AN: I hope you are enjoying this story. I am having fun writing it and am looking forward to sharing it with you all. To those of you who have taken the time to review I thank you. It is the only way to get better at storytelling! Enjoy!

CHAPTER 2: In which old memories are stirred.

Abby Morgenstern was locking the shop's door when she realized that in her hurry she had forgotten to set the alarm. She went back inside and armed it, turning back to head for the door as she only had a minute before it activated. She turned around and screamed as she felt a cloth cover her mouth and then she knew no more.

*** Forever ***

Henry was just pulling on his scarf when someone knocked on the door. He saw Abe head out into the shop and heard the bell over the door ring. Abe came back in followed by Jo Martinez. She smiled as him. "Good morning, Henry."

He smiled back. "Good morning, Detective."

Abe looked between the two and shook his head. "I'm going to clean up the breakfast dishes. Henry, remember that we have to go to the bank later."

Henry looked to his son. "I remember, Abraham."

"Will you ever call me Abe?"

"Absolutely not! Abraham is a perfectly good name and I know that your parents chose it specifically for you. Now, I will be here around noon and then we can head to the bank."

Abe rolled his eyes. "Alright! Jo, you make sure he remembers, okay?"

Jo grinned at the interplay between the two. "Okay, Abe. Now come on Henry...on top of yesterday's case we have another one."

Henry nodded. "After you, Jo."

She smiled. "See you later, Abe."

Abe grinned. "You two stay safe."

Henry nodded as he followed his partner out the door.

*** Forever ***

The crime scene was just over a block away so they chose to walk. Jo looked over at Henry. "So what was that all about, anyway?"

Henry looked over. "Which part?"

"The bank..."

"Ah, yes. Well, Abraham wishes to put me on all his accounts."

"Did he say why?"

Henry nodded and frowned. "He said he wants his money safe in case he...passes."

Jo stopped and put her hand on Henry's arm. "Do you think he is sick and hiding it?"

Henry turned to her and sighed. "No. He just had a check up and was told he was fine. I think it's just beginning to dawn on him that he is over seventy now."

Jo nodded and looked at him. "Are you going to do it?"

Henry looked at her. "I have to. He'll pester me to death if I don't."

She started to ask a question but he interrupted her. "Look, Jo...we'll talk later, I promise. Let's get the victim sorted out and you can come by tonight and we'll have dinner and then you can learn more about Henry Morgan than you would possibly want to know."

She seemed mollified by this and turned to start walking towards the crime scene with Henry by her side.

*** Forever ***

Jo was not mollified but the one thing she had definitely learned about her partner was that he could not be coerced into sharing things about his personal life. She had been working with him for over six months and still did not know the exact relationship between Henry and Abe. She knew that Abe's last name was also Morgan but with the age difference she knew that her original thought of brothers was wrong. Maybe Abe was Henry's uncle? She would have to think on that.

Henry lifted the crime scene tape and followed her into the store. Hanson was already inside talking to an older man. He looked over as they entered and nodded. Jo slowly looked at the scene and then watched as Henry pulled out a pair of gloves and headed for the body.

He asked the CSU tech to take pictures of the body from several angles and to focus in on certain things. Once that was done, he bent down to examine the body. Jo walked over and stood behind him. "Any verdict on COD?"

He looked up at her. "Well, based on first glance it looks like she died from blunt force trauma." He checked her neck and opened her eye and reclosed it. "Based on lividity it looks like she died somewhere between ten and eleven PM. I'll know more when we get her back to the lab."

"Damn, Henry...your TOD is right on." Henry looked up at Mike Hanson. "The victim's name is Abby Morgenstern, age was the manager and was locking up about a quarter after ten last night. She armed the alarm at 10:17 PM but there was no sign of forced entry. The killer had a key which was left in the outside of the lock."

Jo looked around. "Is anything missing?"

Mike nodded. "The guy over there is Alan Morgenstern, Abby's uncle and he owns the place. He was looking and he only noticed a couple of items missing." He flipped over his notebook and nodded. "He said that he is missing a wedding ring set worth about $7,500 and that's it."

Jo looked off into the distance. "So the victim is killed for a couple rings?"

Henry looked at her. "What was so special about that specific set?"

Hanson waved the owner over. "Mr. Morgenstern, was there anything special about those rings?"

The older man shook his head. "No. I bought them a few months ago at an estate sale. I knew they were good quality and after a cleaning and resetting a loose stone they were beautiful."

Henry looked at the older man. "Sir, do you remember if there were any customers especially interested in that set?"

He shook his head. "No, but I'm semi-retired and only worked Mondays and Saturdays. Abby worked Tuesdays through Saturdays."

Henry looked around and saw a camera. "Do you care if we look at your surveillance footage?"

The older man shrugged. "If it will help find who killed my niece, of course."

*** Forever ***

Henry and Jo were sitting in a conference room at the precinct with one of the techs from CSU reviewing the tapes from the jewelry store. Henry had determined that the time of death was close to 10:30 so they forwarded the tape to 10 PM and watched until almost 11 PM. There was no activity. That confused all of them.

