I didn't exactly lie to Detective Lockley. Because that would be wrong and against my professional ethics, right? But I did get kind of...creative, which it's my right to do in an investigation...there've been court decisions about it. Munch knows all the names off the top of his head, you never know when some bar argument might require precedent, huh? But I did spread the blarney...what are you gonna do, call a cop?

"Detective Howard," I say, "Baltimore Homicide. I guess I can level with you...thin pink line, and all that." I flash her the hardware and her eyes get wide, just for a second. "Wow,"she says under her breath, as if she's forgotten I'm here. Damn right, wow. I was getting "investigate this, bitch," while you were picking out prom dresses. No moment since getting the badge itself has given me greater pleasure, I'm ashamed to say. Cause now she's all attentive and interested.

"We have reason to believe that my colleague(women like her love the word colleague but it seems too clean to apply to Munch and me. But I guess friend-brother-thorn-in-the-side-guy-I've-had-unwilling-dirty-thoughts-about would take up too much space on the report. And Investigator Barbie would never go for that) disappeared as a result of an investigation here. I was just going to act like a citizen asking about a missing relative, but I trust you to be discreet."(Yeah, right, he's been investigating some woman's tonsils...I thought. And we? Me, Tim, and the mouse in my pocket, huh? But she seemed to go for it.)

"I would have seen through that right away, Detective Howard. We don't track missing adults this fast...unless he was mentally impaired, or something."

"He has his moments," I say. "Call me Kay."

"Kate." And she offers her hand for me to shake. Which I do, briefly, and with no need of the bonecrunching I give the guys. In this case, I know whose are bigger, huh? Don't have to prove anything.

Ahhh, my erika fix.

More please?

Aw, thanks. Detective Howard gives me SO much dictation...she may not want to be a secretary, but she's just fab with having one, I think. If my characters' voices were that strong, the novel'd be done.

My character went awol. She's not telling me anything right now. I'm glad Kay's talking, anyway.

The only problem with the Kay-voice is that it's really hard to stop doing it, huh? I can, you know, be minding my business and talking about the grocery list, cause I'm all about that domestic crap, huh? And there she is... but it's better than a poke in the eye. (And WAY less likely to get me in trouble than the Munchkin.) And less annoying than Bridget Jones...I think my family was v.v glad when that phase passed. They might have stopped their Alcohol Units. It's funny...I would think we're a lot different cause I like to share my feelings, maybe too much, but there must be some fairly deep connection there...my mom's kind of like her I think...some of my friends.

Mmmm, perfect Kay voice. If only H:LotS writers had given her as much great dialog as erika does.

(blush) I don't know why they couldn't...yeah, I know, I've got mad skills...but aside from that:) Is it a sex thing or a class thing? Cause, you know, A Kay who didn't find her dream job? Probably waits your tables. Checks you out at K-Mart...is that single mom who hesitates to apply for assistance cause her pride's all she's got. Like if you're a TV writer do you not listen to those people or something?They probably know more Russerts, which doesn't really explain why Megan's character is so weak, so much of the time.

Bev, wrod.

Angel wishes he didn't know they're better off without him.

sniffling for the Hairloaf.

I've woobied myself into writing B/A futurefic, damn the hairloaf.

Sigh.

He snuck up on me.

See, I am allllll about the hairloaf.