A/N: Thanks again for your continual support and please forgive all my errors. Standard disclaimer: I own nothing or I only own up to the mistakes...Warning a lot of crazy stuff is about to go down fast...and Rina.

32

Caller reported the little boy across the street must've heard something he shouldn't have.

He keeps coming to her house and putting whipped cream on and licking it off of

Puss in Boots, her ginger and white British Shorthair kitty cat.

—LIMA SPRINGS POLICE BLOTTER

"What do you think?" Hunter asked as soon as they were driving away from the prison and Nevada.

"I really don't know what to think."

"What's your famous Cedes' senses telling you?"

"It's complicated."

"With you, it usually is."

"Why would he do any of this?"

"I think the most important question is, why does he want to meet Gina?"

"What if he really knows who her sperm donor is?"

"Cedes, he could if he knew who Sander Menkins' partner was but does it really matter?"

"What are you talking about Hunter?"

"Let's catch the guy who killed Menkins and abducted you, but who cares who Gina's biological father is? Will it help you or Gina? Finding out who raped you and got you pregnant?"

"That was why I never wanted her to find out who it was. He is not her father. He is just a sperm donor," she said, trying to hold back all of her pain.

"I have to tell you something, Merciful."

"That doesn't sound reassuring."

"What happens in Nevada stays here right?" he asked.

"It can't just be limited to Vegas, so you are covered, I promise not to tell a soul."

"When we find out who raped you, he will pay for what he did to you one way or another."

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear you say that."

"Do you disagree with me?"

"Hell no," she admitted. "But if we start taking the law into our own hands, we are no better than the criminals we put away as well as the dirty cops who brutalize black and other minorities, trans people, and the mentally ill."

"Is that your official statement?"

"It is. Unofficially, however, you will do nothing of the sort, because I get to beat his ass first and there might not be anything left for you to even touch if my mom or dad find out and get to him before I do. I have had Gina's DNA in the system and on genealogy websites for years, hoping for a hit."

"If that's the case, and Bryan Ryan Menkins' DNA is in the system already, wouldn't you have gotten a hit by now? Even if Gina's biological father were only related to him?"

"It depends on when his DNA was entered into CODIS. I haven't run it in a while, but he's been in prison for awhile. Surely it was entered then."

"Then that would mean her biological father isn't a Menkins unless Bryan Ryan is actually a Ryan and not a Menkins just like Samuel Evan is actually an Evans and not a Menkins."

Cedes' mind raced with all the new information she had to digest. Could she finally find out the truth after all these years? It all was based on the account of one convicted murderer who was a self-professed liar.

"What do you think the odds are that this is going to work? Will we be able to get Bryan Ryan Ryan Menkins transferred to Eureka?" she asked.

"That all depends on your connections, I'd say. Maybe we should talk to Andy Collins."

"Andy? Good idea. I'll see if he'll meet us. In the meantime, my gut is telling me something else."

"And that is?" he asked.

"That Bryan Ryan Menkins isn't as bad a guy as one might suppose."

"Are you certain that your instincts have not gotten corrupted by the Nevada air?"

She looked at him like he lost his mind.

"Okay, let's say you're right about him. He was still raised as a Menkins whether he is one by blood or not. He shares a mother with them, and he could be a domestic terrorist and still rise above the fold."

"Who are you dating?" she asked Hunt.

"Not this again?"

"Yes you know how relentless I can be."

"For the last time I'm not dating anyone."

"Is she a he?"

"No, I am not even bicurious."

"Is she a college coed and barely legal?"

"She doesn't even exist."

"That's why you won't tell me."

"No, it's not."

"You're dating an ancient alien who beams you up to her starship for secret trysts."

"Please stop."

"Tell me, you know that I tell you everything."

"Yeah right."

"Who was the first person I called when I started my period?"

"Mercedes." He said looking like he wanted to forget it ever happened.

"Was it my mom or dad? Your mom? No. I called Y.O.U.. My best friend in the world."

"Which is when I learned the phrase TMI."

"I can't believe you are really going to keep this secret from me?"

"It's not a secret. I am not sleeping with anyone."

"Then what are you hiding from me?"

"Oh, that. Well, if I told you, I wouldn't be hiding it anymore. That makes zero sense, Merciful. How can I hide something if I tell you what it is?"

"We are boring," she said, suddenly depressed.

"You are describing yourself."

"Why are we not in a relationship?" She looked at him.

"I don't know why we are always single in high school and even now." He seemed to deflate, as though he felt her words on a deeper level than she'd expected.

