Fraser and Ray will live on in our hearts, much longer than was ever intended I am sure. Although they will not read this, I want to express my gratitude to the creators of Due South, and Paul Gross and Callum Keith Rennie for giving us such wonderful and memorable characters. A special thanks to Draco and his trainer for making Diefenbaker a favorite in our hearts as well.
 
 

By Amethyst
 

        "Hungry, Fraser?" Ray inquired, as they settled in the GTO and pulled out of the 2-7's parking lot.

        "I could eat something, yes," Fraser agreed as he tossed his Stetson onto the dash in front of him.

         Ray slid the car into the heavy rush hour traffic before speaking again. "What do ya feel like?"

        Dief whined from the back.

         Fraser turned slightly in his seat to face the wolf. "He didn't ask you," he reprimanded, then to Ray. "I chose last time, it's your turn to pick, Ray."

        Ray nodded and tried to decide what he was in the mood to eat. He shrugged. "What did the wolf suggest?" he found himself asking.

         Fraser's lips twitched in amusement. "He wants pizza, Ray, as always."

        "Nah, we had pizza the other day," Ray declined. "Gimme another suggestion, I'm drawin' a blank."

        "Chinese?"

        "Nah, not in the mood for that either."

        "Italian? Greek? Barbecue?" Fraser suggested, helpfully.

        "Yeah, ribs sound good," Ray decided, readjusting the toothpick in his mouth. "Barbecue okay with you, Buddy?"

        "That would be fine, Ray," Fraser agreed.

        Again Diefenbaker whined and Ray chuckled.

        "You can have some too, Dief," he assured, glancing back at the wolf through the rearview mirror. He didn't know if the animal could read lips through a mirror, but he wolfed in acceptance.

        "It's unan…uninan…we're all agreed," Ray confirmed, as he merged with the traffic on the freeway.

        Fraser nodded turned to glance out the side window to hide his growing smile. A patch of darkness against the gleaming snow-covered forest below the highway caught his attention.

        "Ray, take this exit, please?" he requested, urgently.

         Ray shot him a puzzled look. "The barbecue place is the next exit, Fraser," he reminded, but the Mountie's serious expression was one that Ray recognized, and he quickly adjusted his heading. He knew that look well and it meant trouble.

        "Stop here, Ray," Fraser demanded and already had his hand on the door before the detective had pulled off to the side of the road.

        "Fraser!" he exclaimed, frustrated as Fraser leapt from the car and started running back down the road.

        Ray exchanged a puzzled glance with the wolf, before switching on his flashers and moving to follow. "I don't know about him sometimes, Dief. He's gonna get himself killed one of these days."

        The pair quickly caught up to the Mountie, who had climbed the small embankment. Fraser was kneeling in the snow and he glanced back at his partner.

        "Quickly, Ray," he urged.

         Kowalski immediately reached for his weapon and trudged up the hill. He was shocked to find the Mountie had removed his long, navy over coat and had wrapped it around a tiny form.

        "Oh Christ!" he exclaimed, as the Mountie rose with the child in his arms. "Is she…?"

        "Not yet, Ray," Fraser denied as they carefully descended the hill. "But, she is half frozen and we need to get her to a hospital."

         Ray ran back to start the GTO, as the Mountie cradled the girl to him and followed.

         Fraser sat in the back seat of the GTO with the child in his arms, trying to rub circulation back into her tiny, frozen body. He's placed her fingers individually into his mouth for warmth and Ray had continued to glance at them through his rearview mirror, concerned.  Diefenbaker was laying across the girls legs in his attempt to warm her in his own way, sensing the urgency.

        At the hospital, the Doctor's had gone to work immediately. The girl was half-dead from her injuries and exposure to the cold. They hustled her off to the ICU in an attempt to warm her as Ray called Welsh and told him what had happened. He also offered a description of the girl for Francesca to run through missing persons. He suggested Forensics should canvas the area where the girl had been found and ordered they notify him if they came up with anything.

        Almost an hour later, Francesca had called Ray back and reported no findings with missing persons. Luckily, the Doctor chose that moment to approach the two officers. He announced the young victim was in stable condition, considering the extent of her injuries, but that she had not yet regained consciousness. However, the nurse had discovered a small ID bracelet around the child's wrist that listed her name as Adrian, as well as a phone number and allergy to penicillin.

      Ray used his cell phone to call the precinct and gave the number to Francesca, telling her to contact the parents and let them know where their daughter was. He then suggested that once she had their names, to run them through the system as a precaution.

        When Adrian's Mother finally showed up, she appeared frazzled and nervous. Ellen Porter wore a pink and white waitress uniform and seemed more distraught over having to leave work, than the fact that her ten year old daughter had been attacked and was in a coma.

        Ray inquired as to how long Adrian had been missing and the woman had to actually think about it. Maybe a day, maybe more. Ray demanded to know why she hadn't filed a missing person's report. The Mother claimed she had three other kids and she couldn't keep track of them all the time, working two jobs.

        Fraser inquired about a husband and Mrs. Porter immediately became defensive.  She was married, but the man wasn't Adrian's Father. He stayed home to take care of the kids most days and had not mentioned that there was one missing.

         Ray automatically suspected the husband and demanded to know where they could find him, but Mrs. Porter refused to tell him. She changed her story, however, after Ray threatened to arrest her for gross neglect and withholding evidence in a police investigation. It irked him that she seemed more concerned for her husband then her daughter, who had been horrendously attacked. She told him her husband was at home with her other children.

        Ray called an officer in to stand guard outside Adrian's door, while the Mother went inside, then he and Fraser immediately left the hospital to interview the woman's husband.

        Shawn Porter was a large man, with a biker's beard, a thick mustache and many tattoos aligning his arms and torso. However, he had a gentle, unobtrusive voice and obviously cared for the two girls clinging to him. He swung the toddler into his arms, while the three-year-old clung to his shirt.

        Mr. Porter, I'm Detective Ray Vecchio and this is Constable Fraser, can we talk to you about your daughter's attack?"

        "A Mountie?" Shawn inquired.  "What are you doing in Chicago?"

        "Ah, well I came to Chicago on the trail of my Father's killers…" Fraser began and Ray nudged him.

        "And the rest you can see in the movie of the week," he surmised, "Suffice it to say he's a Mountie, I'm a cop, and we're partners."

        The man seemed friendly enough, if a little confused, and invited Ray and Fraser inside. Despite Ray's vision of what the children might be living like, with such a neglectful Mother, the house was quite clean and tidy.

        "Is Adrian going to be okay?" was Shawn's first question, once he settled in the recliner with the girls, as Ray and Fraser took the sofa opposite. "I can't believe this is happening, who would want to hurt her?"

        "We don't know yet," Ray evaded. "We have some questions we were hoping you could answer." Ray had been prepared to suspect the worse, but somehow Shawn just didn't strike him as abusive or deceptive.

        "Oh, sure," Shawn agreed. "Anything I can do to help."
 
        "How long was it that you noticed Adrian was missing, Mr. Porter?" Ray inquired.

        "Well, to be honest, I didn't," he admitted, grudgingly.

        Ray scowled.

        Great, so it wasn't just the Mother being neglectful. However, he allowed Shawn to continue out of habit. Give a guy enough rope and he'll eventually hang himself.

         "Adrian was supposed to be at a weekend sleep-over with a friend," Shawn explained, concern creasing his large brow. "We didn't know that she had gone missing, until someone called to say that she was in the hospital. I just don't understand-I mean if someone had snatched her, surely the Macoms would have called and told us. Adrian knows not to go near a vehicle or talk to a stranger, so I don't see how this could've happened."

        "Can you give us the name and address of the people she was supposed to be staying with?" Ray requested as the toddler began squirming beside her Father.

        "Yeah, Janet's parents," he paused thoughtfully, as he lifted the girl on to his lap. "Debbie and Art Macom. They live over in Briarwood somewhere. Their number and address is in Ellen's book, but I think she has that with her."

        Ray nodded and made a note of the information.

        "So you didn’t receive a call from them about your daughter's disappearance?" Fraser inquired, as he watched the three-year-old slid from the sofa and shyly made her way toward him.

        "No," Shawn replied without hesitation. "The first we heard about it was some woman calling us from the Chicago PD. I called Ellen and then she said she'd call the Macoms to check it out. She called me back and told me there hadn't been any answer and I think she just went on to the hospital after that."

        "Have you tried to contact the Macoms, Sir?" Fraser inquired as the little girl stopped beside his chair and stared up at him. He smiled at her and she held her arms out. Fraser glanced at Shawn.

        Shawn grinned and nodded. "That's Molly, she insists that everyone have the opportunity to discover how adorable she thinks she is."

        "Well hello, Molly," Fraser greeted gently, as he lifted her onto his lap.

        Molly smiled shyly and played with the buttons on his tunic, fascinated.

        "Could you answer my partner's question, Mr. Porter?" Ray demanded, quietly, smirking at the Mountie before turning his attention back to the man opposite him.

        Shawn finally looked away from his daughter and met Ray's gaze. "No, I couldn't call them," he denied. "As I said, my wife had the number with her and the Macoms have an unlisted number, so information wouldn't give it to me."

        Ray nodded. "How long have you and your wife been married?" he asked. "She mentioned you weren't Adrian's real Father." Shawn nodded.

        "Nope," he agreed, regretfully, hugging the toddler to him, affectionately. "Sara and Molly are the only ones that are biologically mine, but I love the other girls just as if they were my own. Ellen and I have been married, almost four years now."

        "Mrs. Porter said there are four children, counting Adrian," Fraser commented, as he bounced Molly on his knee and she giggled in delight. "There are two here, where is the other child?"

        Shawn's eyes saddened briefly, before he answered.

        "Melinda," he admitted, quietly. "Or, Lindy as we call her. She's upstairs in bed. She's been sick lately."

        "What's wrong with her?" Ray questioned, suspiciously

         Molly slid off Fraser's lap to the floor and started to move toward Ray, who was sitting next to the Mountie.

        Fraser bit his lip to keep from grinning, as his partner shot the girl a wary look.

        "The doctor's don't know," Shawn confessed, dejectedly. "They've run all sorts of tests. They think it might be Cancer, but they can't narrow it down."

        "I'm so sorry," Fraser offered, kindly. "How are the other girls?"

         Molly stopped next to the Ray and stared at him expectantly.

         Ray glanced down at her again, then shifted slightly in his seat and returned his attention to Shawn. He was still waiting for the man's answer to Fraser's question.

        "Oh, they're fine," Shawn assured, "Just the usual childhood ailments. The occasional cold, tummy aches, that sort of thing." He shook his head. "Well, except for Adrian. I wish I knew if she was going to be okay."

        "Hi!" Molly greeted, loudly.

        Ray cast her a startled look. "Hi," he replied, then returned his attention to Shawn. "Have there been…"

        "UP!" Molly demanded, cutting off his words and holding out her arms, expectantly.

        Ray again grew wary as Shawn and Fraser struggled to hide their amusement.

        "Down," Ray returned, cautiously. "Don't interrupt, it's rude."

        Molly stared at him like he had gone insane right before her eyes.

        "She wants you to pick her up, Ray," Fraser informed, calmly.

        "I know what she wants, Fraser," Ray retorted, quietly. "I'm a cop not an elevator."
 
        "I'm afraid Molly's quite a determined, little girl," Shawn added, mischievously. He was enjoying the detective's obvious discomfort. "At her age, it's her way or a screaming fit, and I don't think you want to listen to that right now."

        "Sounds like my ex-wife," Ray muttered and Shawn chuckled.

         Fraser hid his laugh behind a disguised cough as Molly made her demands known a second time.

        Ray exchanged a look with the Mountie, who stared innocently back.

        "Don't give me that look," Ray warned his partner and scooted over on the sofa, so Molly could climb up between him and Fraser. "You're the charming one, get busy and charm her."

        Fraser shook his head. "She's interested in you, Ray," he protested. "She's already seen my charms."

        "Molly, that's enough," Shawn ordered when the girl started to crawl onto Ray's lap. "Leave the detective alone, now."

        Ray grimaced as her pudgy knees accidentally caught him in the groin as she crawled across him and was forced to sit further back or risk her falling off. "As long as she doesn't start screamin' or pullin' at things that don't belong to her, she's fine," he decided, warily. Then he warned Molly. "Don't fall off and hurt yourself."

         Molly smiled at him smugly, and scooted closer to lean against his chest.

        Ray's free arm automatically rose behind her to protect her from falling backwards off his lap and possibly rolling off the sofa.

        "What were you going to ask, Detective?" Shawn offered, kindly.

        "Have there been any reports of kidnapping in this area? Any other children gone missing, or suspicious activity that you can think of?" Ray asked, handing his notebook and pen to Fraser, since he couldn't write with the one free hand.

        Shawn shook his head. "No, we always thought this was a real safe area, actually."

        "Can you think of anyone who might want to harm Adrian?" Ray continued, as Molly pushed back the lapel of his jacket and traced the strap of his shoulder holster, intrigued. "Maybe an ex boyfriend, or an ex husband?"

        "Ellen's ex-husband is on an…" Shawn paused, carefully, "extended stay with the State's correctional facility."

        Ray nodded and pulled his coat further down to cover the holster, before the child's inspection moved to the weapon beneath.  He could understand Shawn didn't want to say the word jail or convict and risk the girls understanding the words.

        Ray lightly jerked his head away from Molly's searching fingers and pulled her hand away from his hair. "Can ya tell me why he went to stay there?"

        "Um…" Shawn's eyes darted to the small mantle that held an assortment of framed photos. "The third from the left."

        Ray and Fraser both glanced in that direction and saw the picture of a young, blond girl, in her early teens perhaps. She was smiling as she accepted some sort of school award.

        "That was Corrine," Shawn said, softly. "She…went away too."

        Ray nodded, sympathetically and Fraser offered Shawn an understanding nod. So Ellen's ex-husband had killed his oldest daughter and gone to prison for the crime.

        "What about an ex-boyfriend?" Ray asked.

        "I wouldn't know about that," Shawn denied. "Ellen and I never talked about anyone else she met before me, except for her first husband."

        Suddenly, the telephone rang and interrupted further questions.

        Shawn waved at them to continue. "Don't worry about it. It's probably just a client. Most of them know to leave a message on my machine. It will pick up downstairs, when no one answers up here."

        Fraser nodded. When the phone stopped after two rings his keen hearing caught the sound of a second phone ringing, from somewhere else in the house.

         "Would it be too much of an imposition to speak to your other daughter, Mr. Porter? Melinda was it?"

        Shawn shook his head. "She's sleeping right now, I'd really hate to wake her," he admitted. "But, I'll call you when she's up to answering some of your questions, would that be okay?"

        Ray nodded and retrieved one of his cards for the man. "Just give me a call when she's up to it then," he suggested.

        Shawn nodded and rose to accept the card as his other arm still cradled a sleeping Sara.

        Fraser's lips twitched again and he rose. They had covered as much as they could for now and the man seemed to be sincere. "Thank you kindly for your time, Mr. Porter," he offered.

        Ray started to rise, but Molly refused to release him.

        "Guess she likes you," Shawn chuckled, amused.

          Ray knelt and tried to gently disentangle the girl's arms from around his neck. "Nice kid," he soothed. "Now leggo."

         Fraser smirked at Ray's predicament.

        Ray cast his partner a fierce look "Don't just look down, help."

        "Kissy!" Molly demanded and an expression of horror passed over the detective's features.

        "I believe she would like a kiss goodbye, first, Ray," Fraser commented, his eyes twinkling in amusement.

        "Aw, geeze," Ray groaned. "Do I look like a freakin' Nanny here?"

         Shawn settled the snoozing Sara in her swing and tried to get Molly to release Ray. "Com'on, sweetheart, they have to go now."

         Molly's grip tightened on the detective and Ray finally had to give her a peck on the cheek to be released.

        Fraser helped him to stand, while attempting to keep a straight face. "And you say you can't get a girl interested, Ray," he teased, as he handed Ray back his notebook and pen.

         Ray glared at him. "Keep it up Mountie an' you'll be walkin' home," he warned.

         Shawn walked them to the door. "If there's anything else I can do to help catch whoever did this to Adrian, please let me know," he requested and both men nodded.

        They stepped outside and headed for the car.

        "I really don't understand you, Ray," Fraser remarked.

        Ray smirked. "News flash there, Fraser."

        "I'm referring to your reaction to Molly," Fraser explained. "I thought you liked children?"

        "I never said that, Fraser."

        "Didn't you say you wanted a family with Stella?" Fraser pressed. He regretted his words instantly as a pained look traveled over his friend's features.

