leaving behind only tiny slits.

"That all you're going to show her?"

Graham looked at him sharply.

As a twenty-year veteran of the force and six months away from

retirement, Chambers was beyond intimidation.

He spread his hands wide, still holding the remnants o the candy bar.

"You know, she's a beautiful woman, you' a free man."

He chuckled.

"It's been, how long now sin you've been divorced?"

He raised and lowered.

his eyebrows in a poor imitation of a lecher.

Graham waved a hand in dismissal at the man as h turned to leave the

squad room.

"Eat another burrito, Chambers."

The order evoked a laugh.

"Thanks, don't mind if I do."

Graham heard the man's chair squeak as he rose.

He had no doubts that Chambers was on his way out to take up his

suggestion.

Caitlin didn't realize until Gray walked through the door late that

afternoon that she had been holding her breath all day, waiting for him to return.

Afraid that he wouldn't.

Knowing him, she'd half expected Graham to call Jeffers and tell him to

take over as the main bodyguard.

As it was, the man had been here a great deal longer than she had thought he would be. Affable, friendly, Ben Jeffers had managed to stay out of her way and yet bring a peaceful tranquillity to the shop.

He and Kerry had been sharing a running conversation now for the past

hour, interrupted only by the occasional sales that had to be rung up.

Caitlin found herself doing most of the work, which was just as well.

Talking to the customers helped keep her mind occupied.

But when she saw Graham walk in, everything came to a screeching halt

for her.

He was finally back.

And she was glad.

She wondered if he was.

Caitlin had no doubts that he cared for her, maybe even still loved

her.

But with Gray, that ' wasn't enough.

The "right thing" was tied up with his sense of values and his

heritage.

Doing the "right thing" might not allow film to come to the same

conclusion that she had.

That they'belonged together.

It felt as if there were miles of hurdles in front of her.

But she was determined to clear them all.

She'd stumbled once and wasted a great deal of her life.

She wasn't about to do it again.

Belatedly she realized that the customer beside her had asked her a

question.

Something to do with deciding which color peignoir to select.

She was celebrating her first anniversary Saturday.

It would have been her eleventh next Tuesday if her mother hadn't

intervened, Caitlin thought with a pan_R.

"I'll be just a minute," Caitlin promised the woman Catching Eva's eye,

Caitlin signaled for her to take over.

Eva easily slipped into the spot Caitlin vacated.

"Blue,' she assured the woman as she held the peignoir up agains her.

" To bring out your eyes.

Caitlin hurried over to Graham, cutting him off from Jeffers.

Whatever he had to say to the other man could wait Kerry could more

than keep Jeffers occupied for a few mo minutes.

"How did it go?"

He nodded at Jeffers.

Since he'd received no calls from his partner, Graham assumed that the

time spent here ha been uneventful.

He looked at Caitlin.

"We think we might have our man."

Graham began reaching into his pocket.

"I've got photograph I want you to look at."

She waved it aside for the moment.