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about something. OK?”
    “Sure.”
    “It was really good seeing you again and oh, um, well, Raquel, you, ah, seeing anybody?”
    His discomfort was cute. “No, nobody special. I dated at school but it was all casual. I’m too busy for a relationship right now. No Mr. Right. Not even Mr. Maybe. You?” I didn’t see any point in telling him how Danny Durham dumped me after two years for an upgraded version. It seemed odd when I found out I was a slimmer, taller version of his last girlfriend but it totally freaked me out when I saw his new girlfriend looked like me with bigger boobs.
    “Nah. I got wrapped up in the baseball thing so I didn’t have time for anyone serious and then when my career tanked, I was lousy company. Now I’m on the force, I keep weird hours and a lot of women don’t want a guy in a dangerous job… not that I’d want to put a wife in that situation. It wouldn’t be right, but I like being with you and was wondering if maybe we could have dinner tonight… together.
    “Robby, if you’re trying to tell me that you’re just looking for a casual relationship, that’s fine. I’d like that and dinner would be fun.” I didn’t tell him that, if the right guy came along, I’d like a whole lot more. My problem wasn’t work. The real issue was I hadn’t been lucky like Lucy or Kara. I was still looking for my own Stan or Tommy. I liked Robby but not for the long haul.
    “Aw, that’s great. It’s not that easy finding someone to just go out with. A lot of girls want a commitment or they don’t want to date a cop or if they do, it’s for the wrong reasons.”
    “Oh, Robby, I was going to ask for a favor, but no, it wouldn’t be right. Please forgive me.”
    “What did you want?”
    “No. I don’t want to take advantage of you.”
    “It’s ok, Raquel, hit me. I’m a big boy and won’t be offended. Maybe I can help, maybe not. You won’t know till you ask. There’ll be no hard feelings.”
    “You sure?”
    “Sure.”
    “OK. Can I get a look at the Burke murder file?”
    “No, Raquel sorry.” Robby sounded disappointed. I didn’t know if it was because of my request or he felt bad he couldn’t help.
    “That’s OK, shouldn’t have asked. Please forgive me for being pushy.”
    “No, it’s OK. I get it. You’ve got a new job and you want to be good at it.”
    “Thanks.”
    Robby’s voice brightened. “Here’s an idea. How’d you like to do a ‘ride along’ with a patrol officer?”
    “A what?”
    “From time to time, the Department allows the Press to do ‘ride alongs’. It’s good PR for the PD and good human interest for the paper. I’m sure I can get permission. Maybe we can do one together, tomorrow.”
    “And maybe run into some people who can shed light on that murder.”
    “You never know who you’re going to run into on the street.”
    “Sounds good to me, Robby. See you tonight.”
    In fact, it sounded a lot better than what my Mother had to say. Moving in with her would not be a good idea. I pulled out my copy of the Chronicle and gave it another look. Except for the one number where I left a message, there weren’t any other apartment prospects. Tomorrow’s Chronicle had better have some new listings or I was going to piss Mother off by paying for a copy of the Tribune.
    Desperate, I redialed the number where I left a message before. If this place were any good, it wouldn’t be available for long. This time, a man answered, “Waalbroek Arms, how may I help you?”
    “I’m calling about the apartment in today’s Chronicle.”
    “You’re in luck. I had two vacancies and one is still available.” The man said I could see it if I came now, so I grabbed my bag and left the office.
    His directions led to the North part of Waalbroek right off the highway and just inside of the city limits. It would be an easy commute. He was waiting outside of an open garage and when he saw me, he waved me inside and then hit a button closing the garage