"How much do you know about dinghy racing?" Julie asked us.
Jake and I looked at each other. "The pointy end is the front," I said helpfully.
"Nothing?" said Julie. We shook our heads. "Okay," she said, grinning at us, "enter the open Laser race in the Regatta on Saturday and whichever one of you finishes highest can be my date."
I almost gave up there and then, but I knew Jake had as little a clue as I did. I was sitting moping when Beth Allan came by. Skinny, mousy, unattached little Beth, everybody's friend, nobody's lover.
"Something up, Alan?" Concern in her tone.
"Yeah." I told her the story.
"Ah. That would explain why Brad Torrens just took Jake out on the lake."
I let myself settle even more into my gloom.
"Hey, come on. I can show you how to sail a Laser," said Beth helpfully.
I looked at her sharply and she flushed. I knew she was one of the best around at handling a dinghy. "You mean it?"
"Of course." Indignant.
That was how I ended up spending virtually the whole of Thursday and Friday out on Green Lake with Beth. She drove me hard, but by Friday evening I was confident that I could at least keep the dinghy going in the right direction
Saturday dawned fine and warm, with a westerly breeze which wasn't too strong. I think just about everybody knew about the race within a race and there was a lot of joshing going on. Eventually it was time for the start. Beth had loaned me her own Laser, far from new but superbly maintained and trimmed.
"Thanks, Beth. If I win it will be thanks to you."
"Good luck, Alan," she said, but she avoided my eyes when she said it and I wondered if I'd upset her.
I managed not to get in anybody's way at the start and was pleased to see that I had a slight advantage over Jake, in Brad's boat. The race settled down with the more experienced sailors starting to pull away. Jake and I weren't doing too badly, somewhere around the middle of the field, and I had about a three boat-lengths lead over him as we started the last lap.
I caught sight of Beth on the shore and thought back to our two days together on the lake. Her animation, her unexpected quick wit, her simple joy just in being out on the water. The finishing line was getting close and I let the wind spill from the sail for a moment, before hauling on the sheet and getting back on course, just half a length behind Jake as he crossed the line.
"You could have beaten him," said Beth accusingly when I got back to the dock.
I glanced across to where Jake was hugging Julie. I smiled. "Yes, Beth, I could. There was another prize I wanted more."
"There was? What?"
"Will you be my date for the Ball?"
She looked absolutely astonished for a moment, then flushed. "Yes, I will."
When I saw her slender loveliness in her ball gown I wondered why I had ever thought of her as either skinny or mousy, because she was stunning, but it was when she kissed me that she really knocked me out.
* * * * *
Something About This Crime
by
PierceStreet
Something about this crime, almost non-crime really, seemed familiar to Tom Holt. A young woman had returned home to an empty apartment from a date only to find signs that someone had been there in her absence. A chair had been moved, a light left on and the TV in the bedroom was on. But nothing was stolen or broken.
She’d been fairly sure she’d locked up, but couldn’t be certain. There weren’t any signs of a break in Tom could find. He checked all the locks and walked around and found nothing odd. He filled out his report, told the girl he’d drive by occasionally, and to call if anything unusual happened.
He called her the next night and she was calmer. “I probably just left those things on myself. Really, I wonder where my mind is sometimes.”
Still, Tom couldn’t get over the nagging feeling he had seen this before. He asked Jennifer Tillies. Jennifer ran his office, knew everyone in town and didn’t forget a thing.
“Gina Tulley called and told me about something just like this, maybe six months ago. She didn’t want to do a police report, she said. Nothing had been taken, no harm done.”
Tom stopped by the latest victim’s workplace. He asked Tina Baker who she’d been out with that night. “Zack Allen. It was our second date.” He asked about other guys she’d dated. Then he went and asked Gina Tulley the same questions. The two women had never dated the same man, so Tom ruled out a stalker. There was one oddity. Gina had been out on a date with Joe Kinney the night someone let themselves in her place. Joe and Zack had been best friends since elementary school and they were partners in the locksmith shop.
“Gina, you didn’t call our office until the next morning. Wasn’t it scary to spend the night in your apartment?”
Gina hesitated then explained that she’d called Joe. “He was real sweet, and understanding, and offered to come over and look around. Instead, I asked him if I could spend the night on his couch. He was so nice, he had it all made up for me when I got there. He was a total gentlemen. We’ve been going out ever since.”
“And let me guess?” ventured Tom, “you didn’t stay on that couch all night did you?” Gina’s blush was his answer.
Tom had Jennifer call Tina. He overheard her end of the call. “Just a couple follow-up questions, hon. After Tom came by and took your report that night, did you call anyone? Uh, huh, Zack, yeah that’s right, you’d just been out on a date with him. Did he come by to comfort you? No, you invited yourself over to his place.” There was a long pause, “You did, did you? That would make a girl feel safe alright.”
Tom knew Zack and Joe were at Hannah’s for breakfast most mornings. He joined them.
He sat down at the table and told them about the odd case he was working involving Tina. Tom then mentioned how Gina had the same thing happen a few months before while out with Joe.
Tom almost laughed when he saw the looks on the boys’ faces. These were no criminal masterminds, just two horny lads that had figured out a way to make a woman feel vulnerable, then safe and grateful. Their knowing he knew, would be sufficient deterrent to keep them from doing it again, he was sure. Enjoying himself, he left them sweating and went on about his day.
* * * * *
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