Benefit of Leisure Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Benefit of Leisure - Essay Example Although an individual gains when engaging in leisure activities, it is critical to point out that the society becomes healthy physically once members engage in leisure and related recreational activities as this expose elucidates. Individuals draw  various health benefits  from engaging in leisure activities. First, studies indicate that individuals who engage in leisure activities reduce their risk of becoming obese. On the other hand, obese people can engage in leisure activities related to walking in parks, engaging in trail walks, and related activities (State of California Resources Agency, 2005). In a society, whereby obesity cases have been on the rise with Ogden et al. (2014) indicating that  about  two-thirds of Americans are  either overweight or obese, the value of engaging in leisure activities that contribute to a healthy living cannon be overstated. In this case, individuals who engage in leisure activities reduce the risks associated with obesity since they start living a healthy lifestyle as physical activities reduces intra-abdominal visceral fats (State of California Resources Agency, 2005). Although the consumption of foods rich in fats is a primary contributor to obesity, it is s ignificant to point out that the prevalence of this condition, in the society, is strongly related to the failure by individuals to participate in physical activities than their consumption of foods rich in high calories (Welk & Blair, 2000). Hence, a society that motivates and encourages its people to engage in leisure activities ensures that it drew maximum physical health benefits from the population as they engage in activities that reduce their risks of becoming obese. In a 1996 report titled Physical Activity and Health: A Report of the Surgeon General published by the US Department of Health and Human Services, there is evidence to support the proof that the American society has lost lives from diseases and conditions that could be prevented

The relationship between the socio-economic characteristics Essay Example for Free

The relationship between the socio-economic characteristics Essay The aim of the fieldwork is to analyse the relationship between the socio-economic characteristics of the resident population and the quality of the residential environment within different parts of Durham City. The quality of the residential environment will be closely related to socio-economic factors and that the higher status areas will lie towards the edge of the urban area, meaning that the further out from the CBD I go the quality of the residential areas will improve. Looking at the layout of the areas I believe that I could base the area Robsons model. Robson based his model on Sunderland so the River Wear had to be taken into account, this river also runs through Durham but his model showed that as you went further from the centre that the class of living increased. Robson found that a mixture of concentric circles and sectors that identified the urban zones formed the framework to Sunderland. One thing to note is that a great dominance of areas of low and medium class housing were found more centrally than that of the higher class of living found on the outskirts. In each ward each group will survey a single street, they will walk the length of each street and record the quality of the residential environment by scoring each street according to the penalty points system.

PHYSICIAN ASSISTED SUICIDE

PHYSICIAN ASSISTED SUICIDE Introduction Problem Statement Is there a right to die? The practice of which a doctor gives a patient a gravely damaging dose of a substance, which is the normally requested by the patient, that he or she has intentions of using to end his or her life is referred to as Physician Assisted Suicide. Some feel that a terminally ill patient should have a legal right to control the manner in which they die. Physicians and nurses have fought for the right to aid a patient in their death. Many families of the terminally ill have exhausted all of their finances taking care of a patient who is dying and would much prefer the option of assisted suicide to bankruptcy. While there are many strong views against Physician Assisted Suicide, one of the most compelling is that patients who are terminally ill have the right to die in not only a humane but also in a dignified manner. But in hindsight, can we assure that there is dignity in dying necessarily when the doctor who is so trusted by the patient and their family, and whose professional ethics are to further and sustain life, injects a patient who is terminally ill with a dose of medication that is so lethal it immediately puts an end to that individuals life? Each and every culture including our own have a taboo against murder. All across cultural and religious groups the practice of physician assisting with suicide is considered wrong. As stated by Leon R. Kass, 2008, even when requested by the patient, the taboo against doctors killing patients is the very embodiment of reason and wisdom. Without it, medicine will have lost its claim to be an ethical and trustworthy profession. Obviously, the moral and ethical dilemmas surrounding the legalization of physician assisted suicide will be an issue for years to come. Dying is as much a natural process of life as birth. Families have fought to have their loved ones kept alive even when there was a DNR (do not resuscitate) or advanced directive. My position is against Physician Assisted Suicide because the decision of when and where the time of our death should occur is one that only God has the right to decide, because no person or doctor has the right to end a life. Hypothesis Independent Variable Physician Assisted suicide comes into existence when a doctor supplies a patient with the ways and means of putting an end his or her life, most times with a prescription for a deadly dose of a medication or substance. The patient then takes the drugs without the assistance of the doctor. The way that this is done is different from euthanasia, which is when the doctor gives the lethal dose to the patient or he or she carry out some other act, such as administering a lethal injection that puts an end to the patients life. In most states, Physician Assisted suicide is an illegal act Dependent Variable Physician Assisted Suicide runs directly opposite to the belief that the duty of the doctor is to save and prolong life. Furthermore, if Physician Assisted Suicide were to become legal, there is a possibility that some form of abuses would occur. For example, poor and other elderly individuals might be secretly burdened to choose Physician Assisted Suicide over more complicated and expensive palliative care options. Review of the Literature According to the New England Journal of Medicine, a survey was done nationally in the United States which showed that in 1996, 3102 questionnaires were mailed to a stratified probability sample of physicians in the 10 specialties in which doctors are most likely to get requests from patients for assistance with suicide or euthanasia. 