So I'm sorry that this took so long to post. I got a little stuck with where to go with it. Thanks to Love Fanfiction, YaleAceBella12, decadenceofmysoul, Daisyangel, and the guests snowflake18540 and Coco for your reviews of the last chapter. Thanks to everyone who continues to read as well. Sorry for what happens in this chapter but that's life.

Small reference to 6x11.

Back in Florida, the results came back from her FBAT which she not only passed with flying colors, but in the top two percent, then she moved to her new apartment. It was a good thing too because housing on campus was closing on Friday and wouldn't reopen for at least 10 days. Shortly after she started her new online classes for the summer, she got a notification that her application had been accepted for the police academy and she would need to go in for orientation the following Friday where she would get information for her medical exam and polygraph test. She'd also meet the officer who would be running her background information.

He looked like a decent guy, dressed in a suit and tie sitting at a desk in the office she was pointed to after the orientation. She sat down across from him and tried to calm her nerves. She didn't want him to think she wasn't ready but at the same time he couldn't think she was hiding something so she put her mind in poker mode and was calmed shortly thereafter.

He opened the file in front of him and looked down at it. "So Maryanna Reagan," he said.

"It's just Anna," she said. His eyes flicked up to her. "No one really calls me Maryanna except my mom when she's angry."

"Understood. Is there anything you want to tell me before I look into you?" the investigator asked her.

"Don't hold my family against me. They have no bearing on my choice and won't help even if I ask. I want to do this for me, not because of them," Anna said.

"I see." He looked through the paperwork in her file. "This looks complete so, don't be late for the tests and I'll get back to you if I have any more questions."

"Thanks."

After her orientation and working a late afternoon shift, she went out for a late dinner with Ed. "So how was your week?" he asked after telling her about his.

"It was decent." She told him about the application and moving in and talking with the recruiter and investigator.

"You worried about anything?"

"The interview. He has to look into my parents' jobs and I don't know if he can do it without letting their jobs influence his decisions."

"I thought your parents lived in New York?"

"They do and my mom's a nurse so that's not really a big deal but my dad might be."

"Why would you say that?"

Anna looked at him. Then she shook her head. "Never mind. It's not important."

"Ok." After dinner, they went for a walk. "You know you can tell me anything, right? I mean, I know there are things you don't want to talk about but I'll listen if you do and I won't judge." He stopped and took both her hands in his.

"Talk about what?" she asked confused.

"Anything." He shrugged. "Your dad for one."

"I appreciate that but people always judge when I talk about it so I just don't."

"I'm sorry that you had to experience that. Some people can be horrible." He tucked some hair behind her ear as he smiled softly.

"Yeah, and it's not like he does anything horrible for a living either. He just has one of those jobs where—anyway. I'm sure I'll find a way to move past it if he doesn't."

He dropped one of her hands and they continued to walk. "You mean because your dad is a Marine?"

"Why would you say that?" Anna asked.

"When I asked you about your summer classes on one of our first dates, you told me you were taking criminal justice classes because you grew up with a Marine and it seemed interesting. Maybe I shouldn't have made the assumption that the Marine was your dad, but when people hear Marine's kid, they think goodie two-shoes or that you have something to prove. Anyway, what do you say on Tuesday we head out to the beach? Get your mind off of everything, if you're not too busy with classes."

"I'd like that."

So, on Tuesday after Anna finished her online classes, she met Ed at Miami Beach and they found seats in the sand near the shore. They spent the day playing in the sand and laying on towels, watching the waves. As they walked back to the car hand in hand, she looked at him.

"Did you ever tell me what you did for a living?" Anna asked.

"I'm in the business of making people happy," Ed answered.

"And how's that?" she asked.

"I ... I'm a bartender at Oceanside Hotel. It's just down that way from here." He motioned southward down the beach.

"That must take a lot of late nights."

