As always, thank you to spookycc – without your unconditional support and unending patience, I wouldn't be sharing my stories.

Thanks to ciaddict for sharing her views and opinions with me on this chapter.

Author's Note: These chapter does deal with a very sensitive subject. Hopefully, I handled it in a manner than no one will be upset.

Chapter 11

"You can go watch TV, they'll be fine," Bailey chuckled from the doorway of her bedroom. Jake and Emma were sleeping soundly after being fed, bathed and diapered.

"How do you know that?" Mike sat on the edge of the bed, peering into the Pack'n'Play where the twins slept. "They can't call if they need anything. What if they choke?"

"I'll be right here with them, unless you want to sleep in here and I'll take Molly's room," she offered.

"What? No, I don't want that job," Mike shook his head.

"You were quick to volunteer me, though, weren't you?" she teased. She had been thrilled when she had been asked to watch the twins and was pleased that Mike had suggested her.

"Like you didn't want to watch them," Mike scoffed, glancing past her where Molly skirted her mother and hopped on the bed alongside him. "Hey, little bit, that's one snazzy nightgown." He admired the Disney Princesses that adorned her pajamas.

"Mommy said you're sleeping here tonight," Molly climbed into Mike's lap to look at the sleeping infants.

"I'm helping watch Jake and Emma," he said, inhaling the soft scent of lavender on the little girl.

"No you're not," Molly found this amusing. "You're scared of them. You won't even hold them."

"I'm not afraid of them," he denied, aware of Bailey covering her mouth with a hand to stop from laughing.

"Are you sleeping in here with Mommy?" Molly asked, causing both adults to fall silent and Mike looked at Bailey, raising a curious eyebrow.

"No, Molly. Mike's going to sleep in your room and you're sleeping in here with me," Bailey replied, holding Logan's gaze evenly.

"What would you think about me sleeping with your Mommy?" Mike asked.

"It'd be OK," Molly shrugged. "I like you better than my real Daddy and Mommy smiles when you're here. Will you read me a story before I go to bed?"



"Sure, go pick out a book and meet me back here," Mike kissed the top of her head and watched her scoot back out of the room.

"You're impossible," Bailey hissed in a low whisper.

"Why? Because I'd prefer to share a bed with you, instead of sleeping alone?" He rose from the bed and came to stand in front of her. "That just means I'm a healthy, straight male. Hell, even Molly's OK with the idea."

"I already told you that I won't…" Bailey began.

"Have sex with me until we get to know each better," Mike finished for her. He reached out a gentle finger and ran it along the bruise on her cheek. "How well did you know Denton?"

"That's none of your business," she replied, taking a step backwards.

"I brought two books," Molly ran back into the room, unaware of the adults' conversation. She crawled onto the bed and slid beneath the covers. "You want to listen, too, Mommy?"

"Yeah, come on, Mommy," Mike reached for her hand and pulled her back towards the bed. "I'll read one book and you can read the other."

Bailey knew if she refused, Molly would question her mother's reluctance. Mike settled with his back against the headboard and Molly snuggled close to his side, while Bailey sat 'Indian-style' in the center of the bed, aware of Mike's foot brushing her thigh. She watched them as they read the book, Mike pointing out pictures and Molly giggling over something he would add to the story.

Bailey found herself smiling at them and felt certain marrying Mike Logan was the right thing to do. He was a good man, he treated Molly with genuine affection and he listened, truly listened when the child spoke. She gave herself a mental shake. Do not fall for this man, she warned herself. It would only lead to heartbreak when he learned the truth.

"Hey, B," Mike nudged her leg lightly with his foot. "It's your turn." He held out a book to her.

"Did Captain Deakins tell you where Trisha was?" Charli asked Bobby as she sat in bed watching him dress.

"Bradford," Bobby told her. He sat on the edge of the bed next to her to pull on his socks.

