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KathyStark3

The following is a work of fiction regarding sexual relationships. If you
feel that it is illegal, immoral, or otherwise improper for you to read
this, then *Don't Read It.*

* * *

*Kathy*

Copyright (c) 1991, 1998, 2001 by Morgan. All rights reserved.

Please note the original copyright date. This story was basically
written ten years ago and was originally posted in 1988. As a result, you
will likely find obsolete references. I'm afraid you'll just have to live
with it; it's too tedious trying to keep up with the latest and greatest.
It was previously posted on ASSM in 1998, but not since then.

Incidentally, you will find occasional entries, _word_. The reason for
this is that MS Word's Auto Format function puts a word preceded and
followed by an underscore in italics; that's my intent. Similarly, *word*
results in the word appearing in bold face. If you use Word's Auto Format,
it will take care of things; if you don't, you at least know why it's
there.

More of my works are posted on my site <www.asstr.org/~Morgan> If you
like it -- or if you don't -- please let me know at morg105829@aol.com.

* * *

*Book III*

*Chapter 18*

Kathy was waiting for Ken Stark when he saluted the quarterdeck and left
his ship. Something was wrong. Then she knew what it was. He had no
luggage, not even a small bag for a shirt and toiletries, but he had a
newspaper folded under his arm. Ken opened the car door and got in. He
intended just to give Kathy a peck of a kiss, but when his lips touched
hers he tasted the sweetness and fire... and heard those damned bells. He
was pissed and he was going to really tell her off tonight. He reluctantly
ended the kiss, sat back in his seat and stared straight ahead. Kathy put
the car in gear and rolled off in the direction of Virginia Beach.

The ride to her apartment was silent. _Uh oh, he's pissed! Am I going
to get it tonight,_ she thought. She shivered involuntarily as she
remembered the spanking he had given her after the freezing-pool episode.
Her loins were getting hot now that she was close to him. _God,_ she
thought, _how I love this guy... and I've only known him for three days._
Kathy was wearing the same Levi's she had on in the morning along with her
Yale sweatshirt.

They went into the apartment and Kathy led the way back to the library.
She motioned for him to sit down while she prepared drinks for both of
them. "I think this is a martini night, Ken," she said softly. "Will you
join me?" He nodded and she made the drinks and joined him on the sofa.
She offered him a cigarette which he accepted. She took one and he lighted
them both.

Then he sipped his martini... and got madder. He didn't want the
martini to be perfect, exactly the way he liked it, but it was. He was not
surprised. But the time had come. He turned to face her. "Kathy Smith,
you lied to me! You deceived me! You tricked me! You... you..." he
yelled.

Kathy was hurt, but she knew what he was referring to. She responded
softly, "I'm sorry, Ken. I certainly didn't mean to lie to you."

Ken looked at the girl and was baffled. _How, in the name of God,_ he
thought, _can you stay mad at a girl who looks like an angel? Who responds
to his yelling in a soft voice? Who seems to be apologizing to him for...
for what?_ What had she done, anyway? He realized that his anger had
evaporated like a puff of smoke. He looked at her serious face just
looking at him waiting for him to continue. She was expecting and prepared
to accept punishment for... for nothing. He smiled at her and watched as
she blossomed under his smile. _God, she's beautiful!_ he thought. Aloud,
he said softly, "Will you give me a kiss?"

She leaped across the sofa and into his arms. She kissed him lovingly
and lingeringly. It was soft... warm... and almost worshipful. He heard
the bells. He looked into her eyes and saw a wonderful warmth and love.
_For me... Kathy really loves me!_ He let her go, and straightened her
body parallel to his. They had their long legs resting on the cocktail
table.

She rested her head on his shoulder and snuggled. She whispered, "Ken,
let's neck."

"Could we talk first, hon? I feel like such an idiot, jumping on you
like that. But darling, it's been such a wild day. My phone's been
ringing off the hook! A guy I went to school with saw us together on
Saturday night and called. I didn't notice him, but he saw us. I asked
him why in hell he didn't come over, and he said -- in a hushed and
reverent tone, for God's sake, 'But you were with Kathy Smith!' I thought
he had lost his mind.

"Then I did something I never do: I looked at a newspaper. What do I
find? A major news feature on Kathy Smith and her sudden resignation as
Assistant District Attorney. It had a full biographic background: summa
cum laude from Yale with a Phi Beta Kappa key, summa again from University
of Virginia Law School graduating number one. How you turned down
megabucks to be an assistant DA. It reviewed your one-year career in
detail.

"Then my father called. He asked me to apologize to you for not
recognizing you at the club. Nice guy, my father! He says it was because
he couldn't believe I could move so far up in class. He says you are the
kind of girl that every son should bring home... and leave with his
father. What a lecher!"

Ken grinned, and Kathy said with mock thoughtfulness, "I like your
father! He shows discerning judgment and good taste. No wonder he has
four stars!"

She grinned and Ken continued, "Do me a favor? Bring me your purse."
Kathy hopped up, got the purse, and handed it to him. He opened it, drew
the LadySmith, and looked at it carefully. "So this is it. It saved a lot
of lives." He looked at her and held out his arms. "Come here, doll."

Kathy looked at him fondly but didn't move. "Ken, play a game with me?"

He looked puzzled. "What game?"

"Could we just neck? No touching below the waist?"

"That's no game, Kathy. You know what's going to happen as well as I
do! In no time, I'm going to be screwing you right here on the couch!"

Kathy grinned and shivered, "That's the game. Whoever cracks first and
goes below the waist loses! Want to try?"

Ken grinned and said, "Sure. Let's do it!" They both stood up. Kathy
carefully hung up Ken's uniform coat and took off his tie, followed by his
shirt. She held her arms up and Ken lifted off her sweatshirt revealing
her unencumbered breasts. He started to take off his pants but Kathy shook
her head. "But they'll lose their crease," he complained.

Kathy grinned. "What a stinking shame!"

He sat at the end of the couch with his legs on the table. Her upper
body was on his lap with her head resting on the arm of the couch. As he
gently ran his finger tips over her beautifully formed breasts, she
wriggled slightly and purred in his arms. Meanwhile she nuzzled his chest,
and explored it with a feather-light touch of her fingers. Then he lifted
her head and kissed her. Ken intended it to be light and delicate and it
was. He could taste the sweetness of her lips as her tongue probed his
mouth and tongue. At the same time his sex was desperately trying to
harden, but it was trapped by his underwear, trousers and Kathy's body.

She felt it, too. When he shifted his weight and tried to relieve the
constriction, she disengaged from his lips, smiled lovingly and said no.
It wasn't completely one-sided, though. He derived some satisfaction from
seeing her nipples become hard and her body start to writhe in passion. He
could see that the denim in the crotch of her jeans had darkened with
moisture. He was in an agony of desire but holding on. He could see her
hand flutter in the direction of her crotch only to be quickly withdrawn.
He realized that he was moaning with her. It was going to be over very
soon.

He broke first. When he pulled off her pants and slipped out of his
own, he heard her whisper in ecstasy, "Thank God!" as he entered her. They
were soon lying in each others arms resting as their breathing slowly
returned to normal. She had her eyes closed with her head on his shoulder
murmuring happy sounds.

He whispered, "May I see it?"

Her eyes fluttered open -- _God, what a dazzling, brilliant blue, he
thought_ -- and she looked puzzled. "See what, hon?"

"The commendation," he said. She smiled, got up, opened a drawer and
came back with the framed citation for the Medal of Freedom. He read it
carefully. "Dad mentioned this. He said I should ask to see it. You
know, Kathy, you're entitled to wear the ribbon at any time? Can I pin it
on your breast now?" he asked teasingly.

"Pin it right here?" she asked as she pointed to her left nipple.

_My God!_ he thought. _She's serious. She would pin it through her
nipple if she thought I wanted her to._ He was starting to develop an
appreciation for her depth of feeling for him. He felt very humble.

Suddenly Kathy jumped up and exclaimed, "Oh, my God! I completely
forgot! Ken, I'm having a couple for dinner tonight. They'll be here
in... Holy shit! In ten minutes! And absolutely nothing's done! Ken,
could you do me a favor?"

"Sure, honey! What do you want me to do?"

"Hon, would you mind taking a shower now so you'll be ready to greet our
guests, while I get some hors d'oeuvres together and try to figure out how
we're going to avoid starvation? I'll try to make it up to you somehow."

Ken went to the bedroom with his clothes. As he was taking a shower, he
reflected on what Kathy had just said. He realized that she meant it. She
gave everything and asked nothing, so something as trivial as greeting
guests was important to her. He was dressed and back in the kitchen in
five minutes. Miraculously, wonderful cooking odors were rising towards
the vent hood while a large platter of hors d'oeuvres was waiting on the
table.

She looked up at him and carefully straightened his tie. Just before
running to the bathroom, she said quickly, "The guests are the O'Rourkes.
They're just out of the Navy!"

She ran toward the bathroom, while Ken went to retrieve their drink
glasses from the library. He found Kathy's still full and only a few sips
out of his own. He emptied the glasses in the sink and put the glasses in
the dishwasher.

Moments later at seven o'clock the doorbell rang. He opened the door
and welcomed a very pretty little auburn-haired girl with a very big and
handsome dark-haired man. "Welcome! Please come in. You must be the
O'Rourkes." They entered the apartment, and it was obvious to Ken they had
been here before. "I'm Ken Stark, a friend of Kathy's. She'll be out in a
few minutes.

The girl stuck out her hand. "I'm Sally O'Rourke, until today yeoman
first class, Commander. I'm very happy to meet you. This big lug is my
husband, Jim, until today electronics technician first class." Sally looked
at Ken and noticed the love light in his eyes. _My God,_ she thought, _can
it be? Has the prince appeared to awaken Sleeping Beauty?_ As the men shook hands, Sally said quickly, "Commander, I see from your ring that
you're Annapolis. Would you mind talking with Jim in equations or
something?" She looked lovingly at her husband and winked. "He's great in
math and electronics, but he's not much on words. But he's great in bed,
so I keep him around. I want to check out Kathy." She grinned, and flew
around the corner to the bedroom.

Jim's eyes followed his wife as she left. "Lovely little ass, don't you
think, Commander?"

Ken smiled his agreement. "Please, Jim, it's Ken. And you're right, it
sure is. You're a very lucky man!"

"Ken," Jim replied, "on that last you're more right than you may ever
know!"