1902 completed these questionnaires. Eleven percent of the physicians said that under current legal constraints, there were circumstances in which they would be willing to hasten a patients death by prescribing medication, and 7 % said that they would give a lethal injection; 36% and 24%, respectively, said that they would do so if it were legal. Since beginning practice, 18.3% of the doctors stated that they received a request from a patient for help with suicide and 11.1% had been asked by their patient for a deadly injection. Sixteen percent of doctors who received such requests, or 3.3% of the entire sample, reported that they had written at least on e prescription to be used to speed up the death of a patient, and 4.7%, said that they had given at least one lethal injection (Meier et al, 1998). A second set of research done by Braddock, Tonelli, 1998 also noted that Physician Assisted Suicide is unethical for one of many reasons. First, there is the argument of the sanctity of life which details intense religious and worldly beliefs against taking the life of a human being. The argument is also that assisted suicide is also wrong morally because it is contrary to these traditions. Second, passive vs. Active distinction: The argument here is that there is a significant distinction between passively letting an individual die and actively killing an individual. Of course there is the argument that refusing to treat someone or refraining from treating equals to letting the individual die (passive) and is excusable, while Physician Assisted Suicide equals to killing an individual (active) and is not excusable. Third, the potential for abuse which argues that particular groups of people who does not have the ability to obtain care and support, may be pushed into physician assiste d death. Also, physician assisted death may become a strategy for cost-containment. Family members who are burdened and other health care providers may attempt to persuade the patient toward physician assisted death. To shield the patient from these deceptions, it is the argument that Physician Assisted Suicide should remain illegal. Fourthly, professional integrity in which those who oppose physician assisted suicide point to the historical ethical beliefs of medicine, strongly opposed to taking life. The general concern is that connecting Physician Assisted Suicide to the practice of medicine could damage the way in which the general public views the profession. Lastly, fallibility of the profession in which the worry is that doctors will make errors (Braddock, Tonelli, 1998). The University Of Washington School Of Medicine followed up with research to prove the illegality of Physician Assisted Suicide. Research by Meier et al, 1998 states that in most states, including the state of Washington, assisting in a suicide is considered a crime and the state of Oregon is the only state where Physician Assisted Suicide is presently legalized. In the case of Compassion in Dying v. Washington, the Ninth US Circuit Court of Appeals held that individuals have a right to choose how and when they die. Later, the Second Circuit Court found a New York law on Physician Assisted Suicide in conflict with the 14th amendment, which says that no state shall deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. The Court held that competent patients were being treated differently than incompetent patients. The US Supreme Court has ruled that there is no constitutional right to assisted suicide, and made a legal distinction between refusal of treatment and Physician Assisted Suicide. However, the Court also left the decision of whether to legalize Physician Assisted Suicide up to each individual state (Braddock, Tonelli, 1998). Oregons Death with Dignity Act which was established on October 27, 1997 permits terminally ill Oregonians to end their lives through the voluntary self-administration of lethal medications, solely prescribed by a physician for that purpose. The statute requires the Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) to collect information about patients and physicians who participate in the physician- assisted death (PAD) process. It also requires ODHS to publish an annual statistical report (Aungst, 2008). According to Oregon public health officials, by the end of 2001, doctors in the state had legally prescribed a lethal dose of barbiturates for 139 patients. Ninety of these patients ingested the medication and died Dr. Timothy Quill was investigated but not convicted for the part he played in the suicide of a patient after he made public his account of the incident. In November of 1998, 60 Minutes aired a tape of Dr. Jack Kevorkian administering a lethal injection. His patient, 52 year-ol d Thomas Youk, suffered from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), otherwise known as Lou Gehrigs disease. As a result of the show, Kevorkian was tried for first degree murder in Oakland County, Michigan. Prosecutors argued that, in giving a lethal injection, Kevorkian stepped over the line of Physician Assisted Suicide into euthanasia, and that his actions amounted to murder. Kevorkian was convicted of second degree murder, and is currently serving a 10 to 25 year prison sentence (Braddock, Tonelli, 1998). Since 1990 four Dutch government-sponsored surveys of end-of-life decision-making by Dutch doctors have been carried out (covering 1990, 1995, 2001 and 2005 respectively). The surveys have shown that in thousands of cases doctors have broken the legal and professional guidelines regulating Physician Assisted Suicide, not least the requirement that doctors report each case to the authorities. For example, the first survey showed that in 1990 over 80 percent of cases went unreported and were instead illegally certified by doctors as deaths from natural causes. The latest survey shows that, in 2005, 80 percent of cases were reported, a significant improvement, but that 20 percent of cases were still illegally certified as death from natural causes.

