A string of mental dominoes clunked down into place. The description Benwick had given her, short and balding, fit Harville like white on rice. Apparently, Fantella has a thing for fat and balding... Immediately she changed the gist of her question. "... you were at Bruno's. Is that true?"

"Why are you asking?"

"Someone described you. They said you were drinking there that night."

"What does that prove?"

"It doesn't prove anything, Mr. Harville, but it's information that we didn't have before. Why didn't you mention it?"

"Nobody asked."

"That bar isn't exactly in your neighborhood, is it?" He was silent. "Why were you there, Mr. Harville?"

Harville started straightening up his desk. "I had just dropped the girl's off at Fantella's and I was anxious about a meeting I had on the Monday after. I stopped in for a beer."

"Is it usual for you to drop the girl's off on a Saturday night?"

"Well... no. I have the first and third weekends of every month, plus alternating holidays. I usually keep them all weekend, from Friday on and drop them off at school on Monday morning."

"So, why the urgency this time?"

"We'd been pitching a bid for a new account and they wanted to meet early Monday morning. Since I was the lead, I needed time to prepare some rough layouts and fly out to Austin that next day."

Elizabeth wondered why he would not meet her eyes. "Do you stop by Bruno's every time you take the girl's back home?"

"No, of course not. What are you trying to do, turn this around so that now I'm the killer?!" Elizabeth said nothing. "Miss Bennet, I am not the one!"

"How late were you there that night?"

"Till closing."

"Where did you go afterwards?"

"Home, to bed."

"With all the preparations, I'm surprised you stayed so late."

"Normally I wouldn't have. But I got to talking to someone, a salesman. He gave me some tips on how to pitch my account. Sales is not my strong suit, not what I usually..." A light went on in his head and he stood up. "Damn it! That was Benwick?!"

"You didn't recognize him when you saw him in court?"

"I never went to court."

"The newspapers, then?"

"I didn't recognize him, okay? I had a lot on my mind that night. Just because you take somebody's advice in a bar doesn't mean you'll remember them for the rest of your life!" He flopped back down in his chair and sighed. "Maybe this nightmare wouldn't have happened if I didn't sit with him that night." Then his emotions turned again. "The cops did a good job by catching the bastard. I don't care what he looks like, just as long as they put him behind bars for the rest of his life!"

"But Mr. Harville you drove him to his door. Do you expect me to believe you didn't know anything?"

"I was drunk too, okay!"

Elizabeth flared her nostrils in disgust of his apparent lies, but decided to work at another angle. "Mr. Harville, your other stepdaughter, Corrine, also suffered a fatal accident last year..."

"What's Corrine got to do with this?"

"Doesn't it seem a bit strange that two fatal accidents happened in one family in 9 months?"

He hesitated. "I don't see where you're going with this?"

Elizabeth's pulse pounded wildly. This was the break she'd been searching for, now if she could only figure out what to do with it. Harville was nervous about something. He kept clicking a ballpoint pen and his temper was tepid to boiling in a matter of seconds.

"Where were you on the day of Corrine's swimming accident?"

"On my way to Austin again. I... What the hell are you implying?!" his arms flailed.

"I'm not implying anything, Mr. Harville. Just trying to see how it all ties in."

"It doesn't tie in! Bethany was killed by a drunk driver. Corrine..." He looked away. "I taught those girls how to swim and they were good. Too good for some freak accident like that to happen!" He paced. "Those camp counselors were to blame!"

"When did you hear about the accident?"

"When I returned from Austin. Fantella had left a message on my answering machine." Fire shot from his eyes. "She knew where I was! She had my pager number and my cell phone number! Hell, if her fucking child support check hadn't shown up on time, she would've tracked me to the North Pole! But to tell me my daughter was..." He swallowed hard. "I returned in time for the funeral. Just in time." Harville wiped a tear from his eyes. "I adopted Bethany and Corrine when I married Fantella. We were married for 5 years and I raised them as my own. I loved them every bit as much as I love Marianne. In fact, Fantella and I would've divorced long before that if it weren't for the kids."

"Did you pay child support for all three girls?"

"Of course... until the accidents."

"Did their new stepfather ever suggest that he would like to adopt Bethany and Corrine?"

"I'd have fought tooth and nail on that one!"

"You sued Fantella for custody of all 3 girls, right?"

He nodded. "Maybe Bethany and Corrine would've still been alive had the judge ruled in my favor."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean... Oh hell, I don't know what I mean. Nothing I guess. It's just that Fantella only fought me out of spite. She never really wanted kids. She got pregnant with Marianne when I was getting ready to file for divorce. But how could I file, when she was carrying my child? After Marianne was born, we got along better... for a while."

Elizabeth sat quietly listening to his story, but thinking of all manner of things. "Did she ever mistreat the children?"

"No. I never saw her raise a hand to them. You can bet I'd have used it in court if I did. Fantella's just... indifferent."

"Indifferent?"

"Fantella doesn't have a lot of patience with kids. Don't get me wrong, she fed them and clothed them, but she was never friends with them. I enjoyed taking them places, seeing their cute little faces light up... One reason for our divorce was that Fantella was jealous. Jealous of her own children, can you believe it? She felt that I paid too much attention to them and would ship them off to her mother's or off to camp at every opportunity."

Elizabeth had no concept of her ever being friends with Frances Bennet and thought Harville was blowing a smoke screen for himself. "With Bethany and Courtney dead, your child support payments are considerably reduced."

He stood up, knocking his chair over. "You meddling bitch! You really are trying to pin this on me! Get out! I wouldn't have told you a damn thing if I'd known what you were up to!"

Elizabeth stood up. "Why did you talk to me, Mr. Harville? You were under no obligation to do so."

He glared at her from across the room. "Why shouldn't I talk to you? I have nothing to hide. And there's not a chance in hell that Benwick's going to walk."

Elizabeth departed.

*****

"Come in! Come in!" smiled Mrs. Russell. "I've got tea, coffee, croissants and pastries!"

Bingley, Jane and Darcy sat down and Ava pulled her chair around to sit with them in a circle.

"I've got everything all ready. The camera crew, the location, the set up. All I need is the script."

"We've just got a rough draft," smiled Bingley.

