“So, does this get you off?”Lisa watched as her son’s face turned red. She had embarrassed him.“I wasn’t making fun of you, Josh. Lots of gu...s like women who smoke. I’m guessing they see than as sluttier somehow, and whether they admit or not, guys are attracted to slutty women.”Josh seemed to accept that explanation.“Hold on. I have an idea.”Josh didn’t ask where they were going, but he knew it wasn’t home. He was pleasantly surprised when his mom pulled into a cheap looking hotel.Lisa was. By late spring I was settled and the house was comfortable.In one of the large barns I had been able to germinate seeds into tiny plants. That was when a neighbor stopped by. I was checking the terraces and they were free of snow and ice. I had killed a large white and black spotted cat that was stalking me. I looked up as he walked down the trail from the top of the ridge.I had met him several times since I got here. Behind him was a teenage girl who did not look happy. I straightened and. All she could remember of last night was the speech by the Captain, some dancing, and many of the attendee's buying her drinks. After drying her face with a towel, Mai reached over and clicked the light to the dark bathroom. The sudden burst stung her eyes for a second before she could look at the reflection staring back at her. The haze around Mai's mind began to lift as she studied herself in the mirror. She was Mai Seiki, a Japanese American Ensign recently assigned to the USS. I sent a reply to the Geek to follow up on the lead. I wanted him to come up with the names of the lawyer who represented the prisoners who jumped bail while awaiting a postponed hearing. I also wanted the prisoner’s jail files such as they were. While the Geek worked on those, I got dressed and prepared to move to interview the disgruntled employees. They were identified by letters from supervisors at their termination files.Tonya, the robot brain, and I located the first one a few miles.