"Hunt?" She put a hand on his arm.

"We really are pathetic, aren't we?"

"Yes we are. We're official Lima Spring Losers. Also, if I guess right, will you tell me?"

"I'm not dating anyone."

"Then you're pining for someone you can't have."

"I'm not."

"What about Minnie Jones?"

"Besides your mother."

To take her mind off their conversation that followed she called Andy Collins. The former sheriff agreed to meet them at the hospital. As Hunter fell back asleep.

"Where are we?" He asked when he woke up.

"Almost thirty minutes from McKinleyville."

"Shit. How long have I been out?"

"Not quite five hours after singing most of the songs from Beyonce's Cowboy Carter, you fell asleep and while you were dreaming you kept mentioning letting someone blowing your whistle."

"Seriously?"

"Yep, are you hungry?"

"You know I can always eat."

"Then you woke up just in time."

Cedes stopped at one of her favorite Mexican restaurants from when she lived in McKinleyville then answered yet another text from Tank asking when he'd get another coffee date. So, she could pay ten dollars for a cup of coffee again? No, thank you instead she typed, "Out of town. Official business."

He texted immediately asking when she would return. She groaned and handed the phone to Hunt. "You're my brand new undersheriff. You should take care of this."

Realizing how insane he was, she snatched back her phone. There was no telling what Hunt would say to him. She shot off a quick reply about getting home late, then climbed out into the unforgiving California sun.

She and Hunter both ordered steak fajitas smothered in green peppers, mushrooms, and onions with tortillas after eating homemade nachos and authentic salsa and white queso dip. To top it off, they shared her sopapilla cheesecake bar since Hunter swore he couldn't eat anything else. Of course, he said that right before he ate four-fifths of the decadent dessert.

Cedes hadn't had any carbs in days. He was lucky he didn't lose a finger or two.

An hour after eating, they were having coffee in the Methodist Hospital cafeteria in McKinleyville with Andy Collins. He was in town and agreed to meet Cedes and Hunter there so they could check up on their stabbing victim, Mike Chang.

"Can you tell me the odds of all this happening now?" she asked him after explaining the situation she was in because of Bryan Ryan Menkins. Although it happened all the time, she'd never had an inmate transferred across state lines. The times she had heard of it was when someone had committed a crime in another state and they were transferred for prosecutorial reasons.

"It has been done and can be done again," he said, not telling her that he could definitely help her do it. "The caveat is that as long as there's no extradition with all the legalities that entails, the approval can happen in a matter of hours. The most important thing you'll need to do is convince the DA, of course, and then he'll have to convince a friendly state judge to issue a warrant, but it can be done. I can talk to Bletheim for you. She'd probably do it."

As judges went, Bletheim wouldn't sprinkle water on Cedes if she was on fire, but she and Andy didn't have a problem. She wondered if the woman was almost one of his four wives. "So why are you hesitant in believing it will work?" she asked.

"It's the timing. You seem to want this done—"

"Immediately," she said.

"She's on vacation in Santa Barbara."

"So, if not today then tomorrow?"

"You're something else, Porter. Even if I can get a hold of her, you know how slowly the justice system works."

"I also know how quickly and smoothly you work."

"You are in luck. The judge owes me a favor," he said. "But even if she signs off on the extradition tomorrow, it could still take weeks to actually get to Eureka."

"No, it won't because you are going to call a couple of buddies you have in prisoner transport."

"Mercy, mercy, me, If only the world revolved around you, Mercy girl."

"You mean it doesn't?"

"If everything goes as planned, the earliest I could get him here, and that is if everything else falls instantly into place, would be Friday. Thursday if we are lucky, and that's if I can convince the guys at transportation."

"You call them before you even talk to the judge to prepare them."

"You're going to have to get all that paperwork through lickety split. How confident are you that this will get done today?"

"I am ninety-nine percent certain." She thought about it, then said, "Ninety-six at the least." The new DA from Napa Valley who now served as the DA for Lima Springs County as well, was not her biggest fan, either, but surely he'd agree this needed to be done. He'd been on her for an update on the Sander Menkins' case. He was about to get one.

"You know that the guys in transport are going to kill me," Andy said, scrubbing his face again.

"It's a road trip to Nevada. Who doesn't like road trips to the desert to pick up a hardened criminal?"

"The guys in transport who are almost as old as me."

"Maybe they should have thought of that before taking the job."

His expression was not amused. These were men who wanted to take it easy and took a job that required little time and effort but kept them in benefits without having to retire.

