The next morning, Nancy was at the graveyard, watching as Ann's casket was being lowered into the ground. It had been a simple service and Nancy didn't expect the turnout that had come to pay their respects to Ann. She would have been proud to know that she was so beloved, Nancy thought sadly.

She looked around at the mourners that were at the grave site and saw faces that she knew well–Bess, George, Ned, B.D., Carson, and, of course, Thomas. He was trying to put up a brave front, but Nancy could see he was quickly losing the battle. She gave his hand a reassuring squeeze and he gave her a small, sad smile. She then stepped forward and threw a single white lily–Ann's favorite–into the grave.

When Nancy looked up, she saw a face she preferred not to see–Brenda Carlton. Here to get another story, Nancy thought miserably. She saw Brenda give her a shrewd look, as if daring her to another confrontation. Nancy ignored her and walked into Ned's open arms. She wasn't about to let Brenda ruin this. He held her close as she sobbed into his chest.

The funeral lasted for a few more minutes, as everyone threw lilies into the grave. Then mostly everyone drove over to the Drew home for the reception. Nancy had volunteered to have the reception at her house, to ease some of the burden on Thomas.

"It was a beautiful service," Bess said to Nancy.

Nancy gave her a sad smile. "Yes, it was."

"Are you okay?" Bess asked.

Nancy nodded. "I will be. Actually, I need to talk to you and George in private."

Bess and George looked at her, concerned, but they followed her into her father's study. When Nancy closed the door the immediately turned on her.

"What's going on, Nan?" George asked.

"Yeah–what's with all the cloak-and-dagger stuff?" Bess chimed in.

"I need you to do something for me," Nancy said.

"Anything," Bess and George said at the same time.

"Good–just remember that you said that," Nancy said. She took a deep breath. "I need you guys to get out of town."

"What?" Bess asked.

"Why?" George asked.

"This guy that killed Ann...we fear that he may kill again," Nancy explained.

"So, why do we need to leave?" George asked.

"Because B.D. thinks he's targeting me now," Nancy said.

"Why does he think that?" Bess asked.

"What I'm about to tell you cannot leave this room," Nancy said. When the cousins nodded, she continued, "The media doesn't know, but a chunk of hair was missing from Ann. The killer then sent it to me yesterday. I was never going to get involved in this, but he hasn't left me much of a choice."

"We can help you," George said.

Nancy shook her head.

"Why are you shaking your head? We've helped you out on a lot of your cases," Bess said.

"I know you have, but this one is different. You told me you would do anything for me, this is it," Nancy said. "You have to get out of town."

"And leave you alone to face this psycho?" George asked.

"Please don't argue with me," Nancy said. "That is the last thing that I need."

"But–" Bess began.

"Please," Nancy pleaded. "I've already buried one friend; I couldn't make it if I had to bury two more."

Seeing the tears in Nancy's eyes, the cousins couldn't say anything. They had never seen Nancy this emotional. They just looked at each other and nodded.

"We'll leave tonight," Bess said.

Nancy let out a relieved sigh. "Thank you, guys. Really...this means a lot to me."

"Do you want to know where we'll be going?" George asked.

Nancy shook his head. "It's better if I didn't." She hugged her two friends and gave a small chuckle. "We better get out there before they come rushing in, looking for us."

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It had been a good idea to go to the funeral, Dom thought to himself as he entered his tiny apartment. He had gotten to see all of the faces full of pain, the pain that he had inflicted. And he felt really good about that pain.

He didn't expect that much of a turnout and it gave him a thrill. If that many people would mourn a woman who finally gained fame for writing a book, how many would mourn his dear Katie? Oh, yes–he had already decided that Katie would die. She had to; she wasn't killed in the book, so he had to make good on that now.

And seeing sweet Katie at the funeral...wow! That provided him with the most happiness. She had even looked right at him, but at the same time didn't see him at all. And all because of that stupid girl reporter.

After seeing the look in Katie's eyes when she saw her, he knew for sure now that the reporter would have to be taken care of. She was doing nothing but making Katie miserable and she couldn't do that. That was his job.

Dom looked at the picture he had managed to grab while he was in Katie's house. She was smiling back at him with that beautiful smile. How sweet it was to let complete strangers into her home. Didn't she know any better?

He folded the picture back up and slipped it into his pocket. Now Katie would be with him every time he killed. It would be as if she was right beside him, holding his hand as took away another life.

He sat in his chair and grabbed his copy of Never Again. He had all the murders highlighted with words written in the margins–just little things he added to make things a little more interesting. The finale was what gave him the most pleasure; the finale was going to be great.

But for now, he had to concentrate on Brenda Carlton. She was the next problem to be eliminated.

