I apologize about my absence. I am not dead. Work has been crazy busy with the holidays going on. Glad it's almost over with. Here's a teeny bit. There will be more soon, I promise.

"Thank you so much for coming by on such a short notice, Inspector Keller.", Erin McMillan said and opened the door wider to let him in. Dressed in a casual sweater and worn out jeans, the youthful teacher looked completely different than the uptight version thereof he met a few days ago.

Cautiously glancing around for David Forney, Steve accepted the lady's invite to strip out of his beige sportscoat, before following her deeper into the apartment, where some paperwork was spread out on the small living room table.

"You see, I love David. I trust him. I know he's a genuinely good man and I look forward to spending the rest of my life with him, but I just have these worries. Maybe it's all these horrible things Eric said about me on the news that have me somewhat…paranoid, but I'd rather be safe than sorry."

With a slight nod, Steve glanced down at the paperwork that looked to be bank receipts for a credit card used, as well as some savings account transactions.

"What is it that you noticed on these statements?", he asked curiously and leaned down to reach for a couple of them.

"Well, you see, I know David works at Big Al's in the morning, but these…these receipts show that he was there well after the fact. And judging by the amount of money he spent, he wasn't alone."

Biting his lip when he remembered that Erin likely wasn't fully aware of the extent of her boyfriend's passion for orgies, Steve drew in a deep breath, taking a few extra seconds to study the numbers in front of him.

"Does he have any friends that could have met him after work? Some business associates maybe?"

He knew it was a ridiculous question, but he had to ask it anyways.

"You've met him, Inspector Keller.", Erin said and placed a hand on his upper back, an unusual gesture to Steve, but perhaps something she was accustomed to doing as a teacher, "You tell me if he hits you like the kind of guy to have a business dinner at Big Al's."

With a faint smile, he cocked his head and put the paperwork back down, before facing Erin.

"What is it you are thinking he's doing?"

"Well…for starters I think he is seeing other women on the side. Don't misunderstand, we have a very open relationship and I understand that I cannot always meet his…sexual desires. And in the past, he has been open with me about some of the ladies he was seeing to…you know…relieve some of the stress his jobs brings on."

Trying not to show his obvious discomfort with the sexual preferences and exploits of the odd people surrounding his case, Steve bit his lip, working hard to keep his expression neutral.

"So, who is it you think he's been meeting after hours then? If he is comfortable seeing other women besides you, why would he try to hide them from you?"

"See, he hated my father. Always did. He hated what he stood for, who he hung out with, everything that had to do with him. The day he was murdered, David didn't come home from work like he normally does. He was late. I grew worried and called Big Al's and nobody knew where he was. He finally showed up at 11pm, drenched, and smelling of the harbor, if you know what I mean."

Nodding, Steve felt the adrenalin rush through his system at the eve of a significant case break.

"He wouldn't say where he'd been and that's when I started to go through all the bank paperwork. And I became worried that maybe he was working with somebody to try to get rid of my father."

Tears began to well up in her eyes and Erin glanced away briefly, trying to disguise them.

"Inspector Keller, I don't know how he met the other victims, but I just have to…I just need to make sure he didn't kill my father before committing to spend the rest of my life with him."

"I can't blame you.", he answered before crouching down next to the table again to take some notes of the paperwork, "We can look into these transactions and see if we can find some witnesses to discern exactly where he was that day."

"I appreciate it so much, thank you!", Erin said and stepped next to him, "It's so scary to commit to somebody like that, especially after being on my own for so long. Do you have a significant other, Inspector?"

The question seemed odd, but he shrugged it off for nervous small-talk, as he took note of the dates and times of the transactions in question.

"Yes and no."

"A free spirit, eh? I can understand that. As a police officer, you must be gone a lot."

"Something like that, yeah.", he answered, keeping up his professional distance and straightened back out again to reach for the bank statements, as Erin shifted around nervously next to him, "Do you know where David is today? He should be off of work by now, shouldn't he?"

"Yeah, he should, now that you mention it."

As she said that, Steve felt her lean closer into his space, probably wanting to point out an interesting find on the paperwork he looked at. And yet, something entirely different caught his attention, as he glanced up fleetingly. Across the room, around the corner toward the kitchen, a small mirror over the stove showed David Forney pressed against the wall, eyes filled with hate, trying to hide from him.

Pretending to look at some of the other paperwork, Steve reached into his coat, hoping to retrieve his .38 Special, when something cold touched his neck, not allowing his mind to react fast enough before the strong wire tightened mercilessly around his throat.