Ovarian cancer :: essays research papers

My Aunt Kathie was diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer in 1993. She was 47 years old. I remember going to the hospital and visiting her. I even remember buying a troll nurse doll. I wasn’t allowed to see her, but my mom brought me in her room anyway. She had a private room and the nurses were very nice. They give me a surgical mask and scrubs to take home. My aunt was very sick. My aunt found out about the cancer after taking estrogen. The doctors thought she was going through menopause. She had not been getting her periods. She hadn’t been to the doctors in 21 years, since she gave birth to her son. My aunt also smokes. The doctors did no testing and just put her on this medication to regulate her periods. After four months, she did not get her period. She was experiencing severe cramps and bloating. She went to the doctor to get a second opinion. When the doctor examined her he noticed that she had a tumor. The doctor recommended an ultra sound. After going for several test and going to two hospitals. They found out that she had ovarian cancer. The tumor was the size of a grapefruit. My aunt would have to have a complete hysterectomy. A hysterectomy is when they remove all of your reproductive organs. After the operation the doctor said that they had gotten all of the cancer and that she would recover.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After the hysterectomy, my aunt had to go through chemotherapy to make sure that the cancer did not grow back. She went to Staten Island University Hospital cancer unit to have the treatment. She went once a week for six hours. They gave her a chemical known as Taxol or taxane. This is a drug that slow downs cell growth by stopping cell division. Normal cells grow and die in a controlled way. When cancer occurs, cells in the body that are not normal keep dividing and forming more cells without control. Anticancer drugs destroy cancer cells by stopping them from growing or multiplying. Healthy cells can also be harmed, especially those that divide quickly. Harm to healthy cells is what causes side effects. These cells usually repair themselves after chemotherapy. After six months of treatment, they said she was free of all the cancer. My aunt at the time did not lose any hair and you wouldn’t know by looking at her that she had cancer.

Relationship Between Public and Private Policing Essay

Abstract This paper will explore the historical relationship between public and private policing. It will also discuss how the relationship has changed in recent years. Relationship Between Public and Private Policing Since the terrorist attacks that struck inside the heart of our country on 11 September 2001, civilian law enforcement agencies have been busy performing not only their regular duties of crime prevention and response, but also taking on a large number of homeland security functions and all of this during a time when local, state and federal budgets are ever tightening. Similarly, private security institutions are under comparable pressure to carry out their traditional duties to provide protection of information, property and people, as well as sharing the additional duties of homeland security. Despite the fact that public and private police organizations share the same ultimate goal of protecting the public, they do not have a long history of working well together. Security officers have historically been looked down upon by law enforcement personnel. Some police feel that there is a definite lack of pre-employment screening, certification, training, standards, and regulation of security officers. Other police officers feel that security personnel receive insufficient training, especially those who carry weapons. Another perception that some police have is the view that security officers are those who couldn’t make it as law enforcement officers so they settled for a career in security. Meanwhile, some security officers view police as snobs who do not have an understanding of the range of capabilities, functions and resources offered by the private security field and thus fail to appreciate the role they can play. Private policing really got its start in the U.S. in the mid-1800s with the  foundation of the Pinkerton National Detective Agency in Chicago Illinois by Allan Pinkerton, the first man to be appointed as a detective in the Chicago Police Department. Since the federal government did not have personnel that could follow criminals across state lines, and local police personnel were ill equipped to handle the job, the Pinkerton Agency was hired to deal with criminal gangs (BSIS, n.d.). The company also performed many duties that are now handled by federal and state law enforcement agencies such as guarding railroads, conducting criminal investigations, and providing security advice to banks and other businesses. â€Å"Policing is not necessarily the exclusive dominion of government, but rather a ‘service’ that could be assumed either by public or private agencies† (Elizabeth Joh, 2004). According to the Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, in 2000 th ere were 797,000 law enforcement officers employed in the United States by local, state and federal agencies. In comparison, private security organizations throughout the country employed roughly two million