"Pennsylvania? It's just a little college town – a satellite campus for the University of Pittsburgh," Charli wrapped her arms around her knees. "She went to college there. There's not a whole lot there – the campus, an oil refinery and a lighter factory," she told him thoughtfully. "I don't understand why she'd go back there."

"If she is there," Bobby told her, glancing around the floor.

"What are you looking for?" she asked.

"My shoes," he replied.

"You – um – left them downstairs," she reminded him and Bobby smiled in a way that made Charli's toes curl into the mattress.

"I'll call you once I know something," he leaned in and kissed her deeply. Charli laid her hand on his cheek and held his gaze, saying:

"Be careful."

"I will," he kissed her again. "I'll be home as soon as I can." He rose from the bed and started for the door. Charli called after him:

"I love you."

"Love you back," his deep voice called back up the stairs and she could hear him whistling as he located his shoes.

Jim Deakins waited in his car as Bobby came out the front door. He watched as Goren crossed the front yard, carrying the leather binder that seemed to accompany him everywhere when he worked.

"Is Logan going with us?" Bobby asked after bidding the Captain good morning.

"We'll pick him up on the way," Deakins replied. "I'm sorry to take you away from your family but I thought you should be with us. You've known her for quite a few years…"

"I don't – No one knows Trisha very well," Bobby replied, searching for the words to explain. "She's separated herself from her sisters."

The Captain asked after the twins and the proud father was happy to talk about them. Deakins smiled at the obvious love in Bobby's voice and said:

"I don't know that I've ever had the opportunity to tell you this, but I'm happy for you. I know that your life was hell for a long time. I'm glad to see that things are working out for you and Charli."

"Thank you," Bobby looked down at his binder that rested on his lap. The fingers of his right hand touched his wedding ring on his left, before he added: "My wife's a remarkable woman."

"Her husband's a remarkable man," Jimmy Deakins assured his friend.

"I'm not sure how long we'll be gone," Mike told Bailey as he emptied the contents of his coffee cup. "I'll call you later."

"You don't need to," Bailey told him, but he set his cup in the sink and replied:

"I want to know that you and Molly are alright. If Denton shows up, I want you to call 911."

"No…"

"This isn't up for debate, Bailey. You need to get his harassment on record. If for no other reason than to help with the custody issue," Mike lowered his voice, sparing Molly a glance where she sang a song to the twins.

"You aren't going to order me around, Logan. I'm going to continue to do whatever I think is best for my daughter," Bailey stated firmly.

"Letting him continue to terrorize you is the best thing for Molly?" he demanded but a knock on the door saved Bailey from responding.

Bobby spent several minutes with Jake and Emma while he waited for Mike to say his 'goodbyes'. Kissing the top of Molly's head, Mike said:

"Be good for your mom."

"I will."

"I'll call you later," Mike reminded Bailey. Rather than causing a fuss in front of Bobby she simply nodded. He leaned in and kissed her softly, unconcerned by the presence of Goren and Molly.

Charli was anxious to pick up the twins even though she was certain Bailey had taken excellent care of them. Parking the SUV, she walked towards the apartment building, unable to keep the smile off of her pretty face. She knew that she was incredibly blessed to have the relationship she did with Bobby and was certain that it would only continue to deepen as time went on.

"Mike went with Bobby and Captain Deakins?" Charli questioned as she retrieved Emma from her seat.

"Bobby came and got him but I think he really wanted to spend a few minutes with the babies before they left," Bailey smiled. "They lit up the moment they heard his voice. Just like when you got here." She took Emma while Charli turned her attention to Jake.

"He's such a great father," Charli replied with more than a little pride. "So? Any news about you and Mike?"

"I – I told him I'd marry him. We haven't really talked about it any further and he may change his mind…"

"Why would he change his mind? It was his idea, wasn't it?" Charli snuggled Jake, kissing his cheek.

"It was but when I told him that I wouldn't – Molly, would you go check my bedroom to make sure we got all of the babies' things, please?" Bailey waited for Molly to be out of earshot before continuing. "I told Mike that I wouldn't have sex with him. He wasn't very happy about it."



