"Don't get all dewy-eyed on me. I'll be fine."

"I found Lloyd Rermart's wife. She's an artist of some kind, lives on the Jersey shore."

."Any word on Lloyd Rermart's body'?" +

Esperanza shook her head. "I checked the NVI and Treemaker Web sites. No death certificate has been issued."

Myron looked at her. "You're kidding."

"Nope. But it might not be on the Web yet. The other ffices are closed until Monday. And even if one hasn't been issued, it might not mean anything."

"Why not?" he asked.

"A body is supposed to be missing for a certain amount of time before the person can be declared dead,"

Esperanza explained. "I don't know five years or something. But what often happens is that the next of kin files a motion in order to settle insurance claims and the estate.

But Lloyd Rennart committed suicide."

"So there'd be no insurance," Myron said.

"Right. And assuming everything was held jointly between Rennart and his wife, then there would be no need for her to press it."

Myron nodded. It made sense. Still it was yet another nagging hangnail that needed to be clipped. "You want something to drink?" he asked.

She shook her head. `

"I'll be right back." Myron grabbed a Yoo-Hoo. Win had made sure the Lock-Home tent stocked them. What a pal. A television monitor in the upper. corner had a scoreboard. Jack had just iinished the fifteenth hole. Both he and Crispin had parred it. Barring a sudden collapse, Jack was going to take a huge lead into tomorrow's' final round.

When Myron got settled again, Esperanza said, "I

want to talk to you about something."

"Shoot." +

"It's about my graduating law school."

"Okay," Myron said, dragging out the word.

"You've been avoiding the subject," she said.

"What are you talking about? I'm the one who wants to go to your graduation, remember?"

"That's not what I mean." Her fingers found and began to fiddle with a straw wrapper. "I'm talking about what happens after I graduate. I'm going to be a fullfledged attorney soon. My role in the company should change."

Myron nodded. "Agreed."

"For one thing, I'd like an office."

"We don't have the space."

"The conference room is too large," she countered.

"You can slice a little out of there and a little out of the waiting room. It won't be a huge office, but it'll be good enough}'

Myron nodded slowly. "We can look into that."

"It's important to me, Myron."

"Okay, it sounds possible."

"Second, I don't want a raise."

"Don't?"

"That's right." +

"Odd negotiating technique, Esperanza, but you convinced me. Much as I might like to give you a raise, you will not receive one penny more. I surrender."

"You're doing it again."

"Doing what?"

"Joking around when I'm serious. You don't like change, Myron. I know that. It's why you lived with your parents until a few months ago. It's why you still keep Jessica around when you should have forgotten about her years ago."