"Maybe you should go and see your mom for a while," Kenny finally said. "Just to get away from all of this for a while. With your dad away . . . I mean your mom is good. And you and Caroline are getting along better."

"Last time I left Josh was kidnapped. How can you think I'd run back out there again?"

"You think it would have made a difference if you were here? All that would have meant was that both of them would be gone."

"Are you saying that I can't keep our kids safe?"

"Max," Kenny said, trying not to let his frustration show. She knows how to get under my skin he thought. "Come on."

"What? "

"I don't even know what to say to you when you're like this," he finally said, just looking at her. "I know you miss him, so do I. Opening that box was the hardest thing I've ever done, and watching you suffer like this is killing me, Honey."

Max swallowed, not wanting to fight with him. All sorts of thoughts buzzed around her head, his words, her Dad's, Danny's, and she couldn't make peace with any of them. How can he not blame me? I brought these lunatics into our lives, and they killed our son. Dad was right, it is my fault . . . how can Kenny sit there and say it isn't?

"You shouldn't have to suffer anymore," she said softly, trying to make sense of it all. "Maybe I should just go."

Not like the ominous tone to her words, he treaded carefully. "Don't. Max, don't do this to yourself. I need you here, and so does Em. We'll get through this, but I can't do it without you."

"It wouldn't be happening at all if it wasn't for me. You can honestly sit there and say that you didn't even think just once that I brought these people into our life? Not even once?"

"Max," he replied quietly, wanting to touch her but didn't dare. "They were crazy . . . you didn't know."

"You didn't answer my question."

Kenny regarded her silently, and knew her well enough to know that she wouldn't relent in her questioning. She's too good a cop too, he thought. Groaning internally. "Maybe once, but everything was, is so screwed up. I didn't know what I was doing half of the time."

Max nodded slowly, as she thought everything that they had been through together. We've suffered a lot, but why? Why do these people keep coming back? He and Emily shouldn't have to put up with this anymore.

He watched her process his admission, and wanted to do nothing more then hold her and kiss the pain away he saw on her face. He knew that wouldn't go over to well, so he settled on. "I think I know what I'm doing now though. I want our life back, Honey, and I'm not going to let you sit here and wallow in self pity. Don't let those bastards win."

9999999999999999999

"Max's dad? No way," Skeeter said dumbfounded, as he joined Pete and Jimmy. "What the hell does that mean? Why? I mean if this Linwood is his law partner, he had to have known. Why would he support the kidnaping and murder of his grandson . . . it's just too weird."

"Weird is the norm here," Jimmy replied dryly, wondering how he was going to tell Max that it was likely that her father had helped in murdering Josh. Shit. What the hell is the FBI going to do with this?

"Josh was his grandson," Pete repeated. "I couldn't imagine . . . what is wrong with people today?"

"I want this kept quiet for now," Jimmy interjected. "I don't want Max or Kenny to know yet. They both need some time and space to heal. To get back to reality. I want to see if this connection is viable, and we still need all the details fleshed out. No unnecessary trauma until we know for sure. I want these documents verified."

Pete nodded. "I talked to the authorities in Ludington, and they're running the prints from the papers. Also, the Robinson's phone records are being looked at again to see if there were any odd calls to Boston. We'll find the connection to Jimmy."

Skeeter nodded in agreement. "They won't get away with this."

"We'll get him," Jimmy confirmed, as he tried to process why a grandfather would want to kill his grandson.

9999999999999999999

"Don't please don't," a man cried out in a dark alley. "Please! I did what you asked of me!"

"Too well," the other sneered. "I don't like loose ends, and you're the last one."

"We had a deal!"

"You should always get it in writing."

He pulled the trigger, and a river of blood erupted from the falling body. He smiled as the body hit the dirt, and slumped against the wall.

"All tied up," he whispered, but damn it. It wasn't supposed to end like this. Smiling as he strolled back to the rental car, he began to work on his new plan.

9999999999999999999

"Can we just table this for now? Please? I really don't want to go to Boston, even if my Dad isn't there," Max finally replied, watching as the sun went down. "You're right . . . it's just going to take some time."

Kenny didn't like her easy turnaround, or the way she avoided looking at him. "So where are you planning on going?"

"I don't know . . . Every time I look around here all I can think about is Danny and Jen being in here. Kenny? It just doesn't . . . I don't feel safe in my own home any more."