Sally came bursting into the bedroom as Kathy emerged from the bath.
The small girl studied her friend carefully. Then she gave a little yelp.
"Kathy, it's happened! That's your man, isn't it? Don't even bother to
answer. I see it all over you. I couldn't see how you could possibly be
more beautiful, but you are. You glow!... You're radiant!" Kathy regarded
her friend with a quiet smile. Sally gathered the older girl in her arms
and hugged. "I'm so happy, Kathy! You know I mean it when I say it
couldn't happen to a nicer person."

Kathy slipped on her blue dress that matched her eyes and ran a comb
through her hair. "Let's go join the party!"

It was only seven-ten. They sat in the living room and had drinks with
Ken serving as bartender. He liked the O'Rourkes very much. They were a
handsome couple and obviously very much in love. Sally asked Ken about his
ship, something that had not occurred to Kathy. She was abashed that she
had not even thought to ask.

Sally grinned and said, "Kathy, never forget. The correct sequence is
to ask a sailor about his present ship, his last ship, his mistress and
finally, his wife. That also pretty well tracks the regard in which they
are held. Christ! I had to get Jim out of the service so I could move up
in the pecking order. Particularly when I lost rank by changing from his
mistress to his wife." She grinned and stuck out her tongue at her husband.

"Please don't mind my wife, Ken." Jim added with a grin, "She really
isn't housebroken yet, so I have to be careful who I allow her to meet.
With Kathy, it's already too late! She knows the truth, so to hell with
it."

"Now that you're out of the service," Ken asked, "what are your plans?
Although I've just met you two, it's easy to see that you're the kind we
can't afford to lose. Sally, what was your most recent duty assignment?"

"The base legal office, Ken. Why do you ask?"

"Because it's going to be a very different place without you. Much
quieter!" Ken replied with a grin. Sally faked a pout and grinned back.
Ken really liked the little girl. "What about those plans?"

Sally suddenly turned serious and looked down at the floor. "Ken, I
want to tell you a little story. Once upon a time there were these two
dumb kids. They were madly in love, but the girl was particularly dumb and
didn't know it. Then one day in a place where the girl worked some bad men came in waving guns. The boy thought he was Superman and could stop a
bullet. He did... with his arm. Just then the fairy princess appeared
and made the bad men dead. She took the dumb girl in and made her see how
much she loved the dumb boy. The fairy princess wasn't finished with the
dumb kids, though. She knew that they both wanted desperately to go to
college.

"There wasn't enough money, so the dumb boy says he'll work and the girl will go. The girl says she would be barefoot and pregnant and the boy will
go. The fairy princess doesn't say anything but she waves her magic wand.
The dumb boy gets seven or eight years of education paid at the Cal Tech
castle. The girl gets seven years paid at the USC castle. The fairy
princess visits the dumb girl at work. The dumb girl finds $5,000 in her
boobs. The dumb kids get married and the fairy princess doesn't know what
to do for a wedding gift so $25,000 appears to tide them over while she
thinks about it.

"The kids are dumb but not so dumb they don't worship the ground the
fairy princess walks on. And they lived happily ever after." Sally looked
up at Ken with her eyes shining with tears. "You don't look dumb, Ken.
Would you like to guess the name of the fairy princess?"

He looked at Kathy. He could see tears running down her cheeks. "The
fairy princess's initials wouldn't be 'K S', would they?"

Sally grinned through her tears and said to her husband, "See, Jim, I
told you he didn't look dumb." She went to Kathy and kissed her. "We never
had the chance to thank you properly for the wedding gift. Ken, to show
you the kind of person the fairy princess is, the dumb broad writes a long
letter apologizing for not buying a gift, for chrissakes! Thank you, dear
Kathy."

"Before things get so maudlin the tears soak my beautiful carpet, could
we take a break for dinner? Ken, would you please serve the wine. I
decanted it to let it breathe."

Ken was stunned. At six-fifty in the evening, this girl was lying naked
on the floor. There had been no thought of eating. At seven, hors
d'oeuvres are served that appear to have been in preparation since noon.
At seven forty-five, a gourmet feast appears featuring roast filet of beef,
sauce Perigord, and Chateau Mouton Rothschild, 1959. _My God,_ he thought,
_she is a fairy princess!_ Dinner was followed by crepes Suzette, followed
by coffee and cognac. Ken had spent the evening watching the beautiful
girl facing him across the table. Clearly, she loved good food, good wine
and good cognac. His eyes widened as Louis XIII was poured from its
Baccarat decanter. _The only thing standing between this meal and utter
perfection is the lack of a great cigar,_ he thought.

Kathy appeared with a cigar humidor. Jim took one, Sally was tempted,
but declined. Then Kathy brought the box to Ken. "I think you'd like one
of these Corona coronas. They are really very good." He took one, lighted
it and savored it with the cognac. Kathy lighted a panatella for herself.
Seeing her take one, Sally reconsidered and took one, too. Sally decided
that the mild cigar made a perfect accompaniment to her coffee and cognac.

Ken said quietly to Kathy, "If I were to die right now, I would be in
heaven without moving an inch!"

Kathy raised her glass. "I'm sorry," she said, "I should have done this
earlier with the wine, but better late than never! Sally and Jim, I would
like to offer a toast to you both: Your love for each other lights up this
room! Your selflessness leaves me breathless. Two brilliant people
willing -- no, anxious! -- to sacrifice his interest for the other's. May
your love burn forever as brightly as it burns tonight!"

Ken could feel his eyes burn with tears as he listened to Kathy's words.
_But the words are true,_ he thought looking at the young couple. _They're
really true!_ As they were preparing to leave, Ken said, "By the way, I
should have asked. How long have you kids been married?"

Sally brightly replied, "Almost two months, Commander, sir, and I love
it! She looked at Jim and licked her lips lasciviously.

"In that case," Ken asked, "may I still kiss the bride?"

Sally jumped at him and kissed him softly on the lips. When they
parted, she held him, looked into his eyes and whispered so softly he could
scarcely hear, "Ken, be good to her! She's the very best there is!" Ken
agreed with her judgment.

When the O'Rourkes left, Ken looked at Kathy, "Hon, how do you feel?" It
was nearly eleven-thirty.

"I feel great. Why? How do you feel?"

"Kathy," he said, "I feel about one inch tall. I would like to tell you
another story. There was this little kid who met a fairy princess. He was
angry because the princess had a secret. Of course, if he knew what the
secret was, he wouldn't have believed it. Then he read a story about the
fairy princess. Of course, even if he wouldn't have believed the princess,
he did believe the story.

"Then he met a giant and a pixie who told him more about the fairy
princess they had come to love. The little kid shrank until he was only
one inch tall. The only thing that can change the little kid back to
normal is a kiss from the princess. Will the princess kiss the little
kid?"

Kathy came to him and tenderly kissed him. He held her as the love
flowed between them. Finally, they separated.

"Thank you, fairy princess! Kathy, can you help me? I have to go back
to the ship. The dumb little kid was so pissed off at the fairy princess
he didn't even bring a change of underwear. If the fairy princess were
smart, of course, she would just kick the little kid the hell out of her
house. But then the fairy princess is known for her kindness, not her
brains."

Kathy kicked him lightly in the shin and grinned. "Come on, little kid.
We have to go get your toys." He took her in his arms and kissed her again.

The BMW was speeding west on the Expressway. Ken noticed the
speedometer needle pass 100 mph on a 150-mph dial. Suddenly, he heard a
siren wail behind them. "Oh, shit!" Kathy exclaimed. "Of all the damn
times to hit a Smoky." She pulled over well to the right in the breakdown
lane. The patrol car, blue lights revolving and headlights flashing,
pulled up behind, but the trooper stayed behind the wheel.

Ken assumed that the trooper was running Kathy's plate through the
police computer. He noticed Kathy impatiently drumming her finger against
the wheel. The trooper finally got out of the cruiser and approached the
driver's side. Ken was astonished at what happened next.

The tall trooper towered over the low sports sedan. "Damn it, Kathy!
You gotta knock off this shit! It makes us look bad! Why once we even got
a grumble from the captain... 'til we told him who it was, o' course. How
fast this time?"

"A hundred-ten, Will." she replied.

"Kathy?" the trooper said skeptically.

"Oh, shit! A hundred-twenty, okay? You happy?"

Just then, Ken ducked his head low and leaned over to the left so he
could see the trooper's face. "Is there some problem, officer?" he asked.

He could see the trooper's face turn bright red as he recognized him as
a naval officer. He heard the trooper mutter under his breath, "Damn it,
Kathy, why didn't you tell me you had company?"

Then, following a very snappy salute, he said in his normal voice,
"Commander, would you mind stepping out of the car and coming back here
with me?"

Ken said, "Of course, not, officer."

As he stepped out he heard Kathy mutter, "Oh shit! Here it goes!"

Ken followed the trooper back to his patrol cruiser. The trooper
introduced himself, "Trooper William Stockdale, Commander."

Ken said, "Ken Stark, trooper. I'm glad to meet you, but I would have
liked to do it in happier circumstances. I don't understand what I just
saw over there. You haven't even started to write Miss Smith's ticket."

The trooper broke into gales of laughter, as if Ken had just told the
funniest joke he had ever heard. In fact, he had. "Write a _ticket! On
Kathy?_ I'm sorry, sir, but maybe you just don't understand."

"Understand what, trooper? I understand Miss Smith was driving at an
excessive rate of speed."

Ken was becoming annoyed. He looked at the car ahead. Kathy had her
hands at the top of the wheel, with her forehead resting on her hands. She
appeared dejected.

"Commander, the only trooper that would ever give Kathy a ticket would
be the guy who's lookin' to get off the force in a hurry. That's assumin'
o' course, he lives long enough to _get_ off. Commander, sir, this is a
game! We love to haul her down! It reminds her we're still around and it
gives us a chance to talk to a real, live angel! O' course there's a
little more to it: the speed thing, for example. We always ask her and she
always fibs a few miles light. Ya know, Commander, thinkin' on it, I don't
rightly know who's checkin' on who. Us checkin' her speed, or her checkin'
our radar!"

"Trooper, on behalf of Kathy, we apologize for such speed. it's
very..." Aside from sounding pompous as hell, Ken stopped because Stockdale
was looking at him like he had a screw loose.

