Mac and Don arrived back at the precinct. "So, what did she say?" Don asked as they were in the elevator.

"Something that is hard to believe," Mac said.

Don figured Mac would tell him when he was ready. "You better do something about that scratch there," he said, referring to the scratch on Mac's face.

"I know," Mac replied.

The elevator doors opened and they went out into the lab. It was almost daylight now so Lindsey was there as well as Jo. "What happened to you?" Jo asked as she saw Mac.

"It's not that bad," Mac said. "We have a problem. I want you two in the conference room."

Don and Lindsey followed Mac to the conference room after he got the case file and Jo did too after she picked up a First Aid kit. They all gathered in the conference room and sat down. Jo sat beside Mac so she could put disinfectant on the scratch on his face.

"What's going on?" Don asked. His curiosity was about to get the best of him.

"She told me who hired her." Mac opened the case folder and leaned on the table. "Maria Fortner." He shook his head. "She was posing as the wife of my landlord, although their marriage was legitimate." He remembered that he had promised her that he would tell Alfred that she really loved him. He would have to fulfill that promise since he had said he would. After all, she was dying.

"Who hired her?" Don asked. "I want to arrest someone."

"John Pressman."

Jo's mouth dropped open along with everyone else. "You're not serious," she said. "You don't believe her, do you?"

"Why would she lie?" Mac asked.

"Mac, that's the guy who would have taken over your position here if you had not come back," Jo declared.

"I know that."

"Why would he do something like that?" Lindsey asked.

"She said he wanted my job," Mac said. "First he had her try to humiliate me and make it look like someone was trying to break me and Christine up, or make it look like they were after Christine too, but all the time, he was after me. It would sure explain how she could send a fake crime scene text."

The others considered that. "You're right there," Don said. "I had that text checked and it definitely came from dispatch, but the dispatcher said that he didn't send it."

"Then how did it get sent?" Mac asked.

"They're looking into that now. There are a few minutes when the dispatcher goes on break that the relief person is coming to the room that someone maybe could have done it. I mean, no one would notice if he walked into the building."

"Right," Mac said. "You need to check and see if anyone saw him around there or anyone else who didn't belong."

"OW!" Mac exclaimed as Jo touched an extremely raw place on his face. He looked at her. "That stings."

"Oh, be quiet," Jo said. "Take it like a man."

Mac rolled his eyes. "Anybody would have yelled at that."

"If it burns, it's working…at least that was what Mama always said."

"So, we have to find proof that he actually did this," Mac said, getting back to the subject.

"I'll get on that now," Don said and stood up.

"Be careful. Don't let anyone know why you're asking."

"I won't."

Don left the room. Mac looked at Jo and Lindsey. "Let's keep this quiet, because we don't want him to get wind that we're suspecting him," he said. He rubbed his chest where the two bullets had hit the bulletproof vest. Of course, the vest had been entered into evidence. "I'm glad I had that vest on."

Mac stood up and walked over to the window. "Something wrong?" Jo asked.

"I still haven't heard from Christine," Mac said. "I don't even know where she is."

"What?"

Mac realized Jo did not even know that Christine had been taken to a safe place. He looked at Jo. "It's a long story, but they took her to a safe place so that the killer couldn't get to her," he said.

"Who is 'they'?" Lindsey asked.

"That guy who's been helping me."

"What guy?" Jo asked.

Mac frowned. "The guy we saw in the apartment building with the black suit," he said.

Lindsey was confused because she had not known any of this. "I'm totally lost," she said.

"Well, he's some sort of undercover agent and he has friends in the police department. Somehow he knew she was going to try and kill me and he knew who she was."

"How did he know?" Jo asked.

"I don't know that, but he saved my life twice. His 'associate' found the bug in my apartment."

"So now we have to prove it."

"Right."

Don went down to the dispatch and found the dispatcher that was on duty when Mac was called on that fake crime scene. "Hey," he said. "I have to ask you some questions."

