The drive to Idaho Falls was far easier on Tuesday morning due to familiarity, but Greg and Samantha were dragging a bit for lack of sleep. And for Chris and Rita, there was an awful lot of anxiety mixed in. For the first time since they left Portland last Thursday - it seemed like weeks ago now - they felt uncertainty and even danger creeping into the operation. The call they received had been a shock, and from her perspective in the passenger's seat, Rita felt very fortunate to not have completely blown their cover. Her romantic time with Chris had completely worn her out, making her more prone to mistakes.

Just as they had already decided, there was no sexual activity, but in all other ways, her partner had once again driven her absolutely crazy, and she had returned the favor. Any potential eavesdroppers were probably red-faced by what they heard. The halter dress she bought had really done a number on him - he was all over her! By the time they left the living room and raced to the bed, her wish had come true - Chris was panting for her - and it thrilled her. But she was panting even more, and her mind was numb to everything but his lips, his tongue, and his hands.

So when she tried to wake him after hanging up the phone, Chris simply groaned and again wrapped his arms around her, his hands sliding down her back and coming to rest on her bottom where that gorgeous, naughty black dress ended. His lips found hers and then moved to her cheek and neck, causing those feelings to start in her again. "Will this be round two...or round three?" he breathed into her throat. A part of her wanted to continue, but everything had changed with a ten-second phone call, and she pulled away.

"No, Christopher, this is serious. Wake up! We've been made!" she whispered.

Chris turned all business. He sat up, rubbed his eyes, and answered quietly, "Are you sure?"

"Yes! The person that just called asked if I was Rita Lance."

Chris took a deep breath and hung his head.

Rita misunderstood his actions and responded angrily. "Chris, don't you dare blame this on me!"

He touched her arm. "Sam, it's not your fault. I would never blame you. You are much better at undercover work than I am. I'm just thinking." He paused for a few seconds. "Ok. Clearly, whoever it was knows we're staying here. They probably called the main line and asked the front desk for the Greg or Samantha, since no one here knows who we really are."

They quietly worked through possibilities, starting with the people who knew Chris and Rita were in Jackson. Captain Hudson, but there was absolutely no way he would call. Same for Harry and anyone with Palm Beach PD, and other than a few Federal Agents, that was it. Then they moved to those who knew about the Stones. It was a larger list - some airline folks, car rental guy, hotel staff, lady at the clothing store, courier that picked up the payment for the clothes, Hearts of Love staff - but none of those people knew about the operation, so none of them would have any connection to them as detectives.

There was silence as they both worked back, then Chris gasped, "Wait, the hotel back in Portland...Palm Beach PD had an agreement with them..."

Rita shook her head and whispered, taking no chances and assuming the walls were listening, "No, Chris. We made those reservations for us, but said nothing about the Stones. No one at the Embassy should have any knowledge of our cover."

"Man's voice or a woman?"

Rita gave it some thought. "It sounded like a woman wanting to sound like a man."

"Hmm...yeah, or it could have been a man wanting to sound like a woman sounding like a man." He exhaled, his frustration evident. "We were so close - this close!" he said, holding his thumb almost against his index finger. "Wait. Could it be just random chance, maybe there's another Rita Lance someone was trying to call and just happened to...?"

His idea dried up when she simply cocked her head and gave him her 'you-can't-be-serious' look. "Yeah," he conceded, "not very likely."

Rita leaned in close to him, speaking just above a whisper, and her scent captured him again. That Two-Kiss perfume was incredibly intoxicating, and her nightwear was a major distraction. He had never seen her look as gorgeous as she did right now, with her hair messed up and her makeup smeared a bit from their earlier activities. She was so beautiful. He couldn't tell her, but that time rolling around in bed with her was, to this point, just about the best night of his life. If Harry had seen or even heard one second of it, he would be grabbing at his heart and reaching for a pill bottle! Chris knew why every unmarried male officer in the Palm Beach PD was jealous of him, and he loved it...

"...are our two options." Rita paused, waiting for him to speak. "Christopher?"

