Rita texted Tom that Maura was with her in her hotel room, so that was where he went once all the hoops were jumped through and the crime scene was processed.

He rapped on the door and was let in a few moments later. "Thank you." He told Rita. "This is a lot more comfortable than the precinct."

Maura got up and went to hug Tom.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

She nodded. "Yeah. More or less. I didn't like them but that's not the point. Was there anything stolen? Did they catch a burglar or something?"

He walked her over to the sofa and they sat down together. "That rarely happens. People take guns to rob banks, not mansions where the owner is going out of town. If something is missing it's not because there was a burglar."

"You think they were trying to kill me?" She asked, dark eyes wide.

"Yeah, I do." He said brushing her hair back behind her ear.

"Because of my Dad?"

"I don't know. Maybe. It's an easy assumption. But I don't know." He looked between her and Rita. "I'm going to ask a favor, it's a huge one."

"If it's possible, you got it," Rita said.

"Take her with you when you go back to California." He said.

"Tom-" Maura said.

"I will be out there as soon as I can. Let the movers handle things here. You don't ever have to go back in there."

She nodded. "Fine." She wasn't a submissive female trained to obey the man in her life. Normally she'd be angry at the very suggestion that she just leave the state because he asked. But neither was she too prideful to let him protect her. Even if that meant leaving the state. Someone wanted to at the very least terrify her and it had worked. The possibility that they wanted her dead also existed.

"I will absolutely take her back to California with me," Rita said. "You don't need to worry about her safety. Does this mean you're going to take the job?" She asked.

"Yeah I am… boss." He said.

"Good." She said.

"I'm going to head back to the precinct. It's going to be a busy night." He said. "You'll be safe here. I will see you off at the airport in the morning." He kissed her tenderly and got up. "Thanks again, Rita."

"Any time." She said.

Tom left the hotel room and was walking down the corridor when his phone rang. "Ryan." He said as he answered it.

"Thomas, where is my daughter?" Her father's tone was menacing.

"Ah, Mr. Palmeri, I was going to call you… sometime in the future… maybe." He said "Maura is safe. So you want to tell me why you thought she wasn't safe?" He pushed the button for the elevator.

"Not your concern. And I didn't ask if she was safe I asked where she was."

"I'm not going to share that information just yet." He said, "I will tell you a few other things though." He got into the elevator when it opened and pressed the button for the lobby. He was relieved to find that he was the only one there. "Maura went to New Orleans to work on restoration. Your watchdogs didn't make the trip. I drove her home and found the front door open. They were dead in the library. No, she didn't see. "

There was silence on the phone.

"So I'm making sure she's safe. I don't know if this was because someone was trying to get at you or if there was some other reason. But I will find out. I will take care of it."

"See that you do, Thomas. Prove me wrong about you."

"I already have," Tom said tersely and hung up.

April 11

Tom was an hour late to work the following morning. Harry knew that was going to be the case. He also knew he had a role to play. He hated it. He hated it almost as much as he had hated when Tom was being jerked around by IAB. He did not like the thought that one of his cops couldn't be trusted.

"Ryan," Harry yelled from the door of his office. "You want to explain to me why you're an hour late to work?" And the cover began. God he hoped Tom was wrong. He hoped he was wrong. The problem was he thought he was probably right.

"Yeah, sorry. I slept through my alarm this morning." Tom said. "I was up most of the night arguing with Maura." It was a lie, but it was one that got the attention of every cop in the room. Which was the point.

"Your relationship issues aren't my concern," Harry said, not bothering to come closer or to order Tom into his office just yet.

"What relationship?" He countered "She's on a plane back to Boston and Daddy dearest. Where she plans on staying." He flopped dramatically into his chair.

"Then I guess you'll have more time to actually do your job," Harry said and went back into his office, slamming the door.

Tom did his best not to look at the other officers. He could feel their eyes on him, and for once it wasn't because they thought he was crooked.

"You two broke up?" Cassie asked. "God, Tom, I'm sorry." She was sorry. Not that they had broken up but that Tom had gotten hurt. She knew how he felt about the woman. Well, at least the mobster's daughter was no longer going to be hanging around Tom's neck like an albatross.

