A/N: Thanks so much Guest, flowerlover, BurnedSpy, Caranath, pen4lew, max2013, Guest, Jackie, Lady Emily, Leya, zenfrodo, Stork Hardy, Future Animator, Vinsmouse and bhar for your reviews! You all are great! Thank you to those reading, also! And now, back to the psycho chick. ;)

Chapter 29

Kathy's breath hitched and her chest squeezed so tightly, she thought for a moment she was going to faint.

She blinked, unable to believe what she was seeing right in front of her.

Joe and Emily.

Together.

His hands were all over her.

Kissing her.

Touching her.

How could he betray her like this?

OOO

Joe pulled back from Emily and tried to gather up some semblance of self-control.

"Being away from you is torture, baby. I don't know how much longer I can take it."

Emily stroked Joe's hair and smiled. "I know. Sometimes it's really hard to be in the suite with you and Kathy. I know you're just acting, but still..."

"I'm sorry," he murmured, tenderly kissing her temple. "I'm so sorry, sweetheart. You know she means nothing to me."

Emily smiled. "Joe, it's okay. I understand."

His fingers tangled in her hair as he held her against his chest. "Have I told you lately how much I love you?"

She giggled. "Actually, no, you haven't."

He smiled as he cradled her face between his hands and drew back so that he could look into her eyes. "I love you, Emily. More than I can even say."

Her eyes welled up with tears and she wrapped her arms around his waist and stood on tiptoe to kiss him.

"And I love you," she whispered after several moments had passed.

He smiled at her and pulled her close again. He knew he was making himself crazy, but he didn't care. He held her tightly, feeling her whole body pressing into his, and got lost in the sensation. His mouth covered hers, kissing her intensely, possessively, until he knew he didn't want to stop.

"Baby, you feel so good," he breathed into her ear as they broke apart.

Emily whimpered, her body limp against his, as she ran her hands down his chest then tugged his shirt out of his jeans.

He knew then that he wasn't going to stop.

Couldn't stop.

His fingers were undoing the buttons of her blouse, when something broke through the haze of desire clouding his mind.

A noise.

They weren't alone.

He pulled away from Emily, heard her gasp of protest, and held his finger to his lips to indicate silence.

Emily's eyes widened and she hastily pulled her shirt closed as Joe peered down the aisle of books closest to them.

As he rounded the corner, he heard the click of the library door shutting. He dashed over to it and flung it open wide.

Staring down the hallway in both directions, he saw...nothing.

He stepped back inside and walked over to Emily who was trying to straighten her hair. He gave her a lopsided grin.

"Well, we almost gave somebody quite a show."

She giggled. "Maybe they went to try and sell tickets."

Joe hugged her tightly and laughed. "I'd have to kick them all out. Nobody gets to see you but me."

He kissed her tenderly.

"I think we'd better hurry and do whatever you needed to with these maps before we really get in trouble," she said.

"Yeah, I know." He cupped her chin in his hand. "I'm going to have this solved in less than forty-eight hours, I promise."

Emily gave him a wistful smile. "I'm going to hold you to that."

Joe sealed the bargain with another heated kiss.

OOOoooOOO

Kathy stood up and backed away from the trash can in the janitor's closet, where she had emptied the contents of her stomach.

Her hands were trembling.

He loves her? He loves that bitch? How could he? How could he do this to me? I knew she was trying to take him away from me. Trying to tempt him.

She drew a shaky hand over her mouth. Well, that was just too damned bad.

Emily couldn't have him.

Joe Hardy is mine. And only mine.

Whatever it took, everybody was going to know that by tonight.

OOOoooOOO

Nancy slid her arm around Frank's waist and snuggled into him as they walked across the town square.

Frank pulled her closer and dropped a kiss on the top of her head. "Cold?"

"Mostly excited," she said, her eyes shining. "I think I may finally have a breakthrough on this case, thanks to you."

Frank smiled. He was grateful that Nancy was starting to rely on him as a partner. He knew how well they worked together…and how much fun it was to share a passion for something like they did.

"I'm happy to help. And actually, your case is a lot more interesting than mine and Joe's."

"Oh, yours is interesting, too," Nancy said, stepping through the door to the small bookstore as Frank held it open. "But in a whole different way. Freud would have a field day with it."

Frank laughed. "No kidding. But I prefer something with a little more action. Not just mind games."

He looked up as the proprietor, an elderly woman with crystal blue eyes and silvery hair, approached them.

"How may I help you?" she asked with a warm smile and a heavy French accent.

"Well, we're looking for information on some of your local sites. The cathedral and the Madonna statue in particular."

"Oh, yes, we have many books on that subject." She gestured toward the back of the store. "Follow me, please."

Nancy and Frank moved between the narrow stacks of the bookstore to shelves that took up the entire back wall.