Chris stared blankly at his partner before his eyes fluttered. "Huh? What? I'm sorry, could you repeat that? Uh...it's three-fifteen."

She slapped his arm lightly, "Wake up and get with the program! I said we can either move forward like nothing happened, or we somehow get in touch with Hudson."

Chris got his bearings back. "Now I'm worried the hotel is being watched. If we leave to visit Hudson now, we risk being marked. Whoever it is knows they just called. If they see us leave, they'll know we know they're onto us, and the gig is up. We become targets. If we even turn the lights on right now, someone might notice. We can't call from this phone, just in case. So in my thinking, Hudson is out."

Rita thought, "Whoever it was may just be fishing. Somehow, somewhere - I have no idea how - someone made a connection and they wonder if the Stones are impostors, so they're probing. I didn't give anything away by telling them they had a wrong number and hanging up. Anyone getting a call like that at 3am would do what I did. So if we act as though we think it was just a wrong number, whoever is on the other end may think they're mistaken. What do you think?"

"I think I'm wishing we had access to our firearms, and I think you're spot on, Rita. That's our best option for now. And I'm going to be very watchful as we drive over this morning - that's when the other two officers got hit. Regardless, at tonight's meeting with Hudson, we're going to have to tell him what happened. At the very least, someone is questioning our cover. If something goes way wrong and we held back important information, it'll be his neck and ours in the noose with the Feds."

"Agreed."

"Ok, so for now, you're still Samantha Stone and I'm still Gregory. We play this out, but keep our wits about us."

"Yep."

"Then come here..." Gregory Stone pulled Samantha to him.

She started to pull away. "No, we need to go back to sl...Gregory...!" she grunted as Greg ran his tongue over that spot on her neck, just below and behind her ear - the spot that drove her mad - and then repeated it several times. Samantha's breathing deepened and her desire for sleep began to fade, giving way to a more pressing need. She lightly moved her fingernails across his chest. He moved to kiss her chin, and then nibbled it lightly with his teeth before moving down to her neck. He planted soft kisses with his lips and tongue, savoring the taste of her and mixing in an occasional gentle bite with his teeth, drifting lower on her exposed skin. His hands roamed down her naked back, then up again to her neck where the dress was tied, causing goosebumps on her arms and legs. It was exquisite torture - every move he made and every place he touched was perfect. Her body relaxed - Greg was strumming it back to that place again - and she moaned quietly, warming to him and desperate for greater pleasure..."Ok," she panted again, her arms on his shoulders and hands clasped behind his neck, "maybe just a few minutes..."

An hour later, she collapsed on her husband, her chest heaving against him and his fingers tracing random patterns across her back, which was flushed and moist with sweat. He pulled the covers over her before closing his eyes and whispered, "I love you, Sam."

"Love you, baby..."

They arrived in Idaho Falls at 8:45, after driving from Jackson without incident. Given what had happened to officers Winston and Sebring, the two detectives were very mindful of traffic around them. One car stayed behind them for nearly thirty miles, but eventually passed and turned off in front of them as they drove through a little town called Palisades.

They were a bit early for their appointment, so they used the extra time to stop at the Wal-Mart and purchase a baby seat. Samantha laughed at her husband, fumbling around trying to install it without bothering to even peek at the instructions. After watching him struggle and grunt through the process, she pulled him out of the back seat, handed him the paper she took out of the box, pointed and said, "Here, read these two paragraphs out loud."

Three minutes later, as he finished reading, she had the device secured snugly in place. Samantha got out of the car and looked at her husband. He shrugged his shoulders and quipped, "I just about had it figured out, and I definitely would have done it faster if you were reading."

She shook her head and got back in the front seat, mumbling, "Chauvinist pig..." Gregory laughed and fired right back, "But I'm the chauvinist pig you love, remember?"

"We're going to be late, Gregory. I hope you drive faster than you install car seats."

Heidi greeted them again as they walked through the doorway of Hearts of Love. "Good morning! How are you both today?"

"A little tired, but alright," Samantha said simply.

