A/N Don't own these characters. I would love it if I did so I could write them the way I want to but I have to settle for Fanfic. I am not making any money on this story, hopefully I will get lots of good reviews though.

Chapter 15

Natalie rode to the police station with John and then after a kiss good bye she headed to the lab. She loved her job, the way she could take seemingly worthless pieces of trash and use them to put a criminal behind bars. Currently she was working a very sensitive breaking and entering case. The crime itself wasn't that unusual but the victim was the mayor himself so she was under extra pressure to find something that would lead to the apprehension of the culprit.

She logged in then slipped on her white lab coat and headed to the evidence room to process the broken window fragments. Slipping on her police issue rubber gloves she took out a large piece of glass from the evidence box and looked it over with her naked eye then set it on the table.

She was just taking out her black fingerprint powder when another lab annalist stuck his head into the room. "Hey Natalie. Any progress? The Mayor has been calling every hour to demand a report."

Natalie looked up as she unscrewed the top of the powder container and set it on the table. She slid on her goggles as she answered, "Sorry Harris, I just started with this window. You get anything from the foot prints?" she asked, referring to the footprints left in some potting soil next to the back door of the Mayors' home.

"Size 12 of a men's work boot. That's all I got. I came up empty on prints in the house too. I think the guy most likely wore gloves." Harris stepped in the room and watched as Natalie expertly put the print powder brush (something like a large makeup powder brush) into the print powder and then began to spread the powder gently onto the flat surface of the glass. She barely brushed the surface but it was enough to let the powder cover the surface and reveal any prints that were on the surface. After a few minutes it was obvious that though there were a few smudges there were no useable prints.

Flipping the glass over Natalie began the process again before asking, "And the list of stolen property?"

Harris shook his head and said, "The Mayor Floyd is still working on it. I guess it was pretty extensive."

Natalie finished the printing and sighed at the fact that there was no useable prints on the glass. She then picked up the glass and walked over to a table holding a clear Plexiglas box. She took the lid off the box and then reached in and set the glass inside on a small stand then she walked over to the cabinet and took out some chemicals and then measured out a small amount. Putting them also in the box she put the lid back on and set the timer.

Harris had watched all this with interest and asked, "What are you looking for?"

"I'm not sure. The print powder was acting kinda funny. I think there is something on the surface of the glass that I can't see. The reaction between the 2 chemicals I put in there will harden whatever it is enough is I can take a scraping and send it to trace." Natalie went back to the evidence box, took out the other piece of window and, using a small scalpel, scraped the surface of the glass on both sides. "I don't think it will show up in this sample but it's worth a try."

"What could possible be on it?" Harris asked baffled as to what Natalie was looking for.

"I am not sure," she said again, "But I think this window was kicked in. What ever is on the glass might have come from that boot before it was in the potting soil. It could tell us where the perp was right before he robbed the house."

Harris looked suitably interested in her theory and went to ask anther question then the timer dinged. Natalie walked back over to the Plexiglas box and then vented the fumes out with the fan that was installed in the box. After it was all vented she took off the top and then removed the piece of glass. Underneath the print powder there was a large textured spot that was not visible before. Natalie scraped off a small amount and sealed it in an evidence bag then picking up the other sample she collected she started down to trace.

Harris followed her and they talked about the possible suspects along the way. They were about half way there when Natalie's cell phone rang. Natalie and then looked at the caller id and then sighed. It rang again and she ignored it, she didn't really want to answer it because Vicki had taken to offering advise about how she should stay at home until Carlo was found. When it rang yet again Harris asked, "You gonna get that?" Natalie sighed Its my mom..." she muttered to herself more than to him, "I hate when she calls me at work."

She flipped open her phone and answered, "What's up mom?" Vicki immediately wanted to know where she had been the night before and why she didn't answer her phone, knowing that it would take a little time to calm her down Natalie asked, "Can you take that to trace for me? This is gonna take a few minutes."

Harris hesitated for a second looking around; he had been warned by the commissioner himself not to let Natalie go anywhere alone. He noticed one of Natalie's bodyguards standing a discreet distance down the hall and was relieved. He nodded to the other man then said to Natalie, "Sure. No problem." With that he headed down the hall to the elevator. When he turned around and looked back he could see that Natalie was already into a animated conversation with her mother.

Natalie refused to tell her mother what exactly she had been doing the night before but she was pretty sure she knew anyway. After a few minutes more Natalie finally was able to say good bye and then hung up. She sighed to herself and then went back to the lab room she had been using. She was just starting to take out the next piece of evidence when her cell rang again.

"Hello?" her voice was sharper then she intended but she was irritated with getting interrupted. After a minute in which she said nothing, just listened, Natalie hung up the phone and slid it back in her pocket. She slowly put the evidence back in the box and then sealed the box and returned it to the evidence locker. Stripping off her gloves she dropped them into the trash and headed for the ladies room.

Jim Wackowski, the bodyguard, followed her to the bathroom and waited outside the door, insuring no one went in that he didn't approve of.

Natalie absently turned on the water in the sink and then walked over to the window on the sidewall. The Lab was on the ground floor of the police building so it was close to the ground. The window had a window alarm and Natalie frowned slightly at that. Then taking a pair of nail clippers from her purse and a roll of tape she proceeded to clip the alarm wires and rewire it so she could open the window with out anyone noticing.

She opened the window and slipped out, accidentally dropping her left earring on the floor behind the heater. Once she was outside she carefully closed the window so that no one that wasn't looking would notice anything wrong.

Asa Buchanan was at home talking to Clint on the phone. He was unaware of his granddaughter was right that moment entering his office and using his computer to download BE corporate secrets.

John sat in his office starting blankly at the dartboard hanging on the wall. He had a half grin on his face as he thought about Natalie, making love with her, her telling him she loved him. He was so intent on his thoughts he didn't hear Bo knock on the door and enter the room.

"John?"

"John?" Bo asked a second time, but with out any annoyance at being ignored. The grin on John's face was a welcome one and he could bet that it was because of Natalie. It had been obvious from the first time he had seen them together that they were made for one another. Something must have happened to make John look that happy. Maybe he finally told her of his feelings...

"Wha..? What?" John blinked and then looked around to see who had disturbed his good thoughts. He gave Bo a sheepish look when he finally noticed the other man. "You need somethin' boss?"

Bo ignored the question and instead asked one of his own, "So... what were you thinking about that made you look so happy?"

John managed to look even more sheepish and said, "Natalie."

Bo smiled indulgently, "Of course... I don't know what I was thinking to even ask. No one else can put that silly look on your face."

John shook his head, slightly embarrassed, "Did you need something? Or did you come in here just to hassle me about my personal life?"

Bo chuckled, then, thinking he had teased John enough, he said, "I need the crime scene photos of the Floyd case."

John shuffled things around on his desk until he saw the file and then handed it to Bo, "Here ya go. Something bothering you about that one?"

"I don't know. Something Rex said to me earlier get me to thinking. He said that it looked too neat for a B & E. It got me thinking that maybe there is something more to this."

John nodded; it was possible that this was a professional job. He too had been thinking something was off about the Mayor's story but the man had a solid alibi and John hadn't been able to come up with a reason the Mayor would lie about what happened.

Just as Bo was leaving the room John got a call at his desk, "Yeah?"

"Lt. McBain, Ms. Buchanan appears to have slipped out of the building with out me."

John felt his heart seize up with fear, "DAMMIT!" He took a deep breath then said into the phone, "I'll be right there." He hung up the phone and headed to the lab praying that Natalie was ok.

To be continued...