        "Sure I wanted kids, with Stella," Ray agreed, composing his expression as they settled inside the GTO. They had left Dief in the car and he growled his disapproval. "My own kids, Fraser. Not someone else's."

        "Whatever is the difference, Ray? Children are children regardless of who they belong to."

        Ray shrugged and pulled out of the drive. "I dunno, they just make me nervous I guess. Ya never know what they're gonna say or do and I worry I might somehow hurt them, or something."

        Fraser fought hard not to laugh. His partner had just summed up how the Mountie often felt about Ray. The cop was unpredictable and kept Fraser on his toes. Fraser's penchant for getting into trouble and diving in without looking caused him great distress over the idea that he was also endangering Ray.

        "So, you generally don't like children, then," Fraser decided.

        Ray shook his head. "I never said that either, you're puttin' words in my mouth." He pulled to a stop at a red light and looked sideways at Fraser. "I like kids fine, other that the hooligans I deal with every day on the street. I'm just not around 'em much, Fraser so I tend to…ya know…get a little nervous. I don't have your talent of…what's the word…reassuring people I'm a good guy." He shrugged. "Kids are smart, Fraser. They see right through you when ya lie. I'm an undercover cop, lying is my life."

        "I think Molly thinks you're a good guy, Ray," Fraser offered. "I think others would too if you gave them a chance."

        Ray stared at him, digesting the Mountie's words thoughtfully. A horn sounded behind them and Ray looked up to see the light had changed. He returned his attention to his driving.
 

        The following afternoon, Ray glanced across the squad room as a little squeal of delight sounded and a moment later little Molly Porter was attached to his leg. The duo had only just returned to the station and Ray had removed his heavy raglan, but still wore his gray sports coat over a green polo shirt.

         Francesca Vecchio, who had been standing next to her pretend brother and Fraser, grinned widely.

        "Up! Up!" Molly insisted as Shawn, Sara and an older girl reached them.

        Shawn gave him a sheepish grin as he parked Sara's stroller next to them. "Sorry about that," he offered  Ray. "She caught sight of you and took off."

        Fraser knelt to greet her. "Hello Miss, Molly. How are we this afternoon?"

        Molly threw her arms around him in delight.

        Fraser lifted the girl into his arms as Francesca smiled and cooed at her.

        "What can we do for you, Mr. Porter?" Ray inquired.

        "I was hopping I could talk to you a few minutes, if you aren't too busy," Shawn replied, quietly. "It may be nothing, but I remembered something after you left the yesterday and I thought I should tell you."

        "And who is this lovely young lady with you?" Fraser inquired, kindly, smiling at a young girl that was entirely too pale and sickly looking for a child to be.

        Shawn smiled his fifteen-year-old stepdaughter. "This is Melinda, she was feeling better today and said she wanted to come and talk to you. Lindy this is Detective Vecchio and…" He frowned at Fraser. "I'm sorry I forgot your name."
 
        "Constable Benton Fraser," Fraser offered and extended his hand toward the girl, while maintaining his hold on Molly. "Hello Melinda, it's very nice to meet you."

        Melinda briefly shook his hand, her eyes lighting up shyly when he smiled.

        Ray smirked. Another heart lost to the great Benton Fraser. He noticed that Diefenbaker, who was usually the first to sniff and greet a pretty woman, remained perched beside Ray's desk and watched Melinda with keen, unblinking eyes. Melinda seemed to shy away from the wolf as well. Perhaps, her illness had not allowed her access to many animals.

         Molly squirmed in Fraser's arms to reach Ray and Fraser teased her by letting her slip over backwards, while retaining a firm hold on her legs. She giggled, but her tiny hands were still grasping for the detective beside her.

        Ray stepped out of her reach again, warily.

        "I think she likes you, Ray," Francesca teased.

         Fraser continued to play with the girl. He was trying to distract her from his uneasy partner, but it wasn't working.

        Molly started squealing louder.

        "Sure, we can talk," Ray assured Shawn quickly. "With your permission, I'd like to talk to Melinda separately, if that's okay. We'll get to your news first, Mr. Porter." He called out to Huey as he was passing. "Jack, com'ere."

        "What is it, Ray?" the other detective inquired.

        Ray offered Melinda a smile. "This is Detective Huey, he's gonna show you where to wait until we can, talk, okay?"

        Melinda nodded.

        "Interview two Jack," Ray requested, "and get her a drink if she wants it."

        Huey nodded, smiled and extended his arm to Melinda, who shyly accepted. "This way miss."

        "Ray!" Molly cried and everyone stared at her, surprised.

        Shawn laughed in delight. "How about that? I only told her your name once, usually it takes her a while to say a new word."

        Sensing their approval, Molly called out to the detective a second time even louder.

          Welsh came out of the office to see what the commotion was. Molly's cries had made quite a few heads turn.

        Seeing the brooding face of his Lieutenant gave Ray the initiative to accept Molly into his arms. He had been startled she could remember his name, let alone say it. Perhaps because it was only one syllable it was easier for her. Ray couldn't help the feeling of warmth that crawled through him at the child's gesture.
 
         Molly immediately quieted and cuddled into him.

        "Having a family outing, are we, Detective?" the Lieutenant demanded, softening his voice in respect for the children.

          Ray thought it only made his superior sound more dangerous.

        "Um…no, sir. Practicing to be a politician."

        Welsh smirked at the barb and returned to his office.

        Ray released a slow breath.

        "No accounting for taste I suppose," Francesca teased.

        Ray glared at her. "Ha, ha, real funny," he tossed back as Molly's fingers coiled into his hair. "Don'cha have to go paint your super ID a bright yellow or somethin'?"

        Francesca made a face at him and folded her arms across her chest, amused.

        Ray pulled his head away from the child's grasp. "What is it with my hair, kid?" he muttered. He caught her little hand and pulled it down to her side, away from his precious hair. "Ya got plenty of your own to pull on."

        "Perhaps she's wondering what makes it stand up so straight, Ray?' Fraser suggested.

        Ray shot him a deathly look and tried to hand Molly back to the Mountie, but the girl started to scream again. Ray sighed and hefted her higher in his arms.

         Again, she snuggled against him.

        Ray tried to ignore the amused stares of his coworkers and couldn't help the grin that tugged at his lips as he met her sweet gaze. "Okay, you win, ya happy?" he sighed in defeat.

         Molly smiled at him, adoringly.

        Ray shook his head at his predicament and tried to concentrate on work. "Frase, take Mr. Porter into number one I'll be there in a minute."

        Fraser nodded and led the other man away.

        Ray pulled open his desk drawer and retrieved his small rubber ball. "You want this?" He couldn't work with a three-year-old attached to his hip.

        Molly's eyes widened and she reached for it.

        Ray shook his head. "No, no. I set you down first and no more fuss deal?"

         Molly nodded solemnly, her eyes riveted on the toy.

         Ray set her on her feet and gave her the ball, then reached back to check whatever damage her tiny fingers had done to his hairstyle.

        "Oh that's good, bribe the poor kid," Francesca huffed.

        "Whatever works, Frannie," Ray returned as he reached across his desk for his coffee. He swallowed the last of it, crumpled the cup and tossed it in his wastebasket. "What would it take for you to disappear and stop squawkin'?"

        Francesca ignored him and crouched to examine the ball with Molly, who was showing it to her with a child's enthusiasm.

         Stella Kowalski approached and gazed at the pair beside her ex-husband. "Ray, what's going on?"

        Ray's demeanor immediately tensed with his usual nervousness around the woman he adored. "Oh, hey Stella. How are you? You…you come to visit or…"

        "Can it, Ray," Stella ordered, still watching the girl, disapprovingly. "This is no place for a child, Ray."
 
        Ray glanced down at Molly. "She belongs to someone else, she just likes to be with me for some reason."

        Ray was embarrassed and surprised when Molly turned away from the two women to clutch onto his leg, shyly. On impulse he picked her up again and she wrapped her free arm around his neck.

        "Um…her dad…well…I'm gonna interview him in a minute."

        "Then don’t you think you should get to it?" Stella suggested, frowning. "This isn't a day care, Ray."

        Ray scowled and shook his head. "I know that, Stella," he assured quietly. "Like I said she belongs to someone involved in one of my cases. I can't help that she likes me." He lowered his eyes slightly. "Some people do still like, me Stell-it can happen y'know?"

        Francesca felt the need to help defend her pretend brother. She stepped up to caress Molly's cheek, affectionately, while putting an arm around Ray from the other side.

        "Kids respond to kind hearted people," she stated, darting a cool look at the attorney. "Molly's just responding to Ray's naturally sweet aura."

        Ray offered her a startled, but grateful look and grinned when Molly again showed off the ball Ray had given her.

        Stella was immediately contrite. She didn't mean to sound like a bitch, but she couldn't show how much it hurt to see her ex-husband with a child in his arms. It looked so…right for Ray, so natural and she regretted even more not having a child of their own.

         "Ray I didn't mean…"

        "Forget it, Stella," he declined as Francesca continued to fuss over Molly. "Like I said, I gotta go talk to her dad. "Did you need something?"

        Stella shook her head.

        "I'm here to talk to Welsh mostly, but I'll fill you in later," she informed, curtly.

        Ray nodded and allowed his eyes to rest on her longer than was necessary.

        As always Stella was the first to turn away and head for the Lieutenant's office.

         Ray sighed and felt a tug on his hair. He returned his attention to Molly.

        "Gotta go potty," she stated, holding the ball he had given her in one hand and gripping his hair with the other.

        Ray paled.

         Francesca giggled as she pried the little girl's hand from Ray's head.

        "I'll take her," she offered, hefting Molly into her arms, surprised the child came willingly.

        Ray gave her a look of relief. "Good, yah," he agreed.

        Francesca shook her head at him, amused and started off.

        Ray caught up with her a second later kissed her on the cheek.

        "What was that for?" she asked, surprised.

        Ray shrugged, impishly. "For bein' you and for…" He gestured with his hands. "Y'know, with Stell."

        Francesca smiled and nodded.

        Ray watched them for a few more seconds he headed to the interview room to discuss things with Mr. Porter.

        Inside the interview room, Fraser and Shawn were speaking, quietly. Sara was sleeping in her stroller beside Shawn's chair.

        Usually, Francesca or one of the other females would take the children while their parent or parents was being interviewed, but Shawn didn't figure it would hurt to keep his girl with him, there wasn't much she would understand anyway; even if she did wake up.

        "Ah…Ray," the Mountie greeted. "We were just discussing childhood ailments."

        "Where's Molly?" Shawn asked, concerned as Ray closed the door.

        "Frannie took her to the …er little girl's room." Ray hated that he blushed as he said it but the other men took pity on him and didn't comment. He crossed his arms over his chest, resuming his usual defensive posture. "What did you remember, Sir?"

        "Well, it may not be very important, but I don't want to overlook anything that might help Adrian," Shawn insisted.

        "Every little bit helps," Ray agreed. "So tell us what you've got."

        "Well, I remembered what you asked about if I noticed any strangers hanging around the neighborhood the past few days," Shawn began. "I work from home so I'm always there."

        "What is it you do?" Fraser inquired, curious.

        "I design web sites," Shawn replied. "I've just started my own little business, but it's already taking off pretty well. I hope in the next year or so Ellen will be able to quit at least one of her jobs and we'll have more money to raise the kids on."

        Ray nodded and indicated that the man should continue.

        Shawn nodded. "Right, anyway it didn't hit me until I was talking to Lindy at breakfast. She's having a good day today and actually came downstairs to eat at the table with us."

        "How is Adrian doing?" Fraser asked. He and Ray had been keeping tabs on the child's progress, but it was only polite to ask.

        "Ellen's been at the hospital since yesterday, but she says there's no change in her," Shawn informed, sadly. "Well, anyway as I said, we were sitting at the table eating and I was telling her a little about what you asked, about strangers and things. Lindy reminded me about a fellow that was hanging around a few days back, said he was some kind of surveyor for the county."

        "Did you approach the guy to see if he was legit?" Ray asked

        Shawn shook his head. "Not as much as I should have, probably. We just spoke in passing, really. He had all that camera equipment and orange tape, I assumed he was legal. He'd set up outside of our house for about two days then he moved on down the street." Shawn frowned. "I guess I should've called the city to check him out but it just didn’t occur to me."

        "Did you get his name?" Ray demanded as he pulled out his notebook and pen.

        Shawn nodded. "Yeah, I did do that at least, it was Charlie Brown," He mimicked Ray's smirk. "Which is exactly why I remembered it. Although, now I wonder if it was his real name."

        "Easy enough to find out," Ray assured as he noted the name. "Did he have a company vehicle with a name on it or was it a city car?"

        "It was a white City of Chicago van," Shawn stated, firmly. "Which, I guess is another reason why I didn't question him being there. I know there's been some rumors about the city widening our street, so he could've been there for that."

        "Up, Ray! Up!" Molly cried as Francesca opened the door and let her inside the room. Immediately, the girl ran to the detective

        "I tried to occupy her, but she kinda insisted," Francesca commented.

        From the gleam in her eye Ray suspected she hadn't tried very hard

        "Gee, thanks, sis," he growled sarcastically.

         Shawn reached for his daughter and she shifted away from him to pull at Ray's legs, expecting to be picked up.

        Ray sighed, lifted her up, and turned to settle her on the table. "Park yourself." he requested.

         Molly gave him a brilliant smile and studied her ball.

        The men resumed their talk. Shawn gave them a description of the man and the days that he had been in the neighborhood-as far as he could remember.

        Ray, in his habit of pacing, ended up perched on the opposite end of the table.

        Fraser watched Molly climb to her feet, atop the table, and reached a hand to steady her, automatically.
 
        Molly walked the short distance to her new friend and tossed her arms around Ray's neck, startling him.

        Ray glanced back at her and made sure she wasn't close enough to the edge to slide off. With him half sitting on the table beside her, there was little chance of an accident, so he continued talking to Shawn.

        Molly played with Ray's hair again, and for once he didn't pull away.

        Fraser suspected many people would envy the child's daring; when it came to touching the detective's hair, he included.

        Molly peered into the pocket of Ray's sports coat and she squealed in delight.

          Ray shook his head and wiggled his finger in his ear to hear properly again. He smirked. "Um…she found my candy," he reported to Shawn, sheepishly.

        "If you want to give her one that's okay, as long as it isn't hard candy," Shawn allowed, grinning.

        Ray allowed Molly to pull a caramel from his pocket, then he quickly retrieved it to remove the plastic wrapping.

        Molly grinned at him and popped it in her mouth.

        Ray tossed one to Fraser, who caught it easily, then offered one to Shawn, who declined. Ray popped the caramel into his own mouth and continued with the interview.

        Molly pretended to fix the collar of Ray's shirt and then pulled his wrist into her tiny hands to examine his silver bracelet. When she reached for his gun, Ray sharply told her no, and her lower lip quivered.

        "Molly, that's enough," Shawn warned, finally. "You're being a pest now sit down."

        "She's okay, she's not bothering me," Ray assured, surprising the other man. He pulled his gun out of the holster and handed it to Fraser for safekeeping.

        Molly still looked too sad for the detective's tastes, so Ray unwrapped another caramel to give to her.

        "You gonna be a detective when you grow up, inspectin' everything?"

         Molly's entire face brightened as she accepted the treat. She bit down on the candy and then kissed Ray's cheek, tossing her arms around his neck once more.

        Ray blushed in quiet delight and patted the top of her head, awkwardly.

        "Oh, and I got the address and phone number for the Macoms from Ellen," Shawn remembered and pulled the sheet of paper from his pocket. "I figured you might like to talk to them." His expression flickered in anger. "I'd like to talk to them myself, but Ellen says I might do something to make things worse."

        "We appreciate you letting us handle this," Ray agreed and accepted the paper.

        "I think that will probably do for now, Mr. Porter," Fraser offered he and Ray rose. As always he was in tune with his partner's next move. "Detective Vecchio will go and talk with Melinda and then you'll be free to leave.

        "That's fine," Shawn agreed.

         Ray pulled Molly over his head and set her on her feet next to them.

        Shawn reached for her. "Stay here with me, Molly."

        "No!" she cried and reached for Ray as he and Fraser moved toward the door.

        "Hey, hey," Ray scolded and knelt beside her. He indicated the ball she held. "No more fuss remember?"

        Molly frowned and hugged the ball to her, protectively as Shawn pulled her back from the door.

        Ray closed the door behind them and paused to speak with Fraser in the hall.

         He handed him the paper Shawn had given them. "Have Frannie check this out while I talk to the girl," he requested, then winked at his partner, slyly. "Unless you wanna talk to Melinda-she looks like she's yet another victim of your charms."

