Chapter 3

"What do you mean you can't?" Thule asked.

Benton Bragg glowered at him. Despite the fact that Thule was Bragg's boss, the man always seemed to be a half-step away from bursting into a fit of rage and thrashing him. Bragg had left the police force after fifteen years with a partial pension to work for the previous owner of Bonderman Investigations, but his confidence clearly did not extend to the current one.

"I can explain either word if you like," said Bragg. "Or both in conjunction if that's where your lack of comprehension stems from."

"I mean, 'Why can't you?'" asked Thule evenly. He refused to rise to the older man's bait.

"Every agent I have is booked solid," said Bragg. "More than booked solid, in fact. I've been telling you for three weeks that I need more people. We have the Logan Airport matter, the background checks for Stryker, the Tarr hand-off, the Atech-Terra case, and Colby Ballistics matter..."

"Point noted," said Thule. "How many more people do you need?"

Bragg paused and looked at him, "What?"

"How many more people do you need? Bonderman Investigations is a great business. Now that it's being integrated into RSS, the synergy is solid. Some of these cases you're working on have the potential to be extended for decades if you do well. I can't have you hobbled because you can't get enough people. So, how many do you need?"

"Err," Bragg seemed to be calculating. "Twelve more investigators, three more office support people, and an administrator. And, I could use an assistant."

"And, with that, you'll be able to take the Medeforte case?"

"No," said Bragg, more patiently this time. "That would be just to stop paying so much goddamned overtime. As it is, it would stretch support services and administration damned near the breaking point. I don't have the infrastructure for another case. Period."

Thule rubbed his temples, "What would you need to handle it?"

Bragg shook his head, "I would have to restructure our organization. It would take at least three months to get that done. Then, maybe I could take another case."

Thule sighed, "Besides the fact that this is a lot of money, I have a personal interest in this case. What do you recommend I do so that we can take this case?"

"Did the contract stipulate that the work needed to be done by a licensed private investigator?"

"I don't..." Thule started to say.

"No," said Dawn. "There was no such stipulation. Legal specified that in the abstract."

"There's your answer, then," said Bragg. "Use some of those spooks you've got working at RSS."

"Those spooks, as you put it, are pretty busy right now," said Thule.

Bragg shrugged, "Then do it yourself, I guess. The point is that you can get anyone to do the footwork. Just make sure they have guidance from someone who understands investigative procedure."

"So," said Vil Umanski as he lined up a putt. "You did not fly an old man to Boston just for a few rounds of golf."

Dawn crouched down to line up her own shot, "How is retirement treating you, Grandpa Vanya?"

Thule watched his former nemesis's eyes. As Dawn crouched down, the old man glanced down at her cleavage appreciatively. Thule resisted the urge to chuckle. It was a sight that he'd admired many times himself although he'd seen far more of Dawn in the past. He was glad to see that Umanski had some human motivations. From time to time, he'd felt like he was intellectually jousting with a snake.

"It is getting warmer," said Umanski. "I am getting more time to play golf."

"And is that satisfying?" asked Jake. Thule thought it too unsubtle a question to ask the old Russian. But, Umanski answered.

"I miss working," said Umanski. "It kept me young. Being a stool pigeon is not nearly so satisfying."

"Interesting you should say that," said Thule, not one to miss such a golden opportunity. "We have a project that could use your expertise."

Umanski noted with a nod of his head that he was willing to listen. Thule explained their situation. When he was finished, Umanski looked thoughtful.

"Da," he said finally. "This sounds like just what I need. You will perhaps do me some small favor in return?"

Thule braced himself and asked as casually as he could manage, "What sort of favor?"

"I am getting married at the beginning of July," said Umanski. "And I would like to borrow your young ladies."

Before Thule could answer, Dawn smiled, "Grandpa Vanya, I'm flattered. But, I don't do bachelor parties."

Umanski smiled down at her, "Now, that is truly a pity. However, what I need you for is nothing so savory. My wife-to-be is moving here from Georgia and has asked me to provide... bridesmaids."

Dawn frowned, "On second thought, the bachelor party thing might be negotiable."

"I would consider it a great favor," said Umanski.

"Am I going to have to wear pink?" asked Dawn.

