"That's probably a good idea." Pauli told Lane.

"Since Jeff's in there telling the whole story to Maggie, would you fill in the pieces for us? I know that the blonde kidnapped Jeff, and that it had to do with the house where his truck died but that's about it."

Lane explained the whole thing to Ben and Paul as Jeff had told it to her. Pauli shook his head, thinking how lucky he was that the police had saved him, even though it hadn't felt like they were saving him as they threw him onto the concrete floor in that warehouse and tightened zip ties around his wrists.

Maggie came into the waiting room. Ben, Pauli, and Lane stood.

"I can't believe what he's been through. But he says he's fine and he must be since they're going to release him today." She looked at Ben "I understand you still haven't met Jeff, and you've done so much to get him safely to me. Will you come with me?"

"Sure, there's more to the story. Things Jeff couldn't tell you because he didn't know. Maybe it will help if we fill in those blanks for both of you at the same time."

They followed Maggie to Jeff's room and waited as Maggie did introductions. Maggie sat on the foot of Jeff's bed saying Lane should take the chair. Ben explained about the drug busts in Missouri and Nebraska, and about Pauli's involvement with the blonde girl.

“What the heck is her name anyway, I can’t just keep calling her blondie.”

At the same time both Jeff and Pauli said, "Star."

They all laughed. What was it Jeff had said about stranger danger where a beautiful woman was involved. Lane hoped that these two guys had learned a valuable lesson about women, but somehow, she doubted it. She looked at Ben and wondered at what age a man started to think more with his big head than with his little one. She suspected it might be 15 minutes after death, but it wasn't something she was going to say aloud.

Italian Translations

Paolo Italiano: Speak Italian, Pauli

Me lo dica che cosa è successo: Just tell me what happened.

bella donna dai capelli rossi: Beautiful red-haired woman

Preview

Family Secrets

Lane Parker loved the movies. She'd grown up in a rural farming community where, in an effort to encourage adults to spend more money in the local stores, the merchants sponsored a free Saturday Matinee for the kids. She'd spent countless hours watching the old movies, versions of action flicks - Tarzan starring Johnny Weissmuller; suspense thrillers - like The Pit and the Pendulum - staring Vincent Price; or romantic comedies - starring Elvis Presley while her faithful dog Ginger waited not so patiently in front of the theater. Perhaps that was what angered her most about the murder. Sure, she was bothered that one human being decided it was their right to take the life of another human being but what really irked her was that they did it in a theater filled with kids, well teenagers at least.

The medical examiner's van had removed the body. The detectives had questioned the theater employees - mostly teenaged kids who acted as if this was the coolest thing that had ever happened to them. The multiplex manager was standing in front of the cop in charge, yelling about lost revenues. On one level, it was easy to sympathize with him. It was, after all, Saturday night - the biggest movie night of the week and it was release weekend for the new Jason Barlow action film, which was expected to break all Jason's very impressive previous box office records and be the summer blockbuster of all times. But, this guy really needed to get his priorities straight. One of the movie patrons was dead. The place was closed for the night whether this guy liked it or not.

She had a sinus headache from hell and sat with her eyes closed, as she pinched the bridge of her nose. She felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Ms. Parker?" She slowly turned to face the man in charge.

"I'm Detective McGuire. I understand you found the body." She nodded ever so slightly, careful not to give her head more reason to throb. He went on.

"I know you spoke with one of other officers earlier, but I'd like to ask you some questions. Would you come with me?" She rose slowly; sometimes the slightest change in altitude would intensify the throbbing.

"Can you show me where the man was sitting?" He asked as he led her into theater 18. The scene of the crime as they say. They hadn't put up all that yellow and black "Police Line Do Not Cross" tape that you see on television yet and she wondered if they would.

The theater had stadium style seating so they had to walk down a long aisle to the front of the theater to get to the seats. They walked up the steps to the landing below the top tier of seats. She pointed to the seat the man had occupied.

"Second row from the top. Right in the middle." She said.

"And where were you sitting?" Her head felt like Stomp was giving a command performance on a little stage just behind her eyes. She knew from experience that if she didn't get this headache under control soon, it would turn into a full-blown migraine. "Behind him." She said just before the headache and the acrid smells of soda and stale popcorn and death caused her to vomit all over his nice suit.

In times like these, Lane wished that she were some little petite southern thing, the kind of helpless woman that men fawned over and would forgive anything. But, there she stood, all 5 feet 10 inches and 175 pounds of her. And, she was embarrassed from throbbing head to neatly polished red toenails. Her strawberry blonde hair was pulled into a ponytail and she pulled it loose hoping it would help alleviate her headache.

"Oh my God, I am so sorry." She said as she fumbled in her purse for Kleenex as if that would even begin to help. There was a stifled chuckle from one of the uniforms as Detective McGuire removed his suit coat and yelled for someone to get him a towel. He took Lane gently by the arm and led her out of the theater as he quite calmly asked if she was okay. She explained about the headache. Someone handed her a bottle of water. She sat on a bench in the lobby and rummaged through her purse for Extra Strength Tylenol Sinus tablets.

Lane sat there and looked up, well squinted at the profile of the man she'd just vomited all over. He was a tall man - about six feet four inches tall, had broad shoulders, and a trim waist. He had dark wavy hair cut short. He wore small gold wire rim glasses. She thought he looked a bit like Pierce Brosnan. She swallowed the pills, chased them with water, and looked back up at Detective McGuire.

"I don't think I've been this embarrassed since Ricky Blair unbuttoned the back of my dress in the 4th grade." Lane said as she handed the bottled water back to one of the uniformed cops. Detective McGuire smiled. At least she thought it might have been a smile, the corners of his mouth twitched.

"I only have a few more questions and we don't have to go back into the theater. Think you're up to it?" She squinted as she looked up at him. Her head was still throbbing and the bright lights in the lobby hurt her eyes.

"I'm game if you are." She said smiling sheepishly as she looked woefully at the jacket he had laid on the concession stand counter. Boy was that stain going to be tough to get out.

"Although my head and I would be happier if we could get out of this bright light." She noticed one of the other detectives jerk his head slightly toward the theater next door. Lane swayed almost imperceptibly as she stood. Detective McGuire grabbed her arm.

"This could wait until tomorrow."