CHAPTER ELEVEN: ALL WORK AND NO ROMANCE

It had been a while since Jack had awakened on a weekday morning with such a positive outlook and clear sense of purpose. Fortunately for him, this particular Thursday had brought with it an end to that streak of uselessness that had been eating away at him since those first moments when it had really hit him that he was no longer employed. Of course the word "employed" sounded so incredibly trivial to him when being a cop had always meant so much more. To him, it wasn't just a job; it was a way of life. It defined who he was to the core. He had never had a doubt in his mind that he had been placed on this earth to fulfill that calling. That is, until that ill-fated day on a cold October evening when his world had come crashing down around him in a dark warehouse on the outskirts of town. Since then, he had questioned everything that he had known and believed in since the beginning of his very existence. It had taken him a long time to get to this point. Emotionally, the wounds were still raw and vulnerable, but he had finally found the strength to slowly pick up the pieces of his life that had remained there shattered at his feet all these months. He was finally braving his way to recapture his life by putting one foot in front of the other; one step at a time.

There was only one person Jack could credit for bringing him to this point: Carly. She had stood by him and acted as his voice of reason and fought like hell to deliver him from his own self-loathing and utter state of turmoil. He hadn't made it easy for her by any means. Angry, bitter, and lost as ever, there were times when he had said things to her out of spite and resentment; when his emotions had slipped beyond his control. Still, she was undeterred. She knew him, through the good times and the bad. She had seen him through most of his highest highs and lowest lows; and somehow, through it all, she always knew what he was thinking and how he was feeling even when he had no idea himself. Each time he had questioned her about why she had followed him from destination to destination when he'd taken off after his brother's funeral, she had listed their children as being her main reason. However, he knew better. The children were definitely a motivating factor in her determination to bring him home, but he also knew that she was doing it for him; out of care and concern for him. She had been there for him at a time of great need when his own wife had shunned him away and barely tried to reach out to him.

Speaking of reaching out; Jack picked up his cell phone and tried once more to get through to Janet—his intention for getting in touch with her remaining exactly the same as the past several days. Voicemail again. Jack wondered if she was merely experiencing technical difficulties with her phone, or if she was simply choosing to ignore his calls. The latter notion wasn't all that far-fetched given how exceedingly moody she had grown lately; worse than before. Of course he knew that some of her behavior was partially warranted since he had admittedly closed himself off to her. Still, regardless of the circumstances, Jack's patience was wearing thin, especially given that it had been over a week since she had left town and still hadn't bothered to get in touch with him—if for no other reason than to check on her daughter. It's not like he could've given her much of an update anyway given that Liberty's inherited moodiness hand also shot up simultaneously alongside her mother's. Things between Jack and his niece had started to mellow down around Christmas and she had become more receptive toward him, but then suddenly, she had once again resorted to giving him the cold shoulder. In fact, he hadn't seen at her at all since she had decided to go and stay with Teri during her mother's absence from the farm. So, Jack decided to go with a new approach to get in touch with Janet.

"Teri, hi. It's Jack," he said, when the woman at the other end of the line answered.

"Hi Jack."

"Have you spoken to Janet at all lately?" he asked.

"Not directly," Teri informed him. "But I know that she and Libby have been in touch every day. Turns out she's having a good time bonding with my aunt and uncle." Teri paused. "She hasn't called you?"

"Um, no," Jack said.

"Oh…" Teri said, and an awkward silence ensued.

"Listen Teri, I really need to get in touch with her, and I can't seem to get through to her on her cell phone. Do you think that you could give me the phone number to your aunt and uncle's? Please?" Jack implored.

Another short silence followed as Teri seemed to ponder his request.

"Okay, hold on," she said finally.

A few seconds later she dictated the digits to Jack who quickly jotted it down on a notepad he found on the nightstand by his bed. Jack thanked Teri and hung up. He then dialed the number scribbled onto the piece of paper.

"Hello?" said a grouchy older man's voice at the other end of the line.

"Hi. Can I speak to Janet?" Jack asked evenly.

"Who?" the man rasped into the phone.

"Janet," Jack repeated.

"There's no Janet here," the man said. "Are you a damn telemarketer?"

"No sir, I'm not," Jack said; put off by the man's standoffish attitude but keeping his cool. "I'm just trying to reach your niece Janet. I was told that she was staying with you."

"Janet? Janet Ciccone?" the old man asked. "I haven't seen her in nearly ten years," he said. "She came by with her little girl the last time I saw her, and then she got into it with my wife and left and we haven't heard from her since."

Jack was dumbfounded by the man's claims but could easily tell that they were sincere.

"Okay, well I'm sorry to bother you," Jack said.

The man hung up without any sort of acknowledgement in return. The lack of courtesy didn't bother Jack given that he had more important things to worry about. He closed his phone slowly and looked down at the carpet; overwhelmed.

