"Oh, yeah, the block party." "Aren't you going, too?" Bud asked. "I wasn't planning on it."

Well, change your plans, Jack immediately growled in my head. That earring is missing off some broad's earlobe. And if you find it missing off Harmony's, then you'll know you've got your man.

"Or woman."

Figure of speech, baby. 'Cause trouble is my business, and in my business, dames are the most trouble of all.

CHAPTER 16. Chippy off the Old Block

New York City May 10, 1948

"JACK, WHERE AM I?" "In my apartment."

"Your apartment! How did I get here?"

"I gave you a ride, baby. Don't you remember when we took that trip to Queens, and those lousy two-legged rats shot at us in the alley? Then I stashed you in that dark doorway?"

"Oh, yeah… I do remember."

"You were shaking like a wet kitten, and I took you in my arms-"

"And kissed me. That's right."

"Well, it led to a few more kisses, and one thing led to another, and I drove you back here."

I opened my eyes. I was nestled against Jack's solid form on a big, lumpy sofa. The PI's apartment was small but neat with an easy chair and a coffee table. A bar stood against the wall, holding bottles of liquor. A large radio sat between two tall windows covered in drawn Venetian blinds, and a bookshelf in the corner held paperbacks and a stack of magazines. I saw a small kitchen through one door, a bedroom through another.

Jack's deep-blue double-breasted jacket was thrown over the arm of a chair. His leather shoulder holster was hanging over its back. The PI's shoes were off, too, and his sock-covered feet were crossed on the coffee table in front of us. His shirtsleeves were rolled up, revealing muscular forearms. One strong arm was now draped around my shoulders. The other held a tumbler with wheat-colored alcohol. He was sipping the drink with one hand, caressing my shoulder with the other.

I looked down, a little worried about how many pieces of clothing I'd find missing. I was still wearing the skirt of the smart tweed suit that Jack had selected for me, but the jacket was gone and my blouse's top buttons were undone, revealing quite a bit of lace bra. I pulled away from Jack's embrace and did up the buttons.

The PI smirked. He rubbed his square chin now rough with stubble. "Don't look at me like that, baby. You were the one who unbuttoned them. You said you were hot."

I arched an eyebrow, thinking about his kisses. "Oh, I'm sure I was."

"So." He yawned and stretched, set down his drink on the coffee table, then leaned back again and clasped his hands behind his head. "Now that the fun's over… you want to tell me what happened tonight?"

I squinted. "Am I sleeping right now? Is this a dream?"

His slate-gray eyes held my gaze. "What do you think?"

"I think you've got Hokey-Pokey Pink lipstick on your collar-"

He smiled, with a little too much satisfaction. "And?"

"And I remember something about Bud Napp helping me under the Movie Town Theater stage, finding an onyx-and-silver earring, then running back to my bedroom above the bookshop and changing for the block party."

"Yeah, baby, you changed clothes and handbags, too. Only you forgot about yours truly."

"The nickel!"

"You left without my lucky buffalo in your purse, which left me stuck watching reruns of Jack Shield episodes on the Intrigue Channel all by my lonesome."

"I'm sorry, Jack! I remember now. When I got to the block party, I realized you weren't with me. I was going to go back home and get your old nickel, but then I saw Harmony and didn't want to miss my chance to surveil her earlobes."

Jack sighed. "All right, baby, so you flew solo. Tell me what I missed."

"Well, Harmony wasn't wearing any earrings but that actually seemed suspicious to me because-" I paused, feeling Jack's hand reaching over to sweep hair away from the nape of my neck. "Jack?" I tensed. "What are you-"

His fingers began to message my tight muscles.

"Oh, wow…" I rolled my head around. "That actually feels good… "

"Of course it does, baby. Now tell me why it was so suspicious that Harmony wasn't sporting earrings? I don't know much about the jewelry-wearing habits of dames. Enlighten me."

"Okay, well…" I shifted on the couch to get more comfortable. "Harmony's ears are pierced. And most women with pierced ears wear earrings. So it seemed awfully suspicious that she wasn't wearing any. And I thought maybe she realized that she'd lost one earring and simply taken the second one out before going to the party."

"So what did you do?"

"I noticed Barry Yello at the party-"

"Barry's the big guy?"

"Yes. He was the guy with the blond ponytail and the Hawaiian shirt, the one who introduced Dr. Lilly the first night of the Film Festival. Barry's also the Webmaster of FylmGeek.com, and…Oh, wait. I should explain what dot com means-"

"Don't bother," Jack said. "Between you and your aunt working on that computer every day, I've figured out what the Internet is-"

"An information highway."

"Another set of street corners for pervs and shitbirds to prey on the public."

I sighed. "That too. Anyway, Barry had a digital camera with him, and he was snapping photos all night, presumably to post on his Web site. I figured he would have been paying special attention to the festival's guests. I asked him about Hedda's and Harmony's movements."

Jack's massaging fingers moved from my neck to one shoulder. His other hand joined in, taking care of the other shoulder. "Move back a little, baby," he whispered, "closer to me."

I slid backward on the lumpy couch, making the old springs creak beneath my weight.

"Go on, doll," Jack growled in my ear. "Tell me what Barry said."

I cleared my throat, trying my best to ignore the realness of Jack's hard thigh against my tweed-covered bottom, the faint male smell of undiluted whiskey on his breath when he spoke. I reminded myself that this was all a dream; warned myself not to get carried away. But the truth was, there hadn't been a man in my life for years. Even when I'd been married to Calvin, he hadn't exactly been an attentive, supportive husband. Not that a ghost could be a replacement for a husband, but I had to admit that Jack's spirit was a good companion, and a good friend. And right at this moment, what he was doing to me felt pretty darn good, too.

I knew what some people would say to that. They'd accuse me of wanting to live in a dream world. But then I considered the store I was running-and what I was selling. What were all those books providing to the people who read them?

"Baby? What's wrong? You goin' buggy on me?"

"I was just thinking that I liked being here… with you."

"It's all we've got, sweetheart. Don't overthink it. Dreams are a gift, you know? You should just enjoy them."

I turned around to meet Jack's eyes. "You enjoy them, too, don't you?"

Jack stopped massaging my neck. His hard face smiled. "What do you think?"

I smiled, too. Then I turned around again. "I think you missed a spot."

Jack's hands returned to my shoulders. "So? Back to Barry and your little block party… "

"Right. According to Barry Yello, Hedda had been holding court at a picnic table all evening. Apparently, she never returned to the Finch Inn after the showing of Tight Spot. Just went straight to the party on the Commons. And her granddaughter, Harmony, had been hanging close with her all evening."