Tim Garner was still on sick leave. He wasn't feeling well and had barely slept. The events of the last few days had utterly overwhelmed him. He lay on his couch and opened the door to the small balcony to let some fresh air into his apartment. The first signs of autumn had taken hold of Boston, and it was slowly getting cooler. Garner reached for the thin green blanket next to him and wrapped it around himself up to his neck. That was better. Then, he tried to organize his thoughts.

Justin was gone, and Garner didn't even want to think about what might have happened to him. The interview with the Boston Observer was off because it could only be done with his friend. Payne said she would do it as soon as possible and then publish the whole story bit by bit. He wanted it so badly but wasn't sure. Too often had he and Justin been disappointed in recent years.

Then, they had visited the lawyer, whom he didn't know what to think of. He hadn't wanted to go there, but Payne had persuaded and practically pushed him to see O'Laighin. Would she really help, or was she just another gold-digger?

No idea. But maybe there was still a chance.

He felt the will to fight slowly growing in him again. A strength that was so much in him. A strength that had allowed him to survive for years in the worst of times. Garner pushed the blanket off him and got up from his couch. He went to the kitchen and put on a pot of coffee. No more lethargy. It was time to take the helm again. His story, the story of the Granther experiment, had to be made public. He would not rest until those responsible were finally held to account. But what was the first thing to do? Just as he was wondering, the cell phone rang.

Garner picked up the device and accepted the call. It was O'Laighin, the lawyer he had just been thinking about.

"Hello, Mr. Garner, I hope I'm not disturbing you. Do you have a few minutes to talk?"

"Sure, of course," Garner replied. "What's this about?"

"We may have some new information about your friend. I'd like to discuss it with you in my office. Can you come by tonight or tomorrow morning?"

Garner felt his heartbeat accelerate. Had they found Justin? This changed everything. 'What information?' he asked breathlessly.

"It's not something I want to discuss on the phone; it's best to do it in person."

Garner didn't know whether that was good or bad news, but he was dying to know what it was about. "Okay, sure, I can come to your office today," he replied quickly.

"Excellent. And it's best if you bring Ms. Payne with you so we're all informed."

Garner hesitated briefly before answering. 'All right, I'll let her know.'

xxx

"No, I can't tell you that. No, you'll have to be patient or contact your employee directly. I won't tell you anything about that," Ashlyn ended the phone call with Kamil Gazal, slightly annoyed. It was one thing to do Gazal a favor, take on a quick mandate, and care for one of his men. However, it was a completely different matter to constantly practice her profession. And that included her adhering to the rules of criminal defense. Informing Gazal about what had happened in her office and the consequences was undoubtedly not one of them. Faris Mazin was her client, not Kamil Gazal. And she owed her client the legal duty of confidentiality. And breaking the law was out of the question for Ashlyn O'Laighin.

Of course, as a former prosecutor, she often had to deal with terrible, sometimes profoundly evil people. And after she went over to the dark side, as she jokingly referred to criminal defense, she had more than once discussed with friends, family, and even journalists how one could possibly represent such criminals. After several years at the public DA's office, where there was only black and white, Ashlyn had a clear opinion. The legal system of the United States of America, like that of most democratic countries, was based on the principle that every person was entitled to a defense. However, that didn't mean that Ashlyn would fight tooth and nail to get a guilty criminal acquitted, which was usually illusory anyway. Instead, Ashlyn believed that the best possible result should be achieved. No more, no less.

For this reason, she did not represent clients accused of child or cop killer, which is why she never represented pedophiles.

She was more interested in the cases of the little man who had obviously acted in the heat of the moment because his own life or that of his loved ones was in danger due to a rash act.

Clients whom she would have pursued mercilessly when she was still at the DA's office, without really thinking about whether there were other reasons to tempt this person to commit this one act that would change the lives of so many people through a damn domino effect. Back then, at the DA's office, for her, there was only the beginning and the end, the encounter of the victim with the offender, which usually resulted in death.

Now, there was the encounter, the interlude, and the trigger of the act, which often resulted in murder. In contrast to her time at the DA's office, she saw the complete picture without restriction, without anyone telling her which perspective to take. Now, she could empathize with both roles, victim and perpetrator.

After the Nicholas Brandt case, it wasn't as if Ashlyn hadn't received more than enough offers from private law firms after she had sent a man who had committed murder in a bakery to prison for no more than six years, even though he had initially resisted and not cooperated with her.

But in Ashlyn's eyes, all these lucrative private practices had always entered into a dance with at least one devil who, simply out of greed, had people on their conscience. She couldn't do that to herself.