It was clear by now that Janet had obviously lied about her whereabouts to him—including to her sister, and most likely to her daughter as well. If she had been speaking to Liberty every day, then she wasn't in any kind of danger. So Jack deduced that Janet had no intention of visiting her relatives in Brooklyn to begin with—especially given that her connection to them had been severed nearly ten years ago—and he knew that Janet didn't forgive easily. As frustrating and confusing as this dead end to reaching Janet had been, Jack could only guess that the lack of contact from her meant that she needed some time to herself away from him. Although he knew that he should be bothered if that were the case, he found it peculiar that he really didn't; he did, however, need to speak with her for other reasons. He had to temporarily put it all out of his mind when he looked at the clock. Jack grabbed his jacket and sprinted out the door, shutting it behind him and headed for the elevators.

Carly set the pen down on the desk before her once she'd signed the final legal document and looked around the busy bank. In the chair next to her, Lily punctuated another similar piece of paper with a spirited dot after scribbling her signature on the line above Carly's. They both looked at each other; each wearing an identical grin that reflected their barely contained excitement. Lily gathered together all the papers lying before her and Carly and quickly went through each one before handing the entire stack over to the man sitting on the other side of the desk. The nameplate resting in front of him read, 'Eric Maxwell' in large bold letters; with the title, 'loan officer' etched in smaller print beneath it. He briefly studied each document before reaching forward and fluidly stamping the first four with an authentic seal.

"Congratulations Ladies," Mr. Maxwell said, looking from a beaming Carly to a beaming Lily. "Your loan has now been officially pre-approved."

"So, just to clarify, Mr. Maxwell…" Lily began, still wearing the same smile, "we can make an offer on the place we'd like to lease as long as we provide the realtor with copies of the proof of contract, the credit check reports, and the loan agreement documents; am I right?"

"Correct," he said with a nod. "And the pre-approval letter, which I'm printing out right…now," he finished, as he simultaneously looked at his computer screen and clicked on the mouse connected to his keyboard. Almost immediately, the printer situated next to his desk began whirring into action and spat out a series of documents. "Here you go," he said, handing them over to Lily.

"Thank you," she said, briefly glancing over them before tucking them into her folder with the rest of the documents they had already gone over.

"Any other questions I can answer for you, Ladies?" Mr. Maxwell inquired.

Lily and Carly took the opportunity to get further clarification on a few of the clauses and better understand some of the legal jargon mentioned in the documents. Finally, when they were satisfied with the information they had gathered, they took leave from Mr. Maxwell.

"Good luck to you both," he said as he shook hands with both women. "And again, if you have any questions; you have my card, so don't hesitate to give me a call."

Carly and Lily thanked the man one last time and headed for the exit. Once they were outside the bank, Lily turned to Carly and did a tiny happy hop.

"Can you believe how far we've come already?" she asked excitedly.

"I know!" Carly exclaimed, matching her enthusiasm. "Contract agreement signed: check. Bank loan pre-approved: check. Lease offer approved: status pending. Thank God you have impeccable credit history. I had no idea that they could process a loan for such a large amount within forty-eight hours. It's amazing how the times have changed."

"I was pretty surprised too," Lily replied. "I guess the partnership at the Lakeview and my stake at Worldwide finally came in handy."

Suddenly, a concerned expression appeared on Carly's face and she clutched Lily's forearm.

"Lily, they didn't contact your mother as a reference to check up on your credit history or anything did they? I mean, after all, both those business dealings are—or were—with your mother."

"Carly, don't worry," Lily assured her. "I checked beforehand. They don't call any acquaintances. Besides, they can't do that with my consent. The forms they had me fill out only required me to provide them with bank information. They check the credit card history, bank statements, and mortgage payments…that sort of thing. Besides, if my mother had caught wind of this, do you think that that loan would've been approved at all?"

Carly pondered Lily's reasoning.

"Hmm…I suppose you're right," she concurred, relaxing her shoulders.

They continued walking towards the parking lot to Lily's car.

It truly was amazing how much they'd accomplished over the past four days. Lily had stopped by Carly's house on Monday morning with a copy of the business contract that her lawyer had drawn up at her request over the weekend for Carly's Closet. The women had gone over all the terms and conditions together to make sure that they were in complete agreement over all the clauses outlined within the contract. It was essentially a simple, straight-forward understanding that spelled out each individual's responsibilities within the partnership and how all the profits would be distributed: Lily and Carly had comfortably agreed to go an even 50-50 with Lily overseeing the business end and Carly working on the creative end; each with the combined goal of making Carly's Closet a success with the efforts.

Jack walked through the all-too-familiar glass doors of the Oakdale P.D. to be welcomed by the half dozen officers inside with cheers and applause. He waved a general salute in their direction before making his way to Margo's desk. She had been watching his entrance and the reception he had received from his colleagues with a smile on her face.

"Welcome back, Detective," she said as she patted him thrice on the shoulder.

Jack took in the recognizable atmosphere of the place he'd pretty much branded as his second home for nearly the past thirteen years. Of course it wasn't the ideal setting or environment to claim as a "home"—especially given the number of lowlifes who walked through those doors sporting a pair of handcuffs, but it was still a place where, despite all the drama and stress, he found the most peace and comfort.

