Fractured by Erin O'Reilly

Author's Note

This story has murder, mystery, and romance. The romance includes intimate moments between consenting adult women. If you are under 18 please find something else to read. The events portrayed in this story are fictional and any resemblance to actual events and/or people is purely coincidental.

Chapter Twelve

In the very early morning, in the space where dark fractures light into shadows, Tessa ran through the streets that lights occasionally illuminated before plunging her back into the dark. It was like her life-dark, except for a miniscule amount of light that would give her hope. Hope for what, she didn't know. She ran further than she normally did, hoping that the cold air hitting her sweaty body would shock her system and cause her brain and overactive libido to shut down. They didn't.

She never did get to sleep the night before. As soon as her head hit the pillow, her body and mind went into hyper-drive. At first, her mind exploded with every picture of every victim of every case she worked. And, she saw Rachel laughing and dancing, before the image of her body lying in her own blood came into view.

She pushed thoughts of the dead away, only to have Anna appear. Her body reacted as it always did when she thought of the lawyer-unbridled desire. But, this time, she felt something different that she couldn't quite grasp. Along with the passion that still hummed with the pent up need that her fingers could not squelch, she felt a sense of peace. How can that be? She craved the woman in a way she never imagined. What scared her-the tender feelings that told her that, if Anna only held her, that would be enough.

Tessa arrived at work when it was still dark and the streets were mostly silent. Getting out of her SUV, she looked at the long, empty stretch of the parking lot-the analogy of her life being like the parking lot was not lost on her. Occasionally, she would allow her mind to indulge in the fantasy of having a private life that included a lover and close friends. In the end, another murder would always occupy all of her time, leaving nothing left to explore the possibility of a relationship-Anna floated into her consciousness.

As Tessa made her way into the police building, the new case came back into focus. She managed to push all thoughts and memories that didn't pertain to the case down-concentrating on the Stratton murder took priority. Her focus turned to the computer forensic specialist who promised her that he'd come up with a name to match the threatening e-mails. They needed a name but, more importantly, they needed a motive. Once she read the e-mails, she could determine how viable the lead was and if it would lead to a motive.

Slipping into her desk chair, Tessa pulled her Glock out of its holster, placed it in a drawer, and locked it. Her eyes tracked to the stack of papers neatly sitting on her desk. She picked up the pile and smiled-the tech had put them in chronological order.

She read the next six e-mails and they all were equally bland. When she read the eighth one, she scooted to the edge of her chair.

I don't know why you keep ignoring me. What will it take to make you notice me? Do I have to capture you and show you my love? Will you take me seriously then?

The next six e-mails became more descriptive of what the person would do to her. She saw no mention of pentagrams, or paralyzing drugs, yet she saw a thread that told her the e-mailer was evolving. In the last email dated three weeks earlier, the e-mailer's intentions were clear.

Tessa eased back in her chair and began rocking. The e-mails certainly were threatening but the question, why did the person wait three weeks to carry out the threat. It didn't gel. However, she couldn't deny that there was something compelling about bball_99.

"Who are you?" Her emotions that she had trouble keeping a tight rein on ever since the case started yesterday were telling her two different things. Her gut was telling her this could be it and her head told her don't jump to conclusions until you have the full story. She spread the e-mails out on her desk and looked at them again. No matter how many times she reread them the tingle she always got when she knew she was on the right track never appeared. Nevertheless, she needed to pursue who sent the e-mails.

Gus breezed into the detective's room at seven-fifteen. When he sat in his seat, he said, "Can you believe it? I had a flat."

With a hearty laugh, Gus got up, rounded his desk, and put his hand on Tessa's forehead. "Don't you understand what sleep means?"

She immediately swatted his hand away. "Sure I do. What the hell was that all about?"

"Wanted to see if you were sick," Gus said with another laugh. "What had you here so early?" He wasn't surprised at her early start, for that was her pattern with all the cases they investigated. Tessa would give the victim everything she had, and more, to find the perpetrator often at the expense of her own well being.

Tessa took hold of the email folder and shoved it in her partner's direction. "Take a look at these and see what you think."

"Apparently so. Silverstein told me he'd get us the name of who sent them soon."

"This might get us one step closer to the perp," Gus said as he saw a tall woman exit the elevator. "Looks like the Carlton woman is here. She looks like her mother."

Vanessa Carlton arrived for her interview. She was a tall, attractive woman dressed in dark blue hospital scrubs. Sitting down in an interrogation room, the woman fixed her eyes on the two detectives that sat across from her-she wasn't happy.

"Thank you for your cooperation," Gus said to the woman as he placed a small recorder on the table. "I'm going to record this, if it's ok with you."

Vanessa nodded. "Sure, whatever. As I said on the phone, I don't know how I can help you."

Gus asked, "Did you notice or hear anything in the lot across from your mother's home?"

The nurse shook her head. "There was the usual assortment of thugs there. They usually hang out there, talking smack and selling drugs. We call the police all the time but nothing changes. Those punks are still there every night. Maybe you should be talking to them and not to someone who has nothing to tell you."

Tessa nodded. "I understand how frustrating it is for you, especially with your son being at such an impressionable age. Perhaps we can find a solution later...but we're not here for that now. We're here because someone left a girl's dead body in the lot across the street from your mother's house and your son found that body." She gave the woman an intense gaze. "Now, can you tell me if you saw any sort of vehicle parked in the lot when you left for work?"

"No," the nurse said. "Those guys just hang out there and don't usually have their cars with them."

With her eyes fixed on the nurse, Tessa said. "Think back to when you pulled up to your house, did you look in the direction of the lot?"

Irritated, Vanessa growled. "No! Look, I told you I didn't see anything. From what I heard on the news, the murder took place early Monday morning. I was at work at that time."

"So you're telling us that you didn't notice anything out of the ordinary when you went to work or when you came home." Tessa's eyes intently studied the woman's body language. "You didn't look at the vacant lot or notice a body there?"

Vanessa's eyes widened. "That's what I told you when you called me. Listen to me very carefully-I don't know anything that will help you."

"Look, I work six nights a week, so I don't have much time to watch television or even read the paper if we got one. From what I heard on the radio, the woman who was murdered was a basketball player. Just because I played basketball years ago in high school doesn't mean I know every woman that plays the game."

The nurse's face hardened. "There's no way I will let that happen. My son told you all he knows."

Taken aback by the woman's unwillingness to let them question her son again, Tessa fixed the woman with a long hard stare. "All we want to do is go over what he said again. Maybe he remembers something else that will help us find the murderer. You do want us to find the murderer, don't you?"

"I'm not that callous, Detective. Of course, I want to see justice done, but not at the expense of my son, who is already traumatized."

Studying the woman, Tessa gauged the reaction that her next words would have. "It's not a request."

"We would appreciate your bringing him in here so we can speak with him again," Tessa said in a tight voice.

The nurse blew out a breath. "No. Can my mother bring him in?" The nurse saw the detective nod. "What time?"

Tessa handed the woman her card. "Yeah, thank you. We'll be looking for Joey later this morning."

Vanessa Carlton opened her mouth then shut it before she said, "Before noon then."

When Tessa returned from escorting the nurse to the elevators, she pulled back her chair and said, "What a bitch."

Gus shook his head. "The woman wanted to do whatever she could to see that her child was safe and didn't have any more trauma than necessary." He shrugged. "That's what I'd do."

Tessa didn't reply for she didn't have a comeback. Instead, she said, "I hope the woman who said she saw the vic Sunday night has something pertinent to the case." Opening the case folder, Tessa looked at the crime scene and autopsy photos for the hundredth time.

"Anything change?" Gus asked with a chuckle. "You can look at them all you want but you can't make evidence appear."

Tessa swung her eyes over to her partner "Wouldn't this job be much easier if everything happens the way television portrays it? We'd have a ta-da moment when we suddenly are presented with evidence that breaks the case wide open."

"And on day one," Gus added, as he raised his eyebrows and grinned before his face became serious again. "Hey, did you hear anything more about the e-mails?"

"Not yet. I would have expected Silverstein to ask for a warrant by now. He did say last night that he hoped the Internet provider would cooperate." Tessa shuffled some papers around her desk then looked at her partner. "Anything on who's leaking the information?"

Gus nodded. "I put some feelers out and have someone I know we can trust working some angles, but nothing so far. I ran into the captain on my way in and he said he was looking into it. I told him I was glad to hear that, since we have enough to do just working the case."

"Or, the grandmother, one of the lab techs, or anyone who has a passing interest in the case," Gus interjected.

Gus raised his bushy eyebrows. "Maybe we should set up a sting like we did on the Palmer case."

Tessa let out a genuine laugh. "That was sweet, wasn't it?" She smiled, before her face went blank. "We have the uniforms but they wouldn't know about the beating since that wasn't known until the ME cleaned her up."

"That would point to the techs that work down in the morgue with Ellis." Gus tapped a finger on his lips. "We can't rule out the crime scene techs."

Tessa scrunched her face. "I disagree. Have you ever noticed that on the television crime shows the criminalists know everything? They even have guns and chase down the bad guys." She tapped her chin as an introspective look crossed her face. "But, to rule them out, we need to find out who is friendly with the morgue staff. It comes down to who talks to who."

"Or who talks to the press," Gus added. "And we can't rule out the judge or the DA or anyone that works in those offices."

Tessa shook her head. "From now on it will be on a need to know basis. That way we know who we give the information to and can match it up with what's leaked."

"If that means we have to be here twenty-four-seven, you're going to have to explain to Helen that I can't make it home except to shower and change. Otherwise, we're going to have to find the leak in our spare time." Gus eyed his partner, who still had a vacant look on her face. "Who's up next?"

Shaking a thought away, Tessa replied, "The woman who said she saw the vic Sunday night with a man is due here around nine."

Gus held up a piece of paper. "I have the name of a guy who says he knows who did it-figure he's a wacko. I also have someone coming in who said he saw her that night too."

Nodding in agreement, Tessa said, "Maybe we'll get lucky with my witness and yours. If they lead us to the perp, we can wind this case up."

With a knowing look, Gus eyed his partner. The scowl that usually masked her face was harder and deeper than he'd ever seen. "You look like you haven't slept in weeks," he said not disguising his concern. "You need to start taking better care of yourself before you burn out."

Tessa recalled that Anna had told her much the same thing the night before. Just the thought of the lawyer made shivers go up and down her body. "No worries, I'm good." Am I trying to convince Gus or myself?

Gus nodded in the direction of the elevator. "I think your nine o'clock is here."

Chapter Thirteen

Tessa sized up Joann Stewart as she escorted her into an interview room. Joann was a good looking woman with strawberry blonde hair, deep blue eyes, a taut body, and a friendly expression on a face full of freckles.

