It was Monday at noon, and Mark, Steve, and Kat were meeting at the beach house with Amanda and Jessie to discuss the case. They'd prepared a casual lunch and were eating outside on the patio. Annie was close by, eagerly hoping for scraps to drop on the floor. "So, you haven't heard back from Scott Beady, Loomis's attorney at all?" Jessie asked Steve.

"Nope." Steve shook his head as he set his can of Coke back on the table. "I've called everyday and he hasn't gotten back with me."

"Well, maybe he's on vacation." Amanda stated.

"I thought so too, but I called the office this morning, and his coworkers said that he's been in town all weekend."

"That doesn't sound like a good sign, on his part." Kat remarked. "Smells suspicious to me."

"You think maybe he's got something to hide?" Amanda asked wryly, a smirk on her face. "Maybe something that Loomis didn't want anyone to know about?"

"Could be." Steve nodded. "Might explain why his wife was considering filing for divorce."

"And why he was killed." Jessie said, smiling. "I mean, a guy as disliked as he was? He must have some deep, dark skeletons in his closet."

"Some he probably didn't want out in the open." Mark said. "I still want to talk to Mrs. Loomis. I want to hear her side of this."

"Mark, do you think she'll let you?" Amanda inquired.

"She might not. But I've got to try! I'm not gonna watch Stacy rot in jail and not turn over every rock that might have a secret beneath it."

"Well, what about Stacy's coworkers?" Jessie suggested.

"Well, Dad already talked to them." Kat interjected.

"But they all worked for the same dis-likable guy. I'm sure they had their shares of him treating them like dirt, a time or two. Maybe one of them also had a strong reason to kill him."

"Jessie's right." Mark said. "Jessie, why don't you talk with Bob Mosher? He's one of the photographers, and Stacy often speaks about him. He helps her out a lot."

"Sure." Jessie smiled. "No problem. Yeah, I think I've met him a few times."

"Yeah, he came to Stacy's birthday the week before." Kat stated. "And he brought Becky Johnson. They've been going out together for a while. I think she's a good friend of Stacy's at the paper. Maybe I could talk with her."

"I thought you were going to see Carlie today." Steve said. Carlie had arrived home from college for the summer break.

"Yeah, but I don't think she'd mind coming along. And I'll bring her back home before I go visit Stacy."

"Good idea, Kat." Mark spoke. "And tell her we miss her, and I'll be over to see her soon."

"I will." Kat smiled. "I'm going over to pick Carlie up after lunch."

"Yeah, well, if you pick up on anything you think could help our case, I want you to tell me first!" Steve declared firmly.

"Of course."

"Maybe I can talk with Mavis Anders." Amanda suggested. "From what you've said, she seemed like the only one who could reign Loomis in. I wonder why."

"Maybe she just had that rare, magical touch." Jessie shrugged.

"Have to be pretty immune to timidity to tackle with that old buzzard." Steve muttered. "Oh, and Jess, talk to Henry Stilton too. Stacy doesn't seem to like him, but see what he has to offer."

"Ooo, a troublemaker, huh?" Jessie smiled wryly.

"Not sure. But he does seem to live for the political side of the job."

"Don't worry." Jessie said. "If he has a kink in his armor, I'll find it!"

"I'm...sure you will." Steve smiled skeptically.

"I still want to go back to the crime scene and look things over thoroughly." Mark said casually.

"So do I." Steve replied. "But, I have tight-lipped attorney to try and talk to first." He set his plate with his hot dog on the floor. "Here you go, Annie girl. It's all yours." Annie wasted no time and started gobbling up the wiener, bread, link, pickle relish, ketchup, mustard, everything. "Well, I'd better get going. See you guys later." Steve stood up.

"Hey, Steve? Can I have your other hot dog?" Jessie asked eagerly. Steve stared at him.

"Jess, how many have you forced into that bottomless pit of yours already?" He asked in a teasing tone.

"Oh, I don't know. But I'm still hungry!"

"I stopped counting at 4." Mark grinned.

"Just have him question your suspects, and he'll be so eager to share what he found out, he won't even think about food!" Amanda chuckled.

"That's right." Kat nodded.

