DISCLAIMER: I own a couple of these people, but not the ones any of you would have heard of. The ones you've heard of belong to Dick Wolf. I hope he understands how much I appreciate their existance.

This is Part 1 of a trilogy... a long part... 23 Chapters. But the entire trilogy is completely written, and I'll be posting all of it over the long weekend. There will be no starting this only to find it uncompleted for whatever reason. Now whether you like it enough to read all three is up to you...but they will be here if you so choose.

CHAPTER 1

"…I've discovered there is one thing you can count on in almost all crime fiction, and that is good will… eventually triumph over evil. But, in all very good crime fiction it is the quality of justice that triumphs over evil. The murderer, the extortionist, thief or the scam artist may not wind up in jail, may never even come to trial for his crime, for his evil, but justice…. justice will be done… one way or another. There will be… "Justice for All. This is the way our world should be…. Unfortunately for us all, It just doesn't always work out that way, and I feel that's one of the reasons the genre is so popular. It appeals to the best in us, to a nobility of spirit, to those that are good, that the bad should and will ultimately be held accountable for the evil d they do. While the real world, we may have a long way to go before we're going to be able to bring that ideal a reality, it should still be what we strive for. The fact that we can imagine it, makes it possible for us to achieve it."

Sarah Stevens stepped back from the microphone to the sound of applause. The Barnes and Noble bookstore on 5th Avenue was packed with the fans of the novelist's crime dramas.

"Thank you Sarah," said Angela Thompson, manager of the Barnes and Nobles Book sellers. "I'd like to be the first to thank Sarah for her insights and her reading tonight from what I'm sure is to be her next best selling book, "And Justice for All". Angela paused as the applause began again.

"For those who are staying for the book signing, we start that in about fifteen minutes. We thought we'd give everyone a chance to stretch your legs, get something to drink; we have coffee and water set up around the corner. For those of you wishing a little fresh air or a quick smoke we ask that you use the atrium exit to the courtyard. The outside doors are locked, so once outside those doors, there will be no one to let you back in. When you're ready we're going to ask that you line up to the left of the two stanchions just over my shoulder. That way we can accommodate everyone quickly with a minimum of confusion."

Another round of light applause as Sarah shyly smiled and walked off with Angela. People began making their way over to the beverage and food tables, others made a mad dash for the restrooms while an equal number dashed for the courtyard doors to be able to light up. Sarah watched as about 10 people headed for the outside door, obviously not intending to return.

"Well, I guess you can't please everyone." Sarah said as she linked arms with Angie and headed over to one of the drink stations. "I could really use something to drink, water or a soda. I have an extreme case of dry mouth. I still hate these events and I get so nervous. This latest tour hasn't helped. It's been the worst yet, because there has been more and more people at each one. It's terrible, it's torture, and I'm not sure why I have to subject myself to these horrors."

"Because you want to be able to sell your books. It's a great way to get people's attention. The bookstore will sell your books. You'll make money, I'll make money. People will be entertained, so in the long run, everyone wins."

"Besides, you were great. Everyone fell in love with you. You didn't look or sound nervous. Everyone was charmed by you." Angie said in an effort to build her friend up.

"Well, not everyone." Sarah nodded in the direction of the people who had now exited the bookstore and walking down the street.

"Yeah, well what do they know? They probably think that Miss Marple and Sherlock Holmes are still the best detectives in crime fiction." She dismissed the young couples with a shake of her head.

"Ange, I doubt they are even old enough to know who Miss Marple or Sherlock Holmes were. And even if they do know, they probably only do in the context as characters from an old movie they've seen."

Laughing, the two reached the end of a line of people waiting to get something to drink. "You know how uncomfortable I am when I have to get up and speak to a large group of people. I thought this was supposed to get easier the more I did it, but this book tour was just as difficult as the others were. Shaking her head, "That's one reason I chose writing as a profession over one that required public speaking. I can hold up in my apartment and write to my heart's content and not have to defend or explain my characters or myself. I hate 'the business' part of writing. I'm going to have to be more firm with Amanda about keeping me out of these things. I'm all about the creative process." Sarah teased her friend.