"Thank you for coming in, Mrs. Stewart," Tessa said with a slight smile. She placed a recorder in the middle of the table. "I'm going to record our conversation. Is that ok with you?"

"Yes. I'm sorry about last night when you called," Joann said in a low smoky voice. "My six month old was crying and my three year old was banging on the piano."

"My husband and I were going home after the movies and were stopped at a stoplight, when I saw Dana."

"Ever since first grade we went to school together. We always sat close to each other, since both our names started with an S. She was Stratton and I was Sutton. In our sophomore year, we were lab partners in biology."

"The SUV is what I first noticed. My husband, Rick, and I are looking for a bigger car. When I saw the Pathfinder, I said that I liked its looks and that we should test drive one. It was after that I looked at the driver. I told Rick that it was Dana Stratton."

"Not much really. Dana was blocking the view. I do know he was white and was wearing a ball cap."

"When Dana looked out her window, I smiled and did a little wave but she just stared at me, before she turned back and looked up at the stoplight."

Joann shrugged. "No, it was more like she was distracted. Her eyes seemed blank to me." Her brow creased. "You know what I mean? She was looking but not seeing."

Shaking her head, Joann said, "I didn't see her face long enough to know something like that."

"After that, I saw the man put his arm around her shoulders and I think he kissed her but I'm not sure that happened. I couldn't see anything other than his arm and head moving. I figured she was on a date. The light turned and we went left and Dana's vehicle went straight."

"I'm afraid he was more interested in catching the last minutes of the Lakers' game." When she saw the detective raise her eyebrows slightly, she added, "We have XM so we can get games from all over the country."

Looking at the woman's intelligent face, Tessa felt certain that her account was factual. She'd have one of the techies see if they could verify the story with surveillance footage.

Tessa stood up. "Thank you for coming in, Mrs. Stewart." She handed the woman her card. "If you think of anything else, please call me."

"I will." The woman gave Tessa a tentative smile. "It was horrible what happened to Dana. She was too nice a person to die like that."

As she was returning to her desk, Tessa stopped when Gus came out of an interrogation room and, in a low voice said, "I need you to join me. This guy is telling one interesting story."

"Ok," she said, before following her partner into the interrogation room. The man, sitting in one of the steel chairs had short brown hair and he wore a black windbreaker that covered a blue oxford shirt.

"Oliver Applegate, this is my partner, Detective Jacoby." Gus smiled and nodded at the man. "Mr. Applegate here was telling me about seeing Dana Stratton around ten-twenty last Sunday night and driving in an erratic manner. Said he saw what he thought was her struggling with a man."

Tessa gave her partner a sideways glance. "How did you know it was Dana Stratton?"

"My daughter, Angie, went to basketball camp at the university and Dana was the coach of her team."

"All I saw was his upper body but from the way he sat in the vehicle I'd say he was around six feet. He had on a light colored ball cap. I saw his hair sticking out of it. I think it was brown, maybe black." The man stopped for a minute, and then added, "He was white."

Tessa tapped her pen on the metal table for a second before she looked at the man again. "What were you driving?"

Knowing that the man's story corroborated her earlier witness's statement, Tessa asked, "Did you get a look at the license plate?"

"No, she was pissed and was pointing her finger at him. I could tell she was screaming."

The man swallowed hard, as his face turned red. "She was pissed but seemed to be handling it. It didn't look to me like she was in any kind of danger."

"I got a phone call and answered it." His eyes darted between the two detectives. Frustrated that he thought that the detectives were making the wrong assumption, he said, "She didn't look like she was in danger. If I thought she was I would have done something...I really would."

Tessa looked at the witness intensely, and then nodded. "Did you hear anything?"

"I got curious and rolled down my window. I heard him say something like, come on baby just one kiss." Oliver shrugged. "At least that's what I thought he said. The light changed and I moved on."

"You mean like the tone, accent, or that kinda thing?" He saw the male detective nod. "He sounded like an ordinary guy there was nothing distinctive."

Tessa rubbed the back of her neck as her lack of sleep suddenly overwhelmed her. "Mr. Applegate, thank you for your time. Here's my card. If you think of anything else, please give us a call."

After the witness left the interrogation room, Gus shook his head. "Did you buy that?"

Tessa's hand moved to her forehead. "Actually, he verified what my witness told me. Now, we have two witnesses that gave the same description of the vehicle. We now know we are looking for a white Pathfinder."

"I'll get someone to map out the route the vic would take from the university to Montgomery. Then they can check out the footage from the surveillance cameras. Maybe we can get a better look at the vehicle and the license plate."

After calling the computer tech, Tessa was about to leave her desk when she looked up and saw Anna standing in front of her. Her soft mouth wreathed in a smile and for Tessa the room seemed to narrow and everyone but Anna faded away.

Looking at her wristwatch, Tessa cocked her head to the right and shrugged. Keeping her voice level so she wouldn't show that her heart was hammering uncontrollably, she asked, "Want to catch a bite to eat? The last thing I had was that hamburger you brought last night."

Anna let her eyes run lazily over the detective's body as Tessa pushed back from her desk and stood up. With a wide grin she said, "I see you're happy to see me again."

Tessa, aware of the lawyer's gaze on her now engorged nipples, grabbed her jacket and hurriedly put it on. When she looked back at Anna and her smoldering blue eyes, she felt like her legs would give out. "Is Lou's Caf� good with you?"

Anna nodded and saw Tessa's partner coming in their direction. "Here comes Gus, do you want to wait?"

With a wide grin that turned into a deep chuckle, Tessa said, "Hell no. He'll want to come too and I don't want that." She had no sooner said the words than Gus came up to the two women.

"I was talking to Clancy about the kid and she said it might be better for her to do the interview. I asked if she wanted us there and she said no-if the kid is hiding something and we've already talked with him he might clam up."

Tessa mulled over the words as she rubbed the back of her neck. "Ok. I spoke with Silverstein-nothing yet."

"Hunky-dory. You here about a case?" he asked, not hiding his grin. "Jacoby, you didn't tell me we had such a good looking visitor. He turned to his partner, whose face was slightly red. "You tryin' to keep me out of the loop or somethin'?"

"Give it a rest, Gus." Tessa winked at the man. "We're going for coffee. Page me when the kid gets here." Tessa started to leave, and then said, "You want me to bring you something?"

Barely able to control the bubble of laughter that begged for release, Gus looked at his watch and said, "I got nothin' to do. I'll go with you."

Looking at Anna, who was grinning, and Gus, who was laughing softly, Tessa said, "Hell no. Come on," she said grabbing Anna's hand, "let's get going before he starts insisting." She turned to her partner. "I'll bring you back one of those mocha coffees that you like so much," she said, before she and Anna headed for the elevator.

Gus broke into an all out laugh and called after her. "Almost had you going there, Jacoby."

The two women quietly walked down the bustling sidewalk in lock-step. When a man pushed past them, their arms touched-they each sucked in a breath.

From the first moment she met Tessa, Anna was captivated. Something about the detective made her crave to know and share-that scared, yet intrigued her. The last time they dated and she left the detective at her door wanting more, she vowed not to see her again. It was far easier to walk away than take the chance on being devastated again where love was the prize. When, she saw the detective the day before, all the old feelings and desires flooded her senses. She wondered what was wrong with her. Tessa was desirable and they were simpatico in many ways. I'd be a fool not to explore a relationship with her. Tessa was fun to be with-more importantly, she felt safe with the detective. She hadn't felt that in a long while. The night before, when she allowed her passion for the woman to spill over into her kisses, it took everything ounce of her reserve to walk away. Seeing Tessa this morning, Anna was certain that she wanted more than sex from the woman.

The accidental touch of Anna's arm on hers made tiny pleasurable sparks sting Tessa's body. She recalled how she desperately tried to squelch her passions on several occasions the night before by envisioning the lawyer's finger inside her. But that wasn't enough and her body continued to hum to the tune of desire all night. Now, with Anna by her side, she knew she'd have to fight her feelings, if she was going to maintain her edge in the Stratton case.

"No, just coffee," Anna said. "I'm too wired to eat anything." She reached out and touched Tessa's arm. "Thanks," she whispered, before walking toward an empty table in the corner.

As the detective waited for the order, her eyes tracked to Anna who was simply breathtaking in so many ways. She had always shied away from entanglements of the heart. Her job as a homicide detective, in many cases, showed her the seedier side of love, so she kept her romantic liaisons about her need for sex-Anna was different. Deep inside she knew she wanted more than sex from Anna. She felt the need to protect and take care of her-that knowledge, along with her body's overwhelming need to touch Anna, frightened her.

With her thoughts interrupted, Tessa nodded at the young, skinny man behind the counter, lifted a small tray, and started toward Anna. All the while, her heart was beating fast, as she felt the familiar tightening between her thighs, not to mention her swelling nipples that pushed against her shirt.

Instead of sitting opposite the lawyer, Tessa sat next to her then put the steaming cups on the table, along with a muffin. As she sipped on her coffee, Tessa covertly studied the lawyer's face. There was no doubt that Anna was beautiful. She saw something else in the woman's demeanor besides the cool, calm in-charge persona that Anna showed the world in general. She saw smoldering passion. She knew that look all too well and speculated that, if she looked in a mirror, would she see the same expression on her own face.

When their eyes did meet, Anna smiled as she gazed longingly at the detective. Why am letting her get to me like this? The stirrings of arousal running through her body ever since she entered the police building and saw Tessa was her answer-it was sexual-but she knew better.

The detective pulled apart her muffin, picked up a piece and was about to put it in her mouth, when she put it down and said, "Did you get the verdict yet?"

Anna rested an arm on the table and leaned toward the detective. "Around ten-thirty last night I got the call that they reached a verdict. Court reconvened this morning at nine. The verdict was guilty on all counts."

A big smile crossed Tessa's face. "That's wonderful, Anna," she said as she reached across the table and placed her hand on the lawyer's arm. "Because of you, there are a few less criminals on the street."

The lawyer shrugged. "Thanks. But you know that it's only a drop in the bucket. Until we catch the big fish, they will still be in business." She studied the hand on her arm and suddenly felt tongue-tied. "I'm sorry about last night. I should never have started massaging your shoulders," she said with a hesitant smile, "it wasn't the time, or the place and I should have known better."

Tessa grinned. "I'm not sorry even if you made it very difficult for me to sleep." She withdrew her hand.

Anna studied the jet black hair framing the strong beautiful face. She had a clearly defined jaw line, a small nose, slightly full lips, and green eyes that seemed to change color with her mood. Full of passion the night before, they were emerald and as she now gazed into their depths, she saw the same color. The lawyer grinned. "You weren't alone. In fact, when the phone rang with the news about the jury, I was disappointed that it wasn't you."

