Jo had been trying to call Mac but of course, she was not getting an answer. She sat at her desk and sighed. What had she done? She had pushed him away and now she might have lost him forever. If he ever came back, she would have to talk to him. About what? Was she going to give in? They did not want the same thing so maybe they should not be together. She could not believe it had come to this, but she should have known it would. She had thought she was in love with Mac…or was she? Yes, she knew she was but that did not mean she wanted to marry him. Why did he have to be so stubborn about that? She had accused him of being afraid, but she was just as afraid as he was. She had known that Mac was not in this just for the pleasure. He wanted a serious, lasting relationship.

Just then, Don Flack came around the corner. "We have a lead on her," he said. "Someone saw a woman fitting her description at a gas station out close to the Catskill Park. She went into the bathroom and came out with dark brown hair instead of blonde. They found clothes in the bathroom and evidence where she had dyed her hair tonight. The cashier said she had seen her yesterday."

"Did they disturb it?" Jo asked.

"We're about to find out. I can't believe no one found all that before tonight."

Jo got Danny and they all headed toward the gas station. When they walked into the bathroom, they could see the hair dye in the sink, on the sink and in the floor. "Well, she certainly didn't care anything about hiding her trail," Jo remarked.

They took samples from the bathroom as well as fingerprints and bagged the clothes. Jo looked in the mirror. "So, where did she go from here?" she wondered out loud.

Don considered that. "What better place to hide than a wilderness?" he asked. "I'll just bet she's out there in the Catskills somewhere."

Jo looked at Don. "Then she could be anywhere."

"Must be someone who has seen that woman up there. We can check with the forest rangers to see if they have any new occupants up there."

"Good idea."

"Still no idea where Mac is?" Don asked.

"No," Jo answered. "He's not answering."

Don wondered why Mac would not be answering Jo. He thought they must have had a disagreement or something. He had thought they were pretty hot and heavy. Then again, Mac had not answered any of his calls either. Maybe Mac just did not want to talk to anyone. Maybe he was out somewhere having a good time.

Danny came over to Don as Jo walked out the door. "What do you suppose happened?" Danny asked.

"I don't know," Don replied. "I hope they get back together but right now we have more important things to think about, like a serial killer."

"Right. Always something about murder."

"That's our life," Don said as they walked out of the bathroom.

Jo and Danny went back to the lab to analyze evidence while Don Flack went to find someone who might have seen that woman. No one had seen what kind of vehicle she was driving. He thought that was strange but it happened a lot and there were no security cameras outside at that gas station.

Don found the ranger station close to the entrance of the Catskill Park. Don walked into the ranger station where there were two rangers on duty. "Hi," Don said. He showed them his badge. "I'm Detective Don Flack. I need to know if you have seen this woman up here," he said as he showed them a picture of Juanita Carrigan.

The rangers looked at the picture. "No, I don't believe I've seen her," one of them said. He looked at Don. "Why?"

"She's a serial killer. She's killed five men and may be after her next victim. You got any new people up there in the mountains?"

The ranger whose name tag read "Vincent" looked at his log. "Yes, we have two new ones up there," he said. "A man who owns one of the cabins and a woman who is renting hers. The man's name is Mac Taylor and the woman is Jennifer Carrigan."

Don stared at him a moment. "Did you say Mac Taylor?" he asked.

Vincent looked at Don. "Yes, that's his name. Why? Do you know him?"

"Is he about five-eight, short brown hair, green eyes, deep voice?"

"Yeah, that sounds like him."

"He's my boss. He's up there?"

"Yes. He checked in yesterday."

Don could not believe it. No wonder Mac had been out of touch. He was "out of touch". He probably could not even get reception up there. "Can you take me to his cabin?" Don asked.

"Sure," Vincent replied. "But that car of yours is not going to make it up there."

"So take me in something that will. I have to let him know what is going on here."

Mac was sitting on the couch trying to stay awake. His knee was swelling and getting more stiff by the minute. He hoped he would make it through this night. He looked toward the kitchen and thought he would drink some coffee if he had any made but he would not want to walk over there to get it and he was not even sure he could. He rubbed his eyes as he tried to relax on the couch. It was dark in the cabin except for the fire but that did not give much light. He was mostly out of the light of the fire. However, he knew if Juanita looked in that window, she would probably be able to see him since her eyes would be accustomed to the dark. He tried not to look at the fire although he could not see it well here where he was anyway.

