~ Fractured ~
by Erin O'Reilly

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.

Entering Ramon's Pizzeria, the pungent smell of pizza, pepperoni, peppers, onions, and deli meats assaulted the detective's noses. As they stood at the glass counter and looked over the variety of slices, the man behind the counter said, "How ya doin today, Detectives?"

Gus smiled and nodded. "Good. I'll have a slice of the meat lovers and iced tea."

"And you?" the man asked, looking at Tessa.

"Plain, with a glass of water."

The two detectives took their slices and drinks to a table. They were glad for the time away from the case. A newspaper left on the table caught Tessa's attention and she picked it up. On the front page, beneath the fold, was a story about Dana Stratton. Her eyes quickly scanned the article about how her loss affected her family and the team.

"Read this," Tessa said, as she shoved the paper in her partner's direction.

Gus picked up the paper and shoved it back in her direction. "I declare this a case-free zone. Besides, you know as well as I do how reporters always make things sound different from what actually is."

With a knowing smile, Tessa nodded. "Yeah, how many times have we both said, I didn't say that." She took the paper and began reading the article about the trial, which Anna litigated.

Although the indictment of three members of the Petroff family dealt a significant blow, the Federal Attorney in charge of the case doubts there will be a lasting impact. The prosecutor, Anna Mikaelson said, "Unfortunately, the Petroff organization replaced those convicted as soon as they were arrested. The fight to rid our country of criminal factions is ongoing. While an arrest and a conviction are positive steps, we can never rest-the criminals don't.

"What's so interesting?" Gus asked.

Tessa lifted her head. "You said this was a case-free zone, so I was reading about the Petroff conviction."

"Your girlfriend's case right?"

"She's not my girlfriend, so give it a rest."

Gus smirked at Tessa's words. "Yeah, and I'm not married, with kids." A glare greeted him.

"Hey, I'm happy for you. It's about time you had something in your life besides work."

Tessa snorted. "What part of give it a rest don't you understand?"

Gus laughed. "Hey, I saw the way you two looked at each other yesterday. Remember...you wouldn't let me tag along?"

Tessa wadded up her napkin and chucked it at him. "Didn't want the competition."

"The way she was looking at you, I didn't stand a chance." Gus fixed Tessa with a serious gaze. "I heard this morning that the mob isn't too happy with the results of that trial. Someone even speculated that there might be a hit out on her."

Lifting her eyes and focusing them squarely on Gus in a neutral gaze, Tessa said, "Doesn't that sort of thing go along with the job?" She wouldn't let her partner know that her gut was twisting into a knot.

"Yeah, I suppose it does. My buddy in the organized crime unit said they might want to send a message to law enforcement by killing her."

Tessa's look was level and flat as she kept her external mantle in place. "Now, why doesn't that surprise me?" she said. Inside, she was shaking.

"Just like us, it's part of the job," Gus said.

Tessa took a swallow of her water, shook her head, and remained silent, as she tried to keep the bile from reaching her throat.

"Did she mention anything about that when you two had coffee yesterday?"

Quickly looking away from her partner and at her pizza slice, Tessa said, "She never mentioned anything about it."

"Maybe she doesn't know," he said, with his eyebrows raised. He could tell by the fractional jerk Tessa made when he mentioned a possible hit, that his information upset her. It had been a while since his partner had someone in her life. In fact, he'd bet his next paycheck that the only time someone special enough had entered Tessa's life, was the lawyer. When Mikaelson turned up yesterday, he could tell that the chemistry between them was unmistakable.

Tessa gave her partner a quizzical look. "Why the interest?"

Gus shrugged, and then smiled. "I just was having a conversation with you, that's all."

She said, "Sounds like a fishing expedition to me."

Holding up his hands with his palms toward Tessa, he said, "Hey, I need to tell Helen something."

Regarding Gus's comment, Tessa wondered what he saw that brought him to the conclusion that there was a thing between her and Anna. "And what is it that you've told Helen?"

"I told her that, for the first time in all the years we've worked together, I've never seen you react to someone like you did yesterday with the lawyer." He eyed Tessa. "I said it looked to me like you'd finally found the right one," he said, bracing himself for her wrath-it didn't happen.

He's right. "We'd better be getting back."

While Gus drove, Tessa looked out the window and wrestled with the thought of Anna being in possible danger. Surely, she had received threats from disgruntled defendants on more than one occasion. Like Gus said, it goes with the job. She looked at her watch. I'll call her before we start the interviews.

"Do you have a copy of the roster from the basketball coach?" Tessa asked, as she sat down at her desk. She looked over the schedule of the interviews that were set up for that afternoon. "Did you get the schedule?"

"Yeah." Gus moved several papers around on his desk then held up the roster. "Here it is," he said as he passed it across to her.

Tessa looked the page over. "Looks like they were able to schedule everyone."

"It's going to be a long afternoon," Gus said.

"We can get a feeling for them and then, if anyone is suspicious, we can see how they react at the funeral tomorrow."

Flipping through her rolodex, Tessa found Anna's work number. She listened to the ringing, and then had to catch her breath when she heard, "Anna Mikaelson."

Tessa stammered. "Hey."

Anna felt the stress of her day fade away and she smiled. "Hey, yourself. How are you doing today?"

Feeling her shoulders relax, Tessa let out the breath she was holding. "Better than when you last saw me."

"Good to hear."

"I never asked you how your meeting in DC went."

"Why don't I tell you about it tonight at dinner?"

"Is that an invitation?"

Anna smiled. "Sort of but I'd rather call it a date."

"I like the sound of that. Anna?"

"Yes."

"Gus told me that the Petroff organization might want to make an example of you. Do you know about it?" I'm worried about you.

Anna sighed. "Yes, I know all about it. I don't want to talk about that now." I don't want you to worry.

"I'll bring it up at dinner."

"I know you will," Anna said with a slight laugh.

Gus tapped her desk. "They're here."

Tessa nodded, before returning her attention to the phone and Anna. "Hey, I've gotta go. Want me to pick you up?"

"Sure."

"What time?"

"Why don't you call me later, when you're free, and we can figure all that out then."

"Sounds good to me. Bye."

"Bye."

Five-four was on the small side for a basketball player especially at the division one level but, according to newspaper articles, Carson and Stratton are the one, two punch that leads their team to a division title. Tessa sat across from the basketball guard and marveled at how well developed her muscles were. Her body built for power.

"Ms. Carson, thank you for coming in today," Tessa said with a slight smile. "May I call you Tina?"

The girl nodded.

"Do you object to my taping what we say?"

"No, it's cool. I still can't believe what happened to Dana. It's so unreal."

"Were you friends?"

"We're something much more-we are teammates. I watch her back she watches mine."

"Did you ever see or know if anyone paid her unwanted attention?"

Tina's eyes welled with tears. "Everyone wanted to know her. Everywhere she went, people recognized her and that made her uncomfortable."

"In what way?"

With a slight chuckle as she wiped her nose, Tina said, "She was always amazed when someone would come up to her and ask for her autograph or to have a picture taken with her."

"How did she handle that?"

"It embarrassed her. When the team would stop for dinner after an away game, she always wanted to stay in the bus." The girl shrugged. "I think she was self conscious. She wasn't comfortable in her own skin." The girl looked at Tessa. "You know what I mean?"

"Not really," the detective said.

"She once told me that, for years she hoped that when she went somewhere people would recognize her, until it happened, then she hated it. She didn't like the attention and shied away from public places."

"Did she ever say anything about someone having a crush on her or sending her threatening e-mails?"

The girl shook her head and scrunched her lips toward the side of her face. "Don't know of any crush or e-mails. We all participated in a blog that the coach set up." She shrugged. "It was for fans to chat with the players."

"Do you know if she participated on that?"

Tina's eyes closed as she thought. "Maybe once or twice. We used the coach's computer. I saw Dana on it once and I could tell she wasn't happy-it wasn't her kind of thing. She was more into her studies and practicing."

"Do you know if anyone paid her particular attention?"

"You mean like stalking her?"

"Yes."

"No. Coach keeps an eye out for us. There's a group of fans that follow the team around but I can't see any of them as stalkers, much less murderers."

"Do they have names?"

The basketball player frowned. "You don't seriously think one of our fans killed Dana?" When Tina saw the questioning look on the detective's face, she said, "No, none of them would hurt a flea. I think their median age is sixty-five and most of them use canes."

"Just because they are old doesn't mean they can't kill." Tessa sorted through her folder of game photos, and then spread them across the table. "Are any of them in these pictures?"

Tina looked through the pictures and picked one up. "Here, these four come to all our games. Away and home."

Tessa took the picture, looked at the men, shook her head, and sighed.

"I told you none of them would hurt Dana."

"Do you know if she had a special someone?"

"Like a boyfriend?"

"Yes."

"Not that I know of. She was pretty straight-laced in that area." Tina thought for a minute, and then added, "From what I could tell, her social life was nonexistent."

"Thank you for your time, Tina." Tessa stood up and held out her card. "If you think of anything else, give me a call...ok?"

"Sure," the girl said, before she left the interrogation room.

Later in the afternoon, Gus waited outside of the room where his partner was interviewing the scorekeeper. When they came out, he motioned for Tessa to join him.

"What do you have?"

"I'm getting ready to interview the trainer, Rod Gambado. Come to find out, he had an arrest for rape seven years ago."

Tessa focused only on her partner. "And we know this how?"

"I had Mike run a background check on all the players and staff to see where they live and if they had any priors and up comes this guy's arrest."

"Did it stick?" Tessa asked cautiously.

"No, the girl dropped the charges." He handed Tessa a paper. "Here's the report."

"Is he in there now?"

"Yep." Gus grinned. "Shall we?"

Rod Gambado was a well built man with olive skin and jet black hair. Just looking at him, Tessa could see that he took great care in his appearance.

"Mr. Gambado," Gus began. "You're the head trainer for the woman's basketball team?"

"Yeah, I am," he said confidently.

Gus nodded. "Then I take it you had contact with Dana Stratton on many occasions."

The man shrugged. "Not really. She had remarkable endurance and played injury free for the last three years."

Tessa looked at the trainer thoughtfully. "You weren't her trainer for all four years?"

The man smiled at Tessa and it made her skin crawl.

"I was the trainer for the wrestling team during her first year."

Tessa pressed her lips together and looked at the man. "Are you saying that you never had any contact with Dana?"

"For the most part, that's true," the trainer said. "One time she was vomiting on the way to a game. I gave her intravenous fluids before and after the game."

"Why didn't you make her sit out instead?" Gus asked.

"Someone like Dana wouldn't sit out a game because of illness," the trainer pointed out.

"She had a true athlete's mentality then," Tessa said.

"She was one in a million."

Gus eyed the trainer. "Intravenous fluids. Does that mean you have medical knowledge?"

"I have a degree in physical therapy. I'm working toward a sports medicine degree."

The two detectives eyed one another.

"You lose your money clip, Rod?" Gus asked.

The trainer frowned. "No, I don't own one."

Tessa tapped on a piece of paper. "Your name is Rodney S. Gambado. Is that correct?"

"Yeah, what's the big deal?"