"The dresses are being negotiated," said Umanski. "Currently, my Sabina is suggesting seafoam. But, I think it is just a bargaining ploy."

"What's next?" asked Dawn. They were getting into Thule's car in the parking lot of the golf course.

"Schedule's clear," said Thule.

Dawn pantomimed cleaning out her ear with her finger, "Say again?"

"Schedule's clear until tomorrow morning," said Thule.

"But, it's only 3 p.m." said Dawn. "And we just played golf for two hours."

"Yeah," said Thule. "But, it's Sunday. Even God rested on Sunday."

Dawn peered up at him, blinking a little too innocently, "And, is rest what you have in mind?"

Thule wouldn't have admitted it if he were being tortured with hot pokers, but that had been exactly what he'd had in mind a moment earlier. Instead, he said, "Actually, I was thinking about a bath."

"Oh, yeah?" asked Dawn.

Thule nodded, "Have you seen the tub I have at home?" When Dawn shook her head, he said, "Big, square one, more like a small indoor pool with powerful jets and room for three at least."

Dawn stretched and smiled, "Did you have a third in mind?"

"Well," said Thule. "When the thought first occurred to me, that would have been Marigold."

Dawn scowled, "I can't believe that bitch stood us up and stayed in Africa. Europe I could understand maybe. But, Africa?" Despite the words, there was no real anger or malice in her voice.

Thule chuckled, "She has to figure out what she's doing with herself. I don't know how much more the world can take of Marigold Tarr at loose ends."

For a while, neither of them spoke. Then, Dawn said, "Thule, I think she stayed because she's seeing one of the other students working on the program."

Thule sighed, but nodded, "I think you're right, wildcat."

"What are we going to do if she leaves us?"

Thule didn't answer immediately. When he did, he said, "If she is seeing someone new, it doesn't mean she's leaving us. You were seeing Scott for more than half a year and you still came back."

Dawn nodded, "That's true. But, what if she does? What does that mean for us?"

Thule reached over and stroked her hair, "I love you, wildcat. Whatever happens between me and Marigold or you and Marigold or you and Scott, that hasn't changed. I want to be with you. That hasn't changed either."

"I love you too, Thule." She leaned in and kissed his hand. "And I've waited to be with you far too long as it is."

Watching Dawn undress for the bath reminded Thule that he hadn't been with a woman since Marigold left for Africa right before Christmas. It wasn't really a thought that has crossed his mind very often. Far more common was the thought, usually in the few minutes between his head hitting the pillow and sleep overtaking him, that he missed having a girlfriend.

Lowering himself into the water, he forced himself to relax. Kale was back in New York trying to get results through official channels. Anders had gone with him to facilitate the process. Vil Umanski was arranging to move into the apartment RSS had provided for his use. Ioke was still missing, but there wasn't any forward progress to be made on that front. There were dozens of things he could be doing for the business, but there always were. Four years of plotting revenge at Mannsborough High had taught him something about patience, but not as much as it could have.

Dawn seemed to like being watched and prolonged the strip-tease. Thule sat back in the pool, watching as she untucked the green polo shirt she'd worn to the golf course, crossed her arms, and lifted it over her head. As she did it, her hips began to rock back and forth as if dancing to music only she could hear.

Thule leaned back in the tub, "Are you sure you don't do bachelor parties?"

Dawn grinned, "Not normally. But, if you ask real nice, I might do yours."

Thule frowned momentarily, but forced the expression off his face as soon as it formed. Any of the quips he considered would bring up an ugly and heretofore undiscussed dilemma. Since Dawn had entered the picture, he and Marigold hadn't discussed marriage much. The one time they had, Marigold dismissed the discussion by telling Thule, "Sweetheart, I thought about marriage much too soon. I don't want to think about it again at least until I'm out of college. Let's not go looking for problems."

Thule hadn't known what he thought about the matter at the time. He still didn't know what he thought. So, it was better not to bring it up.

Deep in thought, Thule really wasn't paying attention to the strip tease. Looking up again, he saw that Dawn had stripped out of her bra and was now standing, hand on her hip, glaring at him.

"Am I boring you?"

Thule shook his head and gave his best rakish grin, "No. I was just deep in thought as to what I'm going to do to you when I get you in this tub."

"Oh?" asked Dawn, unbuttoning her white pants. "And what were you thinking."