Shit, I just want to shake her until she gets it through her thick skull. Crossing the living room in quick strides, he spun her around and just looked at her without saying anything right away. Running his fingers through her hair, and he let them trail down her face. He tried to think of the words that would make her stay, and make her understand.

"Max," he finally settled on, speaking from the heart. "I just lost my son, Josh. I can't lose you too. I love you."

9999999999999999999

"I got the phone records," Skeeter said quickly, poking his head back into Jimmy's office. "Ludington just faxed them over. The Robinson's placed several phone calls to Boston, but not to Stevenson, Stewart and Graham. That's the law firm by the way. It's a Boston cell phone number, which makes it a little harder."

"We've got the Boston connection at least," Jimmy conceded. "I got through to the director at Cornerstone, and they faxed a list of calls that both Danny and Jen made and received over their time there."

"Any from Boston?"

Jimmy nodded. "Oh yeah. What's the cell phone number you got? I'd stake my life that they are one in the same."

Skeeter handed the file over to him, and watched his bosses furrowed expression before asking. "Is it?"

"Yeah. Now we just need to find out who it belongs too. Starting with Linwood Stevenson."

Skeeter nodded before asking again. "I hate to even ask this, and I know you want to keep both of them out of this, but . . . Max knows these people. You think that there is a chance that she might know the number? If it's a family friend's or something?"

Jimmy gritted his teeth before nodding in agreement. "It would speed things up, but . . ."

"She's been kind of out of it lately. I don't know how she would react if we told her that her father probably had something to do with Josh's death. Hell , I don't know how anyone would take to hearing that."

Pete knocked on the door frame, as he went to join them. "Hey, good news and bad news. Which one do you want first?"

"We could use some good news," Jimmy answered, "What now?"

"An id came back on the cell phone. It does belong to Stevenson. We're working on a warrant to get access to his phone records from it. The bad news? It might not do us any good. The Ludington police didn't get a warrant to search the safety deposit box, so there is a chance it all might get thrown out."

9999999999999999999

Max swallowed and tried to steady herself at Kenny's proclamation. I'm so damn emotional, she thought, I haven't felt this roller coaster ride since . . . I guess when I was pregnant. I just want him to hold me, and have all the bad stuff disappear. And he would too, Max thought, and it is not fair. This whole mess isn't his fault. Shit. I don't want to lose him either.

"Max?"

She tried to clear the fog out of her mind before she spoke. "I don't know what to say . . . I don't want to hurt you."

"Then let me help you," he said quietly, his hand still tangled in her hair. "Believe me when I say that this isn't your fault."

I want to believe that, she thought, so much that it hurts. "I want too . . . Kenny? I just can't stop thinking about what we could, should have done differently."

"Stop," he replied firmly, trying to lighten the mood. "You'll drive yourself nuts."

"Do you think that we should have looked for him? I know in the beginning that you wanted to be part of the investigation . . . would it have made a difference? I mean if we were involved?"

Be objective, he thought as he sighed. "I don't know, Max. I'm not sure we would have done much good. He was our kid . . . I think Jimmy was right, we wouldn't have been that objective. And it might have ended worse."

"How?"

One word, Kenny thought, and what am I supposed to say to that? It couldn't have ended any worse then it did. "I don't know . . . Danny and Jen are dead, and I hope that their getting punished wherever they are. They can't hurt anyone else."

Max looked at him thoughtfully, and turned over in her mind everything that they had been through together. Believe him, her mind screamed, he wouldn't lie to you. "Maybe we couldn't do anything then, but what about now?"

9999999999999999999

"No warrant," Jimmy repeated dumbfound. "No warrant?"

"Uh yeah," Pete confirmed. "They were eager to move on this, and well uh procedure was forgotten."

"Damn it," Jimmy scoffed. "The first damn break that we get, and now this? What the hell is wrong with people?"

"It's not for sure yet," Pete replied lamely.

"These people helped murder a child," Jimmy raged. "And I'm not going to let them walk!"

"Maybe we better have a plan B," Skeeter interjected sounding surprisingly calm. "We can't just drag this Linwood in if this all gets tossed, so . . . I know she is kind of screwed up lately, but Max has an in with these people."

"Let's wait," Jimmy replied, checking his disgust. "That's gonna be a last resort."

9999999999999999999

"Um, I'll get it," Max said, as a knock sound at the door as Kenny processed her last statement.