"You use your middle name, Rod?"

"No, why would I?"

"Did you ask Dana out and she turned you down?" Tessa asked, as she eyed the man with suspicion.

"No. I'm married. Besides, it would be unethical to date a player."

Gus smiled at the man. "Says here that you were charged with rape seven years ago, Rod."

"That was all a misunderstanding. The charges were dropped."

Tessa rubbed an eye with one finger then said, "Says here, the girl dropped the charges after receiving death threats. Know anything about that, Rod?"

"No, I don't. What does that have to do with Dana?"

"Where were you Sunday night?" Gus asked.

"My wife and I were coming home from a vacation in the Bahamas."

Gus shook his head. "Can you verify that?"

"Yeah, our plane got in at nine-thirty Sunday night."

"You go straight home, Rod?" Tessa asked.

"Yes."

Gus smiled at the man. "What time did you get home?"

"I don't know, somewhere around ten-thirty I guess."

"You go anywhere once you got home?" Tessa asked.

"No."

Tessa continued the questioning. "Any witnesses?"

"Yes, my wife."

"Do you have a number where I can reach her now?" Gus asked.

"Yes."

Tessa shoved a pad of paper and a pen across the table. "Write it down."

The two detectives took the number and left the room.

Five minutes later, Gus returned to the room. "You can go, Mr. Gambado."

"I told you I was with my wife," the man said, as he stood up.

"Don't leave town," Gus warned, as he waited for the man to leave.

By five o'clock, Gus and Tessa had interviewed most of the members of the women's basketball team, the head trainer, and the two assistant coaches.

Gus wearily plopped down into his desk chair. "Sure thought we had something with that trainer."

"Let's not rule him out completely," Tessa offered. "Who knows what we might turn up about him?"

Gus searched his partner's face. "The timeline doesn't match."

"I know. We'll just leave him on the back burner for now." Tessa eyed Gus. "One thing I am sure about is that the vic should be elevated to sainthood." Tessa bit her lip. "I'm sure everyone I talked to was all holding back something. It was as if someone coached them about what to say and not say."

Gus raised his eyebrow at the irony. "Like the coach," he said with a small chuckle. "Speak no ill of the dead." He shrugged. "If they tell us some of the locker room gossip then it might reflect badly on the vic but, more importantly, on the team or the school."

"Yeah, I guess. I don't think any of the girls I interviewed knew anything about the murder. What about your group?"

"Except for the trainer, they were like yours, rehearsed. I didn't get the feeling they were holding back about who the murderer might be-they were protecting a teammate, that's all."

"I had Silverstein check to see if the vic had a My Space or Facebook account. He didn't find any but did find one blog site that someone just put up called The Dana Stratton Memorial. He found that many of the bloggers wrote about the vic and said she was a prima donna, who wore her celebrity status like a glove. That's probably what her teammates didn't want to say."

Tessa tapped a pen on her desk. "Everyone I interviewed said she didn't like the limelight, so why would there be comments like that?"

"Good question. Maybe it's like I said, don't speak ill of the dead...especially if she's your teammate."

Tessa massaged her forehead with her thumb and forefinger then rubbed her eyes. "We've hit another dead end. That trainer was our best lead of the day and that's not even close to being solid."

"Hey, we're only four days into the investigation." Gus laughed. "People think we're like the TV cops and can solve cases in a matter of days or even in an hour." He eyed his partner. "We'll see who turns up at the funeral tomorrow. Or...who doesn't."

Tessa raised her chin a notch and gave her partner a serious gaze. "You know that it's gonna to be a media circus."

"Yep." Gus smiled and nodded toward a man coming in their direction.

Tessa looked up and asked, "What' brings you here?"

"You two had a lot of interviews today," Their Captain, John Flynn, said. "Find anything interesting?"

Tessa shook her head. "Nothing much panned out. The trainer had an arrest for rape seven years ago, but the witness refused to testify, so they had no choice but to dismiss the charges. His wife gave him an alibi for last Sunday. Other than that, we don't have much to go on. Whoever the murderer is, he didn't leave anything behind." She cocked her head. "Except for a money clip that has the vic's father's initials."

"Do you think the father is involved?"

"No, he and his wife were at the hospital. Everyone there vouches for him."

"Do you have a profile?"

Tessa shook her head. "The murder was personal, so the perp is probably someone she knew. He used a super sharp instrument to cut the vic and had means to obtain the drug he used to paralyze her. Other than that, we've got nada."

"I've asked Roger Rudisill if he could give us a hand with the profile."

With a raised eyebrow, Tessa said, "We really don't need his help. Besides, isn't he working on the Benter case?"

"I think you should take whatever help you can get," the captain said.

"We're only four days into the murder," Tessa said.

"It won't hurt to bounce your profile off him and see if he agrees or maybe he can add something."

Tessa folded her arms.

"He said he could give us a half hour. He should be here in about fifteen minutes."

Gus said, "I need to make a quick call to the wife."

The captain looked at Tessa. "Listen to the man and don't discount him. He's very good at what he does and he's doing this as a personal favor, so play nice."

Gus rejoined them and said, "Don't worry boss, we won't embarrass you. We welcome all the help we can get."

Tessa glared at her partner as the captain walked away.

"What?" Gus said.

When her phone rang, Tessa picked up and heard Anna's hello.

Turning her back on her partner, Tessa quietly said, "Hey, I was just getting ready to call you."

"Guess we were thinking of each other at the same time. How does seven at Las Cures Grill sound to you?"

"I'm sorry, Anna, I'm going to have to pass. Something has come up and I'm not going to be able to get away."

Anna didn't hide her disappointment. "Oh, I was so looking forward to tonight."

"Me, too," Tessa said. What's wrong with me? Why don't I meet her? Because I can't give her all of me, right now. "Can I get a rain check?"

"Yes," Anna said, before adding, "Will you call me later?"

"I will. Listen, I have to go. Someone is here to speak with us."

"Ok, bye."

When she hung up her phone, she saw Gus grinning. "Was that the lawyer?"

"Give it a rest."

Although Tessa had heard about Roger Rudisill's prowess in profiling, she had never met the man. When the captain introduced him, she was surprised, for he was not what she expected. He had a medium build, was in his fifties, with round wire rimmed glasses, a balding head, and a bushy, steel gray beard.

His handshake was strong and Tessa could feel his eyes scrutinizing her. Being good, Tessa said, "It's good to finally put a face with the name," as she shook the man's hand.

Gus smiled. "Hey, Roger, how's your bowling?"

The profiler laughed. "I think my team was glad when I quit."

Once their laughter subsided, Roger became serious. "I've been following your case. Tell me what your assessment is."

"There's not much to tell since the case is still in its infancy," Tessa said. She spread the photographs of the scene, along with those from the autopsy and the autopsy report, across her desk. "I'd rather hear what you have to say before I tell you what we're thinking."

"Fair enough." Roger nodded, and began to sort through the photos. He picked up each one and studied it before he moved on to the next. "This person was very methodical. It doesn't look like the cuts were hurried and the person had a steady hand." He held a picture close to his eyes. "I can only discern what appears to be one small hesitation point. That's probably the first cut made. The pentagram is a curious choice. It's almost as if it's a ruse to throw you off track. At the same time, I don't think you can rule it out."

Tapping his finger on the medical examiners report, he said, "The use of the paralyzing drug is puzzling because it indicates that the killer didn't want the victim to feel pain, but whoever it was didn't understand the limitations. That leads me to believe that on some level the victim knew her assailant and that the perp cared about her." He pursed his lips as he stared at one of the photos then rubbed his bushy chin. "All those cuts were done in a deliberate manner. That tells me that, whoever did this to her, wasn't in a hurry or in a rage."

"But they are deep," Gus countered. "Wouldn't that be seen as rage?"

Roger answered, "Not in the classical sense. If they were hastily made and varied in depth, I'd consider rage, but this is too neat and too clean to be considered anything other than a deliberate action."

Tessa added, "The perps out there are getting as clever as we are with technology.

"You're right about that, Detective." Roger looked at the coroner's report. "The coroner indicated that a rape was evident given the substantial tearing around the vagina and rectum with no evidence of semen."

In a low voice, Gus said, "They use all kinds of foreign objects these days. Whatever he used the son-of-a-bitch raped her."

Tessa's face contoured into a grim expression. "It took a truly sick mind to do what he did to her."

The hand of the profiler rested on Tessa's shoulders and she shook it away immediately. "I agree it is a sick mind. To understand who it is and why they murdered, we have to get inside their head," Rudisill said.

Gus joined the conversation. "Something about this case doesn't feel right. The victim is too perfect and the murder is too clean."

The profiler swept his hand over Tessa's desk. "Is this all you have?"

"No, we thought we had a suspect. What do you think the odds are that the person our witnesses saw was a dead ringer for the vic?"

Roger nodded. "That is rather odd."

Gus let out a small laugh before he shook his head. "It was too easy, Roger. It was like the whole case was handed to us on a platter."

"What items did you find at the scene, Detective Jacoby?"

"Nothing. We don't even have the true crime scene. There wasn't any blood. The kid who found her said he took a money clip from the scene and we later found out he touched the body." Tessa pulled the item out of an evidence bag and handed it to the man.

Roger peered at the clip through the clear plastic and pursed his lips. "I take it no one in the victim's family or her friends can be connected to this item?"

"Nope. The only possible link is that the vic's father has the same initials." Tessa paused. "We did interview someone today that has the same initials, if you look only at his first and middle name-had a rape arrest. But his wife gave him an alibi, though we don't take it as solid."

Gus interjected, "We checked all her friends, family members and all her teammates."

"You're sure it wasn't the father's money clip?"

"He's clean. No one we interviewed ever saw him with it," Gus said.

The profiler looked at the detectives. "Did any of the other people, who you might identify as a suspect, have those initials?"

Tessa flexed her jaw. "The one with those specific initials is the father and, maybe, the trainer."

"As Gus said, there's something distinctly out of step in this case. I think you might want to broaden your profile and not limit it to those initials on the money clip-they may not be relevant. The person you are looking for is clever and is disguised in such a way that you probably won't see him for what he is."

Tessa held up her hand. "Wait a minute. Are you saying that we can't develop an accurate profile because the perp disguises himself so well that we won't recognize him? That sounds ridiculous, coming from someone who is so highly regarded as a profiler."

Rudisill fixed Tessa with a sharp look. "I can tell you that the perpetrator is probably male in his late twenties, early thirties, and a loner, who probably works at a job that often overlooks his potential. I don't think that will get you any closer to who it is. Assumptions can be dangerous, Detective. With your lengthy experience in homicide, I am confident that you know that what school taught you isn't always the same out in the field. Sometimes, you have to look outside the box to make a break in a case. What you see isn't always accurate." With a slow upturn of his lips, the profiler smiled before picking up his copy of the case file. "I'll give this some more thought, Detectives. If you find out anything new, please call me."

With a curious gaze, Tessa's eyes focused on the profiler. "Your gut feeling is?"

Roger thought for a moment, and then said, "I can tell you what it's not...this isn't a serial killing."