"Thanks Chief," he replied with a smile.

"Step into the interrogation room with me," Margo said, grabbing a large manila envelope that had been lying on her desk. "I just want to go over a few things with you."

Jack followed Margo into the tiny room and shut the door behind him and they both took a seat on opposite sides of the table. Margo emptied out the contents of the envelope and placed them before Jack.

"Okay. So, these are your payroll documents. You need to fill these out and then sign here and here," she said, pointing to two different spots on two different pieces of paper as she handed Jack a pen that she had retrieved from her coat pocket. "We'll have these processed right away so that your first paycheck is direct deposited into your account starting the week of the fifteenth. I'll give you a few minutes to get those completed."

"That's it?" Jack asked incredulously.

"That's it," Margo confirmed with a grin.

"How can that be?" Jack asked, still in disbelief. "I came in here today thinking we'd have to work through an entire procedure starting from the beginning. I'm reinstated just like that?"

"Mm-hmm," Margo nodded, the grin still pasted on her face.

"How?" Jack inquired, wanting an explanation.

"You've been here before, Jack. You should know how it works by now."

"Yeah, but those times were different. This time I actually…" He trailed off, unable to complete the sentence.

He swallowed hard and silently finished the statement: killed someone.

Margo's expression grew as somber as Jack's at the inference to Brad's death. She reached out and gave his hand a reassuring squeeze.

"Since you were cleared of all wrongdoing, once you turned in your badge and gun, I spoke with the Commissioner and requested that they withhold finalizing your resignation for a little while. So, given the character recommendation that I pitched him on your behalf, he was willing to suspend your resignation during a ninety-day probationary period before any official action was taken, which is why other than the stop gap in your paycheck, you've basically been on an unpaid sabbatical over the past couple of months…even though you didn't know that."

"Well, those ninety days would end in like what…" Jack said as he glanced over at the calendar mounted against the wall at the far end of the room, "...two weeks," he finished.

"Yup," Margo said.

Jack raised his eyebrows at her questioningly.

"And you were so sure I'd be back by then?" he asked.

"One-hundred percent," she informed him confidently.

Jack chuckled at the manner in which she had responded. After all these years of working side-by-side together, it was no surprise that Margo knew him so well. In fact, she was probably only third to Carly and Holden at reading him like a book.

"You were so sure that I'd get my personal life all sorted out by then?" he questioned more specifically.

"Absolutely," she said; her expression just as confident.

"You know, I'm surprised you wanted me back this time without checking to make sure that I was actually getting things into gear."

"Oh, I know you, Jack," Margo continued. "I know how much this job means to you. I know how resilient you are. And if there was the slightest chance that you didn't come barreling in here wanting it back on your own, then I would've dragged you down in handcuffs myself and had you reinstated."

Jack laughed good-naturedly at his boss's vigor.

"So…going back to your personal life. Any progress there?" Margo asked; her eyes narrowed on her best detective.

Jack sighed as all traces of the smile that had accompanied his laughter quickly faded from his face.

"To be honest, not much," he confessed. "I've been wanting to talk to Janet, but she's been…" he weighed his words carefully, "out of town."

"Does this mean that the marriage is back on?" Margo asked, raising an eyebrow.

Jack shook his head.

"That's why I need to talk to Janet. I've been putting it off long enough."

"So, then, you and Carly made up?"

Jack looked at Margo grimly, shaking his head again.

"But...you want to..?" Margo asked slowly, reading his expression.

"What I want doesn't seem to matter at this point," he said. "But if there's one thing I plan on doing this time, it's not giving up."

"Attaboy," Margo said as she stood up. "Why don't you get crackin' on that paperwork? I'll be back in a few."

Margo shut the door behind her, leaving Jack alone in the room with a bunch of payroll forms staring up at him. About ten minutes later Margo reemerged holding a large cardboard box that she set down on the table before them.

"You all done with those?" she asked, gesturing toward the paperwork.

"Yeah," he said, shifting his attention to the box containing a white sticker with the words, 'Det. Jack Snyder' printed in large, black font.

"I already moved Collins from your desk. He wasn't too thrilled about it of course, but he'll get over it," Margo informed him as she reached into the box and pulled out two heavy objects.

Jack reveled at the sight of them: two items that he had kept with him almost consistently since he had first taken an oath as a police officer of the Oakdale P.D.

"Here you are, Detective," Margo said, gently handing the revolver to Jack who grasped it securely before setting it down on the table next to him. "And of course, this," she continued, placing the object into his outstretched palm.

Jack looked down at the gold-plated badge etched with an emblem and the words 'Oakdale Police Department' carved onto it.

"Thanks Margo," he said, still looking down at his hand.

"It's good to have you back, Jack," she beamed. "Listen, I know you walked in here not expecting to be on duty, so you don't have to clock in today. I wanted to give you a couple of days in case you needed to get anything else sorted out."

