Author's notes: Don't despair, the baking is done. Six pies, 4 dozen rolls and cranberry relish is all ready to go. Watched a little of the Macy's parade only to be disappointed. They spend more time "chatting" with stars who "just happened to stop by" then showing the parade. Boo hiss. Well, here goes the next chapter. There is some of the back story in this one, so the action is a little less. Please review and have a great Thanksgiving.

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He flipped his notebook closed again. He had checked out three of the four names and with each he had struck out. One to go and he hoped that he would strike some pay dirt. Looking down at the name, Gloria Maxwell, the address was about 10 blocks over. Hopefully she would be home. The cell phone in his pocket beeped letting him know that he had missed a call a few minutes earlier. He had been speaking with Trisha Garner, a tiny baby in her arms, about the other women at the church who had babies. He had glanced down at the phone and had seen it was Danny. It could wait, so he finished speaking with Mrs. Garner and then excused himself.

Pulling the phone open he hit the dial button to connect with Danny. "Yeah this is Flack. What do you need Danny?"

"Hey Flack, we've got a COD and an identification on that floater. Her name was Roberta McGann, we got a match on prints from a prior she had for shoplifting. Sid says she was beaten and strangled. Time of death was sometime last night between 8-11 p.m. She hadn't been in the water long when she washed up. That's just the preliminary; Sid is still working on her. I'll get back to you if he comes up with anything important."

Flack had been writing down the information, "I'll try to get some information on where she lived and do some looking into it. I can't say how soon I'll get to it."

"Well, when do you think you'll have something for us?" Danny asked innocently.

The tone in which Flack responded was abrupt and tinged with the frustration he was currently feeling, "In case you've forgotten Messer, it works the other way around. You give us what the evidence shows and we do the rest. I've got other things to do then just run down everything for your case."

Danny, always keeping his emotions on the surface, rose to the challenge. "Listen Flack, I don't know who pissed in your cornflakes this morning, but you can cut the attitude. We're on the same team you know."

"Yeah, that's how it is when you want it that way. I need something and it's a different story." Flack's anger was approaching the boiling point.

"I don't know what you're talking about, but try to fit this into your busy schedule!" With that Danny hung up his phone.

The silence on the other end pissed Flack off even more. With a snap he shut his phone and stuffed it into his pocket. He turned back to his car and turned the conversation over in his mind. What the hell had just happened? Yelling at his best friend? The therapist he had to visit after his shooting last month would probably say he had unresolved issues, but Flack knew better. It was just that he was so tired of the energy spent on solving crimes caused by people's greed and selfishness. There were so many cases like this little girl that were ignored because it wasn't high priority. It was times like this that he really wondered if he was making a difference; work all day, put away the lowlifes and still the next day there were two more to take their place.

Climbing into his car, Flack started it up and glancing at the directions headed off towards Gloria Maxwell's.

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The baby was awake and hungry. She had a set of lungs on her and she was just starting to run through her first aria. Denise grabbed the bottle from the warm water and tested it to make sure it wasn't too hot or cold.

"Got that bottle ready honey?" Scott appeared from the other room with the little girl bouncing slightly in his arms. "I think she's hungry enough to drink a whole cow."

"Here, remember to only let her have an ounce or so, then burp her." Denise grabbed a dishtowel for him to use as a burp rag.

The cries of minutes before were suddenly replaced with the sucking sounds of her working at the bottle. Bright blue eyes looked over the nipple. Lightly stroking the baby's fine blonde hair Denise looked at the baby and her husband. "Isn't she perfect?"

"We should really think of something to call her other than baby. Since the case worker said she was abandoned, I guess we could go with Jane."

"Jane?"

"Yes, for Jane Doe. Isn't that how the police would refer to her?" Scott pulled the bottle out of the little one's mouth to see how much had been consumed. Just over an ounce, he transferred her to his shoulder to try to coax out a burp.

"That's terrible!" Denise gave her husband "the look". "I'd like to stick with my family's tradition of naming the children with the same initial as the parents."

