Mac got up during the night to get some water. He did not feel stressed out now. While he was in the kitchen, his phone rang. He looked at it and it was Christine calling. Mac frowned but he answered, "Taylor."

"Mac, I heard what happened today," Christine said. "I'm sorry to wake you so late but I want to talk to you. Am I a suspect?"

"I'm afraid so. I mean, you have to admit that it looks suspicious."

"Can we meet somewhere and talk about this?"

"When?"

"Now?"

Mac scowled. "Christine, I don't know what we can talk about," he said. "I don't want to believe that you murdered someone…so, did you?"

"Mac, you know me better than that, don't you?"

"Well, I haven't seen you in a long time until the other day."

"I know that. Mac, I'm downstairs. Can't you just come down and talk to me for a while?"

"You're downstairs now?"

"Yes. I just wanted to talk."

Mac looked toward his bedroom. He knew Jo was most likely still asleep. He saw no reason to disturb her for something like this. He did not believe that Christine was a murderer. "Okay, I'll be down in a minute," he said.

Mac went into the living room and put on his sneakers. He left the apartment and went downstairs where Christine was waiting on the front steps. She looked up at him as he came outside. "I'm glad you came out," she said.

"What do you want to say?" Mac asked. "Did you kill these people?"

"Mac, I thought you knew me better than that. All I ever wanted was justice for my brother and for the one who killed him."

Mac walked down the steps. "I wish I could have helped him," he said.

"Didn't you do all you could?"

"I could have stayed with him."

"That's right," Christine said.

Mac looked at her, noticing the harshness in her voice. She was holding the weapon in question. "Get in the car," she said. "Now."

Mac stared at her in disbelief. "You 'did' kill them," he said.

"Yes, and you're going to die too. Now get in the car or I will kill your girlfriend and your son."

Mac frowned but he got into the car. Christine got in and headed out. Mac did not have his cell with him because he had laid it on the coffee table when he put his shoes on. "So, where are we going?" he asked.

"You'll see," Christine replied. "It should be a familiar place to you."

Mac looked at Christine. "Why are you doing this?" he asked. "This is nothing like you and what do you think Stan would say if he saw you now?"

Christine hit Mac in the face with the gun so suddenly that he was not expecting it. He grabbed his nose as he tasted blood and felt the pain of the impact. "Don't you try to predict what my brother would want!" Christine said angrily.

Mac was trying to make sure she did not loosen a tooth. He glared at her. "What's happened to you?" he asked.

"My brother died because you abandoned him."

"I did not! He told me to go on after the suspect."

Christine glared at him with hatred. "Are you blaming him?"

"No. I'm telling you that it's not my fault! I didn't know he was dying!"

"Well, you're going to pay just like you should have back then!"

Mac wondered where they were going, but when they arrived, he knew where they were. He looked at Christine. It was the place where Stan had died. "Why are we here?" Mac asked.

Christine stared at him with a withering look. "Get out of the car," she said.

Mac watched her get out and then he got out. "Christine, don't do this," he said, trying to stall her and figure out how he could get out of this. "You don't want to do this."

"Don't tell me what I want. Get over there."

Mac walked in the direction she was gesturing to. He remembered this place was where her brother had died. He looked at Christine. "You can't do this," he said.

Christine pulled the hammer back on the gun. "Oh I can't?" she asked.

"Stop right there," someone said.

Mac looked to see the guy who had met him in the hallway come into the dim light. "No!" Mac said. He did not want this guy to kill Christine. "How did you find us?"

The man looked at Christine. "Put down the weapon," he said.

Christine aimed the gun at Mac. "He abandoned my brother," she said. "He let him die!"

"You know that's not true. No one knew how badly your brother was wounded."

"You're not going to take this away from me."

Mac was getting upset now. "Stop this right now!" he demanded. He looked at the man. "Just back off."

"She 'will' kill you, Detective Taylor," the man said just barely above a whisper like usual. "She's not your friend anymore. This has been festering and eating at her for many years."

Mac looked at Christine. "Just put the weapon down," he said. "We can get you some help."

"NO!" Christine yelled.

Mac suddenly felt a pain in his shoulder. He felt himself falling as he heard two shots or he thought they sounded at almost the same time as he felt the pain. He hit the ground and grabbed his shoulder feeling blood. He looked to see Christine on the ground with a growing bloodstain on her chest. "No," Mac said. He tried to get up but he felt light headed and dizzy.

The man came over to him. "You killed her," Mac said. "You didn't have to kill her."

"She would have killed you," the man said.

"Who are you?"

"No one you'll ever know."

Mac grimaced as the man helped him up. "You can't just leave her there like that," he said.

"You have to get help or you'll die," the man said.

"We can't just abandon her."

"The authorities are already on their way."

Mac did not want to leave Christine but he went with the guy. He was not in much of a position to argue. He knew he was losing blood fast. "Where are we going?" Mac asked.

"To get help for you," the man replied.

"Can't you at least tell me your name?"

"Reese is all you need to know. Don't bother trying to find me. I don't exist."

Mac felt like he was walking on cotton or maybe floating on it. The man put him into a car and then they were on their way. Mac barely knew it when they arrived where they were going. Reese picked him up like he weighed nothing and carried him into a hospital. "This man is hurt," he said. "He needs medical attention right away. His name is Detective Mac Taylor. He works for the crime lab. Someone tried to kill him."

Mac felt like he was in another world as they put him onto a stretcher. Reese leaned over him. "They'll take care of you," he said.

"Thank you," Mac replied.

Mac did not know it as Mr. Reese walked out of the hospital like a ghost with no one really knowing he had been there or that he was now gone. They only knew that a man had brought Mac in with a gunshot wound. Mac did not know anything until the next morning…

When Mac woke up the next morning, he was in a hospital room. He could not really remember how he got here but then Jason came over to his bed. "Dad!" he said. "How did you get out of the apartment without us knowing and 'why' did you leave without us knowing?"

Mac stared at him a moment. He felt confused at the moment. "I'm not sure," he said.

Jo was there too. She stared at Mac with her arms folded. "How could you just go out like that and not tell anyone?" she asked.

Mac thought a moment. "Somebody called me," he said. Then he remembered. He tried to sit up. "Christine…"

"She's dead, Mac," Jo said. "She tried to kill you."

Mac stared at her a moment. "I remember now."

"It was her all along. She tried to kill you because of her brother."

Mac nodded. "She blamed me for leaving him," he said.

"The bullets from her gun matched the bullets that killed the other two victims too," Jason said. "Dad, you could have told us you were going out."

Mac sighed as he laid back on the bed. "She said she wanted to talk to me," he said. "I know that's stupid and I should have known better but she was my friend at one time."

Jo sat down on the side of the bed. "I'm sorry," she said.

"It seems like all my friends from the past are becoming murderers."

"Oh, Mac, don't even go there."

Mac looked at Jo. "I'm resigning," he said. "I'm moving to Alabama with you if you'll have me."

"Are you kidding? I'm already packing your bags."

Mac smiled. "I hope so cause I want out of here."

"Don't worry about a thing."

Jason sat down on the other side of the bed. "Maybe you'll stay out of trouble down there," he said. "For a while at least."

Mac looked at him. "What do you mean, for a while? I don't intend to get into any more trouble."

"If I know you, you're not going to sit in a rocking chair for long."

"We'll see, won't we?"