Of course, Russ thought.

“Cold?” said Rachel.

“My fridge isn’t that large,” Hale responded. “You in?”

Russ couldn’t let his new friend risk her neck. “Riding bikes on wet pavement sounds dangerous. Have you played this before?”

“Nope. Just thought of it,” Hale responded proudly, and laid cheese slices atop a couple of burgers.

“Did you try it yourself?” Russ challenged.

“Sure. Matter of fact, I set the baseline. Thirty seconds.” Hale gestured toward the pool. “Piece of cake.”

Recognizing the futility of citing the risks, Russ tried a different tactic. “Have you checked your homeowners policy for liability?”

“The department has great medical insurance,” Hale returned casually. To the other guests, he bellowed, “Come and get it!”

Her mind obviously made up, Rachel requested the loan of some shorts and a T-shirt. Hale directed her to the second bedroom on the right.

As she disappeared into the interior, Russ reminded himself that he wasn’t Rachel’s date or her keeper, just a tag-along. She obviously had a thrill-seeking personality.

After Hale finished dishing out burgers, Russ seized the opportunity to press, “I really don’t think this is a good idea.”

The other man considered briefly. Then he asked, “What kind of doctor did you say you were?”

“Pediatrician.”

“That explains it.” Hale nodded with satisfaction, as if he’d discovered the source of what he considered excessive anxiety. “Don’t worry, Doc. It isn’t as if I’m letting a kid do this.”

Hopeless.

Rachel wasn’t the only daredevil in the crowd. During her absence, a wiry fellow grabbed a bike, issued a war cry and hit the pedals full force, zipping around the pool fully dressed except for bare feet.

The racing-style bike swerved at the end and slipped a little as he climbed off. Applause went up from the spectators as he leaped over the still-spinning wheels, hit the water and churned his way to the far side.

“Twenty-six seconds!” Hale hooted. “He’s in the lead!”

The pressure of police work must accumulate until these guys were dying to let off steam, Russ mused. He only hoped nobody got hurt. Especially not Rachel.

A second contestant set off to a round of cheers, but lost his balance on the second turn. He had to plant both feet on the ground to avoid falling.

“Default!” Hale yelled.

“Ow!” A string of curses blistered the air as the man regarded his badly scraped soles. He limped off, presumably to find first aid.

More people emerged from inside for a fresh round of burgers. Between bites, they challenged each other to participate.

“You’re outta luck, you losers. The winner’s here.” Rachel marched out with a swagger. She’d traded her clothes for a USC Trojans T-shirt and oversize shorts with an extension cord doubling as a belt. Long legs ended in shapely bare feet. She looked rough-and-ready and incredibly sexy.

Russ contemplated a further effort to stop her, but the crowd was calling out encouragement. Clasping both hands above her head, Rachel performed an impromptu previctory prance. At this point, he guessed she’d dive into an empty pool before she’d beg off.

The question of how the chief might react crossed his mind. But the chief wasn’t here, and Captain Ferguson didn’t appear to object.

“Where’d you find that cord?” Hale demanded of Rachel.

“Your room.” She stopped dancing around.

“Can you be more specific?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll reset your clock, if I live.”

He glared. “You have any idea how hard it is to set that alarm? The buttons stick.”

Joel hooted. “Guess you’ll have to find somebody to wake you up in the morning!”

The comment brought razzes and whistles. Shrugging them off, the host told Rachel to get moving or he’d declare her in default.

Russ tensed as she picked out a bike. “She should at least wear a helmet,” he told Derek.

“It’s dangerous to whack your head on the water in one of those,” the officer replied. “Might cause brain injury.”

“She’d have to take it off before she dove in,” Russ conceded.

“Then she’d lose.” That appeared to be the overriding consideration.

Too late to intervene, anyway. Torn between excitement and apprehension, Russ watched as Rachel’s athletic body set off, pedaling like mad around the concrete. Excellent coordination. Great balance, too, as she overcame a slight skid. The crowd fell silent.

His stomach clenched as she screeched to a halt on the lip and leaped off in the direction of the water. Then something went wrong.

Her foot must have caught a piece of the bike, because she landed at an off angle, going so fast she hardly seemed aware that she was too close to one side. Or perhaps she just wasn’t willing to waste time correcting her position. The bike kept moving across the concrete until it hit a metal garbage can with an ear-splitting crash.

“Go left!” somebody shouted.

“You’re too close!” called another bystander.

Russ started around the pool, hoping to run interference. Too late. Obviously disoriented, Rachel smacked against the far corner of the pool and disappeared into the depths. A brief silence ensued.

“Twenty-one seconds!” Hale slapped his leg. “I’ll bet that record’s gonna stand.”

“Isn’t she hurt?” a woman asked.

“I’ll bet she’s just playing possum.” Joel didn’t sound very certain, though.

In the pool, Rachel’s inert form drifted below the surface. A whole platoon full of trained officers and not one of them made a move. There she was in the deep end, not even struggling. Eyes half-closed. If she’d hit her head…Dismissing the dire possibilities, Russ focused on his task.

After whipping off his jacket and kicking off his shoes, he dove in. Cool heaviness closed around him, pulling at the clothes as he strained toward her.

As he’d learned in long-ago swimming classes, he gripped Rachel’s head from behind, out of reach in case she started to flail. He almost wished she would, but she floated limply as he towed her to the edge.

All her spirit and energy had vanished, and he missed them keenly. Missed the unique person he’d only started to appreciate.

When they reached the pool’s edge, Rachel gasped. A relieved Russ sucked in air. Then strong hands hauled them up.

“Good job, Doc.” Beneath his tan, Hale had gone pale. At last the peril appeared to have penetrated his thick skull. “She okay?”

Rachel sputtered and coughed as she lay on the cement. A moment later, she wheezed, “Had the wind knocked out of me.” Another few breaths and she added, “Did I win?”

“Yup,” Hale said. “By a wide margin.”

Rachel raised her fist a few inches in a gesture of victory. Russ wanted to hug her and scold her at the same time. “How’s your head? Did you hurt your foot?”

“Ankle’s bruised. Head’s fine.”

Someone tossed a couple of towels their way. While drying off, Russ checked his wallet. Except for dampness around the edges, it had survived intact, unlike his watch, whose digital face had gone blank. Worth the sacrifice, he decided. Next time, he’d buy a waterproof model.

A crash of wood against wood drew everyone’s attention to a gate flung open in the fence between yards. A petite blonde with outrage written on her face stormed in.

“What the heck was that racket?” Her furious gaze took in the dented bikes and overturned trash can. “Hale, you lunkhead, what do you think you’re doing?”

“Oh, great. We woke the dragon lady,” Joel muttered to no one in particular.

“Who’s that?” Russ inquired quietly.

“My ex-wife, Connie.” Joel ground his teeth. “That used to be my house. Hale and I should never have put in that gate.” Ruefully he added, “Used to be fun sneaking over here to drink beer while I was supposed to be doing yard work.”

The blonde advanced on their host, who found his escape route blocked by the grill. Russ caught the end of her tirade. “…can’t hear myself think!”