"Commander, what'd Kathy admit to? One hundred twenty? Sir, is Jackie
Stewart a dangerous driver? Is Dick Petty? Why Commander, that girl's
better in that car at 140 than the average driver is out here at forty! I
mean, she's that good! Why one day some buddies and I were with Kathy down
in South Virginia Beach... down by the Carolina line, you know? Well
damned if... Commander, have you ever heard of a bootlegger's turn?" Ken
shook his head.

"No? Well, it was developed out west o' here in the hill country. See,
a bootlegger with a full load bein' chased by Revenue? Well he'd roar down
this two-lane road bein' chased. Then he'd touch the brakes just right,
and turn the wheel just right, and shift the gears just right, an' all of a
sudden he's made a 180 and he passes the Revenue goin' the other way.
Follow? Well, some o' those good ol' boys could do that trick at seventy
or sometimes, if he was real good, at eighty.

"Well, Commander, I'm here to tell ya that Kathy did it at 110! And
that's radar speed, not her braggin' at us. That lady can handle a car,
sir! She truly can!

"O' course there's the other thing. You ever see that little gun she
carries? You did?" he asked, as Ken nodded. "Well, sir, that li'l weapon
has fired five times in anger. Sir, four rounds penetrated the targets'
hearts, and the fifth entered a target's brain.

"Now sir, you could think o' Kathy as sort of a Virginia police mascot.
You could o' course, but you'd be dead wrong! We truly admire that woman!
She's one of _us!_ She's been there. But more, sir, we love her... like a
beautiful sister, I guess. Sir, when those bastards took a shotgun to her,
well... As you know, sir, she burned one of them. She was rollin' on the
deck and fired one shot right between the eyes! Then this other creep
turns up in a ditch near Detroit weighted down with buckshot. Sir, if we
had gotten there first, there wouldn't a bin enough left to bury!

"God, we love that girl! Commander, one more thing! I don't know why,
but I think she's special interested in you. You're the first man she's
ever been seen with. I got somethin' you might like to see!"

Stockdale opened the door of his cruiser and returned with his
clipboard. He lifted the forms clipped to it. Underneath them, protected
by acetate, was a photograph of Kathy wearing a tiny white bikini. Her
breasts were thrust out, her back was arched and one arm was behind her
head. "Sir, that was taken at Yale University the night she was elected
Queen of Yale! O' course, that's a Yankee school an' all, but damn, those
boys do have good taste!"

"That's a lovely picture, Stockdale. Does Kathy know you have it?"

The trooper blushed. "O' course she doesn't! At least, I hope she
doesn't..."

"Stockdale," Ken said, "Want to make a deal? I'll get Kathy to
autograph your picture if you tell me where I can get one."

"Commander," the trooper replied, "that's the kind o' deal I like!
Let's go!" The two returned to Kathy's car.

Ken got in, while the trooper stood by Kathy's window. Ken held the
clipboard. "Honey, will you do me a favor?"

"Of course! I told you before: anything," she replied.

Ken reached over Kathy's head to the overhead light control and turned
on the dome light. "Kathy, look at me," he asked. "I have a picture of
you that's very important to him." He dropped his voice to a whisper.
"Hon, he loves you very much. Would you sign it for him?"

Her eyes widened as she saw the picture. She didn't know such a
photograph existed. She took a pen out of the glove compartment and wrote,
"To my dear friend, Trooper William Stockdale, Virginia State Police, with
great respect and affection." she signed it and gave the board back to the
trooper. He read it and blushed.

The trooper was so overwhelmed, his back-country origins sounded even
stronger in his speech: "Thank you, Miss Kathy! If y'all pardon my sayin'
so ma'am, you're the most beautiful woman in the world!"

He passed Ken a slip of paper with a name and address written on it.
Stockdale saluted smartly, "Good night, y'all. I apologize for keepin' you
so long."

Kathy put the car in gear, and after checking for traffic, smoothly
pulled away. "Ken, I'm embarrassed. What did Will tell you?"

"Well, I guess you have the track record for a bootlegger's turn." Even
in the red-orange light coming from the dash he could see her blush. "And,
of course, he and every other law enforcement officer love you like a
sister! Kathy, he's sincere. And honey, if you're good enough to gain the
respect of men like that, you have it made. I think they invented the
word, loyalty."

After retrieving his things from his ship, the destroyer Evans, they
headed back to Virginia Beach. Glancing over, he was sure that the needle
on the speedometer passed 130 but, after his talk with the trooper, Ken
relaxed.

Their lovemaking that night was soft and gentle. After reaching their
climax together Ken and Kathy fell asleep still wrapped in each other's
arms.*Chapter 19*

It was a warm afternoon. Kathy was parked near the brow of Ken's ship,
the USS Evans. She was out of the car facing the ship with her rump on the
front fender. As Ken requested she was wearing her skin-tight Levi's and a
Yale T-shirt. Her golden hair was being blown by the wind off the water
but she made no effort to control it knowing that a flip with a comb would
put it right. It was three forty-five -- 1545 in Ken's language. Her
behavior was totally consistent with respect to people she loved. If she
was asked to do something, she did it if it was within her power to do.
And she loved Ken desperately.

She reflected on this man who had captured her heart. She had not known
him for even a week but could not face the prospect of life without him.
She accepted as a matter of indisputable fact that he was the man she was
made for. It was very simple and straightforward. He had telephoned
earlier in the afternoon and asked her to wear her jeans and a top that
revealed her figure.

He asked her to stand outside her car where she could be seen from his
ship, and to please be there at 1545. She looked down at her chest and
decided with a grin that she just needed water and she was ready for a wet
T-shirt contest. Ken had offered no explanation for the strange request
nor had it occurred to Kathy to ask for one. Her lover had asked her to do
something and she was doing it.

She occupied her time by examining the ship. She identified the hull,
of course, and the bridge. There were single gun mounts fore and aft.
Then there was a bewildering array of antennas that seemed to occupy every
available inch of superstructure. She was surprised at the size and
boxiness of the structure below the bridge.

It appeared to her there had been two different designers at work. The
one who designed the hull had had a sense of aesthetics. It was sleek and
beautiful. The other designer then put a big metal box on the hull. It
was like a packing box shaped to hold a lot of people and equipment, but a
box nonetheless. She thought the second designer had ruined the sleek look
begun by the first.

Although she was totally unfamiliar with the Navy, it seemed there was a
greater-than-normal amount of activity topside since it so close to liberty
at 1600. She wished the O'Rourkes could be with her to explain what was
going on. She thought of them fondly; the young couple were now on their
way to California.

Ken was never far from her thoughts these days. She found herself
wondering about his marriage and divorce. In the few minutes they were
together without being consumed by their passion, a single question kept
recurring with increased intensity each time: How had Ken been financially
ruined? These days such a thing almost never happened. In the rare cases
in which it did happen, there had to be overwhelming fault on one side
coupled with legal representation so poor as to amount to malpractice on
the other.

She had been hearing the General Announcing System in action ever since
she arrived squawking announcements, most of which were totally
unintelligible to her. She made a mental note to learn more about the
Navy. Finally, she heard an announcement she did understand: Liberty was
announced for three of four duty sections. The sailors started streaming
off the ship, most in civilian clothes. She was surprised when those in
uniform saluted her in a most military fashion as they passed. This caused
her to stand up straight and smile in return.

Then Ken came running over. She wanted to laugh as she watched to poor
man try to run with a large suitcase in each hand. She went to the back of
the car and opened the trunk for him. He smiled gratefully and threw the
bags in and shut the lid, then took her in his arms for a hello kiss that
-- as usual -- became more than that. With Ken, she decided, she had a
very short fuse. When he reluctantly pulled away, they were both
breathless.

She blushed as she heard what seemed to be the ship's entire duty
section lined up at the rail cheering their captain and his girl. _Oh,
well,_ she thought, _I might as well make the best of it._ As she went
towards the driver's door, she waved at the ship and smiled. She was
rewarded by a redoubling of the cheers. They got in the car and Kathy
drove away.

"Well," said Ken with a grin, "so much for another of the dumb captain's
great ideas. I'm sorry, honey. I didn't think it would work out this
way."

"What way?" Kathy asked, puzzled, as she concentrated on threading her
way out of the base and back towards the freeway to Virginia Beach. It was
rush hour and slow going.

"Kathy, in the Navy there's a reference to 'the 10 percent that never
gets the word.' It's kind of a standing joke. Well, it's pretty
embarrassing when the captain is in the 10 percent, and particularly when
the word concerns his... his..."

"Mistress is the word you're searching for, dear. I am your mistress,"
Kathy said with a warm smile.

"...lady," Ken finished. "It seems that everyone on the Evans but me
knows who you are and what you are. I kept hearing these snatches of
conversation all day, so I thought they might like to get a better look at
you. It was a disaster. The Exec was afraid guys were going to fall
overboard staring at you, or maybe cause the ship to capsize with all the
weight on the shore side of the vessel. There were comparison made between
you and the top Hollywood beauties..."

Kathy stole a glance at Ken's face. "How did I do?" she asked.

"It was terrible, Kathy. Simply awful!" He concealed a smile as he
watched her face fall. "The others were dismissed out of hand.

"The guy who thought a particularly beautiful star was almost in your
class was accused of having his taste in his feet. Kathy, aboard USS Evans
you are the most beautiful girl in the world. By the way, I didn't say
'considered', I said 'are'. It is established fact, like the sun rising in
the east." He smiled at her warmly.

Kathy smiled, basking in his love. "And where does the captain of the
Evans stand on the question?"

"Where can the captain stand? With his men, of course!" He grinned and
added, "I am their leader, after all."

She glanced at him and saw his face become serious and show concern.
Haltingly, he continued in a voice that initially worried her. "Kathy...
Those bags in the trunk... Kathy, I have no right, but... you..."

"You're moving in with me. That's wonderful!" she exclaimed with a
bright smile.

"But Kathy..."

"Ken," Kathy asked, "what characteristic does the Navy look for in its
officers?"

Ken looked puzzled. "I don't understand your question..."

"Ken, officers -- particularly commanding officers -- are supposed to
exercise initiative. You just did. There is a girl with a big apartment.
She meets this handsome man and instantly falls in love. Her love for him
is so intense, when he's near her he's the only thing in color. The rest
of the world is black-and-white. She wants him to live with her so badly
that she would give him the bedroom and sleep on the floor except when he
wanted to use her body. She is much too frightened to ask him because
she's afraid he'll laugh at her. When he says he's moving in, the girl's
body just starts to melt. She thinks, 'Maybe he cares for me, just a
little, too.' Thank you, Ken, for having me."

