Redemption
Natalie sat on the bench in the nearly empty park, looking up at the stars. "No. . . its not that. . . John, I don't know how to explain it. . . I just. . . I just know that he's following me. . .No, that's why I didn't tell anyone where I was going," shaking her head she laughed. "I can't prove it, John. What am I going to do? Go to the local police station and tell them that the guy who I was interested in and who turned out to be my uncle is stalking me? I mean, really how am I going to prove it? Or that he isn't chasing the same business deal that I am?"
Rising she shivered against the wind: "Fine. . . I'll head to my hotel and call you from there. . . No, I'm meeting with the guy in the hotel restaurant tomorrow morning then I'll get a car to take me to the airport. . . No, I'm going to spend New Year's in London with Joey, Kevin, and Kelly. . . Yeah, I could do with the change of scenery. . . I'll let you know when I plan on coming home. . . if I do. I can work out of the BE offices there just as easily as Landview. . . Listen I have to go. There's another call coming through. . . With any luck my meeting will get moved up and I can fly out tonight. . . no, if that's the case I'll just call you when I get to London. . .John, you worry too much. We're not together anymore, who's going to make me a target," she teased, then changed her tone: "Really, John, I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself. I'll call when I get the chance. If I don't speak to you before then, have a Happy New Year. . ."
"So, he thinks he can protect you from Landview?" a voice asked, causing her to gasp and turn.
"Jared. What the hell do you want?" she asked as she dropped her phone.
"You know what I want, Natalie. Just give me a chance. Give us a chance," he begged.
Natalie rolled her eyes as she inhaled the cold air: "Gawd, you really are a Buchanan. Hard head and all! You're my UNCLE, Jared. What you're suggesting is not only sick, but its illegal in most states. You have got to get it through your head that I'm really just not that into you!"
Jared took a step towards her, his eyes flashing in anger as she took a step back: "You don't get it, do you? I'm not losing the one good thing to happen to me since your sister set me up."
Natalie laughed at that: "even if you weren't my uncle, you setting up Jess to look like Tess isn't endearing."
Stepping closer, he moved quicker than she had given him credit for and grabbed her arm with one hand, her hair in the other and pulled her head back: "she did it to herself; pretending to be Tess. But she's not the only one pretending. Don't tell me you haven't figured it out by now. I'm not Asa's son."
Spitting in his face Natalie fought against his hold, lashing out she kicked his legs and managed to get away from him: "that definitely seals it. I'm not going to be with someone who only wants my money and family name. Who would con their way into my family."
Advancing on her, Jared laughed: "Like you didn't?"
"Leave me alone, Jared," she warned. "You're borrowing more trouble than you could imagine. When I tell my Dad and Uncle Bo all you have done. . ."
"You'll never tell, Natalie. I'll make sure of that," he said in a low, menacing voice as he pulled a cord from his pocket.
Swallowing, she pivoted and went to run away from him, but as the rope tightened around her neck she knew it was too late. . .
Chapter 1
Mac Scorpio looked down at the body in the snow, frozen, as he waited for the EMS members to evaluate the women. "She's alive. . . barely," the women told him.
Exhaling, Mac closed his eyes, trying not to wish she was someone else as Lucky Spencer came up to him: "We have a problem," the younger cop told him.
"Seems to me we have more than one," Mac said coldly. "What is it?"
"She's got no ID. No purse was found. No phone for that matter," Lucky informed him. "And the MO's off. Did you see what was done to her face?"
"No," Mac admitted. "Seeing her body on those steps was hard enough."
Lucky only nodded, trying hard not to suggest to his boss that he should've taken more than a couple of days off after his step-daughter's murder. "Maybe you shouldn't be working this case."
"I have more than enough reason to be working this case. And to want this killer found," Mac shot back. "And if I don't work it, who will?"
Lucky nodded as he answered his boss with the one thing that was bothering him most: "she's not from around here. No one matching her description checked into the Metro Court. Even more than that, Mac, this doesn't feel like the same guy."
"It isn't," Mac said as he looked over the scene with tired eyes: "we have ourselves a copy cat, Lucky. Our guy only left one victim alive and it was because he ran out of time. He should've had enough time to kill her. He either didn't want to or thought he had finished the job."
"Guess we'll have to wait for her to wake up to find out."
"Unfortunately you're right. Just make sure no one finds out that it was a copy cat, ok?"
hr
Shaking, Jared washed the blood off of his hands in the no tell motel room he had rented. Closing his eyes he could see Natalie's begging him to stop as she tried to loosen the garrote from around her throat and she tried to kick her way away from his hold. Even more he could see her laying there as he marred her face before stealing her purse and phone.