Angie rolled her eyes at Sarah as she countered her argument. "Oh Sarah, Sarah, Sarah, Amanda is just doing her job and you'd be lost without her." Angie stopped and placed her hands on Sarah's shoulders and turned her to look her in the eyes. "Listen to me. You were great. You always are, you don't give yourself enough credit. OK, so maybe you're not a natural speaker and you feel nervous up there. So what? Everyone gets nervous. You're clever and articulate, and you have a wonderful speaking voice. You've always risen to every occasion and challenge. You handle yourself with grace and confidence. If that's not enough, you're cute as can be.

"Stop it Ange. You don't have to sell me on me. It's not a self-esteem issue. And you don't need to handle me, either. Now you on the other hand, you are my absolute rock. No one could have put tonight together any better than you. Thank you." Linking arms again the two advanced a half dozen steps closer to the drink cart. Sarah gives Angie a quick pull towards her and gives her a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you Angie. There's really so much I wouldn't have been able to do without you on my side."

They both knew she meant more than just tonight's gathering. "We've always been there for each other, since junior high school. That's never going to change." Angie said, while noticing that two of her assistant managers had their heads together, pointing in her direction. "Oh no, let me go see what this is about. These lines are taking longer than I thought. Why don't you let me get you a couple of bottles of water and bring them over to the table? I should have had the refreshments more spread out."

"Stop fussing over me. I'm not high maintenance; I can get my own water. Now, go on, see what's come up and finish driving your staff crazy with your unreasonable demands. You're the control freak. not me. Now go, handle this 'major' crisis, I'll get my own water and I'll meet you back at the table, ready to work in a few minutes."

"Grrrr… OK, just give us another five minutes to make sure everything is set and ready for you when you come over."

"OK, I'll see you in about five minutes." Shaking her head in amazement at how much Angie worried over the smallest detail. She realized that some of the authors and even customers Angie had to deal with were demanding and quick to lash out with artistic temperament or perceived superiority. Angie had to be five steps ahead of everyone else, just to keep everything running smoothly.

Sarah patiently waited in line, hoping they didn't run out of water before she made it to the head of the line. As she did, she looked around and noticed that there were several people already lining up to get their books signed. She smiled and nodded acknowledgment to several who were looking in her direction and made eye contact.

"And Justice For All" was Sarah's third book and it still surprised her that people were interested in what she wrote. Here she was, at the end of a successful 15-city book tour, desperately waiting for the evening to end. After tonight, she was a free woman. There were no more demands on her time, no more traveling, no more hotels, no more airports. She was home and she was looking forward to getting back to her own apartment, her own bed - to her writing and to her life, which for now consisted of her writing.

Finally making it to the front of the line, she was blocked as a very tall man who seemed to appear out of nowhere cut in line ahead of her.. 'Where did he come from? How could someone that big move so quickly?' Sarah thought. Slightly exasperated at yet another example of the rudeness and thoughtlessness of New Yorkers, she stepped back to allow him to exit so she could move forward once he did. As she did, she wondered, Wow, how tall is this guy?'.

He turned back and looked down at her. He extended his hand, which held a bottle of water. "I overheard you say you were thirsty and thought you might like something to drink." The man awkwardly fumbled with the bottle as he handed it to her.

"By cutting me off just before I would have been able to get it for myself? Well, thank you." Sarah said as she felt her sarcasm button being pushed. Seeing the look of hurt pass over the man's face, she felt terrible. She didn't normally go off on people like that. "I'm sorry, that was uncalled for. It was very considerate of you, Mr.….."

"Bobby. Bobby Goren."

"Bobby." Sarah nodded and looked up at him again. In the blink of an eye, she sized him up, without being conscious of it, it was an instinctive skill passed down the ages by genetic memory and experience honed by a modern world. She reaffirmed that he was indeed very tall, several inches over 6 feet tall. He looked about ten, maybe fifteen years older than her 26 years; the crinkle lines around his eyes were beginning to become permanent. His had dark brown hair was starting to go gray at the temples, and it was long enough to hint at its natural curl. He looked to be in good shape. Underneath his well cut suit, broad shoulders tapered to a solid waist. He wasn't pretty-boy cute, or even classically handsome. Nevertheless, he was very attractive. The refrain of an old song ran through her brain, "Brown Eyed Handsome Man".

