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behind her ears. No ring on her finger. “I like it. The days fly by. Literally. How about you?”
    “You know, still working the streets. Four twelves. Did have a strange code the other day.”
    “What was it?”
    “An older guy in full arrest on the sidewalk. We got him back. He said some bizarre things. I went to drop something off for him in CCU and found out he’d left the hospital already. I followed up and found him dead outside his motel room.”
    “Wow. That is weird.”
    “Yeah. Name was Simon Letell. Ever run on him downtown?”
    “Sounds vaguely familiar.”
    I watched the firefighters lift the roof off the black sedan and carry it out of the way. “How’re your parents?”
    “My mother . . . She’s had some health issues. But they’re getting through it.”
    A hydraulic ram pushed against the dash. Plastic creaked and cracked.
    The captain pointed. “Now get a new purchase point here.”
    In the median Bones and the other fire crew strapped their patient to a backboard.
    I wanted to tell Naomi about the scholarship. I wanted to know if she was still living in Truckee and what was really going on with her parents, to hear about her life since we – since our friendship had reached its limit. But all I ended up saying was, “You must like flying.”
    To a disinterested nod.
    The waning momentum reminded me of the other “conversations” we’d had in the past years. I didn’t want it to end. “You been doing much on your days off?”
    She eyed me. “Reading.”
    I scratched my jaw. “That’s it? You just stay at home and read?”
    Naomi folded her arms and creased her eyebrows. A strand of hair came loose from her ear and fluttered in front of her face. “Who said I just stay at home? I happen to get out quite a bit.”
    Dagger to the spleen. Why did I even ask?
    The firemen reclined the driver’s seat and slid a backboard behind Jeff.
    Her statement shouldn’t have bothered me. Of course she’d get out and be social, be seeing other people. . . . Other guys.
    I cleared my throat. “So you get out quite a bit?”
    “Yep.”
    “And like what, have a book club at the coffeehouse?”
    Naomi pushed her lips together. “Jane Austen is a fine companion. Tea at three and a good read is all a girl needs.” She flashed a quick look at me.
    “That’s all a girl needs, huh?”
    She drew a breath – “Absolutely” – and pulled on her helmet. “You said your patient’s name was Letell?”
    “Yeah.”
    She kept her eyes on the car. “Deux Gros Nez happens to be a great café to read in.”
    I laughed and then did a double take. She’d just dropped where she hung out.
    Her cheeks reddened. Maybe not noticeable to anyone else. But I could tell. My chest swelled.
    Victory.
    What did she know about Letell? I swung the first-out bag on like a backpack. “It’s been a while since I’ve been to the Deux. Maybe I’ll check it out again.”
    The AprisEvac engines throttled up.
    Naomi smiled. “Maybe you should, Trestle.”
    Firefighters lifted Jeff out on the backboard and set him on the pavement. We walked to the board and helped secure him to it with Velcro Spider-Straps. I knelt low by his head so he could hear me. “Jeff, this is Flight Nurse Naomi from AprisEvac. She’ll take good care of you on the ride to County. All right?”
    He grabbed my elbow. “Thank you.”
    We lifted the backboard and walked to the bird. Naomi climbed in, and we loaded Jeff onto the helicopter cot. She slid the door closed and positioned the helmet mic by her mouth.
    I backed away, watching her as the helicopter lifted, staring as she grew tinier against the blue backdrop, my heart pounding like the pulse of spinning rotor blades.

CHAPTER 07
    Trent Matley squinted into the sun, pulling a cigarette from his lips, blowing smoke with purpose. His lanky arms dangled at his sides, short black hair spiked with a firm gel hold. He shook his head and cursed to himself for no apparent reason.
    I sat on the bench