"Really? And what would that be?" Anna asked, as she took a sip from her cup-her eyes never leaving the woman next to her.

"If we're going to wait until we can both concentrate fully on a relationship it will never happen. By the time I'm done with my case, you'll already be on another one."

The tip of Anna's tongue ran along her lips as she eyed Tessa. "Then I guess we will have to figure out a new plan."

With blue eyes growing dark with desire, Anna smiled seductively. "I take you here and now and we go from there."

Tessa laughed louder than she meant to. The only other customer looked up from his newspaper and the kid behind the counter stared at her. Regaining control, she said, "I like the idea but not the place. She leaned in and Anna did the same. In a conspirator's voice she whispered, "My place tonight."

"Damn, I'm leaving for D. C. at noon and I'm not sure when I'll be back." Anna winked. "Sure you don't want to do it here?" She nodded to a nearby door. "There's the bathroom if you want privacy," she said with a grin.

Looking around the nearly empty caf�, Tessa considered the offer before she too grinned. "It'd have to be a silent quickie."

Tessa's face turned serious. "A bathroom isn't where I envision us making love for the first time."

"I want more than sex," Tessa whispered, before she realized she said her thoughts aloud. When she lifted her eyes, Anna locked on them.

The sat gazing at each for several minutes before Anna said, "Can I ask you a question?"

"You said you heard I had lots of girlfriends-that I'm a player." Tessa nodded. "Will you tell me who told you that?"

"It's simple. If someone is spreading false rumors about me, I'd like to know who it is."

Ann a rolled her eyes and shook her head slightly "Yes, she was making another of her feeble attempts. When I saw her coming my way, I tried to get away but I wasn't fast enough."

"Didn't have your running shoes on, did you?" Both women laughed. "I was in a stall in one of the courthouse restrooms and heard her speaking with Carrie Collins about you. Normally, I don't pay much attention to that sort of talk, but..." Tessa shrugged, "We'd dated a few times, and I was interested in you so when I heard your name, I listened."

Anna shook her head. "She's told me on more than one occasion I'd be sorry if I didn't date her." She shrugged. "I figured she was referring to her prowess in bed-apparently, she's more vindictive than I realized."

"In my line of work I see all kinds. Many of them would throw their mothers under the bus before telling the truth. I didn't see the woman's eyes but something told me she was blowing smoke."

"Not really. The words didn't fit the woman I knew as Anna. There was a ring of dishonesty to them."

Anna searched Tessa's face for any sign of deception. "What made you think she was lying?" She moved closer and rested her hand on Tessa's thigh.

The blue eyes that had been scrutinizing her ever since they sat down along with the hand caressing her thigh sent a shiver down Tessa's spine. "I think the tone of her voice...maybe the cadence of her words. I don't know, I just get those feelings sometimes when people aren't telling the truth. Oh, and I wanted to get to know you, so I knew I'd have to find out for myself. " Tessa swallowed hard. Barely above a whisper she said, "I wondered why you didn't want me."

"I do want you, Tessa, and that scares me." Anna smiled when Tessa's hand covered the one on her thigh and moved it slightly higher. The two women sat quietly staring at each other until the harsh sound of Tessa's beeper filled the silence. The others in the bakery looked in her direction. She lifted the small object out of her pocket and looked at it. "Sorry, I need to get back."

"Too bad," Anna said, as her hand gently rubbed Tessa's thigh. "I was going to do some exploring."

Tessa rubbed Anna's hand. "And I would have reciprocated." She smiled, cleared her throat, and then chuckled, "You know you're killing me."

"Absolutely." Tessa stood up and held out her hand. "Come on, let me get Gus's coffee and we can walk back together."

Once Tessa went inside her building, Anna made her way across the street to the courthouse. Looking at her watch, it was almost eleven and she didn't need to be at the helipad for another thirty minutes. "I need to pay Bev a visit," she whispered, as she set her jaw and began walking faster.

Anna entered the District Attorney's offices and saw the office manager, Beverly Paycheck immediately. When the older woman lifted her head and noticed Anna approaching, she smiled. The grim look on the lawyer's face made the woman's expression flatten. "Anna, what's wrong?"

"Bev, I've just heard an interesting piece of gossip that seems to have stemmed from you," Anna softly growled, as she leaned in close to the woman.

Anna laugh wasn't humorous. "I've been told that you've been telling lies about me being a womanizer."

"Jacoby-right." Beverly let out a derisive laugh. "I saw the way you ran after her yesterday. Really, Anna, you should have more pride than to sniff around her type. I hear she's a lousy lay."

Beverly lowered her voice. "Is she so far up your pussy that you can't tell a lie from the truth? She's lying to you. I never said anything about you sleeping around. What would I have to gain by saying something like that?"

"We had a chance until that woman came into your life." Beverly grinned. "Paybacks are a bitch, aren't they?"

A low chuckle filled the space between the two women as Anna straightened her back. "Don't you get it? You never had a chance."

Anna shook her head. "Get a life and stay out of mine." The lawyer walked away without a backward glance.

Chapter Fourteen

Tessa stiffened her composure as she tried to push all thoughts of Anna on the back burner. But, the lawyer's face kept worming its way to the surface and her body was ripe for release. She's killing me...but what a way to go.

Sorting through the crime scene photos, she stopped and looked at the crumpled body of Dana Stratton lying in the dirt on the vacant lot located on the south side of Restin. She studied the picture for several minutes. What she saw made her mood turn from one of sexual frustration to anger for the girl who was viciously murdered.

"You're back," Gus said, as he picked up the coffee she'd brought for him. "Thanks," he said, holding the cup up. "The kid and his grandmother are waiting in four and Clancy is on her way."

In a clipped tone, Tessa said, "Good. I hope she can find out what he's hiding." Her eyes met her partner's face. "Did you tell the grandmother she couldn't stay?"

"Yeah, she wasn't thrilled, especially when I told her a psychologist was going to talk with him. She told me he didn't need a shrink."

Tessa pushed back from her chair and headed for interrogation four with her partner.

Clancy Murdock was petite and in her mid fifties. Her gray hair, pushed behind each ear, was wavy with an unruly look. Her clear blue intelligent eyes focused on the detectives. "I've gone over your notes and wanted to know why you thought he wasn't telling you everything."

With a contemplative expression, Tessa said, "It is just a feeling I got from the way he acted-no eye contact, soft inaudible voice, clinging to his grandmother."

"Ok, let me speak with him and see what I can find out," she said, as she opened the door and smiled warmly at the boy and his grandmother. "Mrs. Bertram, I'm Clancy Murdock."

"That's not why I'm here," Clancy said as she neared the woman. "Finding the body must have been traumatic for Joey. I just want to make sure he's ok." She gave the woman another warm smile. "If you'll step out with the detectives, I can get started." Clancy saw the doubt in the older woman's expression. "I won't be long."

Mary reluctantly left the room and joined the waiting detectives. When the door shut behind her, she turned to Tessa. "He's a good boy. I don't know why you've singled him out, since there were two other boys there."

Tessa pursed her lips. "We aren't singling him out, he was the first one to the body, and that alone must have been horrifying for him. We just want to make sure he's doing ok." Tessa gestured to a nearby door. "Please, Mrs. Bertram, come with us while we wait. Can I get you anything to drink?"

Hesitantly, Tessa patted the woman's arm. "That's why we wanted Dr, Murdock to see him." The detective gave the woman a sideward glance before she cleared her throat. "Does Joey's father live with you too?"

"Why would that matter to you? Do you want to implicate him now? My grandson and daughter aren't enough for you?" Mary Bertram said, accusingly. "Well, that man is long gone and I say good riddance to him."

"Joe...Joe Carlton. Go ahead look him up and you'll find him arrested on more than one occasion. He's nothing but a no-good."

Tessa nodded, as she made a notation of the name. "I'm not accusing anyone, Mrs. Bertram I'm just trying to find out how the girl's body got on that lot."

"No," Tessa said softly. "Joey found the body and you called it in and that makes you the first eyes on the scene. If Joey has a relationship with his father I need to know."

"He didn't we haven't seen hide no hair of him for a long time. Good riddance I say."

A half hour later, Clancy and Joey emerged from the room. The doctor eyed Mary Bertram and said, "Will you come with me for a minute?" She saw Joey huddle around his grandmother's legs. "You can come too, Joey."

In the room, Clancy looked at the older woman and said, "Joey is going to need to see me again. He is having a hard time with what he saw and what he touched."

"Yes, he poked her to see if she'd move. That's when he noticed the money clip. The other two boys then bullied him into doing it again."

Clancy nodded and slid a card across the table. "I understand. Here's the number you can call for an appointment. If I'm not in your daughter's plan, we can tell you who is. Either way, it will help Joey deal with what he saw and did."

Clancy stood up and opened the door before escorting the pair to the elevator. Returning to the room where she joined Tessa and Gus. "What a horrible thing to happen to that kid. From what I could ascertain, the only thing he was holding back was the fact he touched the body. He is traumatized by everything and will definitely need counseling."

"That's what he was hiding-he touched her." Tessa rubbed her forehead trying to dissuade the headache that threatened.

"Big flipping waste of time," Gus remarked before his face softened. "I'd never wish that on anyone especially a kid." He gave Clancy a slight smile. "Thanks, Doc."

"Yeah, thanks," Tessa said. Once the doctor walked away, Tessa turned to her partner. "Let's go see if Silverstein has any good news for us."

The small, slight man with dark hair and a pimply complexion looked up. "Still working on it, Detectives,"

"What's the hold up? I thought you said you'd have the information soon." Tessa looked at her watch. "That was hours ago."

"Tracing the IP and MAC address hasn't yielded what I need. Whoever set up this email account used an anonymous proxy."

"It disguises the real email address. I've worked around that and I'm just now able to see the IP address-it was bouncing all over the world. I finally found the actual Internet service provider. From there, I should be able to find out who the account belongs to." The technician eyed Tessa Jacoby. Her reputation for doing everything by the book was exemplary-she didn't need to know his hacking into the service provider's mainframe was illegal.

Tessa tried to dampen her annoyance with the man. "How long?" she asked in a low, ominous tone.

Tessa leveled the man with her best don't fuck with me glare and said, "Don't make me wait too long."

Ira watched the detectives leave before he made some key stokes and worked his way into the Internet host's mainframe.

