Thanks again for the reviews! There is only one more chapter left after this one, but I am thinking of some little vignettes that may feature Danny and Katie. And I already have another idea for another Danny fic...and another new lady for him! Hope you enjoy this chapter...

Throughout history, it has been the inaction of those who could have acted;
the indifference of those who should have known better;
the silence of the voice of justice when it mattered most;
that has made it possible for evil to triumph.
-Haile Selassie

Chapter Fourteen - Full Circle

"So now Theresa Runyeon has gone missing?" Martin asked, staring up at the photo on the board. "This just keeps getting stranger."

"Neighbors say that Theresa left the house with the baby four days ago and hasn't been back since. She didn't look like she was taking a trip...didn't take anything with her but a diaper bag and her purse. Could have been any ordinary evening. Except that she never came home." Sam said, looking at the case notes on her clipboard. "There have been no charges made on her credit card, no activity in her account at the bank, and her friends seem to be genuinely concerned."

"What about family?" Vivian asked, looking over Martin's shoulder at the picture on the board.

"None in this area." Martin answered. "From what we could get out of her friends, her mother died when she was a child and she has been on the outs with her father since marrying Runyeon."

"The father could see what the daughter couldn't?" Danny asked, shaking his head.

Sam nodded at Danny and then asked, "I don't think she even knew her husband's body had been found. No one was at the house when a uniform went to inform her and she never answered her cell phone."

"Maybe she did know." Danny said, looking at the photo with interest. "Maybe we're looking at this the wrong way."

"Keep going." Jack said, recognizing the look on Danny's face.

"Well, we've been working under the assumption that Katie McNamara was the only woman in Frank Runyeon's life who would have wanted him dead. We've been concentrating on her family and his business associates. But everything we've found out about the McNamara's tells us that they've stayed on the right side of the law..."

"As far as we know." Vivian reminded him.

"Don't bother explaining that to him," Martin teased. "I think Danny lost his objectivity the minute he laid eyes on K-mac."

Ignoring Martin's comments and the smiles that appeared on the faces of his co-workers, Danny continued, "We are assuming that Theresa Runyeon didn't know what kind of man she married. What if she did? And just chose to ignore it?"

"But couldn't ignore it any longer?" Sam asked. "And then reported him missing to cover up her crime?"

"It's worth looking into." Danny said.

"We may not have to." Vivian said, something catching her eye over their heads. She nodded in the direction of the entrance to the bullpen and they all turned their heads to see Katie McNamara, Theresa Runyeon, and infamous victim's rights attorney Gloria Allred entering through the glass doors.

"Well, I guess we can take her picture down." Martin muttered under his breath. The team watched as Jack approached the threesome and they spoke in quiet whispers. Not once, Danny noticed, did Katie look in his direction.

Finally, Jack approached and said, "Theresa Runyeon is here to turn herself in for the murder of her husband, Frank Runyeon."

The bullpen became a flurry of activity and Danny took the opportunity to pull Katie aside. "You want to tell me what's going on?"

Avoiding his eyes, Katie looked around the room and answered, "Well, it looks like your team is wrapping up two cases at once..."

"Hey," Danny said gently, turning her to face him. Not caring who saw, he leaned in and asked, "This is me here."

Finally meeting his gaze, Katie said, "Theresa Runyeon was never missing. She was at Avalon for the past few days." Looking over at Theresa, she continued quietly, "He raped her."

"So she killed him." Danny said, flatly.

"She came to me, Danny." Katie said, softly. "She had no where else to go. That's why Avalon opened it's doors."

"And Gloria Allred got involved...?" Danny left his question open.

"Because I called her. She's a friend of mine." Katie finished for him.

Danny smirked. "Of course she is."

Katie couldn't hold back the grin. "We worked on some legislation together. She coached me when I testified before Congress for the D.N.A. banks..."

"You have led some kind of life haven't you?" Danny asked.

"Some days were better than others." Katie said. "I had to help her, Danny. If things had been different, I could have been her. I know the rage that drove her to do what she did. I felt it. I barely survived it." Katie's eyes filled with tears. "But I had my family to turn to. She had no one...and so she turned to me."

"And it all came full circle." He said quietly, his eyes softening as he brushed away the single tear that escaped onto her cheek. "A few nights ago? That's when the nightmares returned, isn't it?"

She nodded. "I'm sorry that I kept it from you." She whispered.

"Don't do that anymore."

"I..." Katie started to say, but he stopped her.

"I mean it, Katie." He lifted her chin with his fingers, gently forcing her to look at him again. "And it has nothing to do with our jobs. You don't have to keep this to yourself. I can take it. If you promise to trust me."