Chapter 21...

Matt walked into the kitchen, looking for Lianna. He hadn't seen her since they got to the house and he really wanted to talk to her. He'd overheard what she said to Amy and her threat to hurt his former friend made him feel terrible for the way he'd treated her. Jason was right, even though they bickered constantly, she cared about him and he didn't want to take that for granted.

He looked out the window and spotted her sitting on a picnic table, looking down at her phone, the wind whipping her dark hair around her face.

He walked out the back door, putting his hands in his pockets. It wasn't freezing but it wasn't exactly weather to be sitting outside if you didn't have to be.

"Hey, what are you doing out here by yourself?" he asked as he approached.

"I was just calling my mom," she answered, sniffing. Her nose was red and he couldn't tell if it was from the cold or she'd been upset. Her eyes weren't red but they did look sad.

"You okay?"

"Yeah," she nodded. "Just tired."

He sat next to her, resting his elbows on his knees, looking over at her.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" she raised a brow.

"Because I'm trying to decide how to go about what I want to say," he answered honestly. He wasn't exactly great with apologies, Jeff had always told him that.

"I find it's usually best to just spit it out," she said. "Besides, I don't plan on sitting out here forever so you may want to hurry it up."

He sighed, sitting up straight and adjusting so that he was straddling the bench, facing her, "I'm sorry Lianna."

She looked surprised, "What was that?"

"I'm sorry," he shrugged. "I shouldn't have snapped at you like that."

"And the ignoring me for days?" she crossed her arms over her chest. He laughed, knowing she wasn't going to make this easy for him.

"Yeah, that too," he admitted. "I'm sorry I just…I've been so tense lately and..I took my frustration out on you."

She nodded, "Yeah that was pretty bad."

"And I'm sorry for not telling you what happened myself," he said quietly. "I just…I didn't really want to talk about it. It's pretty damn embarrassing."

She considered his apology, looking out into the distance with a thoughtful expression.

"It's alright," she shrugged. "I understand why you got mad and I understand why you didn't tell me. I just want you to know that you can talk to me, you know?"

"I know that now," he nodded. "Especially after I heard what you said to Amy today."

She looked surprised and for the first time he could remember since he'd met her, Lianna's cheeks looked flushed. She was blushing.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she feigned innocence.

"Okay, play it that way," he laughed, getting up and offering her his hand. "You ready to go inside?"

"Yeah it's getting cold," she shrugged.

They walked back to the house and when they entered the kitchen, Jeff gave them a quizzical look.

"Uh, Li, Viveca's looking for you. She's upstairs," he informed her.

"By looking for me, do you mean just waiting for me to come up there?" Lianna smiled.

"You know your sister well," Jeff nodded.

When Lianna left the room, Jeff put down the newspaper he'd been looking at and turned to his brother, "What was that?"

"What?" Matt asked, confused, picking up an apple from the counter.

"You two walked up here holding hands," Jeff pointed.

Matt laughed, shaking his head, "No we didn't."

"So what do we do now?" Sarah asked as she, Owen, and Yvonne drove back to New Jersey.

"I don't know yet," Owen sighed. "Yvonne, any ideas?"

Yvonne shrugged.

"I still think we need to look into that Savannah woman that Mark told us about," Sarah said.

"Sarah you heard him," Owen said. "The woman wasn't in the country. The cops already covered that."

"I know I just…I don't know," Sarah leaned back, looking at her notes. That name just kept popping up in her head and she couldn't shake it. But Owen was right, they should probably focus on other areas. "Did the cops take anything out of Michael's apartment?"

"Yeah," Owen answered. "They took a couple boxes of stuff but nothing came from it."

"Is there any way we could get a hold of those?" she chewed the end of her pen.

"Yvonne?" Owen looked toward her.

"I'll call the department when we get back to the lab," Yvonne said. "I know a guy, he cant say no to me."

