Not only was he called in on a Saturday afternoon when it wasn't his weekend to cover Homicide, but the 'last-barbecue-of-the-year' he was hosting had...turned into a disaster when another couple he was friends with had brought their ten month old Dalmatian with them. Their totally-out-of-control and much-too-excitable 'darling' nipped his kid because he'd pulled its tail and ended up knocking over the barbecue grill and ruining thirty dollars worth of meat, much of which it ate.He threw his hat. Valerie looked at me, her sandwich halfway to her mouth and smiled "Yes it is, I like it when the sun is shining and the air is as clear as today. Makes me want to go sunbathing"Amy urged her to be quiet, it wasn't right to be talking to strangers. Valerie just shrugged and told her it was OK to be friendly.I took a last mouthful of my rice and pushed the near-empty plate away from me.Dabbing my mouth with a napkin I resumed my conversation."So, what's your name?" I asked, indicating Valerie.. Michael looked around warily. Not surprisingly, Gregory wasn’t there. Who would be best to approach? The staff were presumably brainwashed and wouldn’t be of much help. While he stood in helpless indecision, a pretty young man in staff uniform approached him. ‘Excuse me, sir.’ said the boy. ‘The gentleman by the pool table asked me to invite you to join him, if you’d like.’ Michael looked in the direction indicated and saw a scruffy-looking guy in his twenties wearing an old t-shirt and a. Vaguely, her mind registers the quiet that falls over the house as the soft music stills. Letting the sudden still open the way for the soft, sweet melody of the song so recently learned, and so cherished, to flood her brain. He lips begin to move to the words as she listens to the music in her head and in her heart. A soft smile flickers over her face as she registers the slight vibration of you moving through the tiny house. She allows a small start to shudder through her body as she feels.