Back at her desk, Tessa struggled with her frustration with the computer forensic specialist and the lack of anything meaningful from the boy who found the body. She closed her eyes, knowing that underneath it all those annoyances were her growing need to be with Anna. From the first time they met, Tessa was attracted to the lawyer and had always enjoyed their repartee when they were together. When Anna seemed to disappear from the scene, Tessa considered that the rumors were correct and the lawyer had moved on to another conquest. After last night, everything changed-Anna wanted to explore a deeper relationship with her. That scared Tessa because she knew that the lawyer wasn't just another one night stand-she was more.

She saw the flashing light that meant she had voice mail and punched five to listen to it. There was one message from the victim's roommate about hearing what she said was the murderer's voice. Punching in the number, she waited until she heard Jenna Rudolf's voice. "This is Detective Jacoby returning your call."

"I think the person that murdered Dana left her a phone message," the young woman blurted.

"It isn't...we both had cell phones but we also had a phone we shared. I was deleting the saved messages this morning when I heard someone say, Dana, you can't deny me anymore."

"I'm sending an officer to your apartment. When he gets there will you please give him the machine?"

"No. If it's, if it the person that murdered your roommate, we will need it as evidence."

Tessa really didn't need the woman digging her heels in about the answering machine. SNAP-her pencil broke. "No telling. It depends on how long it takes to find the person who murdered your friend and when a trial is scheduled."

The girl's voice rose. "I can't go that long without my answering machine and I don't have money to buy a new one. It's going to be hard enough to come up with the extra rent until I can find another roommate."

Tessa rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Don't you want us to find out who murdered your friend?"

"Then, we need that answering machine. Either you can cooperate or I can get a warrant. It's your choice, Ms. Rudolf."

"Thank you for cooperating. The officer should be there shortly." Tessa hung up the phone and looked at her returning partner.

Ira Silverstein entered the detectives' area and walked briskly toward Tessa's desk. "Detective Jacoby, the person who sent the e-mails doesn't exist. I traced the account, only to find that the information given to the service provider was from someone whose identity was stolen eight months ago."

Ira added, "I'm going to run a program that will recover everything that was ever on Stratton's computer."

"Keep me informed," Tessa said, as she turned away from the man and picked up the phone.

"This is Detective Tessa Jacoby with the Restin police. I understand Walter had his identity stolen. Is he your husband?"

"Walter died two months ago," the woman said, with a slight hitch in her voice. "He was my brother."

"I'm sorry to hear that he's passed. Do you know if he had his identity stolen?"

"Yes, it was and it's causing me and the rest of the family all kinds of problems in trying to settle his estate. Do you have any idea what it's like to fight for what you know is right?"

Tessa let a wry smile curve her lips. "Yeah, I have an idea. Did they ever find out who was responsible?"

"No. Up until the day he died, my brother was on the phone trying to get all his accounts settled." The woman paused then asked, "Are you calling because you found out who did this to him?"

"No, I'm afraid not. His name came up in a case I'm investigating. Someone used his name and all his information."

"As far as I'm concerned, when you find him you can lock him up and throw away the key. He made my brother's last days miserable."

Tessa sat turning the money clip in her hand long after her shift ended and Gus had gone home. So far, they'd come up with the clip, the threatening e-mails, and the eye witness accounts of seeing the victim in a Pathfinder. She couldn't shake the feeling that they were missing something-it was gnawing a hole in her stomach.

The number of white Pathfinders in the city alone was in the thousands, which meant they would start working the phones. If they were lucky, they could narrow down the number to something manageable then start looking up those owners. She put a lot of confidence in the surveillance cameras placed around the city. She knew their best chance of obtaining a firm identification on the Pathfinder was through those cameras.

The trace evidence the crime unit collected turned up, as she expected, with nothing usable. The unknown voice on the answering machine was just that-unknown. The caller used some sort of distortion device. Even with the most sophisticated equipment that the crime lab had, the voice was still unrecognizable and there was no usable background noise.

She sorted through the crime scene photos again, looking for something that she might have missed. Her eyes rested on the pentagram carved into the woman's midsection. She looked at the placement on the body. Inverted, wonder what that means. She didn't know much about the symbol but did know that the point that traditionally would be at the top pointed down, with two points aligned with each breast.

"Why a pentagram?" she asked, as she moved the mouse on her computer and brought up the search engine that linked into a national database. Typing in the word pentagram, she found there were almost a million sites. Clicking on the one that had a partial definition, she waited for the screen to fill. When it did, she scanned the words until she found inverted pentagram. She read that inverted symbolized the reduction of the person's importance. The article also said that others think that an inverted pentagram denotes Satan.

Continuing her search, Tessa found a reference to Wiccans, who were believers of a religion known as Wicca. The religion teaches that the five points of a pentagram represent spirit, air, water, fire, and earth. Many Wiccans believe they will gain knowledge about life and its mysteries, if they take hold of both male and female personas.

Tessa continued to scan the article until she read that many occultists wore the symbol as a talisman against evil. A pentagram was pivotal in the occult in their pursuit of knowledge and power. She stopped reading, and then focused on one passage. If the point is to the north, they do not worship Satan. If toward south, they do.

She quickly spread the photos of the crime scene on her desk, and then took out a city map. Howard Street, where the kids found the body, ran north and south. The body was more or less horizontal to the street, with the feet pointing to the north. If she went by what she read, whoever carved the pentagram did not worship Satan.

As she read on further, she discovered that some found that the number five was both mystical and magical. The points of the pentagram were equal to the number of fingers, toes, and senses. Five also was associated with Mars, signifying harmony through conflict. Christ had five wounds and, in the Muslim faith, there are five pillars. The list of what five signifies was endless and Tessa considered whether it was a coincidence. A man or a woman drawn within the pentagram represents the Hermetic philosophy of associativity, meaning as above, so below. The last line she read seemed to have the most implication for the Stratton murder. Some believe that a pentagram provides potent protection from evil-a symbol of conflict that shields the wearer.

Stretching her arms above her head, she yawned before lowering them and taking her gun out of the desk drawer, Tessa wondered if the perpetrator was trying to shield the girl from evil. Standing in the elevator, she shook her head and chuckled. "Yeah, that's why he killed her."

Turning the key and opening the door to her home, Tessa entered and punched in the code for the alarm system. She pulled her Glock out of its holster and locked it in the small safe near the door. She listened for any sound-it was quiet.

Stripping and falling into her bed, Tessa closed her eyes, only to have the pentagram float into sight. Did it mean anything or was it nothing more than a red herring? She was bone tired and needed sleep-it eluded her.

It was in the time between awake and sleeping that Tessa let her guard down. The fire that Anna set in her from the first time they met reignited. The lawyer had invaded her mind and body on more levels than she would ever admit. The anger and hurt she felt when the woman didn't called her in over a month seemed to dissipate once she saw her again the day before. That meeting set off a series of physical and mental emotions that she didn't understand but knew she wanted to explore. In a moment of clarity just before sleep captured her, she knew that, no matter what happened, she wanted to take the chance and let Anna inside her heart. In all her previous liaisons that threatened to destroy the wall of solitude that she had around her, she ran. Not this time-she was tired of being alone.

Chapter Fifteen

As her eyes opened, Tessa yawned in reaction to only sleeping sporadically. The quiet of the night didn't give her any answers to the case. It only brought darkness. What she knew and didn't know about the case whirled in her brain all night. Added into the mix was the federal prosecutor, who made her body fill with what was becoming an unquenchable desire.

Tessa closed her eyes in her dark room and a sense of sexual need flooded through her body. She imagined Anna, laying next to her, naked-wanting. She could see Anna's creamy flesh flush with desire as her fingers lazily touched her skin, evoking moans of pleasure and cries of delight. She could see the blue eyes darken with want, as her body began to move rhythmically to the fingers that were insistently gliding inside her. Tessa was panting hard as her own insistent fingers pumped as her hips lifted and gyrated to the rhythm. Her engorged clitoris trembled as her thumb rubbed against it. Finally, she felt her body explode before she collapsed. She left her fingers inside as she felt small tremors against them.

For a long while after her orgasm subsided, Tessa lay still, knowing if she thought of Anna again, the desire would rise once more. She forcibly got herself out of bed and dressed in spandex running leggings and a long sleeved t-shirt before she took to the streets. She knew the route by heart but her eyes still scanned the area constantly for any sign of threats-she saw none. It was as she neared the end of her run that her focus returned to the Stratton case. So far, the paper found under the body yielded nothing of value. A vague thought of something she heard or read rolled into her head. There now were sophisticated tests that the lab could run to make whatever was on the card more visible.

At six the next morning, Tessa was standing outside the crime lab waiting for Brenda Marlow, in hopes that the technician had a trick for refreshing what she assumed was a business card found under the body. She saw the woman approaching her. The most notable thing about the lab tech, other than her short stature, was the scar that stretched across her left cheek.

Stopping in front of the lab, Brenda asked, "Detective, are you waiting for me?"

With a smile, Tessa nodded. "I was wondering if there's any way to get more off that card we found."

The woman let out a low chuckle. "Funny you should ask. Last night I was reading about a new technique that a lab in D. C. uses to replenish degraded paper. I can try that but you should know that the card is so poor that I seriously doubt it will yield anything useable." She shrugged. "It's not a big leap to think that it was there long before the body was."

The room that the homicide detectives shared was quiet when Tessa arrived. At the far end, she could hear a phone ringing and the noise of a fax machine. She threw the case folder on her desk and pulled out her chair before sitting down. They were in the third day of the investigation and only had a white Pathfinder, a money clip, untraceable e-mails, and a threatening phone message to go on. The only thing usable was the vehicle that the witnesses saw the vic in-shit. She lifted up the receiver of her phone and punched in a number.

A voice on the other end said, "You're in early. Yeah, on the feed from the university we have the girl leaving at nine-fifty-seven. We picked her up on Mercy at ten then we lose her."

"Look, Detective, we're shorthanded and, in case you didn't know, yours isn't the only homicide we're looking at."

With an angry tone, Tessa said, "Fine, I'll come down there and do it myself!"

The man on the other end of the phone said, "Stay put, Detective. I'll get back to you in an hour."

Tessa slammed the receiver onto its cradle." Fuck," she mumbled. "I'm working with a bunch of morons." Two other detectives in the area looked at her and eyed her knowingly before going back to their cases.

Grinding her teeth, Tessa pushed away from her desk and walked several feet to the only window on that side of the room. She looked down at the vehicles and the people below and wondered why she was letting the case get to her. Am I losing my edge? Normally, she ran a case with an attitude that many called callous. To her, it was the only way to be successful. At a ninety percent solve rate, she and Gus had the highest rate of conviction for the entire police department. The photo of the body that she always carried was in her pocket was there to remind her of her goal when she felt like she did now. She took it out and stared at the nude, dirty body. "Someone did this to you and I won't let them get away with it," she whispered.