        Fraser shook his head and ignored Ray's teasing. "She will probably be less nervous if there is only one of us, Ray," he reminded.

        "But you're the guy for the kids, Frase," Ray stated.

        Fraser smiled. "I wouldn't say that, you seem to be doing very well with Molly."

        "Y'know, smart ass Mountie's don't get into Heaven, Fraser," Ray informed as he opened the door to Interview room two.

        Fraser grinned knowingly and walked off. If that was the case he had ruined all of his chances of a pleasant eternity, since he had met Ray. That man brought out the devil in him.

         Ray headed into interview room two and found Jack playing cards with Melinda.

        "She's beating the pants off me," Jack exclaimed, causing the girl to smile and duck her head, shyly.

        "Good job," Ray told her with a wink. "I've been tryin' to tell him he's no card shark for awhile now."

        Jack rose and smiled at Melinda. He wished her goodbye then left.

        Ray glanced at the two-way glass, where the girl was watching Shawn play with her little sister. However, the speaker linked to the rooms was switched off so she couldn't hear them. He moved inside and perched again on the table.

        "So, Melinda, or can I call you Lindy?" Ray began.

        "Lindy is okay," she agreed.

        Ray smiled. "Cool, you can call me, Ray then, okay?"

        She nodded. "O…okay."

        "I just have a few questions for ya, but you don't have to be nervous, you're not in any trouble, okay?"

        Melinda nodded.

        Ray noticed Fraser had returned to the other interview room and now was helping Shawn entertain the Molly.

         Melinda was watching Fraser very closely.

         Ray hid a smile. "Would it make ya feel better to have the Mountie in here too?"

        Melinda blushed and shook her head lowering her eyes. "I…he's so…he's very nice but…he…he makes me nervous, a little."

        Ray smirked. "Yah, he makes me nervous too," he confessed and Melinda's lips held a ghost of a smile. "Don't worry, you're not the first lady to fall for his charm and good looks."

        Melinda did smile then. "You…you're nice too," she offered, politely.

         Ray tilted his head, flattered. "Well, thank you," he replied. "But we're not here to talk about what studs Fraser and me are."

        She smiled again at his teasing. Then she frowned. "I…will Adrian be okay?"

         Ray shrugged. "I don't know, honey, but hopefully she will. Is there anything you can tell me about your sister that might have seemed strange or out of the ordinary over the past few days?"

        Melinda shook her head. "Adrian seemed okay, she was having some trouble in her math classes but I was helping her with that, when I had a good day."

        Ray nodded. "You two talk a lot, share secrets and the like?"

        Melinda nodded. "We're real close, best friends almost." She sighed. "After Cory died, Adrian had bad nightmares for a long time and I guess I got…well I worried about her more."

        "That's understandable," Ray agreed. "Did Adrian ever tell you anything that maybe you thought was strange or that you should tell someone about?"

        Melinda averted her eyes. "I…we shared some secrets but I…I don’t know if I should tell you…"

        "I know it's important that you not betray your sister's confidence, Lindy, but this is really important. If there's anything at all that Adrian might have told you that could help us find her attacker ya have to tell me."

        Melinda remained silent, reluctant to speak up so Ray allowed her to think on it a minute and moved to his next question.

        "This friend Janet Macom she went to stay with, did you know her?"

        Melinda shook her head. "No."

        "Adrian never mentioned her to you before?"

        "No, but I think she only knew her a couple of days," Melinda confessed. "I think they were someone Mom knew and she introduced Adrian to Janet through them or something."

        Ray frowned. "Is Adrian a pretty out going kid? Lots of friends at school or home?"

        Again Melinda shook her head. "No, Adrian's real shy most times. I think she only had the one friend at school, Sally Richards, but she transferred out last year. Mom said Adrian needed to make a new friend, so I guess that was why she wanted Adrian to go stay with them for the weekend."

        Ray stroked his jaw, thoughtfully. "So, your Mom suggested Adrian go away with them, is that it?"

        "Well, yeah. Mom brought it up at dinner, but Adrian didn't want to go at first; I guess because she doesn't like to be away from home ever since Cory died."

        "But she went anyway?" Ray surmised.

        Melinda nodded. "Yeah, she wasn't too happy about it, but she finally agreed to go."

        Ray nodded. "How are you doing? I heard from your Dad that you've been sick?"

        "Yeah. I wish the doctors would figure out what was wrong. I get so tired going to the hospital all the time for tests."

        "Yah, I'm not fond of hospitals either," Ray agreed, gently. "Is it just that you feel weak or are there other things, if you don’t mind me asking?"

        Melinda shrugged. "I throw up a lot, it's hard to keep anything but soup down. Some days I feel fine and I can eat okay. Other days I'm real weak and cold all the time and nauseous. "

        "And the doctors don't know what's causing it?" Ray asked, concerned.

        "Not so far," Melinda admitted. "Like I said, days like today I feel pretty good, I can eat and walk around. Other days, I can't even get out of bed."

        "Must get boring laying around in bed all day long, huh?"

        Melinda nodded. "Sometimes, but Shawn plays games with me or we’ll watch movies in my room."

        "You like your step dad?" Ray asked. "Find him to be a pretty good guy?"

        "He's a lot of fun and he's always home so that's nice when I don't feel well-I know I just have to call him." She smiled, proudly. "He's even teaching me to drive, so I'll be able to get my license when I turn sixteen in two months."

        Ray nodded, impressed. He knew how important it was for kids to learn to drive. His Father had taught Ray when he was thirteen, simply because it was when Ray wanted to learn.

        "How about your Mum, she pretty supportive too?"

        Melinda's gaze narrowed a fraction. "Mom works a lot-I don't see her much."

        Ray nodded and pulled out one of his cards. "I want to give you this, Lindy, in case there's anything else you wanna tell me. It has my cell number and the number here at the station. They can get a hold of me day or night if you need to talk to me, okay?"

        Melinda nodded and accepted the card.

        "Anything ya say will be private, I promise ya that, and nothing you tell me will get you in any kind of trouble, you understand that?" Ray explained and offered her his best smile.

        Melinda fiddled with the card, reluctantly, but was touched by his offer. "I…if there was something… something to tell but it was…bad and… could get someone in trouble... would…would you still have to...um… would you make sure that person didn't get into trouble, too?"

        "I can't make that promise until I know what the information is, Melinda," Ray informed, kindly. "I will promise to do my best to make sure everyone is treated fairly and that all the options are considered. Would that do?"

        "I…I'll have to think about it," Melinda decided and Ray nodded.

        "That's cool, you think about it and whatever you decide, call me, okay?"

        She nodded and rose.

        Ray stood beside her and walked her to the door. "Just remember, we have to do what's best for your sister right now and that involves catchin' whoever hurt her to keep 'em from tryin' again."

        Ray hated to use the guilt trip on the girl, but they needed whatever information they could get.

        Melinda's expression turned thoughtful, and then finally she nodded. "I…I understand," she agreed as he opened the door and brought her to the other room where her family resided.

        Molly was intent on a piggyback ride from Ray, the moment he returned to her, so he obliged her as far as the stairs that led out of the squad room. He ignored the amused and startled looks they received from their coworkers.

        "Hey Vecchio, you finally replaced that monkey on your back, hey?" Dewey snorted.

        Ray refrained from comment, since the girls were present. He knew it would take awhile to live this down, but what could he do? Besides Dewey was an ass, he would always be an ass, no matter what Ray did or didn't do.

        "Vecchio, Fraser!" Welsh called when he saw them and they both turned as he and Stella approached. Welsh smirked at Molly, whose arms were around Ray's neck. "Is she a new kind of equipment for investigating that I don't know about, Detective?"

        Ray grinned and shrugged. "She seems to think so, Sir." He avoided Stella's quiet gaze.

        "Well, at least you're getting some exercise out of it."

        "Nah, she doesn't weigh more than a sack of potatoes." He set Molly on her feet and the little girl gravely offered him back his ball. "No, you keep it, honey."

        Molly smiled and turned shyly to her Father, who was also smiling.

        "If you ever want a job as a baby sitter, Detective…" Shawn offered and Ray raised his hands.

        "No no, really," he assured, chuckling. "I'm much better at kickin' heads than changin' diapers."

        "They're out of diapers, Ray," Fraser reminded. "Well, except for Sara, of course."

          Ray shot him a look that said don't-make-me-hurt-you.

        Shawn waved at them and headed out.

         Melinda glanced back at them shyly, still holding Ray's card, and waved as well.

        Fraser and Ray turned to Welsh and Stella. Ray was the first to speak. "Can we do somethin' for you, Sir?" Again he pointedly ignored his ex-wife.

        "Any leads on that kid's assault yet?"

        Ray nodded. "Her dad seems to remember seeing a city worker, some kinda surveyor in the area a few days before Adrian's attack," he informed. "We've got a name and will check it out at county to see if anyone was scheduled for that neighborhood last week."

        Welsh nodded. "Anything else?"

        "Nothing solid, just suspicion," Ray acknowledged. "Lindy, the oldest girl-I think she has some information that could help, but she might be protecting someone."

        "Any idea who?" Stella inquired, stepping in finally.

        Ray nodded. "My guess would be the Mother. Lindy said that Adrian didn't even know the kid that she went to the sleep over with and that her Mother had set it up. Seems a little queer to trust almost complete strangers with your kid for a full weekend, y'know?"

        Welsh frowned and nodded. "The girl say why her Mother had set up the sleep over?"

        "According to Lindy, Adrian's real shy and quiet and recently had her best friend move away," Ray replied. "The Mother was trying to get Adrian to make new friends or something."

        "That could well be the case, Ray," Fraser interceded, in all fairness. "Mrs. Porter could well have just been trying to help her daughter surmount her timidity."

        "No way, Fraser," Ray denied. "Did you see how defensive she was when we contacted her about her kid? She didn't even know Adrian was missing. Not only that, but she acted like it was such a burden that she had to leave her job to come see if her daughter was dead or alive." Ray shook his head, grimly. "Ellen Porter definitely does not get my vote for Mother of the year, sorry."

         "Ray, that's hardly fair. " Stella scolded. "She was probably in shock and under great stress. It isn't right to assume she is a deficient Mother, just because you caught her at a bad time."

        "A bad time!" Ray barked, angrily. "There is no bad time when it comes to your kids, Stell! Nothing else matters when their safety is involved and she should have been more concerned with Adrian than her damn job!"

        All three adults blinked in surprise. Ray was not usually so arduous about his cases. He could be quick to judge and stubborn, but his instincts were always good. In the end he set his feelings aside for the premise of justified proof that was what made him a good detective. Now, he sounded like he found Ellen Porter's reaction to her daughter's assault as a personal affront.

        "You sound like you're getting a little personally involved there, Detective," Welsh warned.

        "No, Sir," Ray denied. "Just want to solve the case and I can have an opinion."

        The detective calmed so quickly that both Welsh and Fraser did a double take. Stella, however was used to her husband's inconsistent moods.

        "As long as that opinion is backed up with proof, Detective," Welsh agreed, grimly. "Now, what are you planning to do?"

        "Check out what Frannie found on the surveyor, then go talk to Art and Debbie Macom," Ray replied. "Mr. Porter brought me their address."

         Welsh nodded. "Keep me posted, gentlemen."

         Fraser and Ray nodded and watched the Lieutenant return to his office, before turning to move back toward Ray's desk. Ray grabbed his jacket and keys, then signed out on the board.

         "Ray?" Stella inquired, catching hold of his arm and halting his progress. "Are you okay? You seem…intense over this case."

         "I'm always intense when kids are involved, Stella," Ray replied, quietly as Fraser headed to over to speak with Francesca and give them privacy.

         "Yes," she agreed, softly. Her hand caressed Ray's bare forearm. "But not usually this intense…"

         Ray stared down at her and cut her off. "Stell," he whispered, using every ounce of his will power to pull away from her touch. "I…I can't think when you touch me."

         She almost smiled. "Who's asking you to think, Ray?" she teased. "Just answer the question."

         Ray regarded her with open longing. He could see a spark of the old Stella and the woman he had fallen in love with, dancing in her eyes. "What was the question?"

         Stella shook her head, amused. "Do you think you're getting personally involved in this case?"

         "A little girl was beaten and left to freeze to death, Stella," Ray informed, quietly. "Her Mum doesn't seem to give a shit about her or her other three kids, and we have no freakin' leads at this point. So yah, I'm a little personally involved-it happens."

         "Ray, as terrible as it sounds, bad things happen to kids every day in this city."

         "You didn't see that kid, Stell," he whispered. "She was…she was almost blue from the cold and…and her…the blood from her wounds crusted over like some kinda black scars all over her face and hands. Who would leave a child like that? She's just a kid, Stella, just a baby still."

         "Ray," Stella tried again. "You can't protect them all."

         "I can try."

         "Ray, this little girl isn't Christy." Stella reminded, gently. "Don't convict Ellen Porter because of what happened six years ago."

         Ray shook his head. "I'm not," he denied. "It's not like that, Stella."

         Stella regarded him quietly for a moment then nodded. "See that it isn't, Ray," she warned, slipping back into attorney mode again. "I can't protect you if you turn this into some kind of vigilante case."

         Ray nodded. "You do your job, Stella," he said, firmly. "It's what always came first with you anyway-I'm used to playin' second fiddle."

         "Damnit, Ray!" Stella cursed but Ray was already walking away from her and pulling on his jacket,

          He stopped at Francesca's desk. "Did you get anything on those names I asked you to run yesterday?" he asked.

         Francesca nodded and searched for the sheets of paper she required. She handed it to him. "Art and Debbie Macom, no priors, no official record not even a parking ticket." She indicated the numerous addresses on the sheet. "They've moved around a lot though in the last couple of years. He's a college professor, she's a stay at home Mom."

         "What about the ex-husband, Neil MacGuyver?" Ray inquired.

         Francesca handed him a second sheet. "He's got a pop sheet as long as your leg," she admitted with a smirk.

         Ray sighed and pinched his nose to avoid the impending headache he always experienced when communicating with his pretend sister. "Rap sheet, Frannie,"

         She glared at him. "Rap, country, jive, ya wanna fight about it, God!"

         They continued to glower at each other until Fraser stepped in.

         "What did you learn about Mr. MacGuyver, Francesca?"

         Francesca's gaze rested a moment longer on Ray, before she turned smoldering eyes toward the Mountie and offered him a smile. "Like I said, the guy's been in and out of prison most of his life. Petty larceny, grand theft auto, drug possession, you name it this guy's probably done it. He's serving a life term for killing his own daughter."

         Fraser accepted the sheet and glanced over it. "All of these charges are misdemeanors and relatively non violent," he surmised thoughtfully.

         "So what, a crook is a crook, Fraser," Ray retorted.

         Fraser frowned. "That is not always the case, Ray. Mr. MacGuyver seems to be, as you would term, a petty thug. There is an enormous difference between thievery and murder, especially when the victim is your own daughter."

         Ray shrugged and snatched the sheet from him. "Makes no difference to me, Fraser. The guy was convicted of stabbing his thirteen year old daughter eight times, so I really don't give a damn if his record doesn't mesh. He could have snapped one day and took it out on his kid, or he could have been on drugs. The point is that he did it and he's payin' the price."

         "Sometimes people are wrongly convicted, Ray," Fraser reminded and regretted it, almost immediately.

          Ray's expression turned to stone and he suddenly turned and walked away.

         Francesca offered Fraser a sympathetic glance. "What's his problem?" she asked, snapping her chewing gum, thoughtfully.

        "I'm sure I've no idea," Fraser murmured. He thanked her for her assistance, donned his hat and hurried after his partner with Diefenbaker at his heels.

        They caught up with Ray beside the GTO.

         "Ray, I didn't mean…" Fraser began and was startled when the detective spun around, angrily.

         "This is not the same thing, Fraser," he growled. "This guy's a baby killer, I don’t care how you put it. Beth Botrell went to prison on my mistake and I accept that, but if you ever bring it up again, or ever try to compare her to this kind of sick bastard you'll be finding yourself another partner, assignment or not-you get me?"

         Fraser was immediately contrite, but as usual didn't know when to shut up. "Ray, I was only trying to show you that sometimes people are wrongly convicted and…"

         "Fraser!" Ray snapped as he yanked open the driver side door and Diefenbaker hopped inside.

        Ray glanced at the wolf, as he jumped over the front seats to the back, and tried to calm himself, before raising his gaze to the Mountie again. "I'm aware that our justice system is not the best. I know guilty people go free and sometimes innocent ones are convicted, but it's all we've got. I've got to defend it, it's my job and I'm not gonna start turnin' over stones and stirrin' up a mess of dirt that I really don't care to be involved in on a technicality."