He hoped he had given himself enough time to get away from her lifeless body and the scene he had left before they caught on to him. That he made it harder for them to be able to identify her.
The longer it took the better off he'd be. . .
hr
John shivered as a chill ran down his spine, the feeling of worry for Natalie rising. He had tried to get her five times since she had hung up on him, annoyed at his over protectiveness, but he couldn't stop worrying about her.
Even more, he couldn't help but be suspicious of Banks. If Natalie was actually afraid of him. . .
"A brooding McBain, what a surprise!" a female voice said from the doorway to his office.
Looking up in surprise, John stared at the redhead there and then shook his head: "Well, if it isn't my third favorite red head."
"Third?" she asked as she moved quickly into the room. "What I do to fall so far down the list?"
"Second is my sister-in-law," he defended as she sat down across from him.
"And the first?" she asked, then at how he looked away shook her head: "Ahhh. . . the one that got away, huh, McBain?"
"She didn't get away."
"What you do? Send her running?" she asked pointedly. "Men. You can be so blind sometimes."
"Yeah, well. . . it's too late to fix it now."
"You sure about that?"
John shook his head: "What are you doing here Andanowski?"
"Nice change of subject," she commented with a roll of her eyes. "A case."
John raised an eyebrow at that: "since when are you back with the bureau. I thought after that whole backlash over the Jacks cases you quit."
V. shrugged: "you remember a WSB agent by the name of Jones?"
John cursed under his breathe: "the husband or the ditz of an ex-wife?" he asked, wanting to know just how much trouble he was being pulled into.
"Technically she was never WSB," V. reminded him.
"Sure as hell put her nose in enough cases."
"Yeah, well, Felicia had a knack for borrowing trouble that Frisco wanted to leave her and the kids out of."
"You sound awfully familiar with both of them."
"Don't get your knickers in a twist. I only pretended to be with him on a couple of cases. Believe me, with his personality and penchant for trouble pretending was more than enough to turn me off of him," she shot back. "And those cases were only as a favor to Scorpio."
"Heard he was with Medical. . ."
"Still looks out for friends," she replied. "Unlike some people he hasn't forgotten where he came from," she added pointedly. "As for Felicia, I became friends with her in Port Charles."
"Lucky you," John replied sarcastically, letting go of her pointed remark.
"I thought so at the time, learned better later on," V. responded sadly. "Look, their daughters were attacked by a serial killer. Someone thought it would be a grand idea to fake the younger one's death. Only thing is they didn't really plan it out.
I had to go in and remind them that Mac Scorpio isn't one who would go along with such a plan. It would hurt too many people he cared about. So I now have babysitting duty. Here in Landview once she gets a bit better."
"So why come to me?"
"Because I'm going to need you and your idiot brother not to blow our cover of mother and daughter."
John laughed at her for a moment, then stopped: "sorry, you just don't strike me as the maternal type."
"If things had played out differently for me, McBain, I'd be married with kids by now. The guy I would've settled down with just never saw me that way," she replied, then at his look rolled her eyes. "Get the deer in the headlight look off of your face. It wasn't you. You just saved me from Simon."
"How old's the kid? I mean, Jones isn't exactly known for going back to PC."
"Nineteen."
"And you would've had her when you were what? Twelve?"
V. laughed: "Thanks for that at least. I'm saying 17."
John shook his head: "how's the old man feeling about that?"
Rising, V glared at him: "I stopped telling my dad what I was doing years ago."
"Could be a good ally to have on this," he couldn't help but point out.
"So could Ramsey, but I don't see you in a rush to call him in as reinforcement," she rebutted. "Look, you don't tell me Da how to find me, I'll get Ramsey off your ass."
"How do you plan on doing that?"
"Lets just say, one of the doctors I dragged into the cover up will be happy to help with that," she replied, "So you in?"
"Yeah. Can't guarantee Mikey's help though."
"Tell him he helps and we help Marci. He doesn't. . . well, people better than Ramsey have been watching her."
John cursed under his breathe: "use his wife and kid to get him to cooperate. You didn't use to be so cold blooded."
"Time has a way of changing even the eternal optimist," V told him. "I've been at this too damned long to pull punches. You might have forgotten how things work on this side of the feds, I've never gotten the chance.
