"What is it?"

He shook his head, "I'm not entirely sure."

"Best guess?" She crouched down next to him. The morning's rain eased to a slow drizzle. The world smelt fresh and clean or it had done until a few minutes ago.

He pushed his cap back, whistled through his teeth, and did some weird eyebrow thing. "I think it's human."

She nodded, "Male or female?"

"Hell if I know." He reached the end of his usefulness information wise.

She exhaled slowly and contemplated the leaf covered non-descript mound of flesh in front of them. "Clothing would have been helpful."

He grinned; she noticed immediately that his mouth was lop-sided. It wasn't obvious before but now it appeared as though he had suffered a stroke or something. It was a little creepy.

He stood and surveyed the immediate area, "Clothing, a name tag, even a wallet would be welcome."

"Any idea what happened?"

He walked a few feet away and pulled a cell phone from his back pocket then made a call. When he was done, he walked back and answered her question. "Shit, could've been anything. The medical examiner can tell us more."

"Best guess?"

He noisily expelled air from his crooked mouth. "We haven't got a lot here to go on, and decomposition only accounts for so much. Something got to whoever this is before decomp set in."

Dana weighed his statement and took a mental step back from the picture in her mind of a tug a war fought over a body by snarling beasts. "What now?"

"We wait. I'll go on back to the truck and get a tarp and some flares. It'll be dark soon." He considered her for a minute or two, "We don't wanna be out here in the pitch dark with that."

She didn't like his tone. It hinted at something frightening. "Do you think an animal was responsible?"

He shrugged, "Something did this. I'll get my shotgun just in case."

Dana raised her eyebrows. "Shotgun?"

"Don't hurt to be prepared. Can't argue with the close range stopping power of a shotgun kid."

She nodded in agreement. Dana brushed a few stray soggy leaves from her pants as she stood. "I'll wait here."

"You gonna be okay?" He slung his rifle over his shoulder and headed off back to the road not waiting for her reply.

"Sure," she replied quietly as he vanished into the trees. Whatever/whoever was lying on the ground half buried in the sodden leaf litter wasn't about to come to life and attack her. Anyway, she was armed. She had a .357 SIG on her hip and a bowie-style knife sheathed in her right boot. The knife she carried was a Gerber Patriot given to her by her father on his retirement from active service as a Navy SEAL. In her jacket pocket, she carried a Swiss-army knife, because you never know when a compass, pliers, screwdriver, and magnifying glass will come in handy, not to mention scissors and a nail file. She also carried a small backpack with a roll of electrical tape, a lighter, matches, string, safety pins, needle and thread, and an emergency first-aid kit, a water bottle, flashlight, notebook, pen, pencil and dry socks.

Life was full of surprises and Dana liked to be prepared. Expect the unexpected and survive. Know your enemy. Only this time she didn't, but she did know the terrain and she wasn't alone. There was Jake; her dad and Jake may hunt together now, but once they served together. He was a retired criminal investigator and long time friend of her dad's. He'd even moved to the mountains so they could spend more time hunting. When Jake offered her a lift up to her father's cabin, she'd agreed happily. After a tortuous few months, Dana had finally managed to wrangle a week's vacation and fully intended to spend all of it surrounded by the beauty of the Southern Appalachian Mountains in Virginia. They'd stopped up on the road when a deer crossed their path, and followed it on foot. The deer disappeared, but in the chase, they'd stumbled upon a gruesome discovery. Dana knew they were only half a mile from the cabin-an easy hike through the woods or an easier stroll along the road. She took her water bottle from her pack and drank some. It would be good to get to the cabin and have coffee. Water wasn't so bad but it lacked the punch of coffee. She screwed the lid shut and dropped it back into her bag.

Something crashed through the bushes about twenty yards south of her position. Dana spun on her heels. A startled deer broke cover. With eyes wide in panic it stared at Dana. She stood motionless as the alarmed animal abruptly changed direction heading away from her and whatever scared it.

The air in front of her shimmered as if heat waves were rising from the ground. She looked away, her vision calmed. Looking back, the shimmering became a ripple. Transfixed by the rippling air, Dana waited to see what would happen next. From the shimmer and the ripples stepped a young man surrounded by a pale glow. She guesstimated his age to be 20. Feeling suddenly vulnerable out in the open she moved into some cover, the shade of a big tree. The young man ran, stumbling over tree roots glancing back over his shoulder several times. He didn't appear to be able to see her.