"Ok, do we want to go with D or the S?" Scott put the baby back into the crook of his arm and returned the bottle to the greedy mouth.

"With a girl I have more D name possibilities than the S." Denise began tidying the kitchen. "There Daneen, Daisy, Dana, Danielle, Darcy, and Deanna. I can go on if you like."

"Ok, you've made your point. What do you like?"

"I really like Darcy, but with a y, not an ie. I really hate then parents give their kids names with unique spellings. All it does is make their lives a nightmare, "Let me spell that for you". I had a girl in class last year that her name was pronounce Janelle, but spelled J'Nel. I'd rather let my child be unique for something other than their name."

"So, Darcy, how do you like your new name?" Scott smiled down at the baby that would hopefully be part of their family. "So have you called your mom yet to tell her the good news?"

"No yet, I thought I'd give it a few days to make sure she wasn't going to be a short-timer with us." Denise looked at the family picture of her, her parents and her siblings. The common trait of blue eyes staring back from each of their smiling faces, yes this little blue eyed angel would be a perfect fit into this family.

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Don pulled up to the apartment building that housed Gloria Maxwell. She lived on the third floor and by the time he had reached the door he could feel a slight discomfort by his healing wound. Pressing his hand to his side, he took a deep breath and knocked on the door, identifying himself.

Moments later a muffled voice from the other side was inquiring who was there. Placing his badge up high enough to be visible through the peephole, he could hear a number of chains and deadbolts being undone.

"Sorry, this isn't the best area and my fiancé put these on to keep me, us safe." Gloria Maxwell was in her early 20's and had red hair that probably wasn't God given. She indicated that Flack should move into the room and then she shut the door behind him. Only locking one of the deadbolts. "I guess I'm safe with a cop in here."

Flack proceeded to explain the reason for his visit. If Gloria was upset by the insinuation that she might abandon her baby, she didn't show it. She invited Flack into the small room off of the living area and there in the crib was a sleeping baby.

Going back to the other room so as not to disturb the slumbering infant, Flack asked if she knew of any other new mothers from the church or even the area.

"I think there are several that have babies around the age my little Meeshell." She then mentioned the same names that already made up the list that Flack had been working from. "I did take my friend Bobbie to the service once or twice. I tried to convince her to go more often, she could really use the help. I know that her having a baby wasn't planned."

He looked up questioningly, "What do you mean the help?"

Looking a little embarrassed Gloria continued. "She was having a rough time of it. Her boyfriend Johnny isn't the best guy around. He's kind of shady and I know he has hit her once before. Anyway, I told her that Father Paul was so kind and understanding that maybe he could help. Johnny came here and yelled at me to stay the fuck out of their business. That's why Ben put up the extra locks."

"Do you know where I can find Bobbie or Johnny?"

"They live upstairs, in 406. I've been so swamped lately that I haven't had much time to go up and visit her and little Erin. I think Johnny hangs out at the auto repair place over a block on 117th, at least I've seen him there when I've walked by before."

Thanking her for her time and help, Flack mounted one more flight of stairs. At the door for 406 he stood for several minutes knocking. He heard nothing from inside and making a note of it, he headed back down the stairs.

A quick run past the auto shop wouldn't hurt he thought and putting the car into gear, Flack pulled into the street. The shop was easy enough to find and after parking the car in the drive, he walked into the repair bay. "I'm looking for Johnny."

An older man in stained overalls looked suspiciously at Flack, "Who wants to know?"

"NYPD." Flack returned a level gaze.

The man's eyes flickered towards a group of three men gathered around a Honda with the hood up. They appeared to be ignoring the newcomer in the room. Flack nodded his thanks and moved towards the group. "I want to talk with Johnny." Flack's voice showed he meant business.

The men all looked up at Flack and each other. Suddenly one man broke from the group and bolted towards the back door.

'God, I hate runners.' Thought Flack as he headed after the man.

Author's note: couldn't resist the running. Flack had to chase a suspect again last night. Poor guy.