s head drop, nod occasionally, and rise again. Denby�s arms moved to punctuate his own speech, but his position was very defensive. Suddenly, the air was gently scented with Kouros, and Bob was behind her.

�I missed you last night,� he whispered in her ear, and approached her from behind, massaging her shoulders. Diane hadn�t realized how much tension she had been building up, and the massage felt wonderful. She yielded to his experienced hands, and moaned involuntarily. Bob smiled. He had her full attention again.