Caitlin's fingers traced the old photo of her husband's family. It was a pretty shot, she thought wistfully. The backyard, picnic blanket, the boys' baseball gloves just in shot by their feet and the family…they seemed like such a solid unit in the photo; Hawke's arm was slung around his brother's shoulder and Saint John's eyes were on his younger brother; their father's arm was around their mother's waist and her hands…she had rested one on each of her sons. Solid. She checked the back of the photo. It was dated March 1962. Jane and Alan Hawke had died in April that year. She sighed and looked down at the rest of the file she had unearthed from the desk drawer.

'What do you make of it?' Michael asked her softly.

Caitlin raised her blue-green eyes to meet his. 'It looks like an old investigation file that explains Hawke's grandfather's death.' She rolled her shoulders and rubbed her eyes trying to get past the tiredness.

'Really?' Jo shifted position in the chair on the other side of the desk from Caitlin.

Caitlin opened her mouth to reply when she heard the motorbike pull up outside. 'That'll be Hawke.'

Her husband appeared a moment later bending to drop a kiss on her lips before his blue eyes narrowed at the file open in front of her. He picked up the photo immediately. 'Where did you get this?'

'It was in this file we found.' Caitlin said quietly. She tapped the folder with her finger.

'God.' Hawke slumped into the only chair left ignoring the grease marks that were smeared over the cushions. 'I vaguely remember Dom taking this.'

'Dom took it?' Caitlin asked.

'Yeah.' Hawke shrugged. 'He opened this place end of '61, I think, around the time my Grandfather died. It seemed like he was always over at our house back then but this day he'd gotten a new camera and wanted to try it out.'

'Hawke,' Caitlin began hesitantly, 'do you know how your Grandfather died?'

'What's this got to do with Dom disappearing?' Hawke asked sharply.

'A lot, we think.' Michael said.

Hawke held the other man's gaze for a moment and when it became obvious Michael wasn't going to expand on his statement, he cleared his throat. 'Mom and Dad told me he'd had an accident. That was it.' Caitlin sighed and at her despondent expression, he frowned. 'I'm guessing that wasn't it?'

'Your Grandfather was shot.' Caitlin said bluntly knowing she wasn't going to be able to sugar-coat the news.

Hawke flinched and stilled. 'Shot?'

'Single shot to the centre of the forehead. It happened when he was leaving the courthouse after trial.' Caitlin patted the file. 'This is your father's old file on what happened.'

Hawke blinked at her and took a deep breath. 'Dad went after the killer.' It was a statement.

'Yeah.' Caitlin nodded. 'He was pretty thorough. He put together a good circumstantial case against his main suspect a hit man by the name of Edward Sallis.'

'Dad was a pretty good investigator.' Hawke rubbed his chin. 'Did he get the guy?'

'Eventually,' Caitlin said, 'but it wasn't easy. Sallis was brought in for questioning and in describing how he would hypothetically killed your Grandfather, he matched what the police had been able to establish happened. But Sallis worked for the Cordelli family and they protected him, gave him an alibi for the night your Grandfather was killed.'

'So he walked.' Hawke shook his head. 'Dad wouldn't have let it alone.'

'He didn't.' Caitlin agreed. 'He and Dom went down to Florida to try and unearth some kind of evidence to convict Sallis even if it was for somebody else's murder.' She paused. 'They ran into trouble.'

'The Cordelli's ran organised crime down there.' Michael pushed his glasses up his nose. 'They still do.'

'Dom was kidnapped and your father went to rescue him.' Caitlin picked up a yellowed report; the transcript of an old conversation. 'He allowed himself to get captured by Sallis. Apparently Dom was unconscious by that time. One of the younger Cordelli brothers was also helping Sallis and because they thought they were going to kill them both…'

'They confessed about my Grandfather's murder.' Hawke murmured.

'Only what they didn't know,' Michael added, 'was that your Dad had teamed up with the FBI. He was wearing a wire.'

'As soon as they got the confession, the FBI moved in and rescued Dom and your Dad.' Caitlin said.

'And Sallis and Cordelli got put away?' Hawke asked.

Caitlin sighed. 'We don't know. The file ends with the transcript of the confession.' She passed the report to him and Hawke flipped it open.

He started to read, his mind's eye filling in the missing details…

Alan Hawke looked around the squalid basement where he was now tied to a chair; the room stank of death and urine. His blue eyes narrowed on the unmoving form of his best friend lying slumped in a chair on the opposite side of the room and his chest tightened on a wave of guilt; he'd gotten Dom into this. When he'd gotten back to the motel room and discovered Dom was missing, he had almost rushed straight to Sallis' villa in a panicked fury but then…

The forceful slap across his face snapped his focus back to the present.