"Cass, I don't want to talk about it." He said. If he did, Cassie would see through it. She and Harry were the only ones he knew for sure were not their killer. He still didn't want her asking questions and pushing. He'd tell her later when they were alone and no one could hear her loudly vocalizing her displeasure.

"Yeah, okay," Cassie said.

"So what's the situation with your car?" He asked, fidgeting with his pen, agitatedly.

"Will is having a friend of a friend take a look at it." She sighed, "You were right, the insurance company doesn't want to pay to have it repaired and they weren't going to pay me enough to pay it off."

" You two were together last night when you showed up. He was at your place?" He asked.

"Tom…" She said.

"What? You think that I want everyone to be miserable because I am?" He asked.

"No. I don't think that. I just think that's my business and not something I want to talk about right now."

Tom opened his mouth to speak but stopped when Harry's door opened again.

"Ryan, St. John, my office." He said.

Tom got up without saying a word and walked into Harry's office. He sat down in one of the chairs and waited.

Cassie followed and took her seat as well.

"Alright. I just got off the phone with Miami Dade." Harry said. "That vacant lot you were at yesterday, it's attacked to the warehouse to the left. It belongs to Matthew Graham."

"Graham… as in Sebastian Graham?" Tom asked.

"Exactly. His brother."

"So he was playing me… " Tom said. " You know he gave this whole spiel in purple prose about people and their names. It was weird. Like he was leading me by the nose to see that the P.I. was using an alias. He had to want me to go check out that address too."

"Which makes no sense," Cassie said.

"You're right, but here we are nevertheless," Harry said. "In other news, we have an ID on the woman found in the park Friday night. Samantha Montgomery. Wife of Todd Montgomery. We're waiting on the background check. But in the meantime, go deliver the bad news and see what the husband has to say." He handed over a file folder to Cassie.

Tom nodded and got to his feet. Once in the main office, Tom held out his hand to Cassie.

"What?" She asked.

"Keys." He said simply. "I'm driving."

Cassie sighed and fished them out of her purse and dropped them into his hand.

"Thank you." He said and walked out the double doors.

"Are you mad at me?" She asked once they were in the car. "For not wanting to talk about Will?"

He shook his head. "No." He said honestly. "Just… promise me you'll be careful. I don't know what it is about your boyfriend that bugs me. He just does."

"I didn't say he was my boyfriend." She said.

Tom backed out of the parking space. "You didn't say he wasn't either. There is no reason for you not to want to talk about him if he's just a friend." He smiled "You forget. I'm a detective."

"I've been enjoying his company. I don't know that we're to being a couple yet but it's leading in that direction."

"I hope my feelings are wrong then," Tom said. "I do want you to be happy."

"I want that for you too, Tom. Maybe… maybe she's just scared. You never know, she could come back."

Tom shook his head. "So … you have the paperwork, where are we headed."

She gave him the address.

He adjusted the course accordingly. "Do you ever think about leaving Florida?"

She shook her head. "This is home. You know that. Do you?"

"Sometimes." He said.

"Are you thinking about going back to Boston?"

"No." He said honestly. "I have no desire to live in the same town as Antony Palmeri."

"Even if it meant you could try and patch things up with Maura?"

"That man would have my kneecaps broken on general principle. I'm not even going home for Christmas this year." He said. Which was true. He wouldn't have enough seniority to get that kind of time off. His parents would understand.

Cassie studied him. There was something off about all of this. She couldn't put her finger on what it was but it was off. Way off. "Tom-"

"I'll explain everything later. I promise." He said. He trusted Cassie. He did not trust Will Adams. Unfortunately, she did. "Just not right now."

"Okay." She said. "When you want to talk, I'm here."

"I know." He said and parked in front of the victim's house. "So we probably should have been talking about this on the way over, tell me about this victim."

"She was found in the sandbox at Currie Park."

"There's a sandbox at Currie Park?" Tom asked. "I don't remember a sandbox.."

"There was definitely a sandbox. Mrs. Montgomery was half buried in it. According to forensics, it was the cleanest sand they had ever encountered. There was nothing in that sand but sand and Mrs. Montgomery."

