Mac and Jo went back to the lab and got the crime scene pictures. "See? There is a void there in the blood spatter," Jo pointed out. "When the murderer stabbed the victim, the blood hit them and then the walls there."

Mac nodded. "But that doesn't prove who did it," he said.

Lindsay was analyzing the trace that Sid had found in the wound tract of the victim. "Mac," she said. "Look at this."

Mac and Jo went over to the analysis screen. "One of the trace elements in the wound is gold," Lindsay said.

Mac scowled at that bit of news. "Gold?" he asked. "You're telling me that our victim was stabbed with a gold sword?"

"Well, no, probably only the pummel. The other element in the trace is stone. Gold would be too soft to make a sword.

Jo was amused now. "Stone? They don't make swords out of stone."

"Not today," Lindsay said. "But in the ninth and tenth centuries they did."

Mac leaned on the table to get a closer look at the monitor. "Are you telling me that our victim was stabbed with a thousand year old sword?" he asked.

"Yes. And not just any old sword." Lindsay brought up another screen. She watched as Mac and Jo stared at the screen. "This sword is made from the same stone as Stonehenge," she pointed out.

Jo's mouth dropped open. "A stone sword with a gold pummel?" she said thoughtfully. "The sword of Charlemagne?"

"That's impossible," Mac said. "That sword is supposed to be in a museum in Vienna."

"It was sold to raise money for the museum," Lindsay said.

Mac and Jo looked at her. "And you know who bought it?" Jo asked.

"Sure do." Lindsay brought up yet another screen with a picture. "Mister Brandon McFadden. He is an avid collector of ancient treasures. It is said that he has the largest collection in the city and maybe in the United States."

"Why would he want to kill a college student with a thousand year old sword?" Mac asked.

"Especially when it can be traced back to him?" Jo added.

Mac was confused now. What did a college student have to do with a big-time collector? "I guess we need to pay Mister McFadden a visit," Mac said.

"I'm ready to do that," Jo agreed.

Mac looked at his watch and frowned. He did not know what the rest of the team was doing but he had noticed that Lindsay was the only one in the lab. "Where's Danny?" he asked.

"He and Sheldon are searching the victim's apartment," Jo said.

"Maybe they can find some connection."

Jo was writing Mac a note while they talked. "I hope so," she said while she continued to write.

Mac wondered if he would ever be able to do that again…talk and write at the same time. He felt like his brain got confused when he tried to carry on a conversation. He could sure do nothing else while he talked. He had to concentrate on what was being said.

Jo showed him the note: Lovato is tracking Stella. Danny is helping her and Sheldon is searching the victim's apartment. We are going to find Christine. Maybe they won't have too much trouble rescuing her if they can get Stella under control.

Mac had a look of worry on his face as he and Jo left the lab and headed for his office. He put his suit jacket on but he knew the evening was coming on fast. He wrote: They have to get that switch from her. She will not hesitate to kill Christine. I want to be there if they find her.

Jo read the note as they walked to the elevator and Mac talked. "Maybe I should have worn a tie," he said.

"Why?" Jo asked as she was writing something else.

"We're going to visit this rich guy."

"Oh, Mac, he's not the President. If we were going to see him, I might have worn a dress. He might as well get used to seeing underdressed people if he killed that boy."

Mac figured she had a point there. He waited for the elevator doors to open. Jo gave him the note as they got into the elevator. They will notify us by text. Don't worry.

Mac could not keep from worrying. He could only think of Christine sitting there in that electric chair and an insane person had the switch. That was the only explanation that he could come up with to explain Stella's behavior: she had lost her mind. He thought all the pressure that she had allowed herself to get under had finally gotten to her. He hoped they could get her to give up. He did not want to see Stella die. He wondered if something had happened to her on the job down there in New Orleans. He thought he would have to contact her superior down there and find out.

They went down to the Avalanche and Mac let Jo drive. He leaned back on the seat and blew out a breath. Then his phone rang. "Taylor," he answered.

"Mac, are you alone?" Stella asked.

"No. I'm on my way to question a suspect."

"Is Jo with you?"

"Yes."

"You better get that interview done quickly. That diamond shipment will be there around six-thirty. Once they get them into that safe, we will have to take drastic measures to get them. Don't make me have to take drastic measures."

"You know how things go sometimes. You can't tell what will happen."

"You can figure out a way to get away, so do it."

Mac heard the phone click and put his own phone away. He looked at Jo and nodded. He took the notepad and began writing while Jo talked.

"Who was that?" Jo asked.

"Uhm…it was…" Mac scowled at looked at Jo as he could not remember Lindsay's name. "Uhm, it was Sheldon," he said instead. "He and Danny finished searching the victim's apartment. They have the evidence back at the lab and they and…" Mac frowned.

"Lindsay?"

"Yes. Lindsay is helping them."

Mac looked out the window and rubbed his forehead. How could he not remember her name? He had worked with her for years, he was her child's godfather. Just then, his phone rang again. "Taylor," he answered.

"Taylor," Chief Burns said. "What's going on?"