"No, Margo," Jack countered immediately. "I have nothing planned for the day, and there really is nothing to sort out at the moment anyway. I think what I need more than anything is to get back into a rhythm here. Of course the final decision is up to you."

"I was actually hoping you'd stick around," Margo confessed with a purposeful grin. "Unfortunately, there's a case that just came in that I can't touch, so who better to work on it than my best detective? I'll be right back," she said as she once again headed out the door.

Jack peered into the box and caught a glimpse of a few more familiar items that were partially visible through the pile. Most of them had sat on his desk for years. Amongst them were two framed pictures: one of him and the kids, and another recent one of him and Parker. He reached in and pulled out his gun holster just as Margo walked back in holding a file.

"Must be nice to see everything again," she said.

"Yeah," Jack said, diverting his attention away from the stuff in the box to the file in Margo's hands. "So, what've you got for me?"

"Oh…just this," she said, handing the file over to him.

Jack opened it and browsed over the contents on the first page. He looked at Margo in surprise.

"You've got to be kidding me," he said.

"I wish I were," she responded, pursing her lips.

Carly knocked on the glass door as she and Lily stood side by side outside the empty store. Within seconds, a short, slender, brunette woman who looked to be in her mid-forties answered it. She was wearing a black business suit and her hair was pulled back into a neat bun. She looked to be in her mid-forties, and by the smile on her face, seemed to have a nice air about her. Carly guessed that she had to be Elizabeth Snelling, the commercial real estate agent with whom Lily had set up their appointment.

"Hello. You're my eleven o'clocks, I assume?" she asked.

"Yes we are," Lily confirmed. "This is my partner, Carly Tenney; and I'm Lily Walsh."

"Ah, Elizabeth Snelling," she said, first shaking Lily's hand and then Carly's. "Come on in, Ladies," she gestured, stepping aside to let them in.

Carly and Lily's eyes roamed from white wall to white wall as they began their immediate inspection of the place they hoped would be the setting of their potential boutique.

"As you can see, the previous tenant had these walls painted just a few months ago. Unfortunately, he went out of business shortly thereafter," Elizabeth informed them. She looked at Carly and Lily. "How about we do a quick tour?" she asked.

Carly and Lily agreed. Elizabeth led them throughout the empty store, giving them a thorough walkthrough and pointing out important details as they did so. Although Carly had been in there at least a few dozen times while the place was still known as 'Otto's Music Shop', it felt strangely different to be standing inside without being surrounded by the colorful posters, the numerous racks of CDs, the mounted guitars, and music blaring in the background. She felt sorry for Otto, yes, but she couldn't help the twinge of excitement that coursed through her as her mind began to conjure up ideas on how she planned to utilize all that empty space.

Jack stood outside the Lakeview hotel room and knocked on the door. He wasn't exactly looking forward to seeing the face that he anticipated would open it, but it was all, sadly, part of the job.

"Jack!"

Jack couldn't help the automatic frown that had crept up on his face in reaction.

"Craig," he said curtly, immediately noticing the large white bandage that was wrapped around his forehead.

"What're you doing here?" a surprised Craig asked.

"Working on your case," Jack informed him.

Craig cackled sardonically, effectively annoying Jack further than when they'd just come face-to-face. Fortunately for Jack, the laughter quickly died in Craig's throat when it seemed to adversely affect the wound on his head. Unfortunately for Jack, however, his sarcasm hadn't taken a similar hit.

"In case you forgot, Jack, you don't get to play 'detective' once you've turned in your badge."

Jack reached down next to his belt buckle beneath his coat.

"You mean this one?" he asked; producing the large, heavy object and holding it up.

Craig looked utterly dumbfounded.

"Wait…how…?" he started, unable to properly phrase his question.

"Your sister," Jack said plainly. "She was more than happy to hold on to it for me."

"But you resigned!" Craig protested.

"I did. But it turns out that she pulled some strings with the Commissioner and had my resignation deferred for a while."

"Is that even legal?" Craig whined.

"Well, Craig, considering that it was an agreement reached by the Chief of Police and the County Commissioner; I'd say it was perfectly legit. Besides, you of all people griping about legality is irony at its worst," Jack said bluntly.

Craig opened his mouth to respond, but Jack cut him off.

"Okay, how about we cut the chit-chat and get to the matter at hand," he said. "Can I come in?"

Craig grimaced at the request, but then gestured for Jack to enter.

"I'll just take a seat here," Jack said as he turned a chair facing a desk around and settled into it before Craig could offer him one—if ever.

Craig rolled his eyes and sat at the edge of his bed, facing Jack.

"I need you to answer a few questions for me, Craig," Jack continued. "You won't mind if I record this interview, would you?"

He pulled out a voice recorder from his jacket pocket, and pressed down on the record button before Craig could respond. Jack knew that in order to get anywhere with Craig, he'd have to call the shots without Craig's input…unless absolutely necessary.