"We were hoping you'd be able to put some sense to it," inserted Jane.

"I'll do my best."

Mrs. Russell poured tea for herself; the others did as they pleased.

*****

Elizabeth was on to something. As she passed the secretary she asked her some questions to which she readily answered. Harville had not dated anyone seriously since his divorce, he was very distraught when he learned of his daughters, and the company in Austin was Darcy, Inc.

It took her a while to swallow the last. It had nearly been a whole day since he invaded her mind, Elizabeth thought that she was far enough away from his influence, but that was not to be the case. If she had to travel to Austin to do some research, then next week would be perfect because Darcy would be on his honeymoon... Honeymoon!!! Elizabeth made it to her car in a hypnotic state and there she sat and cried. Now that all was lost to her, she realized that he was the perfect man for her. His understanding and knowledge, similar to her own, would have answered all her prayers. With her liveliness and unction, his countenance might have been softened; his judgement and temper, she would have benefited immensely. I hardly need add the other stirrings within her, but I do digress...

Needless to say, she loved him dearly and could hardly fathom what her life would be like without him. Elizabeth pondered that she would have to throw herself, wholeheartedly, into some line of occupation to get over him. But what? If only I... Well, I would go on, but the thoughts are too depressing to relate at this time.

Once she felt composed enough, Elizabeth next went to talk to the camp counselor that was most familiar with Corrine Harville. The counselor told her the same story that had been printed in the newspaper, that Corrine was an excellent swimmer with a good head on her shoulders. But since it was the last of day of camp and the parent's were coming for the final competitions, Corrine probably wanted to beat last year's champion and practiced before anyone was awake.

"There's one other thing that's been bothering me. I didn't tell the police because I didn't find out about it until later, and it might not have been important... Corrine told her bunk mate that she'd seen someone prowling around camp that morning before she left the cabin."

"Man or woman?"

"She didn't say. The bunkmate thought Corrine was making that up, so she didn't say anything, but Corrine wasn't the type of girl to be easily spooked. She liked adventure and was always so inquisitive."

Elizabeth drove back from the camp thinking of little Marianne. If the accidents that killed Bethany and Corrine were not truly accidents, if the girls were murdered, could Marianne be in danger as well? And from whom?

When she got to the hotel, Elizabeth flopped on the bed. She'd learned more in a few hours than she had in 4 days! Was Harville the killer? Was it just for child support? He had the opportunity... sitting with Benwick in a bar, drinking until closing. Then laying in wait for his daughter's routine trip to Sunday School, with Benwick's car.

Elizabeth desperately needed to relax. As we all know by now, things would not become clear to her if she did not have peace of mind. And as we also know, fishing would be a welcome diversion. But alas, R&R was not for this day.

*****

Her eyes flew open at her delusion. "Damn, I can't even fantasize right! And why is that bitch always creeping into my dreams?!" She grabbed a pillow and screamed into it.

The phone rang.

"Caroline, darling!"

"Hmpf!" Caroline raised her ugly head and sat up. "Ava?!"

"Were you asleep dear?"

"Yes... It's, it's 9:00 a.m. in the goddamn morning!"

"Caroline, working people are already up and about. I was just calling to tell you the shoot is tomorrow morning at 7:30 a.m."

"You've got to be kidding me?!"

"No, that's the normal schedule for a day of shooting. You should get to bed early, I don't want to see any bags under your eyes when we do close-ups."

"You'll be there?"

"Of course darling! I have to make sure everything is absolutely perfect for you!"

"Oh!"

"And come without makeup. We..."

"What?! No fucking way! I don't even go out my bedroom door without makeup!"

"We have to set up the lighting and the background, etc. You'll be in different settings, wardrobe changes, and we have only the best makeup artist in Dallas to do you each and every time."

"Then I'll put it on lightly, but I won't leave this house without makeup."

"Alright darling, let me give you the address."

"Give me a second." Caroline' s fingers stumbled across her eyeglasses, she put them on and found a stray piece of paper and pen. "Okay, I'm ready."

*****

Elizabeth went to Harville's neighborhood, assuming that he was at work and intent on interviewing his neighbors. She talked to one of his next door neighbors who told her about a teenage girl who had babysat for him on occasion. Elizabeth then went to interview the girl. She found out nothing substantial there. As she was strolling from the house, she saw Harville drive past her. Elizabeth waved purposely and jumped in her car. He looked pissed! She took off before Harville could get to her.

*****

Elizabeth drove back to the hardware store, just to browse around. She espied the car key holder near the counter and began to question John Dashwood when his wife stormed in.

"Get out! And leave us alone!"

"Mrs. Dashwood..."

Dashwood inserted. "Fanny what's gotten into you? This young lady is a customer!"

"No she isn't, she's a spy! The other day she was questioning Marianne, yesterday Carleton... Now Carleton wants to go back to court and fight for custody again. Get out!"

"Well, Marianne is his daughter."

"Shut up! She's my daughter and he's not getting her!"

"Mrs. Dashwood, I'm not working for Carleton Harville!"

"Get out!"

"I'm sorry Miss," inserted Dashwood, "but you'll have to leave."

*****

"Gina, everything's coming along just fine."

"You sure I can't come up there?"

"You have school tomorrow!"

"I can skip one day, Will!"

"Not while I'm alive, you can't!"

Georgiana giggled. "Point taken. You will call me once everything is done?"

"Yes and I'll even bring the tape down for viewing."

"Good! I love you, big brother."

"I love you too."

They hung up.

*****

Now that she had alienated the Dashwood's and Harville, Elizabeth knew she had better tread lightly. Harassment lawsuits were the flavor of the day and she did not fancy the taste. She really only had one option: the Internet. Elizabeth had managed to learn a few things from Stan while she was last in San Antonio, even to go so far as to copy over his hacking applications and tools.

Once safely ensconced in the hotel room, Elizabeth flipped open her laptop, plugged it into the wall and connected the modem to the outlet provided. She tapped into Harville's financials. Since being a partner in the firm, his CD's, Money Markets, and savings accounts were no surprise to her; his base salary, nor his bonuses even required the slightest bit of pique. The only shock, minor at best, came with the child support. When compared to his base salary, the monthly payments did not even match one-eighth of it. Was it because he became a partner after the hearing? Or had he lied about his income?