"We're on our way to question a suspect."

"Yes, I heard a very interesting rumor that it's Brandon McFadden."

"Yes, sir, it is."

"Do you really believe that man would commit murder?"

"Sir, we believe the sword that was used to kill the victim belongs to this man."

"A sword?"

"Yes, but not just any old sword. It's an ancient sword, the sword of Charlemagne, Joyeuse, as I believe it's called."

Chief Burns was silent a moment. "Are you serious?" he asked.

"Yes I am. There were traces of gold and stone in the wound tract that match that sword. And since he owns the sword, he is our first stop."

"I see. Well, don't ruffle too many feathers."

"I won't."

The call ended and Mac looked at Jo. "Chief Burns," he said. "He heard we are going to see Brandon McFadden."

"Well, he's not above the law," Jo replied.

Mac finished writing his note and showed it to Jo as she was stopped at a red light. Get Adam to run a check on Stella and find out if she had any injuries while she was working for the police department in New Orleans. Especially head wounds. I think there is something deeper here. This is not normal for her.

Jo looked at Mac wondering if he was going to be sympathetic toward Stella because he had known her so long. It could get him killed, but Mac just stayed lost in his thoughts. He could not think of anything except Christine sitting in that chair. He knew she was scared, not to mention how uncomfortable it must be. He thought, Just hang in there, my sweetheart. I will get you out.

Jo sent Adam a text with the request for information. He was surprised but he began digging…

Christine was feeling very miserable. Of course she was still sitting in the chair, but at least, the chair had been deactivated and she did not feel like all her hair was standing on end. Ella had been feeding her and bringing her water and taking her to the bathroom. Christine thought that was the worst part of it wall was being let out of that chair and then having to sit back down there. She had thought many times about trying to overtake Ella, but she always had the gun when they were going back and forth.

Ella came into the room with a bottle of water. "Are you thirsty?" she asked.

Christine frowned. She thought she had been thirsty since this started. "Yes," she said.

Ella had been keeping Christine's right hand free so she took the lid off the bottle and gave it to her. "Maybe this will be over soon," she said.

Christine tried not to roll her eyes at that. "Are you kidding?" she asked. "This is going to end in murder. She will never let me go alive."

"You don't know that."

"Believe me, I have been in this situation before. When somebody goes this far, they're going to commit murder to get away with it, and she will probably kill you too."

"She just wants something to make her life better."

"So she kidnaps Mac and me? She could have asked Mac to help her, and so could you."

"He wouldn't do anything for us."

"Yes he would have. He would help you now if you would let me go."

Ella was silent as she thought about what Christine said, but then Stella walked in. "You wouldn't consider betraying me, would you?" Stella asked.

Ella whirled around. "No!" she said. "I was just giving her some water."

"You seem to care a lot about her…maybe too much. Are you letting her get to you?"

"No. She's just talking but that doesn't mean I'm listening."

"Good, because I wouldn't want to lose my partner. We are very close to our goal. Mac will do the robbery in just about two hours. I have a plan, and we will be gone before they can even find out that Mac did it."

"How?"

"You'll see, now get out of here and stop talking to her."

Ella got the bottle of water from Christine. "What are you making Mac do?" she demanded.

"You will know soon enough when he goes to prison," Stella said.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Because I hate life…and because I can."

"They will know that you did this! They probably already know. You can't fool them."

"You better hope I can." Stella took the switch out again. "Your life depends on it."

Christine waited until Stella got out of the room and then she began to cry. She wished she could talk to Mac, but she knew he was not there. She hoped he would not get into trouble that he could not get out of.

Mac and Jo arrived at Brandon McFadden's home which was a huge mansion. Mac thought it probably had forty rooms. He wondered what anyone needed with that many rooms. He supposed they could just decorate them all, or invite a whole bunch of people to spend the night.

Jo rang the doorbell on the house which they did not hear, and they waited. Mac looked at his watch again and Jo noticed it. She hoped Danny and Jamie were having some luck finding where Stella was holding Christine. If they could not find her, they would have to be extremely careful if they tried to take Stella out before they found Christine, and they might never find her if they did not follow Stella there because Mac did not know where the place was.

Finally they heard someone unlocking the door. There was a tall, thin man at the door and he was dressed in a suit. "Yes?" he asked as though he were bored stiff.

"We're looking for Brandon McFadden," Mac said and showered the man his badge. "I'm Detective Mac Taylor."

The man looked at the badge as though it meant absolutely nothing to him. "Mister McFadden has no dealings with the police. Why do you want to see him?"

Mac stared at him a moment. "Do you see this badge?" he asked.

"Quite clearly."

Mac raised his eyebrows. "Go get him."

The man frowned, if it was possible for him to frown further and then opened the door for them. "Come in, but do not touch anything," he said.

Mac and Jo walked into the foyer where there was a bench sitting beside the wall to their left. "Wait here," the butler said.

Mac gave him a slight glare and sat down. The butler walked away. "Oh, that was just so rude," Jo said. "I don't know how people get anywhere being so rude."

