When the plane landed in West Virginia, Mac and Jo rented a car. Mac let Jo drive so that he could rest after that flight, and his legs were aching just a little. He thought it was because they were talking about Howard Bailey. He could not help but remember when that guy meticulously broke his legs. It made him shake inside, although he would never want anyone to know it. It was like that time that guy got his gun on the roof and held it to his head pulling that trigger over and over. He had been shaking inside then too. He had not wanted anyone to know how nervous he was then either.

"You sure are quiet," Jo said.

"I'm just thinking," Mac replied.

"About what?"

"A lot of stuff."

"Isn't this beautiful country here?" Jo asked.

Mac looked out at the mountains and the countryside. "Yes," he said. "It's gorgeous."

"Have you ever climbed a mountain?"

"Well, no. I've climbed some pretty rough hills but not mountains."

"You don't like rock climbing?"

"I guess I'm not a risk taker."

"I climbed a mountain in Alabama once with this guy who was a fanatic about outdoor activity. He was a football player and was he sexy."

Mac thought he did not want to hear this story. "Did you date a lot of guys in college?" he asked.

"I dated three or four. Did you date any women in college?"

"I had already met Claire. She was all I wanted."

"Must have been nice to know what you wanted." Jo looked at him. "And now you think you've found what you want again."

Mac nodded. "I do," he said.

Jo could not help but be jealous of that. She had wanted him to give her a chance. Karen would be gone for a year so maybe he would get lonely and she would be there to try and fill that loneliness.

They arrived in Buckhannon, West Virginia at about 10am. "I am starving," Jo said. "I hope they have a good restaurant in this town."

"I hope they have more than one," Mac replied. "But we have to go to the police station first."

They had the address of the police station but getting into a new town was like being in a maze even if it was a small town. "I'm going to stop and ask for directions," Jo said.

"I just hope we don't find out it's around the next corner," Mac said.

"Oh, stop that. You're just like all other men…maybe it's around this corner, maybe it's just over there."

"Hey, I don't like stopping to ask for directions. I have a map."

"But it doesn't show the street names and the GPS is not even working."

"It probably doesn't know much about this town, and besides I don't trust those things all that much anyway."

"They do kinda give me the creeps since that guy using technology to kill people."

"How do you know about that?"

"I read files."

"You sure do if you read that far back."

"I like to know what goes on in places."

Jo got out and went into the gas station to get directions to the police station. Mac leaned back on the seat. He did not know why he was so uncomfortable and feeling dread. He thought it must be because they had been talking about Bailey.

Just then, Mac's phone rang. "Taylor," he answered.

"Hi, Taylor," Bailey said.

Mac frowned. "What do you want?"

"I been watching you, Taylor. You're getting around pretty good. That sure is a good-looking woman you got hanging on your arm all the time."

Mac felt cold rage build up inside him. "You better stay away from her," he said.

"Don't worry. I don't have any qualms with her. You're the one I want. I see you're in West Virginia."

"How do you know that?"

"I'm keeping up with you, Taylor. Your health is a great concern of mine."

Mac thought he would explode. "After what you did to me, you better be well-prepared before you attack me again."

"Are you angry? Maybe I should have broken a bone for you sooner."

Mac could see that Jo was coming back to the car. "I don't have time to talk to you," he said and ended the call. Now, he felt even more nervous and tense.

Jo got back in the car. "You were right, it's right around the corner," she said.

Mac looked at her. "I didn't say that."

"You thought it."

Mac shook his head. "Just get there, please."

Jo laughed and headed for the police station. "At least they're used to a southern accent here," she said. "I didn't have to go through that scene where they say 'oh, you're from the south'."

"And I suppose if I had gone in, they would have asked me where I was from?" Mac asked.

"Probably."

Mac leaned back on the seat and tried to calm his nerves down. Ever since he had been through that situation, he had felt nervous. He supposed going through a traumatic injury made one's nerves shaky.

They got to the police station and Mac got out of the car. He took a deep breath and blew it out slowly trying to calm himself. He had to get his mind on what he was here for and forget about Howard Bailey for now. Jo came around the car. "Are you alright?" she asked.

"Yes, I'm fine," Mac replied.

Jo watched him a moment. She was not so sure that he was okay but she knew he would not tell her what was troubling him if he did not want to. They went into the police station and Mac explained the situation to the chief, Leonard Scruggs. "I know Dana Miller," Scruggs said. "I can't believe she would be involved in something like this. She has four children."

"Well, evidence doesn't lie," Mac said. "I find it hard to believe myself and I don't know her, but we found that she was in that hotel with him the night he was murdered."

"She's his wife. She had a right to be there."

"Not if she was involved in this plot to kill him."

"And you're telling me that he had three other wives in three other states?"