"True but there are a few dinner and afternoon shifts. It's always five somewhere and when you're visiting from somewhere else you want to relax and with no responsibilities drinking anytime is easy."

"Were your parents ok with that?"

"They say as long as I'm happy."

"That's great."

"Yeah. They're great to their kids and they do love each other but sometimes I wonder if maybe they don't belong together anymore."

"What does that mean?" Anna asked. "If you want to tell me."

"I love my parents, I really do, I just hate when they fight. They seem to fight a lot. My senior year of high school my dad came home with a bouquet of roses the day before their anniversary. It was the only day he got off before her. He thought it would be better for her to come home to the flowers already on the table in a vase so she wouldn't have to do it. Anyway, she came home and asked who bought the flowers. I told her dad did and you know the first thing she said? "It's not our anniversary." Like, he bought her flowers and wanted to surprise her, how could she say something like that?" Ed asked.

"I don't know. I mean, my parents fight, but nothing like that. My dad would rather walk away than yell at her or argue in front of their kids and they always have a rule, never go to bed angry."

"Smart move."

"Is that why you're so charming?" Anna asked.

"I promised myself that I would never end up in a relationship like my parents. Treat your girl good and don't ever fight over stupid stuff." They stopped next to Anna's car. Ed took both of her hands in his and laced their fingers together. "I hope you have a good night."

"You too. I enjoyed today."

"Me too. Text ya later?"

"Absolutely."

"And good luck on the tests."

"Thanks." She kissed him gently then climbed in her car and drove off. He watched her until she was out of sight and then headed for his car.

Later that week, she had to go in for her tests. The medical exam was split into two days, the first for the chemical tests and measurements; the second for a physical exam. The polygraph after that was rougher than she thought it had a right to be. Most of the questions were fine, basic background, but then they started pressing her.

"Have you ever been arrested?" the interviewer asked her.

"Yes, " Anna answered after a moment.

"Have you ever been convicted of a crime?"

"No."

"Has anyone in your immediate family ever been convicted of a felony?"

"No."

"Have you ever considered killing someone?"

Anna bit her lip. "Yes."

"Have you ever killed anyone?"

"No."

The questions went on and when Anna left the office, she felt nervous about that series of questions. There was nothing she could do but wait for the results though. So, she focused on her college classes which, while there was a business class, there were also two criminal justice classes.

By the beginning of August, she had all the results to her exams for both college and the police academy. Of course, she passed her college classes but that nearly 300 question psychological exam followed by her session with the psychologist had her worried.

Seeing as there was nothing she could do about any of that, she put her mind to her job and the occasional poker game.

It happened late one afternoon just after she had gotten off work. She was walking up to her car to head home when two men in suits walked up to her.

"Anna Reagan?" the one in the brown suit asked.

"Who's asking?" she answered.

"Miami Dade PD." He showed her his badge and his partner did the same. "I'm Detective Cruz and this is Sergeant Vega. We need you to come with us."

"Am I under arrest, Detective?" she asked.

"No, we just have a few questions for you."

"About?"

"A man named Edwin Falcone."

"I'm sorry, I don't know who that is."

"This guy." Vega produced a photo of him.

"You mean Ed? Wait, what unit did you say you're from?" Anna asked, leaning against the hood of her car.

"We didn't," Cruz said.

"Good for you but I don't have any answers for you and I will not speak with you without an attorney present. So, goodbye." Anna moved to her driver's side door but Cruz grabbed her arm. Anna paused and looked down at his hand. "Let go of my arm, now."

"Anna? Is everything alright here?" a deep voice asked.

"Miami PD, hands where I can see them," another voice said. Anna looked to see both Oscar and Mike stepping up next to her. Mike wasn't in uniform but he did have a gun holstered on his hip. "I suggest you release her or we are going to have an issue."