Jo looked at Henry. "Are you sure she of the TOD?"

Henry nodded. "Positive...everything I looked at corroborated the time." He thought about it for a minute and turned towards the tech. "Can you try between 11 PM and midnight, please?"

The tech looked at him and nodded. "Sure, but just for my curiosity why?"

Henry smiled. "I noticed when we were in the store that the cameras looked older. Also, the security company said that the owner had to get them to come out to change security settings. He did not strike me as being technologically savvy, so may have never gotten the independent surveillance system set up for Daylight Savings Time."

Jo smiled. "Good call, Henry." He smiled back and they started to watch from 11 PM. At 11:10 the victim could be seen locking display cases. Then she went around turning out lights and headed for the door. At 11:15 she came back in and hit the alarm button on the system just as two masked men entered the store. She struggled with one man and managed to hit him just below the armpit on his left side. He back-handed her and she fell back into the display case she was standing next to, hitting the back of her head. The men went directly to the set of rings and used the victim's keys to unlock the case. After removing the rings they locked it back and then left, using the keys to lock the door.

Jo had the tech copy the appropriate part of the video and make a DVD of it for evidence. She and Henry went out to let Mike know and have him verify Henry's suspicions about the timestamps.

*** Forever ***

At 5 PM everyone was sent home for the night. The time-stamp issue had been confirmed; they were waiting on the search warrants to proceed. Henry helped Jo with her jacket and they headed for the elevator.

Jo walked into the elevator ahead of Henry and turned towards him. "You seem pretty deep in thought."

Henry looked up at her. "I suppose I am." He sighed. "It's the victim's name...Abigail Morgan...stern."

Jo's eyes widened. "Henry...I'm sorry. It didn't even occur to..."

Henry put his hand on her arm. "It's alright, Jo. I'll be fine; it was just a surprise."

"But you never let on."

"Well, I had hoped not to bother anyone with it."

The elevator doors opened and they walked out towards the exit. They walked down the steps to the sidewalk and Jo put her hand on Henry's arm. "Henry, please know that you will never be a bother to me. You're my friend and I care about you."

Henry nodded. "Okay. Would you like to join Abraham and myself for dinner?"

"I wouldn't want to impose."

Henry's lips twitched. "Come on, Josefina."

Jo raised an eyebrow, "Watch it, Mister." She grinned. "I would love to." They headed towards her car and drove off.

*** Forever ***

Jo sat back and smiled as Henry and Abe talked about their days. She knew that there was something that Henry was not telling her, but she was not going to push it just yet. When Abe asked Henry about their latest case, she noticed that Henry quickly excused himself. Abe looked at her and she decided to tell him. "Abe, I think today's case affected him. The victim's name was Abigail."

Abe looked towards where Henry had gone. "He's not let her go yet. I wondered what it was when he met me at the bank but he just waved it off."

Jo raised an eyebrow. "What happened with Abigail?"

Abe smiled at her but shook his head. "It's not my story to tell. Henry needs to explain it to you."

Jo closed her eyes. "Henry just closes up when I mention her. I know I'm the same way about Sean."

She felt a warm hand on her shoulder. "You two really need to talk; it would be good for both of you."

She nodded. "Henry is the first person I've felt I could talk to. I haven't felt as close to someone since Sean died as I do to him."

Abe chuckled. "Henry won't admit it but he feels the same way about you."

Jo sighed and opened her eyes. "Should I go after him?"

"He'll be on the roof." She smiled and got up. She leaned over and kissed Abe's cheek as she walked past him.

*** Forever ***

Henry had indeed headed to the roof. He sat down on the couch they kept up there in the warmer months and looked up at the stars. "Abigail, I've mourned you all these years without knowing where you even were or if you were dead. Then when Abraham got the official notice it broke open the wound again. I will always love you but I have to move on. Please don't hate me for caring about someone else. It's been over forty years." He bowed his head and let the tears flow as he said goodbye to Abigail.

A few minutes later he heard footsteps approaching and he dried his eyes. "I'm sorry, Jo. It was rude of me to run off like that."

Jo smiled. "Stop it, Henry. I know that it's difficult."

He looked over at her. "Would you sit with me?" She nodded and sat next to him. "It's difficult when you lose someone. I know you understand that because of your loss. I just have been able to make my peace with it, and that's due to you."

Jo put her hand on his. "You know I care about you, Henry. You've fast become my best friend and I'm happy with that."

Henry turned his hand in hers and intertwined their fingers. "I care about you as well, Josefina. I want to thank you for listening to me and I want you to know that I care for you and am here for you as well."

Jo sat and looked at their hands. This man was so special and he helped her in ways that he could not understand. She leaned her head on his shoulder and looked up at the stars. Sitting here three stories about the street with her best friend was like a balm to her soul. She sighed and squeezed his hand and felt when he placed a kiss to the top of her head. At the moment, she was at peace and could almost let herself feel happy.

