Erica vaguely wondered if she might not be inhaling some kind of noxious fumes from his work. He was, after all, wearing that little mask. She resisted the urge to tuck her chin into the neck of her tee shirt, the way one might hide from a foul odor. "That's all you have to say about it then?" Erica asked, just a touch of tenseness to her tone.

"She asked me not to tell you, but I figured you deserved to know.. or whatever."