Heidi looked at Greg, who snickered and said, "Yeah, I think I'm just a little too much man for her..."

His wife backhanded him in the stomach in mock anger, "Gregory! I was right - you are a pig! Is this what you're going to teach our son?"

"That and a whole lot more, Sam."

"Ok, you've just been fired from all educational duties with our children." Turning to Heidi, she said, "Pay no attention to Cro-Magnon man here. He's a little full of himself and clearly overestimates certain...abilities. Actually, we had a wrong-number call at 3am."

Heidi laughed, playing into Gregory's insinuations. "Oh, so 'a wrong-number call' is the term you older folks are using now...?"

Gregory smiled and winked at Heidi, earning himself another jab in the ribs. Samantha shook her head, "Ok, that's pretty funny, but we really did get a phone call in the middle of the night, and it took a while to get back to sleep." Clearly, it was time to change the subject. "So - it was nice to bump into you yesterday afternoon. Your boyfriend seems really pleasant."

"Thanks! I really like him. He's great. Once the adoption is complete, how long do you plan to stay in Jackson? Or are you staying at all?"

Sam looked at her husband, who answered. "We'll be here tomorrow - of course - and we'll stay Thursday, then maybe fly out Friday. I don't know, maybe Saturday. I really want to ski again and the hotel is happy to keep charging us for the room. We haven't purchased return-flight tickets because we weren't sure how long we were staying."

Samantha smiled and added, "And once we get back to Portland, I'm on maternity leave for eight weeks to be with Daniel - his name will be Daniel James - and Gregory took next week off. So we have a bit of flexibility."

Heidi hesitated before continuing. "That's great. I was just thinking, you know, just an idea, and it's alright if you say no, but maybe Alex and I could meet you for dinner. Maybe Thursday night...? I'm heading to Jackson again."

Greg said, "I don't see why not. We'll see how everything plays out the next few days."

Both of them were a little concerned about the one-on-one interviews, but actually, they were very straightforward. A woman named Susanna who looked to be about thirty-five conducted the interviews and each only lasted an hour. Samantha had to discuss her early marital troubles again, but the counselor said the separation was too brief for concern, especially given the strength of their relationship now.

Heidi Pressley conducted her own interviews, talking with each of them a little while the other was back with Susanna. She was still trying to figure out if the Stones were actually police officers from Palm Beach. She had the page from the newspaper in her purse, and she thought about showing it to them, but decided against it. She had wrestled with it much of the night, trying to figure out if the picture and the people were the same. It seemed far too coincidental to be otherwise. It would be one thing if one of them looked like the picture in the paper, but both of them? That seemed far-fetched.

Samantha Stone had mentioned their hotel, so Heidi got up the nerve to call. She waited until almost three in the morning, figuring they would be asleep and a phone call at that hour would catch them completely off-guard. If ever they would reveal their true identities, it would be then. When Samantha answered the phone, however, nothing seemed out-of-place with her response. There was no hesitation, no stumbles. It was just the typical 'you-have-the-wrong-number-goodbye' that any person would get when misdialing in the middle of the night.

But more than the 'could-it-be' question was the 'how-come'. Why would two police officers travel all the way to Idaho to adopt a child? Why would they assume the role of a married couple to do it? How could they possibly pass through all the background checks with completely false identities? She thought about it as she filed some papers. Option one was that the people in the paper just looked almost identical to the Stones but were altogether different people - the most likely option. Option two was that they were police officers and they didn't want anyone in Palm Beach to know they were adopting a child. It made no sense to her, but was theoretically possible. Option three was that they were police officers and they didn't want anyone here to know who they were. If that was the case, then something bigger was going on.

She decided it was a mystery. There were forces at work here beyond her, in places of power that she would never touch, and this mystery needed to be solved. Like the characters in the Robert Ludlum novels that lined her apartment bookshelf, she was the person thrust into the middle of a conspiracy with no way out except for her wits and smarts. Step one was easy, and she would execute it tonight...