"Here are our local history books. Most are in French, but many are in English as well."

"One of our traveling companions speaks French," Nancy said. "Could you show us your most comprehensive book about the cathedral in French for her and then we'll take a look at the English ones?"

"Certainly." She reached up and pulled down a thick paperback. "This is one of the best ones in French. It will tell you all you need to know about the history of our town, our cathedral and monastery, and the statue of our Lady."

Nancy took it and began thumbing through the pages, pausing to look at the photos it contained.

Frank turned to the proprietor. "We're also trying to find information on some other towns. Usanne and Engenbern. Have you heard of them?"

"Oui," she replied. "Usanne is a mountain village on the French border. People travel there for the skiing. It is only accessible by train. The most romantic way to travel there is the overnight train. It leaves from our station every evening around nine-thirty. It takes a rather roundabout route, but most people enjoy that."

"Really?" Frank said. "That sounds like it might be fun. Are there many tourists there at this time of year?"

The woman shrugged. "If you are an avid cross-country skier or like to snowshoe, yes. Otherwise there is not much to do."

She stepped over to another bookshelf and retrieved a volume. "Here is a guidebook for you. Engenbern is an even smaller town. It is popular in the summer with...how do you say it...spelunkers?"

"There are caves there?"

"Oui." The woman smiled. "Many caves. They are not easily accessible in the winter however."

Nancy handed her four more books she'd taken off the shelf. "Thank you so much for your help. We'll take these as well."

The woman nodded and began to walk to the front of the store. "You are very welcome. I see you have a great interest in our little village."

"We've fallen in love with it since we've been here," Nancy agreed.

The woman set the books on the counter in the front of the store and began wrapping them up in brown paper and tying the parcel with string.

"That is wonderful. We get many honeymooners such as yourselves who adore this place and return year after year." She winked at them. "You can make many wonderful memories on a honeymoon trip that you want to relive."

Nancy opened her mouth to protest, but Frank silenced her with a nudge.

"Yes, you can." He slid his arm around Nancy's shoulders. "And I'm sure my wife and I will be one of those couples who return as often as we can."

Frank thought the proprietor had remarkable insight. He also knew Nancy was embarrassed. They hadn't discussed marriage in any kind of serious way, but Frank wanted to start. Maybe this would be the opening he needed to get the conversation going.

The clerk handed Nancy the package as she accepted money from Frank.

"Yes, I can see it in your eyes. You two are truly in love. You will have many happy years together. Perhaps someday you will come back with your babies and teach to them to ski here?"

Frank grinned as he looked at Nancy's bright red face and took the parcel of books from her. He knew she was now beyond embarrassed and well on her way to mortified. He was going to have fun with this.

"I'm planning on it. We'll be sure to stop in and see you again when we do."

The woman smiled a knowing smile at Nancy. "You will have many of his babies. You are a very passionate couple. I know these things."

Nancy nodded and dropped her head as Frank reached for her hand and led her to the door. The bell tinkled overhead as they stepped out into the cold early evening air.

"Well, that was...enlightening," Nancy said.

"What?" Frank teased. "You don't want to have my babies?"

Nancy blushed more deeply. "Maybe we should solve our cases before we start talking about babies."

Frank laughed. "Suit yourself. But don't think you're getting off that easily."

She reached down and scooped up a handful of snow to toss at him.

Frank grabbed her hand, forcing her to let it go, then pulled her into him, kissing her deeply under a streetlamp as snowflakes began to fall softly around them.

OOOoooOOO

Joe and Emily were leaning over the maps spread across the library table, their heads touching as they studied them intently.

"Okay," Joe said. "Put your finger there. That's the spot for the first coordinate."

Emily placed her index finger on the point while Joe traced his finger along a latitude line. He stopped when he reached Emily.

"X marks the spot," he said with a grin.

"And where exactly is this spot?"

Joe lifted his finger and bent down to get a closer look. "Well, it's between Usanne and Engenbern, which are the towns mentioned in Simone's notes, but it looks like it's sort of the middle of nowhere."

"There aren't any towns labeled there." Emily looked up. "Do you suppose this is right?"

"The coordinates were pretty precise. They went out for several decimal points. It wasn't just a ballpark figure."

"Maybe this map isn't detailed enough."

"Maybe." Joe sighed. "Well, at least we know the general area. Now we need to get a map of Engenbern and Usanne. It looks like they're only about 30 miles apart from each other."

"What do you think these coordinates mean? What do you think is there?"

"No idea."

Emily cocked her head and smiled at him. "But I suspect we're going to go there and find out, aren't we?"

Joe leaned in and kissed her lips softly. "Just as soon as my case is wrapped up."

"Which will be within forty-eight hours?"

He crossed his heart. "I promise."