Please see Ch 1, 5 & 9 for disclaimers… enough disclaimers that they almost need their own chapter…

Maura wiped down the sink. She cleaned the glass door on the refrigerator, the inside of the microwave and set the coffeemaker to brew a new pot if necessary. She plugged in both her mobile phones. She looked over her shoulder at everyone sitting in her living room arguing over the case and took a deep breath.

After fixing a cup of coffee and a plate of cookies, a new problem occurred to Maura. Before their estrangement, she had squeezed onto her sofa against Jane, usually with Frankie and Angela on the other side. It was cozy but tight. Before, the proximity to Jane hadn't mattered and now it likely did. She looked at the lack of seating and realized she'd have to pull the chair from the desk over.

The scrape of chair or the bump of the desk against the back of the sofa must have alerted Jane and Maura met her gaze as she looked over her shoulder. She could see Jane figure out the problem and for the first time since her return home Jane's eyes held only that unique softness that they got when Maura needed her and she patted the spot beside her.

Jane sat up a bit, squeezing over as far as possible and crossed her legs as Maura placed her plate on the coffee table and sat down carefully, primly and took a sip of her coffee.

Korsak glanced between them and gave a soft sigh. He leaned forward and put his elbow on his thighs. "Hey Doc, I don't know what you overheard in the kitchen but we're talking about your report on Ingrid Gaynor. So she was strangled but she was heavily drugged?"

Maura nodded "She wouldn't have been able to put up a fight. What I didn't know yesterday was that the pharmacokinetic levels of the two drugs placed the administration of them at different times. I can't be sure because we don't have a formal profile to compare to the known absorption rates, but it would appear she ingested the GHB first and the ketamine was administered after. Pop pharmacokinetics is not an exact science due to individual variability, but from my review I believe she may have had them far enough apart that she was semiconscious at the time the ketamine was introduced to her system. "

Jane looked at Korsak. "Korsak are you thinking the killer loaded her with GHB somehow? Got her so she couldn't fight back at all, but then maybe she started to come out of the GHB. He sees that she was still too out of it to swallow so he hits her with special-K to knock her out."

Korsak nodded. "And that says something because it's a different sort of killing. Feels to me like it was much less about the process and more about the actual death."

Frankie popped another piece of cookie into his mouth. "Could it have been because the killer is older now? Can't handle a struggle anymore?"

Maura shook her head. "Not likely, the psychological needs that drive a patterned killer are largely fed by the ritual and the gratification derived from the pattern. It would be highly unusual for it to deviate as much as this particular murder does."

Jane unconsciously touched Maura's knee as she nodded. "We also have the three skeletons that were there before Ingrid Gaynor was left practically right over them. Plus she was killed to mimic their murders. "

She started playing with her hands thinking. "Korsak, what if the reason she has two different drugs in her system is the perp hits her up with GHB first, and then wants to transport her still alive to the Nashua Street Park site? But ends up needing the ketamine before he gets there? He'd have to be smart enough to know there was a risk she'd start to come out of it. What if he needs to kill her there for some reason? Maybe he knows the skeletons are there. Kills her like a sacrifice to the original murderer?"

Korsak nodded sticking out his bottom lip a bit. "I was kind of thinking the same thing. New Bedford is about two hours to Nashua Street. Doc, Is that enough time for Ingrid Gaynor to start coming out of the GHB?"

Maura tilted her head before shaking it a bit. "No, I don't think so, not at the levels present." She stood up and wandered over to her bookshelf and pulled a file from the cabinet, looking at the articles she had printed the other night. "No Vince, I would think Ingrid Gaynor would have been under strong effect for at least 4 hours."

Angela jumped in "Maybe he stored the poor girl in the trunk of his car. I saw an episode of SVU where the rapist drove around with the girl in his trunk for hours."

Korsak shrugged. "Fair enough he could have stored her Jane."

Jane parted her legs so she could lean forward, elbows on her knees, worrying the scars on her hands. "Frost has reviewed the video several times though. Feds are thinking she came in by the water. The Yacht Club in Charlestown and the Harbor have the only cameras and it wouldn't take a rocket scientist to avoid those and still make it over there. Damn risky with the harbor police and the coast guard during the actual dump but less if he had to park a car and try to bring the body in with the highway right there."

Korsak stood up and slapped Frankie on the shoulder as he walked by. "That changes everything. Small craft going from say New Bedford, all the way around Provincetown and up to Boston? If the engine is small enough you're looking at a 5 hour trip at a minimum."

Angela looked at him in admiration. "Vince, that is so smart. Isn't he smart Jane?"

