Cox came down the steps of the police station and looked up and down the middle-of-the-night street. 410Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8j6KXpj9Fp
To his left a horn honked, and then a car came rolling toward him.
"Finally, a friendly face!" he said, sliding into the passenger seat. "I appreciate this."
"Well, if your own network won't give you a lift," said a sleepy-eyed Abby Rojas, "somebody's got to."
"Schweinsteiger got me bailed out," said Cox, as the girl guided her car away from the curb. "But that's as far as it went. He maintains that since I'm no longer an NBC employee, he can't give me free rides."
"They fired you?"
"Well, as it so happens, there's something in the NBC code of ethics against employing perverts."
"You're not a pervert."
"Thanks."
"A boozer and a lecher and a chauvinist, yes. But otherwise you're as clean-cut as Jack Armstrong."
Cox reached over and put his hand on hers briefly. "I wasn't even sure when I phoned you, and woke you up, if you'd come gather me up, Abby."
"Told you the sincere approach works with me," she said. "You tell me about the lonely plight of the dedicated newsperson, or the dilemma of the individual in a mass society, and it doesn't work. But call me and tell me you're in a jam, out on bail, and out of a job, and it's hip-hip-hip and away I go."
"You're true blue," said Cox. "I think I have a migraine headache." He rubbed at the back of his neck. "Did you ever have three cops pointing guns at you?"
"Never more than two."
"Well, it's an epic way to have the poop scared out of you." He slouched into the seat, watching the night roll by outside. "Did you find out what I asked you to?"
"For a romantic, you sure do come up with some great things to ask in the thick of the night, Ron. Abby, go find out all the military installations in a 300-mile radius of Houston."
"Now that we're all equal, guys don't say romantic stuff to ladies anymore. O.K., sock it to me."
"There is one. Oakguard. It's an SAC base. My dad used to be stationed there."
Cox shook his head slowly. "Oakguard? No way. Too big."
"Too big for what?"
"Too big for what I'm after."
"What are you after?"
"Thinking of enlisting."
"They won't take you."
"That's why I'm thinking of enlisting."
"Always evasive, Ron." She pulled up in front of an apartment complex. "Is that all part of the same mess? The bases and your getting busted and all?"
"Yep. 'Fraid so."
The girl sighed. "I never thought I'd be helping you on a story."
"The spirit of détente is in the air everywhere." He glanced out the window. "This is your place."
"I was going to invite you to spend what's left of the night."
"You were? I need to get busted more often." He frowned. "You sure there's no others besides Oakguard?"
"No, except for an abandoned base they used for training back in World War II. Burgos. Nothing there now," she said, studying his face. "I have the impression you're not overly anxious to dally."
"I am, really," he assured her. "I love you and all that. Where the hell's this Burgos?"
"About 300 miles due east."410Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq7TzO9Npjm
Cox put his hand on her shoulder. "Got much money on you?"
"Just under $100," she replied. "I was going to leave it on the bureau in the morning, but if you'd rather pay me in advan…."
"Loan me the hundred, Abby," he said. "And your car."
After a few thoughtful seconds, she reached into her purse. "You remind me of a mugger I ran into once. Here."
"You're a brick," he said. He laughed. "Always wanted to say that to someone."
"Can we drop the clever badinage for a minute, Ron? I mean, I'd hate to see you----well, get hurt."
"They've tried to drown me, shoot me, and railroad me into prison," he told her. "Failed every time. Face it, I've got a charmed life."
"Up to now." She bent to him and kissed him once on the cheek. "Be careful, whatever the hell it is you're up to. And come back."410Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG4fsjkpwsq
"I've got to come back," he said. "To finish up this affair of ours. With such a terrific start and middle, it's bound to have a socko end." He gave her a gentle, propelling pat on the backside. "Get some rest. I'm Burgos-bound."410Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3cJzfcw43E
"Okay." She left the auto. "Good luck."
"The luck of the Cox family is proverbial," he assured her. He gave her a grin and a lopsided salute, and drove away.
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