One of the curses of being my father's daughter. Unlike you I don't get to hand them my badge and tell them to go. . ." she stopped and shook her head. "At least I'll get to save this kid."
John nodded: "I'll get Mikey to go along. When you moving in? Where?"
"The bureau got a hold of a cottage that was recently put up for sale. I'll give you the details when I can."
"Work?"
"Just got hired on at BE. I'll be working for Jared Banks. Know anything about him?"
"Yeah. Watch your back around him. He's got someone I care about pretty shaken up, and she doesn't get that way easily."
V. nodded at the undercurrents of his warning: "I'll keep an eye on him for you. He slips up. . ."
"You don't have to. . ."
"What are former partners for?"
John shook his head: "We haven't been partners in more years than I care to remember."
"Just remember you're older than me, McBain."
"Whatever Andanowski."
"See you around town. . ."
Chapter 2
"Just make sure that they disappear from the systems. . . I think you're getting more than enough to make sure its done right," Jared said as he walked into the living room of the Buchanan mansion and forced a smile at Renee. "Just take care of it!"
"Everything ok?" she asked him as she poured coffee for the both of them.
"Should be if this guy does what I'm paying him for," Jared answered as he sat down next to her. "Sorry I started this morning off yelling at someone."
Renee just smiled at him: "Just one more way you're like Asa. . ."
hr
Mac crossed to the nurses' station and stood in front of Patrick till the younger man looked up at him. "Well?"
"She's awake for all the good it's going to do you," Patrick replied tensely as he put down the chart he was making a notation in.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"We don't know how long she was out. How long she was without oxygen."
"She was breathing when we got there."
"Yeah and your good Samaritan who called it in was gone when you arrived. Chances are they gave her mouth to mouth to get her breathing again," Patrick pointed out. "Even if that wasn't the case. . . there are complications."
"Patrick, I don't have time for this. What are you trying to tell me?"
"She's not going to be able to help you because she can't remember what happened, Mac. In fact she can't remember anything at all. Lainey's going to be doing a consult when we get more tests back, but. . . I don't think its going to help things."
"Why not?"
"I don't think she's blocking out what happened. In fact, I think she's had a stroke. . . its minor. . . but there's muscle weakness on one side. Her speech has been affected slightly. But more than that, she doesn't remember her own name. . . couldn't answer any of my questions."
"I still want to see her," Mac told him.
"Mac. . ."
"Don't fight me on this, Drake. This is something I need to do."
"All right. But only for a few minutes."
hr
Mac walked slowly into the room, stopping as the woman on the bed turned towards the sound of his footsteps. At the fear he saw cross her face, he stopped. "It's ok. I'm not going to hurt you. I'm a police officer. The commissioner actually," he clarified as he crossed to her. "I came to ask you some questions, but Patrick--- Dr. Drake," he corrected, "told me that you wouldn't be able to answer them. I just wanted to let you know that you. . . well, you have my word that I won't let anything happen to you. You're safe here. We'll find who hurt you."
"Ah. . . own. . ?" she asked.
"You were alone as far as we could tell," he told her, then at her shaking head paused. "That's not it? You don't want to be alone?" he asked, then at her nod he smiled sadly: "Well, neither do I. I'll sit with you for a while. If you'd like."
"I. . . I . . .llll like . ." she managed to get out.
"Ok then. Let me more the chair over."
"Nnnn. . . name?"
"My name's Mac. . . Mac Scorpio," he told her, then as she went to open her mouth added gently: "we haven't found out yours yet. But we will. I promise you that we will."
Chapter 3
3 months later
Landview
V. Andanowski helped Tailia Sahid hold back John as two other officers held back Bo Buchanan while Antonio Vega read Jared Banks his rights and led him out of the room. "You're not helping, idiot!" V. whispered into John's ear.
"He admitted that he. . . that he. . ." John gasped, unable to get the words out. "That son of a bitch! I knew she was afraid of him! Knew that she wouldn't just not show up at her brother's! How the hell did he pull this off!"
"Nigel," Bo said as he pulled away from his officers, glaring at them: "He's not here for me to kill right now, so back the hell off!"
"I'll call Nora and get a warrant for Nigel," Tailia said before she hurried out of the office.
"She was afraid of Banks and you never thought to tell anyone?" Bo demanded as he advanced on the younger man and connected a right hook to his jaw sending him stumbling backwards.
"She was convinced he wouldn't do anything to her!" John defended as he got his footing and rubbed his jaw while Bo shook out his hand. "She said she was going back to her hotel room. That she'd call. Then. . . I think I pissed her off by being so protective. She basically told me that she'd call me after New Years. After she got to Joey's."