security officers (National Policy Summit, 2004). With these numbers it only makes sense for there to be a cooperative relationship between public and private police agencies. Joining the capabilities of the two sides would benefit each profession and greatly enhance the protection level that could be afforded to the citizens of this country. For example, the public police agencies usually receive more current threat information, while the private police agencies tend to maintain control over the areas or facilities that are considered vulnerable to attack. It has been estimated that â€Å"85 percent of the country’s critical infrastructure is protected by private security organizations† (National Policy Summit, 2004). One factor that I believe has had a positive impact on improving relations between public and private police agencies is the crossover of personnel. Many times when law enforcement personnel at the local, state or federal level retire from their agencies, they tend to take on positions of employment with in the private police field as Directors or other higher level positions due to the degree of their experience. These personnel maintain their contacts from within the law enforcement realm which can facilitate opportunities for much needed training and education of security officers, as well as increased probabilities for the sharing of information between agencies. Another aspect which is closely related is the hiring of  off-duty police officers to perform private security functions and details. Many companies feel that hiring an off-duty police officer to perform private security functions can be an effective crime deterrent when there is a visible police officer presence. Most public police agencies allow their officers, with advanced permission from the department, to work security duties or details while wearing their police uniform and even operating their department issued police vehicle. Another advantage of hiring off-duty police officers is that they maintain the power of arrest and use of force at all times, whether on or off-duty. So when a crime occurs, you already have a police presence on scene that can handle the matter. There are even some police agencies which are actually commercializing their services. According to Massimiliano Mulone, â€Å"police organizations are selling the services they provide to private individuals/organizations, from renting off-duty police officers to offering training for the private security workforce† (2012). There are some negative aspects to hiring off-duty police personnel to perform private security duties. First of all, the average police officer will charge at least twice as much as the hourly wage a typical security officer will be paid. Another issue to consider is the fact that some police officers will not perform some of the more menial tasks that a regular security officer would be required to perform as par t of their normal duties. Additionally, since the police officer is not depending on this part time job as a primary source of income, they may not put the same level of devotion into completing the tasks of the position as a security officer that is performing this job as their primary source of employment. Furthermore, â€Å"recent research finds that that fatigue associated with overtime and outside employment may contribute to accident and injuries involving police officers and may lead to more citizen complaints† (James Brunet, 2008). Another issue of concern is that while a police officer is performing in an off-duty capacity as a security officer, they can be called away from these duties to assist on-duty officers with incidents that occur nearby. Lastly, a company that hires off-duty police personnel to work in a private security capacity must be aware that there are unique legal issues to be considered, such as when Miranda warnings should be used and under what cir cumstances searches may be authorized. In almost every major city throughout the country, shopping malls, hospitals, apartment complexes, university campuses and housing associations depend on various private police organizations for security. Evidence shows that private policing has considerably decreased crime rates in neighborhoods across the country. â€Å"After the ‘Grand Central Partnership,’ an organization of over 6,000 businesses, hired a private security force to guard a 70 block area in the midtown Manhattan area, crime rates dropped by 20 percent after two years, by 36 percent after three years and 53 percent after five years† (Kai Jaeger and Edward Stringham, 2011). Another example of this statement is the â€Å"introduction of private policing by Critical Intervention Services in a low-income area of Florida that reduced crime rates an average of 50 percent† (Jaeger and Stringham, 2011). The greater the number of private property establishments that can be covered by private police agencies will allow the public police officers to concentrate their efforts on responding to the more significant crimes. The reality is that government agencies are being required to do more with less, cut budgets and ultimately cut the number of public police officers that are needed to protect the public. On the other side of the issue, private security organizations are constantly growing and providing more professional and better trained security officers in order to stay competitive in the private policing field. In many instances it is getting harder to distinguish between the public and private police officers and the overall duties they can perform. By combining the efforts of the two spheres of responsibility it would greatly benefit both sides, as well as provide a higher level of protection for the citizens of this country. References Brunet, J. A., PhD. (2008). Blurring the line between public and private sectors: The case of police officers’ off-duty employment. Public Personnel Management, 37(2), 161-174. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.bellevue.edu:80/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/215949642?accountid=28125 Bureau of Security and Investigative Services. (n.d.) A Brief History. Retrieved from http://www.bsis.ca.gov/about_us/history.shtml Jaeger, K. and Stringham, E. (2011). National Center for Policy Analysis. Private policing options for the poor. Retrieved from http://www.ncpa.org/pub/ba763 Joh, E. E. (2004). The Paradox of Private Policing. Journal of Criminal Law & Criminology, 95(1), 49-131. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.bellevue.edu:80/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/218388345?accountid=28125 Mulone, M. (2012). When private and public policing merge: Thoughts on commercial policing. Social Justice, 38(1), 165-183. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.bellevue.edu:80/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1022716230?accountid=28125 National Policy Summit. (2004). Building Private Security/Public Policing Partnerships to Prevent and Respond to Terrorism and Public Disorder. Retrieved from https://www.theiacp.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=LNLjjcfSktQ%3D&tabid=432

Last Sacrifice Chapter Thirteen

â€Å"IT'S NOT FUNNY!' â€Å"Youre right,' agreed Sydney. â€Å"It's not funny. It's hilarious.' We were back at Raymond's house, in the privacy of our room. It had taken forever for us to get away from the fireside festivities, particularly after learning a terrible fact about a Keeper custom. Well, I thought it was terrible, at least. It turned out that if someone wanted to marry someone else around here, the prospective bride and groom each had to battle it out with the other's nearest relative of the same sex. Angeline had spotted Joshua's interest from the moment I'd arrived, and when she'd seen the bracelet, she'd assumed some sort of arrangement had been made. It therefore fell on her, as his sister, to make sure I was worthy. She still didn't like or entirely trust me, but proving myself a capable fighter had shot me up in her esteem, allowing her to consent to our â€Å"engagement.' It had then taken a lot of fast-talking to convince everyone– including Joshua–that there was no engagement. Had there been, I'd learned, Dimitri would have had to stand in as my â€Å"relative' and fight Joshua. â€Å"Stop that,' I chastised. Dimitri leaned against one of the room's walls, arms crossed, watching as I rubbed where Angeline had hit my cheekbone. It was hardly the worst injury I'd ever had, but I'd definitely have a bruise tomorrow. There was a small smile on his face. â€Å"I told you not to encourage him,' came Dimitri's calm response. â€Å"Whatever. You didn't see this coming. You just didn't want me to–‘ I bit off my words. I wouldn't say what was on my mind: that Dimitri was jealous. Or possessive. Or whatever. I just knew he'd been irritated to see me friendly with Joshua †¦ and very amused at my outrage over Angeline's attack. I abruptly turned to Sydney, who was just as entertained as Dimitri. In fact, I was pretty sure I'd never seen her smile so much. â€Å"Did you know about this custom?' â€Å"No,' she admitted, â€Å"but I'm not surprised. I told you they're savage. A lot of ordinary problems are settled by fights like that.' â€Å"It's stupid,' I said, not caring that I was whining. I touched the top of my head, wishing I had a mirror to see if Angeline had taken a noticeable chunk of hair. â€Å"Although †¦ she wasn't bad. Unpolished, but not bad. Are they all that tough? The humans and Moroi too?' â€Å"That's my understanding.' I pondered that. I was annoyed and embarrassed by what had happened, but I had to admit the Keepers were suddenly way more interesting. How ironic that such a backward group had the insight to teach everyone to fight, no matter their race. Meanwhile, my own â€Å"enlightened' culture still refused to teach defense. â€Å"And that's why Strigoi don't bother them,' I murmured, recalling breakfast. I didn't even realize what I'd said until Dimitri's smile dropped. He glanced toward the window, face grim. â€Å"I should check in with Boris again and see what he's found.' He turned back toward Sydney. â€Å"It won't take long. We don't all need to go. Should I just take your car since I only have to go a little ways?' She shrugged and reached for her keys. We'd learned earlier that Sydney's phone could pick up a signal about ten minutes from the village. He was right. There really was no reason for us all to go for a quick phone call. After my fight, Sydney and I were reasonably safe. No one would mess with me now. Still †¦ I didn't like the thought of Dimitri reliving his Strigoi days alone. â€Å"You should still go,' I told her, thinking fast. â€Å"I need to check in on Lissa.' Not entirely a