"Well, I understand both sides, I think. Mike's a man and he obviously finds you attractive, otherwise he wouldn't be willing to make such a huge commitment. But as women, we want there to be more than attraction."

"No, I don't want anything of the sort," Bailey told her friend. "I already told Mike I wouldn't stop him from sleeping with other women."

"There's nothing in the bedroom, Mommy," Molly skipped back into the room.

"How about you check the living room, please?" Once Molly was distracted again, Charli turned her attention to Bailey.

"You gave the man permission to fool around on you before you're even married? I'm sure he wasn't pleased with that."

"He wasn't," Bailey admitted. "He wants to work on building a real marriage, but I can't be a wife to him."

"Bailey, he's a very attractive man. He's a decent guy and he's willing to marry you to help you keep Molly. Why aren't you willing to give him a chance?" Charli could not understand the older woman's indifference.

"It's a long, complicated story," Bailey began, but stopped and shook her head. "No, really, it isn't. It's a short, sad story but not one I'm able to tell in front of little ears."

"Well, if you ever want to talk, we can always make arrangements to meet for lunch or you can come to the house and Bobby would be happy to keep Molly occupied," Charli offered. "I'm a good listener."

"Thanks. I may take you up on the offer." Bailey had few friends by choice but Charli was one person she had felt that she could trust.

Trisha watched the silver-haired man enter the bar. Certain she had seen him before; she followed his movements in the mirror behind the bar. He chose a stool several away from her and she heard him order a beer. He showed her no interest, which only served to arouse her desire to be noticed. She waited for a moment before she moved so that she sat next to him.

"I know this is going to sound like a pick up line, but haven't we met before?"

"We have," Jimmy acknowledged, taking a sip of beer. "At your father's funeral. I'm a friend of Bobby and Charli Goren."

Before Trisha could move away, Bobby and Mike approached the bar, blocking her exit.

"I'm surprised to see you," she spoke to her brother-in-law. "You and your wife seem to be inseparable."

"I'm doing this for my wife," Bobby replied. "And for your mother."



"Carolyn? That's one of the few things Charli and I happen to agree on, Carolyn is not our mother," Trisha's tone was one of contempt.

"Why don't we go over here and talk?" Deakins suggested, indicating an empty table. Trisha slid off the stool and rather than moving around Bobby and Mike, she chose to walk between the two men, making certain her breasts brushed against Bobby. Bobby met Logan's gaze over her head, the two men exchanging an amused glance.

"So, what is it you want to know, gentlemen?" she asked, waiting until they were all seated.

"Where were you the night Harris was murdered?" Mike asked her.

"I was with Daniel, all night. He'll tell you." Trisha looked from Logan to Goren.

"He already did," Bobby replied. "He – said that you ordered pizza and watched a movie. What was the name of it?" He looked at Mike.

"Some sort of romance – the one where the boyfriend dies and the girlfriend falls in love with the best friend…" Logan played along with Goren's pretense.

"That's right," Trisha agreed easily. "It was a peaceful night at home."

"Larkin never left? He didn't go out at all?" Mike asked her.

"Carolyn confessed to killing Harris – why are you still looking for someone else?" Trisha challenged, but she was looking at Bobby. "Charli doesn't want it to be Carolyn so you'll just keep looking no matter how useless? She really does have you whipped, doesn't she?"

"Charli wants the truth – don't you?" Bobby asked quietly.

"You think Daniel killed my father?" she met his gaze across the table. "Is that what the Ice Princess told you? She finally gets a backbone and kills the old man and she's telling you that her ex-fiancé did it? How is that possible? Especially if she was unconscious like she claims?"

"You lived in that house – Don't you remember – behind Harris's desk there's that big mirror?" Bobby opened his binder and searched through several pictures, selecting one and laying it on the table for Trisha to see. "Whoever came up behind Charli and - hit her was visible in the reflection in the mirror." Even though it had been several weeks, the thought that Charli could have been seriously injured, possibly killed along with Harris, still haunted Bobby.

