The trees seemed to close in on them as they headed toward the lake. Senses on edge, they saw every movement, heard every sound, but nothing seemed out of place. Logan muttered, "If she is lurking around, wouldn't there be, like, a dead silence? You know, the kind of menacing silence that accompanies demons and witches."

Goren looked at him. "You watch too many movies, Mike."

Logan laughed. "I guess that would be too easy, wouldn't it?"

Coming out of the trees, they stood on the shore of the lake. The sun sparkled on the water and a cool breeze blew across from the other side. "Where did you last see her?"

"Down this way a little."

They walked along the water's edge for another few yards. Goren squatted and studied the mud. He pointed at the trail of footprints that followed the shore, disappearing into the water not far from where they were.

"What is it with her and the water?"

"I don't know." He stood up and looked around them. Then he looked out across the water. "Down that way, Mike, near the other end of the lake. There's an island. I wonder…"

"Please don't tell me you want to go out there."

"Not right now. But I think…"

He was cut off by the crack of a rifle and the thud of a bullet striking a tree near his head. Logan swore and both men dove for cover. "I think she sees us," Logan grumbled, back against a tree, gun in hand. "Where'd that come from?"

"Across the lake, over there."

Logan leaned around the tree and squeezed off a round. The bullet fired in return buried itself in the tree near his head. He exchanged an infuriated lookwith Goren. They exchanged a couple of rounds and the woods returned to silence. "There's your dead silence, Mike."

"Yeah. Thanks."

After a few minutes, the birds began singing again, and the forest returned to normal. Cautiously, they stepped from their cover. Goren didn't take his eyes from the far shore, searching for any sign of movement. There was none. "Let's get back to the cabin."

"What's the plan?"

"Tonight, we're going out to the island."

"I was afraid you were going to say that."

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Barek unlocked the door and let them in. "Well?"

"Well, she found us," Logan answered.

"Are you all right?" Eames asked, eyes searching her partner for any sign of his usual unrest. But there was none, just a firm resolve settled deep in his eyes.

"We're fine," Logan answered. He looked at Goren. "Tell them about our plans for tonight. You girls are gonna love this. We're double dating."

Goren gave him an impatient look. "There's an island at the far end of the lake. I think that's where's she's hiding out. That's why she went to the lake last night. We're going out there tonight."

Eames looked uneasy. "Shouldn't we call Deakins?"

"No."

Logan frowned. "Why the hell not?"

"Because if the place is crawling with cops looking for her, she's going to go underground again and who knows when she'll turn up, or what she'll do when she does. We're going to finish this, here and now."

'We.' Not 'I.' Eames walked over to him and kissed his cheek. He looked at her curiously, but she just smiled at him. Her partner was back, and the wedge Wallace had tried to shove between them was gone. For good.

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The sun had set and darkness was quickly descending on the cabin. Goren was on the back porch, watching the eastern sky. Eames, dressed like he was in black jeans and a black shirt, came out and sat near him. "Well?"

"Soon. There's no sign of the moon. That buys us some time."

"How close to full is it?"

"Between a quarter and full. Enough to make us visible once it rises. Are Logan and Barek ready?"

"Yes. We're just waiting for you."

He studied the woods surrounding the cabin and nodded. "Ok. If you're ready…"

She leaned forward and kissed him. "We are ready."

He smiled. "Yes, we are."

They went into the house and Logan looked up at him from where he was sitting. "Uh, we are taking the boat, right?"

"Yes, unless you'd rather swim."

"No, no, that's ok. But we're not gonna use the motor, are we?"

"Do you really want to announce our visit?"

"Not particularly."

"Ok, then. If everyone's ready, let's go."

They headed out the back door. Barek made sure the front door was locked and grabbed the keys from the desk on her way by. She hesitated for a moment. Turning back, she grabbed the cell phone from the table by the front door, turned the ringer off and slipped it into her pocket. Then she trotted out onto the back porch, closing and locking the door behind her.