"She never got there!"
"John had me keeping an eye on Banks," V. interjected as she put herself between the two men.
"Yeah. That was helpful. An executive assistant. . ."
"Who nailed the bastard," V. pointed out. "And before you start making judgments you might want to check out a girl's resume. I used to be a cop."
Bo stared at her for a moment surprised: "then how the hell did he. . ."
"Look, her body hasn't shown up. Her prints haven't hit CODIS. He's a con. He's been after her, and before that Jessica for years. He could be lying," she pointed out.
"Then where's my niece?" Bo asked her.
"That, I don't have an answer for."
hr
Jessica looked away from the anger and pain in her parents' eyes: "You don't think that telling us this could've helped?" Clint demanded.
"We thought we could handle him on our own," Jessica replied meekly.
"Yes, because faking to be Tess and putting your mother I through all that worry was so productive!"
"Clint. . ." Vicki admonished. "This isn't helping."
"And Jessica keeping the truth from us did?" Clint demanded. "Don't you see it? I pushed him towards Natalie because I didn't know what he was really like.
And more than that. . . he told Bo he killed her.
Our daughter might be dead, Vicki, and if Jessie had told us the truth maybe. . ."
"Daddy, I just didn't want to disappoint you," Jessica cried.
"Don't call me that. Never again," Clint said angrily. "My daughter's dead, and you helped her killer!" he added before storming out of Landfair's living room.
"Mom?" Jessica asked as she looked with panic at her mother.
Swallowing back her own pain, Vicki crossed to her only living daughter and wrapped her arm around her shoulders: "he's just upset honey. You know he didn't mean it. . . he loves you Jessie. He didn't mean it. . ." she whispered into her hair, wishing she could be sure that the words she said were true. . .
hr
The girl known to Landview as Georgia Andanowski put down the latest issue of Variety and looked up as her best friend came into the diner. "Gigi, what's wrong?"
"It's terrible," Gigi admitted. "I was just with Rex when he heard the news."
"Well, I wasn't. . . so what's going on?"
"They arrested Jared Banks. Apparently he wasn't who we all thought he was."
"Who is?" Georgia sighed.
"Anyway, he isn't really a Buchanan. And to top it off, he told everyone that he had killed Natalie."
"Who's Natalie?"
"That's right. Before your time. Before mine too actually. She's Rex's sister. The one he left me to find," she said, then at Georgia's nod continued: "anyway, she's been gone since before New Years. Went to some business meeting. Never told anyone where she was going. Just jumped on a train. Then people started getting letters from St. Blaze from her. Figured she needed time to get over John McBain and the whole mess of her almost dating Jared--- who everyone thought was her uncle. Only now apparently she was never there and. . ." Gigi inhaled.
"I get it, G.," Georgia said putting up a hand to forestall anything else her friend had to say. "You want me to cover your shift at Rodi's?"
"Could you? I mean I wouldn't ask, but Rex is taking this really hard and I want to be there for him, and I know he wants to spend time with Shane and I just don't want to leave him with Rex with Rex being so upset."
"Believe me, at my old waitressing job I've covered shifts for less. I'll see you tomorrow," she added as she grabbed her bag and rose.
"You forgot your paper," Gigi called after her.
"Some things are better left behind," Georgia told her. "I. . . umm. .. found it outside. Got bored waiting. Maybe someone else could make better use of it," she added as she continued out of the diner.
Shrugging, Gigi looked down at the headline as she gave her order for takeout to one of the high school girls working there. Distracted she started to read about the film Dillon Hornsby was releasing and how he was dedicating it to his late ex-wife. "Don't know if that's romantic or not. . ."
hr
Charlie stood staring at his son, taking in his bruised appearance as he riled about being beaten by the cops. "What the hell did you expect?" he asked Jared. "You think anyone is going to believe a word you have to say?"
"You think I care?" Jared asked him. "The Buchanans own this town. I could be telling the truth and no one would believe me. They won't even offer me a deal. This was all Nigel's idea and I'm the one who's going down."
"You're the one who confessed to murder."
Jared laughed at him: "No body. No crime, Pop. They'll never find her. I made sure of that."
"What about her mother? Vicki deserves at least to bury her."
"Ahhh. Yes. The real reason you're here. Tell your latest squeeze that you tried to get it out of me, but I refused to tell you anything. The only way I'm talking is if I get immunity."