Although Trisha said nothing, Bobby watched her face for any sign of reaction. Trisha studied the photo for a moment, closing her eyes for only the briefest instant, but it was enough for Bobby.

"I don't know if he went there with the intention of killing Harris or if he just planned on talking to him – Charli being there was unexpected. Daniel had to - he needed to make certain she was out of the way, but he didn't – he couldn't bring himself to – hurt her too badly…"

"You think Daniel killed my father?" Trisha asked.

"He asked you to lie for him," Bobby replied. "He needed you to give him an alibi."

He watched as she pondered his words. Trisha was weighing her options at that moment and Bobby knew he had to proceed carefully or he'd lose her. He selected another photo, one of Harris' body and laid it in front of Trisha.

"This was an act of anger – the person who killed Harris despised him." Bobby leaned forward, tapping the photo. "He walked into that house with every intention of leaving Harris dead."

"But what was in it for Larkin?" Mike asked, looking at Bobby. "That shoots your theory out of the water, Goren. There's no motive – no advantage in having Donovan out of the way. Larkin doesn't stand to gain one damn thing."

"You're right," Bobby acknowledged on a sigh. "If Daniel didn't have a reason then it wouldn't make sense," he looked at Trisha. "So we're back to square one and that means finding someone with a reason for wanting Harris out of the way."

"But Daniel did have a reason for wanting to kill my father," she told them. "He hated Harris."

"I hated Harris, too," Bobby told her with a shake of his head. "I'll even admit to wanting him dead on more than one occasion, but I wouldn't have killed him because of it."

"True," Jimmy Deakins stated thoughtfully. "People don't just arbitrarily decide to kill someone they hate. Larkin would have needed a damned good reason for what he did."

Trisha opened her mouth to speak but seemed to think better of it. She looked at the photos before her on the table and then she looked to Bobby.

"Why, Trisha?" he asked softly.

"I didn't do this! I didn't kill Harris," Trisha denied but Bobby raised a finger to silence her.

"You did, Trisha. And you know that Charli saw you. She didn't – remember right away and when she did, she questioned herself. But it was you, wasn't it?"

Trisha remained silent and Bobby thought for a moment as Deakins and Logan waited. Both men knew him well enough, trusted him enough to respect his thought process and let him work.

"No one can blame you for what you did, Trisha," Bobby spoke softly. "He'd beaten Charli for years – I'd be willing to bet that she wasn't the only one. Did he tell you if you told he'd beat your sisters, so you'd stay quiet? Like Charli did?"

"He didn't – he never beat me," Trisha began, meeting Bobby's gaze across the table. She faltered and looked at the table. No one knew. She had never told anyone what Harris had done to her, what she had been forced to allow him to do.

It was Bobby's turn to fall silent as he recalled what he knew about Trisha and the Donovan household. Charli had withdrawn into herself from years of physical and mental abuse. She had learned not to trust anyone. Trisha was a polar opposite of her sister. She thrived on attention and sexual conquests. She used sex as a means to an end. She had used her body to steal Daniel Larkin from Charli. She had tried to seduce Bobby the day of Harris' funeral. Sex wasn't something she enjoyed; it was something she endured to get what she wanted.

"Trisha," Bobby hoped he was wrong. As much as he disliked his sister-in-law, what he was thinking was too horrible for anyone to endure. "Did – when did he start molesting you?"

"You're as crazy as your mother," she stated coldly. "I'm not going to stay here and listen to this." Before she could rise from the table, Mike laid a hand on her arm and shook his head.

"You're going to stay or I'm going to drag your ass kicking and screaming out of here. Stay put and place nice." Even as he spoke, Mike's hazel eyes revealed that he was not bluffing.

"Can you leave us alone?" Bobby looked from one man to the other, certain that Trisha felt she was trapped. His stomach tightened into a knot of disgust and fear, hoping he was wrong, but certain he had happened upon the truth.

