Garret Macy,a medical examiner from Boston, slowly sipped his coffee, while looking at the menu of the diner. A conference had brought him to Hartford. Laying the menu down on the Formica counter, he got the attention of a waitress.

"I'd like the ham omelet" he said Unfortunately, the menu was shuffled the wrong way, spilling his coffee.

"Damn!!!" Maxine screeched, frantically using napkins to wipe her skirt.

"I'm sorry!" Quickly Garret tried to help, but the woman shook her head, with a kind of forced smile.

"I'll just have to go home, and change before I return to work."

"Here is my cell, you can use it" He handed her the phone, it was the least he could do.

"Why thank you, I believe that I will " She grabbed the phone as if it were her own.

After eating his breakfast, and getting his phone back, Garret left. That afternoon, he hung out at the home of an old medical school classmate, Donald who showed off his new foster daughter, a red haired three year old, sitting on a high chair. The two classmates sat on opposite couches, while sipping wine.

"Reminds me of my daughter at that age. Enjoy her childhood while you can. It goes by fast!" Garret told him.

"Ding dong!" rang the door bell, interrupted their conversation. Donald excused himself to get the door.

"Hey Maxine. Great to see ya!" He had gotten used to the random home visits. Maxine tried to swallow her irritation at seeing the clumsy man. The 'accident' had spoiled her day.

"I just wanted to see how you were doing." She smiled.

"Great! An old med school classmate of mine is here. Garret, Maxine, Maxine, Garret."

The two shook hands out of politness.

"Who would have guessed?" Maxine thought to herself.

After Maxine did her usual routine of inspection, small talk and questions, she excused herself and left.

"Mia and I are so lucky to have her as our caseworker" Donald told Garret. "She's fair and a real pro!"

Two weeks later, Garret found himself in charge of a case of three social workers being killed in a period within a month. Next to each of the bodies lay this typed note:

"Revenge is best served cold"

Reluctantly, Garret went to call his friend, Donald, who gladly gave him her work number. Perhaps she could provide some insight.

"What's up Garret?"

"Hey Donald! I was wondering if you could please give me the number of your case worker? See I've got a case involving three victims who were social workers. Perhaps, she could tell us if any of their charges, or some birth parents might have been involved."

"Sure...let me find it. She's been at this for almost thirty years."

With dread, he called her number a while later, figuring that she'd have bad feelings, but hoped that professionalism would win out.

"DCF? This is Maxine Gray?" She scanned some files as she answered the phone.

"Hi!...How are you......This is awkward, but...."

"What?"

"I'm working on a case where three social workers were killed within a one month period, and perhaps you could provide insight...?"

"I suppose I could access their files......" she wanted to help if she could.

"That would be great, thank you! Donald told me that you were a pro."

"Flattery isn't necessary. I already agreed to help."

Quickly, Garrett gave her his work number, said goodbye and hung up.

"Who was that? Max, Jordan's father asked. He wanted to help in the case, as one of the victims was the daughter of a good friend of his. He had been standing at the doorway while Garrett talked on the phone.

"Maxine Gray, a social worker. She agreed to look the victims' case files."

" Jordan and I got some stuff too, could you have her come here?"

"I don't think so, Max, she's in Hartford, and she needs time to obtain and study those files."

"You could call her, touch bases. I'll give her your number."

"Great!"

"What kind of stuff have ya got?"

"As it happens, neighbors of Cheryl McDunn claimed that she and the second victim Susan Reyes fought quite a bit in the hallway in the last weeks before they were murdered."

"Could they say if it was work related?" Garrett started to think that maybe the three could have been in on something suspicious together.

"They say it sounded mixed."

Meanwhile, Maxine tried to find a discreet way to obtain the case files, she talked a rookie co-worker,named Ann, who had her brown hair in a bob, and wore a plaid skirt.

"So....your sister works child services in Boston?" She sat near the woman's desk.

"Yes, for five years, Why?"

"I've been asked to help in a murder investigation"

"The three social workers?" Her sister had told her about it, resulting in insomnia.

"Yes. Perhaps I could...." Maxine shrugged. "give some insight."

"I'll be more than happy to, Maxine." Ann looked up from her keyboard.