Suddenly, the shimmering changed and the distance between them increased. She found herself by another tree back toward the road. There was no time to comprehend what had just happened, Dana was unsure if she had physically moved or if the movement was an illusion. A shot rang out. The bullet missed, lodging in the tree she'd originally hidden beside. Turning to see where the shot had come from, she found another man within arms reach of her. He lifted his right arm to fire again. Despite feeling as though she was witnessing a past event, instinct still took over; Dana stepped forward quickly, grabbing for his gun hand. Her hand went right through him. She jerked back. He didn't react to her, but fired again. The young man ahead of them fell. The gunman called out, "James!"

There was no reply. If James was the young man, he wasn't moving. She concentrated on the gunman willing him to turn so she could see his face. He ran to the fallen one, his footsteps making no sound. She held her breath and visualized her thoughts pulling his head toward her. He turned and stared directly into her eyes, yet his registered nothing. Her heart pounded. She gulped for air.

James still didn't move. His shirt flapped in the shimmering breeze, a blue plaid flannel shirt. She swallowed hard. Blue plaid flannel. A few feet from her, a small piece of blue plaid flannel lay among the leaf litter. She watched the shimmering begin again. In a moment, the men disappeared. Everything returned to normal.

Dana drew on her inner reserves. She leaned on a tree, feeling the trunk on her shoulder and the dirt beneath her feet. With slow deep breaths, she centered herself using the touchable, solid, reality of the tree and the earth to restore calm and presence of mind.

She looked toward the road, why was Jake taking so long. She shivered and zipped her jacket up. Her cell phone chirped from her jacket pocket. She read the display. Dad.

She answered the call and her dad's voice spoke softly in her ear, "Jake called in for the medical examiner, what's going on out there?"

"We followed a deer and found human remains."

"You two all right."

She hoped her voice would stay level and unflustered, "I'm fine, Jake went back to the truck about ten minutes ago and hasn't returned yet."

"Stay put, he'll be back."

She took a shallow breath and held it forcing her voice to remain calm, "Are you in town, Dad?"

"Yup. Gotta meeting with the mayor in a few minutes, then I'll come on out."

"We'll see you then."

"Any clue who the dead person is?"

Her heart stopped. She could hardly tell her father about the supernatural experience she may have had. He was a retired Navy SEAL, not one for unexplained flights of fancy as he termed anything remotely paranormal. "No, not much left to identify."

"I'll run it through missing persons, see what turns up."

"Okay thanks, Dad." She switched the phone off and zipped it back into her pocket. Twigs snapped behind her. Dana turned. Jake ambled through the trees carrying a folded blue tarp.

"Hey," he called as he closed in on her position. She nodded. Jake spread the tarp over the remains. "I put flares up on the road for the police and medical examiner."

She nodded again. She studied Jake carefully before speaking. "Do you know a young man around 20 years old called James, sandy blonde straight hair, tall but not big?"

Jake nodded; he didn't seem to consider her question random or odd, "A few weeks ago maybe, James left town in an almighty hurry."

"Why?"

"Rumor has it he was seeing the mayor's daughter, Annabelle. And the mayor took offence, see Annabelle is only 16."

"I take it James never told anyone where he was going, and no one has heard from him since?"

Jake shook his head, causing Dana some confusion. "James worked for the mechanic in town. Smith got a postcard from James a week after he left, said he was in New York. Always wanted to be an actor so guess that's what he's doing."
Dana got the impression Jake wasn't impressed by James or his acting.

"Don't suppose Smith still has that postcard?" A little voice in her head grumbled loudly, reminding her she was on vacation. She shushed it quickly. It wasn't as if she could pretend nothing happened. Her sixth sense had kicked in; telling her it was a murder. She was compelled to act on that knowledge.

"It hangs on his office wall, real pretty picture of the Statue of Liberty."

Dana smiled, "You think maybe he'd let me take a look at it?"

"Oh yeah, he'd be pleased to show ya."

"What happened to Annabelle?"

"Poor kid was railroaded into a boarding school."

Dana drifted into her own thoughts, Jake said James left town a few weeks ago-and there is a post card from New York. She tried to shake the images she saw of the shooting.

