HAPPY NEW YEAR! *Throws confetti, then regrets it because now I have to clean it all up* ;o)

DanH2010: Thanks!...and I'm glad you think that. I'm counting on it ;o)

crimsonpirate: I agree, but we're on the same brainwave, so that's good. Thanks for reviewing.

A/N: Two new characters enter our story for this chapter. Hope you enjoy them as much as I do as they'll be around for a little while at least.

Chapter 6

Unbeknownst to either party, two things happened at the exact same moment, at opposite ends of the city. First, Agent Kimball Cho was reading a newspaper on the third floor balcony of the CBI offices. The front page headline read:

Judge Seeks Death After Cop Killer Pleads Guilty

Across town, Melody's cell rang while she was in the middle of her morning routine. Melody retrieved the chirping cell phone off the kitchen table, juggling her coffee with her other hand. She had slept in after a long day of hearings but found herself still exhausted.

"Hello?" She answered the unfamiliar caller.

"Is this Ms. Melody Cartwell?"

"Yes it is. May I ask who's calling?"

"My name is Dr. Strauss. I'm the MD over here at Sac Pen and I've been informed that you are the defense councilor for a Mr. Patrick Jane. Is that correct?"

"Yes. Why, what happened?" Melody asked, suddenly concerned.

"Oh, assure you ma'am it's nothing very serious. It's just that your client collapsed this morning in his cell. His guards tell me he hasn't been eating properly so I'm sure that's the cause but I didn't know who else to call. He has no next of kin listed and I was wondering if you may be able to point me in the right direction."

Melody pinched the bridge of her nose. "I'm sorry I can't really help you. As far as I know, Mr. Jane has no family."

Dr Strauss sighed into the phone. "I see. I assumed as much. However, there is something I would like to talk to you about."

"Ok..?" She waited for him to continue.

"Actually, is there any way you can stop by sometime today. This is really something I need to discuss with you in person."

Melody checked her watch. "Sure, I can meet you in a half an hour if that suits you."

"That would be great. Leave your name with the front desk and I'll send someone out to get you."

"Will do."

"Thank you Ms. Cartwell. I'll see you soon."

The phone disconnected. Melody walked over to the sink, dumped her still steaming mug of coffee, and went to fetch her things.

Melody was relieved to see the man who Dr. Strauss sent to escort her to the clinic was a familiar face. She had met Walt on her first visit to the prison, asking him about the temperature of the facility but had only recently learned his name. Walt was the one person, other than herself that Jane communicated with. The two had started talking when Jane learned that the man's only son had been killed by a drunk driver. They had hit it off, I guess you could say, due to their shared tragedies. Walt was a big man, with dark copper skin. Melody had to admit the man was a bit intimidating but Jane had assured her he was a teddy bear at heart. She was thankful Walt had been assigned to Jane's watch, at least during the day shift. Melody was a lawyer but she was helpless when it came to protecting her clients against other prisoners.

When the main door closed behind them, Melody asked Walt what happened.

"I went to bring him his tea, at the beginning of my shift, before starting my rounds. Tea's the one thing he won't refuse so I try to bring him some at least a few times a day. It can't do much use but I figure something is better than nothing. When I got to his cell, I found him on the floor, out cold. Doc says it's from malnutrition and I don't doubt it one second. No siree."

They paused outside of the clinic. "Doc wants to talk to you in his office. That'll be your first door on the left." Walt unlocked the door to the clinic. Melody stepped inside.

She knocked on the wooden door before entering the small office. Dr. Anthony Strauss was a stout older gentleman with, to put it nicely, an obvious receding hairline. In all actuality, the hair had receded as far back as it was going to go, leaving only two stripes of fine white hair on either side of the man's scalp. He looked up when Melody entered, and she noted that he also wore glasses with a very strong prescription, judging by the thickness of the lenses.

"Ah, so you must be Melody Cartwell." The doctor, or 'Doc', as Walt liked to call him, extended his short, frail arm to Melody who shook it with a smile.

"Pleasure to meet you Dr. Strauss."

He chuckled. "I must say, you're not exactly what I pictured when they told me you were a lawyer."

Melody got that a lot, as did her mother. They were both pretty much spitting images of one another aside from the age difference. Tall, thin, and blonde. Yes, they would fit very well in the next Reese Witherspoon movie.

"What can I do for you doctor?" That was another Cartwell trait, straight to the point.

"Oh yes dear, let me just find the file. Right, here it is. As, I have already told you Mr. Jane was admitted into my care this morning after collapsing in his cell. Sadly, this kind of thing isn't all that uncommon in this place. Per procedure, I started an IV immediately, to help replenish some of the fluids and nutrients your client was lacking. It was as I was inserting the line that I noticed something. Ms. Cartwell, do you know if your client was a user?"

That question knocked her off guard, to say the least. "Uh, I can't say for sure but he was a consultant with the CBI so I highly doubt it. Don't they test for things like that?"

"Not my area of expertise I'm afraid. Well, whatever the case, I found clear traces of a puncture mark and considerable bruising made by someone who clearly doesn't know what they're doing with a needle. Now, the area is almost entirely healed by this point but I've seen my share of needle users. I can spot one, sometimes months after the fact."

"Well, can't you test for that kind of thing?"

"Well, yes, but it's likely too late to pick up on any traces in the system. I've seen tests come back positive after six weeks but that's pretty much the extreme. Besides, I'm sure Mr. Jane was tested before he was brought here. They all are."

Melody made a mental note to check on that later. "Can I see him?"

"Mr. Jane is resting at the moment but I'm sure a visit with you later on would only do him good."

Apparently, Doc hasn't heard the results of yesterday's hearing yet. Nothing at this point is going to do her client much good. Melody smiled and nodded politely. "I'll try to stop by on my way back. I won't make any promises though."

"I understand. If you do get the chance, have the front desk call me and I'll send Walt for you again." He opened the door to let her out.

A/N...so, strange things are going on. What do they mean? Hmm.