"I know but I know what helps me out on road trips." She said, leaning in as though she had a juicy secret. "Audiobooks."

A charming grin widened his mouth. "Yeah I am sure my guys would love listening to a thriller while transporting a killer."

"Tell them I'll also throw in a weekend stay at a picturesque cabin with a small raccoon guest named Ralphie right on the Lima River."

Hunter started paying attention when he heard that. "You're willing to bribe transportation with my cabin?"

"What? It's not like I have one to offer. You can stay with me or your mom if they ever take us up on it."

"I feel used."

"I could've offered your body, instead," she said with a wink.

Andy laughed at them. "How's your stabbing victim?"

After speaking with Mike Chang's doctor before meeting Andy, she finally got a look at their victim. Chang was a very handsome man with dark hair, and smooth, sun-kissed ageless skin. He must moisturize, and he was obviously healthy before being injured, so he should recover without additional problems.

"He's in stable condition. They're hopeful, but my witness was right. The toxicology screen showed an almost lethal dose of fentanyl in his system. Sam swears he's a health nut to the extreme and has never touched drugs."

"That entire attack was set up to make it look like it was just a bar fight gone wrong."

"Somebody obviously wants him dead, and I want to know who that person is." She looked at Andy. "Thank you so much for meeting us here."

After saying their goodbyes, the duo went to speak to the charge nurse on Chang's ward. Cedes was about to give her a card, but thought better of it. The older woman could hardly take her eyes off Hunt, so she reached into his pocket and slid her his card instead.

"Will you please call Hunter, I mean Chief Deputy Clarington, if there are any changes in Mr. Chang's condition? You can call and tell him anything."

The woman's face lit up like she'd just won the lottery. "Sure, I will."

"First you freely offer my cabin? Now my body? I didn't realize you were my pimp."

"If I were your pimp and you were my ho, I'd be the best pimp ever." She turned to him as they headed towards the elevator. "Think about how much money we could make."

He offered her a grin straight out of The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Seduction. "We could, couldn't we?"

Such a humble man. She blamed it all on April.

She looked down and saw another text from Tank asking when she was getting home. "What the hell is this?" she asked as the elevator doors opened.

Hunt looked over her shoulder and read the text. "You know you are going to have to do something about that guy before this escalates."

"Do you think Jay needs some target practice? Maybe aim at his feet and make him dance to avoid missing a toe, ankle, or the entire foot. Most rappers enjoy the street cred of getting shot, so he might volunteer to do it."

Gina was more convinced now more than ever that sweet little Mrs. Banks was indeed an insane serial killer. But proving what her instincts were telling her to be true could be sticky. Her mom would never let her investigate a cold case. So, she'd been racking her brain to figure out how to prove the crafty old woman's guilt.

It took her all day, but she figured out how she could investigate Mrs. Banks without her mother's knowledge. Mrs. Banks would agree that she killed the people if anybody reopened the case, and nobody would believe her. Gina needed evidence to prove she was indeed a serial murderess. She needed to somehow get inside of Mrs. Banks' home to gather the evidence that would convince everyone about something she knew deep in her gut was true.

She had to do a breaking and entering to find the evidence to nail the woman. Of course, she'd feel a lot better about it if Mrs. B. weren't so danged adorable. Gina just needed to run it by Ricky and Ashlyn first, but Ricky wasn't picking up and Ashlyn's mom made her turn off her phone to do homework.

If Gina didn't need a lookout and somebody to pick Mrs. Banks' locks, she wouldn't dream of involving Ashlyn and Ricky in this because it was simply too dangerous. She could only hope they would make it out of the killer's lair alive and in the same state they were before entering. Then again, the woman had to be almost eighty. How much harm could she do to them?

Gina didn't leave her grandparent's house until they had left for their date. She had no idea that old people who were married still went out on dates. As soon as her grandfather's SUV left the driveway, she rode her off on her bicycle wishing she had a car.

She decided to go to Ashlyn's home first. She figured she had about an hour before her grandparents came back home, and even though, she did leave a note telling them she went home to paint her nails with her mother's polish which should buy her another thirty minutes because she wouldn't be able to leave until her nails were completely dry.

Ever since Ashlyn's abduction and attempted murder, the Caswells' security system rivaled the White House. However, there were a couple of tiny blind spots Gina could squeeze through. The two girls had mapped them out by having Ashlyn watch the cameras, and Gina walk around the property, and it worked. They now had access to come and go as they pleased, but they had yet to use their sneaky escape route to actually escape her home without her parents' permission. They didn't know that today would be the day that they would be their practice into work.