"If I didn't know it would take hours I would say they put fresh sand in around the body," Tom said.

"I know, Right?" She said. "I hate breaking it to people that their spouse is dead."

"I don't want to meet the person that enjoys it," Tom said.

They got out of the car and walked up to the door. Cassie rang the doorbell and braced herself for what was to come. She hated this part.

The door opened and a middle-aged man opened the door. His eyes were red and swollen. "Can I help you?"

"Are you Todd Montgomery?" Cassie asked.

"Yes?"

"I'm Sgt St. John with the Palm Beach police department. This is Sgt Ryan." She said and they both presented their badges. "Can we come in?"

He nodded and turned to lead the way into his home.

Tom and Cassie exchanged glances. This man already knew about his wife. Tom would bet money on it.

The home was modest but tastefully appointed and immaculate.

"How can I help you, Officers?" He asked as he took a seat.

Tom and Cassie sat as well.

"I'm sorry to have to tell you this," Cassie said gently. "You're wife's been killed. She was found Friday night. They just identified her this morning."

"They could be wrong." He said, "It has to happen all the time."

"They matched her dental records," Tom said. "Mr. Montgomery… When was the last time you saw your wife."

"Wednesday morning when I went to work." He said running a hand through his hair.

"You need to be completely honest with us." Tom said, "Your wife called you Wednesday?"

He nodded.

"What did she tell you… what did her kidnapper tell her to tell you."

He looked up sharply. "That I had three days to figure out who had her and contact them directly or he'd kill her. I couldn't figure it out… I swear to god I tried."

"I'm sure you did," Cassie said. "What is it you do for a living, Mr. Montgomery?"

"I'm a claims adjuster. With Anderson & Shane. " He said, "I don't make enough for anyone to think they could get ransom from me… and they never asked."

"I know that in your line of work you tick off people every day," Cassie said. "But has there been anyone that might feel particularly angry? Someone who thought they deserved a much larger settlement?"

"That would be everyone I have ever dealt with. People think they deserve more than they got, the company thinks people deserve less than they got."He said. "All I do is calculate the numbers based on the individual circumstances."

"Have you ever miscalculated those numbers?" Cassie asked.

"I don't like what you're implying." He said.

"She's not implying anything. She's inferring." Tom said. "The man who kidnapped your wife targets women whose husbands have gotten away with something shady. To be honest I don't care what it is you've done. I'm Homicide, not major crimes. But somewhere along the way, you met this man, or the people you screwed have met this man. So I need to know who you wronged so that I can talk to them and find out who killed your wife before he kills someone else's wife."

"I need you to leave now," Montgomery said. "I've done nothing illegal, no matter what you two imply, infer or insinuate. I've just found out my wife is dead. I am not going to listen to you tell me it's my fault."

"That's not what I said," Tom told him. "I told you who this man targets. That's on him. Not you. But you are the key to finding out who did this."

"Don't you think if I knew who he was I'd have done what he wanted before he killed her? I don't know who he is."

"He knows you," Cassie said.

"I have asked you to leave, do I have to ask you again?"

They reluctantly left the house and walked to the mustang.

"He knows you.." Cassie said.

"I know. He's afraid of going to jail so he's not going to tell us anything."

"I say we go check with his employers. Someone knows what he did and let it slide or our killer wouldn't have targeted him." Cassie said. "Then again he's a claims adjuster. The killer could have just assumed."

Tom laughed "Just because you're having trouble with your car insurance doesn't mean that all claims adjusters are shady."

"No, of course not. I'm just saying it's an easy conclusion to jump to." She said. "So Anderson & Shane. Isn't that the place downtown? The one with the massive tower?"

"Yes. That's the one." He said as he pulled away from the curb. "This guy is escalating his timeline. If he really is a serial killer."

"What do you mean if?"

"Okay, hear me out." He said. "The address of the supposed private investigator, the vacant lot, belongs to the brother of Sebastian Graham." He said.

"The guy who writes those spy thrillers you like so much," Cassie said.

"Right. The man that stole his manuscripts, Raymond Cooper, he and his wife are the only ones where both husband and wife are dead."