Mac nodded. "Yes, that's what I'm telling you," he said. "You can't always judge a book by its cover. Sometimes there are surprises inside that you would have never thought possible."

"Well, you seem to have everything in order, but I want to go with you when you go to visit her," Scruggs said.

"That's fine but I'm not going there to sympathize with her. I'm going to question her about the murder of her husband, and furthermore, she did not show up in New York to claim his body."

"How do you know she knows about this murder?"

"I'm sure she knows, although she may pretend not to. She was there."

"Well, I guess all we can do is ask, right?"

"Right, and we'd like to get something to eat before we go out there."

"Sure. I know a great place."

Mac and Jo went out to their car and followed the chief to a small grill that was outside town, and they had started to wonder where he was taking them until they came to the restaurant. Mac and Jo got out and looked at the place for a moment. "Come on," Scruggs said with a smile. "You're going to love this food."

"You never know what you're going to find in these small towns," Jo said.

"You're from the south, aren't you?"

"Either that, or I've just been watching country movies."

Scruggs smiled. "How did you wind up in New York?"

"Just chasing a career."

They went inside the restaurant and could smell the food cooking. "Oh, wow," Jo said as she inhaled the aromas. "If this is as good as is smells, I'm going to love it too much."

Mac thought Jo could fit in anywhere. He had to admit those smells were wonderful. "A steak house," he said.

"You got it," Scruggs replied.

They got in line to wait for a table and to order. Mac looked up at the menu which was behind the counter…one of those menus that light up. They had several types of steaks, steak fries, chicken, hamburgers and other types of foods. They all ordered their meals and then got a table.

Mac sat there thinking while Jo and Leonard Scruggs talked. He thought about Howard Bailey. He had said he was not interested in Karen, but Mac could not help but wonder if he would use her as bait. He was here in West Virginia and could not do anything about what was going on in New York. He did not want Karen mixed up in this mess. She was about to go to Los Angeles, and Mac thought he was glad now. At least she would not be around if Bailey showed up. He would make sure that guy did not get away this time.

Mac grimaced as his legs ached. He tried to stretch them out a little and did not think that helped any. He did not want to take one of those pain pills before night. They made him groggy and made him feel like he was in another world. He had to have his attention on this case, but he was not sure this pain was going to let him concentrate very well. He thought he must have been doing too much lately. The doctor had told him he could go back to work but not to be on his feet all day. Mac leaned on his elbow on the table. Why did he never listen? He had been on his feet most of the day yesterday and today, he had been riding in a plane and a car all cramped up.

Jo looked at Mac. "Are you alright?" she asked.

"I'm fine," Mac replied.

"You don't look fine."

"It's nothing."

Jo hoped they could get this interview over with soon and get a hotel room so that maybe she could talk to him more. She knew there was something wrong.

When they were done eating, they headed for Dana Miller's house. Mac dreaded this interview. After all, the woman had children. He hoped they were not there when they arrived to question her. He did not want children hearing what they had to talk to this woman about.

They arrived at Dana Miller's house and parked in the driveway. Mac just sat there a moment. "You dread this, don't you?" Jo asked.

Mac looked at her. "Yes, I do," he said. "I don't like situations involving children like this."

"It'll be alright. Maybe we'll find that she didn't do it."

"Jo, either way, there are going to be displaced children."

"It can't be helped."

They went up to the door and Chief Scruggs knocked. He looked at Mac. "Let's remember that there are children here," he said.

"Don't worry, I'm not forgetting that," Mac replied a little testily.

The door opened and Dana Miller was there. "Leo, what are you doing here?" she asked.

"Dana, these detectives are from New York," Leonard said. "They need to talk to you."

Dana looked at Mac and Jo and frowned. "You're here about Travis, aren't you?" she asked.

"Yes, Ma'am, we are," Mac said. "I'm Detective Taylor."

"And I'm Detective Danville," Jo added.

Dana opened the door and let them in. "Where are your children?" Mac asked.

"They're in their rooms," Dana replied.

"I would rather they didn't hear what we're about to talk to you about."

"They won't hear."

They followed Dana into her kitchen and sat down at the table. Mac looked at her. "You know your husband is dead?" he asked.

"Yes," Dana replied. "I can't say I'm surprised or that I care."

"When did you find out that he had three other wives?"

"About a week ago. I got a very strange phone call from some woman in New York telling me that my husband had three other wives."

"Who was that phone call from?"

"Her name was Angela. She said that she had been married to him for a year. A whole year that I had been married to him too. Do you know I have four children with this man?"

"Yes, Ma'am, we do. What I want to know is what you were doing in New York the night before last," Mac said.

Dana just stared at him a moment. "I was there trying to get him to realize that he needed to give up these other women and not throw away what we had together. We've been married eight years. Now he's dead. What? Do you think I killed him?"