Jane looked at Frankie who shared her horrified expression. She felt Maura's hand tentatively rest on her back and rub a bit before returning to rest in her lap.

Maura smiled at Korsak as he sat back down and saved Jane from answering. "I've always found Detective Korsak to be very astute Angela."

She felt Jane knock their legs together in silent thanks and Maura smiled at her clasped hands.

Jane sighed. "So that could be why the two drugs were in her system the way they were. We're looking at two killers, with one possibly trying to honor the other. Question is, how does Ingrid Gaynor's killer know the New Bedford Highway Murderer?"

Tommy took a deep breath. "Prison maybe? Perhaps you guys already caught the New Bedford guy and the new guy hooked up with him in the joint. Like Hoyt."

Everyone looked at him. Jane nodded. "That's pretty good. Maybe we'll have the Feds or Frost cross reference all the new releases and at least check them out. But that doesn't help with" suddenly she closed her mouth.

Jane rested her head in her palms as she leaned on her knees and turned her best begging look up at Maura. She lost her intent for a heartbeat as she looked into Maura's hazel eyes, treasuring the connection she found there. "Can I share? You know, some of what you told me yesterday?" Maura nodded.

Jane gently tore her eyes away "Maura told me yesterday that the three skeletons were stored differently. We all know they were moved during the original construction of Nashua Street Park." Her voice died off.

She stared and Korsak and he stared back. He knew exactly what she was thinking and nodded pointing to her phone. "Call Barry."

Jane sighed waiting for the call to be answered."Frost, yeah it's me. Do we have the Feds review of the original construction crew for Nashua Street? Anybody from New Bedford or surrounding the towns at the time?" She looked at Korsak and nodded yes. "Deceased? When? Any priors? Just on a hunch can you check and see if he also had a boating license or registration tomorrow? Of course, I'll fill you in on the drive down in the morning."

Jane pocketed her phone and leaned back to spread her arms along the back of the couch. "The Feds checked everyone on the crew and the only guy who ever had an address in the New Bedford area died in 1998 from colon cancer. Frost said he had a clean record too. Still Frost and I have to play UPS tomorrow and go grab the remaining original files from the New Bedford Headquarters and Cavanaugh wants us to have our own interview with the lead detective. I think I want to drive by his old address."

Korsak stood up. "Okay I'm beat and I still have dogs that need a walk. Are you going to come back to the precinct tomorrow after the New Bedford trip?"

Jane nodded and stood, grabbing her plates. "I'm with you, dead on my feet and we're leaving early so yes, we'll most likely be in."

Angela watched Jane walk into the kitchen to drop off her plates. Maura was also watching Jane leave and Angela couldn't quite tell what was going on in her mind but she looked confused. Watching the two of them tonight had been telling.

Angela just shook her head. Mothering this family was a full time job. She decided to test her theory out a little. "Jane honey, don't worry about those, Tommy can help us with the last of the clean up."

Jane stiffened before turning around to eyeball Tommy. They had already had this talk and there was an understanding. Fight with Maura or not, certain facts did not change. "No Ma I'm not in a rush. I'll stay and help clean."

Tommy's eyes flashed to his mother and then felt the heat from his sister's glare. Oh sweet Jesus no. He looked at his mother and shook his head "Sorry Ma, I have work in the morning and I'm walking dogs before and after. So really, I have to leave right now. Frankie can you give me a lift?"

"Nothing would make me happier right now. Come on." Frankie kissed his mother before she could stand up.

Korsak saw Jane resolutely standing her ground in the kitchen and looked at Angela with new appreciation. She was a hell of a woman. It explained a lot about Janie. He grabbed food off the counter and passed it out.

The three of them thanked Maura and escaped with containers in hand.

Maura looked anxiously between Angela and Jane "I'm fine, really. I don't need anybody to stay and put anything else away."

"What if I wanted to stay and help?" Jane gaze was direct and steady.

Maura's pulse was pounding hard enough to feel it in each fingertip. Wanting Jane to stay, wanting her to go, feeling the conversation simmering between them not sure she could handle it tonight. Not sure exactly what conversation they actually needed to have anymore.

Terrified if she didn't try she'd ruin any tentative effort they'd made to move forward.

Angela made the decision for her as she appeared between them with a container of food. "I don't know what took Korsak and Frankie all night to load that dishwasher because I found space for almost everything. Don't worry about it Jane." She grabbed Jane's arm and walked her to the door calling over her shoulder "I'm going to the guesthouse Maura, thank you for hosting. Good night."

Maura remained standing by her kitchen island, suddenly aware of the hum from her refrigerator.