"So? Cooper was a suicide."

"Are we sure about that?" He asked.

"That sounds like the plot of some-"

"Spy thriller?" Tom finished for her.

Cassie took out her cell phone and called Harry. She relayed Tom's latest theory. She hung up a few moments later. "He says he'll have Sterling take a closer look at Cooper and that he's already been talking to New Orleans PD about Sebastian Graham because of his connection to that warehouse."

"I still can't figure out why he gave me that card. All he had to do was give me a name. It was like he wanted me to figure it out."

He pulled into the parking lot of the Insurance firm. Five minutes later they were shown into the office of Dan Murry.

"How can I help you, Detectives?" He asked. "Ryan and St. John, correct?"

"That's correct," Tom said. "We're investigating the death of Samantha Montgomery."

"Todd's wife? My god. You don't think he had anything to do with that do you?"

"We're just covering all our bases," Cassie said. "What can you tell us about Mr. Montgomery?"

"Conscientious, hard-working, one of the best on our team." He said.

Cassie raised an eyebrow.

"Really? Then why was he being investigated by a private investigator?" Tom asked.

"How did you know about that?" Murry asked as he leaned back in his chair.

"We didn't. Until you just confirmed it." Cassie said. "But you can fill us in."

Murry sighed. "Up until last year what I said about him was absolute God's truth." He said. "Starting last year he began to … fudge things. We discovered he was taking kickbacks. We handled things internally and he straightened up. About six months ago a private investigator rather ham-handedly started looking into Todd. We paid him to go away."

"Do you remember his name?"

"Something Williams. It's been a while. I didn't see any reason to put the man to memory. Other than he seemed a little over the top. Like he learned to be a PI watching TV."

"What did he look like?" Carrie asked.

"Tall, skinny, dark hair." He said "I couldn't tell you his eye color. He wore a tee shirt and jeans. Both designers."

"Designer tee shirt?" Tom asked.

"Balanciaga." He said "500 bucks a pop."

"For a tee shirt?" Tom shook his head.

"I'm with you," Murry said. "For a nice silk button down shirt absolutely. For a tee shirt, it's pure pretentiousness."

"Well, thank you for your time," Cassie said as she watched Tom closely as they walked across the parking lot. "Okay, Gimme." She said and sighed as he gave her that long-suffering look. "Please, Thomas, I would be so grateful if you would share what is in that brilliant mind of yours."

"Over the top." He said, "But better." He shook his head. "I'll tell you later."

"Tom, this isn't going to work. You need to talk to me." She said.

"Let's grab lunch." He said .

"Tom!"

He looked at her as he started the car. "Cassie. Lunch."

They picked up takeout and went back to Cassie's home.

"So talk to me." Cassie said as she put two glasses of lemonade on the table.

Tom came back with two plates and flatware that he set down beside the glasses of lemonade.

Tom took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Where to start… Maura and I didn't break up." He said, "I sent her back to California with Rita."

"Because of the goon squad, you found dead in her house?" She asked. "Is someone targeting her because of her father?"

Tom shook his head. "It's possible." He said "But I don't think so. I think they targeted her because of me."

"What? That makes no sense, Tom." She said dishing up her share of the food and then passing it over to Tom to do the same.

"Yeah, it does Cass. How many people do you know at the precinct who think I got away with murder?"

"But you didn't. It wasn't murder. They proved that, and that you were being persecuted by IAB."

"Doesn't matter what they proved or didn't prove." He said "That's the definition of getting away with it. I knew it was a possibility last night. I'm sure of it now. What did Murry say? That it was like he learned how to be a PI from watching television."

"You think it's a cop." She said "That's why you and Harry put on that show this morning. When were you going to tell me?"

"I just did, Cassie,." Tom said. "I needed to be somewhere private to tell you."

"What else aren't you telling me?"

He looked pained, and put his fork down on the plate. "When this is over, I'm transferring to California. Rita offered me a job out there and I took her up on it."

Cassie was silent for nearly a minute and it was just as nerve-racking as when he'd come clean to Maura in Miami.

"You're leaving me." She said eventually.