She knew there was no way James left town. He never went to New York. He couldn't possibly have sent the postcard. She wanted to get back to town; she wanted to hold the postcard, she knew that sometimes holding objects triggers visions and it was worth trying.

Sometimes Dana wished she were normal. This was one of those times. Normal people didn't see things like she did. Normal people took vacations and nothing extraordinary happened to them.

Jake touched her arm. "Dana you all right with this?"

She frowned slightly then smiled. "Yes."

He nodded. "Checking is all."

She sat on the damp ground, leaning up against a tree. Jake joined her. All they could do now was wait.

"Your dad said you worked for the government."

Dana nodded. "I do."

He poked at the leaf litter uncovering a gnarled root. "He said you were a hotshot Federal agent."

She grinned. "Don't consider myself a hotshot."

"Ever meet the President?" He wiped his hands on the leg of his jeans and tugged his cap straight.

"Yeah."

Jake sat up and leaned toward her. "That must've been interesting."

"Yep."

"You don't say much do you?"

"Nope." She replied, smiling. "Not much to say."

"How do you think this person died?"

Dana stretched her legs out then crossed her ankles; she laid her hands on her thighs then looked at Jake. "He was shot."

Jake blinked, his face crinkled as he smiled his crooked smile. "Shot?"

"Yep."

"Okay." Jake's face relaxed again. "And you know this?"

"Yep."

He gave her an odd look but said no more. Flashlight beams bounced across the bumpy ground toward them followed by the sound of dogs barreling through the undergrowth.

Jake jumped to his feet and called out. "Pull those dogs back. They'll contaminate the scene."

They heard dogs yelp and someone say, "Tie them to a tree up by the road."

Jake winked at Dana, "Dang half-witted fools."

"Who are they?" She suddenly felt a long way from civilization.

Jake shook his head slowly smacking his lips together, "Your daddy don't have much to work with out here kid. Sad to say but these two are deputies."

She smiled. "Dad'll be along."

"I figured he would." He watched two men approach. Dusk was fast falling and it was getting creepy in the woods, "You wanna get moving and check out that postcard?"

Dana nodded, "Will they be okay here till dad turns up?"

"Yeah, they're a bit simple but there's nothing that needs doing."

Two men stopped a few feet from Jake and Dana. "Where is it?" the first man asked.

"Under the tarp, Cletus."

Dana tried hard to control her facial muscles; they seemed determined to force a smile onto her face at the mention of the man's name.

"Me and Billy will stay here."

"Sheriff will be along presently, and Doc Bennet too," Jake said hooking his arm around Dana's. "I'm getting the lil' lady outta here."

Cletus and Billy nodded, obviously thinking it was a good idea. It didn't matter to Cletus and Billy that she was a federal agent; she was a woman and women had no place near dead bodies in the woods come nightfall, or any other time.

Jake and Dana made the drive back to town in silence. They found Smith's garage locked up-he had long since gone home for his supper. Jake parked out back. He swiveled to face her before opening the truck door. "What do you want to do?"

Dana checked out the street; there was no one around. The back of the premises was in darkness but she could see an old door with frosted glass in the top third. She raised an eyebrow and with a grin said, "I can open that door."

Jake chuckled, "We could get your dad to open it all legal like."

"We could but then I'd be in the awkward position of having to explain things he won't understand."

Jake did the weird eyebrow thing again and looked at her oddly. "You're a funny one."

"Look away, Jake. I'll open the door."

"No need . . . I'm sure if I bumped into it that old lock would give."

Dana smiled, "Unfortunate accident."

Jake's lopsided grin drew attention to his partially immobile face, showing only some of his straight white teeth. They exited the truck together, silently pressing the truck doors shut. Sound carried and they didn't want to draw too much attention to their whereabouts.

Jake bumped the door firmly with his broad shoulders; the door shuddered and creaked, then swung open. Dana pulled her flashlight from her backpack and shone it inside the messy room.

"Over his desk." His two-packs a day voice rasped in her ear.

She located the desk and sure enough, the postcard was hanging above it. Quickly, she crossed the room, removed the card and went back to the doorway. Jake shut the door behind them. The lock hadn't even broken, it had just given way. Back in the truck, Dana inspected the postcard. Jake watched her in silence.

