A/N: Just a brief note, Rigg is temporarily written out of the story starting in this chapter and he doesn't make a return until the end of the story. Jill takes his place until then.

Chapter 7

Amanda's trial was still weeks away. There were no more leads or evidence to examine and without Rigg as an assistant it was impossible to find more. Art finally gave up on searching for answers instead retuning to his old cases. Sometimes he was the prosecutor. Sometimes he was the defense attorney. To practice for Amanda's trial, Art tried his skills as a prosecutor. Just like before it took a few cases for him to get a hold of it but once he knew what he was doing he excelled at it.

Out of work Art still tried to get in touch with Jill. He no longer tried to get her to testify against Amanda. Art needed to befriend Jill. He knew the only way to do that was by accepting she didn't want to disrespect John. Getting in the same room as her was much more complex. He tried an arrest warrant for obstruction of justice. The judges decline it though saving she offered enough usable evidence through what was taken from interrogations. It even back fired a little as all evidence taken from Jill was promptly returned. His nest attempt was a lot more effective and clever. When he searched through his old cases he saw that one that could completely take Jill by surprise. It was the urban renewal project. John had left the project in Art's hands. If Jill was true when she said she was devoted to John and keeping him happy after death, she would want to keep it going to make one of John's dreams a success.

Lacking the hesitation of his previous call, Art called Jill to inform her of his find. She no longer answered him; most likely because she got caller ID and avoided picking up the phone when he called. In any case he left a message saying that he had an important matter concerning John's final wishes. After a half hour Jill called back, she didn't bother with a greeting. "Art, why are you calling me? I thought we were done talking."

"If you got my message you should know." Art replied.

"John's lawyer already dealt with his will. There's nothing left."

"As a matter of fact there's one matter left unsettled: the urban renewal project. You have John's share. I have the rest. We both lost a great amount in this project. The community itself took a blow. Forty families were displaced after it dismantled. I was hoping you would be kind enough to consider restarting the project."

"Restarting it? I don't want to take another gamble in one of your business deals."

Art laid back in his chair. "It would be in John's honor. A memorial for him. He wasn't always a bad guy. He fell off the right path but he always tried to help others. I want to do this to preserve that side of him."

"Art." Jill went silent. She was still opposed to helping Art but she had the same idea. She wanted to make a memorial dedicated to John but couldn't think of where to put it or what it would be of. She considered the clinic but Art's idea was better. It was a personal project of John and she was sure John would appreciate it. "I'll help you. We'll meet at the old Chinese restaurant John use to take us to."

Art smiled. He was making progress. "Meet you there."

Hoffman came home at eleven with a sack of toys. He was still upset over what happened with Corbett and figured one way to fix it was to buy her a lot of toys. He went to three toy stores getting everything she asked for save for expensive thing he wanted to hold off on until Christmas. When he got home he pulled the bags out thinking he looked like Santa Claus. Thankfully the tutor was still there. Hoffman was sure that Corbett wouldn't go on an angry rampage but he's seen the movies where things gone wrong and he was glad the tutor could stay to watch her.

Hoffman rang the doorbell. He had too many toys to open the door himself. The tutor came and opened the door for him. "I was wondering where you went." She said.

"Sorry. Corbett was angry so I went on a guilt-induced shopping spree to buy her toys. Why did you let her go anyways?"

The tutor started bringing the bags of toys in for Hoffman "I didn't. She said she was taking a nap and I saw she was asleep in her bed. Half an hour later she's here in a taxi grumbling. I'm sorry. I tried to keep an eye on her."

"It's okay. She's did something similar when her aunt and uncle took off. So what did you think about her?" Hoffman asked.

The tutor shrugged, "I didn't see anything different than what you told me. She doesn't seem bothered by her parent's absence. I also noticed she's very outgoing. I can't give you much aside from that."

"All right. I don't want to keep. I'll see you later Michelle."

"Bye."

Hoffman peaked in Corbett's room. She was sound asleep. Or at least she looked sound asleep. He was aware some kids would pretend to sleep if they were up past their bedtimes and eavesdropping. He went back to the living room and examined everything he bought. There were stuffed animals and plush toys. He wasn't exactly sure the difference between a plush toy and a stuffed animal. Much less the difference between a human shaped plush toys and dolls. They looked like dolls to him. Strangely though the dolls to him resembled action figures. They had a bunch of accessories to them and were battery operated a departure from the toys he was familiar with. Hoffman knew that Corbett would explain if he asked.

Afterwards Hoffman looked at the price of it all. The grand total was over 300 dollars. He almost went into shock. He reviewed everything once more looking at the prices and the items. He didn't even notice how much money he spent; he just went in the store and bought the toys. In his life Hoffman only recalled spending that much money on a single person once. It happened in college when he asked his girlfriend to marry him. The ring cost 400 dollars and she said yes but they broke up three days later when the realized they didn't care for each other. Hoffman's girlfriend kept the ring to sell it. There wasn't much he could do for the rest of the night so he covered the toys and went to sleep.

