First, i ordered them to sit and I gave them my best stare, the one sister Winnie had given me when I had done something wrong. Fortunately or unfortunately, I had seen it often enough to know how it worked.

Still red faced but intimidated they all stared at me.

"Good, now that I have your undivided attention, I like to set some things straight. I wasn't pleased with the note in the envelope either, nor with what happened at dinner yesterday evening.

And to be honest, I didn't even want to come to the conference."

She saw some of the detectives nod in agreement and sighed inwardly.

"But it's a fact that we are here now, and I think that the main idea of this conference is not bad because we tend to think that we are better than the others.

Truth is: we're not. We as detectives need the forensic scientists as much as they need us to solve a case. And there is absolutely no use in fighting against each other. It's a war that no one will win but it's the victim's losses. We are making them victims a second time by being arrogant and stupid.

The point is that no one can stand alone and that we need to calm down. In order to do so, I suggest for all of you to take a break and come back in two hours when you are clear thinking, grown people!"

I had anticipated for them to move but instead they sat still, almost like hypnotized, and kept staring at me.

"Go!" I said and then the first ones raised from their seats and reluctantly left the room. My plan was simple: once everybody had left, I would ask the professor some questions. And I had many of them.

But then I heard some commotion behind me from where the professor and Maura were and turned. The elder man had slid of his chair, and he was holding his hands to his throat. His face was turning blue while he was gasping for air like a fish on dry land.

Oh no, not again! I thought and had a strange déjà vu when the events from the previous night repeated themselves. By the time the EMT arrived the professor was dead, and I was getting angry.

R&I

"Hey Rizzoli, How's it going in LA? Shouldn't you be in a lecture right now?" Frost greeted me with a cheery voice. "You're not playing hookie already, are you?" Korsak chimed in and both chuckled.

I rolled my eyes and ignored the teasing.

"Nope, not playing hookie. This conference is quite uhm exciting. Frost, I need you to run a background check on all participants of the conference. I just mailed you the list."

I heard some clicking while I waited and then heard him huff: "200 people Jane? You can't be serious. What's going on over there?"

My eyes darted around, watching the body from the professor being bagged up under Mauras watchful eyes.

"The murder game is going on." I replied dryly before hanging up.

Maura led me to a Prius in the parking garage and invited me in. We left to drive to the morgue where Maura would perform an autopsy on Dr. Clark and the professor. My phone buzzed as the doc stirred the car through the heavy traffic. The sun was shining bright, and the heat was making me sweat. My phone rang.

"Frost?" I answered after the second ring. I put him on loudspeaker so that Maura could hear what was being said. That way I wouldn't have to recite anything, and the doc had a good memory so she would memorize all the details and we could talk about our feelings later.

"Yeah, hi. I'm not done with the background checks but I found something else." He spoke.

"The murder game is an urban legend. Did you know that? Usually played as a game on Halloweenparties. First, everybody must find a team member and then each team gets an envelope." He then recited the exact text that had been written on the sheet of paper inside the envelope.

"One person acts as if he is killed and everybody else must guess who did it. Its supposedly very fun to play. But there is a legend that sometimes people really get killed by the same murderer. It's a bit like the killer who supposedly leaves an emoji close to his victims. The killer is everywhere and kills randomly.

Sounds crazy, huh? But my information says that in most of those real killings the participants had received the game as a gift for their Halloween party from a company called Games Are Fun. I'm still checking the facts, but I thought you should know about it."

Frost was almost breathless when he stopped talking. Now, that was really interesting and a possible lead. I thanked him and told him to call if he knew more.

"Will do boss." He said and hung up.

I had studied Maura during the conversation, and I could tell that she felt uneasy. My hand wandered to her knee, and I squeezed it slightly as a sign of reassurement. She gave me a grateful look when stopping at a red light.

R&I

A few minutes later my phone rang again, and I picked up without looking at the caller ID. It was my mothers' voice that came blasting through the loudspeakers which made me groan.

"Ma, this is not a good timing. I have stuff to do." I lamely said knowing that Angela Rizzoli was the mother of all hurricanes that broke loose if one of her kids was in danger.

"Yes, that's what I heard. The whole precinct is already talking about the murder game! I'ts time to come home, now!" Mauras eyebrows furrowed. It didn't matter how old you were, you always turned into that kid that you were when your mother spoke to you like this.

"Ma, this is my job. I can't come home." I replied, trying to sound fierce. Maura chuckled amused.

"Who is this? Who are you with? Are you save? Oh my god, you don't even have your weapon. Jane Clementine Rizzoli, I swear that if you don't come home, I will come to LA and drag your ass home!"

Maura was even more amused now and I blushed furiously.

"Ma, im with Dr. Isles. We are on our way to the autopsy. I really must go now. And don't you dare come here and fuss around." I hung up quickly before the storm would heat up for real and slid the phone into my pocket.

"I'm sorry." I apologized to Maura who was still chuckling. At least she had enough sense of humor to oversee that she had been accused of being a possible murderer. My brain froze for a moment. Maybe she was. I didn't know her that well, did i?

Then when the moment was over, I took a deep breath and shook my head. No, my gut feeling said that she was harmless. But I would still be cautious from now on, would i?

"I'm jealous." Maura said after a while when we circled other cars in the garage. "I always wished to have parents that would be as protective and caring." She admitted.

"Don't get me wrong, I had a good life, but my parents were never so…. Emotional about me."

She exited the car before I could do or say something, and I had no choice but follow her to the elevators and into the building.