trigger warning - domestic abuse

Hanson hadn't sent the name of the building, just the address. When I pulled up to it, I made Henry check the address again. "This is it," he confirmed grimly.

"I wish it wasn't," I replied, staring at the sign for "Little Tykes Daycare and Preschool."

He put a hand on my arm. I tore my eyes away from the sign to look at him. "If the body was found this morning, then the murder happened over the weekend," he pointed out. "It is unlikely the victim is a child."

I took a deep breath. "I agree. Let's go."

Hanson met us at the tape line. "I'm not sure what to make of this," he told us, leading us down the center hallway of the school. Henry and I snapped on gloves as we walked. "Victim is Margaret Haines, twenty-seven."

"Teacher?" I asked.

"In the three-year-old room. That's where the secretary found her this morning." We stopped next to a door decorated with rainbows and unicorns. "According to the secretary, Miss Haines often got in early, but she was also the last one here on Friday, so it's possible she never left."

"What are you not sure about?" Henry inquired.

"What a teacher who plays with three-year-olds all day could have done to deserve this." Hanson pushed open the door.

Margaret Haines was sprawled facedown on the alphabet rug in the middle of the classroom. Blood was pooled around her head, obscuring the letter "S." Lucas, kneeling next to the body, turned her head slightly so we could see the wide slice across her neck. "Someone doesn't like 'Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,'" he commented drily.

Henry knelt on the other side of the body and examined Miss Haines' right arm. "Based on rigor, I would say Miss Haines perished at about three o'clock this morning."

"What was she doing here so early?" I wondered out loud. "Does the school have security cameras?"

"They did," Hanson said, making a face. "But someone – presumably our killer – ripped out the servers."

"Great." As Henry and Lucas discussed the victim's wound, I did a sweep of the room. Dr. Seuss books, wooden blocks, plastic plates and cups, a colorful xylophone... every childish object made me wince. The room was so innocent and carefree – except for the body on the floor.

Behind the teacher's desk, I found a blanket and pillow. They were laid out as though someone had been using the floor as a bed. "Hanson," I called.

He broke off his conversation with a CSU technician and came over. "Think she was sleeping here?"

"That would explain why she was here at three AM."

"Detectives?" We turned at the sound of Henry's voice. He held up a black scrunchie. "I noticed something in her left hand and pulled it out," he explained. "Given her pixie cut, I would guess that this belonged to her killer."

"There are a few strands stuck in it," Lucas added. "We should be able to pull DNA."

I gave Henry an evidence bag, and he dropped the scrunchie in. "Hopefully we'll get lucky and there'll be a match in the system," I said. "Did you find anything else interesting?"

"She put up a hell of a fight," Lucas informed us. "Defensive wounds on her forearms, bloody knuckles–"

"And I don't believe this was the first incident," Henry put in. "Even before getting her back to the lab, I can see old bruises on her arms, and her nose looks like it's been broken at least once."

I glanced at Hanson. "Boyfriend, you think?"

"Sounds like it."

"Let's go find him."

Quick update, I know - but I'm leaving town for over a week on Wednesday, so I want to get all of the chapters up before then. I don't like waiting, and I'm sure you don't either. :) Thanks for reading, everyone!

KenH - One of my favorite Henry flashbacks is he and Abigail in bed when Abe is a baby. She tries to get up when Abe starts crying, but he pulls her back. This is the Jo equivalent to that in my head! Superlc529 - Ah, but it's not a one-shot, finally. Haha. Thanks though!