Gus said, "We'd already figured that one out. The funeral is tomorrow. It stands to reason that, if the perp knew the vic, he'll be there."

The profiler raised his eyebrows. "Let me know if I can help you further. Good night."

With eyes narrowed to slits, Tessa watched as the man left. "What a colossal waste of time. He told us nothing that we didn't already know." She gathered up all the photos and papers pertaining to the case and put them back in the murder folder.

"Not a total waste of time," Gus said slowly. "He confirmed that our initial profile was on the mark."

"Yeah, aren't we good detectives," Tessa said sarcastically, as she looked through the folder again.

Gus stood up. "I'm heading out. I promised Helen I'd be home at a reasonable hour. You should do the same. Why not ask your lawyer friend out for supper. It might get you to relax for a few hours."

Tessa looked at Gus and snickered. "Will you just give it a rest? There's nothing going on...no romance...nothing. Now hurry along home to the little woman," she said, before chuckling.

As he walked away, Gus said, "See you in the morning."

"Oh, and," Tessa said to his retreating back, "let Helen know I'm doing ok." She could hear her partner laugh as he lifted his hand, gave it a shake, and continued to the elevator.

"Where the hell is it?" Tessa growled, as she sorted through all the papers in murder book. Getting up, she went to Gus's desk to see if it was there.

The newspaper she had noticed in the morning was still on his desk. She stopped and gazed at Anna's picture. She remembered Gus telling her that some nameless person in the crime unit speculated that the mob might seek revenge on the lawyer. Calling Anna and asking her about the Petroff threat again would probably result in the same casual brush off she had previously but it was worth another try. Grabbing the phone, she dialed Anna's number and listened to it ring before she heard the lawyer's voice.

"Hi, this is Anna, you know what to do."

When she heard the beep, Tessa said, "Hey, Anna, its Tessa. Listen, I'm sorry about dinner and that I didn't call you earlier but one thing lead to another along with the stack of papers on my desk keeps growing. I really want to talk to you about the Petroff family threat. Call me."

Replacing the receiver, Tessa sighed. She was disappointed when the call went to voicemail. She blinked several times with the realization that thinking of Anna made her feel warm in ways that weren't sexual. When did that happen? She shook her head and looked at the paper on her desk-for now, she needed to focus all her energies on the Stratton case.

When Tessa next looked at her wristwatch, she noted it was close to midnight. She had found a reference in one of the papers Dana Stratton wrote regarding alternative medicine. In the report, she wrote about the use of herbs and other natural remedies. To the casual reader that meant nothing. When Tessa read the footnote, she felt a tingle go up her spine-she'd seen it before. The footnote referenced a book-Herbs, Spells and Potions, written by R. J. Santana. She noted the same reference twelve more times.

"This can't be a coincidence. Can it?"

With rapid taps on the keyboard, Tessa typed Herbs, Spells, and Potions. She found that the book's author had a large following, most of who identified with the occult. Reading further, she discovered that occultism is the study of hidden wisdom or truth, which loosely related to what Professor Fullerton had told them earlier.

She was surprised to read that many consider occultism a religion. The belief of the religion is that every human being is a divine soul. Inside each body that resides in the material world is a trapped, imperfect God. The religion believes that each person creates the God and it is up to him or her to free the celestial being's soul.

Tessa ran the name R. J. Santana through the police database and found that he had several arrests-all dismissed. Running her eyes over the man's arrest sheet, she stopped when she saw the police picked him up twice for operating a business without a license-his business- Magical Knowledge and Occult Wisdom.

Once she typed the man's name and did a search for him, she found that he owned a witchcraft supply store in Restin. When she saw the business's address was six blocks from where the boys had discovered the body, she felt the beginnings of the tingle that told her she was on the right track-coincidences were adding up.

Taking the money clip out of the evidence bag, then out of a plastic bag, Tessa looked at it again with new eyes. The initials certainly could be those of Santana. She thought about the trainer, who had an alibi, albeit a shaky one, and felt that they should keep him on the list as a person of interest for he did have an arrest for rape. "I wonder what Santana's story is?"

She played with the money clip as she tried to formulate a scenario that included Santana. Her eyes looked at the object where the crime lab indicated there was a stamp presumably of the manufacturer. She could almost make out some sort of drawing and took a magnifying glass out of her desk. She held the round glass as close as she could to the image before pulling it back-the other side of the clip, butting against the stamp, obscured a part of it. Prying the two pieces apart, she wedged a coin between the parts, and looked at it again with the magnifying glass. It was then she was able to discern what it was.

"A goat?" She looked at the crime lab's findings and they had referred to the image as a Sabbatic Goat. "I've seen this somewhere." Going back through the history on the Internet Explorer browser, she came to the page she was looking for. The same goat-like figure stared at her. It was a Baphomet or the Sabbatic Goat, which dated back to the crusades. There was a reference to the Knights Templar, who supposedly worshiped the idol. As Tessa read more about the goat, she rubbed her eyes. She looked at the image on the money clip and then to the one on the screen. Had she found the link she was searching for or was it another dead end? Her gut told her this is it.

Tessa considered the wisdom of waking a judge and getting a warrant. She could assemble a team and have a midnight raid that would surprise the man. "God, I must be losing it-I don't do knee-jerk reactions. First, I'll make damn sure he's the one." She'd go with Gus to the funeral, armed with the man's mug shot. If he was there, they could bring him in for questioning-the morning couldn't come fast enough.

Tessa had gone home long enough to take a quick shower and change her clothes. By six, Tessa was back at her desk reading more about the occult, the goat, and R.J. Santana. When Gus finally arrived, she was on him instantly with the information.

Tessa allowed a small amount of the excitement she was feeling to show in her face and voice. "I just know this is what we've been looking for."

"Yeah, could be but... "

"But what Gus? His initials fit the money clip and the vic referenced his book in her papers...not once but multiple times...obviously, she took what she read to heart...we need to get our hands on a copy of the book."

"Slow down," Gus softly chided. He saw the dark circles and the deep groove between her eyes. "Did you get any sleep at all?"

Tessa rubbed her eyes and quietly said, "Murderers don't take a holiday but they do get to sleep."

"Unlike you right?"

Ignoring the question and avoiding his eyes, Tessa continued, "Look, my gut tells me that this is the path to the murderer. Is Santana that person? Could be or, maybe he's the thread we need to discover the identity of the perp. I figure if he's at the funeral we can bring him in for questioning."

"Do we have a picture?"

Tessa held up a black and white computer generated photo. "Not the best, but it'll do." She laid another photo on Gus's desk. "This is from his website," she said with a grin.

Gus looked at the picture then back to his partner. "You're not serious are you?"

"I'll give you the link and you can look for yourself."

A genuine laugh left Gus's mouth. "He looks like...I don't know how to describe him."

Tessa smiled. "When we catch up with him we can see if the picture does him justice."

"Sounds like a plan," Gus said as he looked at the picture one more time. "Did we get a list of who will be doing surveillance with us at the church?"

"Yeah, I got it after you left last night-Baker, Winston, Pomeroy, and Gentry."

Gus looked at his watch. "We should leave in about an hour." He fixed his gaze on his partner. "Want me to get you some coffee? You look like you can use it."

"Thanks, but let me get it. I drained the last of the pot about thirty minutes ago."

It was a dreary, blustery day with threatening skies and a cold wind that seemed to swirl around and chill a body to the core. As expected, the number of people attending the funeral was enormous. Satellite dishes from television trucks reached high into the sky as reporters circled the attendees for an interview.

Tessa and Gus, along with the four other detectives, scrutinized the mourners as they passed into the church and by the closed coffin before settling into a pew. Gus, noticing the look on his partner's stoic face as she stood with her arms folded, followed her gaze. "We can't make them go away. They have every right to be here."

"Those vultures don't even have the decency to stay across the street."

Gus said, "I don't like it either but there's not much we can do about them."

Surveillance cameras sent a live feedback to the police station, where a tech was monitoring them for any suspicious activity. At the main entrance, Marcus Gentry, a detective who was clearly taller than most, discreetly took pictures of everyone who entered. When a man in his twenties with dark hair purposely shielded his face with a cap, Detectives Winston and Baker pulled him out of the line.

Detective Eleanor Baker was a compact woman, who had a firm grip on the man's arm. She asked, "What's your name?"

"Let me go! I don't need to tell you that," the man countered.

Moving close to the man, Detective Allison Winston, who was almost as tall as the man was, whispered, "Yes, you do."

"Alex Madigan," he begrudgingly said.

"Tell me why you didn't want your picture taken, Alex," Eleanor said as she glared at him with her dark eyes.

"I don't want my picture to be part of your big brother network."

Allison lifted a digital camera and snapped the man's picture. "You don't have a choice in this," Detective Winston said. "How do you know Dana?"

"I don't."

"You're attending the funeral of someone you don't know? That sounds a bit odd to me. What do you think, Detective Baker?"

"Sounds to me like he might be some sort of stalker." Detective Baker looked up at the man. "Are you a stalker, Alex?"

"No, I'm not a stalker," Alex blurted out. "I just wanted to pay my respects."

Allison motioned for one of the uniformed officers to join them. "We need to take this young man in for questioning."

Alex's blue eyes went wild. "Wait. No. I didn't do anything. She went to the senior prom with me in high school."

"Why didn't you tell us that from the start?" Eleanor asked.

"Because I was scared."

"Of what?"

"It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know why you're here and taking pictures-to find a killer. It isn't me...I haven't seen her in four years. When I came home from vacation, I saw the news about her murder."

"When did you get home?"

"Two days ago."

Eleanor cocked her head and jotted his name in her small notebook. "Let me see your driver's license," she said to the man.

Once she had all his information, she gave him back his license. "Give me the phone number of someone who knows you were on vacation and when you came back."

"That's easy. My mom took my friend Billy and me to the airport and she picked us up."

Once Eleanor had the number and confirmed the man's story, she said, "You're free to go."

Tessa approached the detective. "What was that all about?"

"He didn't want his picture taken. He's harmless."

"Look who came," Tessa said when she rejoined Gus. "Wonder why they're here?"

"Guess we should ask them," Gus answered.

Walking up to the woman, Tessa said, "Mrs. Bertram, I'm surprised to see you here."

The woman stiffened and fixed Tessa with a glare. "My grandson found that poor woman and it is our duty to see that she is properly put to rest."

Tessa let her eyes rest on the young boy and she asked, "You've been keeping off that lot?"

Tony lifted his eyes and looked at the detective. "Yes, ma'am."

"I've had a long talk with him about why he needs to stay away from the criminal element. Finding the body scared him," Vanessa Carlton said softly.

Tessa nodded and said, "Excuse me," before she and Gus walked away.

"Do you think it's odd that they are here?" Gus asked, as they walked along the brownish green lawn in front of the church.

As her eyes scanned the people filing into the church, Tessa regarded her partner's question. "I think being here is exactly what Mary Bertram would do but I don't know about her daughter-she doesn't seem the type."

"Bet Mary didn't give her a choice."

Tessa nodded in agreement as one of the other detectives, Bill Pomeroy, a dark haired man with good looks and a ready smile, emerged from the church, and joined the lead detectives. "They're packed like sardines in there. Every pew is full and the people in the back are standing three deep."