When Elizabeth checked further, she found he had 3 checking accounts: one for taxes, one for business expenses, and one for personal use. They all looked normal as far as she could tell. After each child's death, a large amount of money was paid to a funeral home for expenses from his personal account. In December of 1997, Harville had purchased a tour package for 4 at Disney World but cancelled it one week before Bethany's death. Why was that? Was it because of business? Was it because of Fantella? Or did he cancel it because he knew Bethany was not going to be around?

Elizabeth pondered those questions for hours. Then something in her gut told her to look up the Dashwood's accounts.

She looked back to before they got married and found that Mr. Dashwood was living vicariously on his store's business. Then a week after the Dashwood's married, $130,000 was deposited in their now joint account. Nice dowry! She looked further. Small amounts moved in and out of the account for a while, but then in the 4^th month, the entire $130,000 had disappeared. Elizabeth then looked to see if a business account had been opened. It had, but under Fantella's name. That must have been when she opened up the café?! After that both accounts rolled along for a few months barely above zero balance, then a $20,000 deposit was made into Fantella's business account. Then a few days later, the money had been transferred into their joint checking account. Only to be swallowed up in a frenzy of shopping and ATM withdrawals. Then another year later, a $30,000 was deposited into Fantella's business account, then transferred into their joint account, only to disappear within a few months. After both Bethany and Corrine died, a $50,000 deposit was made into their joint accounts.

You would think that with all that money coming in, the Dashwood's might have had a few dollars left over. You'd be wrong. They barely had a thousand dollars between both accounts.

It was clear that John Dashwood profited from his marriage, but just how much? And just where did those mysterious $20,000 and $30,000 deposits come from?

All that digging took hours, but Elizabeth only stopped because the hunger pains were kicking in, she had not eaten since morning. She pushed aside the laptop, called room service, and took a shower before the food came. Elizabeth had not noticed how late it was nor did she realize how tired she was, so before she finished her bottle of wine, she was sound asleep.

*****

Elizabeth woke up late and she still had not finished typing up all her thoughts and ramblings. She had a long road ahead of her.

*****

"This commercial is beneath me! I'll be the laughing stock of all my friends! You can't make me do this! I won't do it!" she stomped.

"You signed the contract! If you want to renege, I'll sue your ass so fast you won't be able to sit down for a year!" scoffed Mrs. Russell. "And I know you need the money!"

She gritted her teeth, smiled into the camera, and said her lines.

After 102 takes, an exhausted camera crew left the studio. They were paid handsomely and therefore did not mind the full day of tedious shooting. In fact, after 'take 2' there was no need for film at all, Caroline would not get any better than the first take, but the sadistic side of Ava Russell begged to differ; this would be fodder for her future parties.

Elizabeth called Crawford with her findings and asked him to do some looking on his own. Within the hour he called back.

"The policy on Fantella and the girls was written 2 days before the wedding. And get this, the insurance agent is Edward Campbell, John's old army buddy."

"Ah."

"$25,000 on each child, a million each on John and Fantella, double indemnity for accidental deaths, with the surviving spouse as the beneficiary."

"Yeah, but those two $50,000 deposits disappeared so fast it would make your head spin. I bet he could spend 2 million in less time than you or I could blink."

"So you're now leaning towards Dashwood as the prime suspect? You really think he murdered those girls?"

"Sure looks like it. But I'm not 100% sure yet. I still think Harville is hiding something."

"Dashwood's the one who got all the goodies from their deaths. By the way, did you know that Dashwood is Fantella's 4^th husband, not her 3^rd?"

"No! That woman has a hard time holding onto men, doesn't she?"

"Oh she gets by... believe me. She married a Melvin Jones, right out of high school. It didn't last long, but apparently he or his family had money. She got a $90,000 settlement and a cabin on Lake Sulphur Springs."

"Wow! She does do alright!"

"Yeah. I got the information on the other 2 deposits. It seems that they were from some sort of business insurance policy. Dismemberment."

Elizabeth gasped. "That's right! Fantella's missing 2 fingers on her left hand! Does it say how the accidents occurred?"

"Power saw and a meat cleaver. It says here that Fantella was helping out in the hardware store and lost her index finger then. The pointing finger was lost when she was chopping up some chicken."

Elizabeth felt the hair rise on the back of her neck. "Oh! I just thought of an old gory joke. Remember the one about the down-on-his-luck farmer with the 3-legged singing pig?"

"No."

"The farmer shows the pig to a friend. The pig sings a moving rendition of some old gospel hymn, bringing the friend to tears. The friend wants to know how the pig lost his leg, and the farmer says, 'If you had such a wonderful singing pig, would you eat him all at once?'"

"Jeez Lizzy! That's gross!" exclaimed Crawford. "You think Dashwood cut off his wife's fingers?"

"Maybe."

"You think he might cut off more of his wife's fingers now that the cash flow is low?"

"Or kill the last child..."

"I don't even want to think of that!"

Elizabeth shuddered. "Neither do I, but I have to take it into consideration."

"I'll run this by the D.A. Damn! It's already past 4:00 p.m. and he's probably gone home already. It'll have to wait until Monday, but I'll put a call in on his answering service."

Elizabeth and Crawford talked a few more minutes, then hung up.

*****

Elizabeth had a lot of people to see and plenty of places to go, but first she would check her messages at home.

Every message from Darcy's familiar voice was erased immediately before he could utter more than one word. As for her father's, Jane's and Bingley's messages, if they mentioned one word of Darcy then they too were erased without thought. Charlotte's were the same. There were a few messages from someone not pleading Darcy's case. Some interested in her services, but one from a lawyer in San Antonio; to be more exact, a Miss Lucy Steele, Esq.

It said that she would like to meet with Elizabeth at her convenience, to go over her testimony. Elizabeth wrote down the name and number. Since Wickham's trial date had not been set, there was no rush, plus the fact that she was in the middle of an investigation.

*****

"Here it is! Signed sealed and delivered!"

"So fast Ava!" laughed Darcy.

"I had my editor make me copies as soon as she was done. Frank's in there now putting the soundtrack on it and tweaking the volume and such! I'll call you the instance that we're ready to view the finished product!"