"Why don't you give me an account of the attack?" Jack said.

"Alright," Craig began. "I was pulling out of the parking lot last night, and someone threw a brick through my windshield. Obviously, the perp was aiming for my head and succeeded."

Jack resisted the strong urge to comment on the situation. After all, disparaging remarks even towards a deserving candidate—who in this case was uncharacteristically playing the part of a victim—weren't exactly professional.

"Did you get a look at the attacker?" Jack asked.

"No," Craig said shaking his head. "By the time I got out of my car, he was gone. But I know damn well who did it!"

"Who?"

"Dusty Donovan!" Craig exclaimed contemptuously.

Jack looked at Craig questioningly. Margo had unofficially debriefed him on what Craig had told her last night when she'd visited him at the hospital after she'd handed him the case file, but they had both decided to keep that information between themselves. As the detective assigned to the case, they needed Craig to talk to Jack on the record.

"And you think it was Dusty because…?"

"Because he had motive!" Craig said, raising his voice.

"Based on what?" Jack asked.

"Well, we got into an argument the other day over Johnny. He said some things—you know…being a jerk as always—and I threatened to take away all his visitation rights with my son."

"Did Dusty make any threats against you when you did?"

"Well, he didn't threaten bodily harm, but he did say that he'd fight me all the way."

"When did this happen?" Jack asked.

"A little over a week ago," Craig replied.

"Do you remember what day?"

Craig paused in thought for a few moments.

"Last Monday," he said finally.

"Around what time?" Jack asked.

"Oh, I don't know…around noon, I suppose," Craig recalled.

"And have you and Dusty had any more run-ins since the argument?"

"No. I haven't seen him since that day," Craig informed him.

"You didn't see him at all since then? You guys haven't passed each other in the lobby or going in and out of the elevators or in the hallways or anywhere else?" Jack elaborated.

"Nope."

"Did you try to find Dusty and confront him after the attack last night?"

Craig looked up nonchalantly at the ceiling.

"I might've pounded on his door a couple of times on a few separate occasions," he said with feigned innocence.

Jack groaned.

"Since you haven't seen him since the day you two argued, he obviously wasn't in his room each time you stopped by," Jack said in summarization.

"Very astute, Detective," Craig said sarcastically, earning a glare from Jack.

"Where did this argument take place?" Jack continued.

"In the lobby downstairs."

"And were there are witnesses?"

"Tons," Craig said. "The concierge, the front desk receptionists, a couple of waiters, a few guests…it was pretty public."

"Is there anyone else besides Dusty who might've done it?" Jack asked.

Craig frowned considerably.

"Jack, it was Dusty!" he said firmly.

"Has Dusty tried to make contact with Johnny at all since then?" Jack continued, ignoring the mini-outburst.

"No. But I've kept Johnny under strict surveillance. When he's not in school, he's with me at all times."

"Craig, from the sound of it, Dusty didn't exactly threaten you. What's more is that it doesn't make any sense that he would've waited over a week to retaliate. Not to mention, there is no proof linking Dusty to the attack at this point."

"Damn it! He's the only one with motive!" Craig insisted.

Jack looked at Craig with a smirk.

"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure about that," he said.

"What does that mean?" Craig asked pointedly.

"I'm just saying, Craig…" Jack said with a shrug. "You don't exactly give off a warm and fuzzy vibe when you interact with other people. You're not going to tell me that Dusty is the only one who's ticked off at you, are you?"

Craig glared at Jack for a few seconds before his expression transformed into an impish grin.

"Well, I suppose if we're looking at it that way…you have motive as well, don't you Detective Snyder?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Jack asked, annoyed.

"Well Jack, you weren't exactly thrilled to see me talking to Carly at the charity benefit the other night; and you have gotten a bit confrontational with me a few times lately with intent to injure," he said with his signature Craig-like smugness.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me," Jack said, even more annoyed.

"Just calling it like I see it," Craig said with a casual shrug.

"Listen Montgomery, if I wanted to 'injure' you, I'd take you out into the middle of Old Town in broad daylight and do it," Jack growled. "Throwing a brick through a windshield at night is more up your alley, not mine. Besides, if we're really going to talk motive here, I'd have to add nearly three-fourths of this town to the list of suspects."

Craig gave Jack a dismissive smile as if the comment had been offered to him as a compliment rather than as an insult.

"Speaking of Carly…it must be a relief for her now that she doesn't have another mouth to feed every day," he said with a hint of sliminess.

Jack felt his jaw clench instinctively as it did whenever he was forced to carry on a conversation with Craig Montgomery for more than a minute.

"You're right, Craig," Jack shot back. "I'm sure she thanks her lucky stars for that every time she sees you and remembers your non-wedding."

Craig opened his mouth to retaliate but Jack got up from his chair and cut him off.

"Listen, as much as I'd love to stay here and shoot the breeze, I've got a job to do…even if that job ironically involves trying to serve and protect a miscreant like you."

Jack put the recorder into his coat pocket and brushed past Craig as he headed for the door.