Her mind drifted back to the first homicide she worked on and she shivered. She could still see the girl's bloodied, bloated corpse, beaten beyond recognition. The young girl's body had various flies, beetles, and rodents making a meal of her flesh. It had taken weeks before Tessa could no longer smell death. She hadn't solved the murder. Like the Stratton case, clues were few to none. Unlike the Stratton case, no one claimed the body and the child remained nameless. For her, it was unacceptable to allow the basketball player's case to go unsolved.

After running her fingers through her hair, Tessa tried to figure out when she changed-when her heart hardened. She'd forgotten how to smile and wondered when the last time was that she had a genuine laugh. "Anna," she whispered and she felt her heart soften. The lawyer had awakened feelings that she didn't think she ever felt. The warm sensations Anna evoked in her made her smile, as she felt a strong desire to hold her close. Daydreaming about her has no place in the investigation. Squelching emotions that threatened to take hold, she returned to her desk before opening the file again.

"Only that some asshole has been sitting on the surveillance videos," Tessa grumbled as she looked at her partner, "said he had other cases." Tessa frowned. "How the hell do they expect us to solve murders when they don't give us the support we need?"

Gus held up his hands. "Hey, settle down. All I did was to ask you a question. What's got you in a knot this morning?" He eyed his partner. "Want me to go strong arm him and hurry him along?"

For the first time that morning, Tessa let a slight smile form around her lips. "What, big bad Gus is going to go slap the techie around for little ole me." She chuckled sarcastically and that relieved some of her tension. In a more serious tone, she said, "Sorry." She steepled her fingers and shrugged. "So far this case is a bust. If we can't get a good look at that Pathfinder, then where do we go?"

"We do what we do best, Jacoby. We turn over every rock we find until we get that one lead that will crack the case wide open."

"Good, we'll be right there." Tessa looked at Gus. "Guess the techie heard you might slap him around," she said with a grin, "he's found the vehicle."

Tom Cho looked through his tortoiseshell glasses at the two detectives as they arrived in his work area. He liked the man but found the woman abrasive and unappreciative of those that supported her. "I've found the Pathfinder turning on to Montgomery off Fifty-Second." He moved the film forward. "You can clearly see the black Volvo next to it at the Fifty-Eighth Street intersection."

They watched the Pathfinder proceed down Montgomery and saw the Ford pickup just like Oliver Applegate said.

Cho then linked with the state's license database. "Joel Waterston, nine-twenty-six Anderson Drive."

Tessa leaned in closer and pointed to the driver's side of the truck. "Can you focus in on that?"

"I'll try." Cho maneuvered his mouse over the window, highlighted the area, and magnified it before increasing the number of pixels. "That's the best I can do."

Both Tessa and Gus looked at what appeared to be a woman with a ponytail sitting in the driver's seat.

"Hard to make out," Gus said. "It could be her." He rubbed his hand over his face. "Isn't there a bank on that corner of Fifty-Eighth?"

"Yeah, First National. We'd better check that out first." Tessa made eye contact with the technician. "Good work. Sorry I was so hard on you earlier."

The man's eyes widened and he looked suspiciously at the detective. "No problem."

"I received the surveillance films from St. David's," Cho said to the retreating detectives. "What do you want me to do with them?"

Gus stopped and looked back over his shoulder and said, "Hold on to them and get to them when you can."

The bank manager, a large man with salt and pepper hair, showed Gus and Tessa to the room that controlled the monitors that ran the surveillance cameras for the bank, the ATM located on Fifty-Eighth Street. "Let me know if I can be of further help Detectives," the man said as he left Tessa and Gus alone.

They quickly found the footage of the previous Sunday evening and soon had it narrowed down to between ten and ten-twenty. Scrolling slowly through the film, Tessa stopped and said, "There it is." She backed the film up and tried to get the picture of the Pathfinder before it stopped at the corner. With patience, she moved the video forward frame by frame until she saw one that clearly showed the truck and driver.

Gus asked, as he leaned forward. "It could be her but there's no way we can say it's her positively."

Tessa nodded in contemplation then said, "Let's get this to Cho and see if he can do his magic to it. In the meantime, we can inform the captain and see if we have enough for a warrant for the truck at least."

Cho failed to improve the grainy video so they could make a positive ID on the driver of the Pathfinder-the distance was too far. Captain Flynn made the call by saying there was enough of a resemblance with tow corroborating eye witness accounts. Tessa walked rapidly across the street to the building that held the district attorney's offices. When she entered the office, she immediately saw Beverly Paycheck, who glared at her.

Tessa wondered about the frosty reception and wondered if Anna had something to do with it. By the way Beverly was eyeing her, Tessa guessed that Anna must have had a chat with the woman. Now that's my girl. Way to go counselor. As she realized what she thought, it made her smile. It felt even better when she silently rolled the words over her tongue again. My girl."

At the door to Herb Meyers office, Tessa did a brief knock before she twisted the doorknob and pushed it open. When he looked up, she gave him her best, almost sincere smile.

"What can I do for you, Detective?" The district attorney was medium built, thin man with graying hair and thick glasses. The most distinguishing thing about him was his voice-it was soothing and melodic. It drew the listener in and made them believe whatever it was he was saying was the truth. As a DA, he was the best.

Tessa opened her file and said, "We have two witnesses that say they saw Dana Stratton Sunday evening. Surveillance cameras confirm that the vehicles were where the witnesses said they were. We have the name of the vehicle's owner, Joel Waterston. We also have the video from the camera at First National Bank that corroborates the other findings."

Tessa shrugged. "The woman who identified her went all the way through school with her and Stratton coached the other witness's daughter."

Herb followed Tessa out of his office and went to the office manager's desk with the information.

After leaving the district attorney's office, Tessa stopped for a moment and considered the wisdom of seeing if Anna was back from DC-it was a no-brainer. Arriving at the office, she pushed the door open and looked around.

Even though she was disappointed at not seeing Anna, Tessa decided she didn't need the distraction and shoved thoughts of the woman deep inside her head, before briskly walking back to the police station."

Thirty minutes later, when she returned to the DA's office, Beverly handed her the warrant. "Mr. Meyers had to leave. He wanted me to tell you that the judge limited the scope of the warrant to the vehicle only. He told me to tell you to make sure you adhere to them."

Once she had the warrant to search the Pathfinder in hand, Tessa walked rapidly down the corridor toward the elevator bank that would take her to the first floor. She felt the adrenalin rush that she could always count on when she was about to question a person of interest. At the end of the corridor near the elevators, she entered the stairwell and ran down two flights.

Chapter Sixteen

Gus pulled his vehicle along the curb at nine-twenty-six Anderson Drive. The two detectives approached the house cautiously as they both surveyed the surrounding area. Tessa nodded at the driveway. "If the Pathfinder is here, it will be in the garage."

Tessa followed suit and when they reached the front door, she rang the doorbell.

When the doorknob rattled and opened, both detectives were surprised to see an overweight woman with graying hair holding a baby. The woman's eyes immediately went to the detective's badges and hugged the baby tighter, which made the child wail.

"We're Detectives Barrett and Jacoby. Is this the residence of Joel Waterston?" Gus asked.

"Yes, but he's not here," the woman said, as she eyed them both. "He's at work."

"I...I'm Marilyn Hunter. Joel is my son-in-law. If you tell me what you want, maybe I can help."

"We just needed to ask him about his Pathfinder. He does still own it, doesn't he?" Gus asked.

The black Crown Vic slowly circled the parking lot of Casey Enterprises until they found Joel Waterston's Pathfinder.

The squad car that was following behind them stopped too. Tessa got out and walked rapidly to the other police vehicle. "Wait here until the tow truck arrives. Make sure no one touches it."

The older police officer behind the wheel said, "Have you already called for the truck?"

The eyes of a young dark-haired woman, who sat behind a glass pedestal desk, bulged when she saw the detectives enter the area. "May I help you?"

After seeing the squad car and the activity in the parking lot, Gregory Casey, the owner, entered the lobby. "Can we help you officers?"

With a brief knock on the door, Tessa and Gus entered the office of Joel Waterston.

"We have a warrant to search your Pathfinder, Mr. Waterston. Will you give me the keys?" Gus said, as he held the piece of paper up before depositing it on the man's desk.

Joel's eyes blinked rapidly. "There's no way I'm going anywhere with you or allow you to search my car."

In an ominous tone, Tessa said, "You have no choice. We have a warrant. You can cooperate and give us the keys or we can get a locksmith...no difference to us. You need go with us downtown for questioning or we can arrest you." Her green eyes bored into the man. "It's your choice."

"I will not allow you to come into my office and harass me like this." The man looked out his window and saw a tow truck dragging his Pathfinder up to the flatbed. "You can't do that," he said defiantly.

Tessa eyed the man who, in her mind, wasn't acting like an innocent person. "Like I said, you can either cooperate or not, the choice is yours."

"You always have a choice," Gus said. "I have to tell you that, by not cooperating, you look guilty."

As Gus and Tessa walked with the suspect out into the main lobby, Gregory Casey gave them a puzzled look. "Officers," the owner said, "Whatever it is, I can assure you that you've made a mistake."

Ignoring the man's comments, Tessa and Gus left the building with Joel Waterston in tow.

"Get my lawyer on the phone," Gregory said to the receptionist who had a stunned expression on her face.

Tessa let out a breath as they neared the police station. All they needed to do was question the suspect. If they played their cards just right, he would confess and save everyone time and energy. She was surprised to see the throng of reporters standing on the sidewalk by the entrance.

Gus bypassed the main entrance and went around the building to the employee parking lot. A handful of reporters milled around with cameras at the ready. "Shit, I can't believe this," Gus grumbled, as he pulled up close to the door.

Tessa got out, opened the back door, and signaled for the man to get out. Once they all exited the vehicle, the detectives rushed Waterston past the reporters and photographers. Inside the relative quiet of the police station, Tessa took a firm hold of the man's arm and let him to an interrogation room while Gus took the key to the Pathfinder to the crime lab techs.

Joel had long since stopped complaining, figuring it would be in his best interest to cooperate. He let the officers guide him to a small room. When he saw the large mirror, he suddenly became scared. This is for real.

"I want to know what this is all about!" Joel demanded with a bravado he didn't feel.

"You know what it's about," Gus said, as he entered the room. He opened a folder and slid the picture of Dana Stratton's dead body lying in the vacant lot. "Does this look familiar to you, Joel?"

Once he saw the picture, Joel pushed it away in disgust. He pointed at the picture. "NO," he said, with a tremor that was now permanently in his voice.