As the night drew on, Mac felt warm and sleepy. He was trying his best to stay awake but it was hard especially with that throbbing pain in his knee. He knew where those bottles of water he drank during the day were right now too. He did not want to go to the bathroom right now. He had a feeling that Juanita knew what he was doing right now and he was sure she was waiting for her opportunity. He knew that woman had killed before because not only did she know how to fight but he could see it in her eyes. She was definitely a murderer. Mac had seen that look before in several people.

Mac started dozing soon but then he heard something outside. He was fully awake then. He pumped the rifle to get a bullet into the chamber and waited. He heard voices outside and wondered what was happening. He thought one of those voices sounded familiar but he did not know anyone up here.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Mac aimed the rifle at the door. "Who's there?" he yelled.

"Mac! It's me, Don!"

Mac could not believe his ears. "Don!"

"Yeah! Open up!"

Mac could not move his knee now but he managed to get up on his makeshift crutch and get to the door. He lifted the bar and opened the door. He still could hardly believe Don was there. "Don!" he said. "How did you know?"

"Know what?" Don asked. "We've been investigating a murder and hunting this serial killer and I found out that you were up here." He noticed that Mac was propped on a crutch. "What happened?"

"I found your serial killer," Mac said.

Don stared at him a moment. "You mean she attacked you?"

Mac gave him a sarcastic look. "You think I did this to myself? I've been sitting here thinking that she would be coming back. She wanted to kill me. She said she hates men."

"You can believe that."

"Come on in."

Don went in and Mac told him what happened and Don told Mac about the situation. Mac rubbed his face. "My knee is messed up," he said. "I think it is out of place and I can't walk."

Don grimaced at the thought. "Well, you're not alone now," he said. "I'm gonna get those rangers to call the lab and tell them what's going on out here."

"Good."

Don went outside and told one of the rangers to go back and call the lab to let them know what was going on and the other would stay there and help. Don came back in along with Ranger Vincent. He nodded to Mac. "You okay?" he asked.

"No," Mac said. "I couldn't get up there to the station because she took the battery out of the SUV. I didn't know what I would do until you guys showed up."

"You get some rest," Don said. "We'll take this watch."

Mac looked at Don. "Do I look that tired?" he asked.

"Worse."

"Well, I hope you don't mind, but I am going to sleep right here cause I don't want to get up."

"Fine with me." Don looked around the cabin. "Nice." He looked at Mac. "You own this place?"

Mac nodded as he lay down on the couch. He groaned a little as he stretched his legs out. "You need anything?" Don asked.

Mac wished he could go to the bathroom but he did not want to mention it. He supposed he could now that Don was here if he wanted to go through the pain of going in there. "I need to go to the bathroom," he said.

"Where is it?" Don asked, wondering if it was outside.

"It's in there but it looks like a thousand miles."

"Come on. I'll help you get in there."

Don helped Mac up. "Keep an eye out," Don said to Vincent.

Vincent nodded as he was looking out the window. Don helped Mac get to the bathroom. Mac leaned heavily on him and Don thought he would not make it himself. "I can make it from here," Mac said as he went into the bathroom.

Don stood outside the bathroom hoping he did not hear Mac fall down in there. Mac soon opened the door. Don thought he looked awful tired. "Why don't you sleep here in this bed and Vincent in there and I will keep watch?" Don asked.

Mac was in no mood to argue. He nodded. Don helped him get over to the bed and Mac was asleep before Don left the room. Don wanted that backup to get here so they could go down to the next cabin and see if that woman was there. He figured she would have gone by now because she must know that she would be captured if she just hung around here.

It was two hours before Jo, Danny and two more officers arrived along with the sheriff of the county they were in. "Mac said she is staying in the next cabin down there," Don informed them. "She was driving a red jeep."

"Where is Mac?" Jo asked.

"He's resting. He was injured."

"Injured? Is he alright?"

"His knee is messed up."

Jo went into the cabin and found the bedroom. She stared at Mac lying there asleep for a moment. She walked over to the bed and touched his face. Mac was startled out of his sleep. He grabbed her hand thinking she was Juanita. "Mac, it's me!" Jo said.

Mac stared at her a moment and then let go of her wrist. "I'm sorry," he said. "I thought…" He looked puzzled. "When did you get here?"

"Just now," Jo said and rubbed her wrist.

Mac looked at it. "Did I hurt you?" he asked.

"No. It will be fine." Jo paused a moment. "Are you okay?"

Mac nodded. "Just my knee," he said. He shook his head. "It's really messed up."

Don came to the doorway. "They're going down there to check out that cabin," he said. "I'm going to stay here with you guys."

"Good," Mac said.

