*Leslie sighed. "No, you don't. It's an insane arrangement, I know." She turned. "But I wouldn't picture you as a cook."

"Oh, I know my way around a kitchen." She shrugged. "Just, it's hard to cook for one.

Steak on the grill, baked potato and a vegetable, I'm good to go. But I eat takeout a lot too." She turned on Live Oak and headed east. "And you know, Sam cooks. They invite me all the time, but I try not to go too much. I don't want to be a pest."

"And did you eat already?"

She laughed. "No. I was hoping we could take a break and grab a burger or something. Or else I'll steal half your chips."

"Good thing I opted for the bigger bag." Leslie tossed it behind them on the backseat, then pulled out the spreadsheet and her penlight. "Let's see. Brookhaven requires walking, and Creekside we think is inaccessible to a stalker. So, want to try Cascades?

Or Twin Peaks?"

"What all did they hit last night?"

"Since Brookhaven requires walking, I'm assuming that's why they skipped it. Other than that, it looks like they hit them all."

"How would they have time for all of them?"

"Because they probably didn't sit and park like we did."

"No wonder. I should have known. Tori can't sit still this long."

"Let's do Cascades," Leslie suggested. "We never made it by there the other night.

My notes say it has outdoor patios on each ground floor unit."

"What block?"

"Turn right on Hall. It's before you get to Gaston."

Casey saw the well-lit entryway-along with the cascading waterfall-well before she saw the sign. She pulled into the parking lot, driving slowly until they saw the opening between the four buildings.

"The view's not great," Leslie said when she parked. "We may need to mark this one as walking required too."

Casey cut the engine and opened the windows, letting in what little breeze there was.

"Gonna be a warm night."

"Oh, well. I guess we're all used to it by now." Leslie turned toward her. "I picture you as the summer type anyway. All tan and everything, playing at the lake."

70.

*"Yeah. I enjoy the summer. Back in my twenties, I was at the lake all the time." She smiled. "I had a lot more energy back then."

"Didn't we all."

"Yeah. More energy, less sense."

Leslie rolled her head along the seat, watching her. Casey finally turned and raised an eyebrow.

"When did you know you were gay?"

Casey smiled. "The standard straight woman's question, huh?"

Leslie shrugged. "Just wondering."

"I knew when I was young, I guess. I always kinda felt different. So I kept to myself. I didn't have a whole lot of friends then. But I think, at the time, I attributed it to my life at home. It wasn't normal, therefore I didn't really feel normal. And it wasn't like I brought friends home or anything. I didn't want to chance that both my parents would be there at the same time. If they were, that usually meant a fight. It was easier to keep my distance with people...boys."

"How old were you when...you know?"

"What? Sex?"

"Yeah. Your first time."

"I was seventeen. She was the sister of a friend." Casey leaned her head back, remembering. "She was a freshman in college. She had the longest legs I've ever seen." She turned quickly, looking at Leslie with a smile. "Every time she saw me, she flirted with me. I never really understood it. Not until that day. It was Thanksgiving. I'd been invited to their house. She took me upstairs to listen to some new music she'd just gotten."

"Where was your friend?"

"Helping in the kitchen."

"She didn't know?"

"No. Of course, neither did I. I mean, I thought we were really going to listen to music. We went into her room and before I knew what was happening, she had me on the bed and her hand was down my pants."

"But you knew, right?"

"Yeah. I knew. It just wasn't the way I imagined losing my virginity, you know, with a quickie right before Thanksgiving dinner."

71.

*Leslie smiled. "Did you see her again?"

"Yeah. At Christmas." Casey turned back, looking out the windshield. "But that was the last time. She came home that summer and she had a boyfriend. She wouldn't even speak to me."

"So she wasn't gay?"

"No, she was gay. But like some, she tried to fight it. It's okay. I didn't blame her for that."

"Did you try to fight it?"

"No. It never really occurred to me to fight it. It was just who I was. Who I am. I didn't see the point of pretending."

"So you've never slept with a guy?"

"No. I try not to think about it." She grinned. "Because that would just be gross."

"Mmm."

"Mmm?"

Leslie shook her head. "Nothing."

"Okay. So now that we're acting like teenagers and talking about sex, when was your first time?"

"I'll give you a hint. I was the oldest virgin at college."

"No way."

"Yes."

"Man, those boys had to be falling all over you. You're gorgeous. How'd you manage?"

"I had this silly idea I'd wait until marriage."

"And I take it you didn't." She stared. "Michael's not your first, is he?"

"No. Of course not. I held out until my senior year. It was torture. Most of the girls knew I was still a virgin. I got teased constantly."

"Hope he was at least cute."

Leslie laughed. "No. It was awful. He was a virgin too."

"Oh, my God!"

72.

*"Yeah. Pretty bad."

"Then what?"

"Well, I thought, so what's all the fuss about? Sex is way overrated."

Casey laughed. "I hope your girlfriends didn't know the guy was a virgin."

"Probably. What was worse, we continued to date the rest of that semester."

"Did he get any better in bed?"

"Not one bit."

"Poor girl."

"Yeah."

"So, now-"

"No, no, no. I will not discuss my sex life with you."

Casey leaned back and relaxed. "Good. I like you. I try not to think about you and a guy." As soon as the words left her mouth, she cringed. What the hell? She closed her eyes, hoping Leslie wouldn't comment. She didn't.

But the truth was, she did like Leslie. And she also realized she tended to forget Leslie was living with a guy and engaged to be married. And probably having heterosexual sex every night. Gross. But there was something about the way Leslie carried herself, something about the look in her eyes. Something about the casual way she touched her all the time. There was something about her that drew Casey. She liked being near her, like now. Just sitting, not talking. Just being in her physical presence, it did something to her.

She turned to look out the window. Jesus, please don't get a crush on your straight partner. Idiot.

"Kinda quiet around here," Leslie said after a long silence. "Want to head to Brookhaven?"

Casey sat up straight. "Yeah, sure." She started the truck and backed away, then smiled. "You know, there were a couple of guys lurking around the pool area. Maybe we should put those down, huh?"

"Yeah, I think I will, just to give Sikes something to comment on."

"Okay, Brookhaven, that's up near Ross, right?"

"Yeah, this side of Ross," she said, looking at her notes.

73.

*Casey crossed over Bryan, going through the residential area before nearing Ross.

"You'd think I'd know them all by now, but they're starting to run together."

"Brookhaven is right on the edge of our radius. I think if we don't have any hits this week, I'd feel comfortable striking it off the list. That would give us less to monitor."

"Yeah, but I have this fear we're going to be at one apartment while a murder is going on at another."

"I know. I've thought of that too. But we can't possibly be everywhere at once."

"No. But I've been thinking. On nights when Hunter and Sikes are pulling apartment duty, I think I may cruise Deep Ellum. If we really think Patrick our homeless guy is a person of interest, then it wouldn't hurt to look for him where he hangs out."

"But we don't have any idea what he looks like."

"No. But based on what Maria said, he's younger than most and has more assets. I'd take that to mean he may not actually look like a homeless person. Maybe his clothes aren't quite as worn and ratty. Maybe he's clean-shaven."