He nodded, as he wondered what the hell she meant. I don't want her going off half cocked after someone he realized, although it was great to see her interested in anything. Hearing voices coming from the kitchen, he went to join her.

"Sure, uh come in," she was saying when he wandered into the kitchen. "How are you?"

Morell took stock of the woman who stood in front of him, and thought she looked much more worn out then he remembered. Tough times. "Good, good. Is this a bad time?"

"We might as well get this over with," Kenny answered joining them, seeing Max tense up. "It's been awhile."

"I wish it was under better circumstances."

"So do I."

9999999999999999999

"I have a few questions for the both of you about the murders of Danny Shreve and Jen Davis," Morell finally added. "Just to tie up some loose ends."

Max felt Kenny's hand on the small of her back as she nodded. "Uh sure."

"It'll only take a few minutes."

"Shit," Skeeter mumbled under his breath. "Shit."

Tucking the fax under his arm, he dreaded going into Jimmy's office to give him the bad news. This whole thing, Skeeter thought, and nothing has gone are way. It just seems like someone somewhere is pulling strings to keep it that way. What the hell are we missing?

"Sir," he said a bit reluctantly rapping on the door. "I have some news."

"What kind?"

"Bad. The evidence was thrown out, and everything garnered from it. We're back to square one."

"Shit."

Jimmy twisted the pen in his hand as Skeeter added. "We do have a way into that group of people, and one that wouldn't rouse that much suspicion."

Jimmy groaned internally, as he turned the idea over in his mind. "We could run it past them. I'm going to sleep on it, and we'll regroup tomorrow."

9999999999999999999

Kenny glanced over at a sleeping Max, as he climbed out of bed early the next morning. She looks so peaceful he thought, wishing she could feel that when she was awake. Listening for sounds of a rousing Emily, he made his way downstairs. Shooting the clock a look, he was surprised that they both had slept in so late. Well, it was one hell of a draining day, he rationalized, knowing that the two of them had to finish that conversation that they started last night. I'm not sure what to say to her anymore, he thought, making himself a cup of coffee.

Snatching the ringing phone, he nearly dropped his cup on the floor because he didn't want it to wake his wife. "Hello?"

"Kenny? It's Jimmy. I talked to Morell this morning, how did that go yesterday?"

"Fine. It was good to get it over with. What's going on?"

"I have some news for the two of you, both good and bad. Can you spare a few hours?"

"Yeah, c'mon over."

Jimmy paused, before asking. "How's Max doing? Last time, well she seemed, uh, upset."

"She's dealing with it," Kenny replied, pausing himself, not sure he should be spilling her fears, but he needed someone to talk to. "She feels so damn guilty, Jimmy. I'm not sure what to do for any more."

"Just listen to her. Women need to talk everything out," Jimmy replied wisely, thinking of his own fights with Jill. "We'll come by around one?"

"Okay, see ya then."

What now, Kenny thought as he hung up, more bad news? Just great. At least the thing with Morell was painless. Hearing the shower running upstairs he hoped that the rest of this day would be as well.

9999999999999999999

"Dead? When? How? We're just finding out now," Pete said in hushed tones. "Does Jimmy know?"

"Not yet, but he was found in an alley in Boston last night. Shot twice through the heart," Skeeter confirmed. "Seems a little too neat if you ask me."

"Someone doesn't like loose ends."

"Maybe it means we're getting too close to figuring this mess out."

"This is Stevenson? The one who set up the adoption with the Robinsons?"

"Our link," Skeeter confirmed, as they made their way to Jimmy's office. "I guess someone didn't want us talking to him."

"Let's go fill him in."

9999999999999999999

"Umph," Max groaned, as she felt Emily clamor on her back. "Morning, Sweetie."

"Mommy up."

"Hmm. What time is it?"

"Almost eleven," Kenny interjected, as she rolled over on her back and Emily crawled over onto the bed. "We thought you might want to sleep in, so Em and me had quite a morning."

"Really?"

"Went swimming," Em chirped.

"Water rat," Max replied, ticking the little girl's stomach, with a small smile.

"Cook," she chirped.

"You?" she asked, shooting Kenny a dubious look, knowing that both of them had a lack of kitchen skills.

"Hey we tried," he replied, joining the two of them on the bed. "C'mon, get up. Indulge our cooking skills."