Morning came quick. It was a terrible feat to sleep through the night knowing Corbett was still mad. There were thousands of people in the world. A good hundred people were mad at him. Some for putting them away, some rivals, some were girlfriends and women whose hearts he broke. Not to forget the loved ones of his subjects that were in mourning. But Corbett? It was unseen, unwanted.

Hoffman went to her door and knocked. She was awake but didn't say anything to him. Eventually he couldn't take it anymore and barged into her room. "Corbett, I've had enough of this silent treatment. I'm sorry for yelling at you but there are rules that you need to follow here. I know it's mean but please forgive me?"

Hoffman sat down next to her. "No? Why not?"

Corbett shrugged. "I don't want to."

"Why? It's not bad having rules."

"I know. It's just that my parents were always strict but they never even watched me. Every time something bad happened they'd blame it on me or each other. It wasn't fair. I thought that now I wouldn't have to worry about that with you. I thought that now I wouldn't have someone yelling at me all the time."

"It was one time. I won't make a habit of it. You know I only was trying to help us both out. I need to work to keep the house and to buy food. You need to sleep."

"I know. I was just hoping this time would be different."

Hoffman held Corbett close. "I know. But if I'm going to take care of you, things can't be too different. Although, I got you something you might like. Follow me."

Hoffman got off the bed and took Corbett with him. He covered her eyes and led her to the living room. He said he had a surprise and moved his had away from her eyes. She lit up. Her eyes cute and adorable. She wasn't angry. She hugged him first. Then she said thank you a hundred times as she took out all of her toys. Hoffman watched her happily while she poked through the bag. It was like Christmas came early.

Amanda sat in the kitchen at the small card table with a layer of classified ads covering the entire surface. She had a red highlighter capped in her hand. She was carefully scanning everything to see how many jobs she could find that suit her. So far there was nothing. Eric walked out of the bedroom. They had an agreement to share the room for cleaning and changing clothes. Otherwise Eric still slept on the couch and Amanda in the bed with a light on. "Good morning. What are you doing up this early?"

"It's only 8." Amanda replied.

"That's early for you. So what are you lookin' for? A new house, maybe?"

"I wish. But for your information I'm looking for a job."

"It's a start. Find anything?"

"No. That's why I said I was looking for a job." Amanda remarked.

"Just taking an interest. I'm going to head off now."

"See you later." Amanda went right back to focusing on the jobs. She turned to another page staring down the tiny print filled description boxes.

"Try something simple. A receptionist or janitor. You'll be there forever looking for a good job." Eric advised before leaving. Amanda nodded and showed a simple thumb's up.

Eric came in the squad room fairly early. Only a few detectives were around but they had stayed overnight to close a case. He sat at his desk and started to reorganize the desk since it was left with various scraps from yesterday's case. When he worked with Kerry their workplace was always a mess. Between the two of them he was a neat freak. Kerry always explained that she thought better when things were all spread in front of her. Kate was almost the same way. She was unorganized but it wasn't for thinking. It was just the way she was. Eric could think of endless downsides of having Kate as a partner. One reason was she was always late like today.

When Kate finally came in they started to work on the robbery case. The details of the case were simple. A suburban house was robbed midday. They had several suspects. Most previous robbers other enemies of the family. Eric and Kate were left to find out who did it and what happened to the stuff. It wasn't half as occupying as it seemed. Most cases like this just slipped away. It was either overshadowed by a more important case or in this situation left behind by the detectives. Eric and Kate both realized they were getting nowhere and left it to another detective to solve. Kate went back to "solving the Jigsaw case" despite it already being solved and Eric took a nap. Eric woke up in time for his lunch break. Amanda had fixed him lunch. She didn't give any reason why so he just hoped it wasn't poisoned. Amanda always seemed to being watching over Eric and taking care of him.

Halfway through lunch Detective Fisk rushed out of Hoffman's office. "Eric! There was a homicide we need you to come with us!"

Eric turned back in the chair. "That's the homicide's job. I'm on the robbery side." The department's detective division was split oddly. Robbery was grouped with homicide. Occasionally detectives were borrowed from either side. Eric had the luck of being put on the robbery side.

"You have to go." Fisk said, "Captain Hoffman is putting you on this case." Eric also had the luck of Hoffman as a captain. "He said it was of particular interest to you."

"Fine. If it's that important I'll go."

The crime scene unit and medical examiner had already arrived when Eric came to the scene. He went straight to the site of the murder, the master bedroom. On the bed was a man in his 40's or 50's with several stab wounds around his neck. Aside from blood soaked sheets the room was clean. There was no sign of forced entry at all. It appeared to be a hit. Get in, kill and get out all without leaving a trace.

"Why am I here?" Eric asked Hoffman once he walked in. "This isn't another trick, is it?"

"No one's calling you out this time." Hoffman replied. He handed Eric a picture frame. "But I was wondering if this looked familiar to you."

The picture was of a young girl. She was at least eight years old. She had brown hair and green eyes. She was dressed in a royal blue dress that was close to the sky blue background of the picture. Eric looked hard. The girl looked very familiar. It was eerie.