She closed her eyes briefly and brought up a blank screen in her mind, letting it fill with images. She saw the hand that wrote on the card. It was old. It wasn't her father's hand. She mentally moved backwards to bring the entire person at the old wooden desk into view. Mayor Dunwoody. More images crowded into the gray of her mind. Dunwoody placed the card onto a pile of white envelopes, and then slipped the pile into a larger yellow envelope. The man she'd seen in the woods entered the room.

He picked up the yellow envelope, "Is this what you want mailed in New York?"

"Yes."

"How's Annabelle?"

"She won't speak to me, not even on the telephone. She told her mother they are in love and he will send for her."

The man with the envelope patted Mayor Dunwoody on the shoulder. "She'll get over it. And we know he can't send for her now. You remember you said you would make me a deputy sheriff after the boy was taken care of, don't you forget now!"

Jake spoke bringing her rapidly back to the present.

"What?"

"I asked if you were all right," he said.

"Yes." She leaned her head back, feeling the solid headrest through her hair. Jake watched as she took several slow deep breaths before speaking again, "The Mayor wrote this card."

Jake nodded. "Did he shoot the kid?" He sounded unflustered, the kind of calm that came from years of experience investigating all manner of situations.

"No. I think he has culpability here because I suspect he had the kid shot."

Jake pushed his cap further back on his head and pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket. He took a cigarette out and lit it. Words followed as he exhaled a cloud of smoke. "How do you know?"

Dana nervously chewed her lip, then looked right into Jake's eyes, her voice dropped to barely above a whisper, "I'm a freak."

He watched her closely while taking a drag on his cigarette. "I think your daddy would've mentioned you being a freak. You best explain what's going on here."

Dana suppressed the desire to reach for Jake's cigarette and fill her blood with soothing nicotine. She sat on her hands, it'd been four months since she'd had a cigarette and she wasn't going to start again just because she had to explain her freakishness. "I know it wasn't Dunwoody who shot the kid. I saw it, I saw the man who shot James."

Jake's eyes never left hers, it was as if he was reading her soul. "You saw it?"
"Yeah."

He sucked on the filter of his cigarette making the ember glow wildly. "Now I know you're an intelligent woman, a hot-shot Fed an' all that, but you are asking me to believe in a vision?"

"I know Jake. I know-would it be easier if I said it was a gut feeling?"

He shrugged, "Well it'd be slightly more normal I guess, we all have gut feelings kiddo." Jake realized it was difficult for Dana to admit she was different. "Your dad doesn't know does he?"

She shook her head so hard her hair almost hit him in the face. She pulled her long hair back into a ponytail, using a hair tie from around her wrist. "He'll think I'm weird."

"Maybe, maybe not."

"I can't tell him." She'd long ago decided it would be easier to tell him that she was pregnant with no clue who the father was than to confess to being a clairvoyant and clairaudient..

"What happens when ya, you know have a vision"

Dana smiled; she actually wanted to tell him how it worked. "I see and hear, sometimes it's like a gap in time. I can be in the moment, things happen around me. Occasionally I can influence some of what I see, make some turn or whatever so I can see clearer."

Dana tired to imagine what was happening inside Jake's mind as he assimilated the information. Would he think she was insane? What would she think if the roles were reversed? The glowing ember of his cigarette and the smell of smoke beckoned. It took much effort to resist. The silence continued as Jake processed what she had told him.

Minutes passed then slowly he nodded and said, "Do you use this gift in your job?"

"Yes."

"The government knows about you?"

She shook her head. "My partner knows."

"I see." Jake flicked ash out the window and gave her a sideways glance. "You should tell him," He said, referring to her father. "He's not an unreasonable man."

"You're not his daughter," She replied, sinking back into the seat.

Jake nodded, tossed the cigarette out the open window and turned the ignition key. The truck's engine rumbled to life. "You know where your old man is?"

"Had a meeting with Mayor Dunwoody, then he was going on up to the crime scene."

"Where to kiddo?"

"You believe me?"

He sighed, "Because I have known your father since our navy days I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt." The truck rumbled loudly, "Where to kiddo?"

"Sheriff's Office, I can't explain I just feel like I should be there."

The Sheriff's Office sat snuggly attached to the courthouse. The courthouse had long since closed up shop for the night; only a security light burned inside the front foyer. The sheriff's half of the building was dimly lit; a sign on the door gave an emergency number to call and stated the sheriff was out of the office. Jake grumbled something unintelligible and possibly unflattering about the deputy sheriff who was supposed to be on duty.

