AN: Thanks guys for the reviews! Loving it! Enjoy this chapter. There's more to come.

Chapter 11

During dinner, I suppose I was a tad distracted. When I looked down at my plate midway through, half of my food was gone. I suppose it was due to the fact that I had the living vacuum at my side, namely Max.

"So what if we all get together and go to the beach to watch some fireworks?" My mom suggested to us breaking the silence.

"Can't. I'm hanging out with Debbie tonight." Brad said with his mouth full of rib roast.

"Gross. Close your mouth. And I thought Debbie and you where fighting." I told him coming out of my daze.

This caused me to get a swift kick in the shins from Dopey.

"Ow!" I muttered.

"Brad did you just kick Susannah?" Andy asked him setting down his fork ready to strike down the hammer of justice, otherwise known as his fist.

"No. Did I Susannah?" Brad asked turning his eyes to me.

I debated whether to get Dopey into some trouble but being the good person I am decided not to.

"No." I rolled my eyes. Oh he owed me big time.

"I can't go down to the beach tonight Mom. I'm meeting up with CeeCee, Adam and Jesse." I informed her, bringing the conversation back to her question. I wasn't technically lying either. After going down to the station I was planning on meeting up with them. Granted they didn't know about my snooping. I figured Jesse would just try to talk me out of it.

Andy satisfied that he had prevented his stepdaughter from being bullied by his middle child-something that will only happen when hell freezes over- picked up his fork and began eating again.

"Oh. Well David, would you and your girlfriend like to go with your father and me to the beach?" My mother asked, desperately trying to get the family together.

David's face turned a shade of red similar to a tomato and muttered a "sure." Poor David… Having to spend the night with my Mom, Andy and Shannon, his girlfriend. I would save him if I could, but I had work to do.

"I call dibs on the car!" Dopey suddenly shouted out.

"But…I need the car." I said in reply ready to do some pouting. Since I was the only daughter in the family I could usually con my way into getting things.

"Why would you need the car?" Jake asked. "Wouldn't Jesse just come and pick you up?"

Crap. This was true. Jesse, being the gentlemen he is likes to pick me up if we make plans.

Lucky for me, my mom stepped in and said, "Did Jesse end up with a lemon of a car?"

"Yes. That's exactly it. It's in the shop. Needs a new…. spark plug." Spark plug was about the only terminology I knew when it came to cars.

"You can borrow my car Susannah. Poor Jesse…Getting stuck with a bad car. They did a report on how teenagers shouldn't be trusted to go buy their own cars. Car salesmen usually pegged them as a first time buyer and use some fancy lingo so they just end up buying the first one they show them."

"That's probably what happened Mom. He should have waited for Father Dom to be there." I replied.

Later...

After dinner, I went up to my room and changed into a black pair of pants, white t-shirt and my leather jacket. I grabbed my passkey, which would allow me to get into the station through the side and made my way downstairs. As I walked down the hall I ran into Dopey who grabbed me and pulled me into his room. It smelled like gym socks in here.

"What?" I asked him annoyed.

"You didn't tell them about the car did you?" He asked.

"For God sakes man. LET IT GO. I didn't tell them and I don't plan on it." For now anyway.

"Ok. I was just checking. Where are you going anyway?"

I blinked at him. "Out with Jesse…I told you earlier."

"You're lying." Dopey replied and walked over to the mirror to fix his hair.

"No I'm not."

"Susannah, come off it." He glanced at me.

"Ok fine. CeeCee wants to see the station at night so were sneaking in." I told him.

"See? Was that so hard?" He asked grinning at me.

"Nope. Not hard at all." I replied and left him putting gel into his hair. I wonder why Debbie puts up with that. The hair gel I mean. I know that when I run my fingers through Jesse's hair I don't like a bunch of hair gel getting gunk on my fingers…

Anyway, I took my mother's car and using her cell phone, which she lent me, called Jesse and told him I was running late. I motored to the station and went inside.

It was eerie being in the station at night with no activity. I was used to the hustle and bustle of reporters running in and out.

I walked over to Larry's cubicle and cracked my fingers wondering where to begin. I started opening drawers trying to be silent even though no one was around. In the first drawer there was pure junk. Office supplies like staples, a pack of gum and some paper clips. In the bottom drawer was the jackpot.

Under a notebook was the flower foxglove, the murder weapon. Give the girl a prize.

I pulled out my camera and snapped off a couple shots. I put my camera back into my pocket.

