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were resting before bed.”
    “I doubt that.”
    “No, I did.  You have a bunch of freckles on the back of your neck.  How do you get freckles there?  I mean, with your long hair and everything.”
    Janie let out a surprised chuckle.  “I swim in the outdoor pool at the Y, and I put my hair in a cap.  I’ve got freckles all down my back.”
    “Oh.  Well, I couldn’t see your back, just your neck.  Nice Wonder Woman pajamas, by the way.”
    “Nice hairy chest.  Very manly.  Do you not wear pajamas?”
    Janie took perverse pleasure at the splotches of red that rose on his cheeks.  “I don’t own pajamas.  I’m not eleven.  Or a girl.”
    “So I see,” she teased, wiggling her eyebrows playfully in the direction of his bare chest.
    Aaron pulled up his sheets and gave his pillow a few beats with his fist before setting his head back against it.  “If you’re done ogling me, maybe we could go grab some breakfast and get to business.”
    “Yes, sir.”  She saluted him, then grabbed her clothes and made her way to the bathroom.  “I’m gonna shower real quick, okay?”
    “Sure,” he said, clearing his throat and reaching for a bottle of water on the nightstand.  Janie grinned and added just the slightest swing to her step as she left the room.
    ***
    An hour later they were at the hotel restaurant.  Aaron had managed to find some prepackaged cereal on the breakfast buffet, while Janie sat down to a plate of bacon and eggs, with a side of pancakes.
    “You make me feel like a pig,” she said around a syrupy mouthful. 
    “I ate an entire bag of Funions from the convenience store last night.  I can’t believe you couldn’t smell them on me.  It was like taking a salt bath.”
    “Oh, I thought that was your pungent male odor.”  She grinned as he threw a sugar packet in her face. 
    Aaron finished his cereal and moved the bowl aside.  “Let’s figure out our schedule.  We need to start at the appraisal district and get the tax records on any property owned by Kenneth Brown from 1984 to the present.  Based on what we find there, we can visit neighborhoods and ask around about Kenneth and your mom.  It’s possible we may get a lead on former employment as well.  I’ve also got a friend who’s scanning some genealogy databases for me.  He’ll call later this afternoon if anything turns up.”
    “Wow,” Janie said, pausing to study his hands as he folded and unfolded a napkin on the table.  “You’re really smart.”
    Aaron rolled his eyes, which Janie had already noticed was his way of accepting a compliment.
    “Hurry up, we’re on a tight schedule,” Aaron ordered, already signaling the waitress for the check.  Janie stuffed one last, large bite of pancake in her mouth and threw her napkin on the table.  “Let’s do this thing,” she said with enthusiasm.
    But by the time they were on their way to the courthouse, Janie began to feel her nerves kicking in.
    “So, is all of this information open to the public?  What happens if they won’t hand it over?” 
    Aaron paused for a long second, and then gave her a sheepish look over his sunglasses.
    “What?”
    “I may have an identification badge that can get us access to some of the more classified documents.  If it comes to that,” he added.
    “What do you mean?  Do you have like a press badge or something?”  Aaron looked at her like she may be a bit crazy.  “Well, I don’t know!  What else would you have?”
    Again, he hesitated.  “C’mon,” she insisted.
    Aaron rolled his eyes, then sighed.  “I have a friend with access to replicas of law enforcement IDs.”
    “You have a police badge?” Janie gasped.
    “FBI, actually,” he mumbled.
    “Aaron!” Janie faced him with a look of genuine horror.  “Impersonating an FBI agent is, like, a serious crime.  No way are you using it.”
    “I said I’d only use it as a last resort,” he argued.
    “No! No resort!  You’ll go to jail, and believe