Free Love Story by Kathryn Shay

uneasy asking. “So yousaid your family’s big?”
    “Pretty big.” She set the bowl down and turned to him. “I’m not much of a game player, Nick. I know you’ve only been at the Met for three weeks. We’ve known each other for nearly two. But I’m not sure how to act now.”
    “I hurt you when I said I wanted to keep my private life private.”
    “Yeah, and I don’t even know why.”
    Disgusted with himself, he told herthe truth. “I only knew I didn’t want a mindless fuck. From you.”
    “I didn’t, either. But we should talk about parameters, if that’s what you want on this…whatever we have together. So I don’t make any mistakes.”
    She was so young sometimes.
    He picked up his drink and sipped. How much to tell her? He couldn’t reveal who he was and how he came to be at the Met, even if he wanted to. Shecould hinder his investigation. But he’d drawn them into something tonight that he’d had no right to do. So he said, “Let’s not set anything. Let’s see how all this unfolds. I’m fourteen years older than you are, so…”
    “Yeah. I can count.”
    “No sass.”
    She watched him with naked emotion in her eyes. “You’re right. Tonight isn’t the time for sass.”
    o0o
    Dean Morris satacross from Nick the next day, unhappy. “Tell me again why you believe it can’t be this Ludzecky woman.” He angled his head. “You aren’t thinkin’ with your dick, are you, Casella?”
    No, he wasn’t thinking at all. He’d planned to leave her house last night around ten, and he was still there at 3:00 a.m. when he awoke wrapped around her. “I’m not. But she isn’t the culprit. For one thing, she’sgot a famous family.” He told Dean about the ex-president and the Secret Service. “Then there’s the fact that she’s enthralled with modern art.”
    “You’re probably right. Any other potential insiders?”
    “I’ve gone through their files. There’s a worker who’s disgruntled because her exhibit didn’t get budgeted for, but that was after the emails began. A department head who’s prickly, but hasbeen there for years.”
    “Hmm.”
    “Hell, Dean, there are crazy people out there in a city of millions. It’s like trying to find a needle in a haystack.”
    “I hope we find it before anybody gets hurt.”
    “You and me both, buddy.”
    Nick left Dean’s office with a heavy heart. Earlier, his step had been light because he’d suppressed his recriminations about getting involved with Elizabeita.Now the euphoria of last night had dimmed, and he could see he needed to handle the situation at work more carefully. But he probably wouldn’t be able to stay away from her unless he alienated her completely and made her hate him. He could do that, but he sure as hell didn’t want to.
    Pulling out his phone on the cab ride uptown, he called up his messages. He did this throughout the day incase Mellie or his mother needed him.
    There was one from his mom, which caused a hitch in his pulse. He worried about their everyday safety.
    Hi, honey. Mellie and I are fine. My sister called from upstate. She wants Mellie and me to come up this weekend. You’re welcome to join us, but I’d like to see the fall colors there and visit with Nancy even if you can’t get away. Let me know ifit’s okay for us to go Friday.
    Hmm, their absence would give him more time with the case. Maybe he could wrap this up sooner than expected. Then he wouldn’t be forced into proximity with Elizabeita. And maybe, if he didn’t have to see her, he could break the hold she seemed to have on him.
    o0o
    Elizabeita felt different today. She couldn’t put her finger on it, except thather mind and body were in sync, butterflies, of the good kind, bounced around in her stomach and she couldn’t get last night out of her mind.
    Truthfully, she didn’t want to. Nick was due back after lunch, she’d discovered when she got to the museum this morning. They were planning to work on the exhibit all