I had Larry. All I needed was to get the proof to the police. I shut the drawer and moved over to his computer. Maybe I could find a diary telling me step by step how Larry planned on killing Eric. He was after all, psycho so it was possible. I was using the sleeves of my jacket as gloves so I wouldn't leave any fingerprints or anything else behind; something I learned from Veronica Mars.

The last thing I saw was the computer screen before everything turned black.

My head was throbbing. And where was Jesse? Jesse was usually around whenever I got hurt. And I was assuming I was hurt by way of my head feeling like it was split in half. I opened my eyes and felt dizzy. I knew I was lying down but the room still spun. I was confused and my tongue was stuck to the roof of my mouth.

What was I doing here?

Then I remembered. I had been snooping through Larry's things and then I got clobbered on the back of the head. The way things are looking right now; I'm surprised I can still move. I probably have a concussion. Which means if I can get myself out of this mess a trip to the ER was in store. This was not fun. Not fun at all.

I slowly sat up and the room slowly stopped spinning. I looked around and saw that I was alone; at least I think I was, in the conference room. My tongue was still stuck to the top of my mouth so when I saw the bottle of unopened water on the table I drank it greedily. The pain was beginning to numb, thanks to the water, which allowed me to think.

I could assume that Larry had clocked me on the head. But why had he just left me here in the conference room?

I searched my pockets looking for the cell phone Mom had lent me going to call Jesse.

"Looking for this?" A voice in the shadows asked me. That same voice made my blood run cold. It was the voice of a murderer.

I stood up and the voice walked into the light allowing me to see him holding a cell phone.

"Yes I was." I replied to him trying and failing miserably not to let the sound of fear into my voice.

"Why where you going through my things?" Larry asked me as he stepped closer to me causing me to step back.

"I know what you did Larry! We all know!" I needed to buy time and to get him to confess to me. But no one knew I was out here at the station so no one would come to my rescue. This is a problem. A very big problem. I needed that phone.

"And what have I done Miss Simon?" Larry inquired. The sparse light in the room gave his face the look of a monster.

"You killed my mothers best friend. You killed Eric. You robbed two children from their father and an unborn baby." I replied, my voice wobbling.

All of a sudden, a plan formed in my brain. Call Eric. Just call him. Not on the phone or anything but call for him and he will come; kind of like a dog.

So as Larry came closer to me, in my mind I shouted out the name ERIC! A moment later a glowing figure appeared behind Larry.

"I don't understand why Larry. Why did you kill him? I know how you did it." I told him.

"Ok Miss Simon. Tell me, how. And then, if you're right, I'll tell you why." Larry said.

Eric was about to pounce on Larry but I shook my head. I wanted him to hear this. Eric sensed this and bit back his anger and listened.

"You put foxglove in his coffee every morning for the past few months. Something not really difficult for you to do because you bring us coffee every day. Even before I came to work as an intern you would bring everyone coffee. It was especially easy to know which one was his because he was the only one to drink it with skim milk. They mark that on the cup so you always know." I replied feeling pretty proud of myself for figuring it out. While I had been talking I had inched closer to the door.

"Well bravo Miss Simon. We might make a reporter out of you yet. But you couldn't figure out the why." Larry said in a deranged voice that reminded me of Jack Nicholson circa The Shining.

"Oh. Well I have guesses. Maybe it was because Eric was married to the love of your life and you wanted her all to yourself. Or maybe it was because you wanted a promotion. You didn't want to be an investigative reporter forever now did you?" I asked still moving as fast as a turtle to the door.

"Or maybe you did it because you knew you'd end up with London after Eric was out of this picture. Which meant you'd have money. I'm betting London bought your Ferrari for you. I mean, I know investigative reporters get paid nicely but not that well." I continued. "Or maybe it's everything. I don't know. Why did you do it Larry?"

"Because…" He whispered. It was clear that he had fully lost it now. His mind was completely gone. His pupils where dilated so tiny they looked like little pins.

"I did it because he didn't deserve her!" He shouted. "Eric didn't deserve London! He didn't care for her like I do! He didn't deserve being a news anchor either!"

The room began to shake. Eric's rage was causing the whole room to tremble. Probably the whole building too.

I watched as a painting fell off the wall.

"He killed me out of jealously?" Eric roared. I don't blame him really, I'd be mad if someone killed me out of a jealous rage too.

I took this as an opportunity to high tail it out of the room and call the cops. I decided to ditch the idea of getting the cell phone and just use the phone at my mom's cubicle.