Cory walked down the hall toward Jessica's door, knowing that she was smiling like an idiot. She'd had the same smile plastered on her face since she met with Owen and Sarah. She couldn't help it. She hadn't felt this hopeful in a very long time. She'd been careful not to. But something told her that this could actually work. They might actually find Dawn.

She stopped at her sister's room, tapping lightly on the door.

Her smile fell when she saw her sister. Jessica's dark hair was pulled up into a messy bun atop her head and she wore an old Smackdown t-shirt and sweats. The look on her face said a thousand words. Something was wrong.

"Hey," Jessica attempted a smile, waving her inside.

"What happened?" Cory asked quickly.

"Nothing," Jessica shrugged. "Why?"

"Because you look...mopey," Cory walked in, unable to think of a nicer word.

Jessica was about to argue but then she shrugged, plopping down on the couch, "Damn sisterly connection."

Cory shrugged, "It's a curse. What happened?"

"Hunter," Jessica sighed. "We had a talk at the benefit."

"And?" Cory gestured for her to continue.

"And he's not interested," Jessica rolled her eyes.

"I'm sure he didn't say that." Cory shook her head.

"He admitted that he's been avoiding me and he said that the kiss caught him totally off guard," Jessica explained. "I asked if he wanted me to kiss him and he said he didn't know but..he hesitated before he said it. He looked like he felt..I don't know..guilty almost. I know Hunter. He said he wasn't sure what he wanted but..he was trying to protect my feelings."

"Jess.." Cory wasn't entirely sure what to say. She wrapped her arms around her sister's shoulders.

"I shouldn't be that upset," Jessica sighed, resting her head against Cory's. "I mean..I had every chance with him before and I didn't try. That whole 'don't know what you got til it's gone thing' is a real bitch."

"It is," Cory sighed. "But it'll all work out."

"I know," Jessica nodded. "It's just gonna suck for a while."

"You never know," Cory tried to brighten the mood. "Maybe he really is confused and he just needs a little time to sort out what's going on. You could be married with a baby in two years."

"Okay a baby is pushing it," Jessica laughed.

"Yeah, I cant picture you pregnant," Cory made a face.

"Jerk," Jessica elbowed her in the side. "Enough about me, what were you coming by for? You looked happy until you saw me."

Cory explained everything that had happened with Owen and Sarah and Jessica just stared, looking apprehensive.

"I know what you're thinking and I cant blame you," Cory put her hands up. "I just think it's worth a shot. They seem legit, a lot more so than the other crazies who've come out of the woodwork."

"I just don't want you and Mark to put all your eggs in this basket and then get your hearts broken all over again," Jessica insisted.

"I know," Cory nodded. "I get it i just..I have a good feeling about this."

"Well then I hope you're right," Jessica squeezed her sister.

Cory looked over at the clock and sighed. She was supposed to be having lunch with her accountant in 20 minutes.

"Listen, I should probably get going, I just wanted to stop by and tell you about Owen and Sarah."

"Is Stephen-"

"Running background checks?" Cory smirked. "Done and done. Some people have too much money for their own good. I'll call you tonight. We'll go to dinner, just the girls."

"Sounds like a good time," Jessica smiled. "Bye sis."

"Bye," Cory gave Jessica a quick hug before walking out of the room. She was barely three feet from the door when she saw a familiar face.

Hunter.

Hunter ran a hand through his hair, willing the elevator to come sometime in the next 10 minutes. It was running like molasses and he was starving.

"Fancy meeting you here."

He turned, seeing Cory walking toward him. He smiled, leaning against the wall, "What are you doing here?"

"I was just talking to Jessie," she nodded down the hall.

"Ah," he put his hands in his pocket, instantly feeling uncomfortable. He assumed Jessica had told her about their talk. She claimed that she was okay but Hunter could tell that she was hurt.

"Listen, I didn't mean to upset her I just.."