"We don't know. Did you? Did you know that someone was going to kill him that night? Were you in touch with Carly Miller?"

"She talked to me on the phone but I didn't have anything to do with killing him."

"Did you know they were going to kill him?" Jo asked.

Dana was silent a moment. "I wasn't sure what they were going to do," she said. "I tried to get him to just come home and forget that job. We could start over. He never had a legitimate marriage with them anyway."

"You were willing to forgive him for that?"

"I thought it was worth a try."

"You didn't come to New York to try and claim his body," Mac said. "Why didn't you contact the Medical Examiner's office?"

"I didn't want to tell the kids that their father had three other wives and five other children. Brothers and sisters that they've never met."

"Tell us what you know about this."

"All I know is, that about a week ago, that Angela Miller called me and told me that my husband had three other wives and she wanted me to know. I contacted Travis and talked to him about it but he wouldn't really admit it, and he said he had to go to New York so I went up there and found out where he was and I tried, but he said he couldn't give up that job or his other life."

"He said that after you went up there?" Jo asked. She wondered how big a jerk that guy was. "They didn't say anything to you about paying him back for what he had done?"

"Carly called a few days after Angela and she said that they were going to teach him a lesson. I didn't know what she meant. All I wanted was to try and get my husband back."

Mac was finding this hard to believe. "You weren't angry?" he asked. "You didn't get angry when he told you that he was not coming back here? You had sex with him in that hotel room and you even took a shower with him there."

Dana glared at Mac. "That is none of your business," she said. "He was my husband and if I wanted to have sex with him, that was my privilege and I don't have to explain it to you!"

"If you distracted him while another woman got the plan together to kill him and dispose of his body, it's my business," Mac informed her. "You can hang from the chandeliers if you want, but when someone murders someone, it becomes my business."

"I didn't murder anyone!" Dana looked at Leonard. "Are you here accusing me of murder too?"

"Dana, these people came a long way to ask you some questions," Leonard said. "They don't know you. All they know is that someone was murdered up there in New York and they know you were there."

Dana frowned and looked at Mac. "I don't know what happened after I left," she said. "I didn't kill him."

"Did you see anyone around there?" Mac asked. "Did he say anything about anyone?"

Dana thought a moment. "I didn't see anyone and he didn't tell me anything. I was there for me and him…and for our kids. What am I supposed to tell them now?"

Mac frowned. "You don't have to tell them that he had three other wives," he said. "Do you think he loved you and them?"

"Yes, I do."

"Then that's what I'd tell them. It would be a shame if they had to see their mother arrested."

"I didn't kill him, and I don't know who did unless it was Carly or Angela."

"You ever heard from Patricia Miller?" Jo asked.

"No. I only heard from the other two."

Jo looked at Mac and he nodded slightly. He believed her. Jo thought she believed her but she wondered if the woman had some idea that they were going to kill her husband. If she did, she did nothing to try and prevent it. That was the same as being an accessory but they could not prove what she did and did not know.

They went outside and Leonard stopped at his car. "What do you think?" he asked.

"I think she's telling the truth for the most part," Mac said.

"I know Dana, and I know she would not kill someone. I believe her."

"I'm not sure she didn't know it was going to happen."

"What are you going to do next?"

"We have to go on to Ohio so it's according to what we find out whether we'll be back or not. She was there and it's hard to believe that she went up there all that way and didn't know what was going on."

"You really think she's guilty?"

"Like I said, we don't know. Just let me know if anything strange happens around here such as someone in a hurry to leave town or unusual visitors."

"Right."

Mac and Jo got into their car and headed downtown again. "Are we staying here tonight?" Jo asked.

"We might as well," Mac replied. "We probably won't be able to get a flight until morning anyway."

"I assume you're going to call and get us a flight after we get to the hotel?"

"I will."

"Good."

"You don't like this town?"

"Sure. It's a nice town."

"But you're wanting to get out of it?"

"I don't want to stay any longer than I have to."

They arrived at a hotel and checked in. Mac set his suitcase down beside the dresser and then sat down on the bed. He just fell over backward. Why did he feel so tired? He thought it was because of that ache in his legs. He would take some of his pain medicine tonight and maybe he would feel better tomorrow.

Mac took his pain medicine and then lay down on the bed. He took the files from his briefcase and studied them to make sure they had not forgotten anything or missed something. He looked at the crime scene photos and yawned but he did not see anything there that he had not seen before.

Just as Mac thought that medicine would take him over, someone knocked on the door. He sighed but he got up and went to the door. Jo was there of course. "You want something to eat?" she asked. "I got a pizza."

Mac could smell the pizza. "As long as I don't have to go out anywhere," he said. "Come on in."

