Ŀ
 Stopped Cold!    By J. L. Black                                            
Ĵ
 Aud stood in the closet looking at the wall of suits hanging before        
 her, thinking, 'Rand ol' boy, you sure had the clothes, no wonder          
 Carol buys so much.  She caught the habit from you.' "Well, best get       
 started," she said aloud, as she reached to the top shelve to remove       
 a box.  As she removed the box, two envelopes, which had been              
 concealed by the box and the wall, fell onto the shelf.  She sat the       
 box down and reached on tip toe, to the shelf to secure the                
 envelopes.  Once retrieved she discovered they were not envelopes at       
 all, but two floppy disks, neither marked with any information.  Odd,      
 she thought, Randy always kept everything together.  So why aren't         
 these with the computer downstairs? "Oh well", she spoke out, as she       
 walked across to the bed and placed the disks there.  "I'll use them       
 when I get the computer home and up and running," she said, then           
 returned to the closet.                                                    
                                                                            
 By the time she finished it was nearly six.  She loaded the last of        
 the computer equipment and manuals in the trunk of her car and drove       
 home.  She had only two hours to bathe, dress and help Carol get           
 ready to go dancing with Bob.  She had called Carol around four            
 o'clock to see how she was doing.  Carol announced to her, Bob had         

Ŀ
 Stopped Cold!    By J. L. Black                                            
Ĵ
 asked her out to go dancing that evening.   "Should I go Aud?  Do you      
 think it is ok?"                                                           
                                                                            
 "Of course it is ok.  Go, have fun."                                       
                                                                            
 "Are you sure Aud?"                                                        
                                                                            
 "Yes, I'm sure, call him and tell him yes."                                
                                                                            
 "Oh, I already said yes."                                                  
                                                                            
 Aud, when she got home, took a lingering bath. Telling Carol she had       
 worked so hard today at the house, she needed to relax.  Carol had         
 already taken a bath and was in the process of getting her make up on      
 for her date with Bob.  While Carol finished putting on the make up        
 and dressing, Aud, in her bathroom, was dressing for her date with         
 Jim.  When she came out to answer the door bell she had her robe over      
 her clothes, and no make up on, so it did not appear she was going         
 out at all.  Bob and Carol left, Aud then hurried back to her              
 bathroom, put her make up on.  Rummaged through her closet for the         

Ŀ
 Stopped Cold!    By J. L. Black                                            
Ĵ
 shoes she wanted.  Then sprayed a small amount of 'White Shoulder's'       
 cologne on herself, and the door bell rang as she sat the bottle back      
 on the dresser.  She grabbed the matching jacket to her dress off the      
 bed and hurried to the front door.                                         
                                                                            
 "You look wonderful," was the first thing Jim said, as Aud opened the      
 door.                                                                      
                                                                            
 "Thank you," Aud said, "is that opposed to how I looked at lunch           
 time?" she teased.                                                         
                                                                            
 "You know exactly what I mean.  You're fishing now!" Jim said as he        
 slipped his hand behind her waist, and led her out the front door.         
 He opened the car door for her, waited for her to slid into the seat,      
 then bent down and kissed her lightly on the lips.  He then went           
 around to the driver's side and slide into his seat, once there, she       
 leaned over and kissed him back.                                           
                                                                            
 "You are beautiful, you know.  You shouldn't tease about it.  Some         
 men don't put up with teasing."                                            

Ŀ
 Stopped Cold!    By J. L. Black                                            
Ĵ
 "Oh my," she said, in a voice mimicking Carol, "a threat from you          
 Jim?  I'm frightened," she laughed.                                        
                                                                            
 "Come on, you can stop now.  I didn't make a threat, just stated a         
 fact."                                                                     
                                                                            
 "There's a difference?"                                                    
                                                                            
 Their conversation went on like this all the way to the restaurant.        
 She taunted him, he fell for it, both knowing what was happening, but      
 having fun doing it.                                                       
                                                                            
