Local Hero

you?”
    “No.” She removed her hand, because his was as overwhelming as it looked. “We’re doing fine.”
    “I can see that.”
No Help Wanted
. The sign was up and posted in big letters. He’d known a few women like her, so fiercely independent, so suspicious of men in general that they had not only a defensive shield but an arsenal of poisonous darts behind it. A sensible man gave them a wide berth. Too bad, because she was a looker, and the kid was definitely a kick.
    “I forgot where I’d packed it.” Radley came back in, flushed with the effort. “It’s a classic, the dealer even told Mom.”
    He’d also charged her an arm and a leg for it, Hester thought. But it had meant more to Radley than any of his other presents.
    “Mint condition, too.” Mitch turned the first page with the care of a jeweler cutting a diamond.
    “I always make sure my hands are clean before I read it.”
    “Good idea.” It was amazing that after all this time the pride would still be there. An enormous feeling it was, too, a huge burst of satisfaction.
    It was there on the first page. Story and drawings by Mitch Dempsey. Commander Zark was his baby, and in ten years they’d become very close friends.
    “It’s a great story. It really explains why Commander Zark devoted his life to defending the universe against evil and corruption.”
    “Because his family had been wiped out by the evil Red Arrow in his search for power.”
    “Yeah.” Radley’s face lit up. “But he got even with Red Arrow.”
    “In issue 73.”
    Hester put her chin in her hand and stared at the two of them. The man was serious, she realized, not just humoring the child. He was as obsessed by comic books as her nine-year-old son.
    Strange, he looked fairly normal; he even spoke well. In fact, sitting next to him had been uncomfortable largely because he was so blatantly masculine, with that tough body, angular face and large hands. Hester shook off her thoughts quickly. She certainly didn’t want to lean in that direction toward a neighbor, particularly not one whose mental level seemed to have gotten stuck in adolescence.
    Mitch turned a couple of pages. His drawing had improved over a decade. It helped to remind himself of that. But he’d managed to maintain the same purity, the same straightforward images that had come to him ten years ago when he’d been struggling unhappily in commercial art.
    “Is he your favorite?” Mitch pointed a blunt fingertip toward a drawing of Zark.
    “Oh, sure. I like Three Faces, and the Black Diamond’s pretty neat, but Commander Zark’s my favorite.”
    “Mine, too.” Mitch ruffled the boy’s hair. He hadn’t realized when he’d delivered a pizza that he would find the inspiration he’d been struggling for all afternoon.
    “You can read this sometime. I’d lend it to you, but—”
    “I understand.” He closed the book carefully and handed it back. “You can’t lend out a collector’s item.”
    “I’d better put it away.”
    “Before you know it, you and Rad will be trading issues.” Hester stood up to clear the plates.
    “That amuses the hell out of you, doesn’t it?”
    His tone had her glancing over quickly. There wasn’t precisely an edge to it, and his eyes were still clear and mild, but . . . something warned her to take care.
    “I didn’t mean to insult you. I just find it unusual for a grown man to read comic books as a habit.” She stacked the plates in the dishwasher. “I’ve always thought it was something boys grew out of at a certain age, but I suppose one could consider it, what, a hobby?”
    His brow lifted. She was facing him again, that half smile on her lips. Obviously she was trying to make amends. He didn’t think she should get off quite that easily. “Comic books are anything but a hobby with me, Mrs. Hester Wallace. I not only read them, I write them.”
    “Holy cow, really?” Radley stood staring at Mitch as though he’d just been crowned king. “Do you really? Honest? Oh, boy, are you Mitch Dempsey? The real Mitch Dempsey?”
    “In the flesh.” He tugged on Radley’s ear while Hester looked at him as though he’d stepped in from another planet.
    “Oh, boy, Mitch Dempsey right here! Mom, this is Commander Zark. None of the kids are going to believe it. Do you believe it, Mom, Commander Zark right here in our kitchen!”
    “No,” Hester murmured as she continued to stare. “I can’t believe it.”

Chapter 2
    Hester wished she could