"One more thing," he said, pausing at the doorway. "I don't want you trying to play detective in the meantime, you hear me? Stay away from Dusty and keep your nose clean. The brick is being analyzed by our Forensics Team right now, so if we find any fingerprints or I get any more info, I'll get in touch with you. "

With that, Jack walked out and slammed the door behind him.

Elizabeth Snelling looked at the two women standing before her.

"So, do you ladies have any more questions?" she asked.

Lily and Carly looked at each other before Lily answered on both their behalves.

"No. I think we have all the info we needed. Thanks again, Elizabeth—sorry, Liz," she said, correcting herself with a chuckle and honoring the woman's earlier request.

"It was very nice to meet you both," the woman said with a smile. "I'll present your offer to the owners later today and get back to you as soon as I have their decision."

Carly thoughtfully chewed on her bottom lip before speaking.

"Liz," she said with a hint of hesitancy, "Lily and I are very happy with this place. We were talking about it earlier while you were on the phone, and we think it'd be just perfect for our business: both space-wise and location-wise. We're more than willing to negotiate with the owners if it's necessary."

Lily nodded her agreement.

"We know they have several offers to consider, but please let them know that we're flexible," she added.

"I understand, ladies," Liz said with a warm smile. "I'll be sure to let Ron and Gina know that. My last showing is this afternoon, so I'm meeting with them this evening to present them with the offers I've received over the last couple of days." She looked at Lily. "I'll contact you tomorrow morning with their decision."

The women exchanged a few final pleasantries before Lily and Carly made their exit.

"God, Lily, I really think this is the one," Carly said keenly as they walked down the cobble-stoned pavement in Old Town.

"I know. I don't think I'm going to get any sleep tonight," Lily admitted.

"My tummy feels all fluttery," Carly said, lightly holding her stomach.

"Well, mine is just hungry," Lily informed her partner. "You up for some lunch?" she asked with a grin.

"Absolutely."

Margo was sitting at her desk and typing away on her desktop when Jack walked up to her. She noticed him approach out of the corner of her eye and turned to look at him.

"How'd it go?" she asked with a look of concern and slight dread.

"Swimmingly," Jack said sarcastically, earning an eyeroll from Margo. "Well, like you said, he's still sticking to his guns and thinks Dusty's the culprit."

"Of course," Margo said knowingly with a frustrated sigh. "Did you talk to Donovan?"

"No," Jack informed her. "I stopped by his room after I spoke to Craig, but he wasn't in. So then I went down to the front desk and asked the receptionists and concierge a few questions about what happened between Craig and Dusty the other day. It seems that none of them have seen Dusty in over a week. When I spoke to the maid in charge of his floor, she said that his room looks to have been left untouched for, again; over a week, even though she's been in there every day to see if it needs to serviced."

"Hmm…that's really odd," Margo said. "Obviously that means that he's been out of town. Craig said that he hasn't even tried to get in touch with Johnny since then. Whatever his reasons are, I'm sure they have nothing to do with trying to run away after allegedly throwing a brick at Craig's head. That's not Donovan's style."

"Yeah. Dusty doesn't strike me as the kind of guy who would just flee the scene after trying to hurt Craig. If anything, if he'd done it, I would think that he'd do it out in the open and gloat about it to Craig's face simultaneously."

Margo sighed wearily.

"Sad, but true," she admitted. "Still, since he's my brother and all, I'm forced to love him by virtue, so I'm just glad he's okay."

"Right," Jack grinned. "He should be careful though. One more head trauma like that and those last few remaining brain cells won't stand a chance."

Margo gave Jack an insincere glare and playfully swatted him on the arm.

"Alright wise guy. With this being your first day back and all, what do you say we head on over to Al's for lunch? My treat. And in the meantime, you can catch me up on the rollercoaster ride otherwise known as your love life."

Jack groaned.

"I should've known this was coming," he said weakly. He glanced up at the large clock on the wall. "I guess that'll work. I was thinking of stopping by Metro and seeing if I could find out what's going on with Dusty, but they don't open for another forty minutes or so."

"Perfect," Margo said. "I've been craving a burger all morning."

Lily curiously watched Carly as she uneasily gazed over at the counter for the fifth time since they'd sat down at their booth in the small diner about two minutes ago.

"Carly, are you okay?" she asked finally.

Carly turned her attention back to Lily and nodded.

"Sorry. I was just checking on something."

"Whether Janet is here?" Lily guessed.

Carly nodded again.

"She hasn't exactly been too crazy about me lately."

"Lately?" Lily joked.

Carly frowned.

"Yeah, but let's not get into that. It doesn't look like she's here anyway, thank goodness."

"Okay," Lily agreed with a complying smile and looked down at her menu.

After the waitress had taken their order—two house salads—Carly perked up at a thought that had occurred to her.

"Oh!" she exclaimed with a gleam in her eyes, "I have something else for you."