*** Forever ***

The next day they had caught a break and saw on the surveillance tape that one of their suspects had a distinctive scar on the back of his right hand. The owner identified the scar as an owner of a competing shop that lost the bid on the estate sale. A few hours later they had recovered the rings and had secured a confession.

Henry had just finished his report when he had a knock on the door. He looked up to see Lucas enter. "Doc, do you have a minute?"

Henry nodded and waved towards a chair. "Is there a problem, Lucas?"

"Not really. I just wanted to see what you thought about being out in the field more often. I know you and Detective Martinez have become good friends but I wasn't sure what was drawing you to go to crime scenes."

Henry sat back in his chair and looked at his assistant. "Well, Lucas, I have developed a rather keen observatory skill. Beyond just the quick assessment of the victim, I can sometimes spot things that may take the detectives more time. Detective Martinez has come to trust in my skills but Detective Hanson is still a skeptic. I know it seems bizarre but as an ME we don't get to see the families of our victims and I appreciate that the detectives' abilities to provide some level of closure to the families is a beautiful thing."

Lucas closed his eyes. "So you are saying that not only do your observations assist but that you get a sense of closure along with the victim's family.:

Henry nodded. "That's it exactly."

Lucas stood and walked to the door. He turned back and grinned. "It doesn't hurt that your partner is a beautiful woman, though."

"Lucas!"

Lucas chuckled and walked towards the exit. "I'm just sayin'..."

Henry shook his head as he watched the younger man leave. He looked back down to the report he had just signed and sat back in his chair. He had to admit that Lucas was right; Jo was beautiful. She was the direct opposite of Abigail. His wife had porcelain skin and the lightest blonde hair. Josefina Martinez was raven-haired and dark skinned. Yes, she was indeed a very beautiful woman. But beyond that he had been drawn to her when he had looked into her dark eyes. There was a fire there, a passion. That emotion burned through the sadness and longing that was there due to the loss of her husband. He had seen that look on his face for years so he could easily identify another tortured soul.

He put his head in his hands as he thought back to the times he and Jo had been together. From the dozens of crime scenes to the bar celebrations that the whole team attended after a tough case, the two had grown closer. But it was the other times...the quiet lunches, the dinners at each others places, the walks in Central Park to feed the ducks and clear their heads; these were the times he cherished. These were the times when Henry Morgan got to meet the real Josefina Martinez, not the Detective that she became in front of others. He got to meet the woman behind the mask, and it only happened when they were alone.

*** Forever ***

Jo finished up her notes for the arrest report and added them to Mike's. She saved the file and attached it to an email for review then shut down her PC. She walked over to Reece's office and let her know that the report was finished. "It's in your inbox."

Joanne smiled at her. "Thanks. Any plans for the weekend?"

Jo shook her head. "Nothing firm. I am probably going to grab some dinner on the way home and relax for the night. I might do some shopping tomorrow but then I might just be lazy."

Joanne chuckled. "There are times when being lazy has its merits. Remember that you aren't due in until noon Monday; oh, could you let your partner know to come see me around 10 AM Monday?"

"Sure. Wait...why earlier than me?"

"He has an appointment at the range to get ready for his certification."

Jo's eyes widened. "That was quick!"

"Well, once I mentioned it to the Chief he got things moving."

Jo nodded. "Okay. I'll stop by his office on the way out. See you Monday."

Jo headed back to her desk to grab her blazer and purse. Mike had already headed out for Friday night dinner with his family so she made her way to the stairs. It was quicker than waiting on the elevator and she wanted to catch Henry before he left.

She walked into the morgue a few minutes later and headed straight to Henry's office. She was saddened to see that the lights were already off. Her shoulders slumped and she stood there a moment. In the back of her mind she had been entertaining the thought of asking him to join her for dinner. She wanted to celebrate the fact that their partnership was no longer temporary; she knew she should have asked him earlier in the day but she was nervous. She liked Henry and was afraid to admit it. She was finally starting to let her heart believe that Sean was dead. She was thinking about that when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Startled, she jumped away and turned.

"Sorry! I didn't mean to startle you, Jo."

"Henry! You scared me!"

He stepped towards her and put his hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry. I had forgotten my scarf and I saw you standing there. I should have let you know that I was behind you sooner."

She shook her head. "No, Henry...it's okay. I was just stopping by to let you know something and ask you something and...oh my God I'm rambling."

Henry smiled at her. "Josefina! Calm down!"

She looked at him and shook her head. "Not here, Henry. Here I'm Jo. Please."

He looked down. "Of course, Jo. Now you have something to tell me?" She relayed the message from Reece and he nodded. "Thank you. Now, you had something to ask me?"

Her eyes widened and she looked down to hide her blush. She hadn't meant to mention that. She was sure that he had plans. She looked up and sighed. "I was just wondering if you want to have dinner. With me." She winced and took a deep breath. "I mean, I know you probably have plans..."

"I'd love to."