Thule looked up, "I'd rather not say it out loud. Sometimes, the sound from this room carries through the pipes."

Dawn pouted, "Tell me."

Thule sighed, "All right. Come here, so I don't have to shout."

Dawn took a step towards the tub. Thule leaned forward and whispered, "I'd like to... your..."

"What?" asked Dawn.

Thule crooked a finger at her. She leaned forward to hear. As soon as she was close enough, he leapt up, dragging her into the tub. He made sure to pull her clear of the edge, landing her safely in the deep center of the pool. But, you wouldn't have known it from her squeal. She clawed at Thule's neck, wrapping herself around him like she was drowning. She opened her mouth to protest, but Thule covered it with a kiss. She dug her claws into his back and bit Thule's lip, but not hard enough to make him stop kissing her.

When he finally broke the kiss to breathe, Dawn said, "You bastard." But, she was out of breath and smiling.

Thule lowered his head to her breast, kissing it. Dawn shivered.

"You," she growled, "didn't let me finish my striptease."

Thule reached down to help her out of her pants. Skin-tight even when dry, they proved to be something of a challenge, "I don't like being teased."

"Thule," Dawn gasped. "Before you get me all naked, are we about to have a security detachment in here to see what I screamed about?"

Thule shook his head, "You didn't scream so much as shriek. And, no. You're not about to be saved. Nobody outside of this wing of the house would hear you if you screamed yourself hoarse."

Dawn was kissing one side of his neck and slapped his other shoulder. Sitting back, she said, "Do you enjoy tricking me that much? I promise you. It's not really that much of a sport."

Thule managed to get her pants off. He deposited them on the side of the pool with a wet slap. Wrapping one arm around the back of her neck, he pressed his forehead to Dawn's, "Maybe I need to interrogate you again."

Dawn got a resolute look on her face, "I won't talk. You get name, rank, serial number, and what a bastard you are for playing tricks on your dumb girlfriend." She smiled a little to take the sting out of her words, but Thule got the message. Sliding off her thong, he pulled Dawn into his lap, resting himself on the wide shelf that went around the edge of the pool underwater.

Reaching over the edge for a bar of soap, he dipped it in the water and slid it experimentally up her spine. Dawn wriggled, "Not the frou-frou soap. You monster."

Thule slid it around to her belly, "It's French-milled."

Dawn gasped, "Have you no soul?"

"No," said Thule. "I will break you."

They played, washing each other slowly with lots of kissing and giggling as they went. Finally, Dawn said, "All right. I'll confess my deepest secret."

Thule held her by the waist, "Confess."

"I love you, Thule," she said. "And I need you inside me now."

She rose to take him inside her, but Thule held her waist firm. She looked down.

"Come here," he said, releasing her and swimming to the other side of the pool.

"Better light?" Dawn asked, following him.

"No," said Thule. He lifted one of the terracotta-colored tiles, revealing a recessed well underneath. Dipping two fingers into the well, he brought them out coated in a golden oil. Sliding his fingers under the water, he teased those two fingers into Dawn.

"God, Thule." she whispered. "That feels good. But, I really don't need it. I'm already pretty worked up."

Thule shook his head, "Learn from my mistakes. Water is not a sexual lubricant and it tends to wash away the natural ones."

Dawn spread her legs wider for him, rocking back and forth on his fingers. Kissing his forehead, she said, "I thought you told me you were a virgin."

Thule chuckled, "In my left ear, maybe."

Dawn lifted herself up, wrapping her arms around Thule's neck again, and snaked her tongue into the orifice he'd just mentioned.

Thule growled at her, "You have sullied my honor. For that, you must pay." Sliding his fingers out of the way, he took his cock in hand and guided it up into her. Dawn wrapped her legs around his waist, taking him all the way in.

They made love slowly and deliberately. When Dawn tried to change the tempo, Thule locked her hips in place and hissed, "Not yet. For the first time in weeks, there's nothing for me to rush off to, so I intend to take my time."

Dawn didn't protest. When they finally increased their tempo, it was gradual. When Dawn went over the edge into climax, she leaned back, hanging onto Thule's neck, and howled her pleasure as loudly as she could. Thule looked up at her, surprised.

