"Well." Said Mark heaving himself up off the floor and starting to gather up the papers. "It seems like you lot have got somewhere today. We've just got to find out what this Sparsholt has to do with the two victims."

"Yeah like that's gonna be easy we can't just walk in there and ask them why the pair were sacked on the off chance that it might have something to do with them." Jesse said beginning to stack the papers on the table.

"No you can't but I can!" Steve replied

"Do we even know what this company does?" Mark asked sitting down at a spare seat.

"No we don't we can't find them in the phone book so I was just about to go and check the internet as you arrived, maybe we can find out what's going on here." Jesse replied getting up from the table and moving over the sofa in the living room where his laptop stood in the coffee table.

"What's for dinner guys I'm starving?" Steve asked getting up and stretching his tired muscles which were aching from a day sat at a computer.

"I don't think I've got much in the house Steve do you want to get some takeout?" Mark asked thinking of his almost empty refrigerator.

"Sure is BBQ ok for everyone?" Steve asked picking up his wallet, badge and gun.

"Sure!" They replied

"I'll come with you Steve." Alex said getting up from the table and stretching languidly.

"Lets take a break!" Mark said as the two men left from BBQ Bob's.

"Yeah sure how about a walk on the beach?" Amanda asked putting the file she was looking at down.

"Sounds good to me. Jesse?" Mark asked looking toward the lounge where Jesse's head was bent over the laptop and his brow was furrowed with concentration.

"Jesse?" Amanda asked finally lifting her friend out of his daydream.

"Umm yeah sure!" Jesse replied. "I can't find anything this company is non- existent." "Which begs the question, what does it do. Normally non-existent firms either don't exist or they are doing something they shouldn't be.

"Mark said leading the other two out of the French windows and onto the patio where a cool breeze hit their faces. "How did you find out they worked for them anyway?"

"It was on their personal files the LAPD had managed to pick up at the victims houses." Amanda replied looking out over the ocean and taking a deep breath of fresh air.

"Seems a little odd to me!" Jesse said feeling tired from his day of hard concentration. The cool evening air started to wake him up and the conversation changed back to work at the hospital. Twenty minutes later they returned to the house to the smell of ribs and to see Alex and Steve setting the food out on the patio table.

"I thought we had better eat out here because there's no way we are going to be able to fit on that table inside." Steve said sitting down and motioning for the others to do the same. The group sat eating until late compatibly talking about the case.

"Do you know what gets me?" Steve said draining the last of his iced tea. "How two people who get fired at exactly the same time work for a non- existent company, it just doesn't make sense. I can understand one person maybe in this country illegally pretending they've found work but not two. They both had American citizenship! I just don't get it at all!"

"No Steve nor do we but we will find out!"

Mark said Amanda and Jesse left, after doing the washing up, and the other three retired to bed, worn out by the day of hard work and the thought of another hard day at their respective jobs.

The next morning dawned cloudy and humid, Steve groaned as he got out of bed thumping his alarm clock as it went off for maybe the tenth time that day. He stumbled along to the shower rubbing his eyes and stretching his body. He turned the water on and climbed inside letting the hot water flow over his toned body. He slowly began to wake up and as he turned the water off and began to dry himself with his towel he heard his Dad call him.

"Yes Dad." Steve said emerging at the top of the stairs a towel wrapped around his waist.

"You know I was up all night thinking. I knew I had heard the name Sparsholt before and it's just come to me! I remember Nikki telling me that before she did her nurses training that she did a degree in Equine management in England at Sparsholt College. It might be worth looking into!"

"Yes you're right. I knew I recognised the name from somewhere. I think I'm seeing her tonight for dinner if the case goes to plan." Steve replied wandering towards the kitchen.

"Uh Steve?" Mark asked suddenly as he noticed Steve's towel get caught on the hall table. Steve suddenly grabbed his towel and laughed as he made a sudden dash downstairs to get dressed.

Two hours later Mark was doing his rounds at the hospital when he came across Nikki checking on one of her patients. "Hi Nikki. How are you?" Mark asked as he met her coming out of a patient's room and they started to walk together talking.

"I'm fine thanks I'm just about to finish after my night shift." She replied smiling

"Good. Would you be able to go into the L.A.P.D precinct and Steve thinks you might be able to help him with his investigation." Mark asked opening the lounge door for her.

"Yes of course I will but I don't know how I can help. You don't think I'm involved do you?" She asked concerned as she sat down at the table.

"No of course not Nikki." Mark said kindly sitting down and handing her an ice-cold coke, "I just remember you saying that you did an Equine degree in England at Sparsholt College."

"Yes that's right but what has that got to do with the case?" She asked taking a long sip from the glass.

