The phone rang. Never a good sign this early, and Amanda rolled over to get it.

"Rollins," she said groggily.

"Rollins, sorry to wake you, but we've got a case, and we need your help," Captain said, "oh, and bring Frannie down too."

Now Amanda was really confused. "Frannie? What? Why, Cap?"

"She could be of some help."

"Ok, we'll be down soon."

Amanda dressed, grabbed her leash, and headed for the door. "come on, Frannie Mae. Ride time."

About ten minutes later, she met Cragen on the corner of the street in front of a big house, Frannie at her side. "What's up Captain?"

"The little girl is in there," he said, pointing to the house. "Only 8. "

Amanda's heart sank like a stone, "Dead or alive?" she asked quietly

"Alive, but badly shaken. She won't come out of her bedroom. Her parents weren't home. Out of town. We're trying to reach them. Perp broke in, raped and killed her babysitter, molested Ryder, and left."

Amanda took a breath. "Ok, here goes... well everything," she said in a soft voice, heading upstairs. She was glad that Cap had given her the girl's name before she tried calling out to her. The scene of the carnage, the basement, had been sealed off and gone over by CSU. "Ryder? Sweetheart, if you're here, make a little noise so I can hear it. I won't hurt you. I'm with the police. My name's Amanda."

A pause. A small sniffle. "You came to help?" asked the tiny voice when she finally reached the door.

"Yeah, sweetie, I did. Will you let me and my doggie friend in?"

"Doggie?" Amanda could tell by her tone that this excited her.

She smiled, even though she knew Ryder couldn't see it from the other side of the door. "Yeah, her name's Frannie."

"Will she bite?" "Ryder inquired in a whisper.

"No, not at all. She's very friendly. You can pet her if you let us in."

Ryder thought a moment, then said, "Okay. I 'll let you in.

Amanda stepped back. The little girl who was before her looked very thin, as though she hadn't eaten in some time. She had tangled black curls that needed a good brushing, and she had a few bruises near her big blue eyes. She gave Amanda a cautious once-over. "You- you won't hurt me?" " she asked her in a barely audible voice.

"No, I promise I won't," she responded. "I'm kinda like a superhero. I catch bad guys."

"Okay. You can come in, but I don't want to go out there."

"Why not?" Amanda asked as she watched the little girl pet Frannie with a nervous hand.

"He's out there."

"Who is he. Sweetheart?"

"He said not to tell, or..."

"You mean he said he would come back?" Amanda guessed.

Ryder nodded. "I can't tell, or he'll be back." She petted Frannie faster, paying special attention to her ears.

"Yeah, Frannie likes her ears rubbed," Amanda said, smiling. She figured changing the subject might help her feel more comfortable to talk later.

"I like her. I have a dog, too."

Amanda smiled "You do? Is it a real dog or a stuffed one?"

"He's real. His name's Buddy."

A few minutes later, a big German Shepard ran into the room, and Frannie let out a playful bark, so Ryder and Amanda laughed.

"Frannie likes him," Ryder said happily, finally climbing into Amanda's lap to watch them play.

About an hour later as they were coloring and the dogs were playing in front of them, Ryder turned to Amanda, saying, "He's a bad man. He hurt Erica."

"Who's Erica?"

"She watches me while Mama and Papa work."

"Oh, so she plays with you?"

Ryder nodded. "She plays with me real good," she answered happily. "We play princesses."

"How did he hurt Erica?"

"I heard a loud scream. It woke me up."

"What happened next?"

"I heard her say, get off me! She said it real loud. She was mad, and a little scared."

"What else did she say?"

"She didn't say amythng else, but she kept screaming, so I tried to get into her room."

"You wanted to help her?"

Ryder nodded, tears shining in her eyes. "Yeah, I tried to get to her, but the- the door- it didn't move, so I ran to get the phone to call for help, but it didn't make any sound."

He cut the phone line so she couldn't call for help, Amanda thought with a shiver.

"So what happened then?"
"I heard a big bang. Erica screamed, and then it got quiet. I heard the man."

"What did he say?"

"One down, one more," she whispered. "I got real scared, so I hid up here, but he came up and kicked the door, and he touched me down... there."

"Where?"

Finally letting the tears go, she pointed between her legs. "Here. It hurt, so I told him to stop, but he didn't."

"Did you know him?

"Erica likes him."

Her boyfriend," Amanda thought to herself. "What's his name?"

"His name's Dylan,"

"And what about his last name?"

"Cage," Ryder said as the tears fell. Amanda cuddled her close. "It's okay, it's okay," she soothed.

"I want my mama," she whispered.

"I'd bet you do, honey. We're trying to find her."

"Manda? Why did Rica stop talking?"

Amanda paused. She didn't really know how to answer that one