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this dealership doesn’t sell Hyundai or Kia.” He was suddenly more interested.
    “Your guess would be correct.” she said, “It’s the Lexus/Mercedes dealer.”
    “And you need to find a computer expert to find out who and how.”
    “I’d like to run it by your guys. Do you think they would be able to help?”
    “Can’t say. You’d have to ask them, but they could at least point you in the right direction.”
    “Thanks, I will.” Rachel paused before changing the subject. “So, Carmen tells me you’re still seeing a therapist.”
    “She does huh? She is just a wealth of information, isn’t she?” Alex looked away toward right field, slightly embarrassed.
    “It’s nothing to be ashamed of. You’ve been through a lot, and you still have a huge weight on your shoulders.”
    “I guess I really don’t have anyone else to talk to. Besides, it wasn’t my choice. The department ordered it after Allyson died. You remember. I guess I just kept going because it became a routine.”
    “Well, if you ever need anyone to talk to, I don’t charge by the hour.”
_________
     
     
    The drive home after the game was the first time Carmen had smiled at him all day.
    “She likes you, ya know.”
    “She is a friend of your moms, trying to be nice.” Alex looked straight ahead, never taking his eyes off the road.
    “Dad, I see the way she looks at you.” Carmen jabbed him on the shoulder with her finger. “You should take her out.”
    “What do you mean ‘Take her out’?”
    “You know, on a date. Take her for a nice dinner. Go see a movie.”
    “Carmen, I hardly have time for you. I certainly don’t need another woman in my life right now.”
    “What, like us women are too much trouble?”
    “You know what I mean.”
    “I just wish you could find something to make you smile again. You’re too damn serious.” Carmen frowned as she looked out her window.
    “Watch your language young lady.”
    “I just think you need to get a life outside of your job. Maybe you’d be less stressed all the time.” Carmen said. “I just want you to be happy.”
    At least she was speaking now. Maybe the weekend wouldn’t be a total loss after all.
     

Chapter Five
     
     
    The new forensics lab was outfitted with the latest state-of-the-art equipment. Turnaround time for a DNA profile was now twenty-four to thirty-six hours. This morning, Alex got the call.
    “Mendez.” Alex answered the phone.
    “This is Sean in forensics. I’ve processed this assault kit. We have DNA from semen. I ran it through the state data base but didn’t find a match.”
    “What about the needle cap?”
    “It was a pretty small sample. Our lab isn’t equipped for detailed chemical analysis. I didn’t want to waste it and not be able to identify it so I sent it to Miami. The only drawback is that outside work is not their priority. It could take a while, probably a couple of weeks.
    “Thanks, keep me posted.” He hung up the phone. Staring at nothing, he twisted the wedding ring that had long since worn a groove around his finger. In eighteen years, he had never taken it off.
    “So what did they find?” Kathy Samuels asked.
    “Semen.”
    “Do you have an ID?”
    “If they had an ID, do you think I would just be sitting here?”
    Samuels was new to the squad. She wasn’t familiar with forensics or investigative techniques. Alex hadn’t taken much initiative to get to know her. He didn’t need to. She was all too eager to share her path to the squad. She had worked patrol for 5 years when she was involved in a shooting, killing a young man. She had been through the required counseling and had finally earned her shot in violent crimes. She still sees the department’s therapist occasionally. For the last two years, she’d looked forward to hanging up her uniform for plain clothes. Now, she was finally working toward her detective badge. This was all divulged on their first introduction.
    Her masculine appearance had stirred