There she went. She didn't even wait for the light, and now she was directly across the street from him. "Audie! Please!" he yelled over the traffic.

She flipped him off and ran faster.

Quinn made a break across the traffic and nearly got a hold of her arm as she made a hard left and headed into the tree-lined streets of Wrigleyville.

He was right behind her, shouting, "I can run all night, Audie! But I'd rather talk!"

She slammed to a halt and turned toward him, and he bashed into her. A wumph escaped her lips as she fell flat on the sidewalk beneath him. Quinn heard the unmistakable sound of a skull hitting concrete.

Her very female body went limp under him, and for an instant Quinn feared she'd been knocked out. But then she screamed something shrill and unintelligible in his ear, pushed him away, and brought a right fist to the side of his jaw.

Quinn went sprawling, half of him in someone's tiny front lawn and half on the sidewalk.

"You jerk! You idiot!" She was on top of him now, pummeling him in the chest and arms.

Quinn put his hands over his head and absorbed the blows until he could sort out the situation. He couldn't remember the last time he had let a female beat him up.

Without warning, the punching stopped and she went still, sitting on top of his legs. She began to cry.

Quinn was paralyzed by the feel of her body on top of his, softly rocking back and forth with her sobs. He opened one eye to peek at her.

"I didn't write the letters, you dumb ass! I want a different detective on the case-someone with half a brain!" She took a gulp of air and rubbed the back of her head. "You hurt me!"

Quinn felt her begin to rise and suddenly knew exactly how to handle this situation. He sat up, grabbed Audie by the hips, and pulled her down into his lap.