Serpent's kiss

'Well, if you'd feel more macho, maybe I'd better let you pay.'

'Then next time you can pay.'

'And will I get to be macho then?'

'You know,' he said, crossing his eyes like an old vaudevillian comic, 'That's a very good question.'

Before she could respond, the pair from the back were at the counter. One young man-portly with long greasy hair-set down two science fiction paperbacks. The other young man- skinny and already balding even though he couldn't have been more than twenty-two or twenty-three-set down a copy of Locus and Science Fiction Chronicle.

As she checked them out-Richie still waiting around-she felt them staring at her. Occupational hazard, Brewster always told her. 'You're so pretty, half the guys who come in here are going to have crushes on you. You wait and see.' And so they did. While she was flattered by this kind of attention-heady stuff for a girl who usually thought of herself as some drab and crippled drudge-it also unnerved her. She didn't know how to respond.

When the two young men left, one of them pointing to a copy of an art magazine with a beautiful nude on the cover, Richie said, 'Boy, you've got fans everywhere.'

'They're nice guys. They come in here a lot.'

'And I know why, too. To see you.'

'They really like science fiction.'

'They like you better.'

'Strawberry.'

'Huh?'

Tired of the subject of other boys-wanting to talk about

Richie if the subject had to be about boys at all-she said, 'Strawberry. My Blizzard.'

'Oh.'

'You sound disappointed.'

'Somehow I thought you'd be more adventurous. You know, a Blizzard with everything in it.'

'Everything?'

'Sure-M amp;Ms and strawberries and 7-Up and-everything.' He laughed. 'It's the only way to live.'

'Well, if you're going to go macho on me again I don't suppose I have any choice. Everything.'

He was already on the way out the door. 'You won't regret it. Believe me.'

Then he was gone, the bell above the door tinkling, the air the sadder for his absence.

She couldn't believe how much closer she'd felt to him during the past fifteen minutes of conversation.

That was one thing her first date fantasy hadn't allowed for-real friendship to accompany the passion.

'Then do you know of a Marie Fane?'

'I think she's Kathleen's daughter. I'm not related to Kathleen but I know of her through a relative. She's like a shirt-tail cousin or something.'

'How old would Marie be?'

The woman on the other end of the phone paused. 'High school age or thereabouts, I'd guess.'

'And her mother's name is Kathleen?'

'Yes, ma'am.'

'I'll give it a try then. And thank you very much.'

'Oh, you're most welcome. Like I said, we watch you on TV all the time. We like you a lot.'

Chris Holland smiled. Sometimes a compliment could make you feel better than getting a new car. 'Thanks again.'

The woman hung up.

Chris put the phone down and said to Emily Lindstrom, 'According to her there's a Kathleen Fane.'

'Wonder why it isn't in the book?'

'Don't know. I'll try information.'

They were still in the apartment Dobyns was using. The dead meat smell was as bad as ever.

When the wispy voiced male operator said 'Information.' Chris gave him the city and name she was looking for.

After half a minute, the live operator vanished and a recording took over.

'We're sorry but at the customer's request, the number is unpublished.'

'Shit,' Chris said, slamming the phone down. Then, 'Excuse my French.'

'What happened?'

'Unlisted number.'

'Oh. Great. We've got to find this Marie Fane and warn her. Dobyns is on the way right now.'

Chris snapped her fingers. 'Cameron.'

'Who?'

'Frank Cameron. He's a cop I know. He'll get the number for me.'

She quickly dialled the Sixth Precinct. She wasn't used to rotary phones so the dialling was somewhat awkward.

'Detective Cameron, please.'

She waited.

'Hello.'

'Frank.'

'Oh, God.'

'You know who this is?'

'If I didn't, would I have said 'Oh, God'?'

'Good point.'

He laughed. 'It's something illegal, isn't it?'

'What is?'

'What you want me to do.'

Cameron loved to tease her and she loved to be teased by him. He was like an older brother. A divorced man with three kids, Cameron had asked her out a few times. Great fun but no sparks alas. Fortunately both of them felt that way. Now they were just friends, just two more overworked, overstressed lonely middle class people anonymously going about the business of living and dying.

'Well, I'm not sure, actually.'

'So what is it? The shift commander's called a meeting in five minutes.'

'Unlisted number.'

'Is that all? You mean I don't have to plant any evidence or run any drugs?'

'Not tonight.'

'What's the name?'

She told him.

'Hold on a sec,' he said.

'He's getting it for you?' Emily Lindstrom asked.

Chris nodded.

He came back moments later and gave her the number.

'You owe me a lunch,' he said.

'McDonald's all right?'

'Sure.'

'Good. That I can afford. I'll call you next week.'

'Really?'

'Sure really. You helped me, didn't you?'

'Actually, it'll be nice to sit down with a woman who isn't a cop and talk. I'm not doing too well in the old dating department.'

Chris laughed. 'Well, I'm not doing too well in that department either, Frank, so we can commiserate.'

'There you go again with those big words. Talk to you later.'

After hanging up, Chris waved the number at Emily Lindstrom. 'Well, here it is. Let's just hope somebody is