"Just be discreet, people can be....territorial"

"Right"

"Thank you."

By the end of the day, Ann had an answer for her.

"My sister says it's best if you can go to Boston." She told Maxine quietly at one of the many corridors.

"Guess I will have to." Maxine's interest in the case had increased when Garret told her what Max had found.

The next morning, Maxine quickly packed her things, and ate breakfast. Her luggage stood near the kicten table, filled with the dingyness and wrinkles of age.

"Ma....What's this?" Amy asked when she ran downstairs to eat.

"I'm going to Boston."

"Huh?"

"I've been asked to help on an investigation." Maxine kept an eye on her food. "Three social workers were murdered in one month. I need to go study files and help if I can."

"Well, there are no shortage of people pissed at the system."

By the next afternoon, she was in Garret's office, Max was there as well.

"Thank you for coming" Garrett told her.

"It's no problem at all." She sat on a visitor's chair next to Max, who found himself liking her. "I hope to get at least some files by tonight."

"Perhaps I could join you?" the former detective grinned, wishing that the women's hair hadn't been tied in a bun.

"That'll be alright" Maxine forced a smile. "The files will have to do with minors, and you know....."

"Easy boy......." Garrett thought.

"Perhaps we can discuss my findings....over lunch?"

"We can just discuss your findings here." Sterness entered her voice.

"Fine.....My daughter and I found that......"

"Hey! Sorry I'm late!" Jordan sighed as she opened the door and slipped in, wearing the blue surgical suit used for autopsies. She looked to thin for Maxine's taste. "Hey dad!"

"Maxine, this is Jordan, Max's daughter. She's an M.E here."

"I taught her everything she knows about being a detective" Max boasted.

"He sure did!" Jordan winced, when she noticed that Max hadn't impressed the woman. "Anyway...thanks for coming...Maxine. "

"As we were saying....." Garrett piped in. "Jordan and Max talked to the neighbors of one of the victims who stated that she and the other victim would have loud fights in the hallway..."

"Really?..." Woody interrupted as he came in.

"Maxine, this is...Woody, a homicide detective."

"They could have been a part of something. The note saying 'Revenge is best serve cold' was next to all of their bodies" Woody commented.

"How were they killed?" Maxine asked.

"Shots to the head." Jordan told her.

"Well....I can't really contribute to what you have, until I see the files. I managed to find someone willing to help me."

At eight that evening, Megan, Ann's sister, came with a large box of stuffed vanilla folders to Maxine's hotel room.

"Let me help you with that."

"Thank you" They hefted it next to a small queen bed. "My boss was working late and..."

"I understand."

"Good luck! I've gotta go. These as just some of the files for each of them."

"It's a start"

Two hours later, Maxine was startled by the doorbell. The small table next to the bed was covered in papers.

"Room Service!" A familiar voice called. Maxine rolled her eyes, and opened the door. She sense a whiff of sweet and sour sauce.

"Hello." Max said, carrying cartons of chinese takeout in a brown paper bag. "Thought you might be hungry."

"No I am not."

"Any luck?"

"They all dealt with their share of people, who hated them."

"Anyway you could give me some names so I can check'm out? Maybe a few of these people got together and....." Max quickly switched to his professional side.

"I've got a few possible suspects, two of whom did make threats, claiming to have had 'connections. Several others have been jailed for violent offenses."

"Did any of them have a case in common.?"

"There was some partnering, but not with all three at once. Their killer didn't necessary have to be someone in their charge. It could have been anyone angry enough at the system."

"Good point. Let's role play."

"Role play....."

"We need to try to get into the killer's head. I'll be Reyes, and you'll be the killer."

"They were killed on the street....So.....here goes.....I'm walking ....somewhere, tired from a long day at work" Max said, picturing Reyes with a gray skirt, and shirt.

"I....see you...from the corner of my eye buying takeout for someone without bother to ask them if that is what they want......." She kept one eye open.

"Maxine..!" He glared at her.

"Fine...I see you......"

"What do you feel....do you know me?

"Hatred, I suppose, perhaps I was taken from my parents, put in foster care, abused, jailed, or my children were taken from me."

"Why me?"

"You........."

The ringing of the phone disrupted their focus.

TBC