Knowing she had to dissolve the tension quickly she stopped resisting. "Ok, everyone, take a breath here," Anna said. "Detective Cruz, please let go of my arm." The detective let her go. "Thank you. Detective, Sergeant Vega, this is Officer Mike Johansen Miami Police and Oscar Warsaw, he's a defense attorney. Oscar, Mike, this Detective Cruz and Sergeant Vega of Miami Dade Police Department. They were just about to explain what they wanted with me."

"What unit are you from?" Mike asked.

Cruz looked at all the other men then sighed. "I work for Narcotics; Vega is Homicide."

"Homicide? You think Ed killed someone? No way. That guy is the nicest guy I've met. Well, one of," Anna protested.

"So you do know him?" Vega asked.

Anna's eyes darted to Oscar who nodded. She leaned back further onto the hood of her car and took a deep breath. "Anna, how long have you known Ed?" Mike asked.

"A few months. Maybe five. He stopped by the diner from time to time and then in March he asked me out. We've been going out for a while. I don't understand how he could have done this."

"Ms. Reagan, can you tell me where you were last Saturday?" Sergeant Vega asked.

"Don't answer that," Oscar said. "Where are you going with this Sergeant Vega? Are you accusing her of something?"

"You know, my dad's a cop. So is my uncle. So is my grandfather. My aunt's a lawyer. If he was that bad of a guy, I would have known. I would have seen it. I would have known," Anna said.

"You had no way of knowing, Anna," Mike told her.

"But I can read people. There has never been a person I couldn't read. Even my dad and he's great at lying," Anna argued.

"Mr. Warsaw, we don't suspect her of any involvement. We're just trying to find out what she knows," Cruz said.

"Anna, last Saturday, where were you?" Oscar asked gently.

"Well," Anna took a deep breath. "I was here. On Saturdays the diner serves breakfast so I was here until just after two. Then I went home and watched some TV until about four. I took a shower and got dressed. Ed had reservations for a restaurant. We were supposed to be celebrating."

"Celebrating what?" Cruz asked.

"Final grades for session two of summer classes just came out. I passed my classes with flying colors," Anna said.

"What are you studying?" Vega asked.

"Business and criminal justice," Anna said.

"She's applied to be a cop for Miami PD," Mike told them.

"What time did he pick you up?" Vega asked.

"Quarter after six. We got to the restaurant about 6:30 and maybe an hour for dinner. He brought me home just before eight. There was a rerun of my favorite cop show on. Episode was called Bird Box. I got home just in time to change clothes and use the bathroom before the show started at eight. He texted later that night but didn't mention anything that had happened," Anna said. "Wait, if you're narcotics, what do you have to do with a homicide case?" she asked, turning to Cruz.

"We've been doing undercover stings on Heroin dealers in the area. The victim in his case has some connection to one of the dealers in my case," Cruz told her.

Anna looked at Cruz silently for a moment or two. "You think Ed's a Heroin dealer?" Anna asked. "My Ed? No way."

"I know this is hard, Anna, but did you suspect this was possible?" Mike asked.

"No. Again, he's such a charming guy. Nothing seemed out of place, how could I even—"

"John Wayne Gacy, Son of Sam, The Co-Ed killer, Robert Durst. They were all seemingly normal everyday guys. Until you find out they're actually killers," Mike said.

"Some of them even had families. Guys like the Iceman. They live for years, killing in secret while being decent to the ones they care about. I guess, but there's always hints," Anna protested.

"Not until they screw up," Vega told her.

"Anna, you have no idea what Ed did when he wasn't with you?" Mr. Warsaw said. Anna shook her head. "And after eight o'clock, you didn't see him that night?" Again, she shook her head. "Would you permit a search of your apartment if it's needed?" Anna nodded. "Any other questions, detective?"

"I think that covers everything," Cruz said. "Vega?"

"No, I'm good," Vega said. "And a search won't be necessary." The two MDPD cops left and Anna looked up at Mike.

It was the lawyer that spoke instead. "It's ok. You're not in any trouble," Oscar said. Anna nodded and he too left her with Mike.