Alan glared at Sallis who was grinning back at him. 'Is he still alive or have you killed him too?'

'He's alive.' Sallis confirmed.

'But not for long.' Angelo Cordelli laughed and thumped the unconscious man roughly in the stomach.

Alan came half-way to his feet even with the chair hampering him but was quickly subdued. 'You can let him go.' He said jerking his head at Dom. 'It's me you want.'

'I don't think so.' Sallis said. 'You're both the type that don't know when to keep your noses out of other people's business.'

'Elijah Hawke's death was my business.' Alan snapped. 'He was my father.'

'And it was a real shame him dying like that,' Cordelli said, 'but I can't say I was cut up; your old man didn't know what was good for him either.'

'You did it, didn't you?' Alan said. 'You killed him.'

Angelo smiled nastily. 'Now, I know I didn't kill him.' He pointed his knife at Alan. 'I was locked up in jail at the time.'

'So you ordered your pet dog…' Another slap. Alan tested his jaw and stared at Sallis. 'Touchy.'

'I think you've said enough.' The hit man growled.

'He was my father.' Alan insisted. His gaze slid to Cordelli. 'He was family. I deserve to know the truth.' He figured appealing to Cordelli's twisted sense of family honour might be the only thing that would work.

Cordelli's eyes glittered at him across the basement. 'You want to know the truth?'

'I want to know the truth.'

Cordelli gestured at Sallis. 'Tell him.'

'Angelo…'

'We're going to waste him anyway.' Cordelli said conversationally. 'Where's the harm?'

Sallis didn't look happy but it was clear that it was Cordelli who held the power. He turned to Alan. 'You were right I killed your father.'

'Because Angelo ordered you to?' Alan said.

'Because that's my job.' Sallis said.

'And yes,' Cordelli gloated, 'I told him to do it.' He aimed his two forefingers and mouthed the word bang.

Alan tamped down on his anger; he had to keep focused…if he could delay them another few moments…

'Because my Dad wouldn't be bought.' Alan said quickly. 'You killed him because you couldn't buy him.'

'Yeah.' Cordelli whistled. 'Got to admire the old man for that. Very few people remain upright in the face of so much money.' He shrugged. 'You can tell him how much you're proud of him when you're dead.' He turned to Sallis. 'I'm bored. Kill them both and get rid of the bodies.' He took a step towards the basement door and Alan lashed out with his free leg. His kick sent Cordelli sprawling across the dirty basement floor and before Sallis could react, Alan charged across the basement, the chair still tied to him and barrelled into him. They crashed against the wall and the chair smashed into smithereens. Alan found his hands were free and they clamped around Sallis' neck.

The basement door burst open.

'Freeze! FBI!'

Hawke put the report down and shook his head. 'Dom's never said anything about this to me. Ever.'

'It explains why the FBI guy was round earlier.' Jo commented.

'It explains why it was the FBI who came to visit.' Michael corrected. 'It doesn't explain why he came.'

'Do we know who he is?' Hawke asked.

'Meryl tracked down the car. It was signed out to a Peter Dawson.' Caitlin said picking up the piece of paper Meryl had handed to her. 'She's got an address for him downtown.'

'Peter Dawson.' Hawke checked the name on the transcript report and tossed it back at her. 'His name is on the transcript as the investigating officer.'

Caitlin checked. 'You're right.'

'So he must have been around to talk to Dom about something to do with what happened back then.' Hawke said.

'We need to know what that was.' Caitlin said already getting to her feet.

'Where are the two of you going?' asked Jo as the couple readied themselves to leave.

Caitlin and Hawke turned back surprise flitting across their faces as though they'd forgotten she was there.

'We're going to see this guy.' Caitlin explained.

'I'm coming too.' Jo said hurriedly getting up. 'Dom's my uncle.'

'OK.' Hawke conceded. 'But stay out of the way.' He glanced back at Michael. 'Michael…'

'I'll stay here in case someone calls and get Meryl to run down whatever she can on these guys.' Michael offered.

'Thanks.' Hawke said.

'Good luck.' Michael said.

The journey downtown didn't take long and they found themselves outside the run-down apartment block very quickly.

'Remind me never to become an FBI agent.' Jo muttered taking in the uneven paving stones and darkened littered pathway as they neared the front door. There was a single dim light on over the main entrance. 'It obviously doesn't pay well.'

