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He grinned. “I dressed in the dark.”

I touched the black-figured tie. “That I believe.”

But it didn’t faze him. He pushed the door open to the squad room with a flourish. He beamed at me. “Beauty before age.”

It was my turn to frown. “What are you up to, Zerbrowsk?”

He gave me innocent eyes. “Me, up to something?”

I shook my head and walked through the door. There was a stuffed toy penguin on every desk. Everyone answered phones, filed, worked on their computers. No one paid me any attention. Just the penguins sitting on every desk. It had been almost a year since Dolph and Zerbrowski had seen my penguin collection. The teasing didn’t start right away; I thought I was safe. When Zerbrowski got back off sick leave after the new year, the penguins had started showing up at every crime scene. On my car seat, in my trunk. They must have spent a couple of hundred dollars on the things by now.

I still didn’t know how to react. Ignore it? Pretend that there weren’t a dozen penguins sitting around the room? Collect them as I went through the room and take them home? Get mad? If I could have figured out the reaction that would stop the joke, I’d have given it to them. So far, I’d tried ignoring and collecting. Neither stopped it. In fact, it seemed to be getting worse. I suspected that they were building to some grand climax. I had no idea what and wasn’t sure I ever wanted to find out.

“Glad to see everybody’s so energetic at three A.M.”

“No effort too great, no hour too late,” Zerbrowski said.

“Where’s Dolph?”

“In the interview room with our victim.”

There was something about the way he said it that made me look at him. “Dolph called her the ‘supposed’ victim over the phone. Why doesn’t anyone believe her?”

He smiled. “Dolph would be mad if I spoiled it.” He crooked his finger at me. “Come along, little girl. We have someone we want you to meet.”

I scowled at him. “If this is some elaborate joke, I am going to be pissed.”

He held the door for me. “Did we interrupt your date with Count Dracula?”

“None of your damn business.”

A chorus of “ooohs” went through the squad room. I went through the door with everyone calling after me. Some of the suggestions were rude, one physically impossible even with a vampire. Sexual harassment or just being one of the guys, it was always a thin line.

I peeked back through the door and said, “You’re all just jealous.” That brought more catcalls.

Zerbrowski was waiting on the stairs for me. “I don’t know whether you’ll flash me more leg if I walk in front of you, looking back, or behind you. I think in front.”

“Push it too far, Zerbrowski, and I’ll tell Katie on you.”

“She knows I’m a lech.” He walked down the stairs looking back at me.

I walked down the stairs and let the dress fall where it might. When you wear a dress slit nearly to your hips, even if it is to have a gun handy, you are either comfortable with men looking or you wear something else. “How did you ever convince Katie to date you, let alone marry you?”

“I got her drunk,” he said.

I laughed. “I’ll ask her next time I’m over for dinner.”

He grinned. “She’ll give you this cock-and-bull story about something romantic and stupid. Don’t believe her.” He stopped in front of the first interview room and knocked softly.

Dolph opened the door. He filled the doorway very completely. He isn’t just tall, he’s bulky like a pro-wrestler. His tie was knotted perfectly, white-starched collar tight to his neck. His grey dress slacks still had a sharp crease. His only concession to the heat and the lateness of the hour was the long white sleeves of his shirt. No jacket. I could count on one hand the times I’d seen Dolph in shirt sleeves.

All cops perfect a bored face or a blank face, some even a mildly amused face. But they all eventually have a face that keeps everything inside. An emptiness settles in their eyes that keeps all their secrets. Dolph gave great blank face when questioning suspects. The look on his face now was angry. I’d never seen him