"Do you have some time this morning?"

"Yes, why?"

"I want all of us to see this together. I'll just ring the Bingley's to see how fast they can get here."

"I have a huge theatre in our offices, surround sound and everything. Tell them to meet me there at say... noon."

"Great!"

Darcy rang up the Bingley's. Noon was agreed upon, that would give Jane enough time to get a babysitter.

*****

Elizabeth went to visit the bunkmate of Corrine's. The little girl had nothing to add to her story.

*****

"No, I haven't seen it yet. I was there most of the day, but in a back office." Ava chuckled maniacally. "But I've been chomping at the bit to get at it."

They all sat down in the mini-theatre.

"Roll it, Frank!"

*****

Elizabeth drove north to see the first real husband of Fantella Dashwood. Mr. Melvin Jones, a child psychiatrist in Amarillo, had a lot to say about his ex-wife and none of it good. He was still, after all these years, angry and bitter. They had dated during their senior year, she had claimed to be pregnant. They married quickly and quietly. He continued his education at Baylor University and moved her down there with him. Months passed, yet there was no sign of life within her. When he finally asked her about it, she told him that she had an abortion, but was afraid to tell him. She claimed she did not want the child to ruin their perfect lives. He screamed at her, she threw things at him. He moved out and his parents pushed forward the divorce proceedings. The last time he saw her was at the final hearing.

Elizabeth drove 2 and 1/2 hours back from Amarillo to Lubbock with a lot of mumbled thoughts clouding her judgement.

Not until she closed her eyes that night, did she realize that it was Darcy and Caroline's wedding night. I don't think I need to say that the tantrum room would have been a good release and a nice diversion at that time. I will only mention that the hotel bed, although bolted down, took the brunt of her punishment.

*****

If you thought 100 or so repeats of the same few lines could not be more tedious and/or boring, you would be incorrect. Darcy, Bingley, Ava, and even Jane laughed until it hurt; wiped tears till they had no more; and snickered until late that evening.

*****

"I really hated to see her so broken, but she deserved it. Every bit of it!"

"Charles..." Jane tried not laugh, instead patted his shoulder. "... hopefully, this will do her some good."

"I hope so. And if it doesn't, well... that's her loss."

*****

Elizabeth packed up her things as well as she could, what with downy feathers all over the place. Hotel management had insisted upon her immediate departure, once her American Express card cleared the balance of the damage in the room. Elizabeth found lodging a mere 2 minutes away at the Residence Inn, room 102.

Once she had put things away, Elizabeth noticed the time. It was near 11:00 a.m.; she knew that the Bingley's would be attending church services, so she dialed and left a message saying that she was alright, for them not to worry and to tell everyone that cared, hello.

Now all she had to do was wait. Tomorrow, after Crawford talked to the D.A. and they released Benwick, they would see if anybody decided to flee or take justice into their own hands. No, it was not her concern, she did her job, but the thought of someone dimming the lights of that little girl remained stamped on her forehead. Whatever she had to do, she had to make sure that Marianne was all right.

*****

"You're home!" Georgiana jumped in Darcy's arms.

Darcy laughed and twirled his sister around. "Have I been missed?"

She giggled uncontrollably. "Very much!" Now that she was dizzy, she held tightly to him and he stopped. "I'm sorry I sent you away."

"I deserved it." He held onto her until her light-headedness faded away. "Come on, I've got something that'll just make your month!"

Darcy dragged Georgiana towards the A/V room.

"Mrs. Reynolds!"

"Yes, Sir?"

He bent near Georgiana's ear. "What say you to some popcorn?"

"And soda's?!"

"Just this once. Mrs. Reynolds please ask the kitchen staff to put together some hot buttered popcorn, chips, dip and sodas?"

"Yes, Sir!" She turned on her heels to head back towards the kitchen.

"Oh, and Mrs. Reynolds..." She turned back around. "... why don't you join us?"

"Sir?"

"I have a tape here, that I'm sure you'll enjoy as much as my sister and myself." Darcy waved the videotape at her. "I insist on you joining us!"

Mrs. Reynolds smiled despite herself. It was good to have the house full of laughter again!

*****

"Caroline, you've been hiding in here since Friday night! Why don't you tell me what's wrong?"

"Oh Louisa!" Her friend backed up from the dragon breath caused by too much alcohol and too much crying. "I'll never be able to show my face in Texas again!"

"It couldn't have been that bad!" soothed Louisa. "Will Darcy does not do trash!"

"I don't think it was him! It was that witch Ava Russell!"

"Ava? No... That sweet little old lady? No!"

"I think she knew... found out... somehow..."

"But it's been years! How could she..."

"I don't know!" Caroline cried.

Louisa left her to her misery.

Elizabeth retrieved her messages from her home voice-mail, or rather, the ones she deigned to listen to. One of immense import was left by Charlotte: Anne de Bourgh had been moved from a minimum security prison to an insane asylum for trying to commit suicide, while Catherine faced solitary confinement in 'The Hole' for heinous dealings within the joint. She breathed a trembling sigh of relief after further news of the expeditious crumbling of Catherine's ruthless and diabolically evil empire. After a few prayers of thanks, she went back to her files.

*****

Elizabeth watched from a distance as Fantella Dashwood dropped Marianne off at school. But it was the first weekend! Did not Carleton Harville say that he had the 1^st and 3^rd weekends? Fantella wiped the girl's nose and ushered her into the school.

Feeling that the little girl was temporarily safe, Elizabeth surmised that she could either follow Fantella or Carleton. She chose Fantella. However, Mrs. Dashwood went straight to her café. The only thing Elizabeth had left to do now was to find out Mr. Harville's whereabouts and see if she could get his secretary to tell why he did not take his daughter this past weekend.

Elizabeth had been told by the secretary, in exacting tones, that she was not permitted in or around the property of Harville and McLish and she was escorted out of the building by two burly guards. As she sat just outside the parking garage, Elizabeth had time to, once again, go through the dossier. This time, however, it would be with a fine-toothed comb.

*****

"Mr. Harville, it's nice to see you again."

"Thank you, Mr. Darcy."