"As your friend, I shouldn't do this, Jess. But have at it." Steve shook his head and Jessie eagerly grabbed the other wiener. "Okay, I'll be going now."

"Bye, Steve!" Amanda and Mark called after him.

"I've got to go too." Kat said, grabbing another handful of Doritos. "See ya."

"Bye!"

Kat pulled up in front of the Wilsons' house. She hadn't seen her good friend Carlie in months, and was really looking forward to it. She walked up to the door and rang the door bell. "Kat! Well, hello!" Mrs. Wilson exclaimed in delight, giving her a hug.

"Hey." Kat smiled.

"How are you?"

"I'm...good."

"How's your family?" Mrs. Wilson asked quietly. Kat sighed.

"They're...doing okay." She said quietly.

"Kat, we're so sorry about Stacy. But just be assured that we're praying for you all." Mrs. Wilson gripped Kat's hand.

"Thanks." Kat nodded. Then Carlie appeared behind her mom.

"Kat! Hey, girl!" She smiled widely and hugged her best friend tightly.

"Hi." Kat laughed.

"So, you ready to go?" Carlie asked. "I am. See?" Carlie already had her purse with her. That was Carlie, always ready for whatever adventure came up and eager to get on the ball.

"Sure." Kat said lowly.

"Bye, Mom." Carlie kissed Mrs. Wilson then headed out the door.

"Hey, when are you girls gonna invite me along?" Mrs. Wilson teased.

"Mom, it's our first day with me back. You'll get your turn." Carlie and Kat both climbed into the car. They both waved to Carlie's mom, then Kat drove away. "So, what are we doing first, Kat?" Carlie asked curiously.

"Well, what would you like to do?"

"Look, Kat. We have all summer to go shopping. Why don't we just hang out for the day?"

"That actually sounds really good to me!" Kat sighed in relief.

"So," Carlie asked quietly, in that solemn tone of hers which indicated that she always knew something was heavy on her friend's mind. "How are you really?"

Kat glanced thoughtfully at her good friend. "I'm okay, Carlie." She said lowly.

"You worried about Stacy?"

"You know? I'm honestly not that worried about proving her innocence, because I know she is innocent, and I strongly feel that God's going to help us prove that...when the time is right. And I'm confident that Grandpa and Dad will figure it out. When it's time, we'll know it."

"So, this doesn't bother you at all?"

"Yes, it does." Kat corrected Carlie. "I feel really bad for her, and I know it's pretty frightening. What really ticks me off is the way the police actually think she did it. That's what I find hard to swallow. I know they're just doing their jobs, but it's especially hard on Dad. His record speaks for itself, and he wishes that was enough to bust her out of prison. I'm just trying to stay calm."

"Well, somebody has to." Carlie agreed. "Are you allowed to see her?"

"Yeah, in fact I'm planning to see her after I bring you back home."

"That's fine." Carlie said.

"But, I have someone to talk to first." Kat said. "If you don't mind."

"Okay. Who?"

"One of Stacy's coworkers."

"Ooo. You mean interrogating a suspect?"

"Something like that."

"Hey, let's go for it!" Carlie burst excitedly. "Maybe when we're all finished, we can go to our favorite stop and just chill."

"Sounds like a plan." Kat nodded.

Steve pursed his lips and entered the small law firm complex. He walked up to the reception desk. "Can I help you, sir?" The secretary asked.

"I hope so." Steve huffed. "Lt. Sloan, LAPD." He pulled out his badge. "I'm here to see Scott Beady."

"Oh, well, I'm not sure if..."

"Listen, Ma'am." Steve said firmly. "I'm investigating the murder of Horace Loomis. I believe he was Mr. Beady's client."

"Y-y-yes. That's right. He was."

"I've left several messages for Beady in the passed five days, and he hasn't answered me. And I happen to know that he hasn't left town. Now, I want to see him. This is very important."

"Is he in some kind of trouble?" The lady asked timidly.

"I don't know yet." Steve replied calmly. "But I need to ask him some questions. And he might end up in trouble if he refuses to answer them."

"Okay." The woman gulped.

"Look, you don't have to announce me. I'd rather surprise him." Steve whispered with a grin.

"Uhm, through that door on the left, go down the hall to the right, and his door is the fourth one on the left." The secretary pointed nervously. "He should be in."

