A/N: Magical chapter 30 has arrived! Your support and enthusiasm for this story has been so crucial in the continuation of this story. I truly cannot thank you all enough. Please continue to read and review, and enjoy this latest chapter!

Still reeling from the events that took place at the crime scene, Maura did her level best to contain her leftover jitters. She needed to be in complete control of her judgment and emotions for this case. They all needed to conduct and on-point investigation to get justice for Frost. "Just bring her right her for the time being. I want to begin testing as soon as possible." She pointed to a clear space on the morgue floor where she wanted her techs to start setting up Kendra Roman's body for autopsy.

Susie Chang entered the morgue from the crime lab right as the body was being wheeled in.

"Hi, Susie." Maura snapped on some gloves.

"Doctor Isles. I have good news." Susie was holding a small evidence bag out to Maura.

Maura took the bag. "What's this? A syringe?"

Susie nodded. As you were bringing Miss Roman's body in, one the officers from the crime scene came bursting through the lab doors. He had this bag. He said he found it in the dumpster and that you'd want it immediately."

"He was right."

Susie shifted her weight, face aglow with excitement. "I'm sure Detective Rizzoli would say something like, "What are the odds that syringe has traces of a very specific drug cocktail inside?"

Maura suppressed a smile. "Yes, she probably would. And while I would normally remind her that science does not jump to conclusions, I think if we were to guess, it would be relatively safe to assume that not only would the syringe contain traces of ketamine and oxycodone, but that there might still be traces of DNA on the needlepoint."

Susie leaned in close and lowered her voice, her eyes practically sparkling. "And if we're really lucky, whoever handled it last wasn't wearing gloves."

All guesswork aside, the mere possibility of such damning evidence putting a nail in the proverbial coffin for this was thrilling. Maura could no longer contain her grin.

For once in her life, Maura was tempted to follow Jane's example, and punch the elevator button repeatedly to make it go had been plenty of developments in plenty of cases that merited this level of excitement, but because of their especially personal connection to this case, Maura was downright impatient to get the news to Jane.

Finally, the elevator arrived to take her up to homicide.

"Hey, Doc," a homicide detective greeted her once she stepped inside.

"How are you?" Maura responded politely.

"How's the Ruiz case going? I heard there was a shootout in an alley this morning!"

Maura shuddered to recall it. "The suspect returned to the crime scene and saw a witness talking to Ja - Detective Rizzoli. He had a gun, and he fired."

"Damn. Everybody okay?"

"Yes, thankfully. The witness was grazed on his lower right abdominal region, but the wound wasn't deep. He was taken to the hospital. Jane, Detective Martinez, Segeant Korsak, and some others ran after him and eventually caught him." She sighed.

"Good on 'em. Was it Ruiz?"

She nodded.

The elevator dinged, and they both stepped out. Maura immediately noticed Jane's desk was empty.

Seeing her looking around for signs of Jane, her elevator companion spoke up. "Last I heard, she was in interrogation."

Maura sighed again. "Of course." She moved into the hallway, the rapid clips of her heels on the floor alerted everyone of her approach. Officers and detectives alike were all quick to make way for her.

When she came to the right room she paused with her hand on the door. This is it. Deep breaths, Maura. This could very well mean the end of this nightmare.

She stepped into the observation room adjacent to the interview room. Martinez, Korsak, and Frankie were all inside already, watching the exchange. Through the one-way window, she could see Jane seated across the steel table from Charles Lopes Ruiz. There was a closed manila folder on the table in front of Jane. She could not see Jane's face, but could easily surmise from the detective's forward posture and rigidity that it was taking every ounce of willpower not to do harm to the man across from her. Ruiz, for his part, matched her stance - he was leaned forward in his chair, meeting her stare for stare.

"What do you people expect me to say?" he sneered. "I know my rights."

"Yes. We informed you of your full rights upon your arrest. But you look like you want nothing more than to take credit," she opened the folder and pulled out a series of crime scene and autopsy photos, "for every," she dropped each one in front of his face, one at a time, "single," she stood and laid her hands palm flat on the tabletop, "one." She loomed over him, raven hair falling to either side of her face, stance exuding a predatory confidence.

Tears spilled down Ruiz's face, but his mouth opened in a leering, deranged grin.

