Flesh met where clothes had been discarded, and they were lost to their passion. Nothing was forbidden. Everything was sacred. What pleasure they’d anticipated paled in comparison to the reality. “Pretty,” he whispered, kissing her breasts, her belly, then moving lower.

He made sure she was satisfied, then he took her, murmuring her name when his own release came.

Afterward there weren’t any words that could adequately explain what had just taken place, so they didn’t speak. They remained entwined, ignoring the tangled sheet and scattered bedclothes, neither wanting to feel alone even for a second.

It was barely light when Kate awoke. She took a moment to orient herself, to come to terms with the warm form beside her. Someone was hammering in the distance. The carpenter, she thought. No, that was yesterday. She heard Dave swear and roll away from her.

He pulled on his jeans before he walked to the window and pulled the curtain aside. “Howard Berk, of course.” He glanced at Kate. “Maybe you’d better get dressed.”

Kate pushed the hair from her eyes. “I haven’t any clothes. I came over here in my nightgown.”

He shrugged into a shirt and grinned. “What’s mine is yours.”

She squirmed out of bed. “Nicely put.”

His smile broadened. He gave her a loving pat on her bare bottom, took the tape from the dresser top, and prepared to saunter down the stairs. “Guess I’ll go let old Howie in.”

By the time the door was opened, Howard Berk’s knuckles were bruised. He grinned affably at Dave and shoved his hands into his pants pockets. “Got your message.”

Dave motioned him in. “Coffee?”

“I’d kill for a cup of coffee.”

“Bad choice of words, Howie.”

“Figure of speech.”

“Uh-huh.” Dave padded barefoot to the kitchen and plugged in the coffeemaker. “So what’s going on?”

Howard slouched in a kitchen chair. “Not much.” He pointed to the cassette Dave had placed on the counter. “That the tape?”

“Yup.”

“Looks like it’s in okay shape.”

“Yup.”

Howard sighed. “How did you know to call me?”

“You recorded your voice while you were taping, and I recognized it when we played it back.” He sliced three pumpernickel bagels and slid them under the broiler. “Jeez, Howard, don’t they teach you anything in spy school? Don’t you watch television?”

Howard laughed. “I’m not a spy. I’m an undercover cop. I’m telling you since you’ve already seen the tape; we’ve had that house across the street under surveillance for the past three months. I even joined the Potatoes as an excuse to be in the neighborhood.”

Dave added water and ground Colombian to the coffeemaker. He put the toasted bagels on a plate and set them on the table with a tub of cream cheese. “You think they’re practicing a little chemistry in their basement?”