"Now what?" Jake asked, trying the door in case it wasn't locked.

Dana pulled her cell phone out and called her father. "Hey dad, Jake and I are outside the sheriff's office, no one's home."

"Damn, should be a deputy there tonight. He must've been called out. What do you need?"

She took a breath to steady her voice, "I am working on a hunch-any way I can get in without getting in trouble?"

She detected a slight sigh from her father. "Bathroom window. And I thought you were on vacation?" His voice remained calm.

"Yeah me too."

"I'll be there as soon as I can, okay?"

"Sure thing, Dad." She hung up quickly in case he revised his opinion and demanded to know where her hunch came from. Jake was watching her intently; his crooked smile creased the mobile side of his rugged face. "What did he say?"

"Bathroom window."

Jake chuckled and led the way around the back of the building. He pointed to a barred window just above head height. Dana grimaced. "Bars."

"He said the bathroom window, right?"

"Yep." She inspected the window, reaching up and jiggling the bars. A giggle rose as the bars came away in her hand. They leaned precariously toward her. "Whoa that's really secure."

Jake grabbed the bars, lifted them down, and then set them against the wall as Dana pushed the window. It flew open, causing her to stagger forward.

"Here I'll give you a leg up." Jake cupped his hands and bent down slightly.

Dana grinned. Minutes later, she was unlocking the backdoor for Jake.

"Now what?"

"I figure the shooter is someone known to James or he wouldn't have gone into the woods with him. My gut tells me I should be here. I just need to look around; I'm hoping there'll be something here that fills in the blanks."

Jake nodded. He followed Dana quietly as she went from room to room, scanning the walls and desks for something that would indicate she was on the right track. She stopped in the doorway of the deputy sheriff's office, closed her eyes, and then opened them quickly. A shimmering scene unfolded in front of her. Waves of disrupted air parted revealing the shooter from the woods perched on the edge of the desk, leaning into the deputy, who appeared uncomfortable. He nervously eyed the door. Dana strained to hear the conversation between the men.

"Dunwoody said that brat of the sheriff's has been sniffing around tonight."

"Don't know nothing about that, Miller."

"Said she's some hotshot federal agent type."

The deputy leaned back in his chair; he seemed to have found some courage. "You don't wanna be messing with them there federal folk. I reckon they can get pretty riled."

Miller stood, his shadow falling over the now less-certain deputy. "Go home boy. You don't want to be here when she comes snooping."

Dana blinked and the scene faded, leaving her with a partial name and an edgy feeling that the mayor had sent his goon after her to stop her uncovering the murder they committed. "Jake . . . who is Miller?"

He didn't reply.

"Jake?" She turned toward the doorway. No Jake. Dana peered out the door, scanning up and down the corridor, "Jake?" There was no one around and no reply. She took a breath and muttered, "I just know this isn't good." With trepidation, Dana began searching for Jake. She walked quietly, stopping frequently in the corridor to listen. The last door she came to was her father's office. The glass panel in the door afforded a view of his desk. Jake sat in the chair, bound and gagged, his eyes staring at her through the meshed glass. She could tell he wasn't alone as a shadow moved through the room. Dana stepped lightly away from the door. She leaned against the wall on the hinge side and considered her options. She didn't have any options. Jake was in trouble and she felt obliged to help-after all, it was her fault. She whispered to herself, "I'm not walking into a trap and Jake isn't bait."

She knew her dad was trying to get to her and Jake but meanwhile she needed a plan, there was no telling how long he'd take. A plan formed. Quietly and quickly, Dana crept along the corridor to the kitchen, taking careful note of all heating ducts above her on the way. As she'd hoped, there was one in the kitchen, too, and an air-conditioning control panel set into the wall by the door. She pulled her cell phone from her pocket and punched in her dad's mobile number. There were no pleasantries, "Dad we're in trouble."

"At my office?" his voice wavered slightly.

"Yes."

"I'm coming."

His two words filled her with instant relief. Dana switched the phone off, stuffed it back into her pocket, and moved on with her plan. She turned the heat up a few degrees; warm but still comfortable for now. Dana searched the cabinets for something she could use to make life very prickly for whoever held Jake. She hurried, knowing time was an issue. The edgy feeling persisted, reminding her that whoever held Jake may become impatient. On the counter, she set a bottle of bleach and a bottle of ammonia. She took a roasting dish from the oven and set that on the counter too.