Tessa told the man, "Keep an eye on things out here, Bill. Gus and I are going inside."

An hour later, Dana Stratton's coffin came out of the church and slid into the coach that would carry her to the cemetery. As the procession passed slowly along the streets, where Dana grew up, Tessa and Gus saw people come out of their houses and businesses to pay their respects.

Once in the cemetery, Gus and Tessa stood away from the burial site. As their eyes gazed over the crowd gathered around the coffin, the priest commended the body to God. Most of the people, they had interviewed, including every girl on the basketball team and most of their coaches, were present.

After the service concluded, people left or gathered around the family to offer their sympathy and support. Jenna Rudolf, the victim's roommate, was the only nonfamily member that remained once everyone else departed.

"That's curious," Gus said to Tessa.

Tessa said, "I guess she's close to the family. Maybe they want her around since she was one of the last people to see their daughter alive." She studied the scene, and then looked at Gus. "At this point we can't rule out anyone."

Back in Gus's vehicle, Tessa chewed on her lip as she looked back at the gravesite. "I don't think going to their home now will produce anything positive. Winston and Baker can let us know if anything happens there that's strange."

Gus nodded, as he engaged the ignition and pulled out onto the narrow gravel access road. "I agree. Those two blend in wherever they go. "

Tessa's eyebrows knitted. "You know who I didn't see at the funeral?"

For a moment, Gus thought, and then said, "The trainer, Gambado."

"Everyone from the basketball team was there, but not him." Tessa looked out the window that a fine mist covered. "I don't think we can rule Gambado out."

"Maybe we should get a warrant for his vehicles." Pressing the brake pedal and stopping, Gus asked, "Where to now?"

"Let's hold off on the trainer. That Santana character wasn't at the funeral and we need to locate him. My gut is telling me that he'll have some answers for us."

Gus's Crown Vic parked on the street in front of Magical Knowledge and Occult Wisdom, which was both Santana's store and residence. Two large, plate glass windows with antitheft bars protecting them were on either side of the entrance. They could also see where someone attempted to scrub away the graffiti that was along the plaster under the windows.

The thing that both detectives noticed was the large red sign-CLOSED.

"Fuck. The website said it was open on Friday." Tessa growled. She scanned the windows on the second floor and saw no sign that someone was there.

Gus took out his notebook and flipped it open. "He owns a black '0-four-Lincoln." He looked up and down the street. "Don't see it."

The day had turned dark, cold, and damp. The two detectives got out of the vehicle, pulled their collars up around their necks and walked toward the front door of the business. With hands cupped and pressed against the bars on the door, Tessa peered inside the store for any sign of the owner-there was none.

Gus looked at his partner and nodded in the direction of an alley on either side of the store separating it from the neighboring properties. He took the left and Tessa took the right as they ventured down the narrow walkway toward the back of the store, with their guns at the ready. Behind the store was a padlocked gray steel door with the store's name in black block letters emblazoned on it. They saw a garage that opened to another wider alley that ran the length of the street. When they peered inside through a grimy window pane, they saw so much clutter that there was no way a vehicle as big as a Lincoln would fit inside.

Tessa rolled her shoulders. "We need to put a BOLO out on this guy," she said as they walked toward the front of the building.

When they arrived at the street, a behemoth of a man stood staring at them with his massive arms crossed. "What are you doing here?" he demanded.

Gus walked toward the man and Tessa pushed aside her jacket to expose the badge on her belt.

With his palms up, Gus said, "We're looking for Mr. Santana. Have you seen him recently?"

The tattoos on the man's arms danced as he flexed them. He took a step closer to Gus. "You have no business here," he said in what Gus though was a thick Haitian accent.

Tessa's hand reached inside of her jacket, flicked back the strap, and gripped the hilt of her Glock. "We just need to speak with him, that's all," she said, as she too held her ground.

"Go away from here. The store is not open," the man growled, as he unfolded his arms and moved to within inches of Gus's body.

Her Glock was out of its holster and pointed at the man. "Back away," Tessa ordered. "I don't want to shoot you, so back away."

The man's black eyes were predatory and his fists balled, as he glared at the detectives. All three stood motionless. When Tessa clicked the safety off her weapon, the man stepped back.

Gus let his shoulders relax somewhat as he looked up at the man towering over him. "All we want to know-have you seen Mr. Santana lately?"

"No."

"When was the last time you saw him?" Gus asked.

"Don't know."

It was clear that the man wasn't going to say more. Gus moved a fraction of an inch closer. "You want to take a ride downtown?"

When the man took a quick look at the other detective, he saw, she still had her weapon trained on him. "Mr. Santana told me to watch the store when he's gone and the store is closed. He pays me." He nervously eyed Tessa. "I don't want no trouble."

Once Gus saw the man take two more steps backward, he said, "Get lost."

Both detectives were surprised when the man turned around and walked quickly away. It was only then that Tessa lowered her Glock, clicked on the safety, and returned it to its holster.

"How long do you think it will be before that guy calls Santana?" Gus asked, as they slipped into his vehicle.

"Not long. Let's sit on this for a little while and see if he comes back."

While Gus watched the store, Tessa went to a neighborhood grocery and deli that was two doors down from Santana's store to get them something to eat. She asked the woman who made the sandwiches if she'd seen the store owner. The answer-a blank stare.

Back in the car, she handed Gus a rare roast beef sandwich, a bag of chips and a large cup of coffee. Before he bit into his sandwich, he gave Tessa a thoughtful look. "What'd you make of that man?"

"If given the chance, he would've killed us."

The words had creases deepening in Gus's forehead. "Why do you say that?"

"His eyes were filled with hatred. No way was I going to let him get the upper hand."

"Makes you wonder why Santana needs someone to guard his store."

"My guess-drugs. One of his arrests was for possession," Tessa said before she bit into her sandwich. When she had swallowed, she added, "Maybe he's an illegal."

"Could be," Gus said, before he concentrated on his sandwich.

It was close to five and rain was cascading in torrents down the windshield. They had moved their vehicle a block away so they wouldn't spook Santana if he returned. In all likelihood, the man guarding the store had warned the owner. They had watched the store for close to three hours and the sudden downpour made their surveillance difficult.

"Doesn't look like he's going to show," Tessa said, as her eyes strained through the heavy rain to see the storefront.

"Let's get a patrol unit to drive by every hour, and then pack it in," Gus said in irritation. "As long as this rain keeps up, there's no way we can see the store from here."

"I agree. We'll try again in the morning."

As the Crown Vic slowly moved away and disappeared into the heavy rain, R. J. Santana's Lincoln turned the corner and stopped in front of the store. As Santana got out of the vehicle, the man he paid to guard his store approached him.

Tessa was bone tired. Because of the funeral and the rain, the day had been depressing. Mixed into that, was a heavy sadness that seemed to hang in the air and eat at her soul-funerals always did that to her. After entering her home, she shrugged off her jacket, walked into her bedroom, and took off her clothes, letting them all puddle around her feet. Much like her life, she was alone and naked. Her thoughts drifted to Anna, and wondered how long it would be before the lawyer did another disappearing act. "Do I dare let her into my heart?" she whispered.

The insistent ringing of a phone brought Tessa's thoughts to the present. She looked on the floor, picked up her pants and felt for the cell phone in the pocket. "Hello," she said in a voice that didn't disguise her weariness.

Anna heard the tenor of the voice on the other end of the phone and asked, "Tessa, are you all right?"

Tessa closed her eyes, as she let the sound of Anna's voice wash over her. "It's been a really long day."

"I'm sorry I didn't get back to you sooner. They needed me back in D. C. for a meeting."

"Does that happen often?" Tessa asked, recalling Gus's comment about retribution against the lawyer.

Anna paused, wondering if she should tell Tessa what she'd learned about the Petroff case in DC. She already told me that she knows about the threat. "Sometimes. Mostly, it's about pending cases."

Tessa yawned. "I'm glad you're back."

"That's nice to hear. I've been thinking about you a lot over the last week." I wonder if she has any idea how captivated I am.

"Have you, Anna?" She hesitated. "Good things, I hope." Tessa put her hand over her mouth and stifled another yawn.

"I saw the news about the funeral."

"Yeah, funerals are always a bitch but more so when the person is murdered." Tessa thought for a minute. "It just seems so wrong," she said in reflection. "The media creating a circus atmosphere didn't help either. I can't believe how disrespectful they are. They were like vultures hovering over a carcass."

"Unfortunately, they have the first amendment protecting them. I agree with it most of the time but sometimes I wish there was a way to stop the bottom feeders." Anna looked at her watch. It was close to nine-thirty. "I know it's late but have you eaten yet?"

Tessa swallowed the tightness in her throat that the invitation created. Seeing Anna was what she wanted but she just didn't have the energy. "Anna, I'd like nothing better but I'm exhausted and running on fumes. Maybe we can do something tomorrow or Sunday."

A pregnant pause lengthened into a minute as Anna tried to squelch her disappointment. "When was the last time you had a decent night's sleep?"

Tessa snorted. "To be honest, I don't know. The only thing I know how to do on a case is to immerse myself in it completely. If that means not sleeping, then so be it."

Anna let out a soft laugh. "You're preaching to the choir." She hesitated, and then said, "Why don't I get some take out to share. You can tell me about your day."

I want...no need that. Tessa was tired of being alone and coming home to empty rooms. Anna was giving her the possibility of having what she'd craved all her life-somebody to love her. "Yeah, I'd like that."

"Good. Anything special you'd like.

"No, surprise me."

"Ok, I'll be there before you know it."

"Anna?"

"Yes," the lawyer said softly.

"I'm glad you called."

Tessa heard the doorbell shortly after she stepped out of the shower. Pulling on a robe, she opened the door and took in the vision that was Anna. "Hey, perfect timing."

Anna's heart melted. Tessa's beautiful eyes were wreathed in dark from what she suspected was very little sleep and probably a lack of a proper diet. She stepped inside, placed the bag of take out on the small table, kicked the door so it would close, and then engulfed Tessa in her arms.

Tessa let her body melt into Anna's, as the last four days of running on empty came crashing down around her. "Thank you for coming," she whispered into Anna's ear.

Anna breathed in the scent of the detective's damp hair. She hugged Tessa closer and felt the steady thumping of her heart. She stepped back and caressed Tessa's face, before taking her hand and leading her to the couch.

Once they both sat down on the leather sofa, the lawyer hugged the detective again. As she stroked Tessa's hair gently, she felt the woman relax even further.

"What's going on?" Anna whispered.

In the cocoon of Anna's arms, Tessa felt safe and that threw her. Could she forget the past and just move on or would her fears continue to rule her life outside of work? Tessa drew in a breath of the lawyer's perfume and closed her eyes. "I'm glad you're here."

Anna pulled Tessa closer and gently kissed her hair. "That makes two of us." She felt Tessa's body completely relax, as her breathing evened out and became slower-Tessa had nodded off. Anna dislodged herself and got up off the couch.

A hand reached out and took Anna's arm. "Don't go."

