Read Kissing the Beehive for Free Online Page A

shelf of beach and then was able to use two hands to pull her out of the water.
    "As I said, she was wearing a man's shirt and only a pair of very brief bikini underpants. I shouldn't tell you this, but it was really the first time I'd ever seen a woman like that. I could see everything. I couldn't believe it. The thing all us guys had been talking about and dreaming about for years was right there in front of me -- an almost naked girl."
    Cass groaned. "God, Dad, she was dead! You thought it was _sexy_?"
    "I certainly did. She was beautiful and there wasn't much on her. I couldn't help staring."
    "That is gross. I can't believe it. You were staring at a dead body!"
    "No! A fifteen-year-old boy with the hormones of a bull moose was standing there and for the first time in his life he was seeing a woman.
    That's a big difference, honey."
    She put her hands together as if about to pray. "I am _so_ glad I'm not a man! What happened next?"
    "I reached down and wiped the film off her face with my hand. I guess it was mucus or something else. Nothing else happened. I stood there and looked till Joe got back. The interesting thing was when he came, he wouldn't get near her. He stood up on the ledge and craned his neck but refused to come down.
    "Nothing ever happened in Crane's View, so I'm sure the cops were thrilled to hear about a body. They were there in less than ten minutes.
    Captain Cristello and Pee Pee Bucci."
    Page 17

    "Pee Pee?"
    "Peter. The cop we hated most. He'd graduated from the high school a few years before. The one who always gave us the roughest time when we were caught doing things."
    "Were you really a tough guy, Dad? I mean, all the stories you tell about when you were a kid make you sound like a real delinquent."
    "No, I faked it. I never fit in. I only did bad things because the guys I hung around with did them. I wanted them to like me but they knew I'd leave Crane's View as soon as I could. And I did. But when you're a kid, you go with the flow. That's part of the deal. Do you think the punks or the hippies were any different? It's just a different costume and haircut, but kids want to be accepted. They'll sell a lot of their soul for that. You're about the only one
    I've ever known who's stayed on her own path. I admire you for that."
    It was true. From the beginning, Cassandra had been strong-minded and genuinely independent.
    When her mother and I had divorced, she'd handled it so well it disturbed me. Until now, boys had stayed away from her because she was mature and honest. Unfortunately she thought it was because she wasn't good looking. She had a large marvelous nose, her mother's cheekbones and slightly
    Oriental eyes. She was tall, wore tortoiseshell glasses and generally hid the curves of her lovely body with no-nonsense work shirts and jeans. I adored her and treasured the time we spent together. I had turned much of my life into a royal fuckup, but what surprised me was the fact I was a good father. We talked about everything and her candor educated me and made me very proud. One of the things I relished was what good friends we had become over the years, in spite of all the fallout that comes with a broken marriage.
    "Okay, so Pee Pee the cop and the other guy came and you were there with the body."
    "Right. Joe's up on the bank, I'm down on the beach and here come the sirens. It was so typical.
    There were two police cars in town and both arrived with sirens screaming. Couldn't they have just gotten into one car --"
    "Dad, the story?"
    "The cops arrived and took over. Cristello ordered me away from the body. A minute ago she was mine but now she was public property. Pee Pee made me climb up the bank and give him a statement. I thought that was the coolest thing -- I was actually giving _my statement_ to the cops! It was just like on
    _Dragnet_ or _Naked City_, my favorite television shows. I could see Pee Pee was jealous because he kept asking me ridiculous questions like, 'What do you mean,