She couldn't help smiling back at him, as he pulled her out of bed. "Well, it has to be better then anything I've ever made in there."

"Remember you said that," Kenny replied, watching as she pulled her hair back and straightened out her tank top. "C'mon."

"What's the rush?"

"Uh," Kenny began, not wanting to start the day off with another fight. "Jimmy and Skeeter are coming by. With good and bad news."

"Oh?"

"You okay with that?"

Max shrugged, and sunk back down onto the mattress. "What else is there to say? Why do we have to keep rehashing the same details?"

"They're just trying to help."

"I know."

"You okay with this?"

"I won't freak out again, if that's what you're worried about," she replied a bit defensively. "Who ever killed Danny and Jen . . . why does it have to do anything with us?"

9999999999999999999

"It's beginning to come together," he verified, nodding to the other man. "You just have to be patient."

"Patient? We've come this far to be found out now. We have to finish this thing now."

"Once she's here, we can push the rest of it through the courts. Don't worry so much, no one is going to figure this one out."

"I can't live with the embarrassment of this situation anymore. This is the only way."

"I know, I know. To be known that I passed over for that? It's being fixed. Too bad she couldn't have come to her senses. Then this all could have been avoided."

9999999999999999999

So that's why, Max thought, as Jimmy and Skeeter filled them in on Linwood Stevenson and his involvement with the Robinsons, Danny, and Jen. If Linwood is part of this, oh god, my father.

"But why? This is all too insane," she heard Kenny ask distantly, as she brought herself back in focus. "Are you sure?"

Jimmy and Skeeter exchanged an uneasy look as Jimmy continued. "Yeah. There are two problems though. One the Ludington police didn't get a warrant to search the safe deposit box, and the evidence was thrown out. Two Linwood Stevenson was found murdered in an alley last night."

Max found herself breaking the silence. "Now what?"

"You might be sorry you asked that," Skeeter replied grimly. "We have nothing to go after these people with yet."

"Yet?"

"You knew Linwood, and the people that he was involved with. It seems only fitting that you go to his funeral," Jimmy said, watching her carefully. "Maybe poke around a bit?"

"Who else do you think was part of this? Linwood wouldn't have done this on his own," Max trailed off thinking of the kindly older man. "Why would he?"

"He wasn't working alone," Skeeter said carefully, not sure how she would react if they mentioned their suspicions about her father. "And who ever he was working for probably had him killed."

"And you want her to go up there with these people and investigate?" Kenny interjected. "No way."

"She has an easy access point," Jimmy argued. "And we wouldn't need to worry about warrants right away."

"It wouldn't rouse as much suspicion as launching a full scale investigation," Skeeter added. "Someone with a lot of money and power is pulling some strings here, and squashing and lead we have. This way we have someone on the inside."

"Not a chance in hell," Kenny replied evenly.

Max bit her tongue, and turned over the new information in her mind. Why, she wondered, why? Shooting Kenny a look, she knew that he had her best interest at heart. If Linwood, or my family had anything to do with this . . . I need to go find out. I owe it to Josh, and everyone who helped look for him.

"When is the funeral? I'm actually surprised that my Mom hasn't called about it," Max asked slowly.

"Saturday," Skeeter verified.

She felt Kenny's eyes on her, and knew that he would have a lot to say about this later. "You haven't mentioned my Dad yet, but . . . If Linwood was involved, he probably was too."

"Yeah, we weren't sure how to bring that up," Skeeter replied. "You have any ideas why?"

Max shrugged, "He's made it clear over the last 12 years or so that he doesn't approve of anything I've done. Ever. At Josh's funeral . . . he was horrid. I don't know. He's always been an ass, but I just can't picture him murdering somebody. Much less his grandson."

"Maybe it wasn't his original idea," Kenny interjected, not liking the way this conversation was heading.

"There are a lot of unanswered questions," Jimmy added, not liking the idea of sending Max off to Boston alone to investigate her family and friends. She's a wreck, he thought, and Kenny is going to dig his heel in about this. "If you feel like you're up to it."

Max gritted her teeth, as the memory Josh's sprawled out body in the ice cooler came to mind. "You really think that my family had something to do with this?"

"I'd stake my life on it," Jimmy replied, seeing some of the fire back in her eyes. "You ready to go get them?"

Looking up at Kenny, and she could tell he wasn't happy about it, she nodded. "Okay, let's give it a shot."