Casey walked out onto her balcony. The day had been warm, but the early night brought cool darkness. The lights of the city were winking on, the traffic picking up pace--but the bustle and tempo of New York only served to reinforce her isolation.
She sighed and looked up at the stars. It seemed to her there were fewer and fewer visable these days. Progress, growth, all the plans of man serving to eliminate nature. When she was small she had been told that stars were the windows of heaven--that God looked through them to view his creation. She believed that for a year or two, and would sometimes wave self consciously in the direction of a constellation just to be polite. These days she didn't believe in God at all...
She raised the cell phone in her hand and dialed. As she punched the last number she saw a streak of meteor flash westward across the sky. She held her breath and wished.
The phone clicked on the third ring. "Bensen." For a moment she lost her nerve. Then steeling herself for the inevitable negative, she posed her question.
"Olivia, it's Casey. I was just wondering...if you don't have plans for tonight, maybe we could get together for a drink...talk about the Jackson case? There are a few things I need to go over with you."
There was a long pause, in which Casey was sure Olivia could hear the wild beating of her heart. Then: "Yeah. I guess I could make it. How about Devlin's at 9 o'clock?"
"Sure. O.K. That would be fine. I'll see you there." Casey closed her phone and stared at the sky, hoping to see another meteor. After a few minutes she went inside, pausing once to wave just in case.
She sighed and looked up at the stars. It seemed to her there were fewer and fewer visable these days. Progress, growth, all the plans of man serving to eliminate nature. When she was small she had been told that stars were the windows of heaven--that God looked through them to view his creation. She believed that for a year or two, and would sometimes wave self consciously in the direction of a constellation just to be polite. These days she didn't believe in God at all...
She raised the cell phone in her hand and dialed. As she punched the last number she saw a streak of meteor flash westward across the sky. She held her breath and wished.
The phone clicked on the third ring. "Bensen." For a moment she lost her nerve. Then steeling herself for the inevitable negative, she posed her question.
"Olivia, it's Casey. I was just wondering...if you don't have plans for tonight, maybe we could get together for a drink...talk about the Jackson case? There are a few things I need to go over with you."
There was a long pause, in which Casey was sure Olivia could hear the wild beating of her heart. Then: "Yeah. I guess I could make it. How about Devlin's at 9 o'clock?"
"Sure. O.K. That would be fine. I'll see you there." Casey closed her phone and stared at the sky, hoping to see another meteor. After a few minutes she went inside, pausing once to wave just in case.