As she concentrated on her driving, Ken studied her. _My God!_ he
thought. _I can't believe what I'm hearing! This girl, who has an
abundance of everything a man could possibly want in a woman, feels
unworthy! Of *me*?_

"Ken," Kathy asked, changing the subject, "Why were those sailors
saluting me when they came off the ship? I mean... I'm not an officer or
a flag or anything."

Ken smiled. "Yes you are. Those guys, unlike their ignorant commanding
officer, know all about you. They were saluting your beauty, Kathy. More
than that, they were saluting a hero. When a man is awarded the Medal of
Honor -- the nation's highest award for valor -- he is saluted first,
regardless of his rank or the rank of the person rendering honors. As a
civilian you can't receive that award. Furthermore, it's only awarded in
wartime, and, thank God, we're not fighting anyone right now. You received
the Medal of Freedom which is the closest we can come for a civilian. They
know you saved the lives of their shipmates, Kathy. Several of them were
in Charley's that night."

"Ken, I need to learn about the Navy. Are there some good books I could
read?"

"Kathy, please don't," he protested.

She looked hurt. "Why not?"

"Because in no time flat you would be second guessing the Chief of Naval
Operations... and more than likely _you_ would be right! Honey, people
have been talking about street crime for years and it just gets worse. You
come along right out of law school and it starts to recede here in Norfolk.
You would be trying to shape up the Navy, too."

They had exited the Expressway and were making their way towards the
apartment when Ken saw a sign in the next block. "Kathy, could you stop at
that flower shop in the next block, please?"

She pulled into a parking space and he said he would be right out. A
few minutes later he was back with a long large box which he just managed
to fit across the back seat. When they reached the apartment, Kathy
carried the box while Ken carried his suitcases. She was waiting for him
in the kitchen when he emerged from the bedroom.

"You didn't open it," he said.

Kathy thought she heard a note of disappointment in his voice and said,
"Open what?"

"The box, silly!"

"But... It's for me?"

"Who else would it be for?" Ken asked. "Of course it's for you!" Ken
got another insight into this remarkable girl. Nothing was ever too good
for her friends or too much trouble for her to do for them but she could
not seem to understand that others might ever want to do something for her.
He realized that Kathy Smith was the most unselfish person he had ever met.

Kathy opened the box, revealing dozens of red roses. "Oh, Ken! They're
beautiful! But there are so many..."

"Do you really like them?" he asked diffidently.

_"Like_ them? Oh, Ken, I adore them!" She looked up at him sweetly and
added, "No one has ever given me flowers before!"

He took her in his arms and kissed her. As he did, he wondered how
there could be so many stupid guys in the world. Kathy should be walking
on flowers coming from thousands of admirers. What was wrong?

It was only five o'clock, Kathy noticed, much too early for dinner. She
thought she would get started on a project she had been mulling over in her
mind. In the meantime, Ken had changed into a golf shirt and slacks and
asked her if she would like a drink. She told him there was something she
wanted to do first and led him through the exercise room.

His eyes widened as he saw all of the equipment for the first time. _My
God!_ he thought. _A fully equipped gym, too._

At the far wall Kathy inserted a key and activated a switch. A
motor-driven door opened slowly away from them, and they walked into an
office. Ken hadn't realized it, but when they entered the gym they had
entered the office building fronting the main street. He was in a lawyer's
office. Kathy activated another concealed switch and a section of the wall
of bookcases slid back in place. She excused herself while Ken looked
around and was puzzled. It was a beautifully furnished office suite. _The
sort of surroundings,_ Ken thought, _designed to extract maximum fees from
clients with the minimum of complaint._

Going through to the outer office he found a desk for a
secretary-receptionist and a good-sized conference room next to it.
Something bothered him, but... It suddenly came to him. The office was
unoccupied and had never been occupied. Of course! There were no
magazines in the reception area, no files on the desk -- nothing!

When Kathy emerged from the bathroom, Ken was stunned. A lovely hoyden
wearing jeans and a T-shirt had gone into a room. A lovely young attorney
reappeared in her place. As she smiled at him, Ken saw the unspoken
question in her eyes, _Do you approve?_ She was wearing her favorite
warm-weather outfit: a man-tailored cotton cord suit. The blue in the
material's vertical stripes complemented the blue of her eyes and Ken
whistled appreciatively.

After blushing with pleasure Kathy turned surprisingly businesslike. He
reflected that, given her accomplishments, she had to be good. He smiled
to himself. Behind her on the wall were the usual lawyer's trappings: an
array of framed diplomas, all honors degrees from top schools.

"Commander, I would like to review the facts surrounding your recent
divorce."

Ken was shocked. Kathy was being absolutely serious and businesslike.
_Exactly the way Knight never was,_ Ken thought. "Let's do it! Miss
Smith, what would you like to know? And may I call you Kathy?" he asked.

He melted under her warm smile, "Of course, Commander. Now tell me some
basics."

His ex-wife's name was Sylvia. "Kathy, the easy way to describe Sylvia
is to say that two people could not be greater polar opposites than you
two. You're totally unselfish while she's totally self-centered. You
rejoice in lovemaking; Sylvia hates it. You are bright and gold while
Sylvia is dull and dark. I could go on but you get the idea.

"We had only been married for a few months when Sylvia tells me she is
filing for a divorce. I'm certainly stupid, I freely admit, but not a
complete idiot. The marriage was a disaster from the beginning, so it was
an opportunity to cut my losses. Who knows? I might meet a golden goddess
who melts my insides..."

"Commander, the subject is law, not love." She grinned at him and added,
"If you're good, the love will come later. In fact, even if you're not so
good... But what was the outcome? I gather you were serious when you said
you were financially wiped out?"

Ken smiled wryly. "I was all _too_ serious. Everything I had, she got.
Except for what my lawyer took, of course."

"Who was your lawyer and how did you find him?"

"He is a lawyer named Homer Knight with an office in Norfolk. I
retained him because he was cheap. Also, he was recommended to me by
Sylvia's attorney. Because of the nature of the action, her lawyer
initially was going to represent us both but decided it would be better if
I had my own counsel."

"Ken, you've just learned something. Sometimes the lowest-priced lawyer
can be the most expensive. I smell a rat -- a very big rat -- that's
really stinking up this office. I'll explain in a minute. But first, what
were the grounds for divorce? General incompatibility or something like
it?"

"You're right, but..." Ken stopped, looking puzzled. "But that's not
the way it ended up..."

"What was Sylvia's maiden name?"

"It was Black. Why?"

"Just asking. Ken, were you present at the divorce hearing?"

"No. We were on an extended Med deployment. Homer said that it was all
routine and everything would be taken care of when I got back. Well, the
way it worked out, it wasn't. I was!"

"When did you get back to Norfolk?"

"Early last week... Monday, I guess. Then the roof fell in. When I
met you at Charley's, I had just finished signing over everything at
Knight's office." Ken blushed, remembering. "Kathy, I want to apologize to
you again for what I said to you that night. I would rather forget it, but
I can't. What I said to you was unforgivable. Christ! I think I even
accused you of being a whore!"

"Your words were 'B-girl'," she said with a warm smile. "But there's
absolutely nothing to forgive. After all, I did pick you up in a bar."
Getting back to the subject she asked, "Ken, do you have the final papers
on your divorce?"

"They're on the ship. I didn't even look at them. Homer told me what
happened, and I was just stunned... in a state of shock. I just never
expected... Kathy, can you explain to me what did happen? You seem to
have some idea..."

"Ken, I think you were set up. You were fattened, killed, stuffed,
roasted and served as the main course for dinner. I need to check this out
before I can be sure, but I'll give you my theory. All the known facts fit
it, by the way."

Kathy had a sudden inspiration. "Ken, I don't want there to be any
secrets between us, but could you be a dear and wait out in the reception
room for a minute?" She grinned and added, "There are lots of law books you
can read. They don't have any pictures, but you can admire the big words
we lawyers love to use."

Ken was puzzled but complied. He even took a law book at random off the
shelf out with him. Realizing Kathy wanted privacy, he closed her office
door.

When he left, she picked up the phone, checked in her wallet and dialed
a number. The phone at the other end was picked up on the first ring. A
deep male voice said a single word, "Yes?"

"This is Angel. I need to speak to Tony."

The voice changed instantly from boredom to respect. He sounded like he
had been jerked to attention. "Yes, ma'am! Immediately."

An instant later she heard Tony Donetti's voice. "Can you give me a
minute, Angel? We were in the middle of a conference and the boys are
leaving the office so we can talk." She could hear the sound of movement
and then a door closing. "Now how can I help?" he asked.

"Tony, I have a problem perhaps you can help me with. A friend -- a
very close friend -- is a naval officer. He was just cleaned out in a
divorce action that sounds like a scam. I thought maybe you could ask
around..."

"He's the one, isn't he? He's the man you've been waiting for. I can
hear it in your voice!"

She smiled at his perceptiveness. _My God,_ she thought, _I might as
well advertise it in the papers!_ Aloud she said, "He's the one for me,
Tony, but I don't..."

"Angel, unless he's a hopeless idiot, he's yours. Now, what do I need
to know?"

"There are only a few things now. The officer's name is Commander
Kenneth Stark. His wife's maiden name was Sylvia Black. He was
represented by a conniving creep named Homer Knight."

"Give me a phone number. I'll get right back." He hung up and Kathy
looked at her instrument. He had been as good as his word. He had said
anytime. It was obvious he had stopped a meeting in progress to take her
call.

She went out to the reception room to get Ken. When they returned to
their former seats, she smiled at him lovingly. "My theory is this: You
were filing for a straight uncontested incompatibility divorce -- very
short duration, no children. It can be easily done for a few hundred
dollars by any attorney. It could have been done, in fact, by a single
lawyer representing both sides. I think it's a terrible practice, but it's
done every day, particularly in cases such as yours. The tip was when you
said that you were starting in that direction, when her lawyer... Who is
he, by the way?"

"His name is Holmes. Edward Holmes."

Kathy continued, "Holmes gets his buddy, Knight, in on the scam. He has
to, Ken. They then shift to a fault action. The way you were cleaned out
it had to be all fault: adultery, wife-beating, the whole nine yards. A
single lawyer -- Holmes, in this case -- couldn't represent both parties.
The judge would smell a rat stinking up his courtroom. After reading the
bill of particulars I'm almost certain he would refuse to hear the case if
the defendant were not represented by personal counsel.