"That's not on the table," Nora said as she came close to them, ignoring the bruises on the younger man's face while wondering if they were delivered by John, Bo, or Antonio. From what she had heard about the arrest, her money was on Antonio.
"Then you never find out what happened to her. . ."
hr
Mac stared out of the window of the hospital room.
For the last three months he had somehow found solace here. Funny, the only person who seemed to understand him was a woman with no past, who didn't even know if she had lost someone.
Turning at the sound of the door open, he forced a smile as Robin stepped in: "the surgery went well."
"Don't know why she needed it."
"A woman needs to feel beautiful, Uncle Mac," Robin told him as she moved into the room. "This is a way to help her get back to where she was before. She needs that. She's lost everything else."
"And we can't even catch this guy."
"You caught Cooper," Robin reminded as she put a comforting hand on his arm. "That was more than anyone thought. . ."
"At what cost? Emily. . . Georgie. . . Sam. . . Almost Maxie, Liz, and you."
Unconsciously Robin put her hand to her throat, remembering how if her father hadn't arrived for a surprised visit she would've been the last victim. Instead, Robert's arrival had saved her life, and thanks to his description Cooper had been stopped before he managed to kill Liz Webber in her home, her children sleeping upstairs and brought in. It had been days later when he had eventually confessed. "We can't change the pass, Uncle Mac."
Mac merely nodded as he turned back to stare out of the window: "Everyday Heroes got enough people concerned about her to pay for her medical bills. To offer her jobs and places to live. It just couldn't tell us who she was--- is."
"She seems alright with going by Hope."
"She deserves to have her real name back."
"But her story--- her survival--- that gave us all hope," Robin pointed out. "Even you. You've become very attached to her, haven't you?"
Mac sighed: "we're all each other's had these last three months."
"That's not true and you know it. Felicia would've. . ."
"Maxie might have chosen the wrong place to express her feelings, but her assessment of Felicia was pretty dead on. Aside from a regrettable one night stand there was nothing there for us this time around. I couldn't let there be."
"Fixating on Hope isn't exactly the healthiest thing to do."
"And fixating on getting pregnant is?" Mac asked her. "How many times are you going to go through the in vitro?"
Robin shrugged: "until it works, I guess."
"And what about someone to be there with you? To help you through it all?"
"Well, that's what I have you for isn't it?"
Mac shook his head: "it's not the same, Robin. There are times you need a partner to pull you back in. To stop you from making mistakes. Being a parent doesn't end the lonely nights. It doesn't stop you from questioning the decisions you made. From looking at the Christmas cards from friends, showcasing their families, and wondering what could have been if you had made a different choice.
Don't get me wrong. I don't regret raising you girls. I do regret not being able to get Felicia out of my system even when it was so clear that I wasn't the one she wanted to be with. For holding on for 'the girls'' sake.'"
"You loved Felicia," Robin said, wanting to hold onto at least one of her childhood dreams.
"For a time," Mac admitted. "But there's a difference between loving someone and being in love with them. Honey, I held on too long to something that wasn't real. Didn't let in people who could've been the real thing. Don't make that mistake.'
Robin swallowed: "just promise me that you aren't making Hope into more than she is. I don't think either of you could take that disappointment."
Chapter 4
Three months later
The woman known as Hope Doe looked up and smiled as Mac walked into her office. "Looks like you're settling in alright," he remarked.
"I'm trying," she answered with a tight smile, her nerves showing in her eyes. "I don't know why I thought I'd be good at this. Why Nikolas thought I would be," she admitted.
"Hope, he saw your stock portfolio. You are good at this," he pointed out as he took a seat across from her desk.
"Yeah, until I start stuttering my way through a huge presentation!"
"I thought you weren't having problems with your speech anymore," he said a touch of worry in his voice.
"Most of the time. . . just when I get nervous," she explained. "I. . . I asked him not to put me on anything that I'd have to make a pre. ..present. . . presentation on."
Mac raised an eyebrow at her: "what's making you nervous, the prospect of the presentation or me?" he teased.
"Hon. . . honest anwer?" she asked.
"Yeah."
"You," she admitted, then swallowed: "You. . . you usual. . .usually do."
"I'm sorry. I didn't know. . . I can leave."
"No," she said forcefully. "Not. . . UGH! I don't know how to do. . . do this."
"Do what?"
"Lane. . . Lay-nee, told me I shou. . .should wait. . . I. . ."
"Hope, what is it? You know you can tell me. . . at least I thought you knew. . ." Mac faltered.
