Disclaimer- They still belong to Tailwind productions. I promise we'll return them when we're through.

Author's Note- To everyone who has reviewed so far thank you very much. A special thanks to VampyreHeart for her assistance with this fic. Also to Joel and GoddessofSnark for the suggestions.

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As Jordan and Nigel worked on piecing together the rest of the skeleton, Wren measured the skull and set the parameters for the computerized reconstruction. They were all absorbed in their tasks when Garret stopped in to check their progress and deliver some bad news.

"Wren, the press has gotten wind of the find and your name. We've had numerous calls for a statement." He told the blonde.

"Probably Cassidy, that twerp would do anything to garner publicity for the University." Wren pushed a hand through her hair. "Don't tell me, Slokum wants me to be the talking head on this one, right?"

"You've got it." Garret continued, mimicking Slokum's pompous manner of speech. "Dr. Slokum feels that your prestige and expertise will reassure the public and press."

"Said it just like that too, didn't he?" Garret nodded and Wren continued, fuming. "That pompous, arrogant, little toad. He wants to parade 'his' prize expert to the cameras and score political points from my reputation. You can tell that Napoleonic little ass that I am no one's media whore." Wren leapt from her chair, a dark purple fire burning in the depths of her eyes. "Never mind, I'll tell the pretentious bastard myself."

Nigel stopped her before she reached the door, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Wren luv, pointing out Dr. Slokum's professional faults isn't going to serve any purpose and just might get you uninvited to the party." He turned her toward the door leading to the exit. "Why don't we have a bit of air before you beard the lion, shall we? I'll buy you a cappuccino and an eclair."

"Are you trying to bribe me with chocolate?" Wren grinned up at him.

"Depends. Is it working?" Nigel laughed pulling her closer.

"I'll let you know after the coffee and pastry." Wren looked back at Garret. "Push enter on that, will you Garret? The computer can start the program while I overcome the desire to strangle Slokum."

As Nigel and Wren walked through the door, she said to him, "You know there's a lot I'll do for chocolate."

"There's a lot you'll do with chocolate, sweet bird." Nigel's voice floated back into the room.

As the door swung shut Garret and Jordan traded a look.
"I don't think I want to know." Garret said.

"There's such a thing as too much information." Jordan agreed.

Several hours later, Wren and Nigel sat waiting for the computer to finalize the facial reconstruction. Sarah, Garret, Jordan and Woody stood behind them, as anxious to see the final results as they were.

"Here it comes." Nigel announced to the room at large as the image loaded up on the overhead screen.

There was very little sound as they contemplated the lovely face of a young woman approximately eighteen to twenty years old with long blonde hair. The hair length and color were based on samples found with the skeleton.

"I'll call Slokum." Wren broke the silence as she reached for the phone.

A minute after she'd hung up the phone; Jack Slokum entered the room and stopped short when he saw the image on the screen.

"My God." He said paling visibly. "That's Mary Barrett."

"Who?" Jordan asked.

"Mary Barrett. I dated her before leaving for college. She disappeared almost thirty years ago. Her family assumed she'd run off with some musician she'd been dating." He touched the screen and whispered. "Mary."

Wren moved from her seat and slid it behind the obliviously upset man. Sarah gently guided him to it. Slokum may have caused significant distress for her friends but he was in pain and Sarah couldn't help but feel sympathy for him.

"Tell us about Mary's disappearance, Jack." Sarah asked gently.

"Well I wasn't there, I came home on summer break the next day, but the last time anyone I know of saw her was in May of 1978. She left her friend Carol's house with this guy she'd been dating, Mike something or other. He played in a bar band in Cambridge." He looked at the screen again. "Her mother was devastated, she always wondered why Mary never wrote her. Now we know, don't we?"

"Do you know where her parents are now?" Garret asked. "If we can get a DNA sample from them, we can confirm the Id."

"I'm not even sure they're still alive, Garret. I do have a photograph of her in an album in my office. We can use the imaging program to overlay the image onto the skull and get a more solid identification, until we can find her parents or sister." Slokum volunteered.

Something about the way Slokum was behaving seemed odd to Wren, but as she looked at her friends' faces no one appeared to share her skepticism. She assumed it was her dislike of the man, until she noticed the way Jordan narrowed her eyes when Slokum mention the picture and Nigel's quirked eyebrow. She looked at Jordan and tilted her head toward the door; Jordan nodded imperceptibly.

"I'm going to check on those X-rays." Jordan said as she left the room.

"I need to call Dr. Williams at the site and tell him I'll be unavailable for the rest of the week, at least." Wren grabbed the first plausible excuse and headed for the door. "Nigel, would you see if you could get started with Dr. Slokum's picture?"

"No problem." He answered heading out right behind Jordan.

Wren caught up to Jordan in her office. Nigel was already looking at a photo in his hand.

"Does this smell funny to you two?" She asked, sinking into Jordan's couch.

"Bloody bizarre." Nigel responded.

"Very. Our skeleton just happens to be Slokum's old girl friend whom he just happens to still have a picture of after 27 years. Too hinky." Jordan pulled the skull films out of the envelope the x-ray tech had left on her desk and held one up to the light. "Well there is no calcification around the skull fracture and it is really extensive. I'd say she died of blunt force trauma."

Wren looked at the film over her shoulder. "I wouldn't bet against you. So what do we do about Slokum? I think he's got something he's hiding."

"Do you think he could have done it?" Jordan asked.

"Nah, I just think he knows more than he's letting on for whatever reason." Wren dismissed the man as incapable of committing murder but not of hiding some knowledge of the crime.

"Then I say we keep our eyes and ears open and find out who killed Mary Barrett." Jordan said.

"I'll find Mary Barrett's social security number and track for activity since 1978." Nigel said heading out for his computers.

"And hope there aren't anymore surprises waiting." Wren added as Woody came down the hall and into the room.

"You spoke too soon, Wren. They just found two more skeletons on Walingford Green. Who's going with me?" Woody asked.

"Are you kidding, we both are." Wren answered as Jordan reached for her site bag.

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A/N- Please read and review, it makes us so happy.