"I'm not going anywhere." Still holding Tessa's hand she gently tugged it. "Come on, let's get you to bed." With her arm around Tessa's waist, Anna guided her into the bedroom. Once she pulled back the covers, she untied Tessa's robe and had to catch her breath when she saw the naked body-it was everything she imagined and more. Once Anna pulled the covers over Tessa, it didn't take long for her to fall sound asleep. Anna looked down at her with a fond smile before she kissed her forehead. It took all her resolve not to crawl in next to Tessa, but she didn't and left the bedroom quietly closing the door behind her.

When Tessa awoke, she looked at the clock and was surprised it was almost eight am. She felt refreshed. She couldn't remember the last time she slept so deeply or so long. The sleeplessness that usually visited her had taken the night off and, for that, she was grateful. Breathing in deeply, she caught the aroma of coffee and smiled-Anna was still there. Pulling on shorts and a t-shirt, she made a stop in the bathroom before going in search of the lawyer.

"Good morning," Tessa said with a slight smile.

Anna turned toward the woman and shook her head. "You really need to get some food in here." She laughed. "I was shocked when I found you actually had coffee." She held out a cup. "How did you sleep?"

Tessa felt her body react in pleasure at seeing the lawyer. "Like a baby. Thank you for being here." She moved closer to Anna and took the offered cup. "What about you? Did you sleep in the spare bedroom?" Why didn't you sleep with me?

With a quick shake of her head, Anna smiled. "No, I slept on the couch."

Tessa frowned. "That couldn't have been very comfortable."

"Actually, it wasn't bad once I found a blanket."

With concern in her eyes, Tessa asked, "Will you tell me what's going on with you and the Petroff Family?" She felt Anna's body tense.

Damn, I hoped she'd let it go. "That's one of the reasons I was in DC. I'll tell you what I told them; this isn't the first threat I've had and I refuse to take the words of anonymous sources seriously."

Tessa put her cup down and pulled Anna into a hug and whispered, "You should...you're dealing with dangerous people." I worry about you.

Anna melted into Tessa. "I know." She kissed Tessa's lips and it didn't take long before they were sharing deep passionate kisses.

Lost in the moment, Tessa didn't hear the distant ringing of a phone. When she realized what it was, she reluctantly pulled back and felt bereft when she let go of Anna.

In a husky voice, Anna said, "You'd better get that."

Her body screamed it can wait and Tessa leaned in and kissed Anna again. Her cell phone finally stopped the insistent noise and she wrapped Anna in her arms. Her body was on fire and it begged for release. The loud buzzing of her beeper made Tessa drop her arms and move away from Anna. "Shit!" Frustrated she said, "I'd better get that."

Anna closed her eyes as she hoped that whoever wanted Tessa would be quick. When she heard Tessa's voice in the other room say be right there, she knew she would have to let go of the fragile bond they just created.

Several minutes later, a dressed Tessa entered the kitchen, pushing her gun down into its holster. "That was Gus. A guy we've been looking for has shown up." Looking at the lawyer, Tessa smiled and, in a quick move, kissed Anna pulled her close. God, how I want you. "I really don't want to leave you but I have no choice. I'll call you when we're done."

Their kiss was soft and unhurried as their lips conveyed what words refused to say. Swallowing hard, Anna pulled back and smiled before her hand cupped Tessa's face. "When I saw you last Monday, I knew instantly I had made the biggest mistake of my life when I stopped seeing you. I'm not going anywhere, Tessa."

Tessa's kiss was long, hot and was full of promises. Her pager beeped again. "Damn. I'll call you when I'm done."

"I know how investigations go so don't worry if you can't." She gave Tessa one last kiss, then patted her back side. "The sooner you get going, the sooner you'll be done."

As Anna heard the door close, she said, "Be careful."

Tessa and Gus walked up to the police vehicle parked outside of the store, Magical Knowledge and Occult Wisdom. When the officer lowered his window, Gus asked, "Is he still inside?"

"Yeah, I saw him in there ten minutes ago."

With their badges visible, the two detectives moved cautiously toward the entrance of the store, then opened the door. Entering the store, both detectives' nostrils filled with the pungent smell of incense. Low lights and candles lit the interior and there was a distinct chill in the air.

Tessa had one word to describe it-creepy.

A small, round man, with thick glasses, and a hawk-like nose dressed in a deep blue silk robe greeted the detectives. "May I help you?" he asked in a soft melodic voice.

As Gus eyed the white hair braided down the man's back along with an equally long white braided beard and silently chuckled. His net picture doesn't do him justice-in person, he's ever weirder. "Are you R. J. Santana?"

"Yes, I am. And you are?"

"We're Detectives Barrett and Jacoby."

The man gave the detectives a forced smile. "What can I do for you?"

"You know Dana Stratton?" Gus asked.

"The young lady who was murdered last week?"

Tessa focused on the man and his body language as she let her partner ask the initial questions.

"Yeah, that's the one."

"Other than hearing about her on the news, I've never met her," he said in a sickening sing-song tone.

Tessa pulled out a picture of the money clip and laid it on the counter. "Is this yours?"

Santana pointed to a basket behind him. "As you can see, I do have them. I give them away to my special customers."

Gus's eyes looked around the store. "What does a money clip have to do with,"-he said waving his hand around-"mysteries and truths?"

"The goal of a good alchemist is to transmute common metals into gold or silver, thereby creating the elixir of life. Perhaps some use it as a money clip, but in my reality, it is a talisman. Used in combination with the philosopher's stone, it symbolizes the evolution from ignorance to enlightenment. I made my talisman in the form of a money clip to remind my clients of the gift of gold."

"Just who are the enlightened ones that get your talisman?" Tessa asked with a half smirk.

The man pondered her question, and then looked at Tessa squarely. "I have many who come into my humble shop. Those who receive my special talisman are rare."

Tessa narrowed her eyes and focused them on the man's dark eyes. "Then you shouldn't have any trouble in telling us who the few are."

R. J. Santana let out a low chuckle. "Alas, this is a cash only business, so I have no way of knowing details about my customers."

"I think we need to take this downtown," Gus said to Tessa.

"You're going to arrest me because I don't know my customers' names? That's ridiculous!" The store owner reached for the phone. "Shall I have my lawyer meet me there then?"

Tessa shrugged. "We're not arresting you, only taking you in for questioning, Mr. Santana."

Santana scowled. "What do you want to know?"

"Right now, you're near the top of the list of suspects." Tessa pointed to the picture of the money clip. "We want to know who owned that thing. Either you give us some idea about the people you gave them to or we can take a ride downtown. It's your choice, Mr. Santana."

The man fingered his beard before he smiled at Gus. "You must be the good cop," he said with a titter. "You wouldn't believe the nut cases I get in here. Everyone out there thinks there must be an answer. Some of them look to the occult, magic, or alchemy for enlightenment. The truth is that the answer is staring them in the face."

Both detectives raised their eyebrows in surprise before their expressions turned to suspicion.

The store owner saw the change in the detective's demeanor. In a voice that took on a serious tone, he said, "Look, I put those things in people's bags as part of the shtick to get them to come back. This get-up is supposed to give me credence." R. J. touched the beard. "I do it all in the name of the holy dollar."

Tessa said, "I'm not amused. I should run you in for impersonating a human being," She put a picture of a pentagram on the glass surface of the counter. "What can you tell me about this?

When Santana turned away and began pulling something out of a drawer, both detectives automatically reached for their guns. Looking at both detectives, Santana smiled and said, "No need for weapons, I was merely getting this."

On the counter, he unrolled a piece of heavy paper and spread it out. A large pentagram appeared. "As I'm sure you know, this is a pentagram," he said with his eyes trained on Gus. "The point at the top represents the spirit. Going clockwise the next point represents water followed by fire, earth, and air. The one you have there is an open pentagram, which means it's active." He saw the detectives frown and said, "It doesn't have a circle around it."

"What does that mean," Tessa asked. The professor at the university had already told them all about pentagrams but she wanted to hear what the strange little man had to say.

"In paganism, it means an open and active approach."

"It's inverted. Does that have any meaning?" Gus asked.

"There are many interpretations of that," R. J. said. "It could mean the spirit is subservient or, as many pagans believe, it's a sign of the dark side. It's also used to help a witch learn to face her darker side."

Tessa eyed the man carefully. "What does it mean to you?"

R. J. smiled. "A subservient spirit."

"Tell me about your book, Mr. Santana," Tessa said.

"What do you want to know?"

"Is it a big seller?"

R. J. smiled. "I do sell a fair share of them."

I can't believe this guy. What a fraud. "To who?" she asked.

"To my customers, of course."

"Give me a break," Tessa growled. "We need to take this downtown and then maybe you'll be able to give us some detail."

Gus put his hand on his partner's arm only to have it shaken away. "May I call you R. J.?" he asked with a smile.

The store owner's head moved fractionally. "Of course."

"We need your help. The more information you give us the better we can understand what all this stuff is about."

Santana nodded.

"Do you think you can help us out?"

"I'll try. I'm telling you the truth. I have no way of knowing the names of my customers."

Gus smiled. "Will you to come downtown and look at some pictures for us, R. J. Maybe you'll see someone that you remember coming into your store."

R. J. laughed and winked at Gus. "I like you. Sure, I'll help you out."

"Now," Tessa said.

"There's no way I can be there before Monday."

Tessa looked at her partner. "Enough of this bull, let's take him downtown."

Holding up his hand, R. J. focused on Gus. "Look, my uncle died and my mother asked me to be with her at the viewing today-except for me, she has no one. That's where I was yesterday." He dug into his pocket and pulled out a folded prayer card. "Here, you can see for yourself."

Gus took the card and read the dates and the name before handing it to his partner.

Tessa had enough of death. "Be at the station by eight on Monday."

"I can't be there before ten." The peculiar little man shrugged. "I have to arrange for someone to be here in my place."

"That goon you had guarding your store?" Tessa asked.

R. J. let out a raucous laugh. "Javier? I hardly think so."

The look that Tessa gave the man stopped his laughter. "It's your choice, Mr. Santana. If you aren't willing to be there Monday morning at eight, then you can come with us now."

The store owner capitulated. "I'll be there Monday morning, first thing."

Tessa nodded and Gus took his card and laid it on the glass. "Thanks."

Once they were back in the car, Tessa gave Gus a sideways grin. "I didn't know you were such a stud muffin."

Gus laughed. "It must be my dashing good looks." He chuckled, before his face turned serious. "Why did you let him off so easily?"

Tessa looked squarely at her partner. "He's what, five-two? A foot shorter than the vic. There's no way he could have overpowered her, even if he knew her."

"Maybe he had a weapon or that goon was with him," Gus offered.

"Does he strike you as someone who could get the better of anyone? And, if Javier helped him I'm pretty sure we'd see evidence of that on the body."

Gus thought about his partner's words. Tessa was good at pigeon-holing people. Ninety-five percent of the time, she was right. He pictured the small man and said, "You're right. He doesn't fit the profile."

The muscles in Tessa's face tensed as she looked out the car window. "I think we need a day off to get our focus back."

Gus pulled the vehicle to the curb and stopped. He gave his partner a long look before he said, "What's going on with you? You've seemed off ever since we got this case. I've never known you to not work twenty-four-seven until we have the case solved."

