The expression on her face became serious again as she reentered the burger joint after about 15 minutes.

In order to continue with the task on hand, we methodically listed the facts that we knew – which were few.

Name of the victim

Location and time of death

Observations on the victims death and body

Behavior of the victim prior to his death

Behavior of bystanders

Timeline

Possible ways to stage the murder

Possible ways to poison the victim

Frustrated and torn, we leaned back in our seats and stared at the sheet. i gulped down the final swigs of beer, swearing to god that I would never let myself push into going to a conference again in my life.

It was out of question that I was a very competitive person and invested in things even if they were just a game. But the nerve-wrecking thing though was the question if we dealt with a real murder – hence a real murderer, or if someone was just having fun with us. This was the thing that bothered me most because I hated if someone wasted my time.

I reminded myself that the mission of this Conference to close the gap between departments and teach people how to use each others resources in an optimal way to solve crimes. I recalled the professor saying that each case could only be solved as a team with the input of both departments. Reading our questions and notes again I had to agree.

So, how did this play into all of this I wondered, biting my lip. Lifting my gaze from the sheet that lay in between us I found Maura studying me in silence.

"What?" I asked and chuckled nervously.

I subconsciously played with the napkin while waiting for her response that never really came.

"We should go back to our hotel." The doc said instead, already waving the waiter over to demand the bill. Each of us threw half of the amount onto the tiny plate with the receipt and left.

A soft, warm breeze greeted us outside and I could smell the salty air coming from the ocean. I stopped to walk when Maura stayed behind, she was glancing into the direction of the beach. There was one single streetlight a little bit further down the road that cast some spooky shadows onto the walls of the houses.

But despite the dark, I could see Mauras longing glance towards the ocean. How could I say no, if she wanted to go there? My feet moved automatically into the docs' direction.

"How about we take a detour by the beach?" I asked in a soft tone that scared the shit out of me. I hadn't used it in a long time. Not since… I forced myself to stop my thoughts there, focusing on Maura who gave me a genuine smile.

"Sounds good." She replied, her voice bearing a happy tone.

And so we went, walking down the lonely street until we reached a set of stairs that led down into the sand that immediately creeped into my sneakers. The beach was exactly what I had imagined it to be: sandy.

While walking next to the doc I tried not to think about the dogpoop or litter that had polluted the beach and was now polluting my shoes and feet. What can I say? I'm a true romantic at heart LOL. That's what I had always heard from my exes, usually spit out during a fight.

That was one of the reasons why I felt so comfortable as single: I didn't have to constantly court someone else to whom my efforts were never enough. Ma usually said that I just hadn't found the woman for whom I really wanted to do all this nice stuff like bringing flowers or chocolate – or getting my feet dirty on a beach.

Well, right now I was doing such a thing for a woman whom I only met several hours ago, and I liked to do it, just for her smile. Which meant that ma may have had a point. But why Maura? I didn't even know her. Besides, she was already in a relationship as far as I could tell. The last thought definitively cooled down my infatuation.

The doc stopped and turned her face towards the ocean where the full moon was raising slowly above the horizon. In its light I could see Mauras soft smile and her shoulder long hair moving in the soft breeze.

Her arms loosened at her side and she stood totally still, closing her eyes and taking it all in. I could literally see the calm that she felt in her posture and honestly also envied her a bit for her ability to feel something so deeply – something beautiful and not dark.

"Please show me how to do this." I asked into the silent and the words were out before I could think about them. Her face turned and our eyes met. Feeling embarrassed by this probably more than stupid request I averted my eyes.

The gentle touch of her hand on my arm caught my attention. "It's okay, Jane. I had to learn it too." Her voice drifted to my ears. "With the things we see in our jobs, I needed an outlet, or I would have lost my mind." She continued.

"My usual way of forgetting all about the crazy stuff I see at work is to eat pizza in front of the TV and watch a game or a movie." I joked although it was the truth.

"I sometimes found deflection in sex." The doc said which made me raise my eyebrow. Seriously? Maura chuckled when seeing my facial expression. "It really helps to relieve stress. It's also good for a strong immune system by spurring on the production of hemoglobin A." she added in all of her seriousness. While telling me all this her eyes were gleaming like only a scientists could when citing clinical facts.

If Maura would be any other woman, I would try to lure her into bed. But any other woman wouldn't create the wish in me to do so. Life was sometimes complicated like that I thought.

It wasn't that I didn't want Maura to come to bed with me, but a one-night stand just wouldn't do her justice. She deserved far better than that.

"Do you live in LA?" I asked to push the conversation into less dangerous waters.

She nodded.

"But you're staying at a hotel?" I wondered out loud.

"It's easier for me. I have a home in the outskirts of town. The commute would take me too long." She explained. "The traffic in this area can be horrific at times." She continued.

Now it was me who nodded. We walked on in silence until we reached the stairs that should lead us to the hotel. When we crossed the street and the entrance hall to reach the elevators, I thought about suggesting one last drink at the bar. But I just needed to look at my watch to see that it was already too late. The alarm would ring in less than five hours and only god knew what surprises awaited us the next day.

While driving up to our floors I wondered if I should be worried about her safety. The words on the note appearing in my mind. But when I glanced at her I saw that she felt all right with being alone tonight. It was surely for the best that way. We said our quick good night when she stepped out of the steel cabin and the door was already about to close when she came back.

"Thank you for this evening." The words were almost whispered and before I could even grab that she had left a quick kiss on my cheek, she was gone.