And then she entered into a dance with such a devil.

Ashlyn pushed the thought of Gazal aside when she heard Nanette Buchanan receiving Tim Garner and Tracy Payne through the door of her office.

"Thank you for coming by so late," Ashlyn greeted the two as they sat at her desk shortly after. She had no idea how Garner would react to the information she was about to share with them, and she was secretly glad that the young editor was with them, just in case.

"I'll get right to the point. The BPD recently recovered a body from the Charles River that largely matches your friend's description. However, further examinations are needed to confirm the identification." Ashlyn saw Garner's face turn pale.

Tracy Payne also seemed more affected by the news than Ashlyn had suspected. Nervously, she slid forward on her chair. "But you can't be sure of that, can you? I mean, aren't there other possibilities?"

Ashlyn frowned and folded her hands as she leaned forward. "Absolutely, that's exactly it. However, one feature is very noticeable and would narrow the circle considerably." She paused briefly and licked her lip after taking a deep breath. "The man has a third nipple. It is not as large as the two normal nipples and could easily be mistaken for a birthmark, a slightly oversized mole. But this is such an unusual feature that I wanted to ask you, Mr. Garner, if you know anything like that."

Garner looked up and saw Ashlyn looking him straight in the eye. Silent tears ran down his cheeks.

xxx

"Then you were right," said Micaela, who took a sip of white wine in Ashlyn's apartment and frowned a little.

"Yes, it seems that way," replied the blonde, reaching for her red wine, which she felt she had earned after her long day.

Micaela pursed her lips and nodded slowly. "Then I'll pass it all on to Maggie so she can verify the information."

Ashlyn took a deep breath and nodded as well. "Okay. But you'll follow up on it tomorrow and get the BPD Homicide Unit on it, right?"

Micaela rolled her eyes and looked at the other woman intently. "Of course, Ashlyn, anything you need," she replied, slightly annoyed.

Ashlyn felt that the ADA was under a lot of pressure.

"But I also have numerous other cases to take care of. A murder case in which the culprit is still at large is taking up most of my time. However, we do have a suspect, and the noose is getting tighter and tighter around him. Besides, we still have to wait until we have positively identified Booker before moving forward. And then there's the question of whether he was really the victim of a violent crime or whether he just fell into the Charles River and drowned."

Ashlyn knew that Micaela was right and would not immediately plunge into the investigation, even though she disliked it.

Micaela looked at her smartwatch and emptied her glass in one gulp. "I should be on my way home before my husband sends a search party for me. Thanks for the drink."

"Always a pleasure," Ashlyn replied with a wry smile.

ADA picked up her briefcase and jacket before heading to the apartment door. She opened the door and paused, looking into Kim's baffled eyes. She smiled broadly and said a brief goodbye.

Kim looked after the other woman before entering the apartment and gestured with her thumb over her shoulder. "Was that Micaela Barboza? The woman of whom I said years ago that you not only wanted to be friends with her?"

Ashlyn rolled her eyes and poured her girlfriend a glass of wine from the kitchen cupboard, frowning slightly. She knew that being jealous was not one of Kim's characteristics. "Yes and no." She laughed briefly as Kim narrowed her eyes. "Maybe I had a little crush on Micaela back then when I wasn't as sure as I am today about what I really want." She laughed again as the teacher raised her eyebrows. "You know very well that I still like men as much as women." She paused and pushed the wine glass to her friend. "And that you are my absolute favorite person."

Kim grinned mischievously and accepted the glass gratefully. "Your absolute favorite person, then?"

Ashlyn smiled broadly and lowered her eyebrows with a meaningful look. "Do I really have to answer that question? I mean, I chose you over one of my best friends."

"With whom you had sex just like with me," Kim replied, raising an eyebrow before taking a sip from her glass. 'While you had to find yourself."

The blonde rolled her eyes and licked her lips. 'I have to admit that this wasn't one of the best ideas I've ever had, but not everyone is aware of their sexual orientation at the age of twelve."

Kim nodded slowly and frowned a little. "Have you actually spoken to Dom lately?"

Ashlyn became serious and took a deep breath. "Just trivial stuff when I ran into him by chance at the courthouse, not really anything."

Dominic Burke had been Ashlyn's long-time friend and colleague at the Boston District Attorney's office, with whom she had entered into a no-strings-attached sexual relationship after a very frustrating court case. He knew very well that Ashlyn had entered into this kind of uncommitted relationship with him and her old college friend from Denver, Kim Shae.