         Fraser stared at him over the top of the car for a long moment. "I meant no disrespect, Ray," he offered quietly. "I'm only trying to help."

         Ray tapped his fingers on the car and examined the paint. Finally, he sighed and nodded. "I know ya are, Frase," he agreed as he slid inside the vehicle and the Mountie settled beside him on the passenger side. "Just…I really would appreciate you not bringing up the Botrell case, okay? I'm kinda sensitive about it."

         Fraser tossed his Stetson on the dash in front of him and nodded. "Understood, Ray. I won't do it again."

         Ray sat there, staring out the windshield, but not attempting to start the car. He leaned back against the head rest and closed his eyes.

         Fraser remained silent, giving his partner the time to think about whatever was bothering him.

         "You really think MacGuyver might be innocent?" Ray finally asked, not bothering to open his eyes.

         Fraser understood how much it cost his partner to ask such a question. Ray did not like to be wrong about his instincts and his natural instinct was that Neil MacGuyver was a cold hearted killer.

        "I think it wouldn't hurt to talk to him, Ray," Fraser suggested. "He has nothing to lose and nor do we."

         Ray hesitated another long time before nodding and starting the car. "Okay, we'll drive up to the penitentiary after we talk with the Macoms.

         Art and Debbie Macom were uncooperative and refused to talk to them without a lawyer, which only made Ray more suspicious. He told them they could talk there or down town at the station, their choice. Adrian had been in their care when she was assaulted; therefore they were the prime suspects. He was within his rights to question and detain them on suspicion.

         Fraser noticed that his partner's usual unpretentious way of speaking had developed into a smooth, no nonsense, dialogue that could rival any lawyer's spiel. Ray seemed to be intentionally using by-the book terminology and interviewing specifications to keep this investigation as professional as possible, so there would be no loop holes to slip through. Fraser was both proud of the change, but simultaneously concerned as to why Ray felt it was warranted.

         The Macoms accompanied them to the station, called their lawyer and remained silent. The lawyer assured both Ray and Fraser that his clients had not been involved in the Porter girl's assault. Yes, she had been going to sleep over, but Adrian wanted to go home after only being with them a few hours. The child had called her house and said someone was coming to get her. A short while later, a car pulled up that they recognized as belonging to the Porters. The child got in and they drove off. They had not seen Adrian after that.

         Ray tried to question them further, asking about their many changes of addresses, but the Macom's lawyer said it was irrelevant and if charges were not going to be pressed than his clients should be released. Ray was unimpressed and frustrated with the whole thing, but could do nothing. He didn't have any substantial evidence to charge them.

         Yes, Adrian had been in their care, but she had been found miles from their house and both had corroborating alibis that they had gone to dinner with some friends after the child had left.

         Ray was annoyed that the lawyer continued to refer to Adrian as 'the child' and in a burst of his usual temperament slammed his hand on the table.

         "Her name's Adrian!" he snapped, leaning close and glowering at the weasel-faced lawyer. "She is not 'the child', she's Adrian MacGuyver. She has three sisters, Sara, Molly and Lindy. Her parents are Ellen and Shawn Porter. She lives at 435 Walnut Hill and she's ten years old. She's shy, loved her big sister, and knows better than ta talk ta strangers. Ya got all that or am I talkin' too fast for ya?"

         The lawyer stared at him, flustered. "I fail to see…" he stammered.

         "Ya got that right!" Ray snarled, straightening. "Ya don't see crap, Counselor. All you see is a paycheck and your mumbo jumbo law books. This is a little girl we're talkin' about, from a real home and a real family. She's not some street kid, hooked up on dope or Christ knows what else. She was assaulted and left to freeze to death. Now she's in a coma and may not come out of it-so get your facts straight."

         "I believe this interview is over, Detective," The lawyer insisted as he rose and collected his things. "My client's have given you their statement and, if you have nothing else, we are prepared to leave."

         Ray glared at the three of them angrily, and for an instant he considered ripping the man's head off and shitting down the lawyer's throat. Fraser's warning hand on his arm prevented him from swinging into action and Ray forced himself to calm down.

         "You can go," he muttered and turned toward the glass partition as the three left the room.

 Fraser turned toward his friend, the moment the door closed and they were alone. "Ray, are you all right?" he inquired.

         "I'm fine, Fraser," Ray returned too quickly to be believed. He leaned his forehead against the cool glass and closed his eyes for a minute to try and compose himself. "Just…y'know, wanna solve this case."

         "If the Macoms are telling the truth, than either Ellen or Shawn Porter picked up Adrian at their home the other day," Fraser mused.

         "So someone's lyin'." Ray sighed, pushed off of the window and rubbed his temples. "Ellen Porter could've taken off work and gone to pick her up."

         "Possibly," Fraser agreed, carefully. "However, Shawn is just as likely to have gone, perhaps even more so since he was the one that would be home and responsible for the children."

         "I don't believe it's him, Fraser," Ray protested.

         "He is just as likely a suspect as his wife, Ray."

         "He's not the type to do somethin' like this."

         "We've no idea what type he is, Ray," Fraser reminded. "This is about evidence and right now the evidence points more to Shawn than Ellen."

         "It's the Mother, damnit!" Ray exclaimed. "She made Adrian go to that damn sleep over. Maybe, when the kid called her Mum got pissed off and just lost control. It happens every day, Fraser-Mother's get fed up and kill…" Ray's mouth snapped shut and he turned back to the glass again, in the pretense of fixing his hair. "We'll just see where this lead takes us. I'll have the Macoms checked out and we'll talk to the Porters, okay?"

         "Ray," Fraser began then paused. He hoped his partner didn't think he was prying, but he suspected something was terribly off in Ray's perception of this case. "Who is Christy?"

         Ray's head darted around to settle on Fraser, with a fixed stare. Damn those Mountie ears of his. After a moment, he turned back and shoved away from the glass to move from the door.

         "Ray?" Fraser asked again, following.

         "Drop it, Fraser," Ray warned as they headed toward the break room. Ray desperately needed a strong, cup of coffee. Unfortunately, he would have to settle for the black slop that the station tried to pass off as the choice brew.

         "Ray," Fraser said as he watched his friend grabbed a Styrofoam cup, from the stack on the counter, and reach for the coffeepot. "I don't mean to pry…"

         "Good, don't," Ray agreed, firmly.

        Ray filled his cup and set the coffeepot back on its small burner. He took a few long swallows, made a face at the taste, then drank the rest and tossed the cup in the trash.

         Fraser frowned and followed Ray back to his desk. It was rare Ray didn't put something sweet, sugar or chocolate candies, in his coffee, The Mountie had never seen his partner drink it black, especially the awful mixture in the station house. Something was definitely bothering Ray.
 
        Ray paused by Francesca's desk and requested she do some digging on the Macom's background and past employers. He also asked that she get copies of the phone records from the Porter's and the Macom's home, over the last few days. Then he, Fraser, and Diefenbaker headed to the Illinois Correctional Facility.
 

         Neil MacGuyver was not a large man. He was skinny and wiry, with thick glasses and thinning hair. His gray and blue prison uniform was clean and tidy; shirt tucked in, black shoes polished to a shine. This was a man that cared about his appearance. He did not look like the sort of man that could stab his teenage daughter to death. The warden had informed Ray that he was a model prisoner.

         Neil entered the small visitor's room and stared at the two men, puzzled. He glanced back at the guard; perhaps thinking there had been a mistake, but was informed that these were his visitors. He shrugged, stepped forward and extended his hand.

         Fraser was the only one who moved to accept it.

         Ray remained leaning against the wall with his arms folded defensively across his chest.

        "Hello, Mr. MacGuyver, " the Mountie greeted. "I'm Constable Benton Fraser of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and this is my partner, Detective Ray Vecchio."

         Neil shook his hand, puzzled. "A Mountie, hey? I met a Constable once before on a plane trip to Florida, years ago. Nice fella, real polite." Neil developed a wistful look. "That was a long time ago though. What's brings you to Chicago, Constable?"

         "Ah, well I first came…" Fraser began automatically, but as usual Ray interrupted.

         "Save it, Fraser-it's none of his business why you're here." Ray lowered his arms and stepped forward, in full head-kicking mode. "We'd like to ask ya some questions about your daughter Corrine."

         Neil's expression closed over. "I've said all I'm going to say about that. It's been four years. What possible questions could you have about something that happened four years ago?"

         "Did you kill your daughter, Mr. MacGuyver?" Fraser asked, boldly.

         Neil shot him a suspicious look. "I'm in here aren't I?" he tossed back, deliberately.

         "Look, I ain't in the mood for attitude, MacGuyver," Ray warned. "We're tryin' to find out the truth here and my partner can sniff out a lie better than any jury, so answer his question."

         "Why?" Neil demanded. "What is this about?"

         Ray paused before answering. "We're investigating the assault of your daughter Adrian and my partner here felt you might hold some answers for us."

         Neil MacGuyver tossed a hand towards the straight back chair at the table for support as all the color drained from his face.

         "Adrian's hurt?" he croaked, his knuckles turning white over the rail of the chair.

         Fraser cast Ray a scolding look, then turned back to Neil. "My partner did not mean to sound so callous, Mr. MacGuyver. We assumed you had been told, or that your ex-wife had called you."

         Neil shook his head as he slowly settled into the chair and rested his head in his hands in despair. "I haven't heard anything from Ellie since… since I was put in here. Shawn, her new husband, he'd bring the kids up once in awhile for me to see them, on special occasions." Another head shake. "I don't think Ellie even knew that he did, but I was grateful for it."

         "So you and Mr. Porter are friends?" Fraser inquired, pulling out the other chair and settling across from the man.

           Ray remained standing, watching Neil closely.

         Neil released an ironic chuckle. "Friends? No, he hates my guts. I'm not so stupid I don't know that. But, he…he understands that…that a man has to see his kids I guess; no matter what he's done in the past." He glanced up at Fraser. "H…How did…what's happened to Adrian, will she be okay?"

        "Someone has badly beaten your daughter and left her to in a small grove of trees on the East Side of Chicago," Fraser explained. "She was half frozen by the time we found her and I am afraid her injuries are very serious; she is in a coma. "

        Neil almost seemed relieved, as he released a slow breath. "So…so it was a stranger then?" He sounded almost hopeful.

         Ray shook his head. "The evidence we have points to Shawn Porter or your wife bein' responsible," he supplied, watching Neil's reaction, intently.

         Neil's head shot up sharply and met the detective's probing gaze. "No! I can't believe that. Shawn loves those kids; he's a good guy. Ellen did right by marrying him after…after the mess I made of things. I don't believe he would intentionally hurt Adrian or any of the others."

         "Why not?" Ray sneered. "You killed your own kid, why couldn't he?"

        Ray knew he sounded cold and judgmental, but he was doing it on purpose. People revealed more when they were put on the defense, so it was Ray's job to get Neil as defensive as possible. It was not lost on Ray that the man wasn't so quick to defend his wife, which Ray filed away for later use.

         "This is different," Neil informed, coolly. "This is nothing like what happened with C…Cory."

         "What did happen with your daughter, Mr. MacGuyver?" Fraser inquired, calmly.

         Neil rose suddenly. "Read the trial transcripts, everything is in there." He shoved the chair back under the table. "I don't know what you're trying to learn, but there's nothing more I can tell you."

         "That's it you cold hearted prick!" Ray snapped, angrily. "Go back to your comfortable little cell. Think about how it felt to kill your own daughter. Who cares if some bastard tried to knock off another one, right? Means nothing to you-just one less you couldn’t do yourself."

         Ray was prepared for the man's attack, but was surprised at the man's strength, considering his thin stature.

        Neil grabbed Ray by the lapels of his coat and tossed him up against the wall in fury. "F**k you, cop! You don't know shit about what I've been through or what I'm thinking. I loved my family and they were taken away from me. I love each of my daughters and now I hardly get to see them. You don't know anything."

        With each affirmation Neil slammed Ray harder against the wall, until Fraser finally managed to pull him off.

        Ray only made a half hearted attempt to fight back, purposely feeding the man's fury to pull more information out of him. "Then help us find who hurt Adrian," he insisted, straightening his clothes as the guard appeared. Ray waved him back.

        "Don't allow another innocent man be punished for a crime he did not commit, Mr. MacGuyver," Fraser said, quietly.

        All movement in the other man halted, except for the nervous pulse that continued to jump in his jaw.

        "Does your ex-wife have a temper, MacGuyver?" Ray demanded. "You think she'd get angry enough to hurt Adrian, even by accident?"

        Neil stepped away as Fraser released him and lowered his gaze.

        "You don't understand," he muttered. "I can't help you." He moved solemnly toward the guard, indicating the visit was over.

        Fraser and Ray exchanged a thwarted look, and then Ray was moving past him to leave the room.

        Fraser retrieved his Stetson, which he had left on the table, and quickly followed him out. He watched Ray stalk through each cell block gate, as they slid open, and then collect his guns from the perimeter guard at the outside desk.

        Outside, they settled in the GTO and Diefenbaker gave them each a quick hello sniff from the back seat. Fraser tossed his Stetson on the dash as Ray stared at his steering wheel, making no move to start the vehicle.

        Finally Ray spoke, breaking the silence. "You don’t think he killed his daughter, do you?"

        "No, I don't, Ray," Fraser admitted quietly, turning sideways in his seat to gauge his friend's reaction.

        Ray traced the circle of the wheel with two of his fingers and nodded. "Neither do I, damn it."

        Ray's cell phone rang and he reached into his pocket to retrieve it. "Vecchio?"

        Fraser watched his partner's face become almost translucent, before flushing with dark fury.

        "Okay, thanks, Frannie," he muttered and ended the call. He sat there for a long moment, before suddenly breaking into a fit and striking out at whatever was closest, other than the Mountie beside him.

        Fraser had seen Ray do this only once before, when they had driven Stella and the Alderman home. Stella had argued with Ray and decided to get a cab from Orsini's home. Ray had responded with a rush of fury, much like the one Fraser now witnessed.

        The Mountie wondered, not for the first time, what it would be like to be on the receiving end of that much anger, and he almost shivered. Ray had been angry enough to strike him once, but that was mostly irritation because Fraser wouldn't shut up. This furious display, Fraser suspected was mixed with despair as well as rage, as with the time with Stella.  In a way, Fraser also envied his partner for being brave enough to allow himself the outlet, unlike the control Fraser enforced upon himself.

        Finally, Ray gripped his steering wheel and rested his head against it, exhausted. "God damnit," he whispered, painfully. "God damnit, goddamnitgoddamnit!"

        Fraser glanced back at Diefenbaker, who was peering at Ray puzzled. He could understand that, Ray's reaction was quite bewildering to the Mountie as well. He reached forward to place a hand on Ray's shoulder in a show of support.

        "Don't," Ray moaned, without raising his gaze from the wheel.

        Fraser retracted his hand, startled and offered his partner a look of sympathy. "What is it, Ray?"

        Ray didn't respond at first, just continued to breathe deeply in an effort to calm himself. He kept his eyes tightly closed, needing to quell the rush of angry tears that threatened to swarm him.

        "She's gone, Fraser," he finally said. "Adrian died about thirty minutes ago."

        "Oh no," Fraser offered, sadly. It was distressing that the child had died, but he was more concerned at how badly his partner seemed to be taking the news. "Are you all right, Ray?"

        Ray straightened and wiped any remaining moisture from his face. He released another slow breath, ran a hand through his hair and started the car.

        "The Porters are at the hospital," he evaded as they pulled out of the lot and up to the gate. The guard gave them a quick check, as Ray flashed his badge, then waved them through. "We'll go there first."

        Fraser nodded and sat back. He would trust Ray to do the right thing, and try to figure everything else out later.

        When the trio arrived at the hospital, fifteen minutes later, Ellen Porter was sobbing in her husband's arms. Shawn also looked on the verge of tears. Melinda was settled in one of the waiting chairs, holding a screaming Sara and keeping an eye on Molly, who was clinging, to her leg. Again she shied away from Diefenbaker and the wolf seemed to acknowledge her fear and stayed away, although his eyes never left her.

         "What happened?" Ray demanded, entering the waiting area. He had to restrain himself from revealing his hand just yet to either parent. Right now they only had circumstantial evidence against the pair.

         Shawn continued to try and comfort his wife as his gaze rested on the detective.

         "She's gone," he whispered forlornly. "We were all taking turns talking to her, hoping she'd come out of her coma. The doctors said she was improving and Lindy…" He faltered and cast a look toward his stepdaughter.