"I know it hurts but you're better than him," Mike said.

"I know but how could I be so wrong about him?" Anna asked. Mike set a hand on her shoulder. "I just—I never missed anything this big."

"I may not have met him but I've had those moments too even as a 20 plus year vet of the Miami PD. It's not fun but unless you're a telepath you can't protect yourself all the time."

"Thanks, Mike." Anna pulled herself together and she and Mike went their separate ways.

It was a few days later before she saw Ed. She was sitting on the trunk of her car when he got out of his car. "I want the truth," she called to him. He looked panicked for a moment before walking over to her.

"Anna, sweetheart," Ed started.

"The truth. I don't appreciate being confronted by two of MDPD who are accusing you of something that couldn't possibly be true."

"Anna." Her glare didn't lessen so he sighed. "I didn't kill anyone. I swear. I'm not that kind of guy. Besides, I was with you when it happened."

"The rest of it?"

"I told you, I make people happy. I didn't lie about that," Ed told her.

"What's a little Heroin to making someone happy? Never mind the fact that it's been illegal since the '20's for a reason, but what do I care? There's nothing you can say to make this better. Goodbye, Ed. If that's even your real name." Anna slid back into her car and drove off. It said something about him that he didn't try to stop her.

Two weeks into the fall semester, in late September, upon which she was taking all of her classes online, while she was working at the diner, she was approached by two men. One she recognized as her investigator, the other she hadn't seen before. "Ms. Reagan, please have a seat," the investigator said.

"Can you give me a minute; I have to give Roxy some notice?" She motioned to the other waitress. The men nodded and soon she sat down across from them. "So?"

"We have a slight problem. You lied on your application form."

"I did not," Anna argued affronted.

"Your application says your birthday is September 2, 1997."

"No. It says September 1, 1996. The day before Labor Day that year. I turned 19 less than two weeks ago. You have a copy of both my birth certificate and driver's license. Both of which say the same thing," Anna assured them.

The investigator stopped and flipped through her file. He looked at the application then shook his head. "Oh. Okay. I've got way too many of these things. Hang on." He scrolled his finger down the application to the other note. "How many times have you been arrested?"

"Once."

"You didn't put that on your application."

"Because it was a technicality. The application asks how many arrests are on your record and technically there are none. Florida defines being arrested as being handcuffed, told you're being arrested, and brought to or held at a police station. I was pulled over, put in handcuffs, was told I was being arrested for DUI and held at a police precinct house for over two hours. I was never processed, arraigned, or had charges filed against me so the arrest was never put in my record."

"And your family?"

"I think my family ... My dad has only been arrested once, maybe twice, I'm not sure."

"Charges?"

"He was cleared the one time I can remember him being arrested. He was investigating a case with a dirty cop involved and that cop framed him. I was 15 when it happened, I think." Anna shook her head. "You've done my background check; all of this should have popped up."

"And you've held two jobs?"

"This one and a similar one in New York."

"You ever gambled?" the other man asked, speaking for the first time.

"Yeah," Anna answered.

"What form?" he asked.

Anna stopped and realized she wasn't sure who this man was or why she should be telling him the truth other than the fact the investigator was sitting right there. "I'm sorry, you are?"

"Captain Lewis Ortega, Organized Crime Section," he admitted.

"Oh. Usually poker. Rarely lose a game," Anna told him.

"You play with real money?

"No, we're broke college students." Captain Ortega stared at her and she watched him. "I'm the daughter of a detective, you're not going to break me by staring at me."

"We have pictures of you coming out of three different casinos in the Miami area."

"All that proves is I like to come out of casinos."

"We've also talked to the employees and they know you well there. Say you like the poker rooms."

"Nothing illegal about that. You only have to be 18 to play poker in a poker room in Florida."

"Don't you think it could be dangerous for a person who wants to be or is a cop to gamble on a nearly weekly basis?" her investigator asked.