Gus spread out a few more pictures then tapped one. "This is what she looked like when her parents had to identify her in the morgue."

The detective pulled out a picture of his Pathfinder with a date and time stamp. "Is this your vehicle?" Gus asked.

Next, Gus showed him a close up of the license plate. "Is that your plate number?"

Standing in front of a one way glass window, Captain John Flynn, and ADA, Mark Blodgett, watched the interrogation.

Blodgett was tall and muscular, with movie star good looks and was the second in command at the DA's office. He had a reputation for being tough on crime and winning most of his cases.

Not entirely convinced, Mark shook his head. "Anything back on trace from his vehicle yet?"

"Until we get definitive proof that the Stratton girl was in his vehicle, we can't be sure he's the murderer."

The captain shrugged. "We have two eyewitnesses that saw the woman in his vehicle. Waterston is guilty.

"I've seen too many eyewitnesses be wrong and even if she was with him, it doesn't mean he killed her. Maybe her car broke down and he was giving her a lift."

"I think I'd better speak to a lawyer before I answer anymore of your questions."

"Ok, if that's what you want," Tessa said. "You know, once you do that, we can't help you anymore."

With his eyes fixed squarely on the two detectives, Joel said, "I want a lawyer."

Tessa gathered up the photos, put them back in the folder. "Have it your way," she said.

Once the door shut, Joel Waterston looked nervously at the one way glass and knew that whoever was behind it was looking at him. He slowed his breathing and sat quietly.

"What do you think?" Gus asked the captain and the attorney, as he looked at the man in the other room.

Just then, another officer entered the room. "The guy's wife is here demanding to see her husband."

Entering the interrogation room, Tessa was in her take no prisoner mode. Tessa quickly looked at the suspect's wife as she eased into a chair opposite the woman. She dropped the case folder on the table and opened it. "Are you Joel Waterston's wife?" she asked, still sorting through the file.

Tessa continued looking through the pictures before taking one out and putting it in front of the woman. "That is what your husband did."

Sally Waterston's hand went to her mouth as she gasped. "I don't believe it. Joel would never do anything like that."

"We have an eyewitness that saw her with your husband in his white Pathfinder last Sunday evening." Tessa arranged the pictures in a neat row across the table. "Take a look at what he did."

Sally covered her eyes with her hand. "He was with me but not at home-I'm positive of that. We went out that night. I remember because it was the only night my mom could babysit."

"How convenient." Rubbing her hands, Tessa really looked at the woman. She guessed that Sally in her late twenties, with her dark blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail. After a long moment, her eyes snapped wide open and she frowned. Looking at the photographs still in the folder, she stopped when she found the one she wanted. She whispered, "Shit," before gathering up the photos, putting them in the folder, standing up, picking up the folder, and walking rapidly out of the room.

Sally watched as the detective left the room and the door closed shut. "What now?" The suspect's wife began to get up, only to stop. The arrogant woman detective didn't tell her she could leave, so Sally stayed in place not wanting to do anything that might jeopardize her husband.

Tessa slammed her hand hard against the wall. "Fuck," she growled. "I can't believe how fucked up this is. Damn!"

Looking up, she saw Gus, along with the captain and Mark Blodgett, coming toward her.

All four of them stood in the room looking at Sally Waterston through the one-way glass. Pulling out a picture, Tessa held it up for everyone to see.

"It's clean. No traces of blood. Nothing links the vehicle to the murder victim. No hair, blood, or fibers along with none of the victim's fingerprints."

Tessa said, "Thanks." She looked at the others. "They found nothing in Waterston's vehicle that links it or him to the murder."

Mark Blodgett glared at Gus, Tessa, and Captain Flynn. Angry, he said, "Now, I suppose you want me to clean this mess up."

Entering the interrogation room where the suspect's wife was waiting, Tessa looked at the woman and said, "You can go now."

"Yes," Tessa in a voice laced with frustration. "Just let me go get him. You can wait in here or in the corridor. Your choice."

The attorney, Gretchen Smith, scowled at her. "What kind of trumped up charge is this, Jacoby?"

Tessa pinched her lips. It had been several years, but she had dealings with the attorney both professionally and privately. The woman was petite with long black hair and rimless glasses. Tessa knew she shouldn't underestimate the woman because of her size. She had learned just how resourceful she was.

Pulling the photograph out of the folder, she laid it on the table. "We had one eyewitness that said they saw Dana Stratton in a white Pathfinder last Sunday night. We ran the plates and came up with your client. Another witness said he saw the girl in the same vehicle arguing with the man."

Joel's eyes opened wide. "I told you that I was with my wife." He looked at the picture of Dana Stratton and cocked his head. "The resemblance is amazing."

"I will have an officer deliver it to your home once we've detailed it. Your wife is waiting for you."

Gretchen snorted. "You think you can buy him off by detailing his vehicle?" The woman laughed. "You're going to have to do better than that, Jacoby. You invaded my client's place of business. You embarrassed him in front of his co-workers and his face is already all over the television and in tonight's edition of the Post-I'm sure it will be above the fold. My client is clearly innocent. How are you going to correct the damage you've done to him?"

"We did everything by the book," Tessa countered. "We had solid evidence that pointed to Mr. Waterston. We had no way of knowing that his wife bore a remarkable resemblance to the victim."

Mark Blodgett opened the door and stepped inside. "How can we settle this?" he asked. "The evidence pointed to your client and we acted judicially,"-he held up the photograph-"it is a clear case of mistaken identity. It happens."

"I want you to hold a press conference and exonerate Mr. Waterston. I want the DA's office, along with the police department, to admit their mistake."

The ADA nodded. "It will be done within the hour." He looked at Joel. "Mr. Waterston, please accept my sincere apology for what has happened to you."

Joel gazed at both the ADA and the detective. "I didn't do anything. Why couldn't you just listen to me?"

Tessa massaged her forehead with her thumb and forefinger then closed her eyes. "Look, what happened to that girl is horrendous and we are trying to find who did it. If I had to do it all over again, I'd still bring you in for questioning."

As she closed in on her desk, Tessa saw Dana Stratton's parents looking at her with expressions that were a mix of sadness and anticipation.

"Is it true? Have you arrested the bastard who murdered our daughter?" Bob Stratton asked.

"But the news on the radio said you were questioning someone for Dana's murder." A tear coursed down Fran's cheek.

When Tessa saw the woman's eyes look past her before her hand covered her mouth, she didn't need to turn around-Fran Stratton was looking at Sally Waterston.

Refusing to let the woman's grief draw her in, Tessa said, "It was a case of mistaken identity."

The murdered girl's parents were clinging to each other as they continued to eye Sally Waterston until she entered the elevator and the door slid closed.

Chapter Seventeen

Anna sat in her office with the door closed. When she arrived back in Restin from DC, she sequestered herself so she could finish all the miscellaneous items from the Petroff case. She had two things on her mind: one pleasurable and the other troublesome. Tessa Jacoby had dominated her thoughts ever since they met again on Monday. The woman was incredibly hot and just thinking of her made Anna's body sing with unresolved want.

It had been two years since her last, and most intense, affair with one of the law clerks at the Justice Department. She had, for the first time in her life, given her heart to someone. Everything about Devon was exciting. It was like a never ending roller coaster ride that promised, and delivered on, thrill after thrill. They had been lovers for almost three years when Anna accepted a transfer to the San Francisco office. Anna was happy-Devon was not.

"Why do you have to go?" Devon asked, when Anna told her the news. "I thought you loved me."

With her hands cupping the younger woman's face, Anna gently kissed her lips. "I do love you and I want you to come with me. San Francisco is a place where we can be together and not be afraid to hold hands. We can think about the family we talked about starting. Everything will be perfect."

Devon pulled away and folded her arms. "I won't go with you," she said angrily. "I have too much here."

Anna looked at the expression on her lover's beautiful face. "Like what?" she asked cautiously, not really wanting to know the answer.

With a derisive laugh, Devon snarled, "Come on, Anna, you're a smart woman. Surely you know I've been dating others."

"You spend a lot of hours working. It gets boring rambling around in this big house waiting for you. That's all I ever do is wait for you to come home. Then when you do, all you want is a quick fuck then you do more work." Devon glared at the lawyer. "I don't even know why you bother to come home. You never loved me-your work is your lover. There's no way I' moving with you."

In seconds, Anna recovered from the shock of her lover's statement. She shrugged. "Ok. You better find yourself somewhere else to live, since I already have a buyer for the house." She didn't but the sooner Devon was gone the better.

Devon went out the door and, as it slammed behind her, Anna collapsed and cried.

That was two years ago. Anna stayed in San Francisco for a year and a half before requesting a transfer. For some people, the west coast was nirvana-for her it was like a prison sentence for her broken heart. All she ever saw there were the lost dreams she had planned with Devon. She arrived at the Restin, New York, U. S. Attorney's office, six months ago, which was only an hour from her home town. In that time, her heart had healed. When Detective Tessa Jacoby came into her life five months earlier, the attraction was instantaneous.

They met for lunch often and dated at least once a week, going out to dinner or to a show. When Tessa wanted more intimacy, Anna balked and stopped seeing her. The pull Tessa had on her heart was frightening-then she saw Tessa again. Now, she couldn't get Tessa off her mind as she craved the detective's body.

The other thing weighing on her mind was the information she received when she went to DC. The conviction of the Petroff underlings, who were less than minor players, had sent a ripple of anger from Serge Petroff, himself. Intel said that the crime organization had targeted her-the implications were not clear but the higher ups encouraged her to keep on her toes. She turned down the offered bodyguard, saying she wouldn't spend her life hiding out because some thug objected to the results of a case she prosecuted.

Anna, I was in the building getting a search warrant and stopped by to see if you were back yet. Beverly wasn't happy to see me-can't imagine why! Well, maybe I can. If you get a chance, give me a call...T.

"It's a start," Anna said, as she gathered her briefcase to go home. "Maybe I'll stop by and see if you're still at work."

Anna exited the building and noticed a gaggle of reporters and news media outside the entrance to the police station. Gravitating toward the group, she stood at the fringes of the crowd before she asked a man with a camera, "What's going on?"

With her thoughts turning to Tessa, Anna left the crowd and entered the police building. When she exited the elevator, she saw Tessa sitting at her desk, seemingly lost in whatever she was reading.

Tessa heard Anna's sultry voice and felt her body react in pleasure. She lifted her head and looked into the blue eyes. Shaking her head, she let out a sarcastic chuckle. "Hey, yourself."

"I got your note, sorry I missed you." Anna took a tentative step closer to the detective.

Tessa's face was devoid of expression. "You could say it was something like that."

Anna pulled the chair next to Tessa's desk up so she was sitting where she and the detective were facing each other and almost touching. "Want to talk about it?"