"It's okay Hunter," Cory stopped him. "I know this is weird for you too. I'm just..surprised. I still remember us all going to Boston to scare of Jessica's boyfriend for you."

"That was an interesting trip," Hunter laughed.

"Are you sure nothing happened?" Cory asked, looking concerned. "Jessica told me you said there's no one else but..Is that true?"

Hunter had a brief flashback to the morning he woke up in bed with Cory. For a split second, he thought about telling her the truth but how was he supposed to tell one of his closest friends that he'd broken her sister's heart because he thought he was in love with her?

"It's true," he shrugged. "Things just...changed. There's no one else."

"Mel Davies desk."

"Mel," Yvonne said cheerfully. "It's Yvonne."

"Vonnie Masters," Mel said pleasantly. "How long has it been since I've had the pleasure?"

"Entirely too long," Yvonne smiled, rolling her eyes at Owen who smirked at her.

"How've you been?" Mel asked.

"I'm just fine," Yvonne smiled. "Listen…I need a tiny little favor honey."

"Anything for you Vonnie," Mel said.

Yvonne rolled her eyes again, "I need to take a look at some boxes that were taken from a crime scene."

"And why exactly do you need these boxes?" Mel questioned.

"Dr. Wagner wants to take a look at them, something about looking for hair or DNA or something."

"You know I cant just log those out on a whim," he warned.

"I'll make it worth your while," Yvonne said. "I could have a plate of brownies on your desk in the morning."

"Delivered personally?" Mel laughed.

"By yours truly," Yvonne agreed.

"Alright, you can take a look but I cant let you take them."

"You're a doll," Yvonne smiled.

"Just let me find the log book..What's the name?" Mel asked.

Clumsy bastard, Yvonne mouthed as she heard Mel bumping around, probably breaking something. "The name is Michael Farisse. F-A-R-I-S-S-E."

"Michael Allen Farisse?" Mel asked.

"That's the one."

"Well Vonnie, it says here that Dr. Grier has those boxes."

"Excuse me?"

Owen looked up from the papers he was going through and looked at her questioningly. Sarah walked into the room with three cups of coffee and sat across from Yvonne at the desk mouthing, What's going on?

"Yeah, it says here Dr. Grier has 'em…You know those aren't allowed to leave the lab Vonnie. Is something wrong?"

"Uh…you know what honey…I was looking at the wrong sheet," Yvonne lied. "This is an old request, I must have grabbed the wrong folder…Let me call you back in a few minutes when I find the right one."

"I'll be looking forward to it," Mel said.

"Me too," she hung up quickly.

"What's wrong?" Owen asked.

"Well," Yvonne sighed. "Dr. Grier has the boxes."

"Corinne," Andrew Mann stood up, smiling when his secretary led Cory into his office. "So good to see you."

"You too Andrew," Cory walked around the desk and giving him a hug. She'd always thought of Andrew as an uncle. He'd been friends with her grandfather Stephen since college and he'd been her family's accountant for ages. He was always present at family parties, Christmas dinners, and all of Stephen and Jeannette's charity functions.

"Thank you again for the Giants tickets," Andrew smiled, sitting in his high backed leather chair. "Virginia and I had a fantastic time."

She had sent him luxury suite tickets for a New York Giants game for his birthday recently.

"Not a problem," Cory waved it off. "How is Virginia?"

"She's great," Andrew smiled at the mention of his wife. "She says hello."

Andrew pulled a file out of a drawer and sighed, "So, as much as I'd like to sit her and catch up for the next hour, I do have an appointment in about 40 minutes. I just wanted to get you in to discuss a few things."

"Okay," Cory placed her purse in the chair next to her, crossing her legs. "What's going on?"

"Well…I don't want you to be alarmed dear," Andrew put his hands up. "You are in a fantastic financial standing. Between what your parents and grandparents have put aside for you and the money you've made on your own, you could retire right now and live a more comfortable life than most, even with your questionable shopping habits."