"Me neither but I guess he's paid to be that way," Mac said. "Don't touch anything," he said in a mocking way. "What does he think we are, kids?"

Jo almost laughed. She had never heard Mac say anything like that. She wished so much that they could find Christine but she had heard nothing from Jamie yet. Danny had not called either. She wondered how long these people would keep them waiting.

Jamie was sitting on a street corner in an unmarked car. She was watching what she thought might be the place where Stella was holding Christine. She had followed Stella from a distance so she would not suspect that she was being followed. Jamie thought it was harder to follow someone like Stella than anyone else. Her phone rang. "Lovato," she answered.

"Hi, Love," Don said. He knew what was going on too. "How's it going?"

"I think I found them but I'm not sure yet."

"I hope this is over soon."

"Me too. I want to go back to chasing everyday criminals."

"Me too. I'm dying sitting here in this chair."

"Aw, I'll come and take you to play ping-pong when this is over."

Don laughed. "I thought we gave that up."

"Well, sometimes you just need some fun."

"I can agree with that."

Mac was about to get aggravated when finally the butler came back with his squeaky shoes. "Mister McFadden will see you now," he said.

Mac was clearly agitated as he followed the snooty butler into another room. They passed through the front room and went into a dining room that had a ten foot dining table in it and several chairs. Brandon McFadden was sitting at the far end of the table. "Come, sit down," McFadden said in a cheerful way, as though they were there for dinner or something.

Mac and Jo went down there and sat on each side of the table. "Have a glass of lemonade," McFadden offered.

"No thank you," Mac said. "I'm Detective Mac Taylor. This is my partner, Detective Jo Danville."

"Brandon McFadden. What brings you here?"

"Well, I'll get right to the point," Mac said. "Do you own the Sword of Charlemagne?"

McFadden frowned. "Yes. Why?"

"Because it was used in a murder last night."

McFadden's mouth dropped open. "That is impossible," he said.

Mac took his file from his briefcase and took out the analysis. "I'm afraid it's not," he said.

McFadden stared at the paper. "This is ridiculous."

"Where do you keep that sword?"

"In my collection."

"Can you show it to us?" Mac pulled out the warrant that he and Jo had picked up.

McFadden looked at the warrant and then at Mac. "You're serious," he said.

"Do you think we would come out here for a joke?"

McFadden stood up. "Well, come this way."

Mac and Jo followed McFadden up a flight of stairs and down a long hallway. "So you use these rooms for collections?" Jo asked.

"Mostly," McFadden answered.

They went into a room that had several weapons cabinets and tables with display glass. McFadden led them over to a cabinet that had one sword in it that was propped up on a display rack. "This is the sword," McFadden said.

Mac and Jo looked at the sword. "We're going to have to take this," Mac informed him.

McFadden was shocked. "Are you serious? Do you know how much I paid for that sword?"

"I'm sorry but we have to take it."

"Will I get it back?"

"If it is determined not to be the murder weapon," Jo said.

"And if it is?"

"We don't know," Mac said. "Now, just give us the sword."

McFadden opened the cabinet as Mac put on a pair of gloves. Mac lifted the sword from the case and scowled as he thought the sword should have been heavier. As he brought the sword from the display, McFadden gasped. "That is not my sword!" he exclaimed.

Mac frowned. "Who all has access to this room?" he asked.

"Only myself and Malcolm, and of course, Marla."

"Who are Malcolm and Marla?"

"Malcolm is the butler and Marla is the maid."

"Have you had any parties where you let people view your collections?" Jo asked.

"Yes, just a few nights ago."

"We need to know who all was in attendance. I'm sure you have a guest list."

"Yes, we do. Malcolm can get that for you." McFadden stared at Mac. "Someone stole Joyeuse and murdered someone with it?"

Mac raised his eyebrows at that reference. "It looks that way," he said.

Mac and Jo dusted the sword display for fingerprints and searched for any evidence they could find. By the time they had that done, Malcolm had the guest list from the party. They took the fake sword and the guest list and headed back to the lab. "I think the butler did it," Jo remarked.

Mac smiled slightly. "You never know," he said. "I think he is too stiff to move enough to do that."

Jo laughed, and just then, her phone rang. "Danville," she answered.

"Jo," Jamie said. "We have definitely located that hideout. I saw Stella Bonasera come out of the garage in a car. I have not seen Christine or Ella McBride."

Jo knew she could not talk about it because she was in the Avalanche with Mac. "Okay," she said. "I'll look at that when I get back to the lab. I hope that will help us capture the one responsible."

Jamie knew she must be with Mac. "Roger," she said. "Do you want me to see if I can get in?"

"No just document it and wait for me."

"Okay."

Jo ended the call and then looked at Mac. "Lindsay found something interesting," she said.

"Great," Mac replied. "I hope those fingerprints will give us something to go on."

"I'm sure they will. I'll just bet the person who did this did not think anyone would know that particular sword was used."

"The question is: why did they kill Dustin Covin? Did he have some enemy? What was he involved in?"

"I think we may have to go to college to find out."

"Right."