Green eyes looked at the lawyer and softened. Tessa snorted and let out a sigh that came from the center of her chest. "We had two witnesses that both knew Dana Stratton tell us they saw her last Sunday night in a white Pathfinder. We located the truck right where they said it was. After we got the license plate number and brought the guy in for questioning. We solidly had him," Tessa said with a frown.

"You'd think the chances of the guy's wife being a dead ringer for the vic would be astronomical but damned if that isn't what happened."

Anna put her hand over Tessa's and rubbed it slightly. "That's unbelievable. Why did the ADA have a news conference? It was an honest mistake, wasn't it?"

"Yes, it was and, presented with the same information, I'd do it again." Tessa shook her head. "The guy had Gretchen Smith for his lawyer and unfortunately she had already arrived when we realized what happened." She eyed Anna. "Do you know her?"

"Barracuda sums her up. She'll do whatever she can do to make the DA's office and the police department look foolish."

"No, she had him by the balls and the fact that she and I dated didn't help. She was going for the grand slam."

Anna looked at Tessa with curiosity. "You dated her?" Tessa nodded. "Was it serious?"

Anna scooted her chair even closer to the detective and whispered, "Ouch, that didn't help the cause did it?"

For a long moment, Tessa looked at the lawyer debating whether to say more. "I've never had a really serious relationship with any woman I've dated."

Tessa ran her fingers through her hair and sucked in a breath. "Guess I never wanted one."

Tessa thought of Gus and how on the crummiest of days when things in an investigation was going downhill fast, he had Helen to go home to-she wanted that. "No, I want it," Tessa said softly.

With her fingers lazily moving over Tessa's arm, Anna smiled and said, "Why don't you let me take you home and see if we can put a better spin on your day?"

Tessa closed her eyes and shook her head. "As tempting as that is, I can't, Anna."

"No expectations. Just you and me sharing a glass of wine after a long day at the office."

Anna's words reflected everything Tessa's heart yearned for but now wasn't the time for that. She had to catch a killer and satisfying primal needs, along with her sudden longing for a committed relationship, had no place in her life-not yet.

It was a long time before either woman spoke again. Anna let her eyes roam around the area, searching every nook and cranny and, when she saw no one, she leaned in and kissed Tessa. "I won't press the subject further...for now anyway. I'll only be a phone call away." She ran her hand up Tessa's arm. "You take care," she whispered, before standing up and winking at the detective as she walked away.

As her eyes looked at the closing elevator doors, Tessa regretted her decision but knew it was the right one-for now. She sat alone for another fifteen minutes before she unlocked a drawer, pulled out her Glock, and pushed it into her holster. "I need to get out of here."

Grabbing her gym bag out of her vehicle, Tessa walked quickly back into the police building. Instead of going up in the elevator, she went down to the gym. There were a handful of other police personnel in the area. Most were running in place on treadmills, with a few lifting weights. Once she'd changed, she spied the punching bag and claimed it. The first punch was light but soon she was hitting the leather bag with so much fury others stopped and stared as they heard the whomp kathunk of Tessa's gloved hands repeatedly connecting with the bag.

When her arms could no longer propel her hands forward, Tessa ended the assault on the bag and slid down the wall to the floor. After taking a long swig from her water bottle, Tessa wiped her face with a towel from her bag before she blew out a cleansing breath. Looking around, she saw that the room was now empty except for someone who was skipping rope. Her mind focused on how to proceed with the case then detoured to the woman who suddenly was occupying her mind non-stop. For the first time in a long while, she had hope-the possibility of not going home to emptiness might exist for her-Anna gave her that hope. And I sent her away. Getting up, Tessa didn't bother to change opting instead to go home. I wish I hadn't.

She felt like a thief leaving the scene of a crime as she circumvented the reporters, who were still milling outside the police department. Walking into the parking lot, she chirped her car open fifty feet before she got to it. She sank into the comfort of the Expedition's seat and sat there for several minutes before she started the engine.

When a day is going badly, it seems that everywhere you turn disaster waits. Tessa's drive home was no exception. Lights seemed to stay red forever and the drivers in the center of town took it upon themselves to pull out in front of her without any notice. When she reached the freeway, she thought it would be clear sailing-she was wrong. Fifty yards in front of her, a panel truck pulled into the center lane at the exact time that an old clunker did. The result was a massive traffic jam with each driver's anger rising while waiting for the accident scene to clear.

The absurdity of the jangled traffic that somehow reflected her day made her laugh. One big fucked up mess. But, she would get past it by refocusing on what was important-finding a murderer. Finally, she was able to guide her vehicle down an off ramp. She made a right and continued down the street until she saw a sign for the Lotus Blossom Chinese restaurant. Pulling into the parking lot and stopping, she got out and went inside. The pungent smells made her mouth water, as she let her eyes run restlessly across the take out menu before she settled on spicy noodles.

The smell of the food sitting alongside her in the car made her stomach grumble as she waited for her garage door to open. As she went inside her home, she switched on the light, and listened to the silence and realized just how much she wanted what Anna had offered her-companionship. In the deepest recesses of who she was, she knew it was far more than that. "What an idiot I was."

She reached for her cell phone, flipped it open, and was ready to dial before she flipped it closed. "My mood is lousy and the last thing she needs is for me to subject her to that again." Kicking off her shoes, Tessa felt her body and mind relax slightly. The day was a disaster on so many levels but the one that bothered her most was the victim's family. Her mind kept replaying the devastated look on Fran Stratton's face when she saw Sally Waterston.

After switching on the television, she wandered into the kitchen, got bottle of beer, a fork, and a spoon before sitting in her chair. While she was slurping her noodles, she heard a news commentator saying-the police brought in a man who was a person of interest today for the murder of the All American Dana Stratton, only to issue a statement that he was not involved. Although Assistant District Attorney, Mark Blodgett refused to give the name of the suspect, Channel Nine News learned that a man, Joel Waterston, whose picture you see here, was the man police suspected. The assistant district attorney said that they had cleared the man of all suspicions. In other news... The reporter's word solidified what she already knew was a fucked up day.

Finishing her noodles, she clicked the set off before dropping the remote onto the couch. She went into her bedroom and stripped for a shower. Just as she opened the bathroom door, she heard the phone ring. Standing silently, she wondered if it was Anna or work but decided it was probably some reporter trying to get a leg up on the others. "If it's important, they'll leave a message."

As the warm water cascaded over her body, Tessa closed her eyes and gave her mind and body permission to relax. She knew that no amount of water would wash away the day but the water gently pounding her body soothed her. As she braced herself against the tiles, she thought of Anna and their earlier encounter. Anna was kind, gentle, soothing, and sincerely concerned about her. Most surprising to Tessa, she didn't feel vulnerable when her guard was down and she let the woman in. I should have taken her up on her offer. Maybe if I had, she'd be scrubbing my back right now. It would be so easy to let Anna in to her heart-the loving feelings the woman evoked in her were getting harder to resist. Her need to maintain a shield over her heart that locked in and protected all her tender emotions was slowly dissolving and she was letting it happen.

In spite of knowing that any thoughts of the lawyer had to take a backseat to the investigation, she couldn't prevent the images of Anna that frequently came to mind. She thought about Gus, wondering how he seemed to manage the stresses of the job, along with a stable and happy family life. I wonder how he does it. Maybe I should ask him. The thought made her shake her head and laugh. "Hell no! I'd never hear the end of it if I did."

Twisting off the water, she toweled off before crawling under the sheets and closing her eyes. The day was disastrous on so many levels yet, she focused on the blue eyes that looked at her not in judgment but in concern. She smiled, and then closed her eyes as sleep overtook her.

Chapter Eighteen

Tessa sat in her car outside the police station located on Justice Square and repeated a familiar mantra for her job. "Heart detached, mind focused." Emerging from her car, Tessa entered the police station with new determination. Those she passed by that spoke to her, received a grunted, "Hi." She had no time for pleasantries and suspected they were only greeting her out of curiosity. No doubt, some of them dubbed her the detective who made the department look bad. She knew that they had made the right call with Waterston.

For an hour, she went over all the information in the murder book. She also had called the university and made an appointment with Dr. Thomas Fullerton, who had extensive knowledge about alchemy. When Gus arrived, she looked at him with a grim expression.

"We aren't going to find this guy, if you keep coming to work late," she bit out.

Looking at her partner, Tessa let a shadow of a smile form around her lips. "I'm sorry," she said before adding, "I didn't sleep much."

Gus regarded his partner's words and nodded. "Not yet, but they will. They always do."

"We need to go back to the beginning," Tessa said without looking at her partner. "And, we need to find her vehicle."

"I put out a BOLO when we first got the case," Gus said, as he picked up the case folder. "I agree with you that we need to go back to the beginning. That means the vacant lot, then start knocking on the doors around it."

Tessa nodded toward the case file in Gus's hand. "Take a look at the crime scene photos and see if you notice anything unusual."

After studying all the pictures, Gus shrugged. "The only thing I notice is the lack of physical evidence. Whoever the perp is, he knew enough not to leave any trace evidence." His eyes widened. "You thinkin' it might be a cop or someone in law enforcement."

"Maybe. I think we need to rework our profile. Whoever did this has knowledge about what we look for in a crime."

"That doesn't necessarily mean the perp is in law enforcement," Gus interjected. "After all, there are all those shows on the box that feature just that. And, it takes no time to look it up on the Internet."

"That's true. We need to go to the university," Tessa said, as she pointed to the pentagram. "From what I've been able to find out, these are related to everything from Wiccans to Christianity. I've set up a meeting with one of the professors at the university who can tell us more about pentagrams."

"I told him we'd be there at nine-thirty." Tessa picked up the phone and dialed a three digit number.

"Everything that was deleted was schoolwork. I've printed all the papers she wrote, along with all the courses she took over the last two years."

Tessa looked in thoughtful contemplation as she perused each page that Silverstein brought her. The victim was as thorough in her studies as she was at sports. Noting the courses she took, nothing jumped out at her-they were what she expected from someone who was pre-med.

Gus asked him, "Any indication that she was hiding something? Like she knew how to permanently delete stuff from her computer?"

The man shook his head. "Not that I could find. If she had an erasure program for something like that, it would leave traces and I didn't find any indication that happened."

Gus watched the man go. "Wonder if the vic has a computer at home that has something more than her school files."

Tessa puckered her mouth before she tented her fingers and slowly tapped the tips together. Her eyes fixed on the stack of paper from Dana Stratton's computer. Finally, she looked at her partner. "Good thought." She shook her head again. "Something is off-I just can't put a finger on what that is." She picked up the phone and dialed a number.

