The next day, Stevie woke up earlier than usual to get Katie's breakfast ready. She was planning on taking her daughter to Boston's Children's Museum and then out to get ice cream. She had missed these play dates with Katie. The eggs were just about done when her cell phone rang.

"Murphy."

"Stevie?" a voice said from the other line.

"Yeah – who's this?"

"This is Woody. We've made an arrest on the arsenic poisonings..just thought you may want to know."

"No kidding...who was it?"

"It was pretty much as cut and dried and what you told us. It was the lady who was the general superintendent of the shelter. An older lady, sort of a mother figure. She had access to the men's food and some ant poison the exterminators had left years ago."

"Did she say why she did it?"

"She somehow got the idea that these men were immoral – either through something they said or did. So she got rid of them."

"Did she do it to anyone else?"

"Not that we're aware of, but we're still making calls."

"Gee, thanks for letting me know, Woody. I appreciate it."

"Well, if it hadn't been for your help, we probably wouldn't have solved the case as quickly as we did."

"Thanks, but you folks have some great people in your department..."

"Anyway, Jordan and I were wondering if you and Katie and Nigel would like to go out tonight and celebrate?"

"Are you sure you want a four year-old tagging along?"

Stevie could hear Woody chuckle on the other end. "Katie? Oh absolutely. You never know what that kid's going to come up with next."

"Woody, does Nige know yet?"

"Yeah. Jordan is talking to him while I'm talking to you."

"So what are the plans tonight...no Pogue with a four year-old."

"There's several restaurants down by the river front. You want to meet up at Jordan's and we'll go from there?"

"Sounds good. What time?"

"What about five?"

"Katie and I will be there."

So after a morning of the museum and a lunch of sandwiches and ice cream, Stevie and Katie went home to get ready. Katie had a bubble bath and Stevie painted her nails and Katie's. After she got herself dressed, she helped Katie into her dress. Critically, Stevie looked herself over in the mirror....not bad....not too bad for a Mom....black pants, red shirt. Her hair was pulled up. Her tummy was still flat, despite child birth. And Katie looked like a doll. Full dress with pinafore. "I guess we'll do, Miss Kate," Stevie said.

"You look pretty, Mommy."

"Thank you, dear. So do you."

"Do you think Jordan will like my dress?"

"Oh, I think she will absolutely love it."

A little before five, Steve and Katie found themselves in front of Jordan's red door. Stevie knocked and Woody answered.

"Well hello, Miss Katie," he said, kneeling in front of the little girl. "How are you?"

Katie stuck out her hand to shake Woody's. "I'm fine," she announced. "I hope you are, too. Where's Jordan?"

Woody glanced up at Stevie, who rolled her eyes. "Get used to it," she said. "Katie can turn on the charm and the vocabulary."

"I hope you have a plan for when boys begin to notice her. With her looks and attitude, you're going to have your hands full," Woody whispered.

"I heard that," Katie announced. "I don't like boys....at least little ones. The big ones, like you," she said, motioning to Woody, "are fine."

Just then, Jordan came from the bedroom. Katie ran over and hugged her. "Hey Jordan."

"Katie, you look so pretty. And your nails are even done."

"Are we ready to go?" asked Woody. "Nige is meeting us at the river front."

=====================================

Nigel was waiting on them when they arrived. He noticed Katie's pinafore dress and remarked, "You know what? You look like Alice in Wonderland...that blue dress and apron, and that blonde hair."

Katie thought for a minute. "Thank you, Mr. Nigel. I think so, too."

Nigel chuckled at Katie, but his eyes were on Katie's mom. Steve looked wonderful in red. He gently took her arm and hugged her. "I guess they've told you the good news," he said, alluding the arrest this afternoon.

As a matter of fact, they discussed the arrest and the case over much of dinner. Stevie was gracious enough to Woody not to say "I told you so" over the alleged murderer – she was everything Stevie said she would be – the whole profile. As a matter of fact, Stevie's mind was else where...when would she need to go home now that the case was solved? Jordan easily guessed what was on her friend's mind.

"Don't worry about it. Garrett said he would like to keep you here a few more weeks so we can teach you what we know. He's calling it a ME exchange program. Then maybe sometime soon, one of us can come to Chapel Hill and your folks can teach us some of what you know," Jordan said, as she played with the key ring that Woody had left on the table.

Stevie looked relieved. "That would be great. I want to show Katie some of Boston." And that was part of the truth. The other part was that she also wasn't in a big hurry to leave Dr. Townsend.

====================================

The next weeks settled themselves into a normal routine for Katie and Steve. Steve would drop Katie off at the day camp and then go to the morgue. Because she was interested in the computerized end of trace and autopsy, Garrett was allowing her to work with Nigel, something Steve was very happy about. Jordan had initially quizzed her friend about the romantic match up. Jordan couldn't figure it out. Here Stevie was – blonde, petite, every inch the beauty queen she might have been, paired up with a long, lanky Brit. It just didn't seem to fit anywhere but the intellect. Stevie was smart and curious and Nige was just as smart and willing to teach.

"Well, you're half-way there," Stevie told Jordan when Jordan told her the intellect theory. "You're right. I am attracted to his intelligence. I told you earlier I'd like to clone him and take him back to NC. He knows more about the computer end of this 'business' than anyone I've ever met. If I can only remember a tenth of what he has taught me....but that's not all of it."

"What's the rest?"

Stevie had thought for a minute. "I'm not sure exactly how to phrase this..."

"It's the sex, right?" Jordan joked.

"Ummmm, no," said Stevie, nearly choking, "We haven't, I mean with Katie around now..."

"It's a joke, Steve....but what else is it?"

"I feel safe with him, Jor. That's the only way I can describe it. I feel safe. And that's very important to me."

Jordan tucked that away in her mind as she hurried over to Woody's office. Why was it so important that Steve feel safe? Life and love was about risks, wasn't it? Jordan was on her way to Woody's to see if he had had a chance to look through the envelope she had brought him a couple of weeks earlier. Now that the arsenic case was over, she hoped that he would have time to look at the leads the investigator had mailed her. When she arrived, Woody was not in his office. She waited for a few minutes, but her cell phone went off. It was Garrett. They had found a body in Latham Park. The detective on site had requested her. "Guess who it is?" Garrett asked.

Jordan grinned. "Does his name begin with a W?"

"Bingo. You win."