"Sit down, please?" Carleton Harville did as asked. "I called you here to supervise the last steps of the mall. I've been in and out of town recently and planning to go out again tomorrow or Wednesday, so I hope you don't mind?"

"Not at all. I'm glad to be of service and I'll do all I can to make sure your wishes are upheld."

"Good! Let's get down to business."

*****

The week passed uneventfully, even boring, for all parties that I have portrayed in this story. Darcy flew out to some of his other companies, etc. for way-too-long-neglected visits. The Bingley's and Bennet's went about their daily lives. Georgiana went to and from school and visited with friends.

In what she thought her personal shining moment and ultimate triumph, Ava Russell had a complete work of art! Of course, she did not put her company's fine name on the tacky thing. But she fed it to every network affiliation and they ran the commercial nation-wide, every half-hour on the hour. Louisa took pity on Caroline and they both went on a skiing vacation in Vail.

Elizabeth spent her time watching the Dashwood's from a distance. Everything seemed normal and Harville, she checked his bank accounts again, had gone to Austin. The D.A.'s office began to see the inconsistencies and irregularities of the case and re-opened it for investigation, but took his time in releasing information to the press and Benwick to the general populace.

*****

Elizabeth had retrieved her messages from home. Once again, Lucy Steele left one, except this time it was a bit more urgent. She called Crawford on this day and advised him of her message. He suggested that she do whatever she needed to do today 'for who knew what would be in the hopper tomorrow!'

*****

"Well now, my sister-in-law finally decides to stop by!" he sneered.

Elizabeth sighed and rolled her eyes. "I'll assume that Lucy Steele, Esq. is your lawyer then, but that she won't be here to meet me."

"And here I thought you were smarter than that."

"You've got exactly 15 minutes to tell me why you wanted to see me, Mr. Wickham," Elizabeth coldly stated.

"I just wanted to give you the opportunity of changing your story."

She laughed haughtily. "You're kidding right?"

"No," he answered condescendingly. "I don't like being confined to a few rooms."

"I don't have time for your games," she dismissed. "Now, you've got 13 minutes."

"I think I can make you change your mind in less than 5," he smiled.

"I'm all ears." Elizabeth sat down in a chair opposite him and crossed her arms over her chest.

"You're even more beautiful than when I last saw you," he leered. "But then Will always could pick 'em." Elizabeth had no response. "Of course..." he stroked his mustache. "... I always ended up with 'em," he smirked. "Picking up the pieces, you might say."

"Is there a point?"

"Yes there is. What if I just happened to tell of our 'activities' while you were under my spell..."

"Just what are you implying?"

"Just that I've tasted more than your lips."

Elizabeth gasped and her eyes flashed furiously in repulsion, but she said nothing. Her stomach lurched from fear of the unknown; truly this scenario had played insidiously in the back of her mind.

"Memory returning, my sweet?"

She bit back the rising bile in her throat. "Nothing happened."

"That's what you say, but I'll say it differently during the trial."

"How dare you?" she sneered slowly.

"Very well, thank you," he smiled toothily. "Now, as I see it you only have one option. Call off the dogs and I'll keep my mouth shut."

"No one will believe you."

"You might be right, except one. Will Darcy knows me through and through and vice versa. And a seed planted from knowledge is just bound to grow."

"What does Will Darcy have to do with anything?" she asked as nonchalantly as she could.

"Oh, so now you think I'm stupid. I know all about you 2 living together... hiding out. And I know he fucked you good!"

"Although it's none of your business. Nothing happened between us."

"Hmpf! I believe that's the longest he's ever stayed with one woman. He might actually be in love with you!" Wickham saw the doubtful look on Elizabeth's face and decided on one last ploy. "Just who do you think I learned my tricks with women from?" He sucked his tongue against his cheek. "Birds of a feather and all that."

"He's nothing like you!" she spat.

He smiled wickedly. "Oh you'll see. He'll suggest a weekend getaway. Probably back to the place he first had you. Then..."

She swallowed hard and stood. "I think I've heard enough."

"Sure doll, I await your decision."

With as much bravado as she could muster, she glared. "Then you'll be rotting in hell, waiting for it!"

And with impassioned umbrage she strode out of the interrogation room.

*****

"It's no use. She's not coming back."

"Maybe she hasn't seen it yet. Don't give up now?" beseeched Jane.

"It's been running constantly for about a week now. And it's no longer funny. I'm pulling it tomorrow."

"Will, give it a few a more days... Please?" begged Bingley.

Darcy rolled his eyes and shrugged.

*****

"I want his ass deep fried!"

"Miss Bennet, I had no idea that he had asked for you!" exclaimed Wentworth. "I was away on my honey... I'll get right on it and slap him with trying to intimidate the witness, bribery, and anything else I can think of."

"Let me calm down and I'll think of a few more, myself!"

"I don't see a Lucy Steele in our directory."

"Then I want her found and prosecuted!"

"I'll take care of everything else. If anyone ever contacts you again, run it through me first."

She patted her waistline and smirked. "Oh, plan on it."

Wentworth smiled the smile of the famed Cheshire cat. "You got it on tape, didn't you?"

"Of course!" Elizabeth unbuttoned her jacket and ejected the tape.

"How did you know?"

"I had my suspicions when I looked at the address, but when I pulled up to the prison gate, I knew."

Wentworth smiled again.

"There are a few things on here that I don't want to be public knowledge though."

"I'll personally take care of it."

"Then I'll leave you to it!"

*****

Well, that did it! After, putting it off for purely selfish reasons, on the flight back to Lubbock, Elizabeth had finally decided to give up the house entirely. And just as soon as she returned to Dallas she would put the Granbury house on the market. It would not be so completely horrible to be around her family and although her family had their share of problems, they were by no means criminal. And after that meeting with Wickham, it became abundantly clear that he had no scruples and she could not possibly be surrounded by his aura.

The weather was completely different in San Antonio than it was, at present, in Amarillo. Down there, she was practically sweating in her suit jacket. Up here, she bundled up her fleece jacket around her neck as she sat in her car waiting for it to warm up.