Tessa stared mutely at the man as she considered his question. Have I changed? She knew the answer was yes. A deep sense of loneliness envelope her. She yearned for someone to love her-she longed for Anna and knew she always had. "I guess there's a time when things change."

"You ok?" Gus asked softly.

"Yeah, I'm good."

Hours later, after catching up on the mountain of paper work the case generated, Tessa headed home. She had slept better the night before than she had in a long time. She attributed it to Anna. Tessa had to admit she was surprised that the lawyer was still there this morning. That perplexed her. By staying, Tessa thought that Anna was sending her a signal-letting her know that she could trust the woman. Didn't she say as much this morning? She chewed on her lip. But can I trust that?

When she stopped at the market, she lifted one corner of her mouth, as she remembered Anna in her kitchen. Just thinking of the woman made her shoulders relax for the first time since she arrived at the station earlier. She also felt the same stirrings of pleasure she always felt when she thought of, or was near, Anna. As she chucked a loaf of whole grain wheat bread into her cart, she faintly smiled. Bet that's what she'd buy. Fifteen minutes later, she had the bread, eggs, milk, mayo, mustard, granola, cheese, and a variety pack of lunchmeat and was on her way home.

Unlocking the door, Tessa half hoped that Anna was still there. When she went inside, she felt her heart sink. "Stupid to think she'd be here," she mumbled, as she carried the plastic grocery bags to the kitchen.

As she lifted the bag with the milk to the counter, she saw a note with her name on it. Forgetting all about putting the groceries away, Tessa picked up the note and opening the folded page, she read...

T- I hope your day goes well. I want you to know how special it made me feel when you let me take care of you. I can't wait to see you again. Call me-A.

Picking up her phone and dialing Anna's number made Tessa take her first relaxed breath since she left Anna earlier that day.

"Hello," Anna's sultry voice said.

Tessa's body turned to mush. "Hey, I got your note."

"And you called, I'll take that as a positive sign," Anna said, with a lilt in her voice.

"I bought groceries. You want to come over and share some of the take out we didn't have last night or a sandwich with me?" Tessa held her breath.

"My folks just arrived unexpectedly and they want to go out for dinner. Why don't you come along?" Anna hesitated then added, "I'd really like that."

Tessa felt her back stiffen. "No, I think you need to visit with your folks. I'm sure they came to see you and not me. We can talk at a more convenient time."

"Your call isn't inconvenient," Anna whispered. She could hear the distance in Tessa's voice. "My folks were in town shopping and took a chance I'd be home. I see them all the time. They've never met a friend of mine that lives here and I'd like the first one to be you."

Tessa closed her eyes at the tempting invitation. "No, it wouldn't feel right barging in on your family time."

Anna wasn't going to let Tessa get away but, at the same time, didn't want to press the subject of meeting her folks. "I'll tell them to go without me."

"No, don't do that...we can get together another time."

"Don't you get it, Tessa? I'd rather be with you."

"Sometime I'll tell you about my folks and you'll know why I don't want you to blow your parents off."

Tessa's words intrigued the lawyer. "I'd like that. Hey, I usually run first thing in the morning. Want to run with me?"

After feeling the warmth, seep back into her body, Tessa smiled. "I run then too. How far do you usually go?" Tessa knew that the lawyer's body was fit and she certainly had the legs of a runner. Can she run as far as I do?

"About three miles, unless I'm trying to figure something out and then I go for five."

"Impressive," Tessa said with a slight chuckle. "Do you think you can keep up with me?"

Anna's voice dropped an octave. "Oh, I'll give you a run for your money." She laughed. "You can run but you can't hide from me." I'd hunt you down.

Sharing a laugh, Tessa said, "We'll see about that."

"What time?"

Tessa usually ran around five-thirty but only the deranged were out on the streets at that time. "It starts getting light around six-thirty, is that too early for you?"

"Nope, sounds good to me. I'll be at your place by six-fifteen."

"Ok."

Tessa was about to say goodbye when she heard Anna say, "I'm looking forward to seeing you."

The comment, along with the whole conversation, took Tessa so far out of her comfort zone that when she tried to speak, she couldn't. Finally, she said, "Me, too. I'll see you in the morning." Before she hung up, she said, "Anna, be careful ok?"

Anna laughed off the warning. "Don't worry I always look out for danger whether it's real or imagined. Besides, I always have my equalizer handy."

"You have a gun?"

"It's registered and I do know how to use it."

Just hearing Tessa's voice made Anna's body react with a sense of joy. She held onto her phone as if it were a lifeline to the detective. They took the first tentative steps toward a close meaningful relationship when Tessa let Anna comfort her the night before. She ran her fingers across her lips. The kisses still lingered.

"Did I hear that you invited someone to join us?" Sonya Mikaelson asked. The woman, who her daughter was a spitting image of, put her arm around Anna's shoulders.

"Yes, I did, Mom, but she can't come."

Sonya tugged her daughter closer. "Is it that detective you told me about several months ago?"

Anna rested her head on her mother's shoulder. "Yeah, but it took me all this time to realize how much she means to me. I'm afraid I treated her badly because what I felt for her scared me. Now, it's like taking one step forward and two steps back. Just when I think I'm gaining her trust, something happens and I'm back to square one."

"Is she worth it?"

Anna put her arm around her mother's waist and sighed. "Yes. Do you think I'm foolish?"

Her mother laughed. "Foolish isn't a word I'd associate with you, darling."

Sonya thought back to the broken heart her daughter suffered when Devon, her first serious lover and relationship broke it off after three years. It had been a time of deep sorrow for Anna and one of revelation about her daughter's sexual preferences.

No mother likes to see her child suffer and once she had gotten past the initial shock of Anna being gay, she embraced her daughter and told her it would all work out. She remembered telling Anna that, one day, she would find someone who would cherish and love her forever.

Is this woman the one? "Are you sure you're not projecting onto this woman what you want her to be? You know sometimes we are attracted to a person because they intrigue or reject us."

"I know that, Mom, but it isn't like that-I rejected her and, I suspect, hurt her deeply. I will always regret the time wasted because I was afraid of what might happen if I allowed myself to care again. I want, no need, Tessa in my life."

"Then be patient, darling...all good things come to those who wait."

Anna sighed. "I know, Mom, I know."

Tessa still was smiling from her conversation with Anna. The woman made Tessa want to let her in and close the door behind her. For the first time in her life, she was considering an intimate relationship. Anna made her tremble and it was the most overwhelming feeling that she had ever felt. As her trust in Anna not to break her heart grew, another part of her worried that Anna wasn't taking the threat against herself seriously.

Once she was finished eating some of the food that Anna had left, Tessa inserted a disc with several of the basketball games that Dana Stratton played in, into the DVD player. Using a remote, she pressed several buttons until the video began to play.

She watched the first quarter of the game and could see why many called the girl a phenomenon in the world of women's basketball. On offense and defense, Stratton outshone everyone else on the court. She made three point shots just as easily as she made foul shots or baskets in the paint. As a power forward, she was the best. Her defensive prowess seemed to make the players on the other team hesitate or play sloppy, thereby, giving her the advantage.

As Tessa watched the game unfold, she paused whenever the camera panned to the audience to see if she could recognize anyone-no one jumped out screaming I'm the murderer. She did notice the group of older men who sat directly behind the team. After interviewing them, she and Gus had declared them harmless.

It was clear after watching three games that the victim had the skills and the potential to fight off an assailant. That, then, begged the question of why the girl's body didn't have any type of defensive wounds. The only conclusion she came up with was the one she had when she first saw the body-Dana Stratton knew her assailant. Just who that was remained a mystery.

That night, while she slept, the detective replayed the basketball games in her dreams all the while looking in the crowd for a murderer. She kept seeing R. J. Santana's face.

Tessa woke with a start and looked at the time,-five-thirty. Climbing out of bed, her mind focused on seeing Anna again and she smiled only to have it fade away immediately. She questioned the wisdom of allowing the lawyer to be a bigger part of her life. Her philosophy was better to take the break than the fall. Yet, with Anna, there definitely was an attraction and if she was honest with herself, she craved the woman's companionship-she always had.

Is that what I want-a friend and not a lover? If that were the case then why did she feel the stirrings of pleasure every time she saw Anna or heard her voice? Slipping into a clean pair of running shorts and shirt, Tessa had her answer. She wanted Anna on all levels. But, would she be able to rein in her habits of a lifetime? In the end, would she close the lawyer out of her life just as she'd done in the past with other women who wanted a deeper relationship? Anna was different.

When she heard the soft knocking on the door, Tessa felt her heart skip a beat as she quickly went to the door. Pulling it open, she saw Anna and let a genuine smile cross her face.

"Hey," was the only thing that Tessa's parched mouth would say.

Anna gently ran her hand up and down Tessa's arm as she passed by the woman. "Good morning. You ready to run?"

Tessa chuckled. "The better question is, are you ready to keep up with me?"

"You have the advantage by knowing the route, so I'll give you that handicap. But be warned, I can go as far and as fast as you can."

"We'll see about that," Tessa said.

Once they were on the street, both women did some light stretching before they started their run. Tessa checked her watch, clicked a button and they began their run. Tessa laid out the route for the lawyer before they began and let her set the pace-she lagged slightly behind. As she watched the ease with which Anna ran, she felt a large part of the wall she had around her heart collapse. She smiled and kicked into a faster pace as she caught up with Anna. Usually, she'd run three miles and stop. Today, she would see if the lawyer could keep up with her.

Anna let Tessa take the lead when they ran down a street, narrowed by vehicles parked on both sides. She had never enjoyed running with someone, for it always cramped her style-Tessa was different. The detective didn't dictate the pace but let them develop a mutual speed that was neither too slow nor too fast. She tried not to think of the emotions that running with Tessa evoked. Once she realized that she couldn't stop nature, she gave into the feelings-she wanted the detective in her life.

When they stopped, Tessa's lungs burned and the sweat on her arms felt like little pinpricks were dancing on them. She looked at Anna, who was breathing hard and had a thin sheen of sweat covering her arms and legs. She couldn't help noticing the lawyer's damp t-shirt that clung to her body. The woman consumed her and, the more she fought the feeling, the more she wanted it to stay.

Anna noticed Tessa's nipples straining against the tight fabric of her running shirt. Breathing hard and bending slightly, she asked, "Too much for you, Tessa?"

With an all out laugh, which sounded more like a grunt, Tessa eyed the lawyer as she straightened her body. "No way."

"I don't know about you, but I'm always ravenous after a run. I know of a small place within walking distance of here that has great breakfast plates."

Tessa ran her fingers through her sweat soaked hair and blew out a breath. "Think they'd want two sweaty runners in with their Sunday breakfast crowd?"

Anna laughed. "Probably not. Why don't we both get cleaned up and then we can go."

"You bring a change of clothes?" Tessa asked.

As she let her eyes suggestively run the length of the detective's body, Anna felt aroused. She moved closer to Tessa and touched her wet arm. "Yeah, I did."

