He jerked awake with a start, his heart racing. "Alex?"

The voice that answered him did not belong to his wife. "I'm glad to see you slept a little."

"Mike...where's Alex?"

"I sent her and Carolyn to the store. She needed to do something more than just sit here and watch you sleep."

"She...is she okay?"

"I wouldn't call her okay but she's functioning. She called me an idiot, so I feel better."

"When did she get up?"

"Around 7:30. When did you finally go out?"

"Maybe around seven, but I was in and out all night."

"You figure anything out?"

He sighed deeply and scrubbed his face with his hands. "I'm sure she hasn't stayed in New York. She has to know we wouldn't just sit idly by and let her get away with this. She'll know we'd launch a dragnet and she's going to do everything she can to avoid it."

"Meaning?"

"She'll either head north or west."

"North to Canada?"

"Or west, where it's really easy to disappear."

"So she's going to head into the wilderness, with your kids?"

"That's why my money is on north. Things will get really hairy if she gets across the border."

"How so?"

"I don't give a shit about jurisdictions, Mike. These are my kids. Wherever she goes, I'm going after her to get them back."

"Man, I don't want to have to travel to the friggin' Great White North to visit you in the hoosegow."

"Anything happens to my kids, you might have to visit me on death row."

"You don't go to death row for a self-defense shooting."

Goren met his eyes and an understanding passed between them. Whatever went down, they would back each other a hundred percent. The front door opened and the two women came in, each carrying two bags of groceries. Goren jumped up to take the bags from his wife while Logan took Barek's from her. "I didn't mean for you to buy out the store," he grumbled.

"Mike, a kitchen should have food in it. A little more than a can of tuna and a bottle of fermented orange juice."

Eames said, "Bobby's food stock wasn't much better when he had his own place."

"Ever hear of eating out?" he replied from the kitchen.

Logan pulled a carton out of the bag in front of him. "Fresh-squeezed orange juice with high pulp and calcium? What happened to just plain old orange juice? My fridge isn't going to know what to do with all this food."

Goren's phone rang. He hurried into the living room and grabbed it from his jacket pocket, checking the caller ID as he opened it. "Goren."

The other three detectives watched him with interest. "Hey, Bobby, it's Rudy. We got a sighting for you."

"Where?"

"Connecticut. You were right. She's keeping off the beaten path. Little place called Norfolk, right near the convergence of New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts. Motel called the Shady Brook Inn. I talked to the owner myself. Blonde woman with two kids, a friendly little girl with dark curly hair and a little guy with blond fuzz. She said the little girl refused to let the woman carry the baby. She thought it was odd. She registered under the name Elizabeth Hitchens. Had a valid ID and all. They checked out at 8:30. I took the liberty of calling the locals and they're setting up roadblocks in all directions. You guys might want to head up this way."

"We'll be there as soon as we can get there. Thanks, man."

He turned and met Eames' eyes. "They were in Norfolk, CT, last night. Checked out an hour ago. We...we need to go."

Within a few minutes, they were out the door. Once underway, Goren pulled out his phone and dialed the captain's number.

Deakins.

"We have a lead. Northern Connecticut, near New York and Massachusetts. She's heading north, toward Canada. She's either going to cross into New York and head for Ontario or she'll cross Massachusetts into Vermont and head for Quebec."

I'll call the state police in both states. What are you doing?

"We're heading for Connecticut."

You and Eames?

"Barek and Logan are right behind us."

Please be careful. You know she's dangerous and I don't want those children hurt any more than you do.

"I'd kill her."

Bobby...keep your cool, please.

Goren closed his eyes. "I'll do my best, Captain."

Just remember that your children are watching. You don't want to do anything that will affect their image of you.

"I know. Alex...I trust her. Ok?"

Let me know as soon as you find out anything, and I'll do the same.

"I will."

He closed the phone. Eames glanced at him. "What?"

"He's calling the state police in Massachusetts and New York."

"What do you trust me to do?"

He looked at her. "Keep me from losing it in front of the kids."

She nodded. "You'll do fine, Bobby."

She reached over and gently ran her fingers down the side of his face. He caught her hand as it dropped away from his face, lightly kissing her palm. He rested his arm on the console between them, but did not release her hand. He leaned his head back, trying to stay calm, and he hoped that she was right.

Two local police cars were still in the parking lot of the motel when they arrived. Clipping their badges to their jackets, the four detectives went into the lobby of the motel. The two local officers were talking quietly near the coffee pot, and Logan and Barek went over to talk with them while Goren and Eames approached the lady behind the desk. She was an older lady, and she looked upset. Goren stepped aside and let Eames do the talking. "Hello. My name is Detective Eames, and this is my partner, Detective Goren. Were you working the desk when Ms. Hitchens checked in last night?"

"Yes, I was. And when she checked out this morning."