Lily looked at Carly inquisitively as she watched her reach into her purse and pull out a tiny sketchbook and Carly began to speak.

"I was driving home from the grocery store yesterday, and all of a sudden, I had a great design idea for our logo. So I pulled over to the side of the road and sketched it out immediately." She searchingly leafed through the pages as she spoke. "Now, mind you, a steering wheel is hardly the ideal surface for drawing, and this is still a very draft." When she'd found what she was looking for, she slid the pad over towards Lily. "What do you think of this?"

Lily examined the penciled illustration with the words "Carly's Closet" etched in big letters on the plain white piece of paper. A bright smile emerged on her face.

"Carly…I love it!" she exclaimed, looking up at her beaming partner.

Carly reached over and turned the page.

"And to go with that…how about this for the shopping bags?" she asked.

"Need I say it?" Lily asked; her smile still as bright. "It's perfect! I can't wait to see these in print!"

"Thank you," Carly said graciously, just as she noticed their waitress, Jenny, walking toward their booth with their salads. "Now, let me put that away before any prying eyes fall on it."

She extended her hand for the sketchbook.

"Like Janet?" Lily asked with a chuckle as she handed it over to Carly, who immediately stashed it back into her purse.

"Among others. It's a good thing she's not here. I couldn't wait to show it to you."

They waited until Jenny was out of earshot before resuming their conversation.

"I don't think there's a single design of yours that I've seen so far that I haven't liked," Lily mused. "Although, I have to say: that little strapless black dress you showed me the other day is hot. I think those will sell like hot cakes!"

Carly grinned.

"How's the hunt for a textile supplier coming?" she asked.

"I jotted down a few names that I pulled off the internet. The closest one is in Chicago. There's also one in Atlanta, Philadelphia, Minneapolis, and Seattle. There are a couple in New York City and a few in Los Angeles and San Diego. Of course we still need to do some more research and…"

Lily trailed off when she noticed that Carly was no longer listening to her. Instead, all of her attention seemed to be fixated toward the glass doors. All it took was for Lily to follow Carly's gaze to figure out what had her so transfixed.

Two of Oakdale's finest had just walked into the diner. Lily immediately waved to the familiar faces. The woman with the short blonde hair returned her wave with a relaxed smile. The tall, brown-haired man accompanying her, however, looked somewhat tense and didn't reciprocate the gesture. It could've been though that he hadn't actually seen it given that his eyes were entirely fixed on the blonde sitting across from her. After a few long seconds of inactivity, Lily wondered if the woman standing by the door felt as isolated in those moments as she did. When she saw the woman finally take initiative and lightly touch the motionless man on the arm to remind him of her presence and move him along, Lily's suspicion was confirmed.

"Carly! Lily!" Margo greeted as she walked over to their booth.

"Hi Margo," Lily replied immediately.

Carly, however, seemed to need a few more moments before she was able to peel her eyes away from the ones they were focused on and acknowledge Margo.

"Hi Margo," she said softly.

"How are you both doing?" Margo asked.

"Good," Lily spoke up again. "Just hungry."

"I hear ya," Margo empathized. "I was just telling Jack a few minutes ago that I've been craving a burger."

By now, Jack had managed to make his way next to his colleague.

"Hi Lily," he smiled.

"Hi Jack," Lily said brightly.

"Hi," he said; his voice significantly lower and quieter as he greeted the long-haired blonde sitting directly before him.

"Hi," she replied in an equally hushed tone, although her eyes indicated that she wanted to say so much more.

Margo looked over at the woman who had just emerged from the kitchen.

"Can we take this booth, Nancy?" she called out, pointing to the one right next to Lily and Carly.

"Sorry Chief, we're a bit short-staffed," the lady apologized. "Go right ahead. I'll be over to take down your orders in a minute."

Carly found the scene before her quite reminiscent of the one at Java Café from a little over a week ago when Jack had walked in while she and Molly had been sitting there having lunch. Of course the company and setting were completely different on each occasion, but there had been an equal awkwardness between her and Jack both times, given that they had both taken place when they'd seen each other after sharing an unexpected kiss. She deduced by his body language that he was having similar thoughts. Suddenly, Carly noticed a flash of gold glimmering against the window pane next to her. She looked at its source.

"Oh my god, Jack!" she exclaimed in surprise. "Are you back on the force?" she asked when she noticed the badge pinned against his belt.

The sudden shift in her demeanor briefly startled Lily and Margo.

Jack couldn't help but smile at her genuine happiness.

"Uh, yeah," he said, looking down at his badge. "Just started again today."

Carly looked at him in confusion.

"So quickly?" she asked. "Doesn't it usually take a while to be officially reinstated?"

Before Jack could respond, Margo jumped in and explained the special circumstances surrounding Jack's case. Carly listened intently; her eyes shifting from Margo's face to Jack's as she did so.

"That's so great. Jack, I'm so happy for you," she said, her expression reflecting her emotions.

"Thanks," he said, unable to resist her unwavering smile.

"And you, Margo. That was a really nice thing you did for him."

