ch.5

Disclaimer: Once again, I own nothing that looks familiar

Author's note: I apologize for the horrible cliffhanger I left. I know the end was confusing, but do not panic! It will all be hopefully explained in this chapter. Kudos to warrior of the shadow and pinkwhale who thought outside the box.Please keep reading and reviewing!

Mac is looking very closely at the evidence in the Donora case. He looks at pictures, fibers, and the knife found. Nothing helps. His phone breaks the silence and he fumbles with it before answering.

"Taylor," he says to the phone.

"Mac," came Flacks urgent voice, "We got a problem." Fearing the worst Mac reluctantly asked,

"What is it?"

"Ah, just meet me at your apartment ASAP." Confused, Mac didn't respond.

"Hello, Mac?"

"I'll be there in 20 minuets," Mac said, putting his phone up.

Upon arriving, he was greeted by Flack who looked very weary. Mac looked to the Donora's apartment to his own, which was taped off.

"What's going on?" Mac demanded to know.

"Well, uh, there's been another murder." Flack replied, not meeting Mac's eyes.

"C'mon Flack," Mac said frustrated, "What is this. Is it in my apartment?" Flack nodded gravely.

"Mac it's the sister Kayla. Same m.o.-stabbed." Mac couldn't dare to believe it. He shook his head thinking.

"This isn't right. Not, here, not now. Okay, treat it like a normal crime scene. No feelings…maybe."

"Okay Flack. Um, take statements and I'll uh…I'll call Stella." Flack nodded and turned away to get statements.

Mac entered his familiar apartment which didn't seem as welcoming as usual. He couldn't look down at the body without wanting to throw up. It looked exactly like her sisters, except the knife was still stuck in her abdomen along with a folded paper. He took it and read:

"Here I am Mac Taylor. Catch me before I leave. The clock is ticking."

Danny sits in one of the labs absentmindedly rubbing at his lower neck like an old habit now. Aiden comes in and walks over to Danny.

"What's up?" she says, eying his motions. Danny shrugs. "Well, what's with your neck.

"Huh?" He says pausing.

"Well," she said slyly, "For one thing you've been acting really out of it-now for example. And you keep rubbing your neck. Danny looks as if he only now notices his surroundings. Blushing, he quickly puts his hand down. He shrugs again.

Aiden moves to go behind Danny, but he moves with her. "C'mon Danny, what do have to hide?" she asks him as though interrogating a suspect.

"Oh, no. No mind games on me missy."

"Missy?" She persists to go behind Danny, finally grabbing his shoulders roughly. He gives in. She turns him around and pulls down his collar. She gasps at what she sees. Danny sighs.

She drags him to a more private place, in this case the locker room, and faces him.

"What the hell, Danny!" Danny keeps quiet and Aiden makes sure she saw what she thinks she saw. Yup. Etched into his lower neck is a "Tanglewood" tattoo. A newer mark lies bellow that, presumably what's been bothering Danny. It is an "out" date.

"What the hell happened?" she asks again, quieter. Danny sighs and sits down.

At Mac's apartment, Stella has arrived and Mac was not able to hide the note. She saw it with much more emotion than him.

"You think it's personal?" she asked him.

Mac shakes his head. "No, this guys showing off. We didn't have enough evidence last time, so he felt the need to keep going down the family line I guess."

"Still…" Stella continued worriedly.

"We just have to hope he made a big enough mistake this time for us to get him." Mac reassured her. She smiled a bit.

"Well, maybe he already did," she said, indicating the note. I'm going to get this back to the lab." Mac nodded and tried to get to work.

Mac tried not to think of his friends body dead in his apartment. He also tried not to think of all the things he remembered the Donora's by. The first day they moved in, still very young and unsure about the world and themselves; when Kayla got a passion to ride her bike every morning. Like clockwork, she would be ridding in as he was leaving for work.

Mac got so engrossed in his thoughts; he didn't notice Stella was still there. She was looking at him.

"You okay," she asked sympathetically.

"Yah," he said quietly. But really in his head, he knew he wasn't. He wouldn't be either until they caught this guy.

Danny explains things to Aiden who sits patiently on the bench next to him.

"A long time ago, I got into the wrong crowd and ended up with…the tattoo. Normally, when a member leaves, which is seldom, they are given an "out" date. When I managed to leave, I never got mine.

The first time at the first crime scene, they decided just to keep themselves in my head. But they noticed I wasn't "properly" out. It sounds unusual, but gangs go by a book very strictly.

I wanted it over, so I met up with them and they gave me it…old school." He takes a pause to think.

"But you don't know specifically who did it."

"Well, I know it was "G," but with important gang members, well, no one knows their real name." Aiden nods, watching Danny carefully.

"So, are they going to leave you alone now?" Danny was surprised at how caring she sounded, and gave her the best response he could without lying.

"I hope so, I really do."

TBC-please as always review!

Okay, I really hope that clarifies some things. I have a pole. I'm thinking that Aiden will help Danny out for what's left of this (I think it's almost over-short, I know). But, I want to know if Mac should crash at Stella's place. Tell me what you guys think. I'll go with majority.

I have decided to dedicate this story to my neighbor who was also murdered. This happened recently and I found it ironic that she was my neighbor and the story goes on Mac's neighbor getting murdered. Rest in Peace my friend.