�Diane,� Andy sneered in his inimitable sarcastic tone, �I don�t think you respect the power of the human mind.� Recovering his normal look of concern as Diane chuckled, he continued, �I just want you to know that your slip is showing. So, there. There it is. I�ve said my piece.� They said their goodnights, and Diane left.

She sighed in exasperation as she lifted her coat from the peg. As she slipped her arms into the sleeves, she sighed with relief: she didn�t miss that muscle spasm in her neck from yesterday. She bent to retrieve her handbag, and sighed as she stepped out of the squad room, pondering where to eat.

Andy saw her stop in her tracks again, visibly shaken. He shook his head in disgust. �My patience is wearing thin with that behavior, Diane,� he said through the door. Finally, he heard her steps receding toward the stairs. Andy ran his hand through what remained of his hair, and then he breathed to calm himself. The air was stale after a long parade of skels, witnesses and cops had polluted it with the detritus of a day�s worth of crime and punishment. Andy decided to go home to the little boy he so desperately wanted to protect, the one place on earth he felt he could find peace and relaxation.

�Okay, lady, you want the spring rolls and the shrimp fried rice, yes?� the young waitress said impatiently as Diane scoured the menu one more time.

�Oh, and some wonton soup,� Diane added.

The waitress jotted a Chinese character on her order pad, and then she pulled the menu brusquely from Diane�s hands as she turned to leave the table.

�Why did I order wonton soup? I never order that,� Diane said to herself.

Diane sat dumbly for a few minutes. She needed to keep her hands busy, and sitting alone in a restaurant was not her idea of fun. The last thing she wanted was time to brood about how out of it she was at work today. Fortunately, the waitress rescued her just in time before reverie drifted into dangerous territory; she tossed the wonton soup onto Diane�s paper placemat, completely covering the Chinese Horoscope she was reading. She moved the bowl aside and continued studying the text as she stirred the soup absent-mindedly: