"I wish I could have been there for you Veronica." Logan said sadly, wiping his tired eyes. I felt bad waking him up, I knew he was working hard. But I couldn't erase Ralph Maccio's dead body from my mind. Or the note. "I wish you could be here now Lo, something's going on with this case. It's weird." I say. Logan looks at me empathetically. "I know V, I know. Be careful, you here me? Don't stress yourself out" Logan replies, before blowing a kiss to the computer screen and wishing me good night. I say goodbye, and watch as he shuts the connection. I close my eyes for a second, remember all the nights we've had together, his strong arms wrapped around my arms, his lips nuzzling my neck. I picture myself in four months, his arms around my swollen belly; protecting.

I open my eyes again and take a sip of tea. "So, did you tell him?" Mac asked nonchalantly, not looking up from the magazine she was reading. She was trying to be casual, but I could tell she had been listening to every word since she walked in a minute ago.

"Right, Logan... uh, it didn't really come up" I responded.

"What? Veronica what's wrong with you?" Mac yelled, jumping up from her seat, tossing her magazine to the side and slamming her hands on my desk.

What is wrong with me? I'd told myself that this time was different, we were adults, no lying, no jumping to conclusions, no accusing of murder. Yet here I was, unable to tell Logan I was pregnant. Was it a sign?

"You're afraid, aren't you? That telling Logan makes it real" Mac concluded, tilting her head to the side. I looked down at my feet, unwilling to admit it was true. I still wasn't sure I could be a mother, not after the situation with my own mother. Logan would be a great dad though. Mac gave me a look, then sighed. "So, what's going on with the case Veronica? Are you sure you want to continue with it? I mean, Logan was right about avoiding stress, especially now-"

"I knew you were eavesdropping! and yes, I am completely sure about continuing. I can't stop now, not with Ralph Maccio's death. He can't die for nothing" I said

"It was suicide Veronica, might not have anything to do with it-" Mac started.

"How can you say that Mac? It has everything to do with it. Weevil was at The Lobster Shack, ask him how bad the kid was. He said 'they' Mac. THEY!" I exclaimed with desperation.

"They?" Mac asked, puzzled.

"They! Donald Wascoe is working with someone. It has to be one of the house staff. Have you checked their alibi's?" I inquired, unsure. The house staff were the only lead I had. "Yeah, I've been meaning to tell you. They all have pretty solid alibi's. That's not the only thing though. When I called Dorita Gomez, she said Miss Holliday gave them all the day off." Mac replied.

"She did? Now why would she do that?" I asked. Something about Miss Holliday didn't quite ring true. The beautiful, glamorous women I'd met a couple of days ago now seemed shady, secretive. Whether it had anything to do with the missing shoes I didn't know, but it seemed too coincidental too be true. "I don't know, but Dorita Gomez said she's been behaving unusual recently." Mac answered. I knew she was thinking the same thing.

"Make an appointment to meet with Holly Holliday tomorrow morning. Right now, I need some sleep" I said, turning off the lamp by my desk. I grabbed my coat and bag and headed for the door. "I really need a good night's sleep, especially if I have limited number left." I said nervously. Mac nodded, picking up own jacket and bag and walking to her computer. She started reading something on the screen, so I waited at the door. Mac's head popped up from the screen, alarm on her face. "A charge just came up on Heidi Holliday's credit card. She just bought a first class plane ticket to Switzerland for tomorrow" Mac said.

"Now why would she be travelling to Switzerland on the eve of her big wedding?" I asked suspiciously. Something here wasn't right. Mac tilted her head to the side, thinking. A look of realisation came across her face as she came to the same conclusion I had.

"Money"

Beep. Beep.

Damn alarm.

Beep. Beep.

I slammed my hand down, and turned over to read the machine.

7:30am.

I'd decided not to act on the Heidi Holliday information straight away, knowing she wouldn't be leaving till the afternoon. I needed to sleep, not that it had been particularly good. I'd been plagued with dreams of Ralph Maccio's dead body, screaming and crying, insisting he hadn't told anyone. Each time he did this, the two shadow figures in my mind came more into view. One was Donald Wascoe but the other... I wasn't sure.

I checked my phone for messages, saw three missed phone calls and a text from Logan wishing me a good day, reminding me not to overwork. I replied with a kiss, then listened to my messages as I dressed. The first was from a client, confirming the money had been sent over and thanking me for my excellent work. As I crossed the mirror I couldn't help but turn to the side, stroke my belly. Hey baby. Thank's for letting me buy a whole new wardrobe later.

The second call was from my source who'd been looking for shoes. He said that was no record of the shoes entering any kind of pawn shops across the east coast, though he'd continue to look. The final message came from Mac, telling me she had some news, and would be coming over to explain everything. I exited my room and walked to the kitchen, slightly surprised to see Mac and my dad conversing over coffee. She'd only left the message 10 minutes ago. Damn that girl works fast.

"Pancakes?" My dad smiled, sliding a plate piled high with the delectable breakfast food. The pad of butter had already melted, and was now combating the maple syrup for ownership of my pancakes. I nibbled on the sliced strawberry on top, dipped in cream, before devouring the stack. Pregnancy sure made a girl hungry. "So, you had news?" I asked as I drunk some orange juice. Mac smiled gleefully.

"Donald Wascoe booked an appointment for the doctors today at 1pm."

"Busy, busy day ahead of us, I see." I laughed, finishing my breakfast. Mac, already with her bag and coat in hand, shuffled to the door.

"I was thinking we could go up to that storage warehouse of his, seeing as he'll be busy. If we go now, we should be able to make it in time. What do you think?" Mac asked, pleased with herself. How could I deny her this? "Sure, let's go" I said, smiling. I wished my dad goodbye, kissed his forehead, then headed out to Mac's car.

"Can we stop for MacDonald's at some point? Because I don't think I can drive all the way to Nevada without some nourishment" Mac giggled.

We'd finally entered Nevada, and Mac was still hungry. So was I, but that could have been the morning sickness that occurred about twenty minutes after we left the house. Mac was sitting in the back of the car, typing away furiously on her laptop. I was attempting to read the directions, drive and not throw up at the same time, which I think was a pretty big accomplishment. Mac's head suddenly popped up between the seats. "Hey, I think I found something. Remember Ralph Maccio's bank account, how every month $1000 were transferred from an undisclosed account? Well, I think I found out were the mystery money's coming from." Mac said.

"Where?" I asked impatiently. I suspected it had something to do with Donald Wascoe.

"Elysium Escorts" Mac said hesitantly, sitting back down as she scanned the computer screen. Confusion hit me as I turned the car down an old road.

"Elysium Escorts? The high class brothel for business men?" I asked. Mac sighed.

"Yeah. It doesn't say what he was doing there, but as sure as eggs is eggs, he was getting money from them." Mac replied. I slowed the car down as we reached the warehouse, thinking. Ralph couldn't have been any older than eighteen, surely he wasn't... "Hey, look!" Mac said, pointing to the ground. There were several sets of tyre tracks, all from what appeared to be the same make and model of care. Someone had been coming here recently. "Seems we've come to the right place" I said, getting out the car. I made a mental note to make a call to Elysium Escorts when we got back to Neptune.

A shuffling sound came from inside the warehouse. Mac looked at me scared. What would we find in the supposedly empty storage warehouse? I crossed to the door and quickly looked around, checking no one else was here; or even watching. Then I braced myself.

Mac watched in horror as I opened the door to the warehouse.