"Ken, our system of jurisprudence is grounded on the adversary system.
It's not perfect, heaven knows, but the theory is that when each side
presents its best case, the truth will out. Unfortunately, it can be
defeated if there aren't two sides. If, rather, two attorneys are
representing a single side: in this case, the plaintiff, Sylvia. Does it
make any sense?"

Ken had gone white. She could see perspiration on his forehead in spite
of the climate-controlled environment. "Perfect sense! My God!
Everything I know fits. Can we do anything now?"

"I think so. I'll be right back." Kathy got up and went to the outer
office. He heard a file drawer open and close, then the sound of a
typewriter. He went out to look. Kathy was at the typewriter rapidly
filling out a form. The way her fingers flew over the keys Ken knew she
could be a top-flight legal secretary. _Yet another of her skills,_ he
thought. Then he heard a copier warming up. Kathy spun the form out of
the typewriter and marched back into her office.

"Ken, give me one dollar, please." He looked puzzled, but opened his
wallet. He still had almost all of the $2,000 she had put in it on
Saturday night. He was amused at the idea of giving her back one dollar of
the $2,000 she had given him. He handed her the dollar. "Thank you. Now
please sign above your name at the bottom."

He saw the indicated position and signed, then passed the form back to
her. She signed also, went to the outer office and came back moments later
with two copies. She gave him one of them. "What's this?" he inquired.

"Ken, you have just signed a form retaining me to act as your attorney
in all matters relating to your divorce. The form, a copy of which will go
to Homer Knight, certified mail, removes him as your attorney of record,
effective immediately. The money was my full fee for services. I
acknowledged receipt of the fee and accepted the appointment."

"One dollar? That's all?" he said in a bemused voice.

Kathy shook her head sadly and said, "After all the damned trouble you
got yourself into, would you do me a big favor? For God's sake, will you
read a paper _before_ you sign it? If you had read the damned form you
would have seen '$1 and other valuable considerations,' the nature of said
'other valuable considerations' I'll leave to your imagination," she
replied smiling lasciviously.

The telephone rang and Kathy picked it up. It was Tony. She glanced at
the clock and found it had been less than thirty minutes since they first
talked. He must need more information.

"Angel, you got it right. No wonder you did the job you did for the DA!
Sylvia Black -- we'll call her that because that's the name you know her by
-- is a small-time grifter. She has a good little business going fleecing
sailors. Angel, I'm embarrassed. We provide certain... services to the
fleet, but this was never intended to be one of them. Apparently she works
it by acting like she has... connections... I can absolutely assure you
she does not have!

"She works with a sleaze named Holmes, but she's the brains. I haven't
got it all yet, but I have already found at least three other guys she's
cleaned out in less than two years. They're always sailors and it always
works the same way. Your man was out on a long cruise, wasn't he?"

Kathy answered, "Yes."

"I thought so: He had to be. They always are. The sucker... I'm
sorry, Angel... the man thinks he's going for an uncontested divorce.
There's always another lawyer in it with them representing the guy. The
guy is served with papers, which -- if he bother to read them and they
never do -- say uncontested, no-fault and all that other good stuff. Then
the papers are switched. There is a new filing replacing the others. The
new filing alleges physical cruelty, adultery and anything else her
creative mind can add. And she _is_ creative, I'm told. There's sewer
service on the new papers and off they go.

"They try to time the trial for just after the guy sails so everything
is all wrapped up with a big red bow by the time he gets back. Then he's
just told who to sign over what to. The poor guy doesn't even know what
hit him. And even if he smells a rat he doesn't have a dime left to use
for another lawyer.

"There's more, Angel. It's embarrassing to me! They use some of my
people. girls to testify... that sort of thing. Kathy, Sylvia may be a
masochist. One of our people whipped her so she could show the fresh marks
on her back. It was done close enough to the time of the split that the
colors would be right and all that.

"How much more do you need, Angel? If you agree, the word is going out
that she is not protected and the judge will be amenable to reopening the
case."

"That's all I need. I agree," she said cryptically.

"He's sitting with you, isn't he? You don't need to answer. Thank you,
Angel! I appreciate it very much."

"What do you mean?" she asked, very puzzled.

"The opportunity to help you. I was hoping, but frankly, I couldn't
really think of how I could. Call me if you need any more. By the way,
Tom and Cindy -- he's calling her Cindy, not Cynthia, now -- are back from
their honeymoon. My God, they just radiate happiness. I still owe you...
big! And so does Sal. We love you Angel. Good bye."

After hanging up, she looked at the instrument. _Good heavens!_ she
thought. _He got it all and in only thirty minutes._ She looked at Ken and
said, "I won't tell you, yet, who was on the end of that call, but I will
tell you... Please wait one more second!"

She hit the redial button. The same voice answered the same way. "This
is Angel. I need to speak to Tony."

An instant later he was back on the line. "What did you forget?"

"I need the name she used in her previous marriage, the court in which
the divorce was filed -- that sort of thing."

"Wait one second," he said. He was almost as good as his word. "It was
Collins. She was Mrs. Edward Collins. It was in Newport News on... May
15 of _this year!_ Angel, you did it! I didn't know before, but I'm
starting to see the way your mind works. I'll bet you've got her on
bigamy! I am prepared to have my girls recant their testimony with Stark,
testify about whipping Sylvia and all of that stuff. I still will without
a second's thought if you need it, but with bigamy it all blows away,
right? Let me know." Tony hung up.

"Ken, when did you marry Sylvia? It's important."

"The second Day of Infamy? It was March... Of course! The ides of
March: March 15! Me and Julius Caesar," He replied with a smile.

"Bingo!" Kathy shouted and rushed around the desk to launch herself into
his lap. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him joyously -- and
then passionately. Slowly she pulled away and allowed her head to clear
from the effects of his kiss, but stayed on his lap. "Honey, you're home
free! You get it all back. Every dime! She was a bigamist. On March 15,
she was still legally married to a guy named Edward Collins. Your marriage
never took place!"

Ken looked at the lovely girl he was holding in his arms. Somehow she
was feather-light on his lap. In less than one hour and two phone calls
she had put his life back together. After kissing her softly he asked,
"How did you know?"

"Ken," she replied, feeling almost childlike in his arms, "Sylvia was
running a racket. My source -- who is unusually reliable -- found three
marriages and is confident there were more -- possibly many more. She
always worked with Holmes although the other lawyer changed from time to
time." She went on to explain what she had learned and its significance.

Finally she said, "Can I stop playing lawyer now? Can I take you up on
the drink offer?"

Ken was amused. Instead of wearing her suit back to the apartment she
went back into her washroom and reappeared moments later in her jeans and
T-shirt. He made drinks while she made dinner. That night they went to
bed early with Kathy jumping in first. The covers were up around her neck
when he emerged from the bathroom. She flipped them back to welcome him,
revealing her beautiful golden body. "Now about those 'other valuable
considerations'..."

They got very little sleep that night as they took turns waking each
other for more lovemaking.*Chapter 20*

The next morning Kathy was dressed in her lawyer suit as she drove Ken
back to his ship. Then she crossed the bridge to Newport News and went to
the courthouse where she was immediately recognized as she entered. After
obtaining a copy of the Collins divorce papers she found a pay phone and
called Tony Donetti. Once again he picked up immediately after she
identified herself. "Tony, I'm clear to talk. I'm at a pay phone in
Newport News and I'm getting ready to see our sleazy friend, Mr. Holmes.

"One thing I'll need is names of people who will testify that Sylvia was
Sylvia Collins. I also need her current address. She's the kind who
changes identities as fast as a chameleon changes its color. Also, if you
have Holmes office address it would save me from walking my fingers through
the telephone directory. And Tony, I hope you don't mind if I go for
disbarment on Homes, and Homer Knight, too, if I can prove collusion."

"Angel, why would I possibly mind? Go get 'em, tiger. The names of the
people are easy to get. Do you need them now?"

"No, Tony. I was pretty sure but I wanted to check with you first. I
want to be sure there _are_ some witnesses in case Holmes tries to bluff it
out."

Donetti gave Kathy Holmes' address, Sylvia's address and the assurance
that she would not be able to hide. Getting back into her car she drove to
her old office in Norfolk.

When she walked in, she found Peter there. He closed his office door,
looked at her steadily and then exclaimed, "Katherine Smith, you are in
love! And on you it looks great. It happened over the weekend, didn't
it?" Kathy blushed and nodded. "Who's the lucky guy?"

She told him about Ken and his divorce. "Pete, this stuff is new to me.
I don't really know what it takes. What evidence do you need to move?"

"Kathy, I'll help you all I can. What we need is an admission from him
that he knew Sylvia had already married Stark while he was working on the
Collins divorce. Hon, even though its almost never prosecuted, bigamy is a
felony. If he admits to knowledge, he's an accessory after the fact. Of
course, there could be other marriages worked this way. Then you not only
get disbarment, you get felony prosecution on conspiracy to commit fraud,
bigamy... It could be a very interesting indictment!

"I have one question, though. It's Wednesday. You only met the guy on
the weekend, yet you seem to know everything there is to know about the
scam already. Wait! Don't answer! I'll hear about Kathy Smith, girl wonder-worker, and feel inadequate again."

He grinned at her and she gave him a warm smile in return. After the
emotion-filled day the previous Friday she was glad his sense of humor was
still intact.

"Kathy, I have an idea, if you'll go for it. Carry a wire when you meet
him. If he says what I'm confident you'll get him to say, he's dead meat.
Do you want to try?"

"Let's do it!" Kathy exclaimed with delight.

Peter called a police technician. While waiting, Kathy said, "Pete, one
thing occurred to me. I have a carry permit for my gun in connection with
my DA's job which I no longer have. Is the permit still good?"

"No. As a matter of fact, it was revoked this morning. May I have it,
please?" Pete's voice was flat as he spoke.

Kathy was hurt but she said nothing. She found the permit in her wallet
and gave it to him.

After glancing at it, he tore it up and dropped the pieces in his
wastebasket. Then he reached into his desk, took out two laminated cards
without looking and flipped them across the desk to Kathy. "These are
yours," he said. As usual, his face was totally expressionless.

Kathy picked up the cards which both looked very official. One was
headed United States of America, while the other said Commonwealth of
Virginia. Both had ID pictures of her identical to the one formerly on her
District Attorney's identification. "What are these?" she asked.