After breaking for lunch, Greg and Samantha were allowed to spend nearly three hours with their baby. As they held him for the first time, Susanna gave them his background. "Daniel James was born the nineteenth of February in a little village about an hour north of Seoul, South Korea. Twenty inches long and eight pounds, two ounces. His birth mother is single and just fourteen, and her parents were not going to allow her to raise a child when she hadn't even finished the equivalent of our high school. They forced her to put the baby up for adoption. There are no drug or alcohol issues with the baby - the mother was completely clean." She paused before continuing. "As of this morning, he is twenty-one inches long and is up to nine pounds, three ounces. He's not missing any meals, that's for sure," she added with a smile.

The time with Daniel James was precious for the two doctors. They took turns feeding him a bottle before laying him on a blanket on the floor. For a while, they watched his eyes roam around and his little arms and legs wiggle. Sometimes his mouth would open and his tongue would pop out, or he would make little squeaks and sounds. Gregory put his index finger in Daniel's hand and felt his little grip, as tight as a five-week-old could manage. He lightly rubbed the baby's forehead, feeling the black peach-fuzz hair, looking into his dark eyes, and whispering, "See, you have hair just like your dad's..." As they sat the floor, Samantha put her arm around her husband, fighting back tears and watching his interaction with their son.

Before long, Daniel's eyes began to droop and he yawned. "Someone's getting sleepy," Samantha said with a smile as she picked up. She took him to the changing table, got him in a clean diaper, and sat down to rock him. Ten minutes later, he was asleep and she squeezed him lightly and looked at Gregory, "I think our son is making himself right at home." He walked over and kissed her forehead, then kissed the baby before she laid him in the crib. She turned and hugged Susanna. "Thank you so much for all you've done. I'm so happy - we both are." Her voice was cracking and she turned away quickly.

They met with Bill, their caseworker, just before they left. He reminded them of the final part of the process. "Tomorrow, if you're here at nine, we'll complete the final paperwork and adoption forms, and that's pretty much it. As you know, the final fee is fifteen thousand dollars, and you can pay with credit card or a certified check. And that point, you have a new addition to your family. Are there any other questions you have for me?" When the Stones shook their heads, he finished up. "Then we'll see you again tomorrow morning. Drive sa...oh! Have you purchased an infant seat for the car? If so, I need to come out and confirm you have installed before you go. Then we're done for today."

Heidi told them to have a good day as they walked by, adding quietly, "Keep Thursday night in mind. I know you'll have been parents for only a day, but if you can..."

Three hours later, Chris and Rita were seated at a pub table with Captain Hudson and three other men. One was the squad leader in charge of the team that was moving against the adoption agency in the morning. The two other men were assault team members. There were six bottles of beer standing on the tabletop, but they had barely been touched. Instead, there were several sheets of paper, some markers, and a larger, laminated diagram of the interior of the Hearts of Love building, showing the rooms and halls. There were brown circles for people, blue circles for the computers, and little plus signs showing cameras.

Captain Hudson was speaking, looking at Chris. "...and I drew up a larger diagram of the space based on your napkin drawings. First, with the blue markers, you and Rita need to add anything we've missed."

"The counselor - Susanna - is definitely female, and we didn't see any new faces from yesterday. Is that right, Chris?"

Lorenzo nodded. "When we walked by the nursery, there were just three babies. The baby girl was gone, so maybe she went out yesterday, but I didn't ask."

After they marked up the diagram, Hudson rolled the red marker to the assault leader, whose last name was Montross. As the marker rolled toward him, Chris put his hand out and stopped it. "Hang on, Cap, we might have a problem. Rita?"

"Yeah, our phone rang at three this morning. I answered it and someone asked for 'Rita Lance'. I was only half-awake, but all I told the voice was they had a wrong number and to leave us alone. Then I hung up."

Captain Hudson sat back in his chair, frustration starting to build. "And you're just telling me this now?" He shook his head. "I think this changes everything!"

