laplandgurl - Hello! Thank you for coming out of the shadows - and I'm really happy to hear you like it!! I wish I could go back and read this over - I know in some the earlier chapters they're in need of editing. Anyhoos, I hope you continue to read and enjoy!

demolished-soul - I wasn't going to originally, but I was answering a request! lol. I've had fun writing it, though!

Aphina - I still can't get over it (and I still haven't changed any chapters (:s)) I think I was in the height of my Ally McBeal episodes at that point! lol

miss wizzard of oz - well, I said I would at your suggestion, so here it is! I hope you're not making Danny dizzy! I need him to catch Devon's killer!

sparkyCSI - I will be going to bed shortly - I have another long week ahead of me. I need a new job! Scarily, I was watching Ally thinking, she's a more neurotic version of me - so I could 'see' Taylor's hallucinations as well as she could!

Alana Xavier1 - I won't give anything away! With Flack Snr, I have had thinks running in my head for a while. It will take some time, but things will sort themselves out! (You are right though!)

The Corrupter - Whoa girl! I go, and then you appear and review another million chapters! So, the answers, here goes: yes, you should be concerned, Sheldon will be getting a g/f... she's a small ways off, keep on gushing - it makes me happy, lol. There are some good fics out there too - you should read them. Just PM me and I'm give you a list!

Dizzy Dreamer - I don't actually know anymore. I think so - I just need another episode with her in (IMDB says she's a Jennifer still). I'm so confused with the situation!

meadow567 - I am undecided as to what do with Angell. I think that until the next TV episode, I shall simply refer to her by her surname, and then I'm getting out of changing anything!

No real spoilers, just big thanks to my marvellous beta, sparkyCSI!

What The Eyes Can't See

Chapter 157: Right now they're building a coffin your size

Taylor paced the empty corridor, her brain whirling a million miles a minute. 'Devon?' she called softly.

The redhead appeared with Maddy and Aiden in tow.

'Okay,' Taylor muttered as she resumed pacing. 'I'm a CSI. What do I do?' she frowned. 'Well, I'd process the scene. But I can't do that, and I can't go and ask one as they're not on the case themselves.' The frown deepened. 'Alright, so I'm Taylor Turner, journalist. Now what do I do?'

'He used me,' Devon declared.

Taylor inhaled deeply. 'I write an article about domestic violence,' she decided. 'Devon,' she said addressing the ghost who was now glaring at her. 'I am going to find your killer. Should you wish to help me, now would be the time.

'He used me.'

Refraining from rolling her eyes, Taylor headed back to her apartment, picked up a notebook and pen, and jumped in her car, heading for the Upper East Side, and Devon's apartment.

By the time she got there, the police had clearly disappeared, but that didn't make her journey into the building any easier. Unlike the previous time she had been to Devon's, this time, she was stopped by a young doorman.

'I'm here about the Maxford Murder,' she told him. 'Taylor Turner, New York Daily.'

'I know who you are,' the man sighed. 'But I can't let you or any other reporter in.'

'It's okay, she's with me.'

Taylor turned, the look of surprise washing her face as she heard Danny's voice.

Danny held up his badge. 'Official business.'

The doorman looked at the badge, eyeing it carefully, and then nodded.

Taylor opened her mouth to comment, but Danny led her to the elevator by the door. 'Not now,' he hissed out of the corner of his mouth as he smiled at the doorman.

As soon as the elevator pinged closed, Taylor turned. 'What are you doing here?'

'Helping a friend,' he told her. 'I know Marty didn't kill her. Plus, Flack sent me,' he added.

'Huh?' Taylor muttered, confused.

Danny sighed, leaning back against the elevator, watching the digital display as the numbers ascended. 'Flack was going to, but I told him I would. At the end of the day, his dad doesn't like me, so it's not like I have anything to lose.'

'Only your job,' Taylor blurted out, despite the fact she was happy to see him.

'You know you could get arrested too?' Danny pointed out.

Taylor shrugged. 'He's my friend. And at this point, I could be the only one who could help him.'

Danny nodded. 'Exactly.'

The elevator pinged open. The last time Taylor had been there, she hadn't realized how few doors there were down the corridor. She stood staring at the crime scene tape which was blocking Devon's door.

'We can't go in there,' Danny told her.

'I know,' Taylor sighed. 'I came to talk to the neighbors anyway. I just… how exactly did she die? I didn't notice any wounds on her body.'

'Louie may have accidentally-on-purpose let slip that she was suffocated.'

'Pillow?'

'Hands,' Danny corrected her. 'And whilst there are no prints, the hand print is the same size as Marty's.'

--------------------------

Questioning the neighbors proved to be useless. The only thing they could say was that they had heard shouting, followed by a rhythmic banging and screams of pleasure, repeated twice over. 'Now what?' Taylor asked the walked out the door.