"Just testing your theory," said Dawn. "If you're wrong, security will be here any minute."

Thule drove her down harder on his hips, rising up to bury himself completely inside of her, "We'd better give them a good show, then."

Dawn wrapped herself around him, pressing her whole body against Thule's now. For a while, the only sounds were the slap of water against the walls of the tub, their breathing, and Dawn's more modulated pleasure noises. When Thule came inside of her, he growled like a wild animal, earning himself a fierce kiss on the mouth, Dawn's hands pressed into the back of his head.

Afterwards, Dawn lay with her head pressed against Thule's chest, her breathing still ragged in his ear. He held her, letting the jets buffet them both, but not moving.

"Thule?" she asked.

"Yes, Dawn?"

"Did you put a lube pit in your bathroom?"

Thule shook his head, "It came with the house."

Dawn raised her head, "What sort of pervs lived here before us?"

Thule laughed, "I wondered the same thing. I suspect that it was originally designed for warming shampoo or maybe hot oil treatments for the hair."

Dawn laughed, "I think you've found a much better use for it."

Thule kissed her. Dawn looked him in the eyes, "Thule?"

"Yes, Dawn?"

"If Marigold does leave us, do you want to get another girlfriend? Because I really liked having one."

Thule kissed her neck, "Don't speak of it in the past tense. Even if she did find someone in Africa, she may break up with me and keep you."

"How do you know it isn't a girl she found?" Dawn asked.

"Because I think I know who it is," said Thule. "I can't remember the last time I talked to her that she didn't mention Alan Hall."

"You didn't answer my question," said Dawn.

"I hadn't really thought about it," said Thule. "Marigold told me I should find someone to keep me company when she left for Africa. I don't think she fully appreciated how little time I had."

"So, no little flings for Thule?"

Thule laughed, "Not even a wink and a nod. Besides, I'm not really a 'fling' guy."

"You didn't sleep with Lin?"

Thule shook his head, "We collapsed next to each other during finals after Frank gave her my bed. But, we were dead to the world. It may have been the least sexual sharing of a bed ever recorded."

"Well," said Dawn, smiling. "That's no way to start a harem."

"She did ask me out, though," Thule said.

"That bitch," Dawn sounded genuinely indignant.

"She didn't know about you yet."

"Oh," said Dawn. "That's different."

"She knew about Marigold, though."

"Okay," said Dawn. "I think I want to scratch her eyes out again, but I'm not sure and I can't take the back and forth. Does she like girls?"

Thule laughed, "I have no idea. I think you would have to ask her."

Dawn sat up, "Seriously? What if the answer is yes?"

Thule shrugged, "I think that's between you and Marigold."

"You like the idea, though."

"Why do you say that?"

Dawn's grin was downright perverse, "Because you're still inside of me. And, you're getting hard again."

Thule shifted a little, rubbing up inside of her, "Those two facts have more in common with each other than with the conversation."

Dawn laughed, hugging him hard, "Flatterer."

They might have lay in bed all evening, cuddling and talking, if Dawn's stomach hadn't grumbled rather emphatically just as the sun was going down.

"Hungry?" Thule asked.

"Famished," said Dawn.

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"I was enjoying the moment," said Dawn. "Who knows when I'll get to lie in bed with you for a couple of hours and just talk again?"

Thule kissed the top of her head, "There will be plenty of chances. This week, I'm taking it easy. Starting next week, I'm testifying in Randy's trial. I'll have a one or two hour status meeting every night after testimony, but should be done by eight at the latest. It will give us plenty of time for dinner and..." he smirked, "relaxation."

"Dinner at eight?" asked Dawn. "Haven't you become citified?" She kissed him, "Well, I guess I'll have to become citified too--the things we do for love."

Thule rose and went looking for some clothes, "Would you rather eat in the private dining room or the main one?"

"We have two dining rooms?" Dawn asked.

"Three if you count the one in the office wing, although it's more of a server room than a dining room at the moment."

Dawn slid out of bed, "Do you ever get lost here?"

Thule nodded, "Not so much anymore. But, I spent a lot of time getting the layout of this place. If you ever get lost, just get on the intercom and the operator will tell you where you're calling from."

"We have an operator?" asked Dawn.

"Actually," said Thule, "it's answered by whoever is in the main room of the servant's house."