Charli had the twins on the floor of the living room, on their play mat when she heard the knock on the door. Smiling, she greeted Miriam Pierce, saying:

"Good morning, come in."

"I hope I'm not intruding," the elderly woman replied.

"Of course not. Can I offer you something to drink?" Charli directed her into the living room where Emma and Jake chattered away to each other in a language that they seemed to understand perfectly.

"No, thank you, dear. I just wanted to visit for a bit and ask you to do me a favor." Miriam sat in the armchair closest to the twins so that she could enjoy them.

"A favor? Anything you need," Charli agreed without hesitation, sitting on the edge of the sofa.

"I'm going to be moving," Miriam began. "It's OK, Charli. I want to go." She was quick to assure the younger woman before Charli could protest. "My granddaughter wants me to move in with her and her husband. I'm not getting any younger and they worry after me living alone. The house is going to be sold but there are some things that I just can't part with."

"That's understandable. There's a lot of memories in your home," Charli said, saddened that Miriam would be leaving the neighborhood, but happy that she'd be with family. "You know Bobby and I will do anything we can for you."

"My bell – it means too much to me to be left with strangers. It would mean the world to me if you'd take it. And I could always come visit it here," Miriam smiled.

"Your bell?" Charli asked to make certain she had heard properly. "I'd be thrilled to take care of your bell for you."

"No, Charli. It would be my gift to you, it would be your bell," Miriam replied, wanting to make her intentions clear. "You've always loved it, almost as much as I have. I want someone who will appreciate it to have it."

"Oh, Miriam, I'd be honored," Charli accepted.

"Good, that's settled," she replied with a nod of her head. "Now, hand me one of those little ones because if I get down on the floor, I doubt I'd get back up."

Bailey heard the telephone ringing as she came out of the bathroom and thought about not answering it. Certain it was Mike, she wanted to prove to him that she would not sit around and wait for him to check on her and Molly. Before she could put her thought to action though, Molly grabbed for the phone and answered it.

"Flanigan residence. Hi, Mike," the child practically glowed at the sound of the man's voice on the other end. "Mommy and me are going shopping. Do you want anything special for dinner?"

Bailey couldn't hear Mike's response but Molly giggled delightedly before handing her mother the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hi," Mike's deep voice replied. "We're on our way back from Bradford. Probably another hour out and then I'm going to have some paperwork to take care of. I need you to do me a favor."

"What do you need?"

"Would you be able to head over to the Goren's and watch the twins in a while? Bobby wants Charli to meet us at the station."

"You arrested her sister?"

"We'll be booking her when we get back," Mike replied simply. Bailey realized he couldn't say much so she didn't ask any further questions. "I'll explain when I get home."

Home. Mike said that one word as if it were a given that he'd be coming home to her and Molly. Bailey didn't like the sense of comfort it gave her. She didn't want to become dependent on Mike Logan or anyone else. It would only cause them all pain in the long run, especially Molly.

Bobby was waiting for Charli in the parking garage when she arrived. Once she had parked, he met her halfway, kissing her lightly.

"Did she…" Charli began but couldn't bring herself to finish.

"You need to talk to her," Bobby's tone was soft. She studied his face and saw something akin to pain in his chocolate brown eyes.

"I turned her in, Bobby. I don't think she'll want to talk to me."

"Please, Chuck, for me."

"Will you be with me?" she asked him.

"Always," he promised, causing Charli to smile.

Trisha was sitting at a table in the interview room when Bobby opened the door. Charli walked inside, taken aback by her sister's wan appearance.

"Trisha?"

"You really came? I didn't think you would," Trisha replied. She looked up at Charli but her eyes seemed glazed, almost unfocused. "Did Bobby tell you?"

"No, I didn't – It wasn't my place," Bobby said, pulling out a chair for Charli. "I thought it was best that you told her."

"Told me what?" Charli looked from one to the other as she sat down.