"Thanks." Steve cocked his head and calmly followed her directions. He finally reached Beady's door. He was about to knock, but then listened through the door when he heard a voice.

"Look. I know, you'd think that everything goes to you, but..." The voice growled. "Look, Janice, I know you're really upset about..." Steve heard a muffled, crackled, but vehement voice on the other end of the phone as Beady must have held it away from his ear. "Hold on! It was his stupid choice, not mine! Yeah, sure, I went along with it but he paid good money. So how could I refuse? Now, now, now...all right, all right. I'll draw up the lousy papers if it'll make you happy and just leave me alone and quit bothering me. Yeah! I'm looking forward to it!" Then Steve heard the phone handle clank down. He raised his eyebrows with a curious grin and decided this would be the perfect time to make a grand entrance. Instead of knocking, he walked right in.

"Hi." He smiled. Scott Beady's face not only became dumb-struck but turned a hot pink.

"Who the heck are you?!" He snarled. "What do you want? And who let you in, unannounced?"

"Actually, I was hoping you could help me." Steve remarked casually, with his hands in his pockets.

"Sorry. Get out of here, sonny. I don't see clients without an appointment." Beady huffed and pulled a file out of his desk. Steve eyed it curiously, trying to make out what it said.

"Well, it's not like I didn't try to make one." Steve moaned. "I've left you several messages."

Beady gazed at Steve suspiciously, trying to size him up.

"Who are you really?" He asked with clenched teeth.

"Lt. Steve Sloan, LAPD, homicide." Steve showed his badge. "I've been trying to get a hold of you for the passed week, but you've been silent." Beady's face turned crimson, and he nervously started shuffling the papers in the file he'd brought out. He quickly stacked them together in a disorderly manner and shoved the file back into his desk drawer.

"What do you want, Lt.?" He asked in an unfriendly tone.

"I'm investigating the homicide of your wealthy client, Horace Loomis." Steve said with his hands on his hips.

"Tsk. Get out. Why don't you take a look in your own backyard, Barney Fife? We all know who the real killer is: your own kid!" Beady sneered. Steve felt his face growing hot, and set his jaw to keep himself in check. It was extremely hard to do though.

Don't push my buttons too hard, he thought. "Don't even get me started!" Steve declared dangerously. "I'm here to talk about your client and his wife. I believe that was her you just argued with on the phone."

At this, Beady angrily rose to his feet. "I can take your badge right now when I present your department on charges of wire tapping!" He hollered.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Steve calmly shook his head.

"Liar! Darn you!" Beady exploded.

"As a matter of fact, I was about to knock on your door outside when I heard a violent argument. What was it about?"

"None of your darn business. Now get out, before I have you thrown out."

"Oh, really? This is a murder investigation, sir! I'm trying to find who really killed your client, and why. Maybe it was Mrs. Loomis herself."

"You don't know anything. Maybe she did. She certainly had plenty of reason."

"Such as?" Steve raised his eyebrows.

"That's lawyer/client privilege. I can't answer that."

Steve rolled his eyes. "Eh, to refresh your memory, the guy is dead!"

"All the more reason."

"Maybe you could just enlighten me."

"Look, I'm not enjoying your company."

"That goes for both of us." Steve huffed. "But that's okay, I didn't come here to make a new friend. Are you aware that you could get in trouble with the police for withholding information? You're a lawyer, you ought to know."

"I'm well aware of that, Lt."

"Well, then why don't you make it easier on yourself, for Pete's sake?" Steve asked impatiently. "I understand that Mrs. Loomis was ready to file for divorce right around the time of the murder. Why is that?"

"You figure it out." Beady snarked, and sat back down.

"I thought I could save the trouble of getting a search warrant, but that's no problem. I can get one if I have to...within the hour."

Beady sighed heavily with a scowl. He angrily opened his drawer back up and pulled out the file, and tossed it at Steve like it was trash. "Here, take it!" He growled. "Go ahead, tear my office apart and gather all the dirt you want to on Loomis! See if I care!"

Steve picked up the file and nodded. "Thank you for giving me this." He said and started to walk out.

"You're gonna ruin me, Lt.!" Beady scowled. "This goes south for me, it's gonna be all on you!"

"Is that a threat?" Steve asked.

"It's a warning."

"Well, you see I don't generally believe that people should be worried about their jobs or reputations being ruined...unless, they have something to hide, of course." Steve said casually.

"I've got nothing to hide!" Beady hollered, rising to his feet, and pounding his fists furiously on the desk, causing the glass figures and water pitcher to tingle and tremble. Steve raised his eyebrows skeptically.

"Glad to hear it." He said nonchalantly. "You know? I can easily see why Loomis picked you to be his personal attorney. Your tempers are birds of a feather."

"Get out!" Beady shouted and threw a law book at Steve, but it hit the wall instead.

"Ooo, that's not good." Steve shook his head. "That could be called assaulting an officer. But I understand, you're under a lot of strain, looking after Loomis's money, and dealing with a greedy widow, and all that. We'll be in touch. But I suggest you stick around town for a while." Steve was about to close the door. "Oh, yeah! And please, answer me next time I call. Works wonders for your phone bill at the eyes of curious lawmen." And with that, he closed the door and left.

Steve walked out to his car and shut the door, then opened the file in his lap. His eyebrows instantly rose as he glimpsed over the first page, and he whistled in astonishment as he flipped through the sheets of paper following it.

Jessie drove to the local gym where he was told that Bob Mosher was working out. He entered the building and glanced around for the tall, thin, dark-haired guy. "Uh, excuse me." Jessie beckoned to a very fit, long, sandy haired woman in a sweatsuit who smiled and approached him.

"Yes?" She asked, rubbing the back of her neck with a towel.

"Sorry to interrupt you, but I was told I could find Bob Mosher here. Can you tell me where is?" Jessie asked.

"Oh, Bob. Right. Yeah, he's right over there using the treadmill." The woman pointed out.

"Hey, thanks." Jessie smiled.

"Any time." The female smiled back.

Jessie passed many customers lifting weights, doing stretches, pushups, even jumping. He finally reached Bob, dressed in a bright blue T-shirt, darker blue shorts, and white sneakers. He was maneuvering at jogging pace on the treadmill. "Bob, Bob Mosher." Jessie greeted.

"Yeah?" Bob panted, looking at the doctor.

"I'm Dr. Jessie Travis. I'm a friend of Stacy Sloan's. We've met a few times."

"Oh, yeah. I remember you." Bob nodded but continued his workout. "Yeah, we were both at Stacy's birthday party, at her grandpa's beach house, wasn't it?"

"You've got a good memory." Jessie smiled.

"My line of work, you have to."

"Yeah, mine too." Jessie chuckled, leaning back against the wall, crossing his arms. "You always work out after lunch on a Monday?"

"Today, I do, at least 'til our new substitute director arrives."

"Bet it'll be nice to be working under someone who isn't a harsh taskmaster for a change."

"Oohh," Bob shook his head, "you bet!"

"Speaking of which, as a matter of fact, Stacy Sloan is why I'm here." Jessie stated. Bob looked at him with interest.

"What can I say?" Bob asked with a huff. "She's good at her job, she cares about the people she writes about and those who read it. Personally, I'm privileged to be working with her, to have her in our department."

"That's Stacy." Jessie agreed.

"Those cops are wrong!" Bob scowled. "Even after what happened at the office that day, she couldn't have killed our high and mighty Mr. Pompous. She just couldn't have!"

"I hear ya." Jessie shook his head. "Listen, Bob, can you tell me how you reacted that day after the balling out?"

"I was appalled at Loomis, not only for his blowing up like that, but also his false lawsuit he tried to bombard Becky with the day before! And that punk news hog Stilton had to go and stick his long nose into it!"

"Stilton?" Jessie inquired.

"One of our columnists. He's all out to get the promotions and whatever favors he can get. And he made Becky look bad, the rat!"

"From what I hear, Stacy doesn't speak too highly of him either."

"Smart. He's a pest, and sometimes I just want shove his own column down his throat."

"Ahem. Well, to get back to the day of the murder, so after the blowout what did you do?"

"I kept to my work," Bob replied. "Then Beck and I joined Stacy for lunch. After that, we finished up for the day."

"Where did you go when you left work?" Jessie asked.

"I took Beck to Sami's. We had a reservation."

