"You want to talk about him?" Harm asked as they strolled aimlessly down the boardwalk.

She shrugged. "What is there to say?"

"I don't know Mac. You knew him better than anyone else did."

She stopped and turned to look out over the ocean. "No, I didn't really," she sighed, and stood silently for a moment. "He was the most thoughtful man I have ever known."

He nodded and waited for her to continue. When she didn't say anything more he asked, "Who were you talking to up there?"

"Mic's mother."

"How is she doing?"

"She's holding up."

"You two seemed to know each other pretty well."

She gave a short laugh. "That's the first time I've seen her in person. I was surprised she even recognized me. My heart goes out to her. She's gone through so much in her life." Mac smiled, "She's a very wise woman."

"Oh really, what did she tell you?"

She turned to him, and placed her hands lightly on his chest. "To be happy," she replied.

His mouth turned up in a warm smile, and he kissed her gently on the forehead.

She leaned into his chest for a moment before taking his hand, and leading him once again down the boardwalk.

They walked in silence for a while, until her mind drifted back to the case. "Do you think she set it up?" She asked.

"Yes I do."

"Me too," she replied. "Do we have anything to back up our assumptions?"

Harm shook his head, "Nothing but her shoe in Rayburn's hotel room." He sighed, "Which is also based on the assumptions that one, no one else has shoes like that. And two, Rayburn was actually involved in the murder at all."

Mac frowned, "We don't have any hard evidence on either of them do we."

"No we don't, but I would bet my last nickel that both of them are in on it."

She stopped walking and turned to him, "I agree. Ok, so how do we prove our theory?"

"I don't know. Have you thought of a motive?"

"Only one for both of them. They're having an affair, and they wanted Mic out of the way."

"Yeah, but why not just leave him? Why have him killed just because she found another guy?"

"Who knows with a woman like that." Mac's nostrils flared momentarily in disgust. "I know, it's not much of a motive. We have yet to establish a connection between the two. We need some strong evidence. Something stronger than a sandal under his bed."

"I know. I'll try to get some background information on her. Where she works, where she…" Harm stopped suddenly and she gasped as he pulled her roughly to him, and began to kiss her. For a moment she didn't respond, paralyzed by shock. A second later she didn't care why he did it, she just hoped he would never stop. He pulled back and buried his face in her neck.

"What the hell was that?" She whispered breathlessly.

"We're being watched," He murmured.

He felt her stiffen in his arms, suddenly alert, "Where?"

"3 O'clock, from my vantage point."

"Male or female?"

"Male," He replied, while visibly kissing her neck. "Tall, red shirt, khaki shorts, jarhead hair cut."

Mac pulled back and laid another soft kiss on his lips. She flashed her 1000-watt grin, and while turning around, caught a peripheral glimpse of their voyeur. She committed the image to memory, and once more took his hand. "Let's go shopping," She said loud enough for people around to hear.

He smiled as he heard the catch in her voice. "Okay," He agreed, matching her volume. Leaning in he said, "I'm sorry I caught you off guard like that."

She smiled up at him,"Don't be."

He turned his head and grinned at her. In his peripheral vision he saw the man still shadowing them from a short distance. "Let's go in here," he said, pointing to a small antique store near by.

"Okay," She said, as they stepped through the door of the tiny store.

"Gday. Have a look around. Let me know if you see anything that strikes you," The Shopkeeper said jovially.

"Thank you," Mac said and moved to the display case near the back of the store, as Harm pretended to browse near the window at the entrance. When he noticed the man who was tailing them walk by the store and continue on, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"He's gone," He said in a low voice, as he came up beside her.

"Do you have any idea who he is?"

"No. Do you?"

"No," She replied. "When we get back to the hotel I'm going to call and set up surveillance for Rayburn and Diane Brumby. Maybe we'll get some answers."

Harm nodded, and turned to look around the shop. It was like standing in the middle of the 18th century. There was armor on the walls next to tapestries, and ancient pitchers sitting in their basins. Muskets leaning precariously against the walls. The only thing that looked modern in the whole place was the neon open sign in the window. He walked up next to Mac who was standing near the far wall, staring into a jewelry display case. He slid his arm around her waist. "See anything you like?"

She nodded and pointed to a ring, in the back left corner of the case. His eyebrows rose, "Wow, that is unusual," he said, as he made eye contact with the shopkeeper.

The man walked over to them. "Would you like to see something in this case?" He asked Mac.

"Yes, thank you," She replied, and pointed out the ring she was interested in. "That looks like an interesting piece."

The shopkeeper gave a wide smile. "Oh it is. That one's very special. It came to me about two months ago," He said, as he reached in and pulled the ring from its resting place. "Some poor bloke found it on old Captain Harris' bed side table, when they cleaned out his estate. Said he'd kept it there for the better part of sixty years."

Their eyes widened in surprise.

"Oh yes," The shopkeeper continued in response, as he handed Mac the ring. "There's quite a tale wrapped around this one. In the summer of 1943, Harris was in love with a nurse who worked in the infirmary at the naval base. Her name was Abigail McCleary. Smart as a whip that one. She was the most beautiful girl in the district. She was also the most stubborn." The shopkeeper laughed in remembrance. "They fought like cats and dogs. But we all knew what was really going on between them. It's bloody odd how people get sometimes when they don't want to admit to loving each other." He paused and shook his head. "In September of the same year the war escalated and Harris got orders to head off to England. The night before he left Abigail feared that he might not return, and she confessed her love to him. Harris was shocked, but thinking that the time wasn't right for them since he was heading off to war, he didn't respond to her in the way she hoped. All he promised her was that he would return. He had this ring made for her while he was on furlough in Ireland, hoping that by presenting it to her, he would prove his love. But when he returned a year later, it was too late, and she had married another. He never told her about the ring, but he kept it by his bed until the day he died."

Mac stared down at ring in her hand. It was incredibly beautiful. The large Marquis cut ruby was inlaid into the platinum band. On each side of the ruby was a smaller diamond of the same shape. There wasn't a prong in site. It was as if the stones and the band had been poured and melded together.

She squinted as she inspected the rest of the band. "Do you know what these symbols mean?" She asked pointing to the small engravings in the band on each side of the diamonds.

The shopkeeper smiled. "Yes. This one here is the Celtic symbol of eternal love. The one on the other side is the Celtic symbol of perseverance."

Harm and Mac both grinned at that, and he sought her eyes. "Would you like to try it?" He asked. She nodded, but paused as she caught a glimpse of something engraved on the inside of the band. A moment later her mouth dropped open.

Harm frowned, "Mac what is it?"

When she looked up at him her eyes were shining. "Read the inscription," She said in a voice that was a mix of incredulity and laughter.

Harm took the ring and read the inscription out loud. "Eternity," He said, and then froze as he saw the H and M linked together. His head snapped over to the shopkeeper.

The shopkeeper shifted uncertainly, and said, "Yes, I forgot to mention that. H for Harris and M for McLeary of course. Is…is there a problem?"

Harm shook his head, and then gave a sparkling grin, "Not at all."

Once again he made eye contact with Mac, took her left hand, and slid the ring onto her finger. It fit perfectly.

They smiled at each other, and in unison said, "We'll take it."

TBC…