"You already know that I was at the house that night. You saw me before I hit you," Trisha began. Even her voice was odd. It was almost as if she were reliving the events as they happened. "I killed him – I had to."

"Why did you have to?" Charli asked. "We were free of him, all of us. You talked to him because you chose to. I don't understand."

"Do you remember before Carolyn left? Do you remember that we used to be a normal family?"

"I remember," the younger sister nodded. Her hands were folded in her lap and she felt Bobby's left hand cover hers beneath the table.

"Afterwards he was so angry all the time. But never at Marti or Kaitlyn…"

Charli had always wondered at that but had never questioned it aloud. Asking why her sisters hadn't been subject to the same abuse seemed disloyal.

"Harris said that if I told he'd punish them, too," Charli's voice was almost a whisper as she recalled the cold, hateful man telling her how much worse it would be for the others.

"It was because they didn't look like Carolyn. You and I do. You more so, and he hated us for it. We reminded him that she left. He'd use any excuse to beat you. It was his way of punishing her. He'd hit me sometimes but never like you."

"You – you used to try to stop him," Charli looked across at Trisha as if the memory was new to her. She had long ago buried as much of the abuse as she could. "You always got Kaitlyn and Marti out of the house so they didn't see…"

"As you got older he'd make comments – say things that were inappropriate for a father to say. I knew that it was just a matter of time before he found a new way to punish you for Carolyn's betrayal," Trisha looked down at her hands, folded on the table. "I saw him looking at you…"



Charli shook her head in denial, realization dawning slowly. Bobby looked from one sister to the other, remaining silent but knowing the emotional pain both women would endure.

"No, Trisha," tears filled Charli's eyes. "Dear God, please, no."

"I couldn't let him touch you – you were so young," Trisha looked up. "I told him that I'd go to the authorities but he just laughed and said he'd show me exactly what he could get away with. The first time I fought him but he only seemed to enjoy it, so afterwards I just let him do what he wanted so it would just be over."

Charli listened as Trisha spoke, tears streaming silently down her cheeks. The abuse by Harris had continued for years. Even after all of the sisters had left the house, Harris still sought Trisha out. It was obvious from listening to her that the eldest sister had suffered mental ramifications from the years of molestation. Covering Trisha's hands with hers, Charli whispered:

"I'm so sorry."

A soft knock on the door drew Bobby's attention and he quickly opened it. Megan Wheeler and Mike Logan came into the room but remained near the door with Bobby while the sisters spoke.

"Why did you feel that you had to kill him, Trisha?" Charli questioned.

"You can be so innocent," Trisha chuckled, but it wasn't with the cruelty that she had often used when speaking to Charli. "He got you to come to the house because of your twins. Blailock was never going to be there." Trisha pulled her hands free from Charli's and sat back with a weary sigh. "I told him that I was through – I wanted it to stop or I'd go public. He didn't believe me at first, but I was very careful not to be alone with him. That night – he called me before you got there. He gloated that he'd arranged for Bobby to work late and he convinced you to come to the house by yourself. He planned on teaching me a lesson through you…"

Charli felt the color drain from her face and was grateful she was sitting down. Was she really that naïve? She had never thought so, but it had been so easy for Harris to manipulate her. He had used her children to get her exactly where he had wanted her.

"I have a question," Megan stated, drawing Trisha's attention. "You murdered your father to protect Charli and to stop your own abuse. But why did you let Charli take the blame and not say anything?"

"I knew that Bobby wouldn't let Charli go to prison for something she didn't do. He'd move heaven and earth to protect her," Of this, Trisha was certain.

"And Carolyn?"

"The fact that Harris got away with what he did was her fault. She walked out and left us. She never cared enough about us to come back…" Trisha shrugged, offering a glimpse of contempt she felt for her mother. "She only confessed because she felt guilty, because she wanted to get into Charli's good graces."



Another knock on the door revealed Danny Ross on the other side. He spoke softly with Bobby and Mike for a moment before he met Charli's gaze.