"I'm not so sure, Cap. Rita and I talked it through after the call and it's possible that someone has made a connection between the Stones and us, but only suspects something. The phone call may have been a test. If whoever-it-was knew for sure, they wouldn't need to call. Like the two officers before us, they would simply try to kill us at some point. We think our cover is still intact, but somebody is closing in and definitely knows too much. We didn't contact you because we figured doing that at three in the morning was a sure way to blow our cover if anyone was watching."

The Captain squinted at them. "I can see that. So what do you want to do?"

"Chris and I are comfortable playing this out. We got no indication anyone at the agency is in the know, so we're brave enough to press on. I think we would like to have firearms in the car for the drive over tomorrow, just in case. But regardless, we move forward."

Captain thought for a moment. "It's a 'yes' to firearms for you, but they stay in the car under the seats. If you take them into the building tomorrow and they're discovered, you're history. Don't take that risk. I have a bad feeling someone in that agency somehow put things together. If so, you could be in terrible danger! Keep your wits about you. We would rather blow this case than lose two more officers. And if you discover anything else about this between now and tomorrow morning - and I mean anything - I have to know." He looked hard at both of them. "I'm serious. If you get back to the hotel and the carpet fibers aren't the way you left them...?" He pointed at himself. "Dr. Jenkins gets a call."

"We got it, sir. We call a meeting with Dr. Jenkins." Chris smiled and rolled the red marker to Montross.

He laid out their plan, drawing on the diagram as he spoke. "We have fourteen men, broken into teams of eight and six. We will arrive in two unmarked vans around 11:30am. We will park two blocks apart, so that we sort of flank the building and maintain a greater element of surprise. We will be ready to move at 12:00am, but will wait to see you exit the building with the baby. That will be our queue. The eight-man team will move in through the front door to secure the inside of the building, walking that hallway and clearing the rooms from front to back. The six-man team will quickly surround the building, to watch windows and doors for potential escapees. Since we suspect two officers have already been killed, we assume that they are armed and dangerous and we are prepared to use lethal force if necessary. Our team is fully aware of the nursery and I will personally be in charge - with one other man - of securing that area and getting any infants in there to safety. We want to secure the building in three minutes. Hit hard, hit fast, as little shooting as possible. Any questions?"

There were none. "Once we've dealt with anyone that can shoot back, we'll confiscate computers, files, papers, everything we can get our hands on. Captain Hudson says there's a bigger operation to break up and all that stuff may help."

"Absolutely. As much of that as we can grab." Taking a sip from his bottle, he looked at his two former employees. "Ok, think about this a bit, tear it apart in your minds, and find any holes. You're the ones inside that place just before this all goes down, so it's your butts. You happy with the plan?"

Rita thought for a minute or two, before nodding to Chris. "I'm good. You?"

"It's feels a little abrupt, but that's only because it's coming tomorrow. This plan is as good as any I could do." He looked at Montross. "When we come out, you strike. That will be good." He looked at his partner before continuing. "If we're not out by 12:15, I think you can assume something has gone off the rails. Come in hard and fast. If we're alright, we'll know that and do what we can to help while not getting shot up." Rita nodded in agreement.

Greg and Samantha decided to spend the evening in the hotel room. They were tired and a bit nervous about the completion of the adoption. All the frustration, the heartache, the separation, everything would be over in eighteen hours. They desperately hoped everything went well through this final phase, and then they would have their little miracle.

The two detectives were also a bit nervous, though for entirely different reasons. They took the twenty-minute drive from Jackson to Teton Village as an opportunity to talk through the plan as partners. Rita drove as she spoke, wrapping up their discussion. "Our first priority is to stay alive, Sam, but right with it is the need to get the babies out safely. We need to protect them. You think the other guys will shoot back? They seem to be caring, loving people. You think we have this all wrong?

"Don't second-guess this, Rita. It will make you tentative. The Feds believe they have enough to move, and our job is just to facilitate that. The courts will determine their level of guilt. We do our part and let the system work it out." He paused. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, just a few nerves."

Chris smiled at Rita and she looked at him. She focused on the road for a bit, but still felt eyes on her. She glanced his way again - he was still looking at her. "What?"