lie. What my friends had heard from Joe was still weighing on me. â€Å"I can usually still keep track of what's going on around me at the same time, but it might be better if you're away–especially in case Alchemists do show up.' My logic was faulty, though her colleagues were still a concern. â€Å"I doubt they'd come while it's dark,' she said, â€Å"but I don't really want to hang out if you're just going to stare into space.' She didn't admit it, and I didn't need to say anything, but I suspected she didn't want someone else driving her car anyway. Dimitri thought her coming was unnecessary and said as much, but apparently, he didn't feel like he could boss her around as much as me. So, they both set out, leaving me alone in the room. I watched them wistfully. Despite how annoying his earlier mockery had been, I was worried about him. I'd seen the effect of the last call and wished I could be there now to comfort him. I had a feeling he wouldn't have allowed that, so I accepted Sydney's accompaniment as a small victory. With them gone, I decided I really would check in with Lissa. I'd said it more as an excuse, but truthfully, it beat the alternative–going back out and socializing. I didn't want any more people congratulating me, and apparently, Joshua had read my â€Å"maybe' and acceptance of the bracelet as a real commitment. I still thought he was devastatingly cute but couldn't handle seeing his adoration. Sitting cross-legged on Angeline's bed, I opened myself to the bond and what Lissa was experiencing. She was walking through the halls of a building I didn't recognize at first. A moment later, I got my bearings. It was a building at Court that housed a large spa and salon–as well as the hideout of Rhonda the gypsy. It seemed weird that Lissa would be going to get her fortune told, but once I got a glimpse of her companions, I knew she was up to something else. The usual suspects were with her: Adrian and Christian. My heart leapt at seeing Adrian again–especially after the Joshua Incident. My last spirit dream had been too brief. Christian was holding Lissa's hand as they walked, his grip warm and reassuring. He looked confident and determined–though with that typically snarky half-smile of his. Lissa was the one who felt nervous and was clearly bracing herself for something. I could feel her dreading her next task, even though she believed it was necessary. â€Å"Is this it?' she asked, coming to a halt in front of a door. â€Å"I think so,' said Christian. â€Å"That receptionist said it was the red one.' Lissa hesitated only a moment and then knocked. Nothing. Either the room was empty or she was being ignored. She held up her hand again, and the door opened. Ambrose stood there, stunning as always, even in jeans and a casual blue T-shirt. The clothing hugged his body in a way that showed off every muscle. He could have walked straight off the cover of GQ. â€Å"Hey,' he said, clearly surprised. â€Å"Hey,' said Lissa back. â€Å"We were wondering if we could talk to you?' Ambrose ever so slightly inclined his head toward the room. â€Å"I'm kind of busy right now.' Beyond him, Lissa could see a massage table with a Moroi woman lying face down. The lower half of her body had a towel over it, but her back was bare, shining in the dim lighting with oil. Scented candles burned in the room, and a calming kind of New Age music played softly. â€Å"Wow,' said Adrian. â€Å"You don't waste any time, do you? She's only been in her grave a few hours, and you've already got someone new.' Tatiana had finally been laid to rest earlier in the day, just before sunset. The burial had had much less fanfare than the original attempt. Ambrose gave Adrian a sharp look. â€Å"She's my client. It's my job. You forget that some of us have to work for a living.' â€Å"Please?' asked Lissa, hastily stepping in front of Adrian. â€Å"It won't take long.' Ambrose looked my friends over a moment and then sighed. He glanced behind him. â€Å"Lorraine? I have to step outside. I'll be right back, okay?' â€Å"Okay,' called the woman. She shifted, facing him. She was older than I'd expected, mid-forties or so. I guess if you were paying for a massage, there was no reason not to have a masseuse half your age. â€Å"Hurry back.' He gave her a dazzling smile as he shut the door, a smile that dropped once he was alone with my friends. â€Å"Okay, what's going on? I don't like the looks on your faces.' Ambrose might have radically deviated from a dhampir man's normal life, but he'd had the same training as any guardian. He was observant. He was always on the lookout for potential threats. â€Å"We, uh, wanted to talk to you about †¦' Lissa hesitated. Talking about investigations and interrogations was one thing. Carrying them out was another. â€Å"About Tatiana's murder.' Ambrose's eyebrows rose. â€Å"Ah. I see. Not sure what there is to say, except that I don't think Rose did it. I don't think you believe that either, despite what's going around. Everyone's talking about how shocked and upset you are. You're getting a lot of sympathy over having been tricked by such a dangerous and sinister â€Å"friend.