"Is it Amanda?"

"Yeah and the stiff on the bed is her father, Howard Young. He worked in a sheet metal plant until retiring. Only a few friends not close with the neighbors. We're interviewing to see what we'll find."

"I still don't see why I'm here."

"The only person we have as a suspect is Amanda. She's got the motive, the resources. Time of death was estimated as 3 am. I need to know where she was at that time. If she doesn't have an alibi we can put her under arrest." Hoffman said.

"She was passed out drunk at home." Eric replied. "We need evidence before I put her under arrest. What do we have?"

Hoffman led Eric to the backyard. CSU investigators were swarming the backyard. There was even an animal control officer restraining a dog that was running around. The yard was full of lush green grass except near the fence. The shadow from the sunroom prevented good sunlight from reaching the grass creating a damp and muddy area. Firewood was stacked near by the fence that was apparently grounded by the dog. Otherwise there was a garden and a few trees.

"Wilson!" Hoffman called. A lean man holding a clipboard came over. "Could you go over what you found with us?"

"Yes, sir. Over by the fence here. We found…well…I'll show you."

They walked over by the fence. Wilson pointed to the muddy area below the fence. "See the smear there? We think there were footprints here but who ever came by tried to erase the print. Also, there were scraps of fabric on the fence."

Wilson pointed out the wire on the fence. "We're guessing that the prep climbed over but they wore gloves so their hands wouldn't get scratched."

"You think Amanda Young did this?" Eric asked almost threateningly. He caught himself so that instead of appearing to care for Amanda he would appear to be scaring Wilson.

"We won't know until all evidence is collected." Wilson said intimidated. He looked over to Hoffman who was threatening as well and said. "But she's our best guess."

Hoffman and Eric exchanged glances. "I won't arrest her until I have better proof." Eric said.

Hoffman shrugged. "it won't take too long before that happens. By the way I fixed things with Corbett."

"Really, what happened?"

"I bought her a bunch of toys."

Eric started to laugh. "Of course you did. You know Mark I think you need little help. Luckily, you know."

"Right. You're the model parent." Hoffman joked, "I'll take my own chances."

Outside a shopping center there was a medium sized Chinese restaurant. It was a casual eatery that dressed up fancy and specialized in mandarin cuisine. It was styled like a pagoda, almost standard for all Chinese restaurants nearby. There were the traditional gold dragon statues outside the restaurant. Inside wasn't any less stereotypical. Oriental vases and artwork decorated the places. Bamboo plants stood near the lobby. The only thing missing were Chinese waiters. The chefs were more than likely Chinese but everyone else looked American. It was laugh ably ironic as everything else was perfectly Chinese.

John was always an observer of Asian culture. He loved the food, the lifestyles and of course the beliefs. Everyone who worked with him knew to avoid any mention of the orient to John because he would continue on forever. Furthermore they avoided Chinese restaurants although he'd insist on having business meetings there. Even in his deteriorating state John still enjoyed Asian culture. As much as it bothered them before Art and Jill realized there would be no better place to begin their tribute to John than at his favorite restaurant.

Art and Jill sat across from each other silent. It was the first time they had been face to face for a long time but instead of making small talk by mentioning the changes over time they stayed quiet. It wasn't until after they order food before they spoke at all. Jill picked a folder out of a brief case she brought with her.

"I looked through the files John left with me. I found his design plans and blueprints." Jill said.

Art looked through the papers. He nodded in confirmation. "These are the same ones. The way the buildings were set up, the combination of materials. This was John's brainchild. I'm getting a good amount of money from my cases. We may need assistance from investors but otherwise I think we're good to go." He put his hand out.

Jill pushed Art's hand down and held it on the table. "I think there should be a few rules."

"Jill, you can trust me. There shouldn't be rules."

Jill pulled her hand away. "First don't lie to me. Don't make any passes at me and don't bother me with your trial. I just want to do this for John."

Art looked at Jill. He smiled at her. "Ms. Tuck, I promise this will a business deal only. I want to honor your husband and my friend. If you feel that we shouldn't do this I'll back out immediately,"

Jill didn't know if she should trust him. The main skill of a lawyer was knowing how to double talk. Art was especially good at double talk. He wouldn't have won the cases if he didn't do it. She thought for a moment. Ten years was a long time and she had reason to believe he wouldn't do it again. Reassured by his seriousness Jill shook Art's hand.

Amanda came home early. She picked the mail up on the way and looked through it. Junk mail. Junk mail. Eric's mail a.k.a. The Bills. Near the bottom of the stack was a postcard. There was a picture of a forest on the front. On the back there was no return address or message just a phone number. Amanda knew immediately who it was and dialed the number on her cell phone.

"Hi. It's me, Amanda… I'm okay. I talked to that friend of yours. He let me have the job…I never gave one before I have two…A panther and a flower…Listen, I can't thank you enough for this. No one else would hire me… I think he should know. He's getting worried…I'm not lying. The two of you keep going on like this and it's starting to drive me crazy. Just bite the bullet…All right, I'll see you later. Good luck."