"I'm not really sure," Pete answered, appearing bored by the subject.
"The Federal one is some sort of junior G-Man, or junior federal marshal,
or something stupid like that. The other is something similar from the
State. I guess it gives the overpaid bureaucrats something to do with
their time. At any rate, it amounts to a Federal gun permit. By the way,
I asked where the junior G-Man badge and cap gun were that usually come
with this junk." His face broke into a wide grin. "Kathy, they didn't seem
to be amused!" At that they both burst into laughter.

"By the way, I can't think what the Virginia one does that the Federal
one doesn't do on a broader scale. I finally came to the conclusion that
the Governor looks on you as one of his people, and he won't back off for
the Feds. Of course, I seem to recall a certain unpleasantness a hundred
years or so ago when Virginia didn't back down, either."

As Pete was talking, Kathy had been idly examining the card. Then she
looked at its Virginia counterpart. "Pete, this is strange. It says I am
a special U.S. Marshall; Virginia says I am a special agent of the
Virginia Bureau of Investigation. It may be a weird way to get a pistol
permit, but I think I may have accidentally picked up some arrest powers.
If I'm right, they're concurrent. Federal or state charges, I can pick
them up."

Pete was suddenly interested. "Kathy, could I see them again, please?"
He read them carefully and then spun in his chair to pick up a phone on the
credenza behind him. His back was to her and he was speaking in a low tone
of voice which was unusual for him. She could not hear what he was saying
or to whom. As he was talking, there was a knock on the door. She got up
and opened it.

A conservatively dressed man was at the door. "Miss Smith? I'm sorry
to interrupt, but I'm here to see you. My name is Joe Peters. I'm Special
Agent in Charge of the FBI office here in Norfolk. May I come in?" He took
a seat in the chair next to Kathy's. Meanwhile, Pete was continuing his
phone conversation. "Miss Smith, I don't quite know how to begin. Did
Pete give you a card this morning? One with your picture identifying you
as a special U.S. Marshall?"

Kathy nodded. Things were getting interesting. Peters continued, "I've
known Peter Mahoney for years, and I know his sense of humor. However, I
guess some folks inside the Beltway make careers out of taking themselves
very seriously. At any rate, Pete made some crack about a junior G-Man
badge and they came all unglued. Miss Smith, I have something for you that
came down from Washington in a special pouch. I was asked to deliver it to
you personally." He reached into his briefcase and pulled out a small
rectangular box.

Kathy opened it. It was a gold badge with the legend, United States of
America, on top and Department of Justice below. There was a shield which
she assumed to be the seal of the Justice Department. It also said Special
Marshall. Turning it over she saw engraved on the back Katherine J.
Smith.

Agent Peters was smiling now. Going back into his case he pulled out a
thin black leather wallet, then tapped Peter on the shoulder. Pete nodded
and passed him a card. Then the agent asked Kathy for the badge. After
taking it from her, he fumbled for a few moments, then passed the case back
to her. "Open it," he said. She did. The badge was pinned to one side of
the wallet and the ID card to the other. With a grin he said, "Us real
G-Men carry ours that way, so I guess Junior G-Men should, too.

"Miss Smith, will you please stand?" Kathy did so. Peter had completed
his call and was watching the proceedings with amusement. "Raise your
right hand and repeat after me: I, Katherine J. Smith, do solemnly swear
that I will uphold the Constitution of the United States and its laws as a
Special Marshall of the United States Department of Justice, so help me
God."

Kathy did so, and was moved. _This is no joke,_ she thought.

"Miss Smith..."

Please call me Kathy, Mr. Peters."

"Kathy, then -- and please call me Joe -- there are some papers to fill
out and that sort of garbage. Please don't forget your social-security
number. They need it for your paycheck."

"Paycheck! _What_ paycheck?" Kathy nearly screamed.

"Your Department of Justice paycheck, of course," Peters replied looking
very amused. "I've heard about you from Pete, of course. You're the girl that doesn't do things for money, so you didn't even ask what the job pays
before you let me swear you in."

"But I don't want any money!" Kathy wailed. _This is getting out of
hand!_ she thought.

Mahoney could no longer control his laughter. He held up one finger and
Peters grinned and nodded vigorously. Pete finally controlled himself
enough to say, "Kathy, it pays one dollar per year -- and you have to take
it. It's a Federal offense to work for the U.S. Government for nothing!
As the two men were laughing, Peters was nodding his head to what Mahoney
had just said. Kathy joined in their laughter.

When the laughter died down, Pete said, "While you two were laughing it
up, I was talking to Richmond. You were absolutely right, Kathy. You have
the _full_ Junior G-Man kit, complete with arrest powers. Believe it or
not, those two sets of idiots -- Washington and Richmond -- are still
debating whether special legislation is needed for concurrent powers of
arrest. It's a bureaucratic classic. They don't know if it's needed at
all, but if it is, is it Federal of state? Or both?

"Kathy, you may have generated enough work to keep full departments busy
in both places for a year! And I hope you're satisfied." By the time
Mahoney finished his speech, both Kathy and Peters were howling with
laughter. Tears were rolling down her cheeks.

"Then I told Richmond that the FBI's SAIC was in my office preparing to
swear you in as a special Federal marshal. They made me write down the
words so I could swear you in now, too. Of course, the State's more frugal
with its money. They're not paying you. You _can_ work of the State for
free. In fact, they prefer it, so you are."

Turning serious, he swore her in as a special agent of the Virginia
Bureau of Investigation. After she took the oath he added, "By the way,
they asked me to apologize that your badge isn't ready yet. I gave them
your address and it should arrive, registered mail, within a week. It also
comes with its own wallet. I told them the Federal wallet was black and to
get a different color so you can pull the right one. The jerk thanked me
for the information, would you believe? It would be a helluva note if you
try to make a Federal collar and pull a State badge!"

Mahoney's intercom buzzed. His secretary told him that Police Sergeant
Kowalski was in the office to see him by appointment. Kowalski was shown
in and introduced. As Peters was preparing to leave, Mahoney had an idea.
"Joe, do you have another minute? It just occurred to me that what Kathy
and I were talking about could concern you."

"Pete, would you excuse me a moment?" Kathy asked. "Could I use my old office to make a phone call? It's important. You can brief Joe while I'm
gone."

She went back to her old office, closed the door, and was relieved to
find that nothing had been changed. She had a direct line there that did
not go through the office switchboard and had no extensions that she used
to call Tony Donetti again. Moments later he was on the phone.

"Tony, I'm on a secure line. By any chance, do you have any other
names, dates and places on Sylvia's marriage scam?"

Donetti chuckled, "I sure do, and I was wondering what to do with them.
I don't feel right calling you. Anyhow, it's like that Walt Disney thing
when the buckets start bringing water and Mickey Mouse can't turn them off?
Well, the guys heard it was for Angel so they won't quit. Do you have
paper? Good. I'll read them off to you." He did.

Before she hung up, Tony had given her twelve names over a four-year
period. She was only missing a few dates. Tony gave her an organized list
with name, date of marriage, date and place of divorce -- but not all the
blanks were filled. But it was enough -- more than enough. She had to
study the dates more carefully, but she was reasonably sure that at one
point Sylvia was married to three men at the same time. She thanked
Donetti and then changed the subject.

"Tony, something just happened that you should know about." She filled
him in on the badges she was now carrying and ended by saying, "It nets out
that I have full arrest powers, but no one can tell me to do anything. I
just wanted you to hear it direct from me."

Donetti laughed and said, "I think it's great, Angel. You now have the
ultimate carry permit. You know, I think they did a very smart thing. You
can use that weapon of yours better than anyone else carrying a badge!
They gave it to the right girl. No one else knows this, right?"

"You're right, Tony. One more thing. There may be a Federal charge
against Sylvia. Were all the names you just gave me Navy?"

"Sure were -- and they were all officers. Need anything else?"

"No, Tony. And thanks... Just thanks!"

"Good bye, Angel. One more thing. The boys and I are getting a real
kick out of being on the right side of the law for a change. Just thought
you might like to know."

When she hung up, she called Holmes' office and made an appointment to
see him there at two o'clock. Then she returned to Mahoney's office where
the men were waiting for her. "Kathy, Joe thinks there is a Federal angle,
but he had better tell you himself."

Peters said, "This is all from memory, and I'll check it back at the
office to be sure, but it works like this: Back in the Second World War
several servicemen's protection laws were passed. You can't garnishee a
serviceman's pay, for example. Were these guys out of the country? Pete
said he thought they were, but wasn't sure. If they were, I think that's
the hook. You can't act against a serviceman if he can't be present to
defend himself."

Kathy brought out Donetti's list. "I have a surprise for you. While
you important law-enforcement types were in here shooting the shit..."

Eyebrows were raised at Kathy's use of the phrase. Pete commented, "How
unladylike! Joe, you can see how she's gone to the dogs in less than a
week away from the office! Shame!"

"Shooting the shit!" Kathy repeated, with emphasis, "the loyal girl detective was working her fingers to the bone for her munificent Federal
wage. I have a list of twelve names with most of the dates and all of the
places. This is four years' worth. They are all naval officers. None was
present at the trial that cleaned him out. All were deployed overseas,
mostly to the Med. Did I do good? Huh?"

The men laughed with her, but quickly turned serious when they looked
over her sheet. She had made copies for each of them before she came in.
Joe Peters was the first to speak. "Kathy, let me check something. When
did you first start this investigation?" She replied that it was the night
before, about five o'clock.

Peters whistled appreciatively. "I knew it was quick, but... My God,
that's only about fifteen hours, and almost all of it was nighttime. I
don't suppose you want to tell me the source?" Kathy shook her head, no.
"I didn't think so. Pete, this girl is tapped into the finest intelligence
network around. You know that the FBI cracks a lot of cases by digging
around in dusty ledgers, old bank records, court files... that sort of
thing.

"Believe me, I've been there and I know how tedious and time-consuming
it is. If I had put my entire office on this project, I don't think they
could have produced this in less than eight weeks. And after eight weeks,
I doubt if our list would be nearly this complete. This was put together
in less than twenty-four hours! What I wouldn't give for your sources..."

He continued with a grin, "Kathy, you earned your Junior G-Man badge...
and at least half of your year's pay. Well... maybe one-third. But it's
definitely a good start!" he said brightly. Everyone laughed.

