knapsack on the couch. A tear in the tough fabric separated them. "Didn't mean to set a fire under your feet," she offered, laughing lightly, seemingly unsure if Jaimie would shrug it off.
"Hey guys."
Jaimie looked up and saw Barbara Hall approaching. She wore a pair of worn jeans not unlike the ones Jaimie had on, and a green turtleneck. Her long blonde hair sent spiral curls wriggling down her shoulders like a cluster of tentacles. She threw herself on the couch behind Jaimie, arms stretched out as if she had just crossed the finish line in a marathon. "I just spent the last two hours in Behavioral Psych watching Tom Parello's muscles bulge beneath his shirt. I'll never learn a damn thing if he continues to show up for class."
"I thought you had the hots for Dom Celso, the guy from Humanities II?"
"Oh, I still do."
"So who's gonna win the trophy, Dom or Tom?" Tracy asked, smiling.
"Both if I can help it."
"And some other guido she hasn't met yet," Jaimie threw in.
Giggling, Tracy stepped around Jaimie, sat next to Barbara on the couch. The vinyl squeaked beneath her jeans. "Not to fear...Babs'll keep us up to date with all the Italian scuttlebutt. No dark-haired beauty's ever gonna get by without us getting a report, right?"
Barbara said, "Speaking of hair, some guy in my Psych classâhe was actually kinda cute..."
Tracy rolled her eyes and Jaimie smiled.
"...but he went and shaved his head. Bald and shiny like a cue ball."
The smile left Jaimie's face and she leaned forward. "Barbara, you serious?" Suddenly a part of the conversation, she wanted to hear more.
Barbara smirked and twisted her head slightly, raising an eyebrow. "Yeah...why? You know something about him?"
"No...I..." She placed a hand on her forehead, instantly embarrassed with her outburst. "I'm sorry, I'm feeling a little spent from the exam," she said, seeking an excuse for her impetuousness. Being spooked by today's events, for reasons she tried to convince herself were unsubstantiated, she felt she'd be better off not mentioning anything about it in effort to distract herself from what was probably nothing at all.
"You're not bailing out on us tonight, are you? Happy hour at Danford's Jame! Men everywhere!"
She smiled. It would do some good to get out as she had planned. Her day had taken a turn for the worse. She probably needed a few drinks, a few laughs. That  would certainly steer her towards a more enjoyable evening.
"No, of course not," she said, forcing a smile. "I've been looking forward to this all week."
The girls stood up, stretched, all of them smoothing out their clothes at the same time.
"Shall we?" Tracy asked, grabbing her bag and leading the way, Barbara and Jaimie in her footsteps.
"By the way, how'd you do on your test?" Barbara asked.
"I'm not sure," Jaimie answered, wanting so badly to ask Barbara if the bald guy in her class wore sunglasses. Instead she glanced behind her, watching students come and go from within the doors lining the hallway of the oval lecture hall, keeping a wary look-out for the appearance of bald men.
Chapter Ten
Â
"N ice neighborhood," Detective Ernie Barba said.
Frank and Barba unlatched their seatbelts as Hector skillfully parked the squad car alongside a fire hydrant between a black Acura and a green Accord, near the corner of 57th and Park Avenueâjust down the street from the house where the Racine's lived.
The neighborhood, on the upper east side, undoubtedly bragged residents whom were upper echelon types. Doctors, lawyers, celebrities, none of whom made less than a half-million a year. All big shots who shelled out the bucks to live in three-story private luxury houses with grandiose architecture, fireplaces, and no less than three bathrooms.
"Where do you live, Ernie?" Frank asked as he slid out of the car, his small-talk sincere towards the young cop.
Barba got out from the rear passenger side, shut the door and stepped around the back to catch up with the
"Hey guys."
Jaimie looked up and saw Barbara Hall approaching. She wore a pair of worn jeans not unlike the ones Jaimie had on, and a green turtleneck. Her long blonde hair sent spiral curls wriggling down her shoulders like a cluster of tentacles. She threw herself on the couch behind Jaimie, arms stretched out as if she had just crossed the finish line in a marathon. "I just spent the last two hours in Behavioral Psych watching Tom Parello's muscles bulge beneath his shirt. I'll never learn a damn thing if he continues to show up for class."
"I thought you had the hots for Dom Celso, the guy from Humanities II?"
"Oh, I still do."
"So who's gonna win the trophy, Dom or Tom?" Tracy asked, smiling.
"Both if I can help it."
"And some other guido she hasn't met yet," Jaimie threw in.
Giggling, Tracy stepped around Jaimie, sat next to Barbara on the couch. The vinyl squeaked beneath her jeans. "Not to fear...Babs'll keep us up to date with all the Italian scuttlebutt. No dark-haired beauty's ever gonna get by without us getting a report, right?"
Barbara said, "Speaking of hair, some guy in my Psych classâhe was actually kinda cute..."
Tracy rolled her eyes and Jaimie smiled.
"...but he went and shaved his head. Bald and shiny like a cue ball."
The smile left Jaimie's face and she leaned forward. "Barbara, you serious?" Suddenly a part of the conversation, she wanted to hear more.
Barbara smirked and twisted her head slightly, raising an eyebrow. "Yeah...why? You know something about him?"
"No...I..." She placed a hand on her forehead, instantly embarrassed with her outburst. "I'm sorry, I'm feeling a little spent from the exam," she said, seeking an excuse for her impetuousness. Being spooked by today's events, for reasons she tried to convince herself were unsubstantiated, she felt she'd be better off not mentioning anything about it in effort to distract herself from what was probably nothing at all.
"You're not bailing out on us tonight, are you? Happy hour at Danford's Jame! Men everywhere!"
She smiled. It would do some good to get out as she had planned. Her day had taken a turn for the worse. She probably needed a few drinks, a few laughs. That  would certainly steer her towards a more enjoyable evening.
"No, of course not," she said, forcing a smile. "I've been looking forward to this all week."
The girls stood up, stretched, all of them smoothing out their clothes at the same time.
"Shall we?" Tracy asked, grabbing her bag and leading the way, Barbara and Jaimie in her footsteps.
"By the way, how'd you do on your test?" Barbara asked.
"I'm not sure," Jaimie answered, wanting so badly to ask Barbara if the bald guy in her class wore sunglasses. Instead she glanced behind her, watching students come and go from within the doors lining the hallway of the oval lecture hall, keeping a wary look-out for the appearance of bald men.
Chapter Ten
Â
"N ice neighborhood," Detective Ernie Barba said.
Frank and Barba unlatched their seatbelts as Hector skillfully parked the squad car alongside a fire hydrant between a black Acura and a green Accord, near the corner of 57th and Park Avenueâjust down the street from the house where the Racine's lived.
The neighborhood, on the upper east side, undoubtedly bragged residents whom were upper echelon types. Doctors, lawyers, celebrities, none of whom made less than a half-million a year. All big shots who shelled out the bucks to live in three-story private luxury houses with grandiose architecture, fireplaces, and no less than three bathrooms.
"Where do you live, Ernie?" Frank asked as he slid out of the car, his small-talk sincere towards the young cop.
Barba got out from the rear passenger side, shut the door and stepped around the back to catch up with the
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