A bowl of rabbit stew is clasped in my hands, waiting to be eaten. I blow on a spoonful of stew before bringing it up to Peeta's lips. "When was the last time you ate something?"

He hungrily slurps it down. "Before the trial."

Everyone is entitled to a trial in front of the mayor and several high-ranking peacekeepers. Being a corrupt system, the mayor alone gets to determine whether the accused is innocent or guilty. Peeta's fate was sealed the moment Madge died in his family's bakery.

"That was almost two weeks ago," I mutter angrily. It infuriates me that they tortured and starved him for no good reason. He didn't murder anyone, let alone a childhood friend of ours. "How do you feel?"

"I haven't felt this good in days." He takes the bowl from me and devours the meal in record time. "Thank you."

My face burns with embarrassment. "You don't have to thank me. This is how you wanted to spend your final days."

"But I never imagined that you would be taking care of me," he says with a laugh. "I've dreamed of this since we were kids."

I scurry to the closest and retrieve a spare blanket. It's kind of worn-out, but it will keep him warm. "Here." I toss it at his head.

His eyes are wide with disbelief. "Did you just throw this at me?" A mischievous smile appears on his face. "Two can play at this game." He hurls a decorative couch pillow in my direction, hitting me square in face.

I scowl at him. "Go to sleep."

The stairs creak under my feet as I head toward my bedroom. I swing open the door and flop onto my bed, burying my face in the soft sheets. What am I going to do? Peeta's execution date is only a few short days away, but I can't kill him. I have to save him somehow.

A voice in my head keeps telling me what I must do, but I've been blocking it out ever since I brought him home. The only way to save him is to catch the real killer. But how can I find a mysterious man who disappeared after murdering my best friend?

Madge... I miss her so much. Her death came as a complete shock to me because everyone liked her. She was a quiet girl with few friends, but people were drawn to her. I'm sure there were people who disliked her because she was the mayor's daughter, but I can't think of anyone who would want to hurt her.

That's why it was so easy to blame Peeta for her death. I had to blame someone. I thought it would be easy to kill him because we rarely spoke. We were classmates and acquaintances, not friends. But after today, I realize I was wrong. Killing him will not be an easy task.

As the hours pass by, I try to imagine what the murderer was trying to accomplish. Did Madge know the man with dark hair and gray eyes? If not, perhaps he was getting back at the mayor for some unknown reason.

I eventually fall into an uneasy sleep, dreaming of days gone by. It's not long before Peeta wakes me from my slumber. Light pours into the room from the open window, indicating that it's morning. "What?"

He rubs the back of his neck nervously. "I made you breakfast."

"Oh." It amazes me that the mayor can believe such a sweet boy is a murderer. No one else would bother to make their executioner a meal, that's for sure.

Peeta brings me a plate of eggs and toast. "Think of this as a thank you for feeding me yesterday."

I accept the food and begin eating it. The eggs are covered in melted cheese, and the toast is coated in my favorite strawberry jam. It's not long before the plate is empty.

After breakfast, I force my tired body to get out of bed and change into some clean clothes. Today is the day I start investigating Madge's murder. It has been over a month since she died, and the crime scene was never thoroughly searched for evidence. A fellow executioner by the name of Gale Hawthorne had been at the scene shortly after the crime took place. He might know something that I don't.

"We're going to talk to a co-worker of mine," I tell him. "He might be able to prove your innocence."

He stares at me for a long time without speaking. It must be hard for him to believe my words. Executioners kill prisoners, not save them. "You're going to help me?"

"Of course," I assure him.

I lead Peeta back to the dungeon. It is my day off, but Gale is scheduled to execute two thieves today. I need to catch him before he gets to work. Instead, I find Haymitch wandering the halls in a drunken rage.

"Nice of you to show up to work. Can you fill in for Mr. Hawthorne?" he asks me.

I raise an eyebrow. "Fill in for him? Is he sick?"

Haymitch smashes an empty liquor bottle against the floor. "Haven't you heard? He went to a bar last night and hasn't returned. His family is worried about him."

It figures he would go missing just when I need him the most. "I can't cover for him, Abernathy. I'm busy."

"Can't help an old man out, can you? Fine. I'll do it myself." He saunters off toward the prison cells.

Great. What am I supposed to do now? There were several peacekeepers at the crime scene, but I can't discuss the situation with them. If the mayor were to find out, I would lose my head.

Peeta places a comforting hand on my shoulder. "Don't do this for me. I know what will happen if you get caught helping a criminal."

"I'm in too deep to quit now."

I try to think of all the people who had visited the bakery the day of Madge's murder. Delly Cartwright picked up a cake for her friend's birthday shortly before the crime. She might know something. I take his hand and drag him to her house.

Peeta knocks on the door and is greeted by an overjoyed Delly. "I thought you were dead!"

"You can't get rid of me that easily," he jokes.

Delly has been his friend since they were children. She knows him better than I do, and I'm hoping that she can shed some light on what happened before the murder took place. "Do you mind if I ask you some questions about Madge's murder? I'm trying to prove that Peeta is innocent."

She smiles at me. "Go ahead."

"You saw Madge heading to the bakery on the day of her death, correct?" I ask. A peacekeeper named Darius kept me informed on the details of the crime because Madge was a close friend of mine.

"Well, I actually saw two people go into the bakery. Madge and Gale." Her eyebrows knit together in confusion. "Now that I think about it, Gale waited outside for awhile before following her inside."

That's strange. I have to get more information out of her. "Was there anyone else inside at the time?"

"Yes. A lady was still waiting in line when I left. I can't say for sure if she was there when Madge and Gale entered the building."

Let me get this strange. Madge and Gale were presumably inside the building at the time of the murder. This information paints Gale in a very suspicious light, but we don't have enough evidence to tie him to the crime. "Thank you for your cooperation, Delly."

My next task is to find Gale, but where can he be? All I know is that he didn't return home last night. He must be at one of the local bars.

As we make our way to a popular bar, the mayor rounds a corner and comes face-to-face with Peeta. I see the anger in Mayor Undersee's eyes and know that he is not happy about a prisoner roaming the streets. His hands move like lightning as he grabs Peeta by the throat and begins violently shaking him.

"You murderer!" He slams the struggling boy against the wall of a nearby pharmacy, knocking the air from his lungs.

I shove my way between them in an attempt to protect Peeta from further harm. Mayor Undersee hasn't been the same since his darling daughter passed away. "Stop this at once," I snap.

The mayor backs away from us and takes a few deep breaths. "Ms. Everdeen, I demand you hand over the prisoner this instant."

"He is under my supervision, sir." I bite my lip to keep from saying something I might regret.

"You are merely his executioner," he argues. "Are you protecting this monster?"

I clench my fists and take a threatening step forward. I've had just about enough of his cruel treatment of Peeta. "He hasn't done anything wrong! The real murderer is on the loose because you were too stupid to do a proper investigation!"

Before I can say anything else, Peeta grabs my wrist and whisks me away into a nearby bar. "Are you out of your mind? You can't talk to the mayor like that!" He sounds more concerned than angry.

"Should I have let him choke you to death?" My anger disappears when he starts laughing hysterically. "What's so funny?"

He grins. "You care about me."

I push him out of the way and walk up to the bartender. "Excuse me, has Gale been here within the last twenty-four hours?" To my surprise, the bartender informs me that my co-worker was here last night. He left in the early hours of the morning and was heading toward the train station. That's just what I needed to hear. "Peeta, we're going to the train station."

I plan on having Katniss realize that she has feelings for Peeta rather quickly. It'll make things more interesting, don't you think? ;)