"How were the children?"

"They seemed fine. But that little girl, carrying that baby all by herself. She would not let her mother..."

"No!" Goren snapped. "That was not her mother."

Eames laid a hand on his arm; Logan and Barek looked across the room at him. "Excuse my partner. The children were abducted late yesterday. Their grandfather was badly beaten by the kidnapper."

"That nice lady? That's why there's all this fuss? Oh, my..."

Goren leaned toward her. "Were the children okay?"

She pulled back from him. Logan had crossed the small lobby and rested a hand on Goren's shoulder, leaning toward him. "Hey, man, let's go check out the room. Let Eames talk to the nice lady, before you give her a friggin' heart attack. This isn't her fault."

Goren took a deep breath and nodded. He looked at the apprehensive woman. "I'm sorry. I...what room were they in?"

"Room 104."

She set the key on the desk, pulling her arm quickly out of reach. Eames met her partner's eyes. "I'm sorry," he muttered.

She watched him leave the lobby with Logan before turning back to the woman. "Mrs..."

"Richards."

"Mrs. Richards, please let me apologize for my partner. He...he's their father, and this isn't easy for him."

The woman seemed to relax, and her eyes took on a sympathetic sheen. "The poor man. I understand now."

"Can you please tell me how the children were?"

"They seemed fine. Like I said, the little girl refused to relinquish her brother to anyone. Ms. Hitchens offered to take him, but she told her no. He was her baby."

Eames couldn't help but smile at her little daughter's obstinacy and protectiveness. So much like her father, wanting to take care of the world, and right now Tommy was her world. Also like her father, she would focus on the baby, on caring for him and keeping him safe, to deal with her own fears. She fought down the tears that suddenly sprang to her eyes. Swallowing hard, she continued, "Did you see which direction they went when they left?"

"She turned north out of the parking lot."

"What kind of car was she driving?"

"A blue one."

Great. "A big car?"

"Oh, no. Just a regular car."

"Two door? Four door?"

A pause. "Four doors."

"New? Old?"

"I'm afraid I'm not very good with cars, detective."

Eames sighed. "May I see her sign in card?"

Mrs. Richards handed it to her. "A gold '84 Malibu." Of course she wouldn't put down the actual car she was driving. And the address she put was her father's. She fought down a surge of rage. "Thank you, Mrs. Richards."

She started to turn away, but another thought struck her. "Mrs. Richards, did you notice if the children were in car seats?"

"I believe they were."

"Thank you." She held up the card. "We'll need to keep this card for evidence."

"Of course."

Eames slipped the card into the evidence bag she pulled from her pocket and stepped out of the lobby into the cool autumn day. Barek joined her. "Is he going to be able to do this?"

"Not by himself. Maybe you and I should do the interviewing and let him and Mike handle the scenes."

"Sounds like a plan. What room are they in?"

"Room 104."

Maggie reached across the back seat of the car and held her brother's hand, softly singing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star to him. Wallace looked in the rearview mirror. "Who taught you that song, Maggie?"

"Daddy did."

"You love your daddy, don't you?"

"Yes. He's my best guy."

Wallace stiffened. "I was my daddy's little girl, too."

"Where is your daddy?"

"He's dead, Maggie. He...he hurt me."

Maggie frowned. "Daddies don't hurt their little girls."

"Some daddies do. Your daddy was hurt by his daddy."

"He was?"

"Yes, he was."

Maggie frowned, not liking the thought of anyone hurting her daddy. But his own daddy? How could that be? Nicole smiled to herself. "Has your daddy ever hurt you or your brother?"

"No. Daddy wouldn't."

"What about mommy? Has daddy ever hurt mommy?"

"No. Daddy loves Mommy."

"Sometimes love just isn't enough, Maggie."

The little girl's grip tightened on her brother's hand. No...Daddy would never hurt them. Never.

Eames stood in the doorway of the room, watching the two men looking through it. "Find anything?"

Goren looked up from where he was going through the garbage can. "A few strands of M-Maggie's hair...on the pillow."

Logan looked up at the two woman and slowly shook his head. Eames walked over to Goren and squatted beside the chair, laying her hand on his thigh. "Bobby..."

He met her eyes. "I'm sorry, Alex. I really am."

"Carolyn and I will handle the interviewing, okay?"

He nodded, turning his attention back to the papers in the trash, smoothing out each crumpled piece. Eames stood up and walked over to Logan. "Mike..."

He looked up at her. "He's gonna snap, Alex. He's right on the edge."

She nodded. She saw that, too. "Eames..." There was an odd tone to his voice.

She turned toward him. He had uncrumpled a piece of paper and laid it on the desk. She walked to him and looked over his shoulder at the paper. Hello, Bobby... it began.

A/N: To the best of my knowledge, there is no Shady Brook Inn in or near Norfolk, CT.