"What time was that?"

"6:00."

"How long were you there?"

"We didn't leave 'til 7:00." Bob said.

"Can anyone confirm that?" Jessie asked. Bob squinted at him.

"Yeah. Becky. And the clerk and the waiter. If you're checking me out, you can ask the waiter there, we were there."

"Before you all left work, did Stacy say where she was going?"

"She said she had some special dinner plans." Bob said simply.

"After the row, did you see Loomis at all the rest of that day?"

"No. He had lunch out and didn't return for the rest of the day. Next thing I hear, he's been killed. And good riddance." Bob snarled and jogged more vigorously.

"So, you didn't like him." Jessie stated.

"Ha! You're darn right I didn't! And neither did anyone who has an ounce of sense. Mavis was able to keep her head under his overbearing ways, but I don't know how she did it."

"Anyone else you can think of who might want Loomis dead?"

Yeah: me, Becky, Stacy, Mavis, Henry, Georgina the secretary, you can ask anyone who worked for the jerk." Bob said emphatically. "Sure, we all had motive. But that doesn't mean all of us killed him."

"Right." Jessie grinned. "Well, hey, thanks, Bob." Jessie patted him on the back and started to walk away.

"Hey, Travis!" Bob called. "I've got something to say to you. Now, I know Stacy was pretty upset that day, and I know she had a strong motive for the crime. BUT, I know her...and I'm here to tell you that I KNOW Stacy Sloan didn't murder anyone! She's not a killer!"

"I'll be sure to tell her father. He'll be happy to hear that." Jessie smiled. "Thanks." He started to turn again when he remembered something. "Oh, Bob? Would you know anything about the construction accident that Loomis got so fired up about? Do you know why he was so insistent about reading it on the spot?"

"I'm not sure why he was so interested in it," Bob remarked, "but I can tell you what it was about."

"You would?" Jessie raised his eyebrows.

"Will this help clear Stacy of murder charges?" Bob asked hopefully.

"I don't know yet. But it might explain why Loomis was killed. It might help her!"

"Then count me in. If there's anything I can do to help with this investigation, Travis, I'll do it! Anything to help a Sloan."

Jessie smiled. "I'd appreciate that a lot, bud. I mean, I was thinking that construction accidents happen a lot. Why would an investigative reporter feel the need to dig into it?"

Bob turned off the treadmill, climbed off, grabbed a white towel and rubbed his neck with it, picked up his backpack and Gatorade, then put his arm around Jessie's shoulder. "Come with me and you'll find out."

"I'm really sorry about Stacy." Becky Johnson sighed, sitting on her sofa. Kat and Carlie had stopped by at her apartment and she'd gladly invited them in.

"Yeah, we all are." Kat nodded.

"How is she? I know I'd be terrified if I had to be in a place like that."

"She's holding up. Becky, what can you tell us about the day of the murder?" Becky filled them in exactly word for word in confirmation of what Bob and Stacy had said. So nothing new there. "So, where'd you go after work?" Kat asked.

"Bob took me to Sami's. We've been going out together for a while, in case you didn't know." Becky smiled.

"Yeah, we heard about that." Kat nodded, and Carlie grinned. "And what time was that?"

"We arrived at 6:00."

"When did you leave?"

"I think it was at 7:00."

"Can anyone confirm your date?" Carlie asked.

"Yes." Becky replied. "The waiter who served us and the clerk who checked us out."

"Becky, did you hear anyone that day make any threats against Mr. Loomis?" Kat asked.

Becky rolled her eyes. "I don't know. Not that day." She muttered. "Well, Mavis Anders did say she'd like to bash his head in, but it's not like it's the first time anyone vented about him."

"I'm sure it isn't." Kat agreed. "By the way, how did things go with your lawsuit?"

"Pfft. I'll live." Becky huffed. "It's messy, but I have pictures and notes to prove I saw what I saw."

"Just one more question. Do you have any idea about the construction accident report that Loomis told Stacy to give to him?"

"That was Stacy's line." Becky responded. "But I was the one who gave the televised report on the accident. Mr. Loomis started receiving phone calls about the situation and Stacy decided to look into it after he assigned it to her."

"Interesting." Kat stated. "You know what the phone calls were about?"

