“Well, for the record, I think it would be a mistake. Make that an epic mistake. And the fact that she called me tells me you’re not all that keen on the idea.”

Not a surprise that Olivia and Kristi were at odds. Kristi hadn’t exactly been overjoyed at the thought of a stepmother waltzing into her life a few years back. But the two had been through some rough times together, and more recently they’d bonded a bit. Now that Kristi was grown, married, and had a career as a true crime writer, things between the two women seemed copacetic.

Then again . . .

“I’ve got to retire someday,” he said. “We had this discussion.”

“But you didn’t get it.”

“So, okay, kid, I’ll bite. Why an ‘epic mistake’?”

“Oh, Dad, get real! Like you would be happy changing diapers all day or arranging playdates for Ginny or worrying about picking out preschools.”

“You already said—”

“Come on, you and I both know that you’d wither up and die if you weren’t hunting down the bad guys. It’s what you do.”

“I might take up golf.”

“Yeah, right. And I might be the first woman president.”

“That would be a great idea. Olivia’s pegged Ginny for Madam President number two or three.”

“Very funny.”

“I think she was serious.”

“Well, so am I,” she said, then, “Crap! Watch where you’re going, dude! Oh, sorry, some ass just cut me off. Really? On Burgundy in the Quarter? Who does that?”

“Dunno.”

“Jerk!” she yelled, then took a deep breath. “How do these guys get driver’s licenses?”

“Maybe he doesn’t have one.”

She let it go. “Anyway, I gotta be straight with you, Dad. You’d wither away if you weren’t on the job and, wait, don’t give me any stupid excuse like you could be a PI or something. Is that what you want? Stakeouts to see if spouses are cheating on each other? Or if the president of the soccer league is running off with the team’s funds? Or some insurance scam where a perfectly capable thirty-five-year-old is trying to claim disability and you’re sneaking around trying to take pictures of him working out in the gym or cutting firewood? Give me a break.”

He smiled. She had a point.

“Don’t fall for it, Dad. You and I, we both know that your job is dangerous, but it feeds your need for excitement. You’re an adrenaline junkie, and you get a rush out of nailing the bad guys and getting them off the streets. Well, maybe Olivia knows it, too, but she’s fighting it. Because she loves you and she wants you to—Oh, crap, there’s a cop!”

“What?”

“Gotta hang up.”