Disclaimer: Chuck Norris, Aaron Norris, CBS and others own the characters of "Walker Texas Ranger". Any new characters and story lines that come into play are of my own creation and no copyright infringement is intended. This is a fan fiction intended for entertainment purposes only and I am not making any money from it.

Chapter 11: Connie's News

Lucy and Darryl arrived at Connie's office at seven in the morning. He was glad that his partner had been able to push back having to write a report about the shooting until later that day so they could meet with Connie.

He was surprised that she hadn't stopped at her favorite cafe so they could get some coffee. He knew that she was getting discouraged on this case and had wanted to get to the forensic scientist as soon as possible.

They maneuvered through the building until the came to Connie's office. The door was slightly ajar, but Lucy knocked anyway. She pushed open the door when a voice answered with an affirmative to enter.

When they walked in, Darryl could never get used to the sight of Connie's office. Besides the obvious large desk that housed everything from the usual pens, computer, paperwork and other items that would be found in any office, there were the items that wouldn't be found in a typical office.

There were several handmade models of crime scenes around the room. Some of the models had been cases that Connie herself had worked on. His partner wasn't the only one that couldn't step away from a case.

Connie stood up when they entered; her unruly, curly hair was pinned back from her face. Her brown eyes twinkled with warmth never allowing the terrible things she saw in her job to break her spirit or lose her thirst for life.

"Good morning, Lucy. Good morning, Darryl," Connie greeted with a warm smile as she indicated with a wave of one of her ring-encrusted hands for them to take a seat in the two chairs before her desk. The jingling of the half a dozen bracelets on her wrist didn't cease until they all sat down.

Darryl could never understand why Connie wore so much jewelry when she always had to remove every piece before she conducted her work but he never asked. He knew better to ask such a question. Besides, Connie was always professional and well liked by everyone who encountered her. Even though she worked in a lab with only a couple of assistants and some of the best equipment at her fingertips, she was always one to socialize with people outside of work.

Connie looked at the both of them and her welcoming smile dimmed. A look of concern came to her face. "How are you two doing?"

"We're fine, Connie. Thank you."

Darryl could tell that Connie didn't believe Lucy. Of course, it wouldn't be hard to miss the dark circles under their eyes or the fact that their wrinkly clothes showed that they hadn't had time to change. He knew that once they were talking with Connie.

"If I didn't know better, I would think that my two favorite detectives haven't had any sleep or coffee. Why don't I get you a cup?"

He was about to accept when Lucy cut him off. "So, what did you find?"

The woman leaned back in her chair, causing her bracelets to jingle. "The bullet that killed Ana was from a gun used in a robbery five years ago."

"Did they ever catch the robber?"

"No."

"That's it?"

He saw his partner's eyes narrow and since she hadn't had any coffee in the past six hours, he knew that she would be ready to tear someone or something apart. "Lucy, I'm sure Connie has something else for us since she asked us to come here."

He saw Connie's smile fade and her eyes went off to the side, staring at something that wasn't in the room. She cleared her throat and looked back at them, her voice having lost its playfulness. "She was four weeks pregnant."

He blinked a few times trying to allow his mind to process what Connie had just told them. It was always difficult for him in his jobs to deal with the deaths of innocent people, but when it comes to a child that had no chance of actually living, made it so much worse.

"I'll have the information on the bullets from this mornings attack as soon as I can."

"Thanks, Connie," Lucy said as she rose and headed out the door.

He gave his thanks and shook her hand. As he followed his partner, the only thing that stuck in his mind was the unborn child.

After taking a quick shower and putting on fresh clothes, he stood before the entry table that had a picture of him and Malha, standing before this very house on the day they had moved in. He was glad that he had been able to convince Malha to go visit her sister for a while until the case could be resolved.

He turned and looked at his partner who had entered the room from the guest bath. She had showered quickly and smelled like the shampoo and soap that Malha had made.

He hadn't been surprised that she had a duffel bag of extra clothes in the trunk of her car.

He handed her a to-go cup of coffee and took a sip from his own. After a moment of savoring the hot drink, they returned to the case.

He ran his free hand through his damp hair and sighed. "So, what's the plan?"

She looked at him with her intense green eyes and he knew that she was as upset as he was about the unborn child. "We have to find the father."

"You think he had something to do with their death?"

She nodded her head. "Yes. It just seems odd to me that she never told anyone that she was seeing somebody. Even though she was one who never made friends, women tend to mention something about the guy they are seeing."

"Really?"

"Yes, most women do."

"What about you?"

"I think you should know by now that I am not like most women." Her smile didn't dim the fierceness and determination in her eyes.

He gave her a lopsided grin. "No, you're right about that."

She cleared her throat. "So, now we have another theory that we need to bring to the Rangers."

He nodded as opened the door and motioned for her to exit first. He stepped outside, closed and locked the door behind him. He looked up at the sky, the sun blazing hot while the wind failed to give them a refreshing breeze.

As he went to the car, his partner looked at him. "We're going to have to make a couple of stops before we head to the office to write those reports."

"Yeah?" He asked suspiciously, wondering what his partner was up to this time.

"We have to order some Chinese takeout and take it to the Rangers. What did you think I was going to say?"

He chuckled and shook his head. "Honestly? No idea."

"I'm going to make a few calls, so why don't you drive?"

He nodded, knowing exactly what calls she was going to make. It seemed that the longer this case stayed open, the more twists and turns than any he had expected. As he pulled out into the street, he realized that his partner had been trying to distract him from the sadness of the unborn baby. He was thankful to have her as a partner.