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stepped into a small but well appointed waiting room. Leather club chairs, a wall mounted television, courtesy phone, coffee station and plenty of reading material gave it a welcoming feel. To the right of the coffee station was a door that Ted opened and motioned us through.
     
    We stepped into the cleanest mechanic's garage I've ever seen. Zelda's jeep was already up on a lift and a mechanic stood under it, shining a light over the undercarriage.
     
    Ted called to the mechanic. "How's it looking Frank?"
     
    Frank ducked out from under the car and smiled. "So far, looks like we've only got body damage. We'll know more later." He ducked back under the vehicle and continued his inspection.
     
    Ted raised his eyebrows at Zelda. "Satisfied?"
     
    Zelda scanned the space. "So where's this loaner?"
     
    <<>>
     
    Ted insisted on having one of his guys drive the loaner — a two-year-old 4Runner that looked brand new — to our house while he followed with us in his Escalade. Maybe he wanted to make sure we weren't a couple of homeless chicks scamming him. But maybe he was a nice guy who wanted to make sure we got home safely. It had been a hell of a day for all of us.
     
    Ted gave Zelda the keys for the loaner and assured her she'd have the jeep back shortly.
     
    I stood at the open door and watched as he pulled out and disappeared into the rainy night
     
    "I know what he's up to," Zelda said.
     
    I closed the door and turned to her. "Who says he's up to anything except being an exceptionally nice man?"
     
    "What his game is."
     
    I raised my eyebrows. "His game? You hit the guy, he fixes your car at no charge, gives you a loaner, and he's got a game?
     
    "He wants to date you."
     
    I scoffed. "Pretty expensive way to get a date. Besides a guy who looks like that doesn't have to fix cars for free to get a woman." I headed for my bedroom, determined to bring an end to the crappiest day on record. "That's a laugh."
     
    Zelda shadowed me. "You never notice when guys are hitting on you."
     
    I went into my bedroom and peeled off my wet clothes. In the mirror, I saw the big ugly bruise that ran diagonally across my chest — courtesy of the seatbelt.
     
    Zelda frowned from the doorway. "That looks bad. Maybe you should’ve gone to the doctor's."
     
    I frowned at the purple slash across my chest and grabbed my bathrobe. "Could have been worse." Zelda stepped aside so I could get through. At the bathroom door, I glanced back at her. "Do you really think he was hitting on me?"

Chapter Six
     
    It was our turn to work Saturday night and I was glad that it was slow because I ached from head to toe from the accident. Not bad enough to go to the doctor but bad enough to whine and complain.
     
    The diner was mellower at night. The sound system didn't blare Cuban salsa but murmured Miles Davis jazz. Manny wasn't there and neither was his bluster. Instead of the usual daytime eat 'n' runs, the customers stayed for a while and enjoyed their food. The crowd was a good mix of cops, coffee drinkers, laptop writers, couples and the socially homeless who had nowhere else to go.
     
    We lounged at the counter, drinking coffee, grooving on the jazz, and marrying ketchup bottles. I wiped the top of a ketchup bottle with a clean bar towel and moved on to the next. "I can't wait for this night to be over."
     
    Zelda balanced ketchup bottles on top of each other and watched the ketchup in one bottle slowly trickle into the other. "Uh-huh."
     
    I whacked Zelda on the head with my checkbook. "Why do you always get the easy part of this job?"
     
    Zelda finished her balancing act with the ketchup bottles, took out her notebook, and made a note. "Because I'm the mechanical genius of this dynamic duo, Batman."
     
    After we finished the ketchup bottles, I made a big deal of getting up and limping to the coffee station. Zelda ignored my whimpering as I wiped down the counter and checked stock. "Okay mechanical genius, we need coffee filters,