He hopped up the steps and they embraced warmly.

"Thanks for coming, Mike," she said.

"You smell nice," he smiled. "Apricot shampoo?'

She nodded.

"Never smelled that one before."

"I decided to change a few things." She looked down. "You know."

Rodgers kissed her on the forehead. "Of course."

He stepped past her, still smiling. It was strange coming here in the morning and not smelling the gourmet coffees that Charlie always drank.

"Where's Billy?" Rodgers asked.

"Taking a bath. He burns off energy playing in the tub, so he's calmer in school."

Rodgers heard the boy splashing now, upstairs. He looked back at Melissa. "Has he been acting up?"

"Only the last few days," Melissa said. "That's why I asked you to come here a little early."

Melissa crossed the small living room and motioned with a finger for Rodgers to follow. They entered the playroom, which was decorated with framed prints of warplanes. On top of the TV was a framed photo of Charlie with a black ribbon in the corner. Other photos of the family stood on the fireplace mantel and bookshelves.

Rodgers tried not to look at them as Melissa led him to the computer table. He set the comic books beside the printer as Melissa turned on the computer.

"I thought it would be.a fun distraction to get Billy on the Internet," she said. "There's a gopher."

"Sorry?" Rodgers said.

"I take it you're not up on this?"

"No," Rodgers said. "You could say I'm a little down on high-tech inactivities, but that's another story."

Melissa nodded. "A gopher is a system of menus which allows users relatively easy access to text archives on the Internet."

"Like a Dewey Decimal card file," Rodgers said, "in real libraries."

"Like that." Melissa smiled. "The point is, there are Web sites-- forums-- where kids who have lost a parent can talk to one another. It's all faceless and raceless. Billy got online and met some great kids there who had a lot to share with him. Then last night, one of them, a twelve-year-old named Jim Eagle, led Billy on a surfing expedition that took them to a locale called the Message Center."

The computer whirred and Melissa leaned over the keyboard. She directed them to the Message Center, and as soon as they logged on Rodgers knew what the "message" was going to be.

The S's in the logo for the Message Center resembled the design of the Nazi SS. Melissa tapped into the FAQ list, the frequently asked questions listing, which was posted as a file for newcomers. Rodgers read it with increasing disgust.