Danny glanced at his watch. 'Now I have to pick Ruben up from school.'

Taylor's mouth dropped open. 'Cordelia,' she gasped. 'I completely forgot.'

The pair of them headed to the school to pick up their respective children, and soon the four of them were in the car again.

'Ms. Turner, can Cordelia come and play?'

Taylor shot a glare at Danny who had started laughing at her mortified look at being addressed as "Ms." and glanced back at Ruben. 'Just Taylor will do,' she told him, suddenly feeling like her mother. 'And only if your mother agrees.' Behind her, Cordelia was beaming – the first proper smile she had seen on the child.

Mrs. Sandoval, Rikki, was delighted. 'Ruben hasn't stopped talking about her, or Danny,' she told them as the three adults watched the children playing from the doorway of Ruben's room. 'I wasn't sure how well he'd take moving, but he's fitted right in.'

'Where did you move from?' Taylor asked her.

'Only from Queens, but it's a big enough move for a child Ruben's age. He tells me Cordelia is from California?'

Taylor nodded. 'It's a long story, but I've become her guardian.'

Rikki smiled. 'Well, I'm glad that they're friends already. How about we let Cordelia stay for dinner?'

Taylor glanced at her watch, frowning. 'I would, but I have to help a friend out with something. I think I need to get a sitter sorted.'

'Nonsense,' Rikki told her. 'Leave the children playing here. If it's going to be late, she can stay. It's not like we don't have room,' she said, indicating to the bunk bed.

'I really couldn't,' Taylor protested, but was cut short by a jab in the side from Danny.

'Ignore her, Rikki,' he said. 'I need to get going too. Ruben, you still coming to watch the game on Saturday?'

'Of course!' Ruben yelled, excitedly.

Thanking Rikki once more, Taylor and Danny left. 'So how do you know her?' Taylor asked.

Danny shrugged. 'I helped her move in a few weeks back. The next day, Ruben woke me up at 7am. I had just got in from pulling a double. She works from home. I only spend so much time with him because he won't leave me alone.'

Taylor gave him a sideways stare. 'Please tell me you are not trying to complain, because the look you give that kid…'

Danny grinned. 'Nah, I like him. He's just tiring. Anyway, at least you now have a babysitter.'

'I can't keep imposing on her,' Taylor muttered.

'I don't think she'd mind,' Danny told her, 'but I was talking about me.'

Taylor gave him another sideways glance. 'How about we worry about finding Devon's murderer?'

'And what do you suggest?'

'Someone had to have seen someone else enter or leave that building,' Taylor sighed.

'The doorman?' Danny asked.

Taylor shook her head. 'I doubt it. He wasn't there when I visited last time.' She let out a small sob from the back of her throat. 'Oh, God, Danny. I don't know how you can do this. I feel so helpless.'

'Hey,' Danny muttered gently. 'You help out all the time like this. Why is this different?'

'Because it's Marty,' she cried. 'And because you can't help either. This whole thing seems futile. And the whole time I have Devon haunting me, telling me he used her!' she exclaimed, ignoring said ghost who was again being restrained by Aiden in the back seat.

'He used her?' Danny repeated.

Taylor nodded. 'It doesn't exactly hold out much for Marty, does it, when his defense consists of argument, sex, argument, sex?'

Danny frowned as he pinched the bridge of his nose. 'Maybe we're looking at this the wrong way.'

'The alternative being?'

'We're trying to find Marty innocent.'

'Of course we are,' Taylor snapped. 'Sorry,' she apologized instantly, pulling over.

'Maybe we should be trying to find someone else guilty?'

Taylor cocked her head. 'You think he's being framed?'

'I don't think someone is going out of their way to set him up. I think the motive was Devon, and Marty just happened to be in the way.'

'So who do we find out who it was?'

Danny frowned. 'We can't get to her files.'

Taylor shook her head. 'I'm trying to think like the CSI I'm clearly not,' she muttered cryptically.

'You want to elaborate?'

'We talk to her friends.'

'Taylor, we don't have access to her files,' Danny repeated carefully.

'Yes, but she's a socialite. All we have to do is find another one.'

Danny rolled his eyes. 'Couldn't she have been a doctor, or a teacher, or someone with a higher IQ than a rabbit.'

'Oh, I think I know someone who rolls in those circles who you can have a conversation with.'

------------------------------------------

'The Museum of Natural History?' Danny asked as the pair vacated the car.

Taylor nodded. 'We're here to see Dallas.'

'Taylor, I know Kirsten shot JR. It's whether or not Marty shot Devon that we need to find out.'

Taylor arched an eyebrow. 'Devon wasn't shot. And I was talking about a person, not a TV show.' She snorted as she tried not to laugh. 'First The Little Mermaid, now Dallas? Please tell me you played with Barbie dolls?'

