"I didn't know you had a nanny," Jill said. "You never mentioned it."

Max shook her head and took a long drink of her coffee. "Not really a nanny. Two mornings a week for a few hours so I can get stuff done, go for a run, get a cup of coffee with a friend."

"You're welcome to bring Lindsay anytime," Jill said, still a bit surprised that she would leave her kid alone with a baby-sitter. That Kenny would really go for that these days. "It's been a long time since mine were that young."

"You want to trade?"

Jill looked at her for a long moment. "Max? Are you okay?"

"Jill, I'm fine. Really," Max said, forcing herself to believe it. What Jimmy told me, she thought…what if he's right? Deep down inside of myself…No, I love my kids, Kenny, my life, I wasn't lying when I said I wouldn't trade this time with them for anything. "Don't worry about me so much."

"I can't help it. You and Kenny are like our own children."

Max smiled at that. "I used to be so resentful of Jimmy treating me like that."

"I mean it," she said. "You need anything, even someone to listen. I know it hasn't be easy for you."

I'm a fraud, she thought, deep down I'm not this person. Feeling immediately guilty…I never wanted this. How can I even…What did I do to myself? For Kenny, who has treated me like crap for the past year…he knows I'm a fraud at this, that I make it up as I go along. Oh, crap.

"Max?" Jill pushed. "What is it?"

She looked off, shaking off her dark thoughts. I'm okay, my kids are great, I never knew I could love anyone as much as them, my husband is trying…I'm okay. "It's nothing. Really. Just a lack of sleep. Jill, really, I'm great."

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"Linda was pissed," Skeeter yawned. "I got an earful about staying over last night."

"I don't think Max was thrilled with it either," Kenny admitted. She got really quiet for a minute, I know we're still in a fragile spot. "She tells me she gets it."

"Of course she gets it. She's still one of us."

That's the problem, Kenny thought, and I forced her to bury that part of herself. She's a great mom, a fantastic one. She loves our kids, she lights up around them…I couldn't ask for a better wife. She is everything I've ever wanted. "You think that?"

"I think she made a tough decision."

One she didn't want to make, he thought. "You think she made the right one?"

"That doesn't matter. It matters what you two think."

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"Can we get ice cream?" Emily asked, running over to Max at pick up. "Chocolate ice cream? Please, Mommy?"

She crouched down, to give her a hug. Feeling herself relax for the first time in what felt like weeks, this is right. "Ice cream, huh? What about broccoli?"

"Eew."

"You sound like your Dad," Max smiled, tugging on her pigtail, and feeling her friend's watching her. Do they know something? Nigel, Bella, Ann, Paul…do they know where she is? Natalie was with her in the park…No, she can't. No one could…Damn it. I know exactly how cruel people can be. Looking back down at Emily, I would give my life for her. "All right, Monkey-Girl. How about chocolate ice cream, covered in rainbow sprinkles?"

Emily nodded, reaching up for her hand. "Can Daddy come too?"

"Ah, he's still at work, Sweetie."

"I want Daddy."

Me too, Max thought, I can't be mad at him. I know this job… he's not out drinking beers and hitting on other women. "Tell you what. We'll get ice cream, go pick up Nate, and then you can draw him a picture. He loves your pictures, Em."

She nodded and grinned up at Max. "Mommy, you look pretty."

"And you are beautiful," Max said, loading her into the car. "And you're going to get covered in ice cream."

"Hey, wait," Natalie said. "Are you avoiding us?"

Max slammed the door, willing herself to stay sane. "No, just don't have a lot of time today…and I just promised Emily ice cream."

"What about Ann and Paul?"

"I don't know anything. I don't know how many ways I can tell you that Kenny doesn't talk to me about work," Max said. "I don't know when, but he doesn't think about me that way anymore. I'm not his…I'm just his wife these days."

"You know all those cops."

"So what? I'm not one of them anymore. I haven't been for awhile," she argued. Just a wife, she thought, he's talking to me again…like we used to. "I made a choice not to be."

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"It's all white," Skeeter said, as they combed through the Davidson house. "So clean."

Kenny nodded, taking in the white carpets, furniture, walls. Cold, he thought, sterile…Why does my wife hanging out with this person? We're not rich. "Does anyone even live here?"

"My kids would have trashed this place."

Kenny nodded again, as they opened the drawers in the bedroom. Both their kids dead, parent's missing… "What is that?"

Skeeter covered his nose, as the smell hit them. Looking toward the bathroom. "Ah, crap."

Kenny pushed the door open, not wanting to know. Recoiling, as they stared at a bloody Paul Davidson in the bathtub. What the hell is going on?

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"Didn't you have coffee with the Sheriff's wife today?" Kelly asked, joining them. "What did you two talk about?"

"Jill?" Max said. "Nothing…we're old friends. She's like family to me."

"And Ann is your friend. You owe it to all of us to find out what is going on."

What's going on is that her kids are dead, remembering her and Kenny's short conversation last night. The news that hasn't hit the media…that they think she and Paul killed them. Stay out of it, keep my mouth shut…Damn it, Kenny. "Where do you think she is? I know when…Josh died…I just wanted to hide from the world. I didn't, couldn't, deal with questions, people…all I wanted was Kenny and Emily."

"You think that's what happened?" Natalie asked. "He died and they took off?"

