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Washington. You helped me out yesterday. You know, when that greenie and his buddy were gonna . . . were gonna—”
    The shooting in the courtyard popped into his mind. He nodded.
    She took the cup from Stone and held it for Hank as he drank cool water through the straw. She wore rings on each of her slender fingers, two on some of them. He finished, leaned his head back, and smiled his gratitude.
    She said, “I couldn’t thank you yesterday, so I’m here to do it now. But ‘thank you’ seems so . . . so nothing beside what you did for me.”
    There was something about her and the shooter . . . Just before the gun fired, a purse had hit the gunman. If it hadn’t, he’d likely be in the morgue instead of a hospital room. He concentrated. It had been this woman’s face he’d seen before he blacked out. “The purse?”
    She nodded. “I saw that gun and I just reacted.”
    Hank’s peripheral vision caught a widening of Noah Stone’s eyes. Sort of a scared look. Hank nodded to Jewel. “We’re even.”
    She smiled. She wasn’t model-pretty, but the way her looks added up—and the mind he sensed behind those bright eyes—left “pretty” running a poor second. Her business suit added to his impression of intelligence and purpose. The scar on her cheek drew his attention.
    Her gaze caught his; she’d seen where his eyes were focused. She lifted her chin like a proud warrior bearing the marks of battle.
    He grinned. “And thanks for the flowers.”
    She nodded toward Noah. “Card says they’re from him.”
    Hank looked at his assignment. A lively mind gazed back at him from hazel eyes. Stone’s expression was cool, but there were signs of tension—mouth tight, a squint to his eyes. Stone radiated the energy of a younger man, putting the lie to hair closer to white than gray. That plus not much in the way of wrinkles made his age difficult to pinpoint. Hank said, “Hello, Mr. Stone.”
    Stone smiled, and warmth transformed his face. “Call me Noah. I owe you considerable thanks, too, for taking that bullet for me.”
    Hank nodded. “Well, it wasn’t something I planned on doing.”
    Noah said, “Do you go around saving people as a regular habit?”
    Hank smiled. “Only on slow days.”
    Noah laughed. Jewel touched Hank’s arm and said, “Listen, I gotta get to a job interview. I’m glad you’re okay.”
    Noah said, “What’s the job market like here?”
    She frowned. “It would have to work hard to get up to lousy. It’s a miracle when there’s something decent, and I don’t believe in miracles—at least I’ve never seen one.”
    Hank saw appraisal in Stone’s face. Stone said, “What are you looking for?”
    “Legal secretary. I’m good at it. And I’ve been studying at night school to be a paralegal.”
    Stone said, “I need good people for our legal department; our laws have been changing faster than we can keep up.” He pulled out his wallet and gave her his business card. “If you ever come to Oregon, look me up.”
    Her eyes lit up, and then narrowed. She shook her head. “I’ve got a, er, sick brother I have to care for.” She smiled and said, “Thanks anyway. Bye.” She hurried out.
    • • •
    Noah gazed after her. “Too bad. Sharp woman.” He turned to Hank. Could this man help? “Ah . . .” This was hard to talk about. “That man shooting at me . . . That was a very scary moment.”
    “First time?”
    Noah nodded. “Never anything like it. I mean, there have been hecklers, but that comes with the job. This was—” He didn’t want to think about it.
    “Did the cops get the guy?”
    “Yes. But where there’s one—” He wished he could throw off that thought. “The offer I made to Jewel goes for you, too. I’d be pleased if you would join me. From what I’ve seen, and from what I’ve heard you did for Miss Washington, you seem like the kind of man who could help me with security. Am I right?”
    Soldado’s gaze was steady. No, more than