Margo accepted the compliment with a smile.

"Are you both ready to order?" Nancy asked from behind.

"Oh, Nancy. Yes," Margo said. She turned to look at Jack. "Shall we?" she asked, tilting her head toward their table.

Jack cleared his throat.

"Oh, um…yeah. Of course," he fumbled.

Margo stifled a laugh when Jack smoothly overtook her and took the seat on the farther end of the booth, leaving Margo with the seat closer to Lily so that their backs were facing each other. This left Jack with access not only to Margo's face, but also to Carly's. Even though they'd come there to catch up and dine together, Margo got the distinct impression that this seating arrangement had little to do with her and a lot more to do with the other blonde sitting behind her.

Once they'd ordered, as predicted, Jack's attention was already lurking back over Margo's shoulder. Of course what Margo couldn't see was that Lily was having to deal with a similar experience over at the next table.

When Margo heard Lily start to say something to Carly, she took the opportunity to lean forward and whisper to Jack.

"Would you like me to switch seats with Carly?" she asked jokingly. "It must frustrating not to have a clear view with me and Lily in the way."

Jack shot her an unamused look. What his chief was unaware of is that he'd positioned himself in such a way that neither she nor Lily were a hindrance in between—no offense to them, of course. Suddenly, repetitive thoughts of how beautiful Carly looked were replaced by one of confusion. She was having lunch with Lily. Lily. Jack found the situation odd for two reasons. Firstly, Lily and Carly's friendship had all but disintegrated after the affair with Holden had gone public and despite a few feeble attempts, Jack knew that they had eventually drifted apart. And secondly, Carly was too loyal to Molly to be sitting there chatting it up with Lily, especially when he knew how supportive she was of her cousin's relationship with his cousin. The whole thing just seemed too strange, but Jack chocked it up to the fact that the two women had found a way to make peace. He had to admit that he was happy to see that Carly and Lily had buried the hatchet and decided to move on.

Neither Margo nor Lily could really comment on what they were observing going on between the two long estranged spouses given the proximity of their tables, so they settled for ordinary conversation for the time-being instead. Margo and Jack started to discuss Craig's case more in depth, and Lily and Carly started to talk about Faith's impending return back home. Of course that didn't stop the aforementioned ex-couple from sneaking looks and inadvertently making eye contact with each other the entire time. This went on until Margo and Jack finally stood up from table. Margo once again took it upon herself to approach Lily and Carly.

"Well ladies, we're going to get going. Have a great day," she said with a smile.

"Bye Lily," Jack said, once again addressing her first.

"By Jack," Lily said pleasantly.

"Bye," Jack said again, this time speaking to Carly. Once again, the tone of his voice had decreased considerably, even as his eyes lingered on her face long after he'd spoken.

"Bye," she said, just as softly.

Carly watched as Margo and Jack walked out the door.

Once they were outside, Jack couldn't help but glance through the blinds of the diner at the table he'd just walked away from as they passed by. His eyes met Carly's once more and he took the opportunity to take her in; every second of her that he possibly could while she was still within sight.

"You know, if I'd have known that I'd be getting snubbed for a younger blonde, I would've just come to lunch by myself," Margo quipped.

Jack chuckled.

"What are you talking about? We discussed the case," he said defensively.

"Yeah. But you might as well have been doing it with Carly considering that that's where all your attention was anyway," Margo said with a smirk.

"Please don't start in on me, okay?" Jack half begged.

"Alright, alright," Margo conceded as they continued walking.

Inside the diner, things weren't much different for Carly.

"You know, it's probably a good thing for Jack that his wife isn't working today," Lily said.

"What do you mean?" Carly asked.

Lily looked at Carly incredulously.

"Do you really need me to spell it out for you?" She asked, pausing. "Of course he's not the only one who would've been in trouble," she added slyly.

Carly groaned.

"You're reading too much into things," she said.

Lily was unconvinced but restrained herself.

"Well, it's all subjective, I suppose. Just calling it like I see it," she said with a grin as she picked up her glass and took another sip of her soda.

Lunchtime had been the only other highlight of Jack's first day back on the force since he'd walked into the interrogation that morning and Margo had handed him his gun and his badge. Since then, things had taken a bit of a nosedive. While he had made some progress in Craig's case after he'd visited Metro and obtained an alibi that ruled Dusty out as a suspect, he'd also inadvertently stumbled across some lurid information that had left him stunned and speechless. A dozen emotions swirled around in his head as he drove down the semi-rural road towards his aunt's farm. He'd heard that she was back in town for a day or two, and right now, all he wanted to do was see her, and hug her, and find out how Meg was doing…and maybe hope that she'd had the good sense to whip up a pie on a whim.

Minutes later, Jack walked into the veranda to the sweet aroma of freshly baked apple pie wafting through the air. He pulled open the screen door expecting to be welcomed in by his aunt. Instead, he was caught off-guard by the figure sitting at the dining table.

"Janet," he said, with more than a little surprise.