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Nancy closed the door after Thomas and leaned against it. It was now nine o'clock and she was finally alone in the house with Carson and Ned.

"You did good, honey," Carson said when Nancy came into the living room.

She sat down on the couch and kicked off her heels. It felt good to finally get them off. "I know. I'm just glad I could help out Thomas."

"You've helped him out more than you realize," Carson said."I know you don't remember too well, but when your mother died, everyone wanted to help. If I wasn't so stubborn, I would have realized that and accepted the help."

Nancy gave her father a small smile. "So, are you going back to Chicago?"

Carson nodded. "Tomorrow morning. I'm too tired to make the drive back tonight."

"I actually think I'm about to call it night, too," Nancy said.

"And I guess that's my cue to leave," Ned said, standing up.

"I'm going to bed, too," Carson said. He shook Ned's hand. "I want you to keep an eye on my daughter, Ned."

"Yes sir," Ned said, shaking his hand.

Carson gave Nancy a kiss on the cheek and walked upstairs to his room. Nancy grabbed Ned by the hand and walked him to the door.

"So, why did your dad say that?" Ned asked.

"Apparently B.D. talked to him today," Nancy grumbled. "Remind me I need to thank him for that."

Ned laughed. "I'll be sure to do that. So, did you get a chance to talk to Bess and George?"

Nancy nodded. "They're leaving tonight. I told them not to tell me where they were going. I thought they would be safer."

"It's a good plan," Ned agreed.

"I still wish that you would listen to me, though," Nancy said, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"Not gonna happen, Drew. You're stuck with me until the end," Ned said, hugging her.

"Glad to know that, Nickerson," Nancy said, smiling.

Ned smiled down at her and their lips met in a kiss.

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Brenda Carlton was glad to be off of work. She walked out of the offices of Today's Times, the local newspaper that was owned by her father, Frazier Carlton, and let out a huge sigh of relief She was the last one out of the office, having put her finishing touches on the follow-up story on Ann Granger. A story that had given her national headlines and notoriety.

She knew she probably shouldn't have shown up at the funeral, but a reporter never got her story by sitting on the sidelines. And so what if Nancy didn't like it? It's not exactly as if she was supplying her with a vast amount of information for stories. And she didn't miss the hurt on Nancy's face when she had seen her at the funeral. And while a tiny bit of her felt bad, the other was happy to know that she was hurting Nancy. They had never gotten along anyway, so why should she care if she hurt her feelings now?

Brenda walked out to the employee parking lot and spotted her candy apple red sports car her father had given to her for her twenty-first birthday. It was her baby–she took great care of it, bringing it in for it's regular check-ups.

Brenda stopped when she thought the heard the faint shuffle of a foot behind her. She turned around, but saw nothing. It's okay, Brenda. You're mind is just playing games with you.

She reached into her purse and grabbed her set of keys. She still couldn't chake the feeling that someone was behind her. Just as she was putting the key into the lock, someone rushed her and pushed her against the car. Brenda let out a scream and let her purse fall on the ground.

"What do you want? Brenda demanded. "My car? Take it! I have money in my wallet!"

"I don't want anything you can give me," the man said.

"Wha-What do you want?" Brenda asked. What was with this guy?

"You shouldn't have upset Katie like that," he said.

Oh, great...a disgruntled fan. "Katie? Who's Katie?"

"You know who Katie is," he said softly.

Brenda watched out of the corner of her eye as he pulled something from his pocket. It was a rope.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Just taking care of a problem," he said. He looped the rope around his hands and pulled it taut.

He's going to strangle me! Brenda realized. She tried to struggle out of his grasp, but he held her firmly against the car with his body.

Her strangled screams could be heard echoing in the chilly night.

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Author's Note: And now another murder...If you were a fan of Brenda's, then I am sorry. But I, personally, never could stand her and I guess in my own twisted way, this was my chance to get rid of her. I'm bad...I know. But Dom saw her as a problem for Nancy, and he doesn't like problems. I also had someone comment that there wasn't enough Ned in the story and they are right. But in the genre category, I never said this would be a romance. I have Ned in the story, which is something that I don't do. But this is Nancy and Dom's story.

It was also said that Nancy and B.D. were flirting with each other too much, and really, they're not. They are just good friends with a respectable work relationship. They like to joke around and keep things as light as they can. I have always liked the character of B.D. from the Nancy Drew Files, and I just wanted him to be included in this one. But I am glad that you are telling me your thoughts and your suggestions. They are very helpful to me!

Also, it will be a few days before I can get another update out because I am going to my best friend's to help her paint her house. Also, I will be starting college on Monday, so that means it will take me a little longer to get chapters out. But I will keep updating!