Dawn looked at him, alarmed, "We have enough servants that they have their own house?"

Thule nodded, "If it were just me here, no satellite office, no Marigold, I would close down all but this wing and make do with one or two. But, Jonas hired them so that the house would be ready for Marigold to enter Boston society when she was ready to do so."

"What does that mean?" Dawn asked.

"I don't know," said Thule. "It's some sort of rich person thing that I just nod and pretend to understand."

"So," asked Dawn. "Who uses the main dining room?"

Thule pulled on a pair of jeans, "Marigold and I and now you have use of the private dining room. When it was just me, I didn't use it much. Everyone else uses the main dining room--employees, friends, freeloaders."

"Household staff?" asked Dawn.

Thule looked up, buttoning a light-blue dress shirt, "Actually, we have a fourth dining room--in the servant house. I invited household staff to join us in the main one, but most of them seem too freaked out by the idea to do so."

Dawn nodded, "This is going to take some getting used to. Even living with Jonas and Holly, we only had a couple of people working in the main house and none in Randy's, where I stayed--unless you count the cleaning lady who came three times a week."

"Let's go to the main dining room if that's all right," said Dawn. "I'm feeling sort of social."

When they entered the dining room, Anne and Helene were holding an animated conversation at one end of the table. Lin sat at the middle of the table reading a magazine. Dawn sat down across from Lin waving Thule to a chair on her own right-hand side.

Lin didn't look up until a maid appeared at Thule's elbow to explain what was available in the kitchen and, for Dawn's sake, that the cook would be happy to make something else if she would prefer.

"Oh," said Lin. "I didn't mean to be rude. I was just wrapped up in my reading?"

"Anything interesting?" asked Dawn.

Lin held up the magazine, showing them the cover. It was, "The Journal of the American Institute of Finance." Her smile was apologetic, "Selectively interesting to a very specialized group of people."

Thule shuddered, "I'll say. Even when I thought I was going to be a mathematician, it was pretty dry."

Lin nodded, "I've got an article in it this month, but I'm inclined to agree."

Thule laughed, "And now, high school students around the world can hate you, too."

Lin waved a hand, "I'm used to it. I published my first peer-reviewed article in the tenth grade."

Thule raised an eyebrow, "I didn't publish mine until my junior year."

Lin chuckled, "Don't give me the stinkeye. I still hate you for it. Fourteen is much too young to be introduced to the concept of 'publish or perish.'"

Thule frowned, "You were fourteen in your sophomore year? That means you're seventeen now?"

"Sixteen," said Lin. "I skipped the sixth, eighth, and twelfth grades."

Dawn seemed amused by the turn the conversation had taken. Turning, she asked, "Thule, how come you never skipped any grades?"

Thule laughed at the obvious goad, "If it was ever an option, it wasn't offered. If it had been, I don't know if I would have accepted. I had things to accomplish."

"Yeah," said Lin. "I heard something about that. What was that all about?"

Thule grunted, "You're going to have to narrow down the question a little. Jake and I managed to get a whole book out of it."

Dawn laughed next to him, "And nearly half of it is true."

"Every word of it is true," said Thule. "We just omitted certain inconvenient details."

"I'm barely in it," said Dawn indignantly.

"As I said..."

Dawn punched Thule on the shoulder, "Hah. I knew that's all I was to you."

"You were in it plenty," said Thule. "We even gave you all the best lines. You were the perfect plucky sidekick."

Dawn tilted her head back, "Well, that part is all true."

Thule leaned down and kissed Dawn. Without even turning to look at Lin, he asked her, "So, how do you know Sean Medeforte?"

"Well," said Lin. "He calls me his 'special project.' I wrote an article for the JAIF that he used to structure a big financing deal in Brazil."

"Did he try to recruit you?" Thule asked.

"For his harem?" asked Lin. "No. He doesn't recruit Americans under eighteen. He apologized for that, incidentally. He offered me a contract to do some modeling work for him while I'm at school."

"Modeling?" Dawn shivered, "That seems a bit... creepy."

Lin glowered at Dawn for a second before saying, "Financial... modeling."

"Oh," said Dawn, lowering her head and blushing.

"Besides," said Lin. "I'm not pretty enough to work for him on that level. I look all right, but those girls are world-class."

