By 9:00 a.m. only Bailey, Jessie, Robert, and Patrick were left in the penthouse. Everyone else had gone on to the assignments that Bailey had given out the night before. Robert and Bailey were going over some files and pictures in Patrick's office while Jessie sat in the living room watching t.v.

"Hey Jess," Robert called from the office doorway. "Go wake your Dad up he wanted to be up by now."

"Yeah, okay."

Jessie went to her Father's room and walked in quietly. She noticed he was awake and was looking up at the ceiling. "Dad, it's a little after nine...Robert said you wanted to get up."

Patrick looked at her and smiled. He sat up and turned to sit on the edge of the bed. "Come here." He patted the bed next to him.

Jessie sat down next to him, already feeling tears in her eyes. She hugged him burying her face in his neck.

"I'm sorry...I'm sorry you had to see him like that. He loved you, don't ever forget that. I'm so sorry, honey."

Jessie pulled away from him and wiped at her eyes. "Last night you were...you saw what they did...I was scared."

"I was too. It was horrible...what they did to him and they will pay dearly for it...but for a minute I saw you...and John...and Bobby in those pictures. I couldn't take that...it was too much. Sal was like a brother, I sure loved him like one, and it hurts that he's gone. But, I would not make it if something were to happen to you and your brother. It would kill me."

Jessie hugged him again. "I love you, Dad."

"I love you too, Jess." He kissed the top of her head and gave her a tight squeeze before letting her go. "I'm gonna jump in the shower and get dressed."

"Robert ordered breakfast...I'll heat some up for you."

After Patrick ate breakfast he went into his office to see what Bailey and Robert were working on. Jessie went back to watching t.v. not really wanting to know what was going on.

"Hey, how're you feeling this morning?"

"Better than last night, Bobby. Thank you for...well, for everything."

Robert nodded smiling. He didn't want Patrick to feel like he had to thank him or say anything else, he just did what any friend would do.

"We identified the men who killed Sal," Bailey told him. "Roy Langston, Steven Lewis, and Thomas Krieger. Do you know Krieger? Heard anything about him?"

"No, I don't know him and have never heard of him. Roy Langston and Steven Lewis? I don't understand. Roy Langston never worked for me nor have I done any business with him...and Steven Lewis? What is he angry I fired him or something? I've had nothing to do with him after I let him go. What the hell do they want with me?"

"That's what we're trying to work out," Robert explained. "But we can't seem to connect them with anyone you have done business with...past or present."

"They both worked for my Father and he's dead...that's the only connection I know of. Any way of tracking them down?"

"John's working with Boston P.D. now and Nathan is talking to some of your guys to see if they have heard what Langston and Lewis have been doing the last couple of years and if anyone has heard of Krieger." Bailey sat down on the edge of Patrick's desk. "With things heating up, are you sure about going to the wake today? I'd really like to get everyone to the safe-house today."

"I'm sorry Bailey, but I have to go. I couldn't live with myself if I didn't...I loved her too much."

"Okay, we'll stick to the plan then. I mentioned the safe-house to Jessie this morning."

Patrick nodded in understanding. "I'll talk to her."

It was just after eleven before they emerged from Patrick's office, but they had learned nothing. John had called and told them they had nothing on Thomas Krieger, so that had been a dead end also. He told them he was going to call the N.Y.P.D to talk to the detectives that handled Krieger's last arrest and see where that takes them. Bailey went to the kitchen for some coffee and to make a few phone calls, so Patrick and Robert joined Jessie in the living room.

"Just the break I needed." Robert leaned back into the couch cushions. "Jerry Springer."

"Hillbilly weddings," Jessie said smiling. "That guy there...is about to marry his first cousin...and the girl fighting with the bride is his girlfriend and mother of his five kids. They met while he was in prison."

"Where do they find these people? Wherever it is I never want to go there."

Jessie looked over at her Father who was looking at the t.v. but not really watching it. "You okay, Dad?"