"No. I had to keep at task on the assignment I'd gotten from him."

"Thanks, Becky. We've got to go."

"Aw, well, thanks for dropping by." Becky smiled. "Come by again. Will this visit help get Stacy out of jail?"

"Maybe." Kat shrugged.

"We hope so." Carlie remarked.

"If there's anything else I can do, please let me know!" Becky begged.

"I will. Thanks."

"Good to meet you, Carlie." Becky waved.

"You too."

Kat and Carlie left. "So, now what do we do?" Carlie asked.

"Well, if you don't mind going on a field trip, first, we're gonna go talk with Grandpa and Dad, see if they found out anything. Then we'll go out for a while before I see Stacy. You don't mind us spending the day like this, do you?"

"Oh, not at all." Carlie shook her head. "I'm really enjoying myself...as long as we go to our favorite hangout before you take me home!"

"Okay." Kat chuckled.

"How is poor Stacy?" Mavis Anders asked, sipping her coffee. Amanda had met her at the coffee shop.

"Well, I'm sure she's frightened," Amanda said softly, "but she's trying to be brave."

"She doesn't deserve to be in there." Mavis shook her head. "She's not a killer."

"I know." Amanda agreed. "It's a terrible strain on her father. He's taking it pretty hard."

"Lt. Sloan is a good man." Mavis sighed. "They all are. I can't believe someone would want to make them look bad."

"I've wondered that many times. Miss Anders, what can you tell me about the day of the murder?"

"Well, we were all going about our work, 'til Loomis stormed in and started ranting on the folks in our unit." Mavis explained. "He just barged right up to Stacy and badgering her for no reason. He was very insulting too." Amanda cringed. "Then, for some ridiculous reason, he demanded that she turn in her report on the construction accident she'd been investigating.

He knew she couldn't do that because it wasn't complete yet. Still he demanded she give it to him in full at that moment."

"That sounds pretty unreasonable to me." Amanda remarked.

"You'd better believe it." Mavis agreed, wide-eyed. "He threatened to not just fire her but also smear her so no other paper in his connections would accept her."

"That's awful." Amanda said sympathetically.

"Then, he ordered that she give him the full construction accident report in an hour, or else. She was terribly upset, but managed to finish her original Hawkins' case report like she'd been ordered to the day before."

"Did Loomis jump on her for not turning in the other one?" Amanda asked.

"No. He left at lunch and didn't return the whole day, thank God." Mavis rolled her eyes.

"Do you know why he didn't come back?"

"He said he had a meeting with some business associates."

"Must have been either a very long-winded or very heated conference." Amanda stated.

"Mmm." Mavis raised her eyebrows.

"When was the last time you saw Stacy that day?" Amanda asked, looking and hoping and praying for any tidbit she could sniff out that would exonerate her daughter-like friend.

"When we all signed out." Mavis said. "She said she was going home."

"Did she or anyone make threats about Loomis that day?"

"I said I'd like to bash his head in."

"So would I." Amanda grinned.

"And Bob said he'd like to see Loomis out of the place, but we're all used to hearing and saying those things. I guess someone there just took it literally, decided they'd had enough, and thought they could make sure it happened. I just don't see Stacy as that kind of person."

"Neither do I!" Amanda agreed. "Miss Anders, just for curiosity's sake, where were you at around 6:30 the night of the murder?" Mavis sat back in her chair and laughed.

"Did you learn all this interrogation stuff from working with Lt. Sloan too long?" She teased. Amanda grinned and shrugged. "I went to my favorite restaurant, Tinelli's, to chill after such a day. Then I went home."

"Can anyone vouch for you?" Amanda inquired.

"No one from the paper, if that's what you mean. The clerk there saw me though."

"Okay. Well, thank you very much for your time, Miss Anders. I appreciate you meeting with me." Amanda smiled warmly and shook hands after standing back up.

"I have to admit, I felt like I was being questioned by the police again." Mavis smiled wryly.

"Sorry about that," Amanda shrugged. "I'm just trying to help Stacy, and was hoping to find something that might turn up in her favor."

"Of course. I understand." Mavis nodded. "But if you want someone who really had a reason to kill Loomis, there's Georgina Rivers."

"Georgina Rivers?"