Dawn nodded, "I know. They're kind of intimidating. Speaking of which, don't we have a meeting with Melinda tomorrow?"

Thule rubbed his temples, "I have a meeting before lunch with her. Apparently being at my disposal doesn't really mean that. She's still doing a lot of work for Medeforte. It was kind of a scheduling nightmare. I'm not sure how much help she's really going to be."

Surprisingly, Dawn seemed to take this in stride, "All right."

"So," asked Thule. "How's the apartment search going?"

"Kind of tough," said Lin. "The age thing keeps getting in the way. I really appreciate you letting me stay here as long as you have."

"How did you wind up having no housing, anyway?" asked Thule.

"It's a family thing," said Lin. "My parents really didn't want me to go to MIT. They thought it would be too hard and weren't going to pay for it. So, my grandfather is." She frowned, "I'm trying to take as little of his money as possible. I had an offer to stay with a couple of friends off campus this semester, but it turned out to be too far away from campus."

Dawn leaned in, "You can't go back there now that classes are over?"

Lin shook her head, "Besides being too far away, it wasn't a good scene. I was staying with a friend and her boyfriend. Every time she was out of the apartment, he was trying to get into my pants. I tried to approach the subject, but it was clear to me that she wasn't going to take it well. So, I started moving around."

"That's awful," said Dawn, scowling. "Thule, why can't she stay here? This place is huge."

Thule resisted the urge to sigh, "I didn't say she couldn't. She never asked."

Lin lowered her head a little, hair falling in her face, "Could I?"

"Could she, Thule?"

Thule turned to Dawn, "Why are you asking me? This is Jonas's house. You live here as much as I do."

"Well, do you have any objections?"

"If I did," said Thule, "this would be a hell of a time to bring them up. As a matter of fact, this conversation is starting to sound very familiar. Isn't this how Marigold moved you into my house?"

Dawn smiled, "And, you see how well that turned out." Then, she turned to Lin, "You have to forgive me. Sometimes, I get overly impulsive. Could you excuse us for a minute?"

Thule shook his head, "Stay and finish your dinner. I have no objections."

"I'll try and stay out of the way," Lin offered.

"Pay no attention to the gruff act," said Dawn, rubbing the top of Thule's head. "He's a big kitty cat."

Thule glared at her without moving his head, "What did I tell you about that?"

"Ten second limit for ugly girls?" asked Dawn.

Thule shook his head.

"Work with the grain?"

Thule just glared at her.

"Oh," said Dawn. "Don't tell people you're not really scary."

Thule nodded, "Nobody likes to watch the magician put the doves up his sleeve." He turned to Lin, "You are welcome in our home. From the limited amount of time we've spent together, you seem like pleasant enough company. The room you're in is in the guest wing also known as the business wing at the moment. Feel free to use the pool, the gym, any of the common areas. Dawn and I and the girlfriend formerly known as Marigold live in the residential wing. If you want to visit us, call first. The guards have orders to shoot on sight otherwise. I'm almost never around and awake, but it will be good for Dawn to have someone her own age to play with." Thule fought the urge to wince at his own choice of words, "Do you have any questions?"

"You have a pool?" asked Lin just as Dawn asked, "We have a gym?"

Thule turned to Lin, "Yes." Then, he turned to Dawn, "We set up some equipment in the basement. It turned out to be very popular. So, we added more equipment. It's spiraled a little since then. Yoga classes are on Saturday."

"You're kidding," said Dawn.

Thule gave her a half smile, "Actually, that was a joke. But, it's an impressive setup down there. It wouldn't be beyond the realm of possibility."

"I can't believe this place is real," said Lin. "Are you sure I can stay here? What's the hitch?"

"I didn't have one planned," said Thule. "Would you like one?"

Lin seemed to be considering it for a while. Dawn looked like she was about to say something outrageous, but Thule kicked her under the table. Finally, Lin said, "Maybe I could work for my keep. Can you use a mathematician around here?"

Thule nodded a little more emphatically than he meant to, "Definitely. Can you program?"

"FORTRAN and some C++," said Lin. "I might need to get up to speed, though. It's been a while."

"Fair enough," said Thule. "If you want to work for room and board, you're perfect. We can't afford to hire anybody else for a while."