Danny rolled his eyes and walked into the museum. 'Where to?' he asked when Taylor had caught up.

'Fourth floor,' Taylor told him as they started walking up the stairs.

'So who is the chick?'

'I met her at the benefit that was held here the other week. She's an entomologist.'

Danny frowned. 'And how do you know that the two women will know each other?'

Taylor sighed. 'I may have done some research.'

'What? In case Marty was accused of murder?'

Taylor shook her head. 'I met her that night. She was talking about some expedition to South America. I was curious. It turns out that Dallas Galsworthy-'

'Galsworthy? As in the Galsworthy's?'

'The very same Galsworthy of Galsworthy Tea,' Taylor nodded.

'How on earth did an heiress get interested in bugs?' Danny asked in disbelief.

'They freaked my stepmother out,' Dallas' crisp voice carried across the hallway.

Taylor smiled at the woman, who was now looking much more comfortable in khaki cotton pants and a vest top. 'Hi Dallas.'

'Taylor, right?'

Taylor nodded.

'How can I help you?' Dallas asked as the pair walked up to her.

Taylor looked at the woman. It was clear she had been crying. 'I take it you heard about Devon?'

Dallas nodded. 'We both went to the same Prep School, and we both came out at the same debutante ball.'

'Were you close?' Taylor asked her gently.

'I wouldn't say close,' Dallas sighed as she led the pair into her homely office. She busied herself clearing several books and papers from a couch they were hiding and indicated they should sit. 'I don't really think that anyone other than Princess was close to her.'

'Princess?' Danny asked, pulling a face.

'Her Yorkshire Terrier,' Dallas sighed as she walked over to the large windows.

'I've never seen her with a dog,' Taylor frowned.

Dallas shook her head. 'You wouldn't. Princess peed in her Louis Vuitton, so she got rid of her. But that was probably the one person who knew her secrets.'

Taylor's face fell. 'You wouldn't know anyone who would want to kill her?'

Dallas shook her head. 'Your best bet might be her boyfriend.'

'Marty didn't kill her,' Taylor protested automatically.

Dallas frowned thoughtfully. 'Wait, that was the guy she brought to the benefit, right?'

Taylor nodded. 'Marty Pino.'

Dallas inhaled deeply and shook her head again. 'No, that must be her latest boyfriend.' The frown deepened. 'A teacher?'

Danny stood up. 'He is a coroner, but he's taking a sabbatical to teach at Washington University.'

'Oh yes,' Dallas agreed. 'The one she decided she was slumming it with.' She held up her hands at both Danny and Taylor's outraged expressions. 'Her words, not mine. I didn't get to meet him properly. But either way, he has to be a mark up on the previous boyfriend.'

'Who was that?' Danny asked, almost greedily.

'I can't remember his name. I just remember that he was younger than she was. And he played football, I think,' she added thoughtfully.

'Thank you,' Danny told her.

Dallas nodded sadly. 'Find who did this.'

'Trust me,' Taylor told her. 'We're going to.'

-------------------------------

Despite Rikki's offer, Danny had insisted there was nothing more they could do, and told Taylor to pick Cordelia up and take her home. Thankfully, for Cordelia, Rikki had fed the child something more substantial than anything Taylor could have whipped up (EasyMac) and had even made sure that the two children had done their homework.

By the time they got back, there was nothing left to do other than let Cordelia play with Wilbur.

Wearily, Taylor sank into the couch flicked on the television, watching the child and pig out of the corner of her eye. At Marty's face appearing on the screen, she turned up the volume.

'… officials have arrested Dr. Martin Pino for her murder, and he is currently awaiting arraignment. Max Maxford is currently en route from Japan, but is said to be hiring the best lawyers in the North-East who are going to be pushing for the death penalty…'

Taylor glanced over at Cordelia. She had stopped playing and was staring at the screen. Whilst she and Marty had never met, his face was all over the apartment. Taylor quickly flicked the television over to the Disney Channel, gave Cordelia a reassuring smile and walked into the kitchen.

She was still staring out of the kitchen window when Flack walked in a while later.

'Taylor, are you alright?' he asked, walking over.

She looked up. 'Huh? Yeah. Why?'

'You're standing in the dark, staring into space.'

Taylor looked around, somewhat surprised. 'Oh!'

'Marty?'

Taylor nodded, leaning into him. 'Any news?'

Flack wrapped his arms around her. 'Nothing useful.'

'What do you mean?'

'My dad thinks I shouldn't be staying here. And he's been giving Sid hell for hiring him, as well as Mac.'

Taylor turned abruptly. 'Are you serious?'

'As a heart attack,' he muttered. 'But I wouldn't expect anything less. Look, I don't know about you, but I don't want to talk about my dad.'

'I think I can deal with that,' Taylor muttered dryly.