         Ray and Fraser glanced over at the pale, obviously shaken teenager a few feet from them.

        Shawn continued. "Lindy said she was talking to her, like the doctors said, as if Adrian could hear us and just couldn't respond.  Ellen went in and sat with her for a little while." Shawn shook his head. "But…she suddenly noticed that Adrian's heart monitor had…had flat-lined and she started screaming for help." Shawn shook his head. " The nurses had already picked it up and were rushing in, but by the time the doctors got to Adrian she was gone."

         "I'm so sorry," Fraser offered, kindly. "If there is anything we can do…"

         "Catch the bastard that did this," Shawn demanded, distraught. He turned Ellen toward the doors. "I…I'm going to go get her some coffee." He glanced at his daughters. "You stay here, okay?"

         Melinda nodded numbly, and continued to stare off into space.

         Molly, upon seeing Ray, rushed over and he automatically pulled her into his arms.

         "Are you okay, honey?" he asked her and she immediately gripped his hair in one hand and started sucking her thumb. Ray patted her back and hugged her too him. He let her play with his hair to her hearts content.

        Fraser moved to Melinda and offered to take Sara from her. The toddler quieted the moment she was in the Mountie's arms.

         Melinda met his gaze, reluctantly. "She's gone," she whispered.

         Ray settled beside her, in one of the chairs, with Molly on his lap. "We know," he returned, gently. "It's gonna be okay, Lindy." He reached his free hand over to cover hers and was surprised when she curled her fingers into his gratefully. "We're real sorry, but we'll catch whoever did this-I promise."

        Melinda paused and looked at him for a long moment, and then nodded. A single tear rolled down her cheek. "No one can hurt her now," she murmured. "I shouldn't…I tried to be a good sister I…I really wanted her to get better."  She shook her head and lowered her eyes.

         Ray exchanged a quiet look with Fraser. The Mountie carefully balanced Sara against his shoulder and crouched next to Melinda.

         "It's not your fault, Melinda," he assured, softly. "These things happen some times, you mustn't blame yourself."

         Melinda nodded and suddenly reached forward to hug him.

        Fraser returned her hug, awkwardly because of Sara, then offered her a gentle smile. "Have you eaten? Perhaps you should follow your parent's example and get something in the cafeteria?"

         She shook her head and looked at Ray. "I…I need…I think I should tell you my…my secret, but I…I can't tell you here."

         Ray nodded, in understanding.

        Fraser rose, once again in-tune with his partner. "Why don’t I take your sisters down then, they might be hungry?" he suggested and smiled at Molly. The girl regarded him, warily. "Would you like some milk and maybe a doughnut, sweetheart?"

         She nodded, but was reluctant to move from Ray's lap.

          Fraser extended his hand to her. "I'll bring you right back, I promise, and Ray will still be here."

         Molly wrapped tiny arms around Ray's neck and kissed his cheek before sliding down off his lap and taking the Mountie's hand. Fraser walked out, with Diefenbaker at his heels.

        Ray turned to Melinda. She seemed to have regained a portion of her color.

         "What is it you need to tell me, Lindy?" he inquired, gently. He knew she was being incredibly brave considering all she had been through recently.

         Melinda fidgeted with the tail of her shirt and kept her eyes lowered. "I…I don't know how…" she began, tentatively. "I…I'm afraid I'll lose…" She shook her head and took a deep breath. "I miss Adrian all ready."

         Ray patted her hand again and she once more accepted his support. "Just do your best, sweetheart. I know it's hard."

         She took a few more deep breaths before speaking, as if to gather her courage. "My…my Mum she…she's always saying she…" Melinda bit her lip. "I…I know she just gets upset sometimes, but I…she has said it a lot lately and then…then this thing with Adrian I…I don't know what to think."

         "What does she say, Lindy?" Ray encouraged.

         "She complains a lot, says she wouldn't have to work so hard if there…if there weren't so many mouths to feed." She raised her eyes to Ray's forlornly. "We try not to be a bother, Ray. Really. Me and Adrian we…we don't eat very much and we try to keep the house clean and do our chores." She lowered her gaze and shook her head. "Adrian did most of it, I can't help much because I'm always sick, but I…I can't help thinking…it's never enough."

         "That's a very harsh accusation, Lindy," Ray reminded, his heart going out to her. "Do you think your Mother had something to do with your sister's assault?"

         Melinda shook her head confused. "All parents talk and say things. I…it's just that she…she never should have made Adrian go to that stupid sleep over."

         Ray remembered what the Macom's lawyer had told him. "Lindy, did your Mom or Dad go pick your sister up from the sleep over? Did Adrian call home for someone to come get her the same day she left?"

         Melinda shook her head. "I was pretty sick that day and stayed in bed. Shawn was working in his office most of the day, I think. Sara and Molly go to Day Care three days a week, so he can work uninterrupted for a few hours. They were gone that day."

         "Do you know for sure that Shawn stayed at home all day?" Ray asked.

         "I guess he did, I mean I was sleeping a lot," she explained. "His office is in the basement, so he can't disturb me when I'm sleeping. He brought me lunch, at one and stayed to play some cards with me. Then I think he went to pick up Molly and Sara at two."

         Ray pulled out his notebook and jotted the information down. "Are you sure about the times?"

         She nodded. "Yes, Shawn always brings me lunch at one and supper at six, when I can't get out of bed. My sister's go to day care from eight in the morning until two thirty in the afternoon, so he always leaves around two to go get them."

         "And you don't remember if he mentioned that Adrian might have called to be picked up?"

         Melinda stared at him. "Is that what they said, that Adrian wanted to come home?"

         "We're still investigating that," he evaded, neatly. "Is there anything else you can tell me? What kind of car do your parents drive?"

         "Um…Mom usually takes the truck and leaves the car for Shawn in case he wants to take us anywhere-it had the car seats for Sara and Molly." She scowled, thoughtfully. "I don’t know much about what kind they are, but the truck is a blue pick up, a small one and the car is green and silver, like a station wagon but more sporty. Does that make sense? I can show you both of them, they're parked outside."

         "That would be great, if you're up to it," he agreed and rose with her.

         They walked out to the hospital parking lot and Melinda found the Subaru Outback that her Step-Father drove, as well as the Blue Nissan her Mother used. Ray inspected both vehicles and took down the license plates. He would get a search warrant for them later, unless Shawn was cooperative and allowed him to search the vehicles without one.

         They returned inside and found that Shawn had returned from the cafeteria and was searching for his stepdaughter.

         "There you are!" he exclaimed relieved, "I was wondering where you went."

         "Ray took me out to get some air," Melinda explained, before Ray could speak.

         Ray silently congratulated her discretion.

         "Thank so much for all you have done, Detective," Shawn offered as he pulled Melinda into his arms, affectionately. "I just…I wish we could be more help to you about…about finding Adrian's attacker. Did you speak to the Macoms?"

         Ray nodded. "They were pretty closed mouthed about everything and insisted on having a lawyer present," he admitted as Fraser returned with the other children. "They claim that Adrian called home for a ride just a couple of hours after she had been dropped off at their house."

         Shawn frowned and stepped away from Melinda. "They're lying," he protested. "If she had called home I would have gone to pick her up. I was home all that day except when I went to the Day Care around two."

         "The Macom's claim Adrian made the call around ten thirty or so," Ray stated. "So you're saying she never called?"

         "I'm saying I never received a call from her, yes," Shawn insisted and turned to Melinda. "Did you hear the phone ring around that time, honey?"

         Melinda shrugged "I was asleep and probably wouldn't have heard it anyway."

         Shawn nodded, grimly. "You were pretty sick that day," he agreed. Then to Ray. "So then the Macoms are lying and they're probably the ones responsible for Adrian's attack."

         Ray nodded and scratched the side of his cheek thoughtfully, as he prepared to ask his next question. He knew it would make him seem callous, considering they had just lost their daughter, but Ray had a job to do.

         "Would you and your wife mind if we take a look inside your vehicles then, just as a routine precaution?" he requested, firmly. "To rule out any involvement."

         Shawn frowned in puzzlement, for a fraction of a second, before shaking his head. "No, no of course not-whatever you need." He smiled at Melinda. "Take care of the kids, sweetheart and I'll be right back, okay?"

         Melinda nodded and accepted Sara from Fraser. The child immediately started crying again. Molly tried to get Ray's attention, but Melinda pulled her away from the door, until the three men had disappeared from the room.
 
         Outside, Shawn unlocked his vehicle and stood aside to allow Ray and Fraser to inspect it, unconcerned. "I don't have Ellen's keys, but she's parked over there. I can go get them if you like."

         "One thing at a time, Mr. Porter," Ray assured as he settled in the driver's seat and looked over the interior.

        Fraser was examining the exterior, hmming and ahing enough to drive the detective crazy with curiosity.

         They could find nothing inside the car and Ray requested that Shawn open the back.

         "What's going on here?" Ellen Porter demanded as she and the kids appeared a moment later. "Shawn, what are they doing?"

         "They wanted to look over the cars," Shawn replied calmly as Ray leaned into the back and examined the upholstery inside.

         "They don't have a warrant!" Ellen exclaimed, furious. She walked over to Ray. "You don't have a warrant, you have no right to do this!"

         "I have your husband's permission, that's all I need," Ray informed, coolly as he called to Fraser. "Frase, come look at this."

        Fraser stepped up to examine the dried stains that Ray indicated. His eyes confirmed what Ray was thinking and he lifted his hand to show the piece of dried Texas clay that he had found on one of the rear tires, consistent with the special gravel driveway of the Macoms.

         Art Macom had mentioned he had the dirt shipped specially to his home. Fraser explained to Ray what it was and Ray's gaze moved toward Shawn, who was still looking confused.

        "Haven’t we been through enough without you having to paw around in our things now?" Ellen demanded.

         Ray stepped around her as he reached to his belt for his handcuffs and approached Shawn.

        "You're under arrest for the death of Adrian MacGuyver, Mr. Porter," Ray stated grimly as he cuffed the larger man, who was too stunned to resist.

        "You can't arrest him!" Ellen cried.

        "Don't take him away, Ray!" Melinda sobbed, having followed her Mother back outside.

         Ray was forced to ignore their pleas. "I have no choice, I'm sorry," he offered and started to read Shawn his Miranda rights.

        "You unfeeling bastard!" Ellen screamed at him. "My daughter just died and now you want to take away my husband too?"

        Ray bit back the angry retort that rose to his lips. He didn't like this woman and he suspected it wasn't Shawn they were after, but her instead. Calling him unfeeling was the pot calling the kettle black, considering the way he had seen Ellen Porter behave after Adrian's attack.

        "I'm just doin' my job," he told her, darkly. "We'll be needing to look through your car too, Mrs. Porter, so you can either give us permission or wait ten minutes for us to get a warrant."

        Ellen glared at him and placed her hands on her hips. "Do as you like, Detective," she snarled. "You're going to anyway, it seems."

         Fraser watched the exchange, quietly, as he used his partner's cell phone to call for someone to come and impound the cars for evidence.

         "I didn’t do this, I swear!" Shawn insisted.

        Ray settled him inside the GTO. "You have the right to remain silent, Shawn, " he warned, "Take it. Wait until you get a lawyer."

         Neither Fraser nor Ray really believed the man had actually been the one to hurt Adrian, but they had evidence and couldn't ignore that. Those stains in the back looked to be blood and Forensics would have to decide their exact origin and age. The clay on the tires refuted Shawn's claim he had not gone to the Macoms to pick up his daughter and strengthened the other couple's story that Adrian's parent had come to collect her.
 

 
         Ray didn't want to be the one to grill Shawn Porter. He liked the man and he knew in his gut that Shawn was not the one responsible for Adrian's assault. However, Adrian's death had bumped the charge from assault and attempted murder to manslaughter. Ray couldn't ignore the facts of the physical evidence they had found in Shawn's vehicle. Ellen's car had been free of anything incriminating.

         Forensics had gone over the Suberau with a fine tooth-comb. In addition to the stains, which did turn out to be blood, and the clay on the tires, they also discovered hair that matched Adrian's. A torn piece of a child's dress, found in the back seat, matched what Adrian had been wearing that day. Most importantly, the girl's small purple knapsack had been wedged in behind the spare tire and the back seat of the vehicle. Of course, it was the family vehicle and it was natural to find evidence of the Adrian inside.

         As furious and indignant as Ellen Porter was at the hospital, she was conspicuously absent from the precinct. Perhaps, she couldn't find a sitter for her kids and had to stay with them. More than likely she had washed her hands of her husband, as she had Neil MacGuyver four years earlier. Shawn had a lawyer, but denied the right to call him, stating that he had nothing to hide.

        Ray and Fraser both tried to talk him into accepting counsel, but Shawn could not be convinced. A lawyer would only turn his words around to make him sound guilty and like he was trying to get off. Shawn felt he had a better chance on his own, with the unabridged truth.

         Ray continued to try and trip the other man up in his story and, for the first time since he became a cop, hated himself for it. Ray insisted Shawn had picked up Adrian from the Macoms that day. Maybe he'd had a bad day and took it out on the kid. Maybe the stress of feeding so many mouths finally made him snap and, in a moment of insanity, he tried to hurt Adrian. Maybe it had all been an accident and Shawn hadn't meant to hurt her. Maybe Shawn was trying to protect someone, the person who did hurt Adrian if it hadn't been him.

         Everyone of Ray's accusations was met with firm denials. Although, Shawn was starting to get aggravated, he did not once lose his cool or allow Ray to shake his belief in what he knew to be true. He maintained his story that Adrian had never called their house for a ride home. Even when Ray produced a copy of the phone records for that day, indicating that a call had been made from the Macom's phone number to the Porter home, Shawn's conviction didn't falter.

         Shawn had not received a call from Adrian. He had left only once and that was to pick up the kids and the day care around two. He was with Melinda between one and two that afternoon and he had been working in his office between eight a.m. and one p.m. that day. He had no alibi other than a very sick young girl; that slept most of the time. Therefore, Melinda could not say one way or the other if her stepfather had ever left the home that day, other than when he claimed.

         Finally, Ray had to take a break, for himself as well as for Shawn. This wasn't getting them anywhere. The worst part was that both Fraser and Ray believed that Shawn was innocent, but what could they do? They had evidence linking Shawn to the crime. They had to pursue it.

         Ray requested a uniform take Shawn down to lock up, to let the man cool his heals a little, and give Ray a little time to figure out what to do. The information came back on the surveyor, Shawn mentioned seeing in their neighborhood, and the guy had checked out as legit. Forensics had found little at the scene where they had discovered Adrian, because of the snow and rain that had fallen over Chicago that day.

         Ray was missing something, but he couldn't think what it was. He had to believe that his instincts about Ellen Porter were correct, but he had no proof. All evidence they had pointed to her husband and Ray didn't like that one bit. It was too easy. He, Fraser and Welsh went over what they had learned, neither able to find the missing key that would lead them to the real suspect.

         After almost two hours, Welsh took the initiative and suggested they get a warrant to search the Porter's home. Maybe they would come up with a weapon, or evidence to supply a motive as to why Adrian was hurt and left to die.

        It was suggested that they allow the Duck Boys to survey the residence, while Welsh tried to get Adrian's body released from the hospital to perform an autopsy. They obtained a warrant and Huey and Dewey went to investigate the Porter's home. Welsh worked on the people with the hospital for the autopsy.

        Fraser and Ray remained in Welsh's office, talking quietly.

        "It's gotta be her, Fraser," Ray insisted, speaking of Ellen Porter. "I've been suspicious of her from the start and MacGuyver's reaction just makes me more convinced. I think she killed Corrine and hurt Adrian bad enough that the kid eventually died from it." He raised his eyes to Fraser's. "I also don’t think they'll ever find out what's wrong with Lindy, until it's too late."

        Fraser frowned. "We have no evidence that Mrs. Porter is doing anything to her other daughter's, Ray," he reminded. "We cannot accuse her without just cause."

        Ray snorted and rose from the sofa to look out the office window and fiddle with the blinds. "There's no justice in this kinda case, Fraser," he stated. "A kid died, a family will probably be destroyed if we find one or both of the parents guilty. Where's the just cause in that?"

        Fraser regarded his friend, carefully. "Why are you so against Ellen Porter, Ray?"

        "I told you, I feel it in my gut…" Ray defended, without turning around. His jaw tightened. "We need to get those kids away from her, Fraser."

        "We have no proof, Ray," the Mountie reminded. "We can't just barge in and take them."