Cory laughed, "Sometimes I just cant help it Andrew. I love shoes."

"And that's just fine. My only concern is that there's been something you've been spending-"

"If this has anything to do with Taylor's medical bills, I know they're expensive but her doctor has been doing amazing things for her and she hopefully wont have to be there too much longer."

"That's not the problem at all," Andrew shook his head. "Taylor's bills are paid in full, on time, without incident."

"Okay…" Cory waited for the bad news.

"My concern is your credit cards Corinne," Andrew sighed.

"My credit cards?" Cory frowned. "I don't really use them that often."

"That's what I thought," Andrew said. "Your payments have always been taken directly out of your bank account and they're usually pretty minimal. The statements come here but they're usually shredded without a second glance. I was alerted yesterday though that your American Express card is nearly maxed out."

"What?" Cory stared. "How?"

"I'm working on figuring that out," Andrew explained. "I haven't been able to pull up your statements on line for some reason so I'm waiting for a copy to be mailed to me. There's also a MasterCard that's nearly maxed as well. Same situation, I'm waiting for a snail mail copy of the statement."

"Andrew I don't use those cards that often."

"Well then maybe you've made some big purchases?"

"I-I don't know," Cory shook her head. "I've been doing some shopping lately but…I don't think I've gotten anything that would max out my credit cards."

"Well, we'll get it figured out dear," Andrew said. "As soon as I get those statements, we'll know what's what and take it from there. Until then, just use your debit card for now, no credit card purchases, okay?"

"Okay," she nodded. "And you'll let me know as soon as you get the statements."

"Absolutely," he agreed. "And I'll send copies to you wherever you are if need be."

"Thank you," Cory forced a smile. "Could you do me a favor?"

"Of course," Andrew nodded.

"If for any reason you cant get a hold of me, can you make sure you get those copies to my boyfriend?"

"I didn't know you were seeing anybody," he smiled. "Good for you."

"Thank you," she said, writing down John's contact information. "He's pretty great."

"He must be," Andrew smiled. "But I have to ask..why wouldn't I be able to get in touch with you? Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, everything's fine," Cory nodded, although she couldn't shake a weird feeling. "I just..it's just a precaution."

"Whatever you say," Andrew shrugged. "But you know you can tell me if something's going on."

"I know Andrew, thank you," Cory smiled. "I better get going so you can get to your appointment. Give Virginia my love."
"I will," Andrew gave her a quick hug. "Let me walk you out."

"No that's okay," Cory smiled. "I know the way."

Cory walked out of his office, frowning. She picked up her phone and considered calling John but after a few seconds, she put it back into her purse. There was no point in alarming him when she didn't know anything yet. There was someone else she would have to talk to though. There was only one person who had unlimited access to her credit cards.

Jacinda.

"Why the hell would Grier take the boxes?" Owen paced back and forth.

"You know Owen you really should lay off the caffeine," Sarah said. "You're entirely too high strung for someone so young."

Owen put down his cup of coffee, ignoring Sarah's quip, "Where is he?"

"Out of town," Yvonne said. "I called his secretary, Magda, he's been gone for a week and he's supposed to be out for two more."

"He's been on me to leave this case alone since it came in and he's taking out the evidence?" Owen shook his head. "That makes no sense."

"There must be something interesting in there," Sarah said.

"Well how do we know that?" Yvonne asked.

Owen smiled, "I think I have a way we can find out."

9:00 P.M.

"So she didn't answer her phone?" Jessica asked. Cory had just recounted her meeting with Andrew and her suspicion about Jacinda.

"Nope," Cory shook her head, taking a sip from her beer. "I called her like ten times and got nothing."

"If she's been stealing money from you…" Jessica shook her head, knowing she didn't need to finish her sentence. Anyone who knew her knew the pain she would inflict on someone who hurt her little sister.

"Down girl," Cory patted her sister's hand. "Let's not plan her demise just yet. She is the mother of our good friend's baby. And we don't know anything yet."