Standing on a rickety chair, she pried open a cover to the heating duct. The chair wobbled precariously as she pulled the cover fully open. She placed the roasting dish in the duct amid the dusty cobwebs then poured ammonia into it. Dana stepped from the chair, quickly looked around for a dishtowel and found one hanging near the sink. She dampened it with water before tying it around her face, covering her mouth and nose. On the panel by the door, she turned the heat up. Armed with the bleach, Dana climbed back on the rickety chair and tipped the bottle into the dish. She shut the vent and tossed the empty bottle into the sink. "Please don't actually explode," she whispered at the vent.

Slowly Dana made her way back down the hallway to the office door. Her gun drawn she waited, knowing she had limited time to get Jake to fresh air before he became very ill from the fumes. She needed to be ready to move quickly and fully expected his captor to barrel through the door choking at any second. She stood back against the wall.

A crashing sound came from within the room followed by the shattering of glass. Dana tried the door handle. It moved. With one fling, the door hit the interior wall. She stood in the doorway, facing the room. A window was broken and a man leaned out, gasping for air. She looked to Jake. His eyes were red and watering. She knew he'd be gasping, if it weren't for the gag.

The person hanging out the window didn't appear to know she was there. Quickly Dana untied Jake as she whispered through her dishtowel, "Get out." He hurried for the door trying desperately not to choke and give her away. Quietly Dana moved up behind the man in the window, her eyes stinging, her throat beginning to burn. "Miller?"

He didn't move.

"Miller?" she asked again. A noise behind her caused her heart to pound, running footsteps approached. Still he didn't move, and the pounding footsteps stopped immediately behind her. Dana's heart sank, fully expecting a bullet to tear through her back.

"Dana, get out, we have him." She knew that voice.

"Dad." She lowered her gun and moved back behind the three men she could now see.

Jake grabbed her arm and dragged her down the hallway, coughing, "How do we stop the gas?"

She hurried to the kitchen and turned the heat off. Dana touched Jake's sleeve, "Let's get out of here, it might explode."

"No kidding." Jake led the way to the back door. Once outside, both collapsed in the alleyway. They listened to voices floating in the night air from the front of the building.

"Who's that?" Dana asked, referring to a loud angry voice.

"That'd be the Mayor. I think he's pissed."

"No kidding. Guess being arrested will do that to a person." Dana replied chuckling.

"And that is Miller. I think he's pissed too."

"What gave that away?"

"Think it was the bit where he called you an interfering city bitch."

There was a loud thwack.

"And that was my daddy smacking his sorry mouth." Dana said grinning.
They looked at each other as drizzly rain fell covering the world in a light mist. Dana spoke quietly, "Guess James can rest in peace now."

"That he can, Girl."

Dana leaned against a wall behind them and yawned. "What makes someone like Mayor Dunwoody resort to this kind of behavior?"

Jake fumbled for his cigarettes. "Because he thinks he can do anything. He's a big fish in a small pond."

"So who is Miller?"

Jake chuckled displaying his lopsided smile and white teeth to perfection. "Miller is Dunwoody's brother in law. He's a gofer who is at Dunwoody's disposal. He runs errands. Kills people, you know regular gofer stuff."

Dana laughed. "I think I'll stick to city life, its way too complicated out here."

Dana's father emerged from the shadows at the side of the old building. His tall imposing frame towered over them for a split second then he hunkered down in front of Dana.

He placed his hands on her shoulders and peered into her eyes, "You okay?"

"Yes."

He turned to Jake, "You?"

Jake winked, "Damn straight Dave, Hell of a kid you got here!"

Dana felt color rising in her cheeks.

"It might interest you to know . . .Mayor Dunwoody was scared, he came down here because he'd heard you were sniffing about and that a body had been discovered. Miller was ordered to dispose of you." Dave stood up. "I'll be back in a few minutes. I want to make sure those two are securely locked up."

They watched him walk away.

Jake nudged her then slung an arm around her shoulders. "Tell ya daddy about your visions, trust me Dana, he'll understand."

"Ya think?"

"Tell him before he finds out. Secrets are dangerous."

"Am I on vacation yet?"