"Sure," Scott, the dispatcher said.

"Did you see John Pressman around here when you went on your break?"

Scott considered that. "I don't remember," he said. "I was kinda in a hurry when I got my break. Nature was calling loudly."

"Did you see anyone else around that doesn't belong here?"

"There are always people walking around."

"Well, who took your place when you went on break?" Don asked, getting a little aggravated.

Scott thought a moment. "Mary did," he said. "Mary Wicket."

Don wrote that down. "Thanks."

Don went to find Mary and asked her if she saw John Pressman around when she took Scott's place at the dispatch. "I don't think I know him," Mary said. "I've only been working here about two weeks."

Don thought everywhere he went was a dead end. "Thanks." He thought there had to be someone who saw John around here…or maybe he had someone do it for him. Anyone could have sent the text if they were in the dispatch. He looked at Mary. "Who else was on duty around here when you were here?"

"Scott was and Ben and Faye."

Don wrote that down. He did not know if it would help anything but he went to find the other three. Ben had been there for many years. He thought a moment when Don asked him about Pressman. "Yes, I think I did see him tonight," he said. "I wondered what he was doing down here but I didn't think much of it. After all, he's a high official. I guess that means he can pretty much go where he wants, right?"

"Right," Don replied. "Did you see him go into the dispatch room over there?"

Ben thought a moment. "No, I was too busy. I just saw him walk by, but he was going that way."

Don wrote that down. It was the closest they had come to getting any evidence. They could at least question him if Mac was brave enough to ask for a warrant. He was sure he would be if he thought it was enough. Mac had never backed down from a challenge.

Don went back up to the lab and told Mac what he had found out. Mac was sitting at his desk leaning back in his chair. He considered that. "We have to have more than that," he said. "He can deny it and we don't have anything that says he did this."

"Then what are we going to do?" Don asked. "Wait until he hires someone else?"

"We try to get one of those goons of Maria's to talk, and Adam can keep trying to figure out how she was hired for this. He might be able to trace something down. We get her cell phone and let him analyze that…see if we can find anything in there."

"Adam's not here yet."

Mac picked up his desk phone. "He will be."

"I'll go and see if I can find out anything else," Don said. "I'll question those guys that didn't come in dead."

"Good."

Adam was sleeping when his phone rang. He grabbed it off the table as he was startled out of his sleep. "Hello," he said.

"Adam, I need you to get here as soon as possible," Mac said.

"Yes, sir. I'll be there right away."

Mac hung up the phone and leaned back in his chair. He wanted to talk to Christine. He was tired of her being out of touch. He did not understand why John had not brought her back. He might think Pressman was not finished yet.

Mac frowned as he thought of Pressman. He got up and headed for the elevator. Jo saw him walking toward the elevator and as fast as he was walking, she knew he must have had some idea. "He's going somewhere," she said to Lindsey.

"Why would that guy think he could kill Mac and get his job?" Lindsey asked. "That is just crazy. Does he not think we could figure it out?"

"Maybe he thinks he's above suspicion. He should know better than that. He wants the job because it pays more than he makes…most likely double."

"I sure am glad Mac came back and he did not get that job."

Jo looked at Lindsey. "Me too," she said. She had not even really thought of that. "Wow, we could have had a boss who would stoop to anything to get what he wants."

"Very unlike Mac."

Mac got into the elevator and pressed the floor where John Pressman's office was. Just as the elevator started up, Mac's phone rang. "Taylor," he answered.

"Don't do it," John whispered in his raspy voice.

Mac frowned. "Don't do what?"

"Don't confront him yet."

"Why not? I want him to know that we know he's involved in this."

"He's going to know soon enough."

"I want to know where Christine is," Mac said. "Why haven't you let her go?"

"I'm not holding her against her will. We're trying to keep her safe until this is over. If she leaves now, she could be in danger. They will use her to get to you."