To forget about her situation, once warm and cozily settled in her room, she turned on the radio, adjusted the volume to very low, and shut off the lights. Elizabeth tossed and turned fitfully, trying to erase that disgusting pig's lies from her memory and concentrate on the final pieces to the current puzzle. As she drifted off, she hummed the last of her consciousness to the sound of the annoying little jingle to her favorite restaurant. You deserve a break today...

Crawford had left a message last evening at the hotel. Damn! She retrieved it only this morning. Benwick was going to be released on his own recognizance, next Wednesday. He was not going back to his house though, probably to a hotel downtown, he did not know what to expect from his neighbors, but he was made aware that he still must stay in the area as the new investigation was pending. The other messages were a bit frantic from none other than Carleton Harville. She called him immediately.

"Mr. Harville?"

"Miss Bennet?"

"Yes."

"Oh thank God you called! After last week, I wasn't sure if you would return my phone calls. I don't know who else to ask. The cops won't help and I've got this awful feeling..."

"Slow down Mr. Harville. Tell me what's wrong?"

"It's Marianne!" He took a deep breath. "I phoned to check my messages. I taught the girls to call me anytime, for any reason, or just to talk, but this time Marianne sounded... strange, like she was hurt or lost. I've been trying to reach Fantella but no one will answer the damn phone!"

"Maybe it's Marianne's medication..."

"Medication, has she been sick? Why the hell didn't Fantella tell me?"

"I thought you knew. I mean your weekend was last weekend and..."

"I had out-of-town business. And every time I called to speak with Marianne, Fantella had some excuse."

"Where are you now?"

"I'm at the airport. I took the red-eye back when I heard the message."

"I saw Marianne at school on Friday, she looked tired, but seemed well enough."

"I think I have the pediatrician's number on me." Harville tucked the phone under his chin while he searched for his wallet. "I'll call him, but... You're a private investigator right?"

"Well..." I'm not exactly licensed.

"If Marianne isn't at the doctor's office, if they haven't seen her, I want you to find out what's going on. Here's the number."

"Mr. Harville..."

"I don't care what it costs, I can afford it!"

"That's not what I..."

"You can't imagine how awful Marianne sounded, like she was... scared."

"Mr. Harville does Fantella have family or close friends that she might have left your daughter with?"

"You obviously don't know my ex-wife! She's... well, Fantella doesn't make friends, and accept for a card or a gift at holidays, and to arrange visits for the girls, she's scarcely spoken to either of her parents in years."

"Her parents are divorced?"

"Since Fantella was a kid. Jeez, maybe that's why Fantella's so desperate for attention, why her world revolves around the man in her life. I don't know how John takes it, but it damn near drove me crazy."

"Some men find that flattering."

"I suppose it was, at first. But she's so clingy, she won't let you breathe. She was even jealous of the time I spent with the girls."

"Mr. Harville, go ahead and call the doctor, then get back to me. I'll have someone call the hospitals and here's my cell phone number."

After hanging up with Harville, Elizabeth immediately rung up Crawford and apprised him of the situation, he would get his clerk to make the round of calls.

"I talked to the insurance investigator this morning. Remember that gross story you told me about the 3-legged pig?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"What would you say if the pig cut off his own leg to keep the farmer from starving?"

Elizabeth took a moment to let that thought sink in; she shuddered. "You're suggesting that Fantella cut off her own fingers? On purpose?!"

"The investigator is convinced of it, although he couldn't prove anything. Bethany was in the store at the time and when he asked her about it, she said she didn't see anything. And when he asked where she was when her mother screamed, Bethany told him that Fantella didn't scream."

"Jeez! What's she made of? Stone?"

"Fantella claimed that she was too shocked to scream and the pain didn't start until afterwards. But get this, Fantella called the insurance company about her dismemberment clause and how soon she might expect a check, all while she was in the ER waiting room."

Elizabeth bolted up straight as a deep chill seeped into her bones. Had Fantella maimed herself for $20,000? $30,000? The money didn't even last more than a few months!

"Are we saying that Dashwood convinced his wife to kill her children? Or are we saying that Fantella's doing this to please her husband?"

"You tell me? You're the one that started all this mess!"

"I don't know!" Elizabeth slammed her fist on the nightstand to accentuate her frustration.

*****

Unfortunately for Elizabeth, as much as she might try and with all that was currently going on, every word from Wickham's mouth still hung like an epithet over her head. In the shower, she scrubbed vehemently, trying to wash off that encounter. It did no good. She hurriedly dressed and ran from the room.

*****

Elizabeth waited outside the school for Fantella Dashwood to pull up with Marianne, but it never happened. After the bell rang for 1^st class, she immediately called the school Principal from her cell phone for an appointment.

Elizabeth flashed her card. You know... the one that said 'A.D.A.' on it. She was shown in with immediacy.

"I'm trying to locate Marianne Harville."

"She hasn't been here since Friday. Mrs. Dashwood called to say that Marianne would not be attending school this week. It seems that her cold hasn't gotten any better, so I assume that's she's at home taking care of her child."

"Thank you, Mr. Randolph."

"I mean can you really blame her? Two dead and one not recovering as well as expected. I don't blame her for being a bit cautious."

Elizabeth smiled a tight smile. This was not the Fantella Dashwood that Carleton Harville painted. "Thank you again."

Elizabeth hurried to her car and sped off toward the Dashwood house. When she pulled up to it, she noticed no cars were in the driveway, so she peeled off to the mall shops across the street.

There was a 'CLOSED' sign hanging up on the hardware store. As calm as she could, she walked up to the café's door. There was no sign and Elizabeth's shoulder's visibly slumped in relief. She pulled the door open and saw a cleaning crew and the cashier.

"Hello Alice. Is business closed today?"

"Yes... Damn it! I forgot to put up the sign!"

"Are... I see that the hardware store is closed as well. Have they taken a trip somewhere?"

"Mr. Dashwood went to see his family in Denton and Fantella wanted to get away for a few days with Marianne."

Panic streaked across Elizabeth's face in a sweat induced fury. "Do you know where they've gone?"

"More than likely home." Elizabeth now knew that was not true. "I mean Marianne's been really sick. The medicine didn't work and neither did Fantella's special tea."

"Special tea?"

"Oh yes. Fantella swears by it! Actually so do a lot of customers around here." Alice pulled a packet from the shelf behind her. "See?"

