It was just after eleven when Lilly finally got home. Her cats started meowing, vying for her attention. She petted them and checked her phone messages, surprised that there were messages.

"Lilly, it's Christina…" Lilly stopped half-listening and turned her full attention to the answering machine. "I'm in trouble. I'm going to come and see you tomorrow…I'm scared. I don't know what to do." Lilly sighed.

"You never know what to do," she said to the empty kitchen. "And you know what? I don't either anymore." She picked Claire's picture up off the kitchen table and studied it for a long while. She had been so perfectly innocent, a sweet, pretty little girl with her whole life ahead of her. That always hit Lilly so hard: the sheer innocence of some of the kids they'd investigated. She patted her cats one more time, gave Claire one last sad glance and went to bed, toying with the possibility of a fresh start in the morning.

The next morning there was a telephone message on Lilly's desk. "Madeline McCarthy (811-9624)," Lilly read. "Call please to arrange meeting." Lilly crumpled it up and picked up the phone. She didn't hear Scotty walk in behind her.

"Hi, Madeleine. Lilly Rush calling. Yes…any time is just fine…ten thirty?" Lilly checked her watch. "Ten thirty is great. See you then."

"Got a hot date?" Scotty teased, handing her a mug of coffee. She looked startled, then smiled.

"So do you," she retorted, taking a mouthful of coffee.

"Madeleine has more 'breakthrough information'?" he asked.

"Guess so." Lilly glanced nervously out the window. "Do we have anything new?" she wondered.

"Well, do you remember the description of Claire's bike?"

"Sure."

"Two pink and white streamers?"

"Yes."

"Grace has one."

"Of Claire's streamers?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure it was Claire's?"

"She said that 'she gave it to her'."

"Who?"

"Dunno. Claire?"

"Well…do we have the streamer?"

"It was turned in this morning."

"I wonder who gave it to her…" Lilly looked out the window again.

"What're you looking at?" Scotty followed her gaze.

"Nothing." She shook her head. "Guess we'll be interrogating Grace again, won't we?"

"Guess so. Maybe we'll get something out of her this time."

Lilly nodded, finishing her coffee. "I hope so," she said.

Stillman walked into her office. "Lil, your sister's here," he said.

Scotty looked at Lilly, who shook her head and gave him a look.

"You stay here," Stillman told Scotty. "Read over Lilly's notes again."

Lilly left her office and walked into the lobby.

"Hi, Chris," she said. "What's going on?"

Christina looked nervous and tired, and said nothing.

"Are you okay?"

She shook her head no.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm pregnant," mumbled Christina, not looking up.

Lilly shook her head. No. "By who?"

Christina's voice was barely a whisper. "I don't know," she said.

"How far?"

"Um. Four months, I think. Lilly, you have to help me."

"What am I going to do to help you?" Lilly felt lost.

"I don't know. You're good at solving problems."

Lilly tried to relax. "Christina, this isn't a problem. It's…an obstacle. Have you been to see the doctor?"

Christina shook her head.

"Stopped smoking? Drinking?"

No answer. Lilly sighed. "I'm going to phone the doctor and make you an appointment, okay? Where are you staying?"

Christina bit her lip. "At the Y."

Lilly resisted the temptation to groan. "You can't stay there. You're pregnant. That's not a healthy environment. You can come stay with me." It was a hasty decision, the only one she could think of that was safe for her future niece or nephew. "And I'll help you find somewhere permanent to live, too, okay?"

Christina nodded.

"I'll take you home."

She nodded again.

"Stay right here."

Lilly walked back into her office. "Stillman, can I talk to you?"

"Go ahead."

"Without Scotty in the room?"

Scotty got up and left.

"I need to take Christina back to my apartment. I'll be back shortly."

"Is everything all right?"

"No. But it's complicated." She felt like crying all of a sudden for some reason.

"Okay…but don't forget about your meeting with Madeleine McCarthy."

"I won't."

"And Lilly, remember that I'm always here if you need to talk."

Lilly nodded. She wanted to say something more but the lump in her throat was too big to swallow.

Half an hour later, Lilly was back at the station, acting as if nothing had happened.

"What's up?" Scotty asked.

"Nothing. Is Madeleine here?"

"It's only 9:00," Scotty said. "What's going on?"

Lilly sat down and buried her hands in her hair. "Nothing. Can I see Claire's file, please?"

Scotty handed her the box and she read the familiar words over and over. "None of it makes sense," she muttered. "Underpants over face suggest that the killer was frightened of the aftereffects of the strangulation. The bulrushes formed into a cross on her chest suggest a ceremonial killing or a premeditated death…a realization that she'd been killed. It's just so strange…it stopped making sense to me a long time ago."

Scotty nodded. "At least Madeleine might have something for us."

"Yes," Lilly agreed. She flipped through the photos again, searching for something. "Scotty?"

"Mm?"

"I'm scared this'll be our first dead end."

"Lilly, have we ever had a dead end?"

Lilly shook her head no.

"Do you honestly think you're going to let yourself come to a dead end?"

"No! Of course not." She sighed. "I'm just tired. Are we going to go see Grace today?"

Scotty nodded. "I'm gonna go get more coffee. Want some?"

"Please."

"Good morning, Madeleine. Thanks for coming down."

Madeleine looked grave. "The day after Claire…was taken, we did art."

"In school?" Lilly asked.

Madeleine nodded slightly. "And we could draw whatever we wanted…as long as it was spring related. Grace drew yellow butterflies, just like on Claire's underpants."

Lilly was startled. "Do you think…?"

"I think that whoever killed her had Grace and Marjorie with him."

Lilly and Scotty exchanged looks.

"Grace and Marjorie were Mr. March's 'pets'. They probably thought it was just a game."

Lilly and Scotty exchanged another look. "Thank you, Madeleine," Lilly said.

A/N: Brandi: Ha-ha! I'm not doing a lot of work at school anymore so I have a lot of time to write.

So THAT'S what Marjorie and Grace thought was a game…or is it:-P I'm evil!