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something came up and you couldn't come over. That's okay,
    you know? I understand. Just give me a call when you get in so I won't stay up all night and worry about
    you."
    She waited, praying there would be a breathless "hello" and he'd be on the line, explaining away his
    cold feet or his disinterest or stumbling through an apology. When that did not happen, she slowly
    replaced the receiver.

____________________
    *Chapter Six*
    Rhianna was tying up loose ends at her desk before she and Triplett headed out to an interview when
    Nolan showed up for work. She glanced up at the operations clock. It was eleven o'clock. Conor was
    four hours late and he hadn't even bothered to call.
    "What's with the dark shades, Nolan?" Chuck Corbettson called out as he and his partner, Jason
    Fullick, prepared to leave.
    "Must have tied on a good one last night, huh?" added Fullick.
    Cortesio turned away from the copying machine and watched as his partner entered the room. He
    whistled softly. The Irishman was pale, his complexion made paler by the black turtleneck sweater and
    black leather motorcycle jacket he wore. When he reached for his chair, his hand trembled and when he
    sat down, he slumped as though exhausted or ill. "You okay, Irish?" someone asked, but Nolan didn't
    answer. He was fumbling around in his desk for a bottle of aspirin. He emptied four tablets into his hand.
    "How much did you drink last night, bro?" asked Triplett.
    "_Nolan! Get your sorry ass in here, now!_"
    Everyone in the squad room jumped as Captain Darlington's voice cut through the bantering. The
    room became quiet as a tomb as the Irishman dropped the aspirins onto the desk blotter, pushed wearily
    up from his chair with an audible sigh, then disappeared into Darlington's office without a word.
    Joe Cortesio hadn't had a chance to speak to Rhianna since he'd come in that morning, but now he
    looked across the room at her, a question in his dark eyes.
    Rhianna met Joe's look and shook her head in answer. She saw the immediate anger flash across Joe's
    dark face.
    "Darlington is gonna suspend him," said Brett Samuel.
    "Why ain't The Darling bitching at him?" asked Fullick.
    Rhianna stopped what she was doing. She sat listening and was just as surprised as the others that no
    shouting and screaming came from Darlington's office. The low murmur of voices didn't last long, then the
    door opened and Nolan came out, slipping on the dark sunglasses he'd worn into the squad room.
    "What happened?" asked Cortesio.
    "Two days," Nolan answered in a hoarse voice. "Without pay."
    Samuel nodded. "The Darling don't like us to drink."
    Nolan didn't reply. He walked back to his desk, picked up the aspirins one by one, then headed for
    the break room.
    "You'd better go talk to him," Fullick told Cortesio. "That man's got problems."
    "Irish-type problems," Corbettson sneered. "It's called alcoholism; just like his old man."
    "And you don't drink?" Cortesio pointed out. "We all drink."
    "We don't all get drunk on a regular basis like Nolan does," argued Corbettson.
    "He's trying to cut down," Rhianna told Corbettson. She had no liking for the detective and resented
    his remarks about Nolan.
    "Yeah," Corbettson sneered. "I can see that."
    "Rhianna?" Nolan spoke from the break room door. She turned to see the Irishman standing there,
    clutching the doorjamb for support. "Have you got any Alka-Seltzer in your purse, baby?"
    "God, you look like death warmed over!" said Samuel. "You ougtta go home, bro."
    "I will," Nolan said softly before fading into the break room.
    "You ought to let the bastard suffer," Cortesio told Rhianna as she took up her shoulder bag and
    started rummaging through it. He went to her and put an arm around her shoulder, and spoke so only she
    could hear. "Did he ever show up at your place last night?"
    "No." She found the foil packet of antacid. "And he didn't call." Glancing toward Nolan, she shrugged
    as though it didn't matter. "I guess we know why, huh? He