A/N: no, I haven't given up on this story. Circumstances beyond my control stopped me from updating. Including the fact that after the first chapter, it gets harder :P Anyway, it shouldn't take so long between updates again, and here's the next chapter! I hope you're still enjoying it!

'We're very sorry for your loss,' Stella said to the distraught parents of Marcy Williams, taking them into the morgue where Hawkes was waiting for them.

Stella nodded, and Hawkes pulled the sheet down from the girl's face. She had to hand it to him; he had done a good job of covering the bruises so that the parents wouldn't have to see the condition she was in. The tears that Susan had valiantly been dabbing away from her eyes suddenly fell down her cheeks, unchecked, as her husband nodded in confirmation.

'I'm sorry,' Hawkes repeated, as Stella gently guided them out of the room.

'I just need to ask you a few questions,' she told them reluctantly, seeing how upset they were.

Mac looked at them, his face stern and his mouth pulled into a thin line, as it usually did when he didn't like what he was hearing. What he was listening to were Lindsay and Danny asking to continue the case of the little girl. Or more specifically, Lindsay's arguments.

'I'm sorry Lindsay, but she didn't die,' he repeated, 'it's not our case anymore. It's attempted murder – maybe – which the police deal with. I can ask Flack to keep you updated, but that's the best I can do.' he added with a note of finality, warning her with his voice to back off.

'Why don't you work with Flack then?' Danny remarked sarcastically, who was sitting in the chair opposite Mac, his arms folded and offering his partner no support.

Lindsay scowled at him, but her phone rang before she could start again.

'That was the doctor,' she announced to no one in particular, 'she's out of surgery, and she'll be fine in a couple of days.'

'Good, so can we finish with this thing already?' Danny pleaded, halfway out the door before Mac spoke again, sounding impressed.

'You asked the doctor to call you?'

Lindsay nodded. 'We had her taken to the hospital, and I wanted to make sure she was okay.'

Mac looked from her to Danny, and back to her. He nodded. 'Why don't you work on this case until I need you somewhere else?' he suggested. He looked back at Danny as he addressed them both. 'It's for you two to decide whether you work together or not, but you're not working alone. Partner up with Flack if you need to.'

'I will,' Lindsay promised, 'thanks Mac.'

Stella came in, smiling at them as they left, and took the seat Danny had vacated. She proceeded to stare at him in silence.

Mac returned her gaze, waiting for her to speak.

'Stop that!' he exclaimed at last, 'what is it?'

Stella smiled. 'Didn't you tell your parents when you and Claire got married?'

'That's random,' Mac remarked. 'Of course.'

'Well, I just had a very interesting conversation with Marcy's parents. It turns out their little angel, who they talk to at least once a week, neglected to mention marriage. And apparently, she's changed.'

'Changed how?'

'When she went to college she was a happy, normal girl, always friendly and outgoing. About a year after she left home, she became more distant. She still spoke to them, called them, wrote letters, told them about her good progress at school, but her attitude changed. They said she started sounding more timid and afraid, as if something had happened to her.'

'This is New York,' her partner said, 'those things happen, unfortunately. Depression?'

'I think it's pretty obvious she didn't commit suicide. Possibly.'

Mac nodded, staring at the desktop as he thought about something. Stella waited patiently, having learnt it was best to wait.

'The kid wasn't far from the park,' he murmured, half to himself, remembering what Lindsay and Danny had told him about their case. 'Maybe she saw the killer.'

'You lost me at 'the kid,' Stella told him, 'why dont you ask her?'

'I'll tell Lindsay,' he agreed, picking up the phone.

'Hi,' Flack came into the office at that moment, and took advantage of Mac being on the phone to glare at Stella, who smiled innocently.

'Have fun?' she asked.

'Very funny,' he retorted, pulling out the notepad he had taken from the sorrority, 'the roomate said Marcy might have written down an appointment on that.' he explained.

'Okay, I'll check it out,' she said, waving to Mac as she got up.

'So, what did you find?' Mac asked, hanging up a few seconds later.