"Your sister's going to be taken to the hospital for evaluation and observation," he explained.

Charli thanked him and looked at Bobby who held her gaze, silently telling her that they'd get through this, together.

"She's had a breakdown of sorts," Bobby told Charli as Mike handcuffed Trisha. "I'm not sure that she was even aware of what she did – That she killed Harris until I confronted her."

Not trusting herself to speak, Charli remained silent. Trisha held her gaze and Charli refused to look away from her sister. This was the woman who had found pleasure in taking anything she thought Charli valued. This same woman had attempted to seduce Bobby away from her. But this woman, her sister, had subjected herself to untold horror in order to protect Charli.

"I'll come to visit as soon as the doctors say I can," Charli told Trisha when Mike directed her into the hall.

"Don't tell the others," Trisha requested. "I don't want them to know."

"I won't," Charli promised. "Trisha…" she began.

"Don't hate me anymore, Charli."

"I don't, Trisha. You protected me – you did this because you're my sister and you love me," she laid a hand on Trisha's arm. "It'll be OK. I'll be with you."

"We need to go," Megan intervened. "I'm sorry, but they're waiting downstairs to transport."

Charli turned away as Trisha disappeared into the elevator and found herself enveloped in Bobby's strong arms. Burying her face against him, she tried to comprehend everything. There were unanswered questions, things Charli wanted to understand, but that would have to wait. Right now, getting Trisha the help she needed was more important.

"Will she stand trial?" Charli asked, looking up at her husband.

"No," he shook his head. "At least, I don't think so – we'll know more once the doctors finish their evaluation."

"Can we go home?"

"Captain?" Bobby looked at his boss. Danny Ross's gaze moved from his detective to Charli and back to Bobby.

"Go home. Take care of your family and if you need anything, let me know."

"Thank you."

"What about Carolyn?" Charli asked.

"Her release is being processed. I called her husband and he's on his way to pick her up," Danny replied. "I'm truly sorry for how this has worked out."

"Me, too," she told him.

Jimmy Deakins stood at the elevator, waiting for Bobby and Charli. He pushed the down button, asking:

"Should I take the other elevator?"

"Of course not," Charli shook her head and slipped her arm through his. "You've been a wonderful friend and I can't thank you enough for everything you've done."

"That's what friends are for," he assured her. "Besides, it felt good to get back in the saddle, even if it was just for a little while. I love my life, but there are days I miss the action."

Bailey had arrived home before Mike. He called to make certain she and Molly were locked in safely while he and Megan were finishing up the paperwork. He parked his car alongside her tan Jeep Liberty and made his way across the parking lot. He found it amusing that all he was looking forward to was seeing Bailey and Molly.

"Detective Logan," a woman's voice drew his attention. "I'm Cynthia Denton. I believe you've met my husband."

"Mrs. Denton," Mike paused to study her. She was an attractive woman. Tall and slender with short blonde hair. "What can I do for you?"

"I understand that you and Rick had a go around the other evening."

"A go around?" Mike chuckled. "I guess you could call it that." He wondered if Denton realized that if Bailey hadn't intervened, Logan would have cheerfully beaten the hell out of him.

"I was wondering if you understand the complexities of Molly's paternity, Detective."

"Complexities? She's got a mother and a father who both want custody. That's not complicated, Mrs. Denton. It's sad. Your husband shouldn't be allowed anywhere near that little girl. He's violent and unpredictable."

"My husband loses his temper with Bailey, but only because she chooses to provoke him," Cynthia replied as if that excused Rick Denton's behavior.

"I don't see where we have anything to talk about, Mrs. Denton. Bailey and I are engaged and we fully intend to keep custody of Molly." Mike turned to continue into the building, but Cynthia Denton's questions stopped him in his tracks.

"Do you know the truth behind Molly's existence, Detective? Has Bailey bothered to tell you that Rick was once her brother-in-law?"

End Chapter 11