Don went back into the living area. He hoped nothing happened but he was ready if it did…

Jo looked at Mac. "I didn't know you were up here," she said.

"I didn't want anyone to know I was up here," Mac replied.

"I didn't know you owned a cabin up here either."

"I come up here once in a while."

"I think I would like to stay here with you…" Jo thought of what she was saying. She looked at Mac. "We need to talk about some things."

Mac looked down. "I don't think there's anything to talk about," he said. "We don't want the same thing." He looked at her. "I want more than sex."

"Mac, can't we just take our time and forget all that for a while? Can't we just go places together and let things happen as they will?"

Mac sighed. "Well, I suppose we can start over and just let it go the way it will."

"I suppose we can."

Mac looked at her. "Jo, don't you realize that marriage is something that is supposed to make the two people happy. It's not for just the one person, it's for both. You have to give and take. One person can't do all the giving or they won't be happy. It has to go both ways."

"But it hardly ever turns out that way, Mac."

"Yes, it does, Jo. Both people have to work at it and they have to want it to work out. You can't go into marriage thinking it's going to end in disaster or it will." Mac reached for her hand. "You're an optimistic person. You try to make everybody feel better and you're a great mother. Why do you feel this way about me?"

"Most men just want sex."

"Well, you keep forgetting that you're the one who started this in the elevator that day, remember?"

"I guess I did."

"You guess?"

"Okay, so I started it. The thing is that we are at a crossroads I guess."

"We are and we have to figure out which direction we're going. Are we going together or are we parting here?"

Jo frowned. "Oh, Mac, I don't want to think about being without you," she said.

"You don't have to be, and I don't want you to think I'm pressuring you, but I just want to know what you think our future is together. We're both adults. We should be able to talk about this together."

Jo thought a moment and then looked at Mac. "I think if any man could make me want to be married again, it would be you," she said. "Because I love you, I truly do."

"And I love you," Mac replied. "That makes it right, doesn't it?"

Jo looked into Mac's eyes and saw that sweet, compassionate look there. "It's right," she said. "I just have to get over my hang-ups. I've pulled you out of yours and now I have to get over mine. It's only fair, right?"

Mac smiled. "I'll give you time," he said.

"Without the hot, steamy sex?"

Mac shook his head. "I think that would complicate things."

"It certainly stirs up emotions."

"Let's just take it easy and try to let our relationship grow."

"I can deal with that."

Mac smiled. "I think we can both deal with it. We're both adults and we should be able to figure out what we want in life."

Don was looking out the front door of the cabin and he thought he saw something out at the SUV. He went out the door to get a closer look…

Mac and Jo both jumped when they heard a gunshot. Mac sat up and got his weapon from the holster. Jo drew her weapon as well. "Be careful," Mac said.

Jo crept to the door of the bedroom. "Don," she said. She listened but did not hear anything. She went out the door of the bedroom and looked toward the front door, which was open. She made her way slowly to the front door and looked out.

Don was lying on the ground outside the door. Jo gasped when she saw him. "Don," she whispered.

Don did not move or answer. Jo wanted to get out there and check on him but she knew that woman had to be out there somewhere…

Danny and the officers with him were at Juanita's cabin when they heard a faint shot. "You hear that?" Danny asked. "That sounded like it came from Mac's cabin."

"Could have," Ranger Vincent said.

Danny could see that no one was there at Juanita's cabin. The red jeep was gone as well. "We better go back there and find out what's going on."

Jo was standing beside the front door now looking at Don. She could see that he was breathing but that he had a gash in the side of his head where a bullet had apparently grazed his head. She knew he must be out cold. "Jo!" Mac whispered. "What's going on?"

"I'm okay," Jo whispered. "Don is down."

Mac wanted to go in there and help, but he would not be much help with his knee like it was. He listened hard trying to hear what was going on.

Jo strained her eyes to see into the dark outside. There were no outside lights so there was nothing but the moon and stars for light out there. Just then, she thought she saw a flicker of movement out near the SUV. "Hold it!" she called.

The person just kept on going of course. Jo squatted and reached for Don's neck to check his pulse. She could feel it just fine but she could see where the bullet had furrowed its way around the side of his head. Then she went out the door and got over to the side of the cabin to try and get a better view of the area.

Mac listened but he did not hear anything. "Jo!" he whispered but he did not get an answer that time. He was trying to figure out how to get into the living area but he knew he would be no good to Jo in this condition. He did not want anything to happen to her.