"I don't know, just double-checking. We've been at this almost a week. It ends tomorrow and then we head back to real life after everything wraps up. It kind of feels like a play we've been scripted into and now it's the final act. You ready for normal life again?"

She paused. "I think so."

"Yeah, me neither."

"What do you mean, Chris? You don't want to go back home? Warmth? Sunshine? Blue skies?"

"I guess, but you don't sound all that convinced, either. The whole 'domesticated doctor's life' in this place definitely has its appeal. I can see why people love it. And when you have a great wife..."

Rita cocked her head as she waited for the red light to change. "Christopher, are you saying I've been a good wife to you?"

"No, you haven't been good at all." She opened her mouth to protest, but he continued. "You've been great! If my wife was like you, I think I could be happily married."

She laughed and touched his arm. "That's very sweet, Sam. I will say a husband like you would definitely have its advantages."

"Such as...?"

"I don't know...um...you were really good with the baby today. That was great. You're considerate. You have good taste in women's clothing. You have dangerous hands and lips..." Chris laughed aloud. "...You're a terrible skier..." she paused, "...but mostly, I would never have to wonder if you loved me, because I think I would always know."

Chris took her hand and kissed it before looking out his window. "Yes you would, Rita. Yes you would..."

Greg and Samantha walked through the doors of the lodge and headed up to their room. They were just getting ready to order dinner when their phone rang. Greg gave his wife a puzzled look and she shrugged, "Hope it's not another wrong number..." as he picked up the receiver.

"Hello?" He listened. "Really? Uh, sure, tell her we'll be down in a minute." He hung up. "Heidi Pressley is at the front desk and wants to talk to us."

The three of them walked from the lobby to the library area and sat down. Samantha smiled, "This is a surprise. You visit Alex again?"

"Actually, no. Alex doesn't know I'm here tonight. I need to ask you something." She paused before continuing, looking at each of them. "Are you police officers?"

Chris Lorenzo and Rita Lance had found their early-morning caller... they now knew the 'who', they just didn't know the 'how'.

Gregory smiled. "Nope. We are doctors. When I was little, I wanted to be a cop, but I ended up a pediatrician. Sam is an anesthesiologist. Her specialty is putting people to sleep." He laughed and his wife squinted at him and opened her mouth to say something, but Heidi continued.

"Yeah, um, ok. A little bit about me. I've lived in Idaho Falls for about three years, but I was born and raised in Boynton Beach, Florida. My parents and younger brother David live there. David is something of a super-stud athlete and he's going to be a star and make a huge amount of money and I'm living in the middle of nowhere making thirteen-fifty an hour." She rolled her eyes. "But anyways..."

"My parents can't wait for him to make it big, and they like to remind me of it all the time. So they send me all the newspapers that have articles about him, interviews with him, you know..."

"Well, a couple weeks back, mom sent me the monthly package of 'David Pressley worship', mostly the Palm Beach Post, and in there, I ran across this..." she paused to pull a page from her purse that she unfolded and handed to them. "On the other page was a big interview with David, but on the opposite page here..."

There was no denying the image, nor the headline. Chris and Rita were looking at a picture of themselves under a headline that read 'Palm Beach Officer Honored for Saving Partner's Life'. Chris eyed the article that began, 'Sergeant Chris Lorenzo is the latest recipient of the Palm...', but there was no point reading it. He had never seen this piece - he didn't know it had even made the papers - but he knew what it would say. Rita knew as well.

Heidi looked at the article with them for a minute before speaking. "That's you, isn't it? You are cops."

Chris' mind was running at warp speed, trying to think of an angle, but Rita ended the ruse a moment later. "Yeah, Heidi, you're right. Grego - no, Chris and I are officers with the Palm Beach Police Department. We're on assignment here."

Heidi laughed, "Hah! I was right! When you first walked in the office doors, you looked vaguely familiar, but I didn't know why. I kept trying to figure it out. I went home last night and happened to thumb through this paper again...bingo! I called you early this morning, but when you answered, I started to think I was wrong. I was going to tell your caseworker, that's Bill, but decided to talk to you first. Tell me what's going on."