The tingle Tessa felt when the lawyer touched her had nothing to do with her sweaty body and everything to do with desire. Gulping down her emotions, Tessa smiled. "Good. I'll show you the guest bathroom."

It had taken all of Anna's resolve not to invite Tessa into the shower but she managed to squelch her libido. Tessa wasn't a slam-bang-thank you ma'am kind of woman-she deserved better. Slow and easy, her inner voice said. Woo her and romance her first. Forty-five minutes later, both Anna and Tessa were entering the Tragus Diner, packed with the Sunday brunch crowd.

On their short walk to the restaurant, Anna told Tessa that the owner lost his brother in an organized crime murder that she litigated. Upon entering the establishment, a tall dark man with thick wavy hair, pushed through grumbling patrons and pulled Anna in for a hug.

"It's so nice to see you," he said, as he took hold of the lawyer's arm and led her through the crowded waiting area. "You come with me...I have the perfect table for you."

Anna saw the confused look on Tessa's face and winked. As Tessa followed behind Anna, she fixed her eyes on the woman's backside. She felt like a puppy following its owner for a treat and that feeling was strangely pleasurable.

Tessa was about to sit opposite the lawyer when Anna smiled and touched the one next to her. "It sometimes gets loud and we won't be able to hear each other." She gave Tessa a seductive smile. "Promise I won't bite...not here anyway."

Smiling, Tessa scooted her chair so her knee was touching Anna's and touched her thigh. "Biting you say," she whispered. "What else is on offer?"

Anna was about to answer when a young woman with wavy black hair that framed her pretty face said, "Good to see you again, Anna. Coffee?"

Tessa watched the ease with which Anna conversed with the girl and smiled. She thought back to banter with Anna moments before and immersed herself in the good feelings that caused in her.

When the girl moved away, Anna said, "It's a family run business." Not missing a beat, she said, conspiratorially, "I believe you wanted to know what else I have to offer." She wiggled her eyebrows. "Patience my dear...patience."

Tessa nodded and fixed her gaze on Anna's beautiful face. Do I really want that? She continued to stare until she heard Anna say, "What?"

Dragging her mind back to the present, Tessa smiled and waved at the crowded tables. "Judging by the number of people here, they must have great food."

Anna looked at the detective and grinned. Wonder what she was thinking? "I'd recommend anything on the menu, but my favorite for breakfast is the Greek omelet."

They ate in silence for a while each stealing quick glances at the other, much like a boxer pokes and jabs to find the opponent's strengths and weaknesses. There was no doubt about the sexual energy that was flowing around them in tumultuous waves.

When Tessa clunked her coffee cup on the table, she caught Anna's gaze and held it. "I need to talk to you about the Petroff family."

Anna's blue eyes broke the contact. Damn. "You aren't going to let it go are you?"

"Nope."

"I wish we could have gotten Serge Petroff. Unless we cut off the head, the beast will continue to thrive."

Tessa nodded and her expression became somber. "The rumor is that you really pissed them off."

As Anna picked up her coffee cup and took a drink, the young girl appeared at the table with a full carafe of coffee. "Freshen your cup?" she asked.

Tessa said, "No, I'm good."

Anna smiled at the young woman and held her cup, while the steaming dark liquid flowed into the cup. When the lawyer turned her gaze to the detective, she smiled before her face took on a serious expression. "This isn't the first time I've pissed someone off or been threatened." She let out a long sigh. "It's the nature of the beast that I face every day. As you know, crime is everywhere. How effective can we be if we run and hide each time we're threatened?"

"You should have more than a gun for protection," Tessa said in a serious tone. I want to protect you. "A mob threat isn't something you should take so lightly. Having a gun won't stop a professional."

Anna shook her head and lifted one shoulder. "There is no actual threat. It's all conjecture and rumor. Those I convicted were so low in the organization that I can't see Petroff taking the chance of sending someone after a federal prosecutor for them. I won't live my life in fear, Tessa. Besides, being followed around by a body guard isn't my idea of living." Unless it's you.

"But, Petroff has the resources to see the threat through."

"If the threat is real and, as I said, at this point we don't know, and I can't see it. I've been threatened many times by those I've sent to jail," Anna said with a slight smile.

Tessa stared at the woman, whose eyes belied her words. To the world, Anna was a tough, prosecutor that rarely lost her cases. She showed the criminal faction no mercy in her zeal to see them pay for their crimes. Yet, Tessa saw something more.

When the detective laughed, Anna furrowed her brow. "What's so funny?"

Tessa splayed her fingers before they ran through her hair. "We are the same you know."

"In what way?"

The truth of what she was about to say hit Tessa squarely in the jaw and stung as if she had actually been hit. "We both show the world only what we want them to see."

Anna reached for Tessa's hand. "I want to really get to know you, Tessa. Not just sexually but all the facets of you."

Tessa closed her eyes. "I don't know if I can do that." She shrugged. "But, I'd like to try."

Anna's hand squeezed Tessa's before she drew it back. "We'll take it slow and see where it goes. No pressure, no expectations."

"I like the sound of that." I don't want to be alone anymore. She wanted to share her life with someone and that someone was Anna. She felt a new shroud cover her-Anna's protector.

Early Monday morning, Tessa did her usual three mile run before going into work. Pulling into the nearly empty lot of the police station, she felt more refreshed than she had in a long time. After sharing breakfast the day before, she and Anna walked in the park until they finally stopped and sat close together on a bench. They talked for an hour until Anna's Blackberry chirped.

The subsequent phone call had Anna saying, "I'm sorry. I need to go in and broker a plea deal."

Reluctantly, Tessa stood up. "No need to be sorry. I'm a homicide detective, I know all about having to stop everything when the job calls." She grinned. "Don't like it but I understand."

Anna touched Tessa's hand. "I don't want to go." She smiled. "Can we continue you this later?"

"Oh, I think that can be arranged."

When they reached Anna's Saab, they embraced before their lips lightly touched. As hard as she tried, Tessa couldn't shake the vision of Anna and if she was honest, she didn't want to.

As she walked into the building, she knew that the day that lay ahead of her and the challenges that it posed were clear. A week had passed by since the three boys discovered the body. Dana Stratton was in the ground and her family and friends were learning how to cope without her in their lives. The person responsible was still unknown.

In a murder investigation, seven days is an eternity. With each passing day, the trail was getting colder, which was especially important since they didn't have that much to go on from the beginning. They needed to find the victim's vehicle and, so far, they had come up empty.

One of the hot tips they got was from someone who said they saw someone pushing a green Honda into the river. That tip proved unreliable but it served to accentuate the vast number of places someone could hide a vehicle so it wouldn't be found.

Tessa lifted her head and was surprised to see Gus sitting down at his desk. She looked at the clock above the door then back at her partner. "Something going on?" she asked. "It isn't even seven yet and you're already here."

Gus nodded. "A day off and I'm ready to go. I've been going over the case and I know there's something we're missing. I can't quite put my finger on what it is yet, but I will."

"We're on the same wavelength then," Tessa remarked as she got up. "I'm getting some coffee, you want some?"

"I'm good but if there are any doughnuts, I'd have one."

When Tessa returned to her desk, she had a cup of coffee and one glazed doughnut. "Here you go. I thought you were watching your weight."

"Helen let's me have a half a grapefruit and a piece of dry toast for breakfast," he said before he took a bite. "Hmm, now this is a decent breakfast."

Tessa laughed before she looked down at her notes. "Santana should be here in less than an hour."

"Let's hope he shows up. I still can't believe you let him off the hook so easily."

"Considering we're investigating a murder and we were just at the funeral it seemed like the right thing to do. I understood his need to help his mother out." Her mind flashed to her own mother, who she hadn't seen in over seven years. On holidays and birthdays, Tessa would call her mother-other than that the distance between them suited them both. At one time, she thought that time healed everything but it hadn't-in the case of her family, she suspected it never would.

With a serious look, Gus said, "You bought his story...usually I'm the one wanting to give the benefit of the doubt."

Focusing on her partner, she said, "The prayer card was real and I looked the death up on the Internet. It's real." Tessa pulled a packet of photos out of her desk. "Like I told you Saturday, I can't see him getting the better of someone a foot taller than him especially when there were no defensive wounds."

Gus laughed. "Well, that's a turnaround." Gus eyed his partner-she was relaxed. "You should take time off more often," he said. "It agrees with you." He looked at her closer. "You go out on a date or something? Like maybe with that good looking lawyer."

Crumbling up a piece of paper, Tessa flung it at her partner. "Give it a rest, Gus." She gazed at him and then a smile slowly spread across her face. "Know how I know Santana is going to show?"

Shaking his head, Gus said, "Can I stop you from telling me?"

"Nope."

"Then go ahead."

Tessa winked. "He's only helping us because he has a man crush on you." She laughed when she saw the mock aggrieved look on Gus's face.

"The guy would throw his mother under a bus, if he could make a few bucks off it."

"You're probably right but he's the best we've got right now."

It wasn't often that they laughed and it felt good to both detectives. Tessa knew that all too soon they would be back to the business of murder.

Gus eyed a folder on Tessa's desk. "Did you get the pictures from the funeral?"

"Yep, I've managed to whittle them down from a thousand to a more manageable number. If he sees someone that he recognizes in the crowd shots, I can pull up an individual picture of the person. Crowd shots are all we'll give him right now. I had the techies set up in one of the interrogation rooms so we can enlarge them on a screen with a computer. His glasses are so thick that I doubt that his looking at them on the computer screen will do any good." She chuckled. "Especially with the laptops we have here." She picked up the envelope and passed it to Gus. "I know it's a long shot but I included a picture of Joel Waterston too."

"What about Gambado?"

"He was there. I saw him in one of the shots."

"Guess he was trying to avoid us," Gus said. "Why let him view the crowd shots and not individual pictures?"

Tessa thought for a minute. "You know as well as I do that viewing one mug shot after another is confusing at best. I figured if he saw a group he could hone in on one easier."

"Sounds reasonable." Gus's phone rang. "Barrett." Gus's face reddened as he listened. "Do we have to send someone to pick you up, Mr. Santana?" Gus rolled his eyes. "What time will you be here?" Gus listened and flexed his jaw. "If you're not here by one, I'll put out an arrest warrant for you." Sighing, he said, "Ok, go ahead." He listened and nodded, "You're welcome. Bye."

Once Gus hung up the phone, Tessa said, "What's his excuse?"

"Said he's still upstate with his mother."

"You believed him?"

Gus laughed and shook his head. "He put his mother on and she said thank you."

"Shit, I hope I didn't make the wrong call."

"We'll see at one this afternoon. My money is on him showing-you're usually hit the mark when you read people."

The phone rang again and Gus picked it up. "Barrett." As he listened, his eyes widened. "We'll be right there."

"What's going on?" Tessa asked.

"Tom Cho was going through the hospital parking garage footage and found Dana Stratton's car."

Tessa frowned. "She was at the hospital? Her parents said they didn't see her."

Walking briskly into Tom Cho's work area, Tessa said, "Let's see what you have."

The technician looked at her and nodded.

Gus said, "Good morning, Tom. Is it cued up?"