 As they stood, waiting to be seated, someone walked up behind Jim and      
 said, "Mr. Fisher?"                                                        
                                                                            
 Jim turned around saying "Yes?"                                            
                                                                            
 "I thought that was you, Mr. Fisher.  And Miss Wood." Much to Jim's        
 and Aud's surprise, there stood Detective Blade.                           
                                                                            

Ŀ
 Stopped Cold!    By J. L. Black                                            
Ĵ
 "Oh, hi," Jim said clumsily.                                               
                                                                            
 "This is my wife, Winny," Senior said, as he took her elbow to lead        
 her more to his side than behind him.                                      
                                                                            
 "Hon, this is Mr. Fisher and Miss Wood."                                   
                                                                            
 "How do you do Mr. Fisher," Winny said, reaching out her hand to           
 shake his.  Then she reached for Aud's and said, "and Miss Wood."          
                                                                            
 "Nice to see you," Senior said, as the two of them were rescued by         
 the maitre d'.                                                             
                                                                            
 "Fancy that," Aud said as they were being seated.  "A police               
 detective being able to afford dinner here." She glanced at Jim, "You      
 look bothered.  Is it because we bumped into him?"                         
                                                                            
 "No, no of course not," Jim said as he stuck his index finger between      
 his shirt collar and tie, as if the tie suddenly began choking him.        
 "Why would bumping into him bother me?  Does it you?"                      

Ŀ
 Stopped Cold!    By J. L. Black                                            
Ĵ
 "No, not at all."                                                          
                                                                            
 Senior and Winny were seated on the other side of the restaurant, but      
 still within vision of Jim and Aud.                                        
                                                                            
 "What a striking couple.  Who are they?" Winny asked.                      
                                                                            
 "Oh, just a couple I met on business," Senior said as he looked over       
 towards them.  "Only when I met them, I don't think they were a            
 couple."                                                                   
                                                                            
 "Nice looking aren't they," Winny stated, but Senior gave no               
 response, he had retreated in his thoughts.                                
                                                                            
 The entire mood of the evening had changed.  Jim barely spoke through      
 dinner, but when he did, he seemed to be pressured or nervous.  Aud        
 had noted the sudden change, but thought it was merely the result of       
 Blade reminding Jim of Randy's death.  She knew Jim and Randy's            
 relationship was a close one and there was love for each other in the      
 relationship.  They were friends, good friends, she thought, it must       

Ŀ
 Stopped Cold!    By J. L. Black                                            
Ĵ
 be hard on Jim, I'm sure he misses Randy.  The fog that had encircled      
 their evening seemed to have broken once they were in the car.             
                                                                            
 "What would you like to do now?," Jim asked.                               
                                                                            
 "I don't care, any suggestions?"                                           
                                                                            
 "You want to go dancing?"                                                  
                                                                            
 "I love to dance," Aud injected, mimicking Carol again with the hope       
 of bringing some festivity back into the evening.  "No, please, no",       
 she finally said in her own voice.  They both laughed out loud.            
                                                                            
 "So what would you like to do?"                                            
                                                                            
 "Let's go somewhere, where we can walk.  Someplace quiet and just          
 walk," she spoke the words slowly and softly.                              
                                                                            
 "Sounds good to me.  How about the marina?"                                
                                                                            

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 Stopped Cold!    By J. L. Black                                            
Ĵ
 "Perfect." They drove on towards the marina.  They did not talk very       
 much as they drove.  Aud mentioned how wonderful the food was at the       
 restaurant, Jim responded with, he hadn't noticed.  Neither spoke          
 very much as they walked along the water's edge at the marina either.      
 Aud became chilled and Jim took his suit jacket off and wrapped it         
 around her shoulders.  They stood listening to the echoes of the           
 night recoiling off the water, and watching the reflected lights           
 bouncing on the ever moving surface of darkness.                           
                                                                            
 "Let's go home," Aud finally said.                                         
                                                                            