"I can't stay here, Cass. My career is… I'll never advance beyond where I am now. I don't want to be that pathetic guy trading in his gold shield for a gold watch with nothing to show for it but gray hair and war stories."

"You don't know that." She said.

"Yeah, I do. So does Harry. He's the one that suggested to Rita that she should recruit me for out there."

"That internal affairs file is getting buried. You know it is. Alexander doesn't want the embarrassment any more than you do."

"You can bury a file, put notes in it that I was innocent of wrongdoing, but there is always someone who knows. Someone will always be spreading it around. Those people that look at me like I'm something to scrape off their shoes will make sure that story never dies."

"God, Tom. There has to be another way to handle this than running."

He shook his head. "The decision's made. Rita is faxing the paperwork to Harry tomorrow when she goes into the office. Maura's going to be looking at houses. I'm here until we find this guy or until Harry decides that it's an actual serial killer and puts together a task force."

"I have no idea what to say to all of this."

"Say that you'll be careful." He said. "If I'm right and I am on this guy's hit list… You're my best friend. I couldn't bear it if anything happened to you."

"I'll be careful." She said. "I assume this is just between you, me, and Harry."

Tom nodded.

"Then I guess we better get this guy."

Maura looked at her phone as it rang. "It's my Dad. I should take this."

"Want some privacy?" Rita asked.

"No, I'm fine. I don't have anything to hide from you." She said and answered it on the third ring. "Hey Dad." She said. "I was going to call you tonight."

"Where are you?" He asked. "What has Thomas Ryan gotten you into?"

"Tom hasn't gotten me into anything." She said. "I'm just fine, Dad. I'm safe. No where near Palm Beach. But you need to stop acting like Tom is beneath you. "

"Beneath me? No, Girl. He's beneath you."

"Tom and I are-"

"Don't you dare say you're going to marry that man." He could handle them dating but he did not want that man as his son in law. A cop. He'd never live it down.

"Not yet. But we are going to be moving in together and I hope that one day we'll get married but it's not penciled on the calendar yet. So if you want to be a part of my life, you're going to have to learn to accept that Tom is part of my life and that isn't going to change."

Her father growled in frustration "I don't have to accept anything of the sort. He washed out as a ball player, he damned near washed out as a cop. He's going to wash out at everything he puts his hand to, and that includes you. But fine, I'll keep my mouth shut about it until he breaks your heart. And then I'll just take care of it."

"Dad… I love you. But I need to go." She said and ended the call. There was no reasoning with her father when he was like this and she was tired of trying.

"I take it he doesn't like Tom., Rita said.

"There has been exactly one man I've gone out with that Dad liked and he was … well… connected shall we say. Of course Dad was the one heartbroken when I broke up with him." She said as she picked up the newspaper again to look at house listings.

"From what I've seen Tom is a good man."

"He always has been." She said. "It's not every one that can stand up to my father and not blink." It was her second favorite thing about him. After that intense loyalty. The list of Tom's virtues read like the description of an eagle scout. His vices were fun too.

Will walked up to Tom and Cassie as they sat at their desks. "Hey, Ready to go? Your chariot awaits." He told her.

"I am so sorry, I should have called you. Tom and I are working late tonight. We're trying to get ahead of this case before he takes another victim."

"I'll make sure she gets home alright." Tom said, "Don't worry."

"Yeah, thank's Tom." Will said, then turned back to Cassie "Am I still picking you up in the morning?"

"Absolutely. Show up early and I'll make breakfast."

"Don't do it, Will, just don't do it. Bring breakfast, take her out to breakfast, cook breakfast at her place, I don't care, but if you value your stomach, do not let her cook for you." Tom said.

Cassie threw a wadded up piece of paper at Tom "That's just mean." She said, with a wide eyed look, and a quiet laugh. She was going to miss this.

"You know what they say, the truth hurts."

Cassie laughed.

Will shook his head "We'll figure it out in the morning." He laughed as well but glared at Tom when no one was looking. "I'll see you then." He kissed her on the lips before turning to leave.

"So tell me again how the two of you are not a couple." Tom said

"I never said we weren't a couple. I said I didn't know if we were a couple or not. It's too soon to know. Some of us don't rush in."

"This week," Tom said.

