After all the posters had been removed, Haruka had calmed down a little. Nevertheless, she was still very angry when she dictated the press information to her secretary, a young woman named Sarah Connor. "…and therefore are all the placards lousy fakes", the gray haired woman dictated, "and are not worth to be looked at a second time. The police commander never was a member of the Japanese Mafia, and there never was a reward on him." Sarah typed as fast as she could wile Haruka paced around in her office. "Is the announcement finished?" Sarah now asked, and Haruka nodded. "Print it and send it to the local newspaper." She advised her secretary. "Yes Sir." Sarah answered. Haruka sighed, sat down on her desk and started to read the mail.

While Haruka dictated her announcement to Sarah, Michiru looked at the results of the fingerprint check Norris had brought. "No fingerprints at all." The aqua haired girl sighed. "We should've known that." "Why?" Norris asked stunned. Michiru gulped – she couldn't tell Norris that Haruka really was from the Mafia and that they were after her now -  and quickly made up an excuse: "Well, if anyone wants to harm Alexander with that, he would be intelligent enough to wear gloves when hanging up the posters, wouldn't he?" Norris nodded and scratched the back of his head. Although he was Harukas first assistant, he wasn't the most intelligent man of all. "Can I ask you a question, Mrs. Tenoh?" the deputy now said. Michiru flashed him a kind smile. "Just go on, Norris." "Well…why do you call Mr. Tenoh Alexander all the time, and not just Alex?" Michiru shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I like Alexander better than Alex." Norris gave her a weird smile, and an uneasy feeling crept up inside Michiru. "That's okay." he now said, and his smile got even weirder. Michiru unconsciously took a step back. Norris opened his mouth to say something when the phone on Michirus desk rang. She quickly answered it: "Tenoh?" "Hi honey, it's me." Came Harukas voice. Norris made a vague gesture towards Michiru and left the office, leaving Michiru frowning. "Did the fingerprint check bring anything?" Haruka now asked. "No, Alexander, it didn't." Michiru answered, this time calling her "husband" Alexander in case Norris was eavesdropping. "Is someone at your office?" Haruka now asked. "I'm not sure." Michiru answered, spying around if she could spot Norris anywhere. No sign of him, so Michiru guessed that he had left and she was only a little paranoid. She shrugged her thoughts off and informed Haruka about the failed check. "No fingerprints what so ever. Except for Norris', but he took the placards off." Haruka sighed into the receiver. "Shit. Can you make a DNA analysis?" "Yeah, that's a good idea." Michiru agreed. "Maybe we find something, like sweat or salvia." "Yes, I hope so." Haruka answered. "Shoot, the mayor is coming. I have to hung up, honey. Love you!" "I love you too." Michiru answered and hung up the phone.

Haruka raised from her seat when mayor Harry Biggs entered her office. "Mayor Biggs." She greeted politely. "Alexander, my friend." The mayor, a young man who looked stunningly a lot like Mel Gibson (A/N: I saw Braveheart last week, and now I'm obsessed with Mel Gibson *lol*) answered. "Don't be so polite." Haruka smiled and offered the mayor a seat. "Thanks, Alex." Harry sat down, putting his left ankle on his right knee. "So, how's it going?" he asked. Haruka shrugged. "Fine I guess. Despite the fact that someone hung stupid posters on every fucking tree in this town." The mayor chuckled and pulled out two cigars. "Want one, Alex?" "Sure." Haruka grinned. She accepted the offered cigar, lit it with her Zippo and blew a cloud of smoke up to the ceiling. "Do you have any clue who could have hung up those posters?" Harry now asked. Haruka shook her head. "We didn't find any fingerprints on the placards. My wife is originating a DNA analysis right now, and we hope to find salvia or sweat on the posters." She informed the mayor. Harry nodded thoughtfully. "That's a good idea. But actually that's not the reason why I'm visiting you, Alex." Harukas eyebrows went up. "Then why did you come?" "I just wanted to tell you that no one in this town believes what stood on the posters." Harry said, smiling. "We all stand behind you in case of trouble, Alex." "Thank you." Haruka answered, grinning from ear to ear. Harry returned her grin and stood up. "However, I gotta go now. See you later, Alex." "See you, Harry." Haruka answered, shaking the mayor's hand. Harry left the office, and Haruka sat down again, burying her face in her hands. She hated it to lie to all the people in El Paso, but she knew that she had no choice. If anyone found out that she really had been a Mafioso ten years ago, her life would go downward rapidly. She would loose her job as Police Commander, Michiru would loose hers as prosecutor, and they would have to leave everything behind again. And Haruka didn't want to do this to her wife. "I can't force her to leave everything once more." She thought to herself. "I'll have to get out of this dilemma as soon as possible." Sighing, Haruka stood up and started to pace around in her office, unaware that two cold eyes were watching her from afar.