        "We can if it's for their own safety," Ray insisted. "Before she does it again, Fraser we can…"

        Fraser interrupted. "Ray, you have accused Ellen Porter of being an unfit Mother from the beginning, based on first impressions made under great stress. Now, you claim she is not only uncaring, but also capable of not only beating one daughter and leaving her to die, but methodologically trying to rid herself of her remaining children by nefarious means."

        Ray turned then, fury in his eyes. "You sayin' ya think I'm tryin' ta frame her, Fraser?"

"No, Ray," Fraser immediately, corrected. "I am merely trying to ascertain why you are so adamantly against this woman, when we have not one shred of evidence to convict her on."
 
        "I don't need evidence, I know she did it," Ray maintained, tightly.

        "How do you know, Ray?" Fraser pressed. "You are a police officer, you do need evidence, so how can you know Ellen is a murderess?"

        "I know!"

        "You can't possibly know."

        "I do."
 
        "You're being unreasonable, Ray," Fraser shot, his own temper rising.

        Fraser couldn't help it. Ray was ready to incarcerate possibly innocent woman on a hunch. If only the detective would tell him what was really going on, what was causing all this, but Ray being obstinately tight-lipped.

         "You aren't thinking clearly or you would realize that I'm right about this," Fraser continued. "Who is Christy, Ray? What does she have to do with…"

        "Shut up!" Ray screamed at him, storming over and invading the Mountie's personal space. "God damn you're Mountie ears and hearin' things ya got no business knowin'!"

        "My Mountie ears have helped you well enough in the past, Ray," Fraser reminded, coolly. "Or is it only all right to overhear things that can conveniently convict the man your ex-wife is dating?"

        Ray's entire body was shaking with rage. "Shut up, Fraser or I swear I'll…"

        "What, pop me?" Fraser dared. "That's your answer to everything, isn't it, Ray? If someone disagrees with you or gets in your way, you hit them. Well, go ahead, Ray my friend; slug away. It wouldn't be the first time and I'm sure it won't be the last!"

         Ray grabbed Fraser by the lapels of his coat and raised his fist to strike.

        Registering the pure fury in Ray's gaze, Fraser briefly entertained the thought that he had crossed the line and his partner would indeed hit him.

        Finally, Ray lowered his hand. He uncurled his fingers slowly, and stepped back.

        Before either of them could speak however, Welsh entered. The Lieutenant observed the insurmountable tension in the room and regarded them, suspiciously.

        "Is there a problem here, gentlemen?" he inquired, mildly. His tone reflected none of his anxiety or concern. The fact that both men looked ready to commit bodily harm did not go unnoticed.

        "No," Ray and Fraser answered, simultaneously.

        "Glad to hear it," Welsh decided as he stepped around Kowalski to reach his desk. The blond was still glowering at Fraser, who continued to hold his partner's heated gaze, challengingly. "The autopsy report on Adrian MacGuyver just came back."

        Both men snapped back into official mode and turned toward the Lieutenant expectantly.

        "What did it say?" Ray demanded.

        "She died of asphyxiation."

        Welsh spoke with Francesca and confirmed Ray's plan.

        Ray explained their suspicion to Shawn Porter. At first, he was unwilling to believe that his wife would hurt any of the kids. However, the more Ray reminded him of Melinda's unexplained illness and the fact that Ellen was the last one in Adrian's room before she died, he began to see the detective's point. He agreed to go along with what they wanted.

         Francesca was to call Ellen Porter and explain that Shawn had escaped and that Ray and Fraser were on their way over to collect the family to place them in Protective Custody.

        Despite, Ellen's protests, she finally agreed that if the police truly felt her girls were in danger, they would go. She suddenly seemed all too willing to accept that her husband was a killer.

        Fraser and Ray had hardly spoken more than two words to each other, since their argument in the Lieutenant's office. Fraser still felt something was wrong, but Ray now had the circumstantial evidence he needed against Ellen Porter. Learning that Adrian had been smothered and had not died due to her injuries, had been a blow in the Mountie's belief that the woman was innocent. She had been the last one in the room with her daughter. Ray's reminder that Neil MacGuyver did not defend his wife also added to the weight of Ellen Porter's guilt.

        Fraser assisted Melinda in gathering a change of clothes and a few essentials from her room.  She had weakened dramatically since their trip to the hospital when Adrian died. Fraser's concern grew as he witnessed the state of her condition. She was shaky when she walked and very pale, yet she forced herself to smile for him and carry on like a trouper.

        Finally, they collected all she would need, when she remembered her large, stuffed pink teddy bear. It was her good look charm and she couldn't leave without that. She moved, slowly to the bed to retrieve it and accidentally knocked over the phone at her bedside table.

          Fraser automatically bent to set it back in place.

        "I'm such a klutz sometimes," she muttered, shyly. "I knock things over all the time. Daddy used to call me Butterfingers."

        Fraser smiled at her and ushered her out. "I'm sure we all have awkward moments, especially as a teenager." He shook his head. "With me it involved a shed, a gas can, and a boomerang."

        Melinda glanced at him, puzzled and he smiled.

         "You don't want to know," he assured.

        "Do you…do you believe in God, Fraser?" she asked, suddenly.

        "Yes," Fraser admitted, watching her drop wearily on her bed.

        "Do you think God knows when people do bad things?" she inquired, softly, as she stroked her bear, absently. "Do…do you think it hurts to go to Hell?"

        Fraser settled beside her and considered her questions, carefully. "I'm not sure," he confessed, truthfully. "Many different cultures have their own beliefs of what Heaven and Hell might be. Some think Hell is a place to be avoided at all costs, while others think it's simply a place to do all the sinful things that you are afraid to do when you're alive." He regarded her, quietly. "Some think Hell is here on Earth and that your only reward is Heaven and eternal Peace."

        "Hell on Earth," Melinda murmured, staring at her bear intently. "Bad things happen here, really bad things." She raised her gaze to Fraser's and he noticed that her eyes were swimming with unshed tears. "What if people can't help doing bad things and they're really sorry for doing them? Do they still go to Heaven?"

        "I think so," Fraser replied, gently. He wondered if she knew they were here to trap her Mother, and if she might know more than she was saying. "I'd like to think we all will be offered the chance to redeem ourselves, Melinda."

        She lowered her eyes for a moment then met his gaze again with a longing that left Fraser breathless. "Will I go to Heaven when I die? Will I get to see Cory and Adrian again?"

        Fraser pulled her into his arms and held her close, rocking her slightly. "Yes," he decided, resolutely. "I'm sure you will, Melinda. I'm sure you will."
 

          Ray stopped at the hospital first; to have all three children checked out by a physician, just as a precaution. He secretly requested the Doctor test for any kind of toxins in the girl's systems, especially Melinda's. He was surprised that Ellen did not object, but she seemed to think a free medical exam for her kids was a good deal, since she wasn't paying for it.

         Ray knew the manager of a local hotel and had used it a time or two before for witnesses. He drove the family there and the man offered them a small suite, since there were children. It was nothing elaborate, tastefully decorated with a small sitting area and entertainment center. Two doors led to a couple of small, bedrooms.

        Ray placed two officers inside the suite to stand guard. The officers were to report if Mrs. Porter tampered with the food in any way on any meals that were ordered,
 

        When Ray and Fraser returned to the precinct they met with Shawn, who had been placed in a separate cell from everyone else and away from the other prisoners. They told him about their conversation with Neil MacGuyver and Shawn surprised them by confessing he never thought the man had killed Corrine; he loved his kids too much.

        However, Neil had been convicted and Ellen was convinced her ex-husband had been the murderer, so there was really nothing Shawn could say or do. He brought the kids to the prison when he could, knowing Neil needed some kind of contact with them, and feeling the kids should know who their real Father was. Melinda was especially close to Neil, but often she couldn't make the trips because she was so sick all the time.

        Ironically, both men had faith that the other was not a killer. Instead they had both married a cold hearted woman, capable of murdering her own children.

        Ray and Fraser checked out if the Duck boys had found anything at the Porter's home, but the detective's had come up empty.

        It was after midnight when Welsh informed them that they couldn't wait forever for this plot to unfold; they needed some hard evidence against Ellen Porter or this Protective Custody scam would unravel in the next twenty-four hours, one way or the other.

        Fraser and Ray took Shawn to a motel and placed an officer with him. Shawn was cooperative; he just wanted to do what was best for his girls. They returned to the hotel where the Porter family were staying and relieved the two officers, after being briefed of the night's events.

        Everyone was asleep, no food had been ordered, they all had just gone off to bed shortly after their arrival.

        Fraser and Ray now stood in the modest sitting area of the suite and Diefenbaker had made himself at home on the small sofa. Ellen and Sara were sleeping in one room, while Melinda and Molly had taken the second.

        Ray's cell phone rang. He pulled it from his pocket and quickly flipped it open before it could ring again. It was the hospital calling to report on the results of the tests Ray had asked for. No unusual toxins or foreign substances could be found in any of the girls. Ray spoke quietly, keeping his voice low because of the sleeping people in the other room.

        "You're back," a sleepy-eyed Melinda commented, as she pulled open the connecting door to their rooms and stepped inside. She was wrapped in a pink robe and furry slippers. She avoided Diefenbaker, who watched her from the moment she entered the room, but didn't move from his perch.

        "What are you still doing up?" Fraser scolded gently, as he glanced at his watch. "It's after midnight."

        "I heard a phone ring," she commented with a wide yawn. "And I'm hungry."

        "I don't believe there is any room service at this hour," he offered, kindly as Ray continued to talk quietly into his phone, then finally hung up.

        "Sorry, didn't mean to wake ya," he apologized to the girl as he started dialing again. "I'll order us a pizza, that work?"

        Ray ignored Fraser's disapproving scowl. Okay, so maybe he was overstepping his bounds by letting the kid stay up and offering to feed her pizza, but hell he and Fraser hadn't eaten all day. Besides, Melinda had a rough day herself. If pizza would make her feel a little better, than Ray could do that one little thing for her.

        Melinda nodded, happily and settled in one of the chairs. "That's okay, I'm a light sleeper," she replied to his apology.

        "Boy, not me!" Ray chuckled, as he waited to be put through to the order desk.  "I can sleep through almost anything. What do you like on your pizza?"

        "Anything on pizza is good," Melinda returned as she pulled her feet up under her in the chair. "Can you sleep through anything, Fraser?"

        The Mountie had a peculiar look on his face and it took him a moment to realize she was speaking to him. "Hmmm. Oh, sorry, what was that, Melinda?"

        "Ray said he can sleep through almost anything, can you do that?"

        "No, I'm a very, light sleeper," Fraser informed, calmly. "I hear the smallest noise."

        "Fraser doesn't actually sleep," Ray teased when he finished his call. "He just lay's at attention with his eyes closed and waits until morning."

        Fraser was relieved that Ray was no longer holding the Mountie's earlier behavior against him. Ray usually didn't stay mad at him for long, but this time Fraser had really started to sweat over his partner's forgiveness.

        "That's just silly, Ray," he admonished, affectionately. "Of course I sleep, if I didn't I wouldn't be human."

        Ray winked at Melinda. "I rest my case."

        Melinda giggled, at Fraser's droll expression, and then put her hand over her mouth to stifle the sound. She did not want to wake her Mother, and baby sister.

        "Actually, Ray only sleeps that soundly off duty," Fraser commented. "He is more alert than I am when we are in this type of situation."

        Ray gave him a wry look that seemed to say, that's it, Mountie-suck up- a little more,-you're not completely out of hot water with me yet.

        "You mean protecting us?"

        "Just so."

        "Shawn wouldn't hurt us," she said, quietly.

        "How can you be so sure of that?" Fraser inquired, watching her intently.

        "He just wouldn't," she decided as she picked at the hem of her robe. "Shawn's a nice Dad, like my last Dad. He wouldn't hurt anyone either."

        "Do you think your Father was wrongly convicted, Lindy?" Ray asked, watching her closely.

        Melinda shrugged and changed the topic. "How long before the pizza gets here?"

        Ray allowed it, since it had to be hard for her to talk of her Father, knowing he was in prison for the death of Corrine. She had lost a Father and two sisters already-what would she do when she learned her Mother may be the real killer?

        "About twenty minutes, or so," he finally replied.

        She nodded and rose. "Okay. I'm gonna go lay down until it gets here, then. Don't forget to come get me though. I'm really hungry."

        "Sure," Ray smiled and watched her slip into the adjoining room. He glanced at Fraser, who still had that perplexing look on his face. He grabbed the Mountie's arm and escorted him out into the hallway, to avoid being overheard. "What's up with you?"

        "Hmmm?" Fraser asked, as he rested his chin on two of his fingers, thoughtfully. "Oh nothing."

        "You're doin' that hmmm thing again, now fess up before I pop ya," Ray warned.

        Fraser did not take this threat seriously, as he had Ray's earlier warning of an altercation. He caressed his right eyebrow with his thumbnail. "I…I'm sure it's nothing, Ray."

        "What is nothing, Fraser?"

        "Really, Ray I…"

        "Fraser, please don't make me hurt you."

        Fraser almost smiled at his partner's words, but the distressing thoughts that were chorusing around in his brain prevented his amusement from surfacing.

        "I was just wondering…" he began then paused again.

        Ray raised one eyebrow, impatiently, then two. Finally he wiggled both at Fraser in encouragement. "Finish the damn thought, Fraser."

        "I did." Fraser replied, calmly.

        "Out loud!" Ray hissed, exasperated.

        "I was just thinking about you said, Ray," Fraser returned.

        Ray sighed. "Frase, it's been a long week. I've said a lot of things, be specific here."

        "About your discussions with Melinda."

        "Yah, what about them?"

        "Well, you said earlier that she had information to give us, only she was afraid and perhaps protecting someone," Fraser reminded.

        Ray nodded. "Yah, she was worried about getting someone in trouble, she said it was something bad. Then she told me that stuff about her Mother at the hospital."

        "Was that her terrible secret, Ray?" Fraser asked.  "That her Mother occasionally made disparaging comments about her children?"

        Ray shrugged. "What else could it be? She didn't seem too eager to tell me that and I can kinda see her thinking it would make her Mum look bad."

        "Hmmm," Fraser agreed.

        "Fraser," Ray warned.

        Fraser cast him an absent glance. "Oh, sorry. I was just thinking about the Macom's claim that Adrian called home and was picked up shortly after in the car, which is usually left home for Mr. Porter to use."

        "Yah, so?"

        "Mr. Porter said he never received the phone call from Adrian and I'm compelled to believe him."

        "The phone records don't lie Fraser," Ray reminded, although he also suspected Shawn was telling the truth. "They show the call was made around ten thirty."

        Fraser nodded. "Agreed, but Mr. Porter truly may have never received that call."

        "Fraser!" Ray exclaimed, exasperated. He ran a hand through his hair. What was the Mountie trying to do to him?

        This case was turning out to be a nightmare. Shawn Porter, the one person both men were sure did not perpetrate the crimes against Adrian was also the one all the physical evidence pointed to. However, Ray's suspicions were that circumstantial evidence leaned toward Ellen Porter. So far, they had not found anything substantial to link the woman to the murder of her daughter Adrian, but Ray was confident they would.

        Now, Fraser was trying to change what few pieces of this crazy scenario they had managed to figure out. Fraser's continued support of Mrs. Porter was grating on Ray's last nerve.

        "Hear me out, Ray," Fraser suggested, quickly. "Remember when we were at the Porter home, directly after we brought Adrian to the hospital and we learned where she lived?"

        Ray nodded, impatiently.

        "The telephone rang and Shawn mentioned that it would be picked up on the machine downstairs when no one upstairs answered," Fraser stated.

        "So what?" Ray asked. "He was at home, Fraser. He would have heard the phone ringing and answered it, or there would have been a message on the machine, what's your point?"

        Fraser shook his head. "I don’t think he would have heard it at all, Ray. I could hear the phone ringing downstairs after it stopped upstairs, but not before. The one in Shawn's office must be a separate line and when the house line is not answered, it must be forwarded to a second line downstairs."

        "Which proves that he must have heard it," Ray declared.

        Fraser's frown, deepened. "Not if someone picked it up before the call could be forwarded."

        Ray stared at him. What was Fraser saying? Who else would have...? Ray's jaw dropped as he continued to stare at the serious face of his partner.

        "Have you lost your mind!" he exclaimed. He quickly lowered his voice, considerably. "Fraser, do you know what you're saying? Look, I know ya think I'm unhinged for suspecting Ellen Porter, but now you've gone crazy!"

        "Ray," the Mountie continued grimly, "the idea leaves me little remuneration, but I cannot change the facts." He paused. "There have been a few statements offered that I have found both questionable and unsettling."