Elizabeth gulped happily, more like relieved, as she examined the packet and read the ingredients; she said her good-byes and left.

Her cell phone was ringing off the hook as she ran to her car. "Hello?"

"Miss Bennet, this is Carleton Harville."

"Yes. What did you find out?"

"Fantella took Marianne in to the doctor's office more than 2 weeks ago. She had the flu and he prescribed some antibiotics for the bronchial symptoms. He told Fantella to call him if Marianne didn't get any better. He hasn't heard from her since, so he assumed Marianne was recovering." He took another breath. "I also called Fantella's mother in Plano, she said that Fantella was planning to drop off Marianne there, then drive over to Denton where Dashwood's family is. About an hour ago, Fantella called to say that the roads were icing over and she was going to stay in her cabin on Lake Sulphur Springs."

"Okay..." Elizabeth exhaled. "So?"

"Fantella has to pass Plano to get to Sulphur Springs!"

"Are you sure Louisa?"

"Of course I'm sure, Caroline. Once Will sees how awful that commercial is, he'll snatch it off as soon as may be!"

"That's what you said last week! But it's still on!"

"How often does Will Darcy watch television?"

"Rarely. Same with the radio."

"Then maybe you should disguise your voice and tell him how bad it is over the phone?"

"Hmm?"

"Don't think, just do it!"

"I may not have to. I'll just check in with my brother first..."

*****

"Okay, you go up to the door and I'll wait outside," whispered Harville."

"Why?" asked Elizabeth.

"Well, if everything's alright, then I won't make matters worse by showing up."

"Okay."

Elizabeth took one last look at Harville, suspicion still brewing in her gut, threw her fleece jacket over her head as the cold rain slapped her body with its pellets and strode, purposely, to the door of the cabin.

*****

"What are you doing here?!" Fantella demanded. "Did you follow me?!"

"Um, Marianne's father is worried about her. After talking to your mother, he asked me to drive up and make sure you're both okay." Elizabeth squeezed her body between the door and the threshold, in case Fantella tried to slam the door in her face.

"Of course Marianne's alright! She's fine!" she spat.

"Then you won't mind if I come in and talk to her."

"Yes I do mind! You tell Carleton Harville he's wasting his money! It's not even his weekend yet! Now get out!" Fantella swung the door, but Elizabeth stopped it with her foot.

"Mr. Harville received a call from Marianne yesterday that lead him to believe she might be in danger."

"Danger?! She's sick, that's all! Oh, all right, come in before you flood my living room!"

The cabin was one of those open area places; the bedrooms were hidden off to the left, but the living area, the eating area and the kitchen all open and within sight from the door. Elizabeth felt the warmth coming from the hearth as the fire crackled in it and sniffed the delicious smell of chicken soup wafting up from the kettle within the hearth.

"Marianne's in here."

Fantella led the way to a nice sized bedroom with 2 sets of bunk beds. Marianne lay in one of the lower bunks under a quilt and clutching that same Raggedy Ann doll. Along side the bed was a small serving cart with a half-empty glass of water, a prescription bottle, a spoon, a napkin, and nearly full bowl of soup. Elizabeth heaved a sigh when the little girl opened her eyes.

"Hi!" smiled Marianne. Her voice sounded tired, but she looked reasonably alert.

"Hi yourself!"

"Whatcha doing here?"

Elizabeth sat down in a chair beside the bunk. "Came to see how you were doing with that nasty flu."

"I was sick, but now I feel better."

"Your daddy says you phoned him yesterday, but you didn't say what you wanted."

"I don't remember calling him."

"Well, is there anything you want me to tell him when I get back?"

"Tell Daddy that I love him and I want to go see Disney on Ice again."

Elizabeth smiled. "They might have packed up and gone away, but I'm sure they'll be back next year. Anything else?"

"Un uh," she shook her head. "Only that I want to go again next year."

"Shit!"

Too late! The moment Elizabeth cursed, Fantella unhooked the safety latch on her 45.

"Turn around slowly." Elizabeth turned around very slowly. Fantella pointed the gun towards the back door. "That way."

Elizabeth walked slowly, hoping against hope that Harville was out there waiting for her, and even more importantly, that he was not in on it with Fantella. Elizabeth was silently advised to unbolt the door and open it.

Elizabeth spoke rather loudly without being too obvious. "Are you sure Marianne won't hear it when you shoot me?"

"She won't be around to tell, now will she?"

"How can a mother kill her own babies? Without thought or remorse?"

"John gets upset when his business doesn't go well, but I'm planning on a..."

Harville jumped out from the side of the house and grabbed Fantella around the arms.

PAP! A shot rang out. PAP! Then another.

Elizabeth tumbled over sideways; everything seemed to be going in slow motion.

"Elizabeth!" shouted Harville.

Elizabeth rolled slightly downhill towards the lake, while Harville and Fantella struggled.

Let it be said that when a cat is backed into a corner, she can become as fierce as a lioness. And when a momma bear is caught in a trap, she would chew off her own foot. PAP!

Harville felt the impact and fell to his knees. "Why, Fantella? Why?"

She limped away from his grasp, holding her bleeding side. "Cause we needed the fucking money!"

Harville struggled to his feet, blood pouring from his stomach; he stumbled towards the car. Fantella slowly raised the gun and pointed it at him, when a hard kick in her back pushed her forward, then a windmill kick to the side of the head sent her flying past him and the gun flying in another direction.

"Can you make it to the car?" asked Elizabeth as she made sure Fantella Dashwood was unconscious.

Harville nodded and staggered his way to dial 911.

*****

"Daddy can we go home now?"

"Not just yet, sweetheart." They rolled him towards the surgery room. "Not just yet."

Elizabeth led Marianne to a chair in the waiting room; her grandmother was there with open arms.

"Granny!"

Mrs. Ferrars could do nothing but cry as she held tight to her only granddaughter.

*****

"Welcome to my humble abode, Will!"

Darcy smiled as he walked in. "Nice place, Fitz!" Then he looked at the draperies, knick-knacks, etc. in and around the living room. "Do I detect a female hand in here?"

They both laughed.

Charlotte came out from the kitchen to discern the merriment. "What's going on in here?"