† Lissa felt her cheeks flush. By publicly condemning me and renouncing our friendship, Lissa was keeping herself out of trouble. It had been Abe and Tasha's advice, and Lissa knew it was sound. Yet, even though it was an act, she still felt guilty. Christian stepped to her defense. â€Å"Back off. That's not what this is about.' â€Å"What is it about then?' asked Ambrose. Lissa jumped in, worried Christian and Adrian might upset Ambrose and make it difficult to get answers. â€Å"Abe Mazur told us that in the courtroom, you said or, uh, did something to Rose.' Ambrose looked shocked, and I had to give him points for being convincing. â€Å"Did something? What does that mean? Does Mazur think I, like, hit on her in front of all those people?' â€Å"I don't know,' admitted Lissa. â€Å"He just saw something, that's all.' â€Å"I wished her good luck,' said Ambrose, still looking offended. â€Å"Is that okay?' â€Å"Yeah, yeah.' Lissa had made a point to talk to Ambrose before Abe could, fearing Abe's methods would involve threats and a lot of physical force. Now, she was wondering if she was doing so great a job. â€Å"Look, we're just trying to find out who really killed the queen. You were close to her. If there's anything–anything–at all you've got that can help us, we'd appreciate it. We need it.' Ambrose glanced curiously between them. Then, he suddenly understood. â€Å"You think I did it! That's what this is about.' None of them said anything. â€Å"I can't believe this! I already got this from the guardians †¦ but from you? I thought you knew me better.' â€Å"We don't know you at all,' said Adrian flatly. â€Å"All we know is you had lots of access to my aunt.' He pointed at the door. â€Å"And obviously, it didn't take you long to move on.' â€Å"Did you miss the part where I said that's my job? I'm giving her a massage, that's it. Not everything is sordid and dirty.' Ambrose shook his head in frustration and ran a hand through his brown hair. â€Å"My relationship with Tatiana wasn't dirty either. I cared about her. I would never do anything to hurt her.' â€Å"Don't statistics say most murders happen between close people?' asked Christian. Lissa glared at him and Adrian. â€Å"Stop it. Both of you.' She looked back at Ambrose. â€Å"No one's accusing you of anything. But you were around her a lot. And Rose told me you were upset about the age law.' â€Å"When I first heard about it, yeah,' Ambrose said. â€Å"And even then, I told Rose there was some mistake–that there must be something we didn't know. Tatiana would have never put those dhampirs in danger without a good reason.' â€Å"Like making herself look good in front of all those terrified royals?' asked Christian. â€Å"Watch it,' warned Adrian. Lissa couldn't decide which was more annoying: her two guys teaming up to spar against Ambrose or them throwing barbs at each other. â€Å"No!' Ambrose's voice rang throughout the narrow hall. â€Å"She didn't want to do that. But if she didn't, worse things were going to happen. There are people who wanted–still want–to round up all the dhampirs who don't fight and force them into it. Tatiana passed the age law as a way to stall that.' Silence fell. I'd already learned this from Tatiana's note, but it was shocking news to my friends. Ambrose kept going, seeing he was gaining ground. â€Å"She was actually open to lots of other options. She wanted to explore spirit. She approved of Moroi learning to fight.' That got a reaction from Adrian. He still wore that sardonic expression, but I could also see faint lines of pain and sorrow on his face. The burial earlier must have been hard on him, and hearing others reveal information you hadn't known about a loved one had to hurt. â€Å"Well, I obviously wasn't sleeping with her like you were,' said Adrian, â€Å"but I knew her pretty well, too. She never said a word about anything like that.' â€Å"Not publicly,' agreed Ambrose. â€Å"Not even privately. Only a few people knew. She was having a small group of Moroi trained in secret–men and women, different ages. She wanted to see how well Moroi could learn. If it was possible for them to defend themselves. But she knew people'd be upset about it, so she made the group and their trainer keep quiet.' Adrian gave no response to this, and I could see his thoughts had turned inward. Ambrose's revelation wasn't bad news, exactly, but Adrian was still hurt at the thought that his aunt had kept so much from him. Lissa, meanwhile, was eating the news up, seizing and analyzing every piece of info. â€Å"Who were they? The Moroi being trained?' â€Å"I don't know,' said Ambrose. â€Å"Tatiana was quiet about it. I never found out their names, just their instructor.' â€Å"Who was †¦ ?' prompted Christian. â€Å"Grant.' Christian and Lissa exchanged startled looks. â€Å"My Grant?' she asked. â€Å"The one Tatiana assigned to me?' Ambrose nodded. â€Å"That's why she gave him to you. She trusted him.' Lissa said nothing, but I heard her thoughts loud and clear. She'd been pleased and surprised when Grant and Serena–the guardians who had replaced Dimitri and me– had offered to teach Lissa and Christian basic defense moves. Lissa had thought she'd simply stumbled onto a progressive-thinking guardian, not realizing she had one of the pioneers in teaching combat to Moroi. Some piece of this was important, she and I were both certain, though neither of us could make the connection. Lissa puzzled it over, not protesting when Adrian and Christian threw in some questions of their own. Ambrose was still clearly offended by the inquisition, but he answered everything with forced patience. He had alibis, and his affection and regard for Tatiana