A groan from the direction of the door landed on Jessica's ears.

"Who's there?" she tentatively called out.

"In you go," a voice said as the door opened, despite the heavy boxes, and a figure was pushed into the room, falling on the floor and remaining still. The door slammed shut, and Jessica jumped. The figure on the floor simply lay there, unsurprised and unaffected by the loud banging of the door and the key turning in the lock.

"Seth?" Jessica asked, frightened, making her way toward the figure. No response.

"Seth!" she called out, falling to her knees at his side. "Seth, what have they done to you?" Clear pools collected in her eyes, and she had to force herself to focus. She gently rolled him over and lay her head on his chest, listening for a heartbeat and trying to keep the tears from spilling onto her cheeks. "I shouldn't have let you come with me. Now both of our lives are in danger."

The pools in her clear, blue eyes over-flowed and spilled, making multiple paths down her cheeks and creating a few large, wet spots on Seth's, now tattered and torn, shirt.
"Now, if I were Jessica, how would I hide clues?" Amanda asked herself aloud, making her way to Jessica's room.

But a search through Jessica's belongings proved fruitless.

"There has to be SOMETHING," she continued, another glance toward the closet.

"Sargent Malin! Where have you been?" John asked, the telephone receiver to his ear.

Christine sat, silently, eyes wide, staring at her father, trying to listen.

"Why can't you be like Grandma and have the phone turned up so loud I can hear it across the room!" she whispered to her father.

John gestured to her to be quiet, and she quickly calmed down.

"Jessica's been kidnapped," John said calmly into the phone. A short pause. "Sometime this afternoon. Christine dropped her off at Emma Donnovan's and when she went back to get her, she never came out...well, no she didn't go in and check; she's got more sense than to confront a criminal by herself!...I really think you need to get your people on this...Her salary? Probably the same as mine...No, no it's not much. What are you getting at, Sargent?...Jessica asked about it?"

"The mercedes!" Christine shrieked. "Dad! It HAS to be her!"
"One minute, Sargent," John said, pulling the phone away from his ear. "What are you talking about, Christine?"

"Emma Donnovan and her new mercedes! Even with your salary added to Mom's we could never afford that! And that huge Victorian she has---it had to have been expensive. Where did she get the money? Where else? The union funds! Jessica decided last minute that she wanted me to take her there! Right after a silver mercedes almost ran into us!" Christine was speaking quickly again, and this was the first chance she had to take a breath.

"Sargent do you and your men have plans for this evening, say, around 8?" John said, picking up the phone again.

"A ha!" Amanda exclaimed, pulling a folder from it's place on the shelf. "The police files..." She skimmed over them in search of anything Jessica may have made notes next to. "Why can't you EVER make notes, Jess?"

"Mom!" Christine said, jumping onto the bed. "Did you find anything?"

"No. I'm afraid not. Any ideas?" Amanda questioned.

"Well, we figured out whodunnit. Emma Donnovan. But then, I guess that was pretty obvious. Anyway, that's where all the money's been going. But now she's got Jessica. Do you think she'd...?"

"I don't know, Christine. You know, I'm not too sure about her. I mean, I believe she could take the money. But theft is one thing. Murder is quite another. I'm wondering if maybe she didn't have an accomplice."

"But who?"

"I'm not sure."

A moment of silence passed between the two.

"Did you find anything there?" Christine asked, indicating the files Amanda was holding.

"No. I was hoping Jessica would have made notes or something."

"Where's the other one? I'll help."

"What other one?"

"The other folder. I'm pretty sure Sargent Malin let Jessica bring home two folders of information about everyone in the union."

"That's the only one here," Amanda said, rummaging through the other things on the shelf.

Sorry about the brevity! gasp But WHO is EMMA DONNOVAN'S ACCOMPLICE! You'll just have to wait and find out. I do believe, though, that I am nearing the end of the story. It's been a pleasure to write for you all!