"I lllllike you. OK?" she asked dumbly.
"I should be surprised by this? We spend a lot of time together. I kinda figured. . ."
"Not like that," she said with a roll of her eyes.
"Oh."
"I. . .I know that I'm. . . I'm not what you'd. . . you'd wwwant."
Mac shook his head at her: "That's not true. I think you might be exactly what I want. I just. . . I'm a lot older than you are, Hope. There are a lot of guys your own age who are interested in you.
You're a beautiful woman.
Intelligent.
You could be with someone a lot better than me."
"Who interested?" she asked him. "Lucky? He still hung up on SSSSam. 'iz too. Nikolas? He lllloves a ghost. Would make me into 'er."
"There might be. . ."
"If some. . . someone cared about me, they wou. . . would've found me. We bbboth know that."
Mac nodded sadly: "I promised you I'd find out who you were. Get the person who hurt you. I haven't done that."
"You. . . you prom. . . promised I'd be safe. You kept that."
"That might be all I have to offer you."
"More than I can offer you," she pointed out. "I have no past. Not even a name for you to call me by that my own."
Mac looked at her: "Hope, have you considered that. . . Robin told me a few months ago that this might not be healthy for either of us. This dependency. It came about when both of us needed someone and I. . . I want you to have more."
"Robin not the picture of relation. . . relationsh. . .relationship advice," Hope told him. "She wants 'Trick and yet. . . yet is trying for baby on own. What so healthy about that?"
"You might have a point there," he sighed. "So diner one night this week? Metro Court? A real date."
"OK. You pick me up here?" Hope asked.
Mac nodded: "maybe by then you'll be over your nerves around me."
"May. . . maybe," she answered with a smile while a voice in her head added that she doubted it.
hr
Georgia glared at V.: "what do you mean I can't go back! Cooper was arrested and sentenced three months ago! My family's thinks I'm dead. Has for the last six months! Why the hell can't I. . ."
"Because your parents screwed up," V. answered in an even voice. "There's a good chance that you weren't attacked by Cooper."
"I saw. . ."
"What your attacker wanted you to think you saw," V. corrected. "There are still too many unanswered questions. There's another victim who can't even remember who she used to be. The victim of a copy cat. One who might have been covering his tracks after he attacked you."
"You don't know that for sure," Georgie pouted.
"No. I don't, because I can't take the chance of going to PC to find out. Other people are looking into it. For now, we're staying put."
"I don't like this."
V rolled her eyes: "you think I like it much better?"
"You at least get to make goo goo eyes at Dr. McBain and his brother," she said as she dropped down onto the couch.
"I'm not interested in either of the brothers McBain."
"Well Michael's sure interested in you."
"He's interested on the information I have on his ex and their adopted son. Thinks if he gets me drunk or into bed I'll spill."
"What about John?"
"He can barely crawl out of the bottle when he's not on duty," V answered as she sat down next to Georgie: "he blames himself for what happened to Natalie."
"There's no body. Even if there was one it doesn't mean anything now does it?"
"He couldn't make it through the funeral this morning. . ."
"No one could, V," Georgie sighed. "I mean, her father threw her sister out of the house. Her mother was furious. Her stepfather's a complete idiot who is insisting that his son is lying and didn't kill her. The guy who turns out to really be her uncle's a piece of work, and somehow seemed to be the only one who was actually there for her and not for themselves and their guilt and grief. I mean, come on, her brothers didn't even bother to show!"
"Because they don't believe that she's really dead," V told her. "They've hired a team of PIs from all over to try to find her."
"You think they will?"
"I don't know," V admitted. "But the odds aren't very good. If she were alive she would've gotten in touch with her family by now."
"If she could. If she wasn't being held somewhere against her will for her own safety."
"Georgie. . ."
"Fine. What's not to say that she isn't in some hospital somewhere? Can't remember who she was before she was attacked?"
"Fingerprints would've IDed her."
"If Jared didn't pay someone off so that they wouldn't pop up on some computer screen. Do you have any idea how easy it is to hack into a police department's system if you know what you're doing? Delete records. . . finger prints etc?"
"Do I want to know how you do?"
"Spellni told me," she shrugged. "He didn't do stuff like that, but if he had to, he probably could've."
"What is your major again?"
Georgie laughed: "working for Buchanan's better than waiting tables, and working on my forensics degree makes sense considering who my parents and godparents are."
"Just make sure you stick to police departments."
"Don't worry. I've had enough of the WSB to last me this life time plus my last."