Chris looked at Rita, who shrugged - keeping the truth from Ms. Pressley would only make her more curious, more likely to talk, and more likely to blow everything up.

Chris looked Heidi in the eye and spoke quietly but very sternly. "What we are going to tell you is part of a Federal case. You seem really nice and we like you, but you breathe one word of this to anyone - Alex, your mom, your stuffed dog at home - and it gets back to me or in any way jeopardizes our work, I will personally put handcuffs on you - if the Federal government doesn't move in and crush you first. Am I being clear?

"Perfectly."

Chris and Rita laid out the basics of what was going on - the criminal activity as best they knew it and their insertion into the case - and Heidi's pulse quickened. "You must be mistaken! I've been at Hearts for two years. I've worked with all these people! They love children. The idea they would steal them and sell them like cattle,..." she paused, "...this is preposterous!"

Rita shook her head. "Well, the FBI disagrees with you. There are at least eight cases pending - and if the baby girl we saw yesterday but not today has been adopted, at least nine cases - and they believe they have enough evidence to move in."

"Well, I don't believe any of it!" Then her demeanor softened a bit. "You're serious, aren't you?" When the detectives nodded, she continued. "I haven't done anything, and I don't want to go to jail. What can I do to prove that Hearts is innocent?"

Chris said, "Heidi, I think we believe that you're innocent. We have seen these kinds of operations for years, and the leaders almost always hire unwitting participants to help with cover. I know that sounds awful, but that's how it usually works."

"Chris is right, but let me add that we're not assuming anybody is guilty. However, because the FBI believes that crimes have been committed, they are going to dig into it. If you want to help us, there is something you can do. Any personnel files, any adoption files, anything you have access to on your computer? Copy it to floppy disks. If Hearts of Love is a criminal front, the first thing they will do when we move in is destroy the evidence. If you can help us with that, it goes a long way to confirming your innocence."

"Well, I still don't believe they're guilty, but I know I'm innocent, so I'll do what I can. Can I ask when this is going to happen?"

"Yeah, after Chris and I walk out with the baby tomorrow morning, they'll move in. If we don't come out by 12:15, they move in anyways. Keep your head down. We believe two people have already been murdered, so our guys will have guns. Your co-workers might, too. Stay down. We'll let our people know to watch out for you. And don't let anyone see that newspaper piece!"

"But the babies…!"

"The babies are our number one priority. Rita and I both are well aware of them and we will do everything possible to keep them safe."

Heidi looked down. "Wow, this is a lot to process. I guess this means a Thursday dinner date is out..."

Rita smiled and patted her knee. "Let's get through tomorrow and we'll see what happens afterwards."

"You know, had I not seen that article in the paper, I was totally convinced you two were married." Heidi cocked her head. "You guys secretly...?"

"No, nothing secret, but Chris and I have been partners for quite a while and spend a lot of time together, both at work and off-the-clock. We're best friends."

Heidi smiled back. "Well, you know what they say about best friends..."

"Yeah, we do, and you have a long drive again tonight. You better get started."

After Heidi left, Greg and Samantha Stone walked hand-in-hand to the pool, where they sat a bit, watching a couple of families play in the water with their kids.

"Someday, that will be us, Sam..." Greg said as he stood up to go.

"Tomorrow..."

Chris and Rita walked to the car and drove to a pay phone, where they spoke to Captain Hudson and filled him in on Heidi. He wasn't happy, but at the same time, he understood their reasoning. "If we didn't tell Heidi, her persistence would have added to our danger. If she mentioned that newspaper article to anyone at work...? Disaster!"

"We may still have a disaster, kids..."

"But at least she won't be asking any questions, so really, we're no worse off now than we were this afternoon."

"True, but you two be ready for anything tomorrow. We're almost there."

Ninety minutes later, Greg and Samantha Stone were lying quietly in bed. She was on her side and he was against her back, his arm snuggled around her waist. Rita spoke, her voice just a whisper, "I'm a little nervous, Christopher. I have a bad feeling I can't shake."

