3rd Degree
Chapter One
IT WAS A CLEAR, calm, lazy April morning, the day the worst week of
my life began.
I was jogging down by the bay with my border collie, Martha. It's my
thing Sunday mornings - get up early and cram my meaningful other
into the front seat of the Explorer. I try to huff out three miles,
from Fort Mason down to the bridge and back. Just enough to convince
myself I'm bordering on something called in shape at thirty-six.
That morning, my buddy Jill came along. To give her baby Lab, Otis,
a run, or so she claimed. More likely, to warm herself up for a bike
sprint up Mount Tamalpais or whatever Jill would do for real
exercise later in the day.
It was hard to believe that it had been only five months since Jill
lost her baby. Now here she was, her body toned and lean again.
"So, how did it go last night?" she asked, shuffling sideways beside
me. "Word on the street is, Lindsay had a date." "You could call it
a date ...," I said, focusing on the heights of Fort Mason, which
weren't getting closer fast enough for me. "You could call Baghdad a
vacation spot, too." She winced. "Sorry I brought it up."
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