"Holy shit!"

Jessica frowned when she heard someone yelling near the door. She looked to see what the commotion was about and saw the young man who'd stopped she and Cory and asked for autographs when they entered the restaurant. He was waiting excitedly at the door with a friend.

The door opened and Jessica immediately saw what the kid was so excited about. Mark and Hunter strolled into the restaurant, laughing about something.

"You think he got that excited for us?" Cory smirked as the young man practically bounced up and down as Mark and Hunter signed autographs and allowed his friend to take pictures.

"Did you know they were coming?" Jessica asked, immediately feeling self conscious. When she and Cory had decided to go out for drinks, she just threw on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Her hair was thrown up into a ponytail, she didn't have a drop of makeup on.

"No," Cory answered. "But this place has cheap beers so I'm not surprised Mark knows about it."

Jessica ran a hand over her hair and Cory frowned, "Jess, relax. You look beautiful."

"I know Hunter said he's not interested so I shouldn't care but..it cant help my chances when I look like a bum."

"Bums wish they could be so pretty," Cory insisted. "Among other things…Now calm down."

Cory held up her hand, waving until she got Mark's attention.

Mark nudged Hunter and pointed at their table. Jessica could swear that she saw an apprehensive look cross Hunter's face before he started following Mark over.

"Ladies," Mark smiled as he reached the table, patting the top of Cory's head. "How are we this evening?"

"Good," Cory smiled.

"Mind if we join you?" Mark asked, pulling out the chair across from Cory, next to Jessica.

"Not at all," Jessica said, feeling a mix of relief and disappointment when Hunter sat next to Cory.

"What are we having?" Hunter asked.

"I got nachos and she got chicken fajitas," Jessica explained. "The waitress should be back any minute if you guys want food."

"I'm more concerned with getting a beer at the moment," Mark explained.

"See, I told you that's why he came here," Cory laughed.

"I know you want one," Mark pointed at Hunter. "Ladies?"

"I'm good," Jessica waved.

Cory downed the last of her beer and then smiled at Mark.

Mark laughed, shaking his head and walking toward the bar.

"So..what were you two talking about before we got here?" Hunter asked.

Jessica was about to answer but then Cory shook her head, "Nothing."

"Here we are," Owen opened the car door and Sarah got out, hugging her coat around her.

"This looks just like my parents' old house," Sarah said as they walked up the drive.

"Where do they live now?" he asked.

"Not too far from here actually," she answered. "How are we supposed to get in here?"

"Good question," Owen rubbed his hands together. "Ever break a window?"

"Tell me Owen…did you spend any time in juvenile centers as an adolescent?" Sarah asked.

He smirked, "How'd you know?"

"I refuse to break a window," Sarah said as they walked along the side of the house.

"Why?"

"Because it's illegal," she whispered in a harsh tone.

"Sarah, the house is all locked up." Owen reminded her. "Any way we get in is gonna be illegal."

"Yeah but breaking a window is so obviously illegal," Sarah made a face.

"Suck it up Dollface," he said, .

"Excuse me?" she asked. Before he could answer her, she tripped.

"Son of a bitch!"

Owen turned when he heard Sarah yell. He tried to keep himself from laughing as she stood, brushing snow off of her legs. He had to admit Yvonne was right, she was cute.

"This is so not funny," she pointed, pulling her knit cap down further on her head to cover her ears.

"Yes it is," he laughed, turning around. "You see any way to get in?"

"Forgive me, I wasn't looking when I was falling on my face," she grumbled as they walked.

"I still say we break a window," Owen said as they rounded the back of the house.

"You know," Sarah stopped walking. "If this really is like my parent's old house…there should be a door to the basement riiiight…"

Owen watched as Sarah knelt on the ground, pushing snow and leaves out of her way with her gloved hands.

She smiled, finding a handle, "Here."