"Horace's secretary. She hated him more than anyone...even Bob Mosher!"

"Thank you. I'll remember that." Amanda said.

"Okay, Travis. Let's go." Bob said after gathering the necessary papers and envelopes from his desk. The two men were just walking out of the department when Henry Stilton appeared.

Bob pursed his lips and tried to walk more briskly to avoid his opponent.

"Hey, Bobby, who's your friend here? Your campaign manager?" Henry asked sarcastically and laughed at his own joke.

"Cut it out, Stilton." Bob glared. He never called Henry by his first name. "You know I don't play that way. But I know you do."

"Hey, hey, relax. Take it easy, camera boy. Can't you take a little humor?"

"I don't appreciate your taste in humor. Or anything for that matter."

"Well, it's a free country. A man's entitled to his opinion."

"And you are?" Jessie asked.

"Henry Stilton." Henry smiled smugly. "Who are you, Shorty? Are you our new recruit, come to take Sloan's place?" Jessie frowned.

"Hardly." He muttered. "I'm a doctor. Dr. Jessie Travis, from Community General Hospital."

"Ooo, looking for some advertising, huh? I get it, you need a press agent! Well, you've come to the right place. Henry Stilton, at your service." He handed Jessie his business card. "Don't sweat it, go get it! That's what I always say. But, if you're looking for some help right now, sorry. Can't make it. I have a very important meeting to attend and I'm not missing it for anyone." Jessie raised his eyebrows.

"What kind of meeting?" Bob asked, feeling he'd rather not know.

"I'm putting in for new assistant director!" Henry announced triumphantly.

"What? Look, blabbermouth, we don't need a new assistant director. She's not the one who was murdered. Our director was."

"Oh, we'll be needing one if I have anything to say about it!"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, I did a little checking, and I found a discrepancy in her bio that I think the board of directors will find very interesting. Then we'll see who's the new assistant director around this place! Well, gotta go."

"Wait, Mr. Stilton!" Jessie called.

"No time." Henry stated. "Oh, and by the way, Bob, personally I think this paper will run so much more smoothly now that Loomis and Sloan are gone. Don't you think?" Bob clenched his fists and Jessie glared.

"I thought Stacy was on suspended leave for the time being." Bob protested. "That's what I heard from the board of directors."

"They'll change their minds...when I'm through with them." Henry gloated with a puffed lip and it took all of Jessie's self-control not to smack him. Bob, on the other hand, gripped Henry's arm tightly.

"What are you talking about?" Bob asked through clenched teeth.

"Just that I don't think they'd want her around here with all that's happening."

"Well, I'm gonna have a word with them too! So just watch it!"

Henry just smiled gloatingly. Jessie bit his lip hard to keep from saying anything rash. "Oh, did you hear? Georgina's no longer here either!"

Bob's jaw dropped. "What?" He gasped.

"Funny thing. She just up and quit, this morning." Henry remarked casually.

"With no small thanks to you, no doubt." Bob snarled.

"Hey, I don't run this place...yet." Henry chuckled and left.

"Man, he's a pill." Jessie shook his head. "And a foul-tasting one at that."

"He hasn't heard the last of this." Bob growled. "One of these days I'm gonna take his head off and put it on backwards."

"Mind if I stick around to watch?" Jessie asked with lit up eyes. Bob grinned. Then Jessie's face fell. "Bob, is...is Stacy really fired?" He asked worriedly.

"I hope not." Bob commented. "I'll see what I can do. Let's go."

"Dad, it's me." Steve spoke into his phone as he drove along in his car.

"Hey, Steve. Did you see Scott Beady?" Mark asked.

"Oh, yeah! I saw him. Found some very interesting information on Horace Loomis too. I'm on my way to the hospital right now so we can discuss it."

"Good!" Mark declared with a sigh. "Oh, and I have some good news too. Mrs. Loomis agreed to join me for lunch tomorrow. Might be a good time for you to make a house call." Mark hinted.

"All right." Steve replied.

So, who do you think did it? Got any suspects of your own to add or scratch off the list? I would really like to hear your opinion. Reviews would be nice. Of course, I knew who the killer is, but you'll just have to bear with me and figure it out for yourself. Either that, or ride along with them and find out.