On the other side of the window, Maura's heart pounded. She could see that the last photo Jane had placed before Ruiz was one of those Maura had taken herself during her autopsy of Frost.

Ruiz shook his head and began to quietly chuckle. "No one was going to care, or know, or even pay attention...no one was gonna give a shit until they lost someone. Until I took away their kids." His grin and laughter disappeared. His acne-scarred face seemed to tighten in rage.

"He honestly thinks the only way to get the word out about the murder of his daughter was to kill more people," Martinez murmured next to Maura.

Maura nodded. "The average rational person seeks empathy from others as a means of coping and validation for their emotions. A chemically imbalanced person, however..." She knew she didn't need to finish that sentence for the benefit of anyone in the room. Each of them had witness more than their share of the damage that could result from improperly managed psychosis.

"You know what?" Jane's voice came through the speakers connected to the interrogation room. "I'm sorry you lost your daughter. That's not something I would wish on anybody. Truly."

Ruiz scoffed.

"But no matter what manner of shit life throws in your face, no matter the terrible decisions you make to fall in such a hole - in my world, there is no goddamn excuse to take someone else's life." Her voice had dropped to a harsh whisper. Her hand hung, trembling almost imperceptibly, over the photo from Frost's autopsy.

"They all had connections to the drugs that killed mi hija. They were just feeding into the system."

"Bullshit," Jane barked.

"I should go in there," Martinez said quietly. He moved for the door.

"No," Korsak interjected. He looked Martinez square in the eye. "Let her have this one."

The DCU detective let go of the door handle and came back to join them at the window with a sigh.

"What about Shawn Felton?" Jane demanded. "Huh? He was a teacher! Kids loved him! He inspired them! And...Detective Frost? What about him? He was doing...his...job. Neither of them smoked so much as a cigarette."

"They got in my way."

"Trying to stop you from hurting more people! A sane person seeks help. A sane person does the right thing. A sane person doesn't kill people."

As if sensing he was losing this battle, Ruiz began to pant, his shoulders heaving up and down. "You can't prove I did any of this," he hissed through clenched teeth.

Jane almost laughed. "Ohhh yes we can. We have a witness who can put you at the scene of Kendra's murder, and we found the syringe you used to inject her with a specialized drug cocktail." She pointed to the door. "And I have officers and detectives from both homicide and our drug control unit who can attest to you firing the shot that killed Detective Frost." She leaned down, her voice low and raw with pent-up fury. "And I can assure you, there is nothing more that any of us want than to see you locked up for that, you monster."

Ruiz leaned back, the chain linking his handcuffs rattling. His demeanor changed with a suddenness that made even Maura's head spin. "This Frost chacho. Did you sleep with him? Or was it only Rafi?"

Maura flinched from her side of the glass as several things all happened at once.

Jane lunged.

Ruiz fell back, his chair skidding on the cement floor.

Korsak and Martinez burst through the door.

"Rafi!" Ruiz swore up a blue streak in Spanish. He pointed at Martinez. "Imma kill you, Rafi! You fucked me over! You're gonna pay for that!"

Martinez moved quickly to restrain him. "Shut up, Ruiz. You're not killing anyone else. You're going away for a long time."

Ruiz struggled violently. His eyes fixed back on Jane, who was being held back by Korsak. "Puta! I know you got a brother in the drug unit! I know where he lives! None of you are safe!"

Maura knew what was next. Jane could handle threats in most contexts. They came with the job. But the moment someone threatened her family, the proverbial gauntlet was dropped.

Jane lunged, and Korsak struggled to keep her contained.

"Jane! JANE, STAND DOWN!" roared the sergeant.

Martinez started to haul Ruiz toward the door, and Maura stepped in. She stopped beside Korsak, who was still grappling with an enraged Jane.

"I'm gonna kill that son of a bitch!" she cried.

"Vince, let her go," Maura said, her voice surprisingly steady and calm.

He looked at her doggedly. "You serious, Doc?"

Maura nodded, reaching for Jane. "Let her go. I've got her."

As Martinez walked Ruiz out, Jane lunged again, but Maura caught both her arms behind her back. She moved with a swiftness and strength that surprised herself just as much as it seemed to surprise Korsak. "Just give us a moment, Sergeant Korsak. Please."

Her expression and tone brooked no argument, so he stepped reluctantly out of the room.