Patrick smiled at her, it was fake but believable. "Just thinking, Jess. I'm fine."

"Okay." She turned her attention back to the t.v. just in time to see the Bride and Groom make-out while they were covered in food and cake. "Gross."

"That just ain't right." Robert cringed at the sight of them but couldn't turn his eyes away.

Twenty minutes later Bailey came in from the kitchen.

"We need to talk." He told Patrick. He was angry but tried not to show it in front of Jessie.

Patrick was puzzled by the look on Bailey's face. "What is it?"

"Let's talk in your office."

Patrick followed Bailey into his office. Robert and Jessie looked at each other, both of them wondering what was up.

"I"ll go see what's wrong. Stay here and don't worry."

"Sure, Robert, like it's that easy."

"I know, kiddo."

Bailey and Patrick were both pacing the office yelling quietly when Robert walked in.

"...I told you already. I've never had anything to do with Roy Langston. Jesus, I wouldn't lie..."

"What the hell is going on?"

"Bobby, would you tell him...tell him again...that we've never dealt with Langston."

"Look, several of your men have heard that Roy Langston was dead because Patrick had Sal kill him."

"What!? That's crazy. Why would Patrick have him killed and he certainly wouldn't have Sal do it...Sal wasn't...Sal did not work for him that way."

"I'm just telling you what Nathan is hearing from your own men."

"So they're just saying it happened but don't know why?"

"So far." Bailey watched as Patrick paced back and forth angrily. "I can't help you if I don't know everything there is to know."

Patrick turned on him not worried about keeping his voice in check anymore. "I HAVE NEVER HAD ANYTHING TO DO WITH ROY LANGSTON!...AND I DID NOT PUT A HIT OUT ON HIM." Then, in a dangerously soft tone, he added. "If I had...Langston would most definitely be dead and not out there trying to kill me."

"Pat, calm down, Bailey's just doing his job...following up on a lead."

"Okay," Bailey conceded. "You haven't seen Langston since your Father died...was there anything going on at that time that could shed some light on this? Your Father died of a heart attack...maybe Langston thinks differently and wants revenge. Was he close to your Father?"

Patrick and Robert looked at each other nervously, talking without words. Could Langston really know? They doubted it.

"What? Are you remembering something?" Bailey asked breaking their silence.

"My Father did die of a heart-attack but...not naturally."

"You put a hit out on your Father?"

"No, if I could've done it myself I would have, but I was still in the burn unit then..."

"Sal?"

Patrick nodded. "He took care of it for me."

"You could have mentioned this before!" Bailey said angrily.

"I didn't think it was relevant. Jesus, he was beating Jessie while he was supposed to be taken care of her. I've been on the receiving end of a beating from Shawn O'Doyle and I've seen John after one as well...I was not going to let him get away with doing that to her...Father or not. I didn't want a family war so we made it look like natural causes and it did. Only Bobby and Sal knew the truth."

"There's no way Langston...or Lewis for that matter...knows what really happened. There's got to be another reason that this is happening."

"What I'm not getting is why they think Langston is dead and that your responsible...and how do Lewis and Krieger fit into it?" Bailey rubbed at his temples, frustrated that with all the new information he still had more questions than answers. "We're missing something...and I think your friend Sal had something to do with it."

"Sal would have never done anything without telling me...he never did things on his own. It's not my way and my people know that. Besides, we've already told you, Sal was not a killer."

"He wouldn't kill to protect you? Or Jessie? Maybe he knew something and before anything happened he took Langston out...or tried to, but something went wrong."

"That would explain what they did to him. I mean, c'mon Pat, he wasn't just murdered like the others...he was tortured."

"I don't believe it. I don't believe he would have done something so drastic and not tell me...especially if the reason was to protect me or Jessie. Why? Why would he do that?"

"If Sal's the only one involved...we may never know," Bailey said tiredly.


TBC... "The Jerry Springer Show" does not belong to me either...and where do they find people for the show? Lol :o)