Drop Shot

Chapter 7

The phone rang.

Myron reached out blindly, swimming back to consciousness. He grabbed the receiver and croaked, "Hello?"

"Is this the Rent-a-Stud hotline?"

Her voice hit him like a jolt. "Jess?"

"Oh shit," Jessica said. "You were sleeping, right?"

"Sleeping?" Myron squinted at his digital. "At four-thirteen in the morning? Captain Midnight? Surely you jest"

"Sorry. I forgot about the time difference."

He sat up. "Where are you?"

" Greece," she said. "I miss you."

"You're just horny."

"Well, there's that."

"Captain Midnight is willing to help," he said.

"My fearless hero. I suppose you're not even a little horny."

"Captain Midnight lives chastely."

"Part of his image?"

"Exactly," he said.

"It's no fun," she said. "Being away from you."

His heart soared. "So come home."

"I am."

"When?"

"Soon." Jessica Culver, Miss Specific USA. "Tell me what's been going on," she said.

"You hear about the shooting at the Open?"

"Sure. The hotel has CNN."

Myron told her about Valerie Simpson. When he finished, her first comment was, "You didn't have to bend that clod's thumb back."

"But it was all very macho," Myron said.

"A real turn-on, I'm sure."

"Guess you had to be there," he said.

"Guess so. So are you going to find the killer?"

"I'm going to try."

"For Valerie's sake? Or for Wanda and Duane?"

"For all of them, I guess. But mostly Valerie. You should have seen her, Jess. She tried so hard to be sullen and unpleasant. A girl that young shouldn't have to try that hard."

"Do you have a plan?"

"Of course. First, I'm going to visit Valerie's mother tomorrow morning. In Philadelphia."

"And then?"

"Well, the plan isn't really that well developed. But I'm working on it."

"Please be careful."

"Captain Midnight is always careful."

"It's not just Captain Midnight I'm worried about it. It's his alter ego."

"And who might that be?"

"My Love Muffin."

Myron grinned into the receiver. "Hey, Jess, did you know Joan Collins was on Batman?"

"Of course," Jessica said. "She played the Siren."

"Oh yeah? Well, who did Liberace play?"