I didn't notice though that Larry was running after me. He grabbed the back of my shirt causing me to trip and fall. I heard a cracking noise as soon as I hit the floor.

My arm was broken. Great, just great. A girl tries to rid the world of a killer and look where she ends up! With a concussion and a broken arm.

Eric came up behind Larry and grabbed him by the neck. I watched this from the floor cradling my arm.
Larry looked extremely confused. I bet he was wondering who was chocking him.

"Susannah! You TOLD!" I heard from the front of the building. What the heck? I thought. Was my concussion making me hear things?

"Susannah? Are you there? CeeCee?" Dopey, my stepbrother stepped into the light. "Oh my God! What's going on?" He shrieked as he saw Larry choking and me sprawled out on the floor.

I looked over at him and shouted for him to call the cops. He didn't seem to hear me.

"BRAD! CALL THE COPS!" I shouted again. Finally he broke out of his daze and

ran off towards the phone.

This was not good. Here I was, with a broken arm, and a ghost making Larry turn a deep shade of blue. Dang it. I was going to have to go to Shadowland just to get Eric to stop killing his killer.

I dragged myself off the floor and placed my good arm on Eric's back. I thought of the place I hate…Almost instantly we were in shadowland.

"Why did you make me stop?" Eric asked me shouting. Wisps of fog played at my feet.

"Look Eric, its time for you to let me take over and for you to move on. I will make sure he ends up punished."

"Why did you make me stop?" Eric asked me again.

"You where going to kill him!" I shouted.

"Yeah so? He killed me! And where are we anyways?"

"Look! What good would him being dead do? Where would the justice in that be?" I exclaimed. I needed to get back down there. I had left Brad alone with Larry and an, well an unconscious me.

"We are in Shadowland. And its time for you to move on Eric…Let me handle it. So pick a door, any door and move on." I continued almost whispering.

I felt bad for it having to end like this. I really did.

We stared at each other for a moment. Finally Eric broke our staring match and turned around facing a door.

"Tell London and the kids that I love them." He said. Then he opened a door and with a flash of light, he was gone.

I returned back to Earth with a splitting headache like before only this time it was twice as bad.

I didn't want to open my eyes because I feared what I was going to see.

I felt a tingle on my cheeks.

"Susannah! Wake up! Susannah! Say something!"

"Brad, stop slapping my cheeks." I said and opened my eyes.

Dopey was stooping over me looking scared.

"Thank God you're ok! I called the police and next thing I know you're on the floor passed out." He stammered.

"Where's Larry?" I asked sitting up.

"He's over there." Brad said pointing to the floor.

Larry sat there trying to breath but it was like sucking air through a straw.

"Did he…Did he hurt you?" He asked still staring at Larry.

"Well…He broke my arm and clocked me on the head." I replied.

"Oh…that's why you have that big bruise on your forehead."
Great. Just great.

I could hear the sirens in the background. Dopey and I sat there watching Larry. I was afraid he would get back up and try to kill us. Hopefully Dopey would use his wrestling skills and put him in a full Nelson.

"Hey Brad…Why did you come here?" I asked cradling my bad arm again.

He laughed. "Mom and Dad found out about the Rambler…And I figured you had told so, I came here to chew you out."

"Thanks. You saved my life. If you hadn't have come down here to yell at me, there's no telling what would have happened." I cast a glance at Dopey, no Brad. He deserved to be called Brad now…for a little while at least. He had, after all saved my life. Even if it had been accidentally.

"No problem. What are big brothers for?" He asked and ruffled my hair.

"OW! Concussion here!" I shrieked.

"Sorry." He muttered.

I let out a sigh of relief when the cops and an ambulance worker came in.

Brad helped me up and an EMT came over to tend to me. The police grabbed Larry and handcuffed him.

I told the police that all the evidence they needed to prove that Larry murdered Eric was in his desk.

"Susannah!" I heard from behind me.

"Jesse? What are you doing here?" I asked startled. The EMT had placed a cold compress on my arm and we were about to get into the ambulance and go to the hospital.

"I called him shortly after I called the police. I figured you'd want him here."

Aw. I was touched, really touched that Brad would do that for me.

"Thank you." I said to him.

Jesse got into the ambulance with me and Brad told me he'd follow behind us.

"Querida…" Jesse muttered as he held my hand.

I smiled. It was finally over. Eric could finally rest in peace now.