"How do you know all this, and how did you know I was going up to see Pressman?"

"I already told you…I know things."

"I'm going to find out who you are."

"You'll be wasting your time. I don't exist."

Mac frowned with that response. "Can't I at least talk to Christine?" he asked.

"She'll call you later. Just don't tip Pressman off yet."

The elevator doors opened and Mac stepped out. He looked toward Pressman's office. "I suppose it's up to you but if you tip him off now, we'll never get him because he will get the brass on his side," John said.

Mac knew he was right. "Alright, I'll go along with you, but I want to talk to Christine like you said," he said.

"You will."

The call ended and Mac got back into the elevator. He glared at Pressman's office door as the elevator doors were closing. He would have to talk to the Commissioner. He had not been back to him since that issue with the drugs. Instead of going back to the lab, he went to the Commissioner's office. He did not have to wait since it was so early in the morning.

"Good morning," Commissioner Reagan said. "You have some new information? I sure have heard a lot of talk about what's been going on. You've been all over the city."

"Well, I found out that a hit woman named Maria Fortner was trying to kill me and she was hired by someone," Mac said. He gave the Commissioner the file on the case.

"So do you know who hired her?"

When he did not get a response to that, Commissioner Reagan looked over his glasses at Mac. "Well?" he said.

Mac looked at him. "She gave me a name before she died," he said.

"I assume it's someone you don't want to mention?"

"I don't have any proof…yet."

"So, why don't you tell me who it is?"

Mac did not like being stared at by the Commissioner. It made him feel like he was in the Principal's office. "I don't even know if it's true," Mac said.

Commissioner Reagan stared at him a moment. "Is it someone I know?" he asked.

"Yes, but I don't have any proof. I don't want to get anything started until I get some sort of proof. She could have been lying."

"I want to know the name anyway so I can be aware of it."

"John Pressman."

Reagan leaned forward and stared at Mac. Mac swallowed hard. He thought he was about to chew him out. "Are you serious?" he asked.

"That's what she said," Mac said. "She said he wanted my job because it pays double what he makes."

"I have known John Pressman for a long time and that was why he was in the first position to take your job when you decided to leave before."

"I know that."

"You're definitely going to need some proof and I don't want this getting out around the precinct."

"The only people who know it are on my team and…" Mac did not know if he wanted to mention that guy in the suit.

"And what?"

"My team knows about it and we're looking into it…quietly."

"It better be quietly. If this gets out before there is any proof, I am going to hold you responsible."

"Yes, sir."

"And it will bring some consequences."

Mac hoped nothing leaked out. "Yes, sir."

"Dismissed."

Mac stood up feeling like he should solute but he left the office. He did not like being reprimanded by the Commissioner. He went back to the lab where Adam was now arriving. "I got here as fast as I could," he said.

"Good," Mac said. "I have some work for you to do but first I have to talk to all of you."

Adam followed Mac into the lab where Jo and Lindsey were. They had the bulletproof vest now. "Listen," Mac said. "You have to keep this situation between only us. All the evidence that comes through about this is only to be seen by us. If any word gets out that we suspect John Pressman, I'm going to be in the fire, and I don't want to experience that. The Commissioner does not want anything about this to leak out. You have to keep a tight lid on this."

"It will be the tightest," Jo said.

"Make sure these folders and everything stay under lock and key. Adam, you need to encrypt any work that you do."

"Yes, sir," Adam said. "What am I looking for?"

"I'll show you."

When Mac was done with Adam, he went to his office and called Don. "Flack," he answered.

"Don, make sure you don't let anything leak out about this," Mac said. "The Commissioner is going to have my hide if anything gets out about this without proof."

"I'm keeping it very secret."

"Good."

Mac hung up the phone and blew out a breath. There was only so much he could do to keep things from leaking out. Things had leaked out before and he had no idea how…but he hoped it did not happen this time or he would be in hot water.