The man smiled at Gus. "Yep. Here she is entering the parking garage in her Honda Prelude at ten-fifteen and, a little later, she parked her car and got out. She begins walking to the door when another vehicle stops and she has what appears to be an animated conversation with the occupant."

With her eyes focused on the monitor, Tessa saw the girl raise her hands in what she thought was conciliation before she rounded the vehicle and got in on the passenger side. "Can you get the license plate number?" she asked.

"I tried but there's something over the plates obscuring them."

"What's the make and model?" Gus asked, as he leaned in to get a better look.

"The lighting is poor but I'm pretty sure it's a late model Jeep Cherokee. The film is in black and white so all I can tell you is that it's dark in color."

Tessa pointed to the driver's side window. "Any way of enhancing the picture there to see who she's talking to?"

Cho said, "Maybe." He made a few keystrokes and cropped the area before increasing the number of pixels to sharpen the resolution.

This time Tessa leaned in and ran her finger across a part of the enlargement. "What does that look like to you?"

Gus focused on where his partner's slim finger touched the screen. "The steering wheel. Whoever this person is, he doesn't want anyone seeing him. Looks like he might be leaning back to keep out of the camera's view."

Tessa said, "Premeditated. The perp knew the cameras were on so he obscured his license plates and made sure the camera never sees him." Tessa pursed her lips then looked at the outside mirror of the car. "Don't suppose we can get anything from there," she said, as she pointed to the mirror.

"I tried but whoever this person is, he made certain there was no way of identifying him through the mirror. I tracked the Jeep from the time it entered the garage until it left. There are no usable images of the driver."

Shaking her head, Tessa asked, "You saw that car entering the garage?"

"Yeah, it came in right after the Stratton girl."

"From the same direction?"

"Yes."

"Will you look through the surveillance footage around the hospital and see if you come up with any street shots of both vehicles. See if the Jeep is following the vic and where it went when it left the garage with Stratton."

Cho nodded. "I saw it leave the hospital and go north on Meridian, then it turned on Brighten, where there are no cameras. So far, I haven't picked up where the vehicle comes back onto a camera feed."

Uncharacteristically, Tessa patted the man's shoulder. "Good job."

"We need to get the forensic team to that parking garage," Tessa said, as the elevator took them down. "Whoever killed her was stalking her. She obviously knew the person, since she got into the vehicle willingly." The elevator stopped and they got off. "Whatever the person said to her was more important than being there for her sister."

Gus shook his head. "We haven't interviewed anyone that said she had a friend like that. My impression is that she knew a lot of people but none were close."

Tessa arrived at her desk and pulled out another folder. She looked through it until she found the brief phone interview she did with the vic's sister.

"The sister said that she thought something was bothering the vic but didn't know what it was, or even if it was legitimate. She said, my hormones were all over the place and that may have made me feel something that wasn't there. I think we need to speak with her again. Sisters tell each other things that they don't tell others."

Nodding, Gus picked up his phone and called the woman. "She's asking if we can come to her home," he said, holding his hand over the mouth piece.

Tessa looked at her watch. "Find out what time the baby takes its afternoon nap. We can go there after we're done with Santana."

While Gus spoke with the sister, Tessa called the crime lab and informed them of the vehicle's location. She didn't think they'd find anything, since it was clear that the girl arrived at the parking garage alone and left with an unknown person. "Let me know when you have it back here," she said to a technician.

"The sister asked if we can come now," Gus said, when Tessa hung up her phone. "When I asked her if her sister confided in her, she hesitated. Figure she knows something."

"Let's hope so. All we have now are bits and pieces that don't seem to fit." She raised her eyebrows and added, "We need a common thread."

Gus stood up and slid his gun into its holster. "Let's hope that is Santana."

Their vehicle pulled up in the driveway that belonged to the victim's sister and her family. It was a two story, garrison colonial with three steps leading to a small landing where the front door was. The lawn was well cared for and a pink stork, with its wings flapping in the breeze, adorned the front yard, heralding the birth of the baby girl.

Tessa knocked on the door but not as loud as she normally would in deference to what might be a sleeping baby. When they heard the doorknob rattle, Tessa pushed her jacket back to show her badge.

Sara Macintosh, who was dressed in loose fitting sweat pants and a zippered hoodie, opened her front door and looked at the two detectives. "Please, come in," she said as she showed them into the living room. "I don't know what more I can tell you."

Tessa had seen the sister at the funeral and remembered thinking that the girl looked nothing like the vic. From behind her dark sunglasses, she gave the woman the once over. Where the woman's sister was tall and muscular, she was petite and soft.

Keeping her face neutral, Tessa said, "From your sister's computer and interviews we've done with her teammates, we get the feeling that there was something going on in her life that people sensed, but didn't know what it was."

"We thought you might be able to fill in the pieces for us," Gus added.

"You've made a trip out here for nothing," the sister said.

"I know how special the bond can be between sisters," Tessa said. "You tell each other things that you might not share with others."

"How would you know what it's like to have a sister, then lose her?"

Gus mentally cringed, knowing how sensitive the subject was for his partner. It must be tearing her up inside. That must be why she's off her game. I wish she'd talk to me about it.

Tessa took off her sunglasses. "I know because I was you once."

Comprehending the meaning, Sara sighed and closed her eyes. "I'm sorry," she said to Tessa. "Really, there's nothing I can tell you."

Gus and Tessa exchanged a look. "How would you characterize Dana's interaction with other people?" Tessa asked.

Sara shrugged. "I don't know. She always seemed to get along with everyone. Sometimes she was standoffish...I think that was because she was very self conscious of her height."

Tessa smiled at the woman. "Anything else?"

The woman shook her head. "Not that I can think of."

"If we're going to find out who murdered your sister, we need to know what was happening in her life," Gus said in a gentle tone. "We need your help."

Sara remained silent.

Tessa let the silence lengthen before she said, "Look, all her friends at school and her roommate told us that they knew something was bothering her. No one seems to know what that was. Not your parents, not her teammates, so that leaves only you, Sara."

With a trembling voice, Sara said, "She didn't have anyone that you'd call a close friend at school." With her left hand, she swiped at the tears brimming in her eyes. "They were all jealous of her and did everything they could to make her life miserable," Sara spat.

Tessa eyed the woman. "Do you have any names to go with the team members who did that to her?"

"I don't know who they are. Any time I asked Dana about her teammates she'd always frown and changed the subject."

"Ok," Tessa said. "Please continue."

"All of Dana's life, she was the special one. I was five when she was born," she whispered. "My parent's doted on her and, when she started speaking in sentences when she was eleven months old, they...." The woman paused. "Let's just say she was the shining one and they only saw her."

"How did you feel about that?" Tessa asked softly.

"I adored my sister. My parents think the sun rises and sets on her and I feel the same." She looked at Tessa with tears spilling out of her eyes.

In an uncharacteristic gesture, Tessa reached out and touched the woman's hand. "Did she tell you what was upsetting her?"

"I really don't know what it was. I noticed a change in her several months ago."

"What kind of change?" Tessa prodded.

"She became quiet and withdrawn, like she was wrestling with a problem. When I'd call her, she sounded distant, like she didn't want to talk to me." Sara shrugged. "I'd ask her what was going on and she would always say it's all good, Sara."

"Did you buy that?"

With a shake of her head, Sara said, "No."

"Why?" Tessa asked gently.

"The reason Dana went to Restin University was so she could be close to home." Sara's face filled with a brilliant smile. "There were big division one universities like Tennessee, Texas, and North Carolina recruiting her. Coaches would come to our home offering her full scholarships armed with literature and a spiel about their school and how much they wanted Dana to go there." Sara went quiet, as she brushed tears away. "She wouldn't let any of them sway her." The woman idly picked at a thread that clung to her pants. "I think in the end she really wished she had gone away to school."

"Why do you say that?" Tessa asked.

Sara looked at the female detective. "Did you go college?"

"Yes."

"Did you change?"

"I guess."

"Living away from home makes you grow up faster. Dana found the freedom to do whatever she wanted. I think living in the same town that she grew up in cramped her style. Oh, she still had her core values, but she pushed the envelope that first year."

"In what way?"

"Growing up, Dana was always focused on learning. She loved to learn and soaked up everything like a sponge. I think she missed being a kid. So, when she was on her own it was like she was free to be the kid." Sara laughed. "I remember one night during her first spring break when she came home for a week. She went out with some of her old high school friends. She borrowed my ID. She was so drunk when she came home, it was a wonder she didn't kill herself driving. Fortunately, our folks were out of town-I was the mother that night-I don't think she ever went out drinking after that."

As Tessa listened to Sara speak lovingly about her sister, she let her mind drift to her own sister. Shaking away the thoughts, she looked at the woman. "What was happening with her over the last few months?"

"I honestly don't know. She was home over the winter break and was involved in a holiday tournament that the university was hosting. She won MVP of the tournament," Sara said with pride. "During that time, I think she was happier than I'd ever seen her. She had one more semester then she was off to medical school. That was always her dream. It was after she went back to school for the spring semester that she became withdrawn."

"Did she let whatever was upsetting her interfere with basketball or her studies?" Gus asked.

"No, I don't think so." Sara looked at the detectives. "That's all I have," she said, as she wiped at her tears and her nose with her sleeve. "I can't let myself get this upset-it isn't good for the baby."

Both Tessa and Gus stood up. "Thank you for your time, Mrs. Macintosh."

The sound of a crying newborn filled the room. Sara looked at her watch. "Right on schedule."

Tessa handed the woman her card. "If you think of anything else, please call me."

"I will. I'm sorry I wasn't more of a help."

With a half smile, Tessa said, "You helped us know your sister better and that's of great value to our investigation. Thank you, again."

Once they were back in their vehicle, Gus gave his partner a critical gaze. He knew that for Tessa to do the interview with the vic's sister probably brought up old painful memories. Tessa never wanted to discuss that aspect of her life, so he decided on different tactic.

Gus laughed. "Who was that warm touchy feely detective in there?" He grinned when he saw Tessa raise her eyebrows. "Are you going soft on me, Jacoby?"

His partner's bland expression let him know that his effort at levity to lift her spirits hadn't worked. Tessa shrugged and said nothing before she looked out the window that was dotted with moisture from the mist that shrouded the sky. In a whisper she said, "It's tough when you lose a sister."

Gus had heard his partner's words. "Yeah, I thought it was a hard one for you." Gus kept his eyes on the road as the slowly moved away from the residence. "Helen is making that pot roast you like so much tonight. She told me to ask you to join us."

With a curious look, Tessa studied her partner's profile. "Tell her thanks for me. I have stuff to do tonight."

Gus gave his partner a quick look before returning his attention back to the road. He calculated what Tessa's reaction would be if he asked about the lawyer again. He had seen the connection between the two women when Anna came to see Tessa last week. There was definitely something going on. He decided what the hell and said, "You going out with that lawyer?"

"Give it a rest, Gus," Tessa said, as she turned back to the window.

"Well, for the record, I think she'd be damn good for you. It's what you need...it's what we all need, Tess...someone to go home to." Gus didn't check out the reaction of his partner as he allowed a smile to filter his lips-she hadn't denied it and that was real progress.

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