Ashlyn came to her window after hearing a peanut hitting it with a huge smile lighting her face. She checked over her door then motioned Gina up.

"What are you doing here?" Her giggle turned her voice into musical notes.

Gina having used the trellis on the house to climb up to Ashlyn's room, clung to the windowsill for dear life, but didn't go inside. It would take too long for her to climb back out the window should she need to leave Ashlyn's room quickly. "I solved it out."

"Yay! I'm so proud of you, Gina." She pushed her glasses up her nose and asked, "What were you trying to solve again?"

"The cold case of the disappearances. Mrs. Banks is indeed a cold-blooded serial killer."

"It's always the quiet ones."

"Right? So, a lot of the victims' families describe the things their loved ones had with them at the time of their disappearance."

"Yes. I remember reading about some of them."

"And I was able to find an inventory of the items that someone compiled. I figure Mrs. Banks must still have some of those things hidden inside of her house."

"You are right."

"If we are able to find them, then we will have caught the killer."

Ashlyn gave her a smile that meant she was willing to go along with this dangerous plan. No one looking at the red headed teen would suspect she was capable of being involved in anything risky or dangerous as Gina's plan. In fact, if they were caught, no one would believe for a minute Ashlyn had agreed to take part in the criminal activity of breaking and entering into someone's home to find evidence that the person is a serial killer. Everyone would blame the whole thing on Gina, which was one of the reasons Gina decided to bring her in. Ashlyn would be safe from any repercussions.

Still she didn't want to get her friend in trouble if this happened to backfire on them. "I really want you to think this over before you decide to do this with me," Gina said. "It could be dangerous, and we'll only have a short window of time to get in and get out of Mrs. Banks' home, so timing is of the essence."

"How can you go into her house without her noticing it?"

"Because Mrs. Banks is also a serial confessor of every crime committed in Lima Springs."

"And."

"There was a crime last night and she will be at the sheriff's department as soon as it opens to confess to it."

But that was a stabbing done by three men."

"It doesn't matter."

"There were witnesses to the crime."

"It doesn't matter."

"She'll still confess when everyone knows she is lying."

"Most definitely."

"Little Mrs. Banks will confess to stabbing a man and running over Mr. Menkins with a truck even though several witnesses saw exactly who did it?"

"I'm telling you, she'll be there as soon as she can to confess that she did it and it will take her a while because she likes to give details and make sure that every word is recorded for posterity."

"How will we know she's actually there doing the confessing?"

"I have someone on the inside."

"Who is it and should we coordinate with him or her? Go over the plan with this person?"

"We could but why do all of that?"

"Do you watch any heist movies, like Oceans Eleven?"

"No, I don't. Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Very sure."

"See you early tomorrow and remember to wear something that will help you blend in."

"With this hair? Should I bring my lockpicking kit?"

"You know how to pick locks?"

"Not really."

"It's okay. Bring it anyway. Maybe Ricky will know how to use it."

Ashlyn nodded her head in excitement and agreement.

Gina gave her another quick hug, then climbed down the trellis and walked along the tiny space where the cameras wouldn't record her. It was getting dark, and she took a wrong step and light flooded the lawn.

She stood frozen for a few seconds, then she started to run. As soon as she got to her bike, she jumped on it and pedaled away in a hurry, half expecting to hear sirens chasing after her.

She rode as fast as she could for a solid two minutes before slowing down. No sirens. Always a good sign. Now to her second place, Ricky Lopez-Bowen's home.

Ricky lived much closer to Gina than Ashlyn did, thankfully, but it still took her around ten minutes to make it down the mountain and back into town to his house. She didn't have to pedal hard because of the momentum of going down hill versus uphill was totally different.

Tonight would be her first time sneaking into Ricky's house. She knew exactly where his bedroom was. She laid her bike down on the ground so his dad wouldn't see it, then tiptoed around the house. Ricky's light was on in his room, so she hurried past the dark window of his dad's room and silently walked to his window.

His curtains made it impossible to see inside, but there was a slim opening down the center that she could see through.

And wow what a sight. Ricky stood with a towel around his waist. He was probably looking for underwear, she realized. Heat spread up her body. What was she doing? Would she be arrested for being a Peeping Thomasina?

She stood back not wanting to be caught staring at him when she knocked on his window. He walked over and part of her wanted to run, but she stood transfixed with the image before her.

When he saw that it was