"Well we discovered that the two victims both worked for a company called Sparsholt LTD. We wondered if you would know anything about it." Mark asked starting to get up again "Anyway I have to get on with my rounds but do go and see Steve."

"I will and thanks for the coke Dr Sloan." Nikki replied getting up and heading to the changing rooms. There she changed into a pair of jeans and a white top and prepared to face the heat outside.

She put her sunglasses on and headed out to the precinct. When she arrived she looked for Steve and found him hunched over his desk, his brow furrowed in concentration and mountains of paperwork all over his desk. She stood looking at his strong arms and intense eyes for a moment before approaching him. "Steve?" She asked walking up to his desk and removing her sunglasses. He looked up suddenly from his work and smiled as he saw her standing there.

"Hi. How are you?" He asked getting up and clearing the chair next to his desk for her.

"I'm a bit tired I just finished the night shift at work. Your Dad said that I might be able to help you with the case." Nikki replied taking the seat and watching him as he moves around to his side of the table.

"Yes we wondered if you knew a firm called Sparsholt LTD? Dad remembered that you did your degree at the college there." Steve asked looking intently at her.

"Yes that's right. I'm not sure that I remember I hardly left the campus during term time I had too much work to do. I'll check with one of my friends over there later today if you would like?" She asked

"That would be great thanks Nikki. Are we still on for tonight?" He asked getting up to say goodbye to her.

"Yes if you aren't too busy with your case." She replied getting up and picking up her bag

"I'm sure I can make time for you." Steve said leaning down and kissing her softly.

She left the precinct on a high and walked towards the road to catch a cab home. Suddenly she was grabbed from behind and she struggled. She managed to turn round in the man's strong grip and came face to face with a tall man.

"What do you want?" She asked scared.

"I want to know what you just told the police about Sparsholt." He said in a gruff voice tightening his grip on her arm.

"I don't know anything about it I just studied at the college there." She replied almost frozen with fear.

"Well I'll give you a piece of advice then. Keep that pretty little nose outta our business or you're not going to see tomorrow!" He said letting go of her and running off.

Nikki collapsed to the floor crying, she had no idea how long she had sat there shaking with fear and tears running down her cheeks, suddenly someone's voice was calling her name and strong arms were lifting her off the sidewalk. She struggled to get away but suddenly she realised it was Steve and shaking she felt his arm wrap themselves around her body as he held her close. "Well." Said Mark heaving himself up off the floor and starting to gather up the papers. "It seems like you lot have got somewhere today. We've just got to find out what this Sparsholt has to do with the two victims."

"Yeah like that's gonna be easy we can't just walk in there and ask them why the pair were sacked on the off chance that it might have something to do with them." Jesse said beginning to stack the papers on the table.

"No you can't but I can!" Steve replied

"Do we even know what this company does?" Mark asked sitting down at a spare seat.

"No we don't we can't find them in the phone book so I was just about to go and check the internet as you arrived, maybe we can find out what's going on here." Jesse replied getting up from the table and moving over the sofa in the living room where his laptop stood in the coffee table.

"What's for dinner guys I'm starving?" Steve asked getting up and stretching his tired muscles which were aching from a day sat at a computer.

"I don't think I've got much in the house Steve do you want to get some takeout?" Mark asked thinking of his almost empty refrigerator.

"Sure is BBQ ok for everyone?" Steve asked picking up his wallet, badge and gun.

"Sure!" They replied

"I'll come with you Steve." Alex said getting up from the table and stretching languidly.

"Lets take a break!" Mark said as the two men left from BBQ Bob's.

"Yeah sure how about a walk on the beach?" Amanda asked putting the file she was looking at down.

"Sounds good to me. Jesse?" Mark asked looking toward the lounge where Jesse's head was bent over the laptop and his brow was furrowed with concentration.

"Jesse?" Amanda asked finally lifting her friend out of his daydream.

"Umm yeah sure!" Jesse replied. "I can't find anything this company is non- existent." "Which begs the question, what does it do. Normally non-existent firms either don't exist or they are doing something they shouldn't be.

"Mark said leading the other two out of the French windows and onto the patio where a cool breeze hit their faces. "How did you find out they worked for them anyway?"

"It was on their personal files the LAPD had managed to pick up at the victims houses." Amanda replied looking out over the ocean and taking a deep breath of fresh air.

"Seems a little odd to me!" Jesse said feeling tired from his day of hard concentration. The cool evening air started to wake him up and the conversation changed back to work at the hospital. Twenty minutes later they returned to the house to the smell of ribs and to see Alex and Steve setting the food out on the patio table.

"I thought we had better eat out here because there's no way we are going to be able to fit on that table inside." Steve said sitting down and motioning for the others to do the same. The group sat eating until late compatibly talking about the case.