Just then, Mac saw Jo outside the window. She nodded to him that she was okay. Mac kept his weapon ready. Then he heard something else and realized it was Danny and the others coming back as he saw flashing lights. "What happened?" Danny exclaimed as he got to the porch and saw Don.

"I don't know," Jo replied. "She was out here somewhere and got the jump on him I guess."

"We have to get him to a hospital."

They got Don and Mac into the rangers' SUV and then headed toward the station. Mac was very uncomfortable sitting in the back seat but he was glad he was getting out of there. He looked at Don who was lying over on the seat still unconscious. The road they were on was not exactly smooth. Mac groaned every time they went over a bump because it felt like they were going over his knee.

Soon they arrived at the ranger station where an ambulance was already waiting. Mac hated the thought of them moving him again but it was the only way. They got Mac and Don into the ambulance and headed for the hospital. Mac was carried to an emergency room and Don was taken to critical care. Jo went with Mac and sat beside his bed as a nurse started an IV in his arm. She gave Mac a hospital gown and told him to put it on and then closed the door as she left.

"I hate this," Mac said.

"I'll wait out there," Jo replied and left the room.

Mac took his shirt, sweater and t-shirt off and put the hospital gown on. He shivered. "I guess they want to freeze me while I wait," he said to himself. It did not feel good at all when he pulled the pants off over his sore knee. He knew he was going to have a long recovery with this.

He let Jo know that she could come back in. "That wasn't pleasant," he said.

Jo stared at his knee. "It sure is swollen," she said.

"Don't touch it. I just hope I can stand for them to touch it."

"And she hit it with a baseball bat?"

"Yes."

"I can't believe you walked all the way back to your cabin on that."

"I had to. I didn't have any way to get any help."

"I'm surprised she didn't follow you and kill you while you were on your way."

Mac considered that. "I was too. I don't feel too good about her still being out there."

"You think she will come after you?"

"I don't know." Mac looked at Jo. "That look in her eyes…I've seen it before. It's a lust for murder and she wanted to kill me."

"So you don't think she will be satisfied until she gets you."

"I don't know."

"I just hope your knee will be okay."

Mac looked at his knee and sighed. "It's going to be a long time," he said.

"I'll take care of you," Jo declared. "I'll stay with you until you can get around."

"What about Ellie?"

"She can stay too."

"Jo, you don't have to do that."

"Then you can stay with me. I don't want you to stay alone. I have an extra bedroom."

"Well, I think I'm going to be in the hospital for a day at least."

"And then you will be under my care."

"I'm sure I'll be well taken care of."

"You can count on that."

Soon, the nurses came to get Mac and take him to x-ray. Jo went to find out how Don was while Mac was gone. Don had a severe concussion and had not woken up yet. Mac thought they would kill him trying to x-ray that knee. The x-rays only proved what he already knew. His knee was dislocated. Of course there were torn ligaments. Next, he was taken back to the ER where a doctor soon came in and informed him that they would put his knee back in place. "We'll give you a sedative," the doctor said. "Since there is no cartilage broken off, you won't need surgery. It should heal in time. And you are not to be on this knee at all for at least a week."

The doctor gave Mac a sedative and he was soon relaxed. He did not hear the sickening pop when they put his knee back into place. Jo was standing at the door. She thought she would be sick but she thought she had been to too many crime scenes to get sick over something like this. However, her stomach did not care how many crime scenes she had been to. She stepped outside the door and fanned her face.

A nurse soon came out and told Jo that she could go in. "He'll be asleep for a while," she said.

"How is his knee?" Jo asked.

"It is going to be 'very' sore when he wakes up. We will put him in a room and keep him here for a day or two."

"Thanks."

Jo went into the room where another nurse was adjusting Mac's IV. The doctor was writing on a clipboard. "Are you his wife?" the doctor asked.

Jo was surprised by that question. "No," she replied. "I'm his girlfriend."

"He'll be going to a room soon."

"Thanks."

Jo sat in a chair while the nurse finished up. She watched Mac sleep. He looked so relaxed, he was making her sleepy. Just then, Danny walked in the door. "How is he?" he asked quietly.

"He's going to be fine," Jo said. "But he is going to be down for quite a while."

"Flack is lucky. The bullet grazed the side of his head but didn't cause any bleeding inside the skull."

"Thank God for that."

"Maybe they will put them both in the same room."

Jo smiled. "I don't think Mac could stand that," she said jokingly.

Danny looked at Mac. "I don't think he would know it."

"He's going to need a lot of help when he gets out of here." Jo folded her arms. "What are we going to do at that lab?"

"We'll handle it till he gets back. He can't always be there."

"I know."