"No, she took it with her when she went to college. We bought her a new one two years ago."

As she jotted down the name, Tessa felt a tingle. "Did it still have Dana's information on it?"

"Oh, yes, my husband's friend had a program that would erase the hard drive to meet defense department standards or something like that." The woman's voice softened. "Dana was the one who told us to do that. She said that there were too many people who could take information from a computer and use it for identity theft."

Gus said, "Nothing stacks. No one is this good...no one. Usually, the vic's life screams at us. Something always comes out that no one expected. But, with this one, there's not even a murmur."

"My gut tells me we haven't looked in the right place yet," Gus said succinctly.

Biting the inside of her cheek, Tessa contemplated Gus's remark. "We need to look for something that we thought was inconsequential." She looked directly at Gus. "It's got to be there."

"We need to find more stones to turn over," Gus said, as he stood and slid his gun into its holster. "I have one of the desk guys making appointments for this afternoon with anyone that has anything to do with the vic's basketball team. I figured, if we divide them, it won't take long."

"If the professor can give us something concrete about the pentagram, then maybe that will lead us to the thread we're looking for," Tessa said, as she rounded her desk to join her partner. "It also will give a point of reference when we interview the basketball team."

Tessa nodded, and then glanced at the newspaper on Gus's desk. She saw the headline about their case but her eyes focused on a picture of Anna with the words, Federal Prosecutor strikes a blow to organized crime. She closed her eyes as she reprimanded herself for not letting Anna take her home. Instead of celebrating her victory, Anna was concerned about how she felt and Tessa turned her away.

With her cool exterior in place, Tessa said in a clipped tone, "Let's go." She couldn't allow thoughts of Anna to cloud her mind.

Dr. Thomas Fullerton looked like the typical professor. He had snowy wisps of white hair and wore jeans with a herringbone wool jacket that had the requisite elbow patches. His ready smile accentuated his face, deeply lined by age. But nothing masked the twinkle in his clear blue eyes.

"How may I help you, Detectives?" the man said in a strong voice. "You said on the phone it had to do with that poor girl who was murdered. I don't know how I can help you. Until last Monday I didn't even know who she was."

Tessa took out the picture that depicted the pentagram on Dana Stratton's abdomen, and handed to the professor. "Can you tell me what this mean?"

Dr. Fullerton put on his glasses and studied the picture. "A pentagram crosses all instances of life around the world. As you probably know, it has five points and five is a number that encompasses many religions. Some think that five is the most important number in the entire world. Others, of course, would argue the point."

The doctor took off his wire rimmed glasses and tapped the picture with the earpiece. "Tell me what you know about pentagrams."

Putting his glasses back on, the doctor looked at the detectives. "What part of what you learned do you consider the most relevant?"

Anxious to move forward, Tessa said, "I guess that it is some sort of protection from evil."

With a twinkle in his eyes, Dr. Fullerton said, "Ah, so you thought that it had some nefarious meaning that would solve a mystery?" He shook his head. "As you found in your research, the pentagram has multiple connotations. Unless you know the why, you will never know the what. If there's a hidden meaning, I wouldn't know what it is, for there are too many connotations to give you a definitive answer." He gave the detectives an apologetic smile. "There's no one right answer."

Both Gus and Tessa stood up. "Thank you for your time, Dr. Fullerton. If you can think of anything else that might help us we'd appreciate a call." Gus handed the man his card and said, "Thanks again."

"Like I said, they can have multiple meanings. I'll delve deeper and see if I can shed any more light on a potential message," the doctor paused, "but know that I don't hold out much hope."

Tessa nodded, before she turned her head and looked out the window. "How do you do it, Gus?"

"Juggle the job and family life. Do you have to neglect one in favor of the other?"

With a slight shrug, Gus said, "Sometimes I have no choice. Fortunately, Helen understands, most of the time. It's not easy and takes commitment to pull it off...I have to work at it. Why do you ask?"

"Uh-huh." He knew that his partner always had a reason for every question she asked. Stopping for a light, Gus stole a glance at Tessa. Her jaw was set and her eyes focused forward-the discussion was over.

As Gus and Tessa walked through the tall weeds and the debris littering the lot, they noted broken glass, needles, a crack vile, used condoms, whiskey bottles, and beer cans.

"I can see why the lady across the street wants this place cleaned up," Gus said. "It's a dump. And to think that CSI cleaned most of it up a few days ago-sure can't tell it now."

Tessa shook her head as she kicked a can out of her way. She surveyed the area where they found the body and saw a multitude of shoeprints. It was the light rain of two days before that allowed her to see just how many people visited the scene.

A makeshift memorial at the tree nearest the chalk outline of the body had candles, stuffed animals, messages, and other paraphernalia left to immortalize the basketball player. Tessa bent down, picked up one of the notes, and read it. Dana, you were my hero. Closing her eyes briefly, she refolded the paper and put it back.

"I think we need to get someone out here and look at all the messages," Tessa said.

Gus shrugged. "Good idea." He flipped open his tattered notepad and made a notation.

Tessa shook her head. "I doubt whoever did it would take that chance but you never know-he may just be cocky enough to do something like that." She glanced at the street and watched as a patrol car silently went by. "Even though a cruiser comes by every half hour, it would still give someone time to not be noticed."

Moving closer to where the body was and crouching down, Tessa looked at the partially obliterated white line that had encircled the dead body. "The professor reaffirmed what I found on the Internet... some believe it is part of satanic worship. I can't wrap my head around that. With everything that the vic endured, the murder was clearly personal. Whoever killed her knew her. I'm sure of that. Supposedly, the inverted pentagram is an attempt to reduce the significance of the individual. If we go by that theory, then we're looking for someone who was jealous of the girl's accomplishments or wanted to dominate her."

Tessa looked up. "I don't get that feeling. I don't think this was about sex." She stood up and pointed to the fading outline. "We need to figure out how this happened."

Gus walked the perimeter of the outline several times before he spoke again. "It seems to me that, by the depth of the cuts on her body, whoever killed her felt a sense of rage. And, if our thinking is that she knew her assailant,"-he gave his partner a thoughtful look- "I don't think we can rule out any of the members of the basketball team. The coach indicated that everyone liked the girl but, as you said earlier, no one is that good. Someone didn't like her." He gestured at the outline. "We know the how, but not the why."

Tessa let her eyes take in the surroundings, which were typical of a rundown older area. "This isn't the sort of place that someone with a dead body in their trunk just happens upon. The murderer knows the area."

"We should run all the team players and other staff to see if any of them live around here." Tessa's eyebrows knitted. "I think we should also check the opposing players."

Tessa thought about the comment. "This was too personal to be something like that, Gus."

"Possibly. Whoever the murderer is, he wanted her to suffer, but not physically. Even if he didn't know the correct usage, the use of the paralyzing drug tells us that. He wanted her to watch her own death and be unable to stop it."

Gus stood beside his partner as they both surveyed the surrounding houses. "Someone saw and someone knows. It's time we canvas the area again and find some answers."

After failing to have any response to their knocks on a half dozen houses, the two detectives finally found a door that someone answered. An elderly man with white hair and eyebrows looked at them and said, "I don't know nothin'."

"I saw you snooping around where that girl got killed. I didn't see nothin' and don't know nothin'."

Tessa stared at the interior of the home for a long moment before she let her eyes rest directly on the man. "What's your name?"

"Tell me, Henry, what did you think about a murder right down the street from you?"

"Not the first time it happened and it won't be the last," he said, as he began to close the door.

Gus pulled out a card. Between the doorjamb and the door, he shoved it at the man. "If you think of anything, Mr. White, give me a call."

Back out on the sidewalk, Gus made a notation about the earlier murder. Tessa let her eyes rest on the only house where they had gotten any information.

Shaking his head, Gus said, "There's no one else around here that will give us any information. They don't want to know and, if they do, they aren't going to tell us. I think, if we want to know more, we'll have to bring them in for questioning."

A cold wind blew and Tessa shivered. "Someone here knows what happened. I can feel it."

"Maybe so," Gus said with a shrug. "Maybe when we interview the basketball team this afternoon, we'll get some answers. It wouldn't be a bad idea to get another detective to go to all her classes and ask questions."

Tessa nodded. She looked at Mary Bertram's home and saw the front room curtain move. Her mind focused on the interview they had with the woman. With her grandson finding the body, the woman was clearly distressed. Her being upset didn't change when she brought her grandson in for questioning. Was she upset about that or something else? "Let's visit Mrs. Bertram again." Tessa shivered again and didn't know if it was the wind or a forgotten memory that made her shudder.

The woman who answered the door was clearly not expecting company. She had on a heavy robe and pink fuzzy slippers were on her feet.

"You accused the wrong man, so you thought you'd come back here to harass me and my neighbors."

Tessa ignored the comment. "It was your grandson who found the body, you called us. It's logical that we would visit with you again. We can do it here or downtown it's your choice."

"You coulda asked me yesterday when I brought Joey in for that shrink to mess with his mind." Mary clutched the neck of her robe and motioned for the two detectives to enter. "I don't know what you think I can tell you that I didn't already say," she said as she shuffled her slippers along the wood floor. "I've been sick."

Unmoved by the woman's predicament, Tessa said, "Are you certain you didn't see anything that night?"

"Didn't you say the other day that you sleep with your window closed so you don't hear the noise across the street?" Tessa said.

Tessa gave the woman a sideways glance. "Maybe the night the body was dumped across the street it was open for fresh air too."

Mary's eyes narrowed. "I told you it wasn't open. It's real quiet out there, now that the police come by all the time. Maybe this will get that lot cleaned up."

"Have you remembered anything else about that night?" Gus asked in a soothing voice. "I know you've been sick and that our being here is a big imposition, but we really need your help."

Shaking her head, Mary ignored Tessa and concentrated on the detective's partner. "After I saw the television show about the girl, I've wracked my brain, trying to think if there was anything else I could remember. I've told you all I know."

Gus smiled at the woman. "Thank you for trying, Mrs. Bertram. I hope you get to feeling better."

Back in Gus's vehicle, Tessa growled. "I hope you feel better. What kind of sappy thing is that to say and why do I always have to be the bad cop?"

Tessa grinned and held up her thumb and forefinger fractionally apart. "Maybe just a little. Let's get an early lunch," Tessa said. "It's my turn to pay, so you pick where we go."

Tessa stared at her partner. "Because I think she knows more than she's saying. Did you smell the whiskey on her breath?"

"Was it whiskey or one of those cold medicines? Besides, just because she drinks, it doesn't mean she knows anything about what happened."

Continued in part 3 of 4

If you like or dislike my story please let me know at erinoreilly@msn.com