Lie, Max thought, why do they want this information from me? "I don't know what happened…I trust my husband, Jimmy and the rest to figure out what happened. I'm really not objective when it comes to…dead kids. I'm worried about her too, okay?"

"Of course you're not objective," Natalie said, looking contrite. "I always forget about…But, what if we can help her?"

Max looked up, digging up her cop instincts. "They have to find her, to help her."

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"Paul Davidson kills the kids, Ann finds out and kills him?" Kenny said, feeling sick to his stomach.

"And we don't know where Ann Davidson is. Three days ago in the park," Jimmy said. "Her accounts were cleaned out, no activity on their credit cards, she fell off of the planet."

Kenny looked up, his heart freezing up in his chest. "Nothing at their vacation house either. Her friends weren't helpful."

Including Max, Jimmy thought, thinking to his conversation with his former deputy. Max…who knows these people. "I think her friends know more then they're saying. You know them?"

"Vaguely. I run when they come over."

"Max is close to them."

No, he thought, no. I'm not putting her in that position again. No one is putting a gun to her head again…I can't sit by her hospital bed again, raise our kids alone… "No."

There it is, Jimmy thought, that is why Max did this. "She knows them, she knows Ann. I know she has a habit of attracting crazy people, that she doesn't always think before she acts…and I know she's your wife. I know you're extremely protective of her, but I also know Max. She says she's great, I'll believe her…I also believe that she's chomping at the bit over this."

"You can't ask her to do this."

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"You really trust those cops, even after they didn't find your son?" Kelly asked. "I wouldn't."

"They did everything they could," Max stated.

"You're the one who got them?" Natalie said. "I mean, your ex, father, you're the one who caught them?"

Crap, Max thought, crap. "I had a lot of back-up."

"But you caught them, not the police. Why can't you find Ann and help her?"

Because Kenny would probably divorce me over it. Stay at home wife and mom, safe from harm…I can't. Dead kids, how do I do this? "Because I'm not a police officer anymore."

"Just a private citizen."

Max gulped, hating how intrigued she really was by it. The part of me I'm trying to squash, she thought, the part my husband wants me to forget about. Crap. Why can't I just live my life? "Okay. Let me…I have things I have to think about."

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"I thought she would be back by now," Kenny said, as they stood in his kitchen, hating every minute of it.

Sarah looked up, from where she was reading with Lindsay. "I'm here until three today. Max said had some errands to take of, hair appointment, pick ups, and it's not a problem. Me and my friend here are just hanging out. Right, Lindz? You going to say hi to your, Dad?"

Jimmy smiled, as he watched his deputy lift the 16 month old up. They had good looking kids, he thought, beautiful kids. "She's getting big."

"You're telling me. I think it's why Max wants to have another one," Kenny said "Hey, Kiddo."

"Really?" Jimmy asked, surprised at that.

Almost bled to death, he thought, had a stroke. What is wrong with her? It's like she has a death wish. Turning as the kitchen door opened and closed. Looking up as Nate and Emily came bounding in, he caught his wife's eye. "Hey."

Crap, Max thought, again. Five minutes of peace, is that too much to ask? Tossing her purse on the counter, and wincing a bit as Emily squealed and ran to Kenny. "Hi…what are you two doing here?"

"Daddy!" Emily cried. "Up!"

"Do you want me to take these three outside?" Sarah piped up.

Max shot her a thankful look. "I would owe you. Thanks."

"I want Daddy to take me outside," Emily insisted. "Please?"

He reluctantly handed Lindsay off to Sarah. "Tonight, Princess. I have to talk to your Mom."

"Daddy, I'm not a princess, I'm a monkey."

"Of course you are. Go, Em."

"Nate!" she called, grabbing his hands. "Will you push me on the swings?"

Max watched them go for a long moment, before turning back to the two men in her kitchen. "Hi."

So beautiful, Kenny thought, looking at her for a long moment. Low slung jeans, thin gray t-shirt, and all that hair…and a wary look on her face. Too good for me, she can't do this. "Hi, yourself."

He hates it when I get a baby-sitter, like I'm an epic failure as a mom. "What's going on?"

"I need a favor," Jimmy said, doing what he badgered Kenny into doing. "Your friends. I need you to dig, see what you can find out about Ann through them."

Max leaned back against the counter, as she looked over at her stoic husband. Again…why are people asking me this? Kenny…he hates it. The perfect wife and mother, that's what I am to him. Protect me, our kids… "What?"

"You have in, and we need to use it."

She crossed the room to Kenny, ignoring Jimmy for a minute. Standing in front of him, she looked him in the eye. "Are you okay with this?"

"It's your call," Kenny said finally, not quite looking at her.

"That's not what I asked."

"You know I'm not."

"Then tell me that," Max said, fighting the urge to shake him. "Stop being passive aggressive with me."

Pissed off, Kenny thought, my wife with the death wish. Why can't she get it through her thick skull? "What?"

I can't, she thought, the day overwhelming her. My friends, Kenny, why is Jimmy asking me to do this? It's not...Kenny looking at me like I'm going to get myself killed, that disappointment...I'm not who he wants me to be. I've done everything he's wanted, I changed who I was for him. "Just tell me, that's all I want."

I'm losing her, he thought, she's going to realize she doesn't need me anymore...That she deserves better then me. "I know what you want."

I'm going to scream, she thought, I hate it when he gets so cold and distant. It physically hurts...I can't. Taking a steadying breath, she turned to look back at Jimmy. "No. I'm not doing this again."