Mac stretched and sat down on the bed. "Forgive me if I fall asleep," he said. "I had to take my pain medicine."

"You're hurting?" Jo asked. "You didn't tell me."

"My legs were just aching some. I think from all that walking around yesterday and all that being cramped up today."

"Well, we can sit here and study over this evidence and eat this pizza."

Mac lay down on the bed not thinking that he could look at any more stuff. Jo sat down on the side of the bed and set the pizza box on the bed. "Help yourself," she said as she took a slice from the box.

Mac nodded but he was so sleepy he was barely awake. Jo took her shoes off and sat on the bed to look at the files. She took a bite of her pizza and then looked at Mac who was sleeping now. She thought he looked incredibly handsome even lying there sleeping. She wished he had not met Karen. Maybe she would have had a chance if he had not met her.

Jo sat there staring at crime scene photos while Mac's relaxed breathing was making her sleepy. She could not find anything in the photos that they had missed either. She thought maybe they were looking too hard. She rubbed her eyes and yawned. She leaned back on the bed and read over the reports again. Mac turned on his side and took a deep breath. She looked at him sleeping so peacefully. He did not even seem to know she was there but she had read over everything in the folders and looked at all the pictures and there was nothing that she could see that she had not seen before. She decided that she would look at the pictures again so she held them under the lamp and looked through all of them again. There was just nothing that would point to anyone, except…Jo stared at the hotel room photo again. She looked at Mac, but hated to wake him up. She would have to tell him in the morning.

During the night, Mac was awakened by his phone. He took it off his side and answered, "Hello."

"Mac, you didn't call me," Karen said.

Mac looked at his watch. "Oh. I'm sorry. We were busy when we got here and then I had to take some pain medicine and…"

"You were in pain?"

"Yeah. My legs were aching."

"I wish I was there with you."

"You would be bored."

"I don't think I would be bored right now."

Mac smiled and then realized someone else was on the bed with him. He realized Jo had fallen asleep on the bed. She had the crime scene pictures in her hands and spread out on the bed. "Mac?" Karen said.

"Uh, yeah, I'm here," Mac replied. He sure did not want her to know that Jo was lying here on the bed with him.

"Do you like phone sex?" Karen whispered with a giggle.

Mac did not want to start that with Jo on the bed. "I'm really tired tonight," he said.

"Oh, come on, Baby. We haven't had the opportunity to do this until now. It'll give us good practice for when I'm in California."

"You think we're going to be having…phone sex?"

"Why are you whispering?"

"I don't know. I don't really think phone calls are so private anymore."

"Well, let 'em listen if they think they'll learn something."

"Karen."

"Mac. Come on. It'll be fun."

"Have you done it before?"

"No, but I want to learn with you…and only you."

Mac knew he was trapped. He would either have to tell her that Jo was on his bed or he would have to play along with her and try not to wake Jo up. He did not know which was worse. Karen might understand that Jo had fallen asleep there but she might not…after all, she had known that Jo wanted to get at him. He could not believe Jo would do something like this to him.

"Mac, are you going to answer?" Karen asked.

"Let me get into the bed," Mac said. "And then I'll call you back."

"Call me back?"

"Yes. I promise."

"Okay, but you better hurry."

"I will."

Mac ended the call and jumped off the bed. He had to get Jo out of this room. He shook her shoulder. "Jo, wake up," he said. "Jo."

Jo was startled when she woke up. "Mac, what are you…" Then she realized she was in his room. "Oh, my. I fell asleep."

"You need to get out of here. Karen called me and…just go to your room."

"Mac, there's something I need to show you on the crime scene photos," Jo said.

"Show me in the morning. I want to get in the bed right now."

"Okay. I'm sorry about this." Jo gathered up everything and left the room.

Mac closed the door and locked it and then he got ready for bed and got in the bed. He could not believe this. He did not really want to have phone sex. He got the phone and called Karen back.

"Hello," Karen answered.

"I'm in the bed now," Mac said. "But can't we just talk a while?"

"Are you really that tired?"

"Yes. Maybe I'll be back before Monday. We're leaving in the morning to go to Ohio."

"Okay then, but I miss you."

"I miss you too and don't worry. I'll come to California to see you."

"I know you will, but I'll still miss you."

"You know I love you though."

"I do, and I love you. Tell me again why you love me."

Mac smiled. "Because you make me happy, you're beautiful, smart, you love me, and I don't want to be without you."

"Mac Taylor, you better not be away from me too long."

"I won't."

"Good night."

"Good night."

Mac ended the call and then lay back on the bed. He could not believe Jo did that to him. He figured she did not mean to and just got sleepy while she was studying the case but it still did not make him feel any better about it. He did not want her sleeping on his bed at all. They would have to talk about that in the morning.