        "Like what?" Ray demanded. He had also noticed a few discrepancies, this case was full of them, but it was not a reason to make the assumption Fraser was leading to.

        "The Macom's claim that Adrian called home, is verified by the telephone records, but was refuted by Shawn," Fraser began. "At the hospital he specifically said he did not hear the phone ring and then he asked Melinda if anyone had called."

        "Right," Ray agreed, uneasily, "She said she was asleep and probably wouldn't have heard if they did."

        "Correct, however, as we just witnessed, she was awakened by your cell phone from the other room," Fraser stated. "And when I was helping her gather her belongings in her room, I noticed that she had a telephone directly beside her bed. Certainly, she would have heard that phone, even if she was asleep, if yours had awakened her from so far away."

        "Maybe she had the ringer off?" Ray suggested.

        Fraser nodded. "Perhaps, but highly unlikely."

        "Fraser, she's just a kid, a very sick kid. How could she have been involved in this?"

        "Ray, while we were collecting her things at the house, Melinda started asking me about Heaven and Hell," Fraser confessed, quietly. "I thought at first that she may have suspected that her Mother did have something to do with her sister's death, but the more she spoke I'm inclined to believe she was asking for herself."

        "Asking what, Fraser?" Ray pressed. "What kinda questions was she askin' that would make you suspect a very sick, fifteen year old girl could possibly be involved in something like this?"

        Fraser met his friend's challenging gaze, squarely. "She was asking if God forgave people for doing bad things, even if they couldn't help it, and if she would be allowed into Heaven to see her sisters when she died. "

         Ray paused for a moment and digested the Mountie's words, some of his indignation being replaced with reason and the need to defend Melinda.

        "Okay, so…so maybe she answered the phone when Adrian called," he concurred, slowly. "Lindy probably called her Mother to tell her to go pick up her sister. She could have lied to protect her Mother."

         Fraser shook his head. "That doesn't really make sense either, Ray," he denied. "Ellen Porter usually drives their truck and all the physical evidence was found in the car that is left for Shawn to use. Also, after experiencing how annoyed Mrs. Porter was to be called at work about Adrian's attack, I don't agree that she would leave work to pick her daughter up, just because Adrian was unhappy with the Macoms."

        "So what are you sayin', Fraser?" Ray demanded, once again. "You think Melinda hurt, Adrian? She's a sick little girl, Fraser. You heard Shawn. The kid can hardly get out of bed most days."

        "But she does have good days, Ray," Fraser reminded. "She seemed to be doing quite well the day she came to see us at the station."

        "Yah," Ray agreed, quickly. "But Shawn said she was real sick that day Adrian disappeared. So, she couldn't have done anything…"

        "Or she could have been weakened from too much activity, Ray," Fraser surmised, quietly. He didn't want it to be true either, but Ray had to see there were additional issues involved other than his suspicion of Ellen Porter.

        Ray shook his head, resolutely. "She's a kid, Fraser. Even if Adrian did call, and Lindy took that call, how do you explain that we found Adrian miles from the Macom's and the Porter's home? What did she do, sprout wings and fly to her sister then…"

        Ray paused, suddenly. Remorse and shock flickered across his face, a moment before he managed to push it away and slide his detective's mask back in place.

        "Aw, no," he murmured, turning toward the hall window and leaning heavily against it. "Ah Christ, that's what I was missing. I knew something was queer about it but I didn't…"

        "What, Ray?" Fraser inquired, intrigued.

        Ray slowly turned back. "Lindy, Fraser," he whispered. "I…I felt so bad for her bein' so sick, that when certain things she said didn't quite click I pushed them away."

        "What things, Ray?"

        "She knows how to drive," Ray stated, tormented. "She was real proud that Shawn was teaching her how, so she could get her license in a few months."

        "You think she drove out to pick up Adrian?" Fraser concurred.

        "I don't know," Ray admitted and turned to head back toward the room.

        They heard the distinct sound of a growling wolf coming from inside the suite and they rushed inside.

        Melinda was cowering in the corner of one of the rooms, by the window. Diefenbaker was standing between her and the bed where Ellen and Sara Porter lay. Ellen was staring at her daughter in shock.

        "Get back!" Melinda screamed at the menacing animal. "Get him away! Ray! Help me!"

        Ray, forgetting all about what he and Fraser had just discussed, and the fact that the wolf was deaf, rushed forward and yelled at Diefenbaker to back off. He moved past the animal and knelt beside the frightened girl.

        Fraser saw the flash of metal, a second before Ray noticed it, and called out a warning to his friend.

        Ray caught the hand that plunged the kitchen knife toward him. Only, Melinda wasn't trying to hurt him, she was aiming for her own heart. Ray wrapped his fingers tightly around Melinda's wrist and wrestling the knife from her fingers. It dropped to the floor and Ray managed to slide it toward Fraser as the girl started to pummel his chest.

        "She…she tried to kill me!" Ellen finally, croaked. "She was going to kill me and your wolf stopped her."

        Melinda sobbed and continued to struggle against Ray. "You shouldn't stop me! I want to die!" she cried, hysterically.

         Ray wrapped his arms around her as Melinda's frantic gaze rested on her Mother.

         "She has to die!" she sobbed. "She made me do it! It's all her fault!"

        "No, Lindy!" Ray refused. "It's over. Stop!"

         Fraser caught a frightened Molly, who had entered from the other room, and immediately started to head for her favorite detective.

        "Get them out of here and call an ambulance, Fraser," Ray ordered, still trying to control Melinda's frantic struggles.

        Fraser ushered the small family to the main room, instructing them to remain there.  He called for an ambulance, then returned to the doorway of the room his partner and Melinda occupied.

        Diefenbaker was no longer growling. He just sat there staring at the pair with great sympathy.

        Ray had settled against the same wall Melinda had been cowering against moments before and gathered the child into his arms, rocking her gently. "It's okay, Honey. Sshh, it's over now, baby, it's all over."
 
        "She made me do it," Melinda continued to sob. "She hates us, she doesn't want us. I tried to do what she wanted… she wanted us dead. I did what she wanted… it's all her fault. She made my Daddy go away, now she tried to make Shawn go away. I had to do it, I had to."

        "I know," Ray soothed as he met Fraser's tragic gaze. "You did what you had to do, I understand. Hush, honey it's gonna be okay. We're gonna get you help." He extended his hand toward Fraser and the Mountie settled opposite Melinda to join the embrace.

        "I want to go to Heaven," she whispered, forlornly, as she rolled her head back to look at the Mountie. "Take me to Heaven, Fraser? I want to see my sisters, I want to be with them."

        Ray blinked at the tears that filled his eyes.

        "You will, Melinda," Fraser assured, softly. "You'll see them again one day, but not yet. Not for a very long time."

        "Not yet," Melinda sobbed, as she basked in their protection and warmth, still delirious with grief. "Soon, I'll see them soon."

        Ray continued his vigil outside the hospital room that held Melinda 's pale and exhausted form. An observation window, that the Doctors were using to keep an eye on the mentally unstable child, was where Ray stood. It had been two days since the young girl had confessed to the murder of her sisters.

        Ellen Porter had not killed her children, but she should never have become a Mother. She had emotionally scared her second eldest by years of mental abuse and neglect. The woman was inconceivably bitter and cold hearted, when it came to her children, and the family had paid the price of her asperity.
 
        Melinda truly believed her Mother did not want her or her sisters and regretted ever having them. However, the mystery had finally been solved of the girl's health problems.

        A small, almost undetectable tumor had been growing on the right side of Melinda's brain. It had been missed by all the specialists that had come before, simply because they did not consider it something to look for. The tumor had been there for a few years, at least, and had probably been part of the reason for Melinda's first attack on Corrine.

        The tumor, which occasionally caused instability in the child's thought process, mixed with the feelings of guilt her Mother heaped on her, caused Melinda's thinking to become truly muddled. She snapped one day and had stabbed her older sister to death, remembering nothing of what she had done or why.

        Neil MacGuyver had found his daughters that day, with Melinda crying over the dead form of her sister. He had taken the knife from her and told her to go to her room and stay there. When the police arrived, he claimed he had killed Corrine, to protect his younger daughter.

        Melinda's Father was taken from her and she was left to live with her terrible secret alone. This mixed with the guilt, of the hospital bills that had piled up due to Melinda's mysterious illness, had caused the child to crack a second time and she had taken out her irrational rage on Adrian.

         She had answered the phone when her sister had called and left to pick the girl up at the Macoms, not wanted to disturb Shawn. She had been delighted that she was having a good enough day to complete the task and could also practice her driving.

        Adrian had started crying on the way home, because she knew their Mother would be mad she had not stayed the weekend at the Macoms.  Melinda had pulled over to an isolated snow covered park and tried to console her sister. She attempted to coerce the younger girl into helping make a snowman, but Adrian wouldn't stop crying.

        Melinda remembered slapping Adrian once, to get her to stop crying, but then couldn't seem to stop hitting her. Over and over, she hit the much smaller child until Adrian was finally quiet. Melinda did not remember tossing her unconscious sister into the back of the vehicle or throwing her sister out of the car or her drive home.

         She was so shaken by worry and guilt that by the time she crawled back in her bed at home, she couldn't think straight. Her head was pounding and she had slept then, until Shawn came with her lunch. She was too ill to even eat and he had seemed worried about her. She had lied when asked about the call because she was afraid her Mother would find out what she had done.

        When Ray had made the comment that they needed to catch whoever had hurt Adrian, before they could strike again, Melinda's tormented mind reasoned that if Adrian was dead, then the investigation would stop and her Mother would once again be happier. Melinda had smothered Adrian with a pillow while she was in visiting her.

        However, Melinda had been much closer to Adrian, than she had been to Corrine, and the guilt over what she had done continued to eat away at her. Especially, since Ray and Fraser were so kind to her and she had continued to lie to them.

        When Shawn was arrested for the crime of Adrian's murder, Melinda felt she was re-living Corrine's death all over again and it was only a matter of time before she snapped a third time. This time it was to kill the subject of her torment, Ellen Porter. She had smuggled the butcher's knife into the hotel, inside her teddy bear, although she claimed to have no memory of doing so.

        Shawn had been devastated to learn that Melinda had been responsible for the death of both her sisters, but he was determined to support her through the ordeal. The tumor inside his stepdaughter's brain was operable and she now lay waiting for her surgery to be scheduled. She had already tried to take her own life, after she was admitted into the Mental ward of the hospital, by slicing her wrists open with her IV needle.

        Ellen Porter was sitting in a jail cell, having been brought up on charges of child neglect and mental abuse. She did not care to see her daughter. Shawn's Mother was caring for the two younger siblings and Neil MacGuyver was in the process of being released from prison. No doubt he would come to Melinda's side as well, the moment he was free.

        So, for Ray the case was closed. They solved the mystery of Adrian's attack and subsequent death. They caught the person responsible and helped free an innocent man in the process. Why then, did Ray feel so damn guilty and heavyhearted?

        He admitted that he had worked to find Ellen Porter guilty of the crime against Adrian. Fraser had been right, he was too personally involved and was not thinking clearly. The woman was heartless and uncaring, but she was not a murderess. Instead, a young girl was blamed for the crime and it just didn't sit well with Ray, at all.

        Ray could reason that, had the case not been solved, Melinda may have hurt or killed the remainder of her family, even is she wasn't mentally responsible for her actions. Adrian could rest easy, and perhaps so could Corrine, now that the truth had emerged. Ray and Fraser had both been congratulated for a job well done by Welsh and the DA's office.

        However, Ray did not want their praise. He didn't want to be reminded that, above all else, he had done his job. A family had been destroyed and a young girl's life would be forever changed. Melinda would be in and out of mental institutions and forced to see a mile of psychiatrists for the remainder of her life. Her peers would label her a murderer, and those who didn't understand would call her a freak or retard.

        A Mother was taken away from her children. Even if she wasn't the best one for the job; she was still their Mother. Two, precious little girls would have to be told that their Mother was going to jail and their sister was a basket case. A family destroyed because Ray did his job.

        A feeling of déjà vu threatened to overwhelm Ray to the point of nausea. He knew that he would eventually have to talk to Fraser and apologize for his earlier behavior. Ray had been totally unprofessional on this case. He had taken it personally, when he knew better not to, and he'd be lucky if he didn't find himself suspended tomorrow.

        As if sensing he was being thought of, Fraser appeared moments later with a coffee for his partner and a tea for himself. Both men were in civilian attire today, as it was their day off.

        "Thanks, buddy," Ray offered, taking the Styrofoam cup, appreciatively.

        "You're quite welcome, Ray," Fraser returned, calmly. "Any change?"

        Ray shook his head. "No," he denied, taking a few sips of the hot brew. He glanced discretely at his partner a few times before speaking again. "Um…Fraser…"

        "Yes, Ray?"

        "I…I just um…I wanna say I'm sorry for…well for behavin' like an ass in Welsh's office. I wouldn't have really hit ya."

        "I know," Fraser returned, kindly.

        Ray shot him a look of surprised, then shook his head. "I didn't even know, at the time, Fraser," he confessed, ruefully. "I came damn close…" He shook his head.

        "I know because you are my friend, Ray," Fraser explained. Then he added with a trace of impishness. "Besides, you would only offer to let me hit you back and you know I hit much harder than you do."

        Ray scoffed; privately relieved he had been forgiven so easily. But then, that was Fraser. The Mountie accepted Ray's quick temper like no one else ever had and always forgave him for his occasional lapses in manners.

        "In your dreams, maybe," he finally, retorted.

        Fraser smiled and sipped his tea, before wandering over and settling in one of the chairs in the corner. He was tired and had been standing most of the day.

        Ray followed him a moment later, settled beside him, and continued to stare into the cup he now held with both hands.

        "You were right, ya know," he murmured.

        Fraser looked at him, puzzled. "About what, Ray?" he inquired curious.

        Ray used one of his hands to gesture to himself. "About…about me I…I maybe wasn't thinkin' straight all the time during this case."

        "You behaved with remarkable professionalism and decorum, Ray," Fraser decided. "Even more so than usual. I was quite impressed, actually." He nudged Ray with his elbow. "All those ten dollar words, as you call them, and text book analogies gave me goose bumps all over."

        Ray grinned at him. "Turned ya on did it?" he teased.

        Fraser rolled his eyes, dramatically. "You can't even imagine," he agreed, playfully. "You were positively eloquent at times."

         Ray shrugged and lowered his eyes to his coffee again. "Just 'cause I play a stupid, Chicago flat-foot half the time, doesn't mean I am one, Fraser."

        Fraser nodded in confirmation. "I never thought you were, Ray," he said, his eyes glittering with amusement. "I had my suspicious all along that you were really a possum playing scholar."

        Ray chuckled. "Yah, that's me, all right," he joked. "Professor Ray," he smirked. "I majored in kickin' heads and scum bag removal."

        "I find you to be remarkably insightful and intelligent, Ray," Fraser informed, seriously.

        "Yah, well…" Ray scratched at his neck, nervously. "Love ya too, Buddy."

        Fraser smiled again and finished off his tea.

        "Fraser, I…you were right though-about…about me tryin' ta …" Ray sighed. Just once he wished that what he was thinking made the same sense coming out of his mouth as it did in his head. "I was getting too personal and you had every right to…will to do what ya did. I...I just wanted to tell ya that. You…you're my partner and if I can't trust you to tell me straight…who can I trust?"

        "Ray," Fraser began, gently.

        "Christy Harper," Ray whispered, before Fraser could finish. "Was a beautiful, nine year old girl that loved chocolate ice cream and was going to be an Olympic gymnast." Ray set the rest of his coffee on the chair beside him and rested his head in his hands as he continued. "March 13th 1993 she was reported missing by her parents, John and Alexia Harper.

        Ray stood, unable to sit still, and moved back toward the observation window. It was difficult to talk about this with anyone and few knew the story, other than Stella and the people directly involved in the case.

        "I was copping for detective. I was bustin' my ass on whatever beats assigned me, to try and show my superiors I was made of the right stuff," he continued, quietly. "The Harpers came to me, because they knew me from one of the neighborhood that I patrolled on a regular basis. Me and my partner Lee had cleaned up the area pretty good and got rid of a lot of the addicts and trouble makers."

        Ray rolled his head around on his shoulders and looked hard at the forlorn vision of Melinda through the glass. His eyes misted up.

        "The Harpers told me their kid was missing and that they had gone to missing persons, but felt they wouldn't do anything. I agreed to keep my eyes and ears open for them. A couple of days later, one of my snitches said he saw a girl matching Christy's description on the East Side, near the junkyard. We checked it out and sure enough, there she was. Looked like she hadn't had a bath or a decent meal in days, which she hadn't, and she was sleeping in an old abandoned school bus"

        "Had she been abducted?" Fraser inquired.