After Kim was critically injured during the Nicholas Brandt case, in which she had taken on the defense of the man even though she was still working for the prosecution, Ashlyn realized that she felt much more than friendship for her teacher friend and had decided to give in to her feelings and tell her long-time friend Dominic that their sexual relationship was over, as she had probably fallen in love with Kim over time. Dominic had accepted this without grumbling or growling and allowed the two to be happy, but their friendship had not been the same since then.

At some point, Jalen had bluntly told Ashlyn that Dominic had told him over a few rounds of beer in a bar that not only was Kim the one who had fallen in love with the blonde, and that Dominic had wanted to say precisely that during the Brandt case, but then the incident happened in which Kim was critically injured. Dominic had realized that he had missed his chance by hesitating.

Kim looked at the other woman intently and took a deep breath. That was precisely what she had feared at the time, that one or both friendships would be broken by this love triangle, but not because neither Dominic nor she would have begrudged the other being with Ashlyn, but rather because she and Dominic feared that the lawyer would withdraw entirely in this context and rebuild her protective walls. Yes, she and Dominic had not only once but several times sat down together without Ashlyn's knowledge and discussed the whole entangled situation; after all, they were two adults and not teenagers vying for the attention and love of the same person. Sure, there were awkward moments here and there, but all three of them had gotten involved in this situation. After all, it wasn't as if one hadn't known about the other.

Kim licked her lips and took a deep breath. "Dom just needs time to get over it, Ash."

"I hope you're right," the blonde replied with a depressed smile. "I hope you're right, Kim."

The brunette smiled weakly and took a sip of her wine. She decided to change the subject and asked the first question that popped into her head. "We've talked about all sorts of things over the years, but we've never talked about why you and Nikki don't have the Rizzoli name." She winced inwardly when she saw the lawyer's confused look. "I mean, it's a very prestigious name. Does it have something to do with the fact that you wanted to carve out a career for yourselves without the help of these big names in Boston?"

Ashlyn blinked a few times and frowned briefly before laughing but was genuinely surprised. She had expected almost anything, but not such a genuinely meant statement, which she had never been asked by the media or other people close to her and her sister. She became serious when she saw her friend's questioning look and sat down again. "You're serious about this question, aren't you?" She took a deep breath when Kim just nodded. "It has to do to some extent with the fact that the name Rizzoli is very well known here in Boston, and many people assume that it will open many doors if you hold an office like Nikki as a cop or, in my case, as a prosecutor, pardon, former prosecutor. But that's only a small part. It has more to do with our mother, Sarah…" She paused and looked at the wall, where a family photo hung that she could barely remember being in, a picture that didn't include Maggie but the woman who had given birth to her. "Back then, a few years after our mother Sarah killed herself, and I think that Nikki was able to understand what had actually happened, she had a really…" She paused for a moment. Then she raised her eyebrows, "went through a really, really intense stage of defiance and announced loudly to the whole family that she would never, ever take the Rizzoli name because it was nothing but trouble."

Kim looked intently at the blonde, eyebrows raised. "To the whole family, really?"

Ashlyn took a deep breath and nodded slowly. "Everyone was there, Jane, Maura, Frankie, Tommy, Kate, and me. Everyone."

"And how come you took your birth mother's name?"

"I was just a --" Ashlyn paused and put quotation marks around the words with her index fingers, "a baby at the time. My big sister was my role model; I did what she did, so I followed Nikki's outburst. I think we both broke Ma's heart a little that day, but she reacted confidently when she realized we were serious and said that if it was really our wish to take the name O'Laighin, she would do everything she could to fulfill our wish. The following Monday, she did everything she could after we didn't change our minds."

Kim nodded slowly. 'And? Do you regret that decision today?'

Ashlyn paused momentarily, frowned a little, and licked her lips. "Yes and no. To carry the name Rizzoli is a genuinely great honor; after all, my grandmother and mother have done everything to make Boston a little safer and to bring the bad guys to justice at the risk of their own lives. But at the same time, it is also a massive burden because the name raises high expectations or even the accusation that you only got a particular job. After all, you are a Rizzoli." She paused, and her facial muscles twitched for a split second. "But to be honest, some days it feels like you're denying your own family because of this name change, just because you're hoping to have a better standing in your profession."

Kim nodded slowly, realizing it was better to change the subject. "Shall we just watch a cheesy movie and forget about the harsh world for the rest of the evening?"

Ashlyn smiled broadly and nodded slowly and hesitantly. "Okay."