"Do you know what gets me?" Steve said draining the last of his iced tea. "How two people who get fired at exactly the same time work for a non- existent company, it just doesn't make sense. I can understand one person maybe in this country illegally pretending they've found work but not two. They both had American citizenship! I just don't get it at all!"

"No Steve nor do we but we will find out!"

Mark said Amanda and Jesse left, after doing the washing up, and the other three retired to bed, worn out by the day of hard work and the thought of another hard day at their respective jobs.

The next morning dawned cloudy and humid, Steve groaned as he got out of bed thumping his alarm clock as it went off for maybe the tenth time that day. He stumbled along to the shower rubbing his eyes and stretching his body. He turned the water on and climbed inside letting the hot water flow over his toned body. He slowly began to wake up and as he turned the water off and began to dry himself with his towel he heard his Dad call him.

"Yes Dad." Steve said emerging at the top of the stairs a towel wrapped around his waist.

"You know I was up all night thinking. I knew I had heard the name Sparsholt before and it's just come to me! I remember Nikki telling me that before she did her nurses training that she did a degree in Equine management in England at Sparsholt College. It might be worth looking into!"

"Yes you're right. I knew I recognised the name from somewhere. I think I'm seeing her tonight for dinner if the case goes to plan." Steve replied wandering towards the kitchen.

"Uh Steve?" Mark asked suddenly as he noticed Steve's towel get caught on the hall table. Steve suddenly grabbed his towel and laughed as he made a sudden dash downstairs to get dressed.

Two hours later Mark was doing his rounds at the hospital when he came across Nikki checking on one of her patients. "Hi Nikki. How are you?" Mark asked as he met her coming out of a patient's room and they started to walk together talking.

"I'm fine thanks I'm just about to finish after my night shift." She replied smiling

"Good. Would you be able to go into the L.A.P.D precinct and Steve thinks you might be able to help him with his investigation." Mark asked opening the lounge door for her.

"Yes of course I will but I don't know how I can help. You don't think I'm involved do you?" She asked concerned as she sat down at the table.

"No of course not Nikki." Mark said kindly sitting down and handing her an ice-cold coke, "I just remember you saying that you did an Equine degree in England at Sparsholt College."

"Yes that's right but what has that got to do with the case?" She asked taking a long sip from the glass.

"Well we discovered that the two victims both worked for a company called Sparsholt LTD. We wondered if you would know anything about it." Mark asked starting to get up again "Anyway I have to get on with my rounds but do go and see Steve."

"I will and thanks for the coke Dr Sloan." Nikki replied getting up and heading to the changing rooms. There she changed into a pair of jeans and a white top and prepared to face the heat outside.

She put her sunglasses on and headed out to the precinct. When she arrived she looked for Steve and found him hunched over his desk, his brow furrowed in concentration and mountains of paperwork all over his desk. She stood looking at his strong arms and intense eyes for a moment before approaching him. "Steve?" She asked walking up to his desk and removing her sunglasses. He looked up suddenly from his work and smiled as he saw her standing there.

"Hi. How are you?" He asked getting up and clearing the chair next to his desk for her.

"I'm a bit tired I just finished the night shift at work. Your Dad said that I might be able to help you with the case." Nikki replied taking the seat and watching him as he moves around to his side of the table.

"Yes we wondered if you knew a firm called Sparsholt LTD? Dad remembered that you did your degree at the college there." Steve asked looking intently at her.

"Yes that's right. I'm not sure that I remember I hardly left the campus during term time I had too much work to do. I'll check with one of my friends over there later today if you would like?" She asked

"That would be great thanks Nikki. Are we still on for tonight?" He asked getting up to say goodbye to her.

"Yes if you aren't too busy with your case." She replied getting up and picking up her bag

"I'm sure I can make time for you." Steve said leaning down and kissing her softly.

She left the precinct on a high and walked towards the road to catch a cab home. Suddenly she was grabbed from behind and she struggled. She managed to turn round in the man's strong grip and came face to face with a tall man.

"What do you want?" She asked scared.

"I want to know what you just told the police about Sparsholt." He said in a gruff voice tightening his grip on her arm.

"I don't know anything about it I just studied at the college there." She replied almost frozen with fear.

"Well I'll give you a piece of advice then. Keep that pretty little nose outta our business or you're not going to see tomorrow!" He said letting go of her and running off.

Nikki collapsed to the floor crying, she had no idea how long she had sat there shaking with fear and tears running down her cheeks, suddenly someone's voice was calling her name and strong arms were lifting her off the sidewalk. She struggled to get away but suddenly she realised it was Steve and shaking she felt his arm wrap themselves around her body as he held her close.