“Oliver, who else.” Liu grinned. “For someone who claims to be antisocial, he gets all the gossip first. I shouldn’t tell you, but there’s a pool going for who will see this elusive woman first. You could introduce me to her. It would pay for the new muffler on my car.”
“I don’t…” Mac began. “Damn Oliver. He can’t resist getting on my case. There is no girlfriend. Anyway, it’s none of his business.”
Liu stretched her toned arms overhead and stood, leaning one hip on the corner of her desk. She was a small, compact woman and even that position barely put her head at Mac’s chest level. “Hey, chill out, big guy. I was just asking. What can I do for you?”
Mac had to take a second to reorganize his practiced request. “Do you still do that course? The women’s self-defense thing you used to teach?”
“Occasionally. I went in with a couple of other instructors who are trained and we take it in turns. I get pretty busy these days. Why?”
“There’s a friend of mine,” Mac said cautiously. “His kid plays with my daughter, Anna. Anyway, we were talking and he was telling me about this place he volunteers at. It’s a teen center for gay and lesbian kids here in the city. He says some of the kids have real problems with getting roughed up, and he wanted to know if I would come teach them some self-defense. I told him I wasn’t the right person for the job, but I thought of you. The principle is the same as for the women you teach. These kids don’t want trouble, but they get attacked and they’re often smaller than the people beating on them. Your techniques could help.”
“I don’t know,” Liu said slowly. “What I teach is aimed at encouraging women to fight back in really dangerous situations. You don’t want some kid putting out another kid’s eye with his keys because he’s getting shoved around at school.”
“Not every situation is life and death for the women either. You must talk to them about appropriate levels of response. A stomp on some bully’s instep might go a long way at the right time. And as for dangerous situations, some of these kids, boys as well as girls, are probably at as much risk of rape as some of the women are, maybe more. Tony tells me at least a couple of them are tricking, and one boy got badly beaten by a john. He made it out of the guy’s car intact, but he might not be so lucky the next time.”
“Damn. Okay, yes, there’s a need. But will they come to a class and listen and take it seriously?”
“Tony thinks they will.”
“Would you charge them a class fee?” Liu asked.
“What do you do at the Y?”
“There’s a charge for the class. People pay more attention if they’ve put some money into it. I usually try to arrange a couple of free slots for women who really don’t have the cash. They’re often the ones who need it most.”
“Maybe we could do the same. Some of these kids have money, some don’t.”
“I suppose I could try to arrange it,” Liu said. “You can come along and be my attacker.”
“Actually, I bet Tony would be up for that,” Mac suggested.
“How big is Tony?”
“How big? Um…” Mind out of the gutter, you idiot. “He’s five-ten, about one-fifty. Why?”
“’Cause you would be better,” she said. “It makes a good impression when they see a five-three woman take down a two-hundred-pound guy.”
“Um,” Mac hedged. “I don’t know if I’d be available. I’ve got a couple of tough cases on my plate.”
“If I can find time, you can,” Liu told him firmly. “I won’t hurt you too badly.” As he still hesitated, she frowned. “Or what, does the idea of being around a bunch of gay teens make you nervous?”
“No,” Mac said quickly. “I’ll do it, if you think it would help.” Damn it. “I just really can’t predict my schedule.”
“So if you’re not available, I’ll fall back on your Tony.”
“He’s not my Tony. I barely know the guy,” Mac said, and wanted to take back the words as they left his mouth. Wrong thing to say, for so many reasons. “Um, I’ll tell him you might be able to do it.”
“Give him my number,” Liu said, looking at him oddly. “Here, take a card for him.” She pinched a business card out of her drawer with two fingers and held it out to him. “Have him call me and we’ll talk about dates. I usually do at least one hour a week for three weeks. It takes time just to get over the inhibitions against actually hurting someone. That alone usually needs a lesson or two to sink in, before they can focus on the techniques.”
“Thanks, Liu,” Mac said. “I really appreciate it.”
She sat back down at her laptop, giving him a vague wave with her hand. Mac beat a retreat and found himself in the second-floor men’s room with his forehead against the wall.
This was so fucked up. He was committed to going to the teen center, and Tony would be there, around people whose gaydar was probably pretty acute. There was a betting pool encouraging everyone in the building to snoop into his private affairs even more than they otherwise would.
I said he’s not my Tony.
That was the worst. Echoes of his childhood Lutheran upbringing whispered, Three times will deny me.
Stupid, he told himself, pushing upright. He wasn’t Peter, and Tony certainly wasn’t Jesus. It’d been a dumb thing to say because over-protesting was suspicious, not because saying the words would make them true. Being in the closet meant telling lies sometimes. That’s how it worked. He was all right with that. He was.
The door opened and Oliver came in. He offered a breezy, “Hey, partner,” and then looked more closely. “Are you okay?”
Mac wondered what had changed from Liu’s “looking great” to now.
“I’m fine,” he said curtly.
“She didn’t dump you, did she?” Oliver asked.
“No,” Mac said loudly. “She didn’t fucking dump me! What is with you? Why do you suddenly need to know everything about me? You want details about my love life? Okay, details; average height, slim build, dark hair, blue eyes, and none of your goddamned, fucking business!”
“Hey, calm down. There’s no reason to go postal on me.”
“Just drop it, okay?” Mac demanded.
“Okay, okay.” Oliver pointed a thumb at his own chest. “Detective, you know. I just like to find out stuff, hate secrets. It’s why I like the job.” He peered at Mac. “Is she married?”
Mac sighed. “What part of none of your goddamned, fucking business wasn’t clear?”
“She is.” Oliver whistled. “Okay, that’s tough, sorry.”
Mac stared at him. Now it would be all over the station that he was dating a married blue-eyed dark-haired woman. Which is better than the truth, right? Suddenly he just wanted to go home.
“I’m done,” Mac said. Done with work, done with this conversation, done. “I’m already on overtime there’s no money for. I’ll see you in the morning.”
§ § § §
When he got back to the apartment, Tony was sitting on the couch, watching a movie. He looked up at the sound of the door and gave Mac that sweet smile. “You’re home early. I like this.”