"What the hell did you use this door for?" he asked, as they both pulled at the handle. It was partially frozen so they had to yank at it for a while.

"I snuck out a lot," she answered.

Finally they got it open. Owen smirked, "And I thought you were a good girl."

They looked down into the basement.

"Alright," Owen said. "I'll go down first and I'll catch you."

"With all do respect, I don't need you to catch me," Sarah argued.

"Alright," Owen shrugged. "Suit yourself."

Jessica laughed as Mark frowned after taking another shot. She was having a great night. It was a little awkward at first but now she, Mark, Hunter, and Cory were having a great time. And the bartender was a huge WWE fan so the free drinks were flowing.

"I cant believe they don't have sugar free red bull," Cory frowned as she came back to the table with a tray full of Jager bombs.

"Why are you so concerned about sugar free red bull?" Hunter laughed. She'd been talking about it for the last hour.

'I'm not,' she said. "My hips are."

"There's nothing wrong with your hips," Jessica distributed the shots to everyone.

"She's right," Hunter agreed. "You're crazy."

"Well me and my hips thank you," Cory smirked. "I left the tequila shots back at the bar. Who wants to help?"

Jessica considered helping but realized that if she got up, she might fall right back into her seat so she shook her head. Mark raised his glass but didn't move.

"Guess you're the winner," Cory smiled, grabbing Hunter's hand. He smiled, following her to the bar.

"I don't remember telling her to get tequila shots," Mark shook his head. "She's trying to get us all drunk."

"It's working," Jessica laughed. "Let's do all of these before they get back."

Mark agreed and they each took two of the shots, downing them quickly. Jessica turned her head, trying to shake off the taste. When she turned toward the bar, she saw Hunter and Cory laughing and talking with the bartender. She had a hand on his shoulder and they were standing very close together. For a second, Jessica felt a pang of jealousy. They were so comfortable around each other, the way Jessica and Hunter used to be. They way he was smiling at her was a lot like the way he used to smile at her. What if Cory was…

She shook her head, ridding herself of those thoughts. There was no way that Cory was the person coming between her and Hunter. Those two had never thought of each other in that way and they never would.

"How's the ankle, Dollface?" Owen asked, clicking on the flashlight.

"Shut up," Sarah said, limping. She'd rolled her ankle jumping down into the basement.

"Yes ma'am," he laughed.

"There's tons of boxes down here," Sarah said. "How are we supposed to know which ones are from Michael's apartment?"

"I'm assuming they're these ones here marked M Farisse.," Owen said, shining the light on two boxes in the corner.

"Shut up," she said, limping over.

She knelt next to one of the boxes and pulled a box cutter out of her pocket.

"Do I want to know why you own a box cutter?" he asked.

"I just moved," she rolled her eyes at him. When she was done opening one box she handed it to him so that he could open the other.

"What are we looking for?" he asked.

"Anything," she said, pulling out a large sketch book.

"Whoa," Owen pulled out a purple lace bra. "Like this?"

"Uh…" Sarah stared, not knowing what to say. "Keep looking."

Sarah watched as Owen pulled out a series of items: Red, black, pink, gold, and clear nail polish, three different kinds of perfume, another bra.

"You never mentioned that Michael was a uh.." Owen was obviously searching for a PC thing to say.

"Those cant be his," Sarah shook her head.

"You think he had a girlfriend?"

"No," Sarah shook her head.

"How do you know?" he asked.

"Trust me," she looked up at him. "I know."

"Ah," he nodded. "You're sure they're not-"

"Owen, Michael was gay but he wasn't a queen," Sarah said, pulling out another sketch book.

She looked into the box once the sketch books were gone and saw Mark Callaway's face looking up at her from the cover of a WWE magazine.

"What the hell?" she frowned, picking up the magazine and finding ten more under it.

"Owen look at these," she said, spreading them out. There were 10 magazines in total and the covers were all of Mark or Dawn Marie. In one, the two were together and there was a jagged pen line across their faces. In another, the area around Dawn Marie's heart was cut out.