never wavered. Lissa believed him, though Christian and Adrian still seemed skeptical. â€Å"Everyone's been all over me about her death,' said Ambrose, â€Å"but nobody questioned Blake very long.' â€Å"Blake?' asked Lissa. â€Å"Blake Lazar. Someone else she was †¦' â€Å"Involved with?' suggested Christian, rolling his eyes. â€Å"Him?' exclaimed Adrian in disgust. â€Å"No way. She wouldn't stoop that low.' Lissa racked her brain through the Lazar family but couldn't peg the name. There were just too many of them. â€Å"Who is he?' â€Å"An idiot,' said Adrian. â€Å"Makes me look like an upstanding member of society.' That actually brought a smile to Ambrose's face. â€Å"I agree. But he's a pretty idiot, and Tatiana liked that.' I heard affection in his voice as he spoke her name. â€Å"She was sleeping with him too?' Lissa asked. Adrian winced at the mention of his great-aunt's sex life, but a whole new world of possibilities had opened up. More lovers meant more suspects. â€Å"How did you feel about that?' Ambrose's amusement faded. He gave her a sharp look. â€Å"Not jealous enough to kill her, if that's what you're getting at. We had an understanding. She and I were close– yes, â€Å"involved'–but we both saw other people too.' â€Å"Wait,' said Christian. I had the feeling he was really enjoying this now. Tatiana's murder was no joke, but a soap opera was definitely unfolding before them. â€Å"You were sleeping with other people too? This is getting hard to follow.' Not for Lissa. In fact, it was becoming clearer and clearer that Tatiana's murder could have been a crime of passion, rather than anything political. Like Abe had said, someone with access to her bedroom was a likely suspect. And some woman jealous over sharing a lover with Tatiana? That was perhaps the most convincing motive thus far–if only we knew the women. â€Å"Who?' Lissa asked. â€Å"Who else were you seeing?' â€Å"No one who'd kill her,' said Ambrose sternly. â€Å"I'm not giving you names. I'm entitled to some privacy–so are they.' â€Å"Not if one of them was jealous and killed my aunt,' growled Adrian. Joshua had looked down on Adrian for not â€Å"protecting' me, but in that moment, defending his aunt's honor, he looked as fierce as any guardian or Keeper warrior. It was kind of sexy. â€Å"None of them killed her, I'm certain,' said Ambrose. â€Å"And as much as I despise him, I don't think Blake did either. He's not smart enough to pull it off and frame Rose.' Ambrose gestured to the door. His teeth were clenched, and lines of frustration marred his handsome face. â€Å"Look, I don't know what else I can say to convince you. I need to get back in there. I'm sorry if I seem difficult, but this has been kind of hard on me, okay? Believe me, I'd love it if you could find out who did that to her.' Pain flashed through his eyes. He swallowed and looked down for a moment, as though he didn't want them to know just how much he'd cared about Tatiana. When he looked up again, his expression was fierce and determined again. â€Å"I want you to and will help if I can. But I'm telling you, look for someone with political motives. Not romantic ones.' Lissa still had a million more questions. Ambrose might be convinced the murder was free of jealousy and sex, but she wasn't. She would have really liked the names of his other women but didn't want to push too hard. For a moment, she considered compelling him as she had Joe. But no. She wouldn't cross that line again, especially with someone she considered a friend. At least not yet. â€Å"Okay,' she said reluctantly. â€Å"Thank you. Thank you for helping us.' Ambrose seemed surprised at her politeness, and his face softened. â€Å"I'll see if I can dig up anything to help you. They're keeping her rooms and possessions locked down, but I might still be able to get in there. I'll let you know.' Lissa smiled, genuinely grateful. â€Å"Thank you. That'd be great.' A touch on my arm brought me back to the drab little room in West Virginia. Sydney and Dimitri were looking down at me. â€Å"Rose?' asked Dimitri. I had a feeling this wasn't the first time he'd tried to get my attention. â€Å"Hey,' I said. I blinked a couple of times, settling myself back into this reality. â€Å"You're back. You called the Strigoi?' He didn't visibly react to the word, but I knew he hated hearing it. â€Å"Yes. I got a hold of Boris's contact.' Sydney wrapped her arms around herself. â€Å"Crazy conversation. Some of it was in English. It was even scarier than before.' I shivered involuntarily, glad that I'd missed it. â€Å"But did you find out anything?' â€Å"Boris gave me the name of a Strigoi who knows Sonya and probably knows where she is,' Dimitri said. â€Å"It's actually someone I've met. But phone calls only go so far with Strigoi. There's no way to contact him–except to go in person. Boris only had his address.' â€Å"Where is it?' I asked. â€Å"Lexington, Kentucky.' â€Å"Oh for God's sake,' I moaned. â€Å"Why not the Bahamas? Or the Corn Palace?' Dimitri tried to hide a smile. It might have been at my expense, but if I'd lightened his mood, I was grateful. â€Å"If we leave right now, we can reach him before morning.' I glanced around. â€Å"Tough choice. Leave all this for electricity and plumbing?' Now Sydney grinned. â€Å"And no more marriage proposals.' â€Å"And we'll probably have to fight Strigoi,' added Dimitri. I jumped to my feet. â€Å"How soon can we go?'