"Joe," Pete said, "Am I correct in assuming that it should be a very
simple matter to complete the sheet? Obtain the missing dates? All the
divorce dates are here along with the courts. How long would it take to
get the corresponding wedding dates?"

"Hell, Pete, one of my girls ought to be able to fill in the blanks this
afternoon. Let's do it! If you don't need me any longer, I'm going to put
this show on the road."

Kathy looked at Pete and then at Sergeant Kowalski. "I have an
appointment with Holmes in his office at two. What do I do? I assume Mr.
Mahoney told you I'm going to be wired."

Kowalski quickly reviewed the various forms of recording devices. The
smallest one available was cylindrical in shape and a bit smaller in
diameter and a little shorter than a long cigar. They talked about Holmes.
Although no one knew him, they assumed he would be wary and sensitive to
the possibility of recording. As they talked, an idea occurred to Kathy.
"Sergeant, how small is the smallest microphone you have?"

"It's tiny," he replied. "Look." He took out a tiny mike about the
diameter of a shirt button but much thinner. She asked if it could be
taped in place. He answered that with special sound-conductive tape he
had, yes. Finally, she asked about wire and was told that he had some that
wasn't much thicker than sewing thread. Kathy was excited. Her idea might
work.

"Guys, listen and tell me how this sounds. Let's assume that he's as
sensitive as we think he is. I go in wearing a skin-tight dress. He'll
ask, and I'll leave my purse with his secretary so when we go into his
office, there's just me. He spills and I record. What do you think?"

"Ma'am, it would work fine, but where do we put the gear? Solve that,
and I think we're there. But how do we solve it?"

Kathy checked her watch and found there was just enough time to get to
her apartment and then back to the office. "Sergeant, get that cylindrical
thing, the thin wire and a button mike. I'll meet you back here at one.
The target's office is only a two-minute walk from here."

After racing back to her apartment, Kathy ran to the closet. After
stripping, she put on a plain white dress with a "V" neck. The fabric
outlined her body contours clearly. _Perfect!_ she thought. It even
showed the outline of her bikini briefs. Then she picked up one other item
from the apartment and finally in the interest of modesty grabbed a
lightweight tan raincoat on her way out.

Promptly at one o'clock she met Sergeant Kowalski. When they went into
her old office, she immediately closed the blinds. "Sergeant," Kathy said
with a grin, "since you are about to know me intimately, we ought to be on
a first-names basis. You know mine, but what's yours?"

"It's George, ma'am... I mean, Kathy." He grinned.

"Well, here goes!" she said as she lifted the tight-fitting dress over
her head. Now she was standing nude in front of him except for her shoes
and bikini. Kowalski's eyes bulged and he let out a low, appreciative
whistle.

Then he blushed red as a lobster. "I'm terribly sorry, Kathy, but I
have never in my life seen a body like yours!" Regaining control, he asked,
"What do we do?"

"I want you to tape the mike to the inside of my breast. But first, let
me see the transmitter." Reaching into her pocketbook, she took out a
corona cigar enclosed in an aluminum cylinder. "Will it fit in this? And
is it heat sensitive? To body heat? By the way, George, you're welcome to
the cigar if you smoke them. It's a very good one."

Kowalski examined the cylinder and took the transmitter from his pocket.
It fit easily. After wrapping it in padding, he put it into the empty
cigar tube. The tiny device combined a short-range transmitter and a
battery with a three-hour transmitting life. The antenna was the third
wire in the strand of threadlike wire connecting the transmitter with the
microphone.

"But where are you going to put it? It's small, but not invisible." She
told him and his jaw dropped. "Kathy, you can't be serious... I mean... I
mean the wires... My God, Kathy, I couldn't..."

"I can, George, but thank you for caring. Now, can it take body heat
and moisture?" He nodded yes. "Okay, here's what we do. Connect the wires
and seal the cylinder. I'll put it in and then you tape the wires and the
mike. Okay?" He nodded and reluctantly did what she asked.

Kathy took off her bikini when George left the room. Sitting on the
edge of the desk with her thighs spread wide she gently inserted the
cylinder into her vagina. With her finger she pushed it up as far as she
could, being careful not to jar the wire. Carefully, she slid into her
briefs and knocked on the door, the signal to George that he could come
back in. After locking the door again he got out his tape.

"Kathy, I think the less we use the better. He looked over her body
critically. "Kathy, I think we ought to... I need to see the dress for a
second," he said, excited. She handed it to him and he flipped it
inside-out. "Shit! I should have known. It's knitted, not sewn. I was
hoping I could follow a seam, but there aren't any. Well, back to the
drawing boards. How about if I follow the curve of your abdomen and belly
up to the inside of your right breast? The mike is omnidirectional, so it
really doesn't matter a whole lot, but try to have your left shoulder a bit
towards Holmes. If you do that, he'll be talking directly into the mike."

Carefully, he executed the plan. He had been utterly amazed at Kathy's
cool unconcern about her nudity. She allowed him to work on her body as if
she were a department-store dummy. But, as he carefully placed the mike on
the inside of her right breast, he could see her nipple start to harden.

Finally, he helped her on with her dress. It was only one-thirty; the
whole process including the discussion had taken only thirty minutes. For
the final test they went to Peter's office.

"My God," he said, "Kathy, you look like a dream. But you're late!
You've got to be wired." He turned to George. "Come on, Kowalski! Let's
get this show on the road!"

Kathy ignored him and made a model's turn. "See anything? I _am_
wired! Listen!"

With that Kathy closed the office door as she went out to chat with
Mahoney's secretary. As she was leaving, George plugged in and activated
the combination receiver-recorder. Kathy approached Peter's secretary,
apologized for interrupting her, but said she needed a woman's opinion.
She said she loved Peter Mahoney dearly but he had his taste in his feet.
She told the girl that she had been invited to a big dance at the Officer's
Club on Saturday night with a _very_ special guy. Would the dress she was
wearing be appropriate?

Peter's secretary was a young black girl named Grace Washington. Grace
was only one year out of high school and she worshiped Kathy. Grace looked
at Kathy carefully, then said, "Miss Smith, he's the one, isn't he?"

Kathy knew what Grace meant but feigned ignorance. "The one what,
Grace? I don't understand."

Grace fairly beamed. "Yes you do, Miss Smith. You are the most
beautiful girl I've ever seen. But now... now you beam like the sun,
you're so radiant! Ma'am you _must_ have met the man you've been waiting
for all this time. Miss Smith, before I answer your question about the
dress, you have to answer one of mine. Are you planning on sleeping with
him Saturday night?"

Kathy nodded shyly but said, "Grace, why do you ask a question like
that?"

"Because wearing that dress with no intention of sleeping with the
gentleman... Why, Miss Smith, that's as good a definition of 'cruel and
unusual punishment' as I can imagine. It surely is cruel, and it has to be
unusual."

Kathy asked the girl about her schooling. She knew Grace was enrolled
in night school.

"I got straight 'A's' last term, Miss Smith!" the girl said proudly.
"I'm going to take more courses next term. I want to go to law school some
day." The girls continued to talk about Grace's plans.

Meanwhile in his office Peter was listening in amazement. "She's
wired!" he exclaimed.

"That's what I said, sir. She's wired," Kowalski said.

"But where, in the name of God, is it?" Peter nearly shouted. "She
can't be wired in that dress! You can see _everything_ and there's no bug.
It's a trick!"

Kowalski shook his head and told him where it was. "It's Kathy, sir. I
never would have thought of it, and if I had thought of it I wouldn't have
dared even mention it to her! She is _some_ woman!"

Meantime, Peter was listening to the girls talk about school. When he
heard Grace Washington mention her grades, he exclaimed, "Oh, shit! I'm
going to lose a secretary in January... and a damned good one, too!"

Kowalski looked at Mahoney as if he had lost his mind. "What do you
mean? Why would she quit?"

Peter looked at him sadly and replied, "Because, Kowalski, Kathy's going
to pay for her full-time college education. That's why."

"But... But that's ridiculous! college is expensive these days,
and..."

Peter interrupted. "I happen to know there are two kids just out of the
Navy driving across country right now. They're headed for California, and
school. The girl -- who's cute as a button, I hear -- is going to USC, and
then on to USC Law. Her husband is going to Cal Tech for the eight years
or so that it will take him to get his _doctorate,_ for chrissakes. It's
all paid. Kathy paid it! Kowalski, we're talking big money now. Kathy's
loaded.

One day Kathy gave me a check for something -- maybe ten dollars or so
-- drawn on United Virginia Bank. As a joke, I called the bank and said I
had a check from Katherine Smith, and was it good? The answer was, 'It's
good.' I said that I hadn't told him the amount. He repeated, 'It's good.'

"Kowalski, how much money do you have to have for UVB to say, 'It's
good,' without asking the amount? I guess $10 million or more. She's
going to pay for Grace Washington's education, as sure as you're sitting
there!"

"But... But Grace Washington is black!" George blurted out.

"Kowalski, to Kathy she is a _person._ Kathy doesn't care if the girl is
green, orange, or yellow with purple polka-dots! She sees a girl who is
working hard -- struggling -- to get ahead. Kathy helps those people. Why
do you suppose every person who knows Kathy Smith _loves_ her? Look at
you, for chrissakes! What word did you use? I forgot. But I think you
meant courageous... guts... She's Kathy, and that says it all! She's
coming back."

Kathy entered the room and asked, "How did it go? Could you hear?"
Turning to Kowalski she asked, "George, don't these things have some way so
the wearer knows she's being heard?" George nodded. "Great! Try it, so
I'll know."

"Kathy, on this unit it transmits a small shock. I don't want..."

"George! Do it! Now!" Kathy commanded. He did. Peter watched and
Kathy didn't move or jump, but just smiled. "Great! It works! Be sure
you hit it when I get into Ed Holmes' office. I don't want my upcoming
Academy Award performance to be lost to posterity."

* * *

Edward Holmes came out to his reception area to great her. He was
obviously impressed -- and wary. He saw her purse and then he looked over
the girl. The white dress she was wearing fit like a second skin. _My
God!_ Holmes thought, _I can even see the line of her underpants! And from
the look of those nipples, she can't be wearing a bra!_ He wasn't at all
sure about her purse, though. "Miss Smith, welcome! I've seen you on
television so often, I feel I know you. What can I do for you?"

"I am representing Commander Kenneth Stark, Mr. Holmes. I have come to
get his money back. Since you are representing the former Mrs. Stark, I
thought I would start with you."