 "Home? Why?  I thought you were enjoying yourself."                        
                                                                            
 "I mean home, your home," she leaned into him as she spoke.                
                                                                            
 Jim escorted his lady through the front door of his home.  Walking         
 her through the living room to the family room and lead her to the         
 couch.  He went over to the wet bar, which sat on the other side of        
 the room.                                                                  
                                                                            

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 Stopped Cold!    By J. L. Black                                            
Ĵ
 What would you like?," he asked.  "Are you prepared for what I'd like?"    
 "I mean to drink," he smiled.  "Oh!  A wine of some sort." "Name the       
 type." "A dry Bordeaux." Jim disappeared, bending down behind the bar,     
 when he stood straight again, he had a bottle of wine in one hand.  Much   
 to Aud's surprise it was indeed a dry Bordeaux.  He uncorked it, poured    
 a small amount in a stemmed crystal glass, sipped from the glass,          
 tasting it's flavor, then smelled the bouquet of the wine remaining in     
 the glass.  He then poured a half glass for Aud and another for himself.   
 He carried the glasses over to where Aud sat.  Handed her one, then        
 seated himself next to her on the couch.  She sipped.                      
                                                                            
 "Very good.  I didn't know you knew about wines." "There's a lot you       
 probably don't know about me." "Yes, I suppose so." For some unknown       
 reason, Aud suddenly felt nervous.  She did not understand why, but she    
 did. Intuitively she felt she should leave, but she knew she would not.    
 She started talking, rattling almost, as a result of this nervousness.     
 "You know it's funny Jim.  We've known each other for a long time, and     
 yet we don't really know anything about each other.  I don't know..."      
 her words were stopped as Jim turned her face towards his and kissed       
 her, a short yet passionate kiss.  "Any of the things you like or...."     

Ŀ
 Stopped Cold!    By J. L. Black                                            
Ĵ
 he kissed her again. "what your hobbies..." "Aud?", Jim said.  "Mmmm?"     
 "Shut up!", he kissed her longingly, she relaxed and responded to him.     
 He stood, bent down, taking her hand, "Come." She stood, as he             
 straighten up, he lead her down the hall to the bedroom.                   
                                                                            
 A soft glow of light filtered through the drapes, from the street lamp     
 outside, as Aud sat looking at the man lying beside her.  She had          
 awakened almost thirty minutes ago but kept the silence the night had      
 wrapped the house in.  As she studied his face, she thought how unusual    
 it was for a man to sleep on his back and not snore.  His breathing        
 barely encroached up the quiet.  She head the clock radio click, reached   
 over to turn it off before the music invaded their world.  It was five     
 o'clock.                                                                   
                                                                            
 She leaned over and gently kissed Jim on his unshaved cheek.  "Jim", she   
 softly touched his shoulder.  "Jim", she said again, and he stirred a      
 little under her hand.  "Jim, it's five o'clock."                          
                                                                            
 He opened his eyes slowly, focusing on Aud's face.  "You weren't a         
 dream?"                                                                    

Ŀ
 Stopped Cold!    By J. L. Black                                            
Ĵ
 "No I wasn't", she softly whispered, as she stretch out beside him         
 again.  "Come on though, I've got to get home."                            
                                                                            
 "Could we..", Jim started to ask and Aud interrupted quickly.              
                                                                            
 "No.  I've got to get home for Carol wakes."                               
                                                                            
 "All right.  Bit I think we could..."                                      
 "No Jim."                                                                  
                                                                            
 "I was going to say, have breakfast first."                                
                                                                            
 "Oh, oh!  No, I think I should get home."                                  
                                                                            
 "Okay, if that's what you want", he said raising up on his elbow, he       
 leaned over Aud and gave her a light kiss on the cheek.  "Let's haul       
 some....er, get moving then."                                              
                                                                            
 She smiled as he stopped himself.  They both dressed and walked to his     
 car and he drove her home.                                                 