"Only if they have or develop a gambling addiction. Like I said I rarely lose and it's never high stakes poker."

"What's high stakes?" Ortega asked.

"Where any bet is more than 200 dollars. I don't like taking a chance of losing that much money."

"How much have you won in one night?"

"Typically, it's around 300 or less, but the most I ever won was $900. I got lucky."

"The psychologist expressed some concern about your answer to the question 'have you ever wanted to kill anyone'," the investigator took over questioning again.

"But it shouldn't be so concerning because we talked about why my answer was what it was."

"Would you like to explain it to me?"

"Not really, but I guess I don't have a choice. When you did my background check, how deep did you look into my family?"

"Your mom is a nurse, your dad is a detective, and you have two brothers."

"You most likely also looked into my extended family. I was born with five uncles, two aunts, both of my parents' parents were alive, and at least four relatives that were cops. The only things that are still true are four relatives are cops, though one is retired, and I have two aunts. Both of my aunts are no longer married and I only have two uncles"

"And the other three?"

"Like I said, my aunts aren't married anymore. I don't talk to my mom's ex-brother-in-law anymore, my dad's sister's ex is around and I talk to him but technically he's not my uncle."

"That's two."

"What do you know about my uncle Joe? My dad's brother."

"He was a cop." The investigator flipped through her file. "In New York. He died in '09."

Anna looked around for a moment. "The official story is that he died serving a warrant when a perp rabbited and eventually turned a gun on him when he had him cornered. This is not true. Shortly before my 18th birthday my dad's other brother, who is also a cop now, though he was a lawyer when my Uncle Joe died, told me that about two years after Joe's death, they found out he was killed by a dirty cop. That cop took his own life shortly after being confronted with what he did. He is the only person I have ever wanted to kill. He took my uncle from me two months shy of my 13th birthday." Anna closed her eyes and swallowed down her anger. "I apologize, talking about that always upsets me."

"I see."

"Do you ever gamble outside of casinos?" Captain Ortega asked, taking over again.

"In the dorms with broke college students. Rarely for real money."

"If I could get you in a real, high stakes poker game would you play?"

"If it's outside a poker room or casino, that would be illegal. Also, I'm not sure about gambling with someone else's money. I don't know if it's ethical or even legal."

"If you're working as a confidential informant for the police or as an undercover, it's legal."

"Is it ethical?"

"Everyone has their own code."

"And the police?"

"Again, if you're working undercover, it's fine."

"Why would I want to go undercover?"

"High stakes poker games, helping the Miami PD, doing the right thing, it'll help you gain experience that most cadets don't get until after the academy."

"And?" Anna pushed.

"You're right, she is very good," Ortega said to the investigator.

Anna watched them both, waiting for the other shoe to drop. "Well?" she prompted.

"Perhaps we can smooth some concerns about you joining the department."

"When would I start?"

"It'll take some time to get you trained and get you out there. On top of that, you have to get invited."

"You get me a sit down with someone who has the power to make that invite and I'll have a seat at the table in less than ten minutes."

"Ten minutes? That fast?"

"I have one of those faces."

"Okay, other than that your background looks good, drop by my office tomorrow so I can make a copy of your driver's license and we're on to the next stage," the investigator said.

Anna was nervous to start the academy while still working on her associates degree and working at the dinner but with some organization, she made it work. For the first six weeks things ran mostly smoothly, but it was harder than she expected.

Then Ortega got her into a poker game and things really took off from there. It was just what she had been told, playing poker and getting people to trust her. That way, the thought was, she'd get invited to more games and they could hook the big fish. She wasn't sure what was wrong with underground games but then remembered a story her father had told her once about someone losing everything by continuing to gamble and getting into debt with the wrong people. That could cost them more than money so she worked her way up to these bigger games. Of course, with all this work, it meant having to miss a lot of stuff with her own family though she didn't really notice it. That's when the phone call came in which had her begging for time off.

Ok, let me know what you think.