"Hey, everything is going to be fine. We go in, get the baby, walk out, and a bunch of other people walk into the lion's den."

"What if something goes wrong?"

"What do you mean 'if'? Something will go wrong. It always does. No plan ever goes right to script." His words were prophetic, though he didn't know it yet. "We'll improvise, we'll figure it out, and we'll be fine." He squeezed her lightly to confirm it.

But for all his confidence, Chris was nervous, too. He always was worried, though he was good at hiding it, and his hand moved lightly across her belly. Though he couldn't feel it beneath the fabric of the t-shirt, the knife wound was there, the now-constant reminder of the night when something did go wrong, and the failure - his failure - that nearly cost Rita everything. He had been struggling for a while where she was concerned, trying to get a grip on his feelings. He still didn't know what was going on, but these past days had changed him.

He was beginning to have new thoughts about her, new ideas...new hopes. They had never spent this kind of time together alone, much less alone as a married couple. He had uncovered another dimension to her - that of a loving, caring, wife that deeply loved her husband. Yeah, it was play-acting, but so real at the same time. They had talked earlier that this movie was approaching 'the ride into the sunset', but a good portion of him didn't ever want it to end. And there was the old feeling, too. A feeling he had carried with him for a long time - he would do anything to protect Rita, because he knew his life was largely empty without her.

He felt Rita's hand close over his, and she lifted it past her chest to her lips and kissed it several times, before resting it under her cheek. "Goodnight, Christopher." He smiled, even though he couldn't hear the 'I-love-you' she said in her head, but not with her lips.

Heidi Pressley laid down in her bed, tired enough to sleep, but unable. Her mind, running at high speed when she was trying to decipher 'The Stone Mystery' - as she came to call it - was now racing. She was frightened. All the way home from Jackson, she worked through everything the detectives had told her, trying to process and evaluate it. She still believed her employers were completely straight, but there was a shadow of doubt creeping in. Chris and Rita seemed very honest. Why would two cops from Florida end up clear out here if there wasn't something legitimate to investigate?

Rita's words came back to her...we're not assuming anyone is guilty, the FBI is just looking into things...and Heidi tried to parse that out. She reasoned that the FBI probably investigated thousands of people without ever making an arrest. Kind of like when she rented her apartment. She 'investigated' nearly a dozen places, but only selected one. That made sense. From that perspective, her job of collecting files and documents also made sense. More information was better - the better to prove one's innocence.

She wondered if she should tell someone in the morning that the Feds were going to raid the place, and her mind leaped again. If Hearts of Love was innocent, why the need for guns and an assault? Why not just stop in and ask to see documentation? Well, it was the FBI and maybe that's how they operated. Didn't they raid that Koresh guy in Texas last year? Or was that the CIA? She didn't really pay much attention. Shopping and girlfriends and now Alex Evans were more her thing.

So, she thought...what if? What if she didn't say anything to anyone, but simply did what the detectives asked and made copies of the documents and spreadsheets she could find? Then when the FBI or whoever pounced on them, raising a ruckus and trying to arrest them all, she would produce the evidence that cleared everyone. She would be hailed as the one who saved Hearts of Love Adoption. Heroism came in many forms.

Heidi decided to go into the office early. She thought about the files on the computer, how she would copy them to blank disks, and how she would hide the disks. They would be the proof she needed, not only of her own innocence, but of her co-workers and bosses. That would be awesome! It might even be worth a substantial raise. Maybe her name and picture would be in the paper, and she could send a little 'care' package to her parents. While it might not pull her even with her brother, it would be something.

She still really liked the Greg and Samantha, well, Chris and Rita, but she was still convinced this was all a big mistake. They were wrong. The FBI was wrong. Everyone that thought ill of Hearts of Love was wrong. She was one-hundred percent confident they were all wrong.

And tomorrow morning, Heidi Pressley would uncover another truth. It would be the terrible discovery that only she was wrong...