"When did I rush in?"

"Remember the married construction guy? Or the guy with the cop fetish?"

"Yeah, Yeah I still win." She said.

"Yes, yes you do," Tom said, feigning sadness. "Changing the subject now."

"Tom, I didn't mean to bring that up. I'm sorry." She said playing along.

"It's alright."

Harry looked out of his office. "You two are still here? Good, my office." He said and went back to his desk. He waited for them to join him and close the door. "Sterling got back to me on that autopsy. You were right, Tom. It wasn't suicide. Unless of course, he was taking up shooting with his off hand or was a contortionist. He was left-handed, and the wound was in the right temple."

"Then it's safe to say this isn't a true serial killer." Cassie said. "The other murders were likely done to cover up the murder of Raymond Cooper. So that means Maura is probably safe after all."

"I'm not taking that chance. We don't know how many people they're willing to kill to make it believable. I'm still waiting for ballistics to determine if the bullets match the other victims." Tom said.

"Captain Devereaux over in New Orleans is going to be having a chat of his own with Sebastian Graham tomorrow. Miami Dade is still trying to track down Matthew Graham." He said.

"Meanwhile we have the first description of the so called PI that didn't come from Graham. " Tom said "Basically the same description without the florid language. That he dressed in expensive clothes, which is the only thing I have heard about this guy that makes me think he's not a cop. No cop would spend 500 bucks on a tee shirt. Maura's wardrobe would cost my entire annual salary but even she wouldn't by a designer tee shirt."

"She'll buy $200 body lotion but won't spend $500 on a tee shirt. Good to know where she draws the line." Cassie teased.

"$500 tee shirts?" Harry asked, incredulously. "What did they do import the cotton, spin the thread and weave the cloth by hand ?"

"I don't know. I'll leave that to major crimes to figure out." Tom said "Because it sounds like a scam to me."

"Like the overtime, you're racking up." Harry said. "Go home. There aren't going to be any more answers tonight."

"Yeah, you're probably right," Tom said, running his hand down his face. "It's been a long day."

"If I'm not mistaken it started sometime yesterday," Harry said.

Tom nodded.

Cassie got up. "Come on sleepy head. I'll drive." She said offering her hand to pull him up out of the chair.

Tom handed over his keys knowing he was too tired "I'm raiding your coffee before I drive to my place."

"Good plan." She said directing him out the door of the office and then to the squad room. "But I am betting you'll fall asleep on my sofa before I'm done making it."

"Just don't forget to wake me up when the coffee is done." He said. "I can't stay at your place tonight. Your boyfriend is already ticked that he didn't get to drive you home."

She laughed "He's not my boyfriend."

"That's not what you said earlier. You said you didn't know if he was or not. Now you're saying not?"

"Well… no… It's not right to call someone your boyfriend or girlfriend if you haven't defined the relationship yet." Cassie said "Just because you define your relationships on the second date doesn't mean everyone else does."

He was almost asleep by the time she pulled up in front of her home.

"Come on let's get some coffee into you. I still have cheesecake too. The sugar will help"

"Coffee and cheese cake. Okay." He said as he got out of the car and let her lead him inside. He eased down onto the sofa, letting his eyes close for a moment then they opened again. "Cassie… did you turn the alarm back on?"

"No, I have you here." She said.

"It doesn't do any good if you don't turn it on. Especially as I'm not sure I could fight my way out of a wet paper bag at the moment."

Cassie went to turn the alarm back on. "You're tired but I doubt you'd sleep through someone breaking in here." She said and went back to making coffee. As predicted Tom was lightly snoring when she returned with a cup of coffee and a slice of cheesecake.

She brought hers into the living room as well, then sat down on the sofa beside him. "Tom." She said. "Tom wake up."

He drew in a sharp breath and then sat up. "Thanks." He said

"Are you sure you are going to be able to drive?"

"Yeah. A cup of coffee and the cheesecake and I'll be fine. At least for as long as it takes me to get home."

"Okay… but if you're doing this because you're worried about what other people will think…"

He smiled a little and took a drink of the coffee. "I'm not. I just want to sleep in my bed. That's all. I'll be fine."