        Ray shook his head. "No, she just ran away," he explained. "She didn't like living at home. She said her Mother was always yelling at her and wouldn't let her do anything. She didn't want to go back." Ray shrugged. "Hell, Fraser- I didn't think much about it. All kids think their parents are too strict."

        "You took her back?" Fraser confirmed.

        Ray nodded. "Yah," he sighed, finally turning around to meet his partner's sympathetic gaze. He folded his arms across his chest and leaned against the glass. "Her folks seemed so happy to see her, Fraser. Her Mum was cryin' and huggin' her and saying how worried they'd been. I just accepted that the kid got it in her mind to leave over some silly thing only a kid would understand."

        "What happened, Ray?"

        "Christy ran away three more times after that, the longest was a week before we found her again," Ray replied, grimly. "Each time, her parents came to me and I was the one that found her. Each time she was afraid to go back and I tried to talk her into it." He smiled, sadly. "We got to know each other pretty good, actually. In between her periods of flight, she'd stop to talk to me on the street, when we saw each other." He smirked. "Always called me Big Blue, cause of my eyes and uniform. Occasionally, Stell and me would stop in to see how she was doing and take her to the park, or we'd check out some of her gymnastics competitions. She was really good, Fraser."

        "She sounds like a wonderful child," Fraser admitted, kindly. "She must have been quite fond of you, Ray."

        Ray shrugged, uneasily. "I…she was a sweet kid," he agreed, turning to face the window again. "I was a little worried that she still kept running away and I suggested to Stella that maybe social services should, y'know pay the Harpers a visit. Make sure everything's kosher, y'know?"

        Fraser nodded.

        "Stell was all about havin' no proof to warrant outside involvement-all that crap," Ray muttered. "I felt somethin; was wrong, Fraser. In my gut I knew Christy wasn't runnin' away without a good reason. But, I had no proof. There was never any marks on her that I could see, no signs of abuse, and her folks appeared loving and encouraging of her gymnastics, whenever I was around."

        "You couldn't do anything without just cause, Ray," Fraser agreed.

        Ray shook his head and his arms tightened around himself. "Yah, just cause," he repeated, bitterly. "I had no just cause to suspect the Harpers were doin' anything to their kid, just the fact that Christy always seemed so afraid to go home after she'd run away."

        "Did Christy ever tell you of any abuse from her parents, Ray?"

        "No, she'd never talk about them except when I would try and bring her home," Ray informed. "Then it was only, that her Mother yelled at her and wouldn't let her do things. She always had to do her chores, she felt she was always doing chores, except when she was practicing her gymnastics."

        Fraser nodded. That was hardly cause for alarm, doing chores and a parent yelling. "What happened, Ray?"

        Ray grew very still and for a moment it was a struggle even for Fraser to hear his friend breathing. It was a long moment before he spoke again,

        "One day," he began in a voice so tragically, soft it pained Fraser to listen to it. "I was chasing down a perp, who had just robbed a liquor store on the corner. My partner Lee was takin' the car to head the guy off around the block and I was on foot. He…he ducked into this alley way and I radioed to Lee where we were headed."

        Ray had to stop and wipe at his eyes as his entire body started to tremble. This was harder than he thought, especially with Lindy laying so still in her bed just beyond the glass and reminding him of the loss of Adrian.

        "He…I…followed him into this alley, and started runnin' for the fence that was at the end," Ray stated. "Y'know, I lost a visual on him, so I figured he'd gone over this wooden fence." Ray drew in a hollow sounding breath. "Suddenly, the top of this dumpster bursts open and this guy practically falls out of it, screamin' his head off. He…I managed to get him on the ground. It wasn't too hard, he was freakin' at this point and pretty happy to have me there, all of a sudden. So, I cuff him and he's still screamin' about somethin' in the dumpster."

        Fraser lowered his eyes and tried to swallow the knot that had leveled in his throat. He suspected what Ray would say next and he felt the nausea well up inside him.

        "I…I looked inside and…I didn't see anything at first," Ray admitted, shakily. "It…well it just looked like garbage, y'know?"

        He turned back toward Fraser, his arms tightening around himself, as though he were trying to squeeze himself out of existence and away from this horrible memory.

        "Lee showed up and took custody of the perp. I…I still couldn't see anything so I had to c…climb inside the dumpster, Fraser. Right in, way into that damn thing and I…the minute my feet hit the trash I felt something solid."

        Ray's breath was getting quicker, as if he was running a marathon and he had to get all the words out before or he'd never make it to the finish.

        "It was a little girl's arm," he croaked. "A…a little girl in a…a blue and white gymnast uniform."

        "Oh, Ray," Fraser whispered, remorsefully.

        "She…she's been beaten bloody, Fraser," Ray announced, his distress turning to fear. "Just like Adrian only much, much worse. Her…the whole side of her head was caved in from someone hitting her with a blunt object. She…her fingers…her tiny little fingers were swollen up so badly that they looked more like balloon gloves placed over her hands. Every finger, every bone in her hand was smashed. Her legs, both her legs were broken in three places, like whoever had done this wanted to make a point of showing she'd never do gymnastics again."

        "My God," Fraser gasped, appalled. He sensed this was where Ray's uneasiness of dead bodies originated.

        "I…we called the morgue and had the body taken away. I knew…I recognized that it was…it was Christy and I had to go tell her parents." Ray swallowed, convulsively. "My God, Fraser! That had to be the hardest thing I ever had to do was face her parents and tell them not only was their daughter dead, but that someone had tortured her before she died."

        "What did they say, Ray?"

        "They were upset, of course," Ray replied. "They were both cryin' and shakin' and all that."

        "But you didn't believe their grief was real?"

        Ray shook his head. "No, I believed they were on the level and really upset," he allowed. "But, deep down I suspected something wasn't right. I don't even know why I suspected them. Stella told me I was crazy, Lee told me I was paranoid, but I just…something just didn't mesh."

        "So then what happened?" Fraser inquired. "Was anyone ever brought to trial for Christy's murder?"

        Ray shook his head. "There was some circumstantial evidence that suggested Alexia had killed Christy," he sighed. "People had heard them arguing at Christy's last practice session. Something about Christy wanting to give up gymnastics and her Mother hitting the roof. Also, there were rumors that Christy didn't have any friends or activities outside of gymnastics, her Mother kept her practicing or working inside the home every day." Ray ran his hands through his hair in aggravation. "Just gossip and no solid leads."

        "But you think Alexia Harper killed her daughter?" Fraser acknowledged.

        "I knew she did, Fraser," Ray enforced. "I just could never prove it. The Harper's had two other kids, twins. A seven year old boy and girl. The girl came up missing less than three months after Christy's death. I tried to prove Alexia had something to do with it, I knew in my gut the same thing was happening. I was almost suspended for harassing her and was told to get my paranoia in order. Even Stell was after me to 'work out my issues' with the department shrink."

        "Did you find the little girl?"

        Ray nodded. "Yah, three days later, locked in a trunk that some guy had found at the dump and had taken home to fix up. She'd suffocated."

        Fraser shook his head, sadly. "Were you able to prove it was Alexia?"

        "Yah, this time her prints were all over the damn thing and her son told his Dad, who had been away at the time, that their Mother had locked his twin sister in the trunk as punishment because she hadn't cleaned her room properly." Ray shook his head. "Alexia tried to claim it had been an accident and that she had panicked when she found the kid had actually died, so she had the trunk hauled to the dump."

        "Was she charged?"

        "Yah, second degree manslaughter," Ray muttered. "I never proved she killed Christy, but she went away for twenty years for killing her other girl." He rubbed his face tiredly. "I…I just kept thinking that I'd missed something. There should have been some evidence that I missed to tie her to Christy's death and that would have saved that second kid from dying."

        "Ray, you did all you could," Fraser insisted, rising and moving to stand beside his partner. "As you said, no one would listen to you about your suspicion and you couldn't prove anything."

         He placed his hand on Ray's shoulder feeling badly about their earlier quarrel. No wonder Ray had been so irate when Fraser started to doubt him about Ellen Porter. The detective was reliving the horror of another child's murder being over looked by the system through lack of evidence.

        "It wasn't enough, Fraser," Ray protested, sadly. "I should've…I couldn't done more. Then, when I saw Adrian and…and the way her Mum reacted I just…I snapped. It was like that whole ugly scenario takin' place again and I couldn't let that happen, Fraser. Ellen Porter had three other daughters I couldn't live with myself if I had allowed something to happen to them because of that damn evidence crap"

        "That's perfectly understandable, Ray," Fraser assured, gently. "You are an officer of the law. You were only doing your job and there are limits you are forced to adhere to."

        "I made Lindy kill Adrian as much as her Mother did, Fraser," he stated tragically, his eyes wet with unshed tears. "I was so eager for something to use against Ellen Porter that I didn't pay attention to what I was sayin' to Lindy," He sniffed. "Or what she was sayin' to me. She killed Adrian because I said we needed to find the killer before they could strike again. She thought she was doing me a favor and helping her Mum."

        "Ray," Fraser warned, sensing the dark place his partner was headed and trying to deter him from it. "That was not your fault, none of this is. We can't be responsible for what others do with the information or comments we give them. Melinda wasn't in her right mind, either way. You can't blame yourself for her twisted logic. It wasn't her thinking it, it was her illness and the effects of her Mother's abuse which caused her to kill."

        Ray shrugged. "Sometimes, sometimes I hate bein' a cop, Fraser."

        "I know, Ray," Fraser acknowledged. "But, it is who you are and you are a fine officer." He stepped back to give his friend a little privacy to compose his obviously turbulent emotions. "I'll go check with the Doctors on Melinda's condition."

        Ray nodded and wiped at his eyes. "Okay," he agreed and turned back to the window as Fraser walked out of the room.

        "Ray!" a familiar voice cried a few minutes later, and he turned just in time to catch Molly as she launched herself at him.

        Mrs. Erin Porter, Shawn's Mother, smiled as she followed with little Sara in a stroller.

        "Hello Detective," she greeted, they had met a couple of days ago, "How is Lindy doing?"

        "No change," Ray returned quietly, as he hefted Molly higher into his arms and returned her embrace. "Hey, sweetness, how's my little buddy today?"

        "Missim Ray," she decided, resting her tiny cheek against his shoulder and coiling her fingers around the collar of his jacket.

        Molly didn't know many words, but she always managed to get her point across.

        "I missed you too, sweetness," he whispered, kissing her cheek.

         Molly had slipped past Ray's defenses and stolen his heart and he knew he would never get it back. Unfortunately, because of his part in taking her Mother and sister away from her, he knew he would never forgive himself for hurting her.

        "Are you married, Detective?" Erin Porter inquired, smiling.

        Ray shook his head. "Divorced," he returned quietly, as he set Molly on her feet and pulled a caramel from his pocket to offer her.

        Molly grinned and accepted the caramel, after Ray unwrapped it for her, and she popped it eagerly into her little mouth.

        "I'm sorry," Erin offered, kindly. "I assumed you had children, you're so good with Molly."

        Ray shrugged and swept a tiny spray of dark hair away from the girl's face. "Nah, she's good with me," he replied and looked up as Fraser entered. "What did they say?".

        "Good morning, Mrs. Porter," he greeted the woman, politely, before turning to his partner. "Doctor Hammond foresees no problems with the surgery, Ray. As long as they have no further mishaps with Melinda, she should come through the process with minimal risk. There may be trauma sustained from the delicacy of the surgery, and she may even lose portions of her memory and some small percentage of her motor skills, but that is a worse case scenario."

        Ray nodded. "So that's good, right?" he asked as Molly pulled at his jacket and peeked into his pocket for another caramel. "That means they think she'll come through it okay?"

        "It looks very good, Ray," Fraser agreed as he watched his partner pull another caramel from his pocket, unwrap it and pass it to the child. "Dr. Hammond also knows a good therapist to assist Melinda in her recovery and he assures me that the woman is one of the finest in child psychology."

        "Good," Ray nodded as Molly finished her candy and searched for another one. Ray covered his pocket with his hand and smiled down at her. "Do I look like a drive thru? Doesn't your grandmother feed you?"

        Erin chuckled. "She had breakfast and lunch, but she has an fantastic appetite. You may give her one more if you like, but that should be enough."

        Ray gave her a third caramel and Molly grinned in triumph, showing her prize to Fraser.

        Fraser looked suitably impressed. "Aren't you a lucky young lady to receive such treats?" he asked her.

         Molly nodded and popped the caramel into her mouth, happily.

        Ray tossed a caramel to Fraser, who caught it and thanked him. The detective then offered one to Erin, who declined. Ray usually had some kind of candy or gum in his pockets. The American claimed he liked to have something in his mouth.

        If Fraser didn't know better, he would think Ray was a smoker and trying to abstain from or compensate for when he couldn't have a cigarette. However, the Mountie had never seen his partner smoke or show signs of wanting to take up the habit. Therefore, he could only assume Ray's mouth was like the rest of him and had to be moving at all times to dispel his constant energy.

        "Are they going to charge Lindy with murder, Detective?" Erin inquired, sadly.

        "They have to charge her," Ray informed, regretfully. "But, she'll be charged as a minor and due to her mental illness and the tumor she'll probably just be admitted to a hospital for treatment. She won't be serving any jail time."

        Erin cast him a grateful and relieved look. "Have you told Shawn?"

        Ray nodded.

        Erin stepped forward and around the stroller, where Sara was sleeping soundly. She extended her hand to him. "I can't thank you enough for all that you've done."

        Ray did not shake her hand and his face became a stone mask. "Don't thank me, I'm not proud of exposing Lindy as the killer. She's got a hard road ahead of her because of me, and I don't want your gratitude." He shrugged. "I'll do what I can, because it will never be enough to make up for what has been done to your family, Mrs. Porter. Please, don't thank me."

        Erin Porter lowered her hand and stared at him. She was a tall woman, with her son's dark hair and handsome features. Few intimidated her and even less had the gall to speak to her in such a fashion. However, she sensed the Detective was not attempting to be brash, merely acknowledging his part in the tragedy. She was amazed at his courage.

        "All right, Detective," she agreed, finally. "I won't thank you, but nor will I blame you. You have done more for us than could be expected and I understand you were doing your job. You have my respect and my forgiveness, whether you think you are entitled to it or not." She smiled at Molly, who was tugging at Ray's jeans to be picked up again. "And you are obviously adored by the members of this family, so how could so many good people be wrong?"

        Ray didn't know what he could say in reply, so he remained silent and pulled Molly up for a quick kiss goodbye. "I have to go, sweetness. You be good for your grandma, okay?"

        "Stay!" Molly insisted, wrapping her tiny arms around his neck. "Stay me, Ray."

        "Can't be done, kiddo," Ray denied. "Me and Fraser have to go to work."

        Molly's lower lip trembled as she started to pout.

        Ray playfully pushed her lip in. "Aw, don't do that. I can't stand to see a woman cry."

        "Missim Ray," Molly said, sniffing. "See Molly soon?"

        "Sure," Ray agreed, knowing it was a lie.

        His job was done. He no longer needed to have any further contact with these people. The DA's office and the many doctors assisting in Melinda's case would handle everything else. Adrian MacGuyver's file would be closed and filed with the many other solved cases. Ray would find ten new cases on his desk in the morning and perhaps more lives would be lost or changed because of a crime. Ray and Fraser would be left to piece together the puzzles that would bring another criminal to justice.

        In time, Molly, Melinda, Shawn and Sara would forget about he and Fraser, in the trials of getting their lives back together. Years later, they might speak of the Chicago cop and the Mountie from Canada that had turned their lives upside down in the matter of a few days.

         Perhaps, when she was older, Molly would remember the man who's fear she tamed with her insistence and innocent charm, and who gave her caramels and smiled so especially sweet for her. She had looked past Ray's gruff exterior to the man beneath and found someone that had always craved the love of a child. She knew his secret and had awarded him a brief excursion in her world of hugs and unconditional acceptance. Ray knew he would never forget her.

        In the end, it was as it should be. Shawn and his Mother attending to their family and moving on with their lives. Fraser, Ray and Diefenbaker driving away to fight crime together in the big city. A Chicago Flat foot and a Canadian Mountie, individual in their ways but no longer separate from each other.

         They don't have capes or super powers, but one has a badge and the other wears a uniform; both have courage of steel and a heart of gold. Together they are an unstoppable duet. Facing whatever challenges are thrown at them and making the world a little bit safer for the rest of us. They are the stuff dreams are made of, of which true heros are born. Long may they reign.
 

The end
 

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