Darcy held out his arms to her. "Absolutely nothing!" he smiled and kissed her on the cheek as they embraced.

Dinner was pleasant enough. Charlotte and the Colonel let Darcy in on their wedding plans; Darcy tried not to sigh too loudly.

*****

Elizabeth looked up at the starry night. Funny how the rain had passed and nothing but a cool, crisp freshness hung around. She was so close to home she could taste it. Bittersweet though it was. It was late; too late to catch a flight back to Lubbock. Regardless, Elizabeth decided to stay and to pray; pray that Carleton Harville would survive. That's just about all she could do.

Elizabeth hugged herself and immediately regretted it. The huge bandage on her left arm would indicate to an observer that it was some cause for alarm. However, it was no more than a flesh wound. She shook her head and laughed.

*****

"Hello Will, darling!"

Darcy spun around in his desk chair. "This is a surprise," he smirked. He had gotten her numerous fake protest phone calls.

"You didn't expect me to show my face around here, did you?"

He put the Dictaphone mike down. "I've given up expecting you to do anything... normal." Caroline sat down in a chair in front of his desk. "What do you want?"

"I want you to take that commercial off the air, put an apology out to the public, and sue the hell out of Ava Russell."

He chuckled. "I'm pulling it off next Friday."

"And the apology, the lawsuit?"

"No dice."

"Are you sure?"

Darcy sighed. "If I don't, you'll do what?"

"Oh, I can think of a lot of things."

"Such as?"

"Such as spreading a story about your love life, or lack thereof. Or your little closet-freak of a sister. Or the wild bitch you keep holed up in the backwoods."

Darcy stood. "I've had about enough of you." He grabbed her arm and dragged her out in front of the receptionist's desk. "Mrs. Musgrove, make sure the cleaning crew comes to pick up the trash. Now!"

He walked back into his office.

"You haven't heard the last of me..."

Darcy slammed the door to his now sound proof office.

*****

"Case closed!" Crawford embraced Elizabeth even before she was completely in the room. "Thank you, so much!"

"You're very welcome," she smiled as he kissed her on the cheek.

"How about a celebratory dinner tonight?"

"Your treat, right?"

"No sweetheart, it's all on you," he smirked and handed her a check for $100,000.

Elizabeth looked down at the check. "I'm sure you could spend a little more? As you said, the firm's interested in saving clients..."

He rolled his eyes. "And my ass as well!"

"And I don't want this," she tried to hand him back the check.

"And why not? If it hadn't been for you, we..."

"Henry, I can't accept it. It's not... If Fantella Dashwood could have... I just want to forget this whole thing!"

"Lizzy, a reward is a reward..."

"Give me a pen." Crawford complied. She signed the back of the check. "Give this to little Marianne..."

Crawford was about to protest, but Elizabeth's steadfast gaze made him drop whatever he was going to say and take the check. "Dinner at 7, my treat."

"You got it." And with that she left.

*****

"She hasn't learned a damn thing, Charles!"

"I'm sorry Will. I thought this would do it. She needs humbling, but... I give up. I'll just let God take care of her."

"More like the devil."

*****

"Lizzy... I'll do anything to get you up here."

"Henry, I told you no. It was that answer 5 years ago and it will always be that answer."

"I still love you."

"You loved me, yet you could not commit?"

"I was wrong and..."

"Why are we going down memory lane anyway? You cheated. Simple as that."

"You didn't even give me time to explain... I missed you so much that I slipped up. You were so far away and..."

She stood up. "Thank you for dinner, but this is where it ends. I didn't come up here to be with you. I came because I thought I could help. And I had hoped that we could be friends, nothing more."

"Please Lizzy? I'm sorry!"

"No Henry. No. Face the fact: I don't love you, I never did." Elizabeth let those last words fall off her tongue in ice cubic form.

She left Crawford sitting there, in the restaurant, regretting his past actions all over again and knowing that, other than by chance, it would be the last time that he would see her.

*****

It was just past the crack of dawn that Elizabeth did rise. She yawned and stretched; it was another fitful night of rest. Yes, she was pleased with herself that she finished the case with all parties satisfied. However, Crawford had managed to spoil her victory dance with want of his own. And even further still, she could not really sleep with her demons, Wickham and Darcy, chasing each other.

As she peered out into the vast highway expanse with its oil refineries uglying up the picture, she knew in her heart of hearts that she would never surrender herself to another man. Now that all was completed and she had no clues as to a further course of action, Elizabeth pondered... what if. What if she had told Darcy of her heart's confusion? What if she could go back and change things? What if...

She could not help but to laugh at the absurdity. No, nothing could change the way things had gone; Darcy had made his choice.

Elizabeth looked to the heavens and wished Darcy a happy married life, albeit to a bitch on wheels, but a happy one indeed.

*****

"You do very well, Jeja."

Darcy bowed. "Thank you, O Sensei."

"You are still angry though, I can tell."

Darcy did not want to discuss what was on his mind and heart. "What are we doing for lunch today?"

"I thought we'd eat out," offered Mr. Bennet. "You stay locked up in that office all day."

"Work, O Sensei."

"I know, but there are things to be gained outside the office, like sunshine, fresh air, other people."

Darcy hung his head as they walked to the showers. "I'll take your word for it."

"Don't give up hope yet, son."

*****

Opening scene: Clumsy chorus of dancing arms and legs, doing the Texas Two-Step, and falling all over each other. They sing as they try to stand up...

Elizabeth abruptly peeked up from her misery spiral and looked at the television.

Elizabeth gasped and nearly choked up her breakfast. She hardly recognized her without makeup! "Caroline?!?!?!"

Elizabeth's eyes widened in shock. Nope, shock's not a big enough word... hmmm? Amazement? No. Astonishment? Nope! Bewilderment? Close, but no dildo! Well, anyway, Elizabeth's eyes widened in stupefied understanding. "Well, I'll be damned!!!"

She sat for several minutes, just as I described above. No movement of her limbs, no change on her features, and no inclination in her brain to do so. But all of a sudden, she collapsed in tears! Great, thunderous, overpowering, gut-splitting, guffaw-filled tears!

Once she stopped laughing and realized what day it was, she exclaimed, "I get it!"