'Not much,' the detective admitted, 'I spoke to the roommate and her friend – she's downstairs with a sketch artist. Neither of them knew anything about her being married, so I cant find him, obviously. She made a phone call this morning to make an appointment with someone,' he continued, 'and her friend said she got a call earlier this evening to go and meet someone.'

'She doesn't know who,' Mac surmised.

'No. She said Marcy looked upset about it though, and took off in a hurry.'

'Could the two calls have been the same person? She makes the appointment in the morning, and forgets about it, so they call her to tell her to come.'

Flack shook his head. 'I don't think so. When she was making the appointment, she was excited. When she got the second call, she was scared about something. Scared enough to tell her friend to call the police if she didn't come back.'

'Which she didn't. Okay, let's see if we can find this husband.' he announced as he got up.

'Right. I'll go see if the sketch artist has come up with anything.'

'Were you serious?' Lindsay asked as she and Danny went to their lockers and started getting changed into street clothes.

'About what?'

'You'd prefer I worked with the police if I'm going to carry on with this. Are you really that uninterested?'

Danny shrugged, pulling off his jacket and stowing it away. 'The doctor might have the bullet,' he remarked, 'we need to ask him for it.'

'You didn't answer my question.'

He finally stopped what he was doing and turned to look at her. 'I guess I'm just not as enthusiastic about it as you. Of course I'll still work with you – we're partners, aren't we?'

Lindsay smiled. 'Thanks Danny.'

He smiled back. 'Anytime, Montana.'

She didn't bother to correct him. It was kind of cute how he had a special nickname for her.

She looked at her cell phone as it started ringing again.

'Mac,' she told her partner, 'he thinks our cases might have been connected, and maybe she saw the killer.'

'And he chased her and shot at her,' Danny added, 'you know what? I think I do prefer that explanation.' he teased, with a playful twinkle in his eye.

'Starting to feel that old faith in the human race coming back?'

Flack let Alyssa leave, and waited for the artist to show him what she had come up with.

'Thank you,' he said as the other man left. He looked at the picture, and frowned. 'I know this guy.'

The sandy haired, clean shaven man in his mid-thirties had worked as a private investigator for several years in another town. When his agency had had to close down, he had applied to the New York police force, where he had been for a couple of months. Let's hope he is just a friend, Flack thought to himself, having met the detective and liked him. Maybe he's still at the station.

'The top page was torn off, but she did write something,' Stella started explaining before Mac even had the chance to ask. She looked away from the telescope and smiled at his surprised look. 'What else would you have said?'

'It's two o'clock. I could have been coming to tell you to leave it till morning.'

She glanced at the brown envelope he was holding. 'And I suppose you were going to leave that ring until morning?' she asked, raising her eyebrows.

He looked down, and shrugged. 'You got me. I was going to check it for fingerprints.'

'Tell you what,' Stella suggested, 'you do your thing, I'll do my thing, and we'll talk.'

An hour later, she was waiting outside his office for him to turn off the lights and lock the door.

'It was a doctor's appointment,' she told him as they walked down the hall, 'I doubt if he'll be in his office at this hour though,' she remarked, 'unless nine till five now means nine p.m.'

'We'll have to wait for that then. So, what kind of doctor was it?' he enquired.

'Gynecologist.'

'Maybe she really was depressed then,' he joked.

'You're so naive, Mac Taylor.'

'Detective Flack,' Josh Connelly greeted when the detective appeared at his office door, 'what can I do you for?'

'Do you know a girl called Marcy Williams?' Flack askd, notbothering with niceties.

Grey eyes narrowed. 'Did something happen to her?'

Flack nodded. 'She's dead,' he told him bluntly.

'What about Alyssa and Jennifer?'

'Jennifer Philips? They're fine. Why? Are they in danger?'

Josh nodded, looking worried. 'They could be.'

'Connelly, this is a murder case.' Flack told him, 'If you know anything, we need to hear it.'

Josh sighed. 'I just need to make a call first. Sit down.' He told him, vaguely gesturing to the chair.

A/N: hope I didn't disappoint. This chapter was kind of hard to write, so I'd appreciate feedback:)

btw, I just saw this story's in a c2. I always thought the author did that... anw, that's cool :D

I like reviews! HINT HINT