"I'm delighted to talk with you. But would you mind leaving your purse
with my secretary? I'm sensitive to certain things."

"Not at all," replied Kathy. "There's nothing in it I need."

She gave her purse to the secretary, entered the office and seated
herself in a chair. Its location positioned the mike perfectly. She
waited for Holmes to be seated and then began. There were a few moment of
pleasantries during which she again felt the curious shock in her vagina.
_In fact,_ she thought, _it's really quite a pleasant sensation. Now,
since we have the broadcast audience, let's get with it!_

"Mr. Holmes, let's get to the point of this meeting. I said in your
reception area that I want Commander Stark's money back. I do. I should
have added, I suppose, that I want you, Sylvia Stark, and that clown who
represented Commander Stark, Homer Knight, in jail." Holmes was shocked at
her statement and showed it.

"I have evidence that Sylvia -- I'll call her Sylvia, because only God
knows what her real name is -- that Sylvia's divorce from Edward Collins
was not final until May 15 of this year. Unfortunately, she had attempted
to marry my client on March 15, sixty days earlier. As we both know,
counselor, bigamous marriages don't count. One cannot obtain a divorce if
one is not married.

"In my purse on your secretary's desk is a list of twelve marriages
Sylvia entered into and twelve divorces she has gone through _in the last
four years!_ You can ask her to bring in the list if you're interested in
the details. The interesting thing is, Mr. Holmes, you represented her in
every action. The defendant's attorney changed from time to time, but you
and Sylvia were constants in all the equations. You represented her in
every one!

"Mr. Holmes, I am sure that you know that bigamy is a felony in this
state. It is not often prosecuted, but it remains an active statute.
Knowledge before the fact makes you at least an accessory, and more
probably a co-conspirator. Then, of course, there are the Federal charges.
They're still being researched, but I think they'll prove very interesting.
Some fascinating protective legislation was enacted during World War II.
It applies particularly to servicemen on duty outside the continental
United States.

"Every one of Sylvia's victims was outside the country when your charade
played out. The FBI's SAIC in Norfolk is looking into the law now using
the services of the U.S. Attorney's office. Then, of course, there are
witnesses. My favorite is the girl who whipped Sylvia at an appropriate
time so she could have the marks to show in court. That person is
convinced that Sylvia is sick and is anxious to testify. Then there is...
But need I go on?"

Holmes had been sitting behind his desk listening to Kathy's recital.
He felt a horrible sinking sensation as he felt his world disintegrate
beneath him. It was only through an extraordinary effort of will that he
remained impassive. He was sweating profusely, though, and could feel
perspiration forming on his forehead and his scalp, and feel it running
down his back between his shoulder blades.

When Kathy mentioned the whipping, it was too much. Holmes cracked. He
jumped to his feet and screamed, "You can't prove that! They would never
testify! Sylvia promised me. She's connected. That's how we were able to
get all of the witnesses in the first place. Of course I knew about it.
I'm her partner! The whole idea was mine. Sylvia has the connections to
get the people we need."

He started to calm down a bit as he continued, "I think you're right
about one thing, though: I think Sylvia is a masochist. I was with her
when... By God, it was for your Commander Stark's divorce! She had this
girl with a whip -- a big long bull whip, for God's sake. Sylvia braced
herself against a wall with her arms outstretched, stripped to her panties.
She had this girl whip her. After each stroke, she would just shudder a
little -- it was almost a sexual thing -- examine herself in the mirror and
then tell the girl where the next whip stroke should be applied. You know,
I think it carried the trial. It was so effective when Sylvia bared her
back and showed the whip marks. A finding of fault was in the bag."

Kathy was growing concerned. Strangely, Holmes' confidence seemed to
grow as he told how the scheme had worked. There was probably enough to
convict them on the tape already, but she wanted to be sure. Then she had
an idea. "Counselor, when did you contrive this scheme? As I said
earlier, we have twelve cases over the last four years, but we really
haven't looked very hard."

Holmes puffed up in importance. "I started it eight years ago. Of
course, you missed some. The total is thirty-two. We do four every year,
so there are another four within the period you missed. They weren't all
in the Tidewater area, of course, so that might explain it.

"Would you believe it, Miss Smith? I found Sylvia in a whorehouse. She
showed promise and certainly developed. Every one of the marriages over
the last five years has been to an officer. Many were Annapolis graduates.
We fooled them all!"

"What about Homer Knight? How does he fit in?" she asked. It was all
Kathy could do to control herself when she learned Ken's former wife had
also been a prostitute.

"I like Homer. I think we'll probably use him again because he's very
good at gaining the victim's confidence. On the other hand, he's greedy.
He wasn't satisfied with what Stark paid him and wanted some of mine, too.
So I really don't know."

Rising from his chair he came around the desk and said, "Miss Smith,
it's been a real pleasure. It's been a particular pleasure to watch your
nipples move under your dress. You are, indeed, a beautiful creature. tv tape and newspaper photographs do not do you full justice. Good bye, Miss
Smith. It's too bad you can't prove any of this. Now let me escort you to
the door."

They went back to the reception area and Kathy retrieved her handbag.
Under the guise of ensuring that all of her belongings were intact, she
pulled out her new ID wallet. "Mr. Holmes, you are under arrest for
Federal conspiracy." She showed him her shiny new gold badge and said, "I
am a special United States Marshall. Everything you said in your office
has been recorded for your future listening pleasure."

"It can't be! There's no way you could be wired! Where is it? I
demand to see the recording device. You're lying to me and trying to trick
me. I refuse to go, and you cannot make me!" As he spoke, Holmes quickly
opened a drawer in the desk. Kathy could see the butt of a pistol that
Holmes was reaching for.

Holding her purse in her left hand, Kathy's right moved with the speed
of a striking cobra, producing the LadySmith in her hand aimed directly at
Holmes' overweight midsection. "I believe I can, Mr. Holmes. And I don't
think you want to touch that weapon. It could be quite hazardous to your
health. And surely you don't want to add resisting arrest to your list of
troubles?" Her pistol disappeared back into its holster as quickly as it
had appeared in her hand.

She escorted Holmes back to Mahoney's office and turned him over to
waiting uniformed officers and an FBI special agent Joe had sent over.
Mahoney had called him and told him that the tape of Holmes' confession was
of broadcast quality. Returning to her office, she stripped off her dress
and briefs, quickly detached the equipment and carefully extracted the
transmitter from the cigar tube, throwing the tube away.

She dressed again and returned Kowalski's equipment. "Thank you,
George. I think it went well, but I'm no expert. What did you think?"

"It was perfect, Kathy! Technically, it couldn't be better. The tape
is broadcast quality, it's so good. You and the DA know far more about its
value as evidence, but it sounded to me like he hung himself at least a
couple of times. I would like to use this device with some of our
policewomen, but they would kill me if I even mentioned it. If the need
ever arises, would you come down and explain it to them? By the way, that
was a great cigar. I smoked it while you were in there with Holmes."

Kathy checked the time and found it was almost four o'clock. She would
be late to meet Ken at his ship. Waving to Peter, she dashed out to her
car, still carrying her raincoat in her hand. Heads turned in unison to
watch her progress as she ran to her car.

She arrived at the ship only one minute late and found Ken waiting for
her as she drove up. As he climbed into the car, he looked at her dress
and whistled. "Wow! What's the occasion? You look absolutely gorgeous in
that dress!"

Beaming at him she said, "Thank you, kind sir. You just answered my
question. I was thinking about what to wear to the club dance on Saturday,
so I thought I would put it on and let you decide. You did. I'm wearing
it."

"Anything else happen today?" he asked. She told him she got a Junior
G-Man kit of her very own. Ken just looked at her strangely, not knowing
what to make of her comment.*Chapter 21*

It was New Year's Day and Ken was admiring the beautiful girl asleep
beside him in the bed as he reflected on their months together. His
happiness and good fortune was due entirely to Kathy. He could not believe
that only a few months had passed since they had first met.

_Bless the United States Navy,_ he thought. famous for screwing up
family lives, in his case the Evans' operating schedule fit his personal
needs perfectly. He had met her only a few days after returning from the
Med. Ever since the Evans returned, she had spent the time at pier-side,
in dry dock and back at pier-side again, as the technicians -- ship's
company, base, and civilian contractors -- found first one and then another
major item that required attention before she could rejoin the fleet.

His crew had adopted Kathy. He grinned thinking about fights ashore
that started because his men were thought to be too possessive of her.
They had ben told that just because Kathy was their captain's lady it
didn't mean the Evans owned her. She was the Norfolk Navy's girl.

If they didn't know about Kathy, his crew could not have understood his
behavior. Ken was honest enough with himself to admit that he had a
reputation as one of the hardest-charging skippers in the destroyer fleet.
Pre-Kathy, he would have been going berserk at the endless delays and
pyramiding mechanical casualties -- main propulsion, weapons, and most of
all, electronics -- that kept his ship tied to the shore. Captains make
their reputations in peacetime by running more exercises and achieving
higher scores in less elapsed time than their predecessors.

Now living with Kathy, he showed an uncharacteristic patience.
Objectively, the Evans was better off this way. She was a _war_ship with
no war to fight. She was reaching the highest state of readiness she
enjoyed since she was first placed in commission. Better, in fact, since
major weapons systems had been replaced with newer, even more effective
ones.

Now the Evans was preparing for sea. Next week she would be going out
for a two-week shakedown preparatory to another extended Mediterranean
deployment. As commanding officer, Ken did not stand watches so he had
spent every night in Kathy's arms. As a result he was facing the first
time they would have slept apart since that fateful Friday night. When his
life was a shattered ruin, this girl appeared and put it back together in
less than a week.

Idly, he ran his fingers lightly over an exposed breast. Almost
instantly its nipple stood to attention, and a smile started to form on the
lips of the still-sleeping girl. He quickly took his hand away and watched
her relax again. She nuzzled closer to him with a soft sound like a purr
and was again deep in sleep.

He carefully covered her exposed breast and grinned to himself as he
remembered the day that Kathy had picked him up wearing her white dress.
When they returned to the apartment he had asked her about the curious
reference to "Junior G-Man." With a grin she had showed him her Federal
badge and Virginia State ID. Another expression of the extraordinary
regard in which she was held by respected agencies that knew her. It was
weeks later that he found out about the hiding place she had used for the
transmitter. He vividly recalled he