"What's the matter, Mandi?" asked Andrea. "Oh, I think my watch has been fried," said Mandi. "Its screen is blank." "Open it," said Cade. "If the battery isn't swollen, it may just need to be taken out and put back in to reboot the watch." "Would that really work?" asked Andrea. Tapping his own watch, Cade said, "It might. It does when a computer power supply's field blanks my watch." Mandi fussed with the watch for a few seconds, then said, "There's a notch on the back, but I can't get my fingernails under the edge." Cade stirred the instant coffee as he walked toward her, then he put the coffee on the desk, reached for her watch, and looked at the back. Flicking his knife open, he used the tip to pry up the back of the watch and tickle the battery out of its holder, then he slid the battery back into place and checked the front. Showing it to Mandi, he said, "There you go, ma'am. You've got numbers again," then he handed her the watch and its back and said, "I'm afraid to squeeze it back on. You do it," and slapped his knife shut to return it to its belt sheath. "Thanks," said Mandi. "I never would have thought of that. I thought the battery was dead." "May I see that knife?" asked Andrea. Cade handed it to her closed. She took it and looked it over, then -- holding it rather gingerly, he thought -- unfolded the blade until it locked open with a loud 'whack' that seemed to startle her a little. She looked up and asked, "Why didn't it sound like that when you opened it?" "I was holding it like a tool. You're holding it like a delicate antique. Things make more noise in a light grip." Mandi snickered as Andrea studied Cade as if wondering if she were being teased, then her eyes fell back to the knife. She still held it rather gingerly as she studied the brass bolsters, the wood between them, and short serrated region on the stainless blade. "It looks as if you must have put those serrations on the blade yourself. Why?" "They're better for cutting rope and thick stuff and I can use the last two notches to strip insulation off wires." She glanced up again and said, "They make the knife look mean. Nasty." Leaning on the desk, Cade sipped coffee and said, "Only if you're viewing it strictly as a weapon. Do you feel that way about serrated kitchen knives, too?" Andrea shook her head. "No. I guess I don't. How long have you been carrying a knife?" "Since I worked on a ranch when I was a kid. This knife or one much like it. Back then oil came in cans and beer cans didn't have pull-tabs. I had to be able to dig things out from under horseshoes, pound wire staples back into fence posts, and cut rope and leather. Got a wild dog with it once when he came at me by the barn, and I got to where I could throw it and nail rats in the feed bin." Making an 'eeewww' face, Andrea handed the open knife back to him as Mandi