Sgdp1261, you are one of my favorite people, like, ever. Your reviews are so consistent and they really mean a lot. And Runawaybaby555, always great to see your name in the reviews section; you'll find out the answer to those questions in the next couple of chapters (and it may very well kill your Sparia heart, sorry!).

Also, disclaimer: I know next to nothing about police procedure, so if anything in this chapter is wrong, I apologize.

Enjoy, and don't forget to review.

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February 14th

"Here's your tea, girls." Delaney sets two cups down on the table, along with a couple of packets of sugar.

McDonald stands up and follows Delaney across the room; the girls need a chance to regroup and relax. They'd just started telling him what had happened tonight, but they seem exhausted already. The picture they'd painted had been tragic indeed: Spencer, in love with someone who didn't feel the same. The loss of Aria had pushed Spencer over the edge, and she'd shut herself off. Tonight she'd reached her breaking point.

Delaney goes into his office, holding the door open with his foot so McDonald can follow him. The office is small; some might say cramped, but McDonald prefers to think of it as intimate. If he doesn't, his claustrophobia might kick in. There are no personal touches, aside from a couple of awards.

"We contacted the girl's parents," Delaney informs him, sitting down behind his desk. McDonald sits down opposite him. "They're away at the moment. Italy, I believe. They're taking the next flight back, but they probably won't get here until tomorrow."

"Do they know what happened?"

"I told them the basic story," Delaney says. "That she was arrested in relation to a crime, and she's now being questioned for it. We can fill them in on the rest when they get here."

"Does she have any other family?" McDonald asks. If it were up to him he'd just let her friends in to see her – she looks like she could do with some cheering up – but that's against protocol. Once he finishes in here he's going to go back in and try talking to her again. It's a painful conversation, and he's not great at comforting her, but he has a sneaking suspicion she enjoys the company. And besides, he feels sorry for the girl. She's just been through hell; she shouldn't be alone.

"She has an older sister," Delaney says. "Melissa. We've been unable to contact her so far, although her parents think she might be on holiday in Paris at the moment."

Although he tries not to, McDonald can't stop himself from imagining how Melissa will react when she hears the news. He doesn't know her, and he hardly even knows Spencer, but he's seen relatives react to news like this before. Some of them cry, some go straight into denial, and others ask an almost unbearable amount of questions. He wonders which Melissa will be.

"She also has a half-brother," Delaney goes on. "Jason DiLaurentis, the brother of that girl who was murdered a few years back."

"Alison," McDonald murmurs. He hadn't been assigned to the case, but he'd heard a lot about it. It had almost torn the Rosewood community apart, until a police officer, Garrett, had come forward and admitted to it. No other case had ever gained such publicity. "Where is this Jason guy now?"

"I'm not sure," Delaney replies. "He appears to have dropped off the radar. He moved out of his Rosewood house and didn't leave any forwarding address."

"So she's really alone." He feels a pang of sympathy for her. Hasn't she been through enough?

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