Hawke ignored her comment and searched for the buzzer for Dawson's apartment in the dark recess. He found it and pressed his thumb against it leaving it there. A few minutes the security intercom crackled.

'Yeah? What d'ya want?' Anger roughened the words.

Hawke snapped his thumb off the buzzer. 'This is Stringfellow Hawke. I need to speak to you.'

'Look, buddy, it's the middle of the night…'

'Dominic Santini went missing earlier tonight.' Hawke interrupted him brusquely. 'Now let me in.'

The door beeped open and Hawke opened it fully to let the women precede him into the dark hallway.

'It's apartment 3C.' Caitlin said. They looked at the elevator with its tatty sign declaring it was out of order.

'Guess we're taking the stairs.' Jo said.

They hurried up and started down a corridor with lank brown carpet that hadn't been cleaned in years. Dawson was waiting for them at his apartment door.

He raised his eyes a little at the two women and fastened the belt on his towelling robe a little tighter as they all trooped into the tiny sitting room in this apartment. His muddy eyes met Hawke's. 'You said Santini went missing earlier?'

'That's right…'

'What time?'

Hawke scowled. 'Why did you visit Dom?'

Dawson reached for a pack of cigarettes on the table. 'I'm not here to answer your questions…'

'Actually you are.' Caitlin laid a hand on Hawke's arm before he could react to the other man. 'We're not leaving or telling you anything until we have some answers.'

Dawson sighed and sat down in an old chair.

'Why did you visit Dom?' Hawke repeated. 'We know you were the investigating agent who helped my Dad entrap Sallis and Cordelli.'

Dawson lit a cigarette. 'Yeah, I was.' His eyes flickered back to Hawke. 'You're like your old man, you know, especially the eyes,' he paused, 'and the attitude.'

Hawke glared at him.

Dawson gestured with the cigarette. 'Sallis is out on parole.'

'Sallis got parole?' Caitlin frowned. 'But he confessed to murder.'

'Yeah but he wasn't the one we wanted.'

'Cordelli.' Hawke said. 'He gave you something on Cordelli.'

'Not enough. He only rolled over on Angelo who the Cordelli's were quick to disown by killing him in prison as he awaited trial. Sallis wasn't an idiot; he didn't want to go the same way.' Dawson sighed. 'Sallis got twenty-five years for Elijah's murder. That was the deal I made with your Dad. He didn't walk completely.'

'But that would mean, he's been released early.' Jo said adding the time up.

'Good behaviour.' Dawson gave a hitching laugh. 'I've managed to get the parole board to keep him in every other time but this time…bunch of liberals.'

'So you came to warn Dom.' Caitlin said.

'Informing the victims of the original crime is SOP.' Dawson said stubbing the cigarette out.

'Why would Sallis go after my uncle Dom after all this time?' Jo said puzzled.

'Revenge.' Dawson suggested.

'For putting him away?' Caitlin frowned. 'I wouldn't have thought Dom would have played a significant part in that; he was unconscious. If Sallis was going to go after anyone I would have thought it would be Hawke's father…' Her eyes met her husband's in startled realisation.

'He took Dom because he thinks Dom will lead him to my father.' Hawke shook his head. 'But why? He has to know he's dead.'

'Maybe…' Caitlin glanced at Dawson who was staring at the ground. 'Maybe he doesn't believe it.' She crossed her arms over her chest, suddenly cold. 'It was SOP for key witnesses to organised crime to be offered witness protection back then.'

'Give the lady a big round of applause.' Dawson snapped. 'Only it went wrong.'

'The boat accident.' Jo murmured.

'Correct again. End of story.' Dawson stood up. 'Now are you folks going to answer some of my questions?'

Hawke and Caitlin exchanged a brief look.

Dawson grunted. 'Didn't think so. I'm going to get dressed and call my boss, arrange for a team to start searching for Santini.' He gestured at them. 'Leave this to us and stay out of it.'

Hawke's glare went glacial. 'Like hell.' He turned on his heel and stalked out of the room. Caitlin caught up with him half-way down the garden path.

'Hey!' She hugged him hard and was pleased when he hugged her back.

Hawke raised his head as Jo joined them.

'What now?' The blonde asked worriedly. 'He's not going to give us anymore help.' She gestured back at the building.

Hawke nodded. 'Let's head back to the office. Maybe Michael's tracked something down.' His eyes flickered back to the apartment building as they started walking to the car. 'Dawson's not going to give us the rest of the story.'