As she looked up at him, Bobby looked down at her in that peculiar way he had of slightly bending down and tilting his head. At 6'4" he seemed to do this a lot. He thought she must be about 5 foot 6" or 7" with a thin build but leaning toward athletic. He thought back to the photo he'd seen on the book cover he'd been looking at earlier. It was the photo used on the back of all three of her books. Whoever the photographer had been, he had done a disservice to her by photographing her in black and white. A black and white photo didn't capture her brightness. She was full of color. The photographer had missed the opportunity to let people see who she was. She looked much younger in person than in the photo. He had assumed her to be in her mid-thirties, he revised his estimate, putting now to be only in her mid-twenties. The sparkle in her green eyes was amazing. He wasn't sure if the fire in those eyes were the perfect complement to her chestnut-colored hair or the other way around. She was a very attractive and, at the moment, a highly amused young woman.

Bobby began motioning with the index finger of his left hand, making small circles, pointing towards Sarah's lopsided smirking grin. He used his hands almost as much as his voice in conversation.

"If…. If I could, um… ah, just ask what that's all about? The grin?"

"Oh, I'm sorry." Mortified at being caught at allowing her thoughts to be telegraphed by the look on her face. Sarah guiltily and quickly wiped the smirk from her mouth as she stumbled with her words, "ummm… eemmm… OK, it's just that when I was behind you, you seemed this very imposing figure; and then when you turned around you seemed even more so. I was imagining someone with a very proper and imposing name. You know, something like Maximilian or Siegfried, something like that. Robert is good too, Bobby just seems such a little boy's name and then you turn out to be this big, tall, imposing figure. It seems so… incongruous. It's just the way my mind works. It goes off on its' own tangents and I don't seem to have any control over it. And… and sometimes I don't seem to be able to hide the weird track my mind takes. I'm sorry, I hope I didn't offend you, I sincerely didn't mean to. I also hope that you will accept my apology."

She's adorable, he thought. Especially when slightly flustered and embarrassed as she was right now.

He laughed. "That's my secret to disarming people. Incongruity, and there's no need to apologize. I've been told my mind works in some strange ways too. It drives my boss crazy. These ideas and half-formed conclusions, leaps in logic that just seem to come right out of my mouth. Plus, I'm not very good at censoring myself." After a short pause, he added, "Siegfried, huh?

"Well, then you know…" Strange, she was slightly embarrassed, but willing to continue the conversation. "I don't know where 'Siegfried' came from, just another of those left field thoughts…" They both grinned at this comment and Sarah continued, "… thanks for letting me off the hook, I appreciate it." She said with a big grin. "Well, I've got to get back to work and start signing books, before Angie comes after me She's quite formidable and even though she's my best friend on the planet, she wouldn't hesitate to drag me over there by my ear. I hope I'll see you later, with book in hand."

"Definitely, I've been looking forward to it all night." Bobby realized he'd been right to stay once the bookstore closed to the public. He'd stopped in on the way home from work to pick up a copy of The Smithsonian magazine. He'd forgotten to renew his subscription and it really did fit perfectly on his treadmill.

"Well then, I guess I'll be seeing you again soon. It was nice talking to you, Bobby." She smiled as she emphasized his name.

"Yes, I guess you will. Very soon." Most definitely, he thought as he finally handed her the bottled water.

"Thank you again." Pause. "Bobby." Sarah raised the bottled water in salute. She turned back towards the tall man behind her. "You know, I think "Bobby" actually fits you perfectly."

It was Bobby's turn to thank her as he laughed at her comment. He made his way over to the end of the line, which by now had snaked throughout the store. There seemed to be more people here then there appeared when they were all sitting and listening to the reading Sarah had given. Bobby kept stepping out of line as he let others in front of him. He wanted, no, he needed to be one of the last people to get his book signed.

Angie had been watching the conversation between Sarah and a tall man she'd never seen before. When Sarah reached her, she whispered, "Who was that fine looking man? Did you make a new friend? Those shoulders are amazing."

"That is Bobby Goren."

"Who's Bobby Goren?"

"I have no idea. But I agree with you about those shoulders." Sarah said as she winked and walked up to the table set up to do the signing.