"Holy shit," he said, kneeling beside her.

"These cant have been Michael's," Sarah shook her head. "He would never do something like this.

"Then whose could they be?" Owen asked.

"Doesn't this seem kind of odd to you Owen?" Sarah asked, going through the rest of the box. "None of the people in that building ever saw Michael. Those brown hairs were found all over and we just found items that cant belong to him..Someone else had to be living there."

"Why would he let someone live in his apartment if he wasn't there?" Owen asked.

"Maybe he didn't know," Sarah said. This wasn't making any sense. Owen started packing some of the items back into his box. Sarah stopped when she saw a folded picture. She picked it up, staring at it. Michael smiled out at her, standing on a beach somewhere. He had his arm around a woman he didn't recognize. She had long blonde hair, all swept over one shoulder. She was about 5'6" and thin, wearing a bright purple bikini.

"What's that?" Owen asked.

"Nothing," she shook her head, putting the picture in her pocket.

"Let's take these back to the lab."

She nodded softly as she stood up, keeping her weight off of her ankle, "Okay."

"Hey Owen," she said.

"Yeah?"

"I think we should talk to Michael's neighbors."

Adelle could hear the sound of her own heels clicking as she walked toward the door to Cory's penthouse. She was dropping off a few pairs of shoes that she couldn't wear. They were Christian Dior and Adelle knew Cory would love them. She'd only worn each pair once before deciding she couldn't handle them. She stopped a few feet away from Cory's door when she noticed a small bag in front of the door. It was Tiffany blue and tied with a white bow. Unable to resist, Adelle put down the bag of shoes and picked up the small gift bag untying the bow. She pulled out the white tissue paper, dropping it on the floor and then removed the gift. She frowned, seeing the back of it and realizing it was a picture frame. She turned the frame over and dropped it the second she saw the picture. Her heart nearly beat out of her chest . She knelt down to pick it up, hands trembling. Her eyes stung at the sight of herself at 16. She was in her cheerleading uniform, leaning against a chain link fence with Frank Everett. The glass was cracked over their faces but she could still see that she was beaming from ear to ear. Frank looked as handsome as ever, his royal blue eyes looking down at her. His jaw was strong and his face was lit with a brilliant smile. He had always been as handsome as he was crazy. Unfortunately she realized that a little too late. Who would have done this? Who could have gotten into Cory's building and left this at her door? Her stomach lurched at the thought of someone trying to tell Cory about her father. She took a few deep breaths, afraid she might actually vomit. She heard the lock turning inside the apartment and she quickly shoved the picture back into the bag, balling up the tissue paper and putting it inside. She stood up as quickly as she could, brushing off her skirt and straightening it out just as the door opened.

John stared at her, standing barefoot in sweats with a towel around his neck.

"Mrs. Rutledge?"

Adelle composed herself, pasting on her patented smile, "John, what are you doing here?"

"Just finished taking a shower," John shrugged. "Cory's out with Jessica. I was just about to leave to go meet them. Were you..bringing her something?"

"Oh, yes," she remembered the shoes. She picked up the bag, handing it to him, "I brought her these shoes. Just tell her to let me know if she doesn't like them."

"Yeah, no problem," John agreed. He leaned against the doorjamb, looking concerned, "Is everything okay?"

"Of course," Adelle smiled. "I've just had a…a slightly difficult day is all. I'm tired. I should really be going."

"Okay," John shrugged. "I'll make sure Cory gets these."

Adelle turned to leave but she looked over her shoulder, letting her smile fall, "John…do me a favor."

"What's that?" he asked.

"Keep my daughter safe," Adelle requested. "Protect her, no matter what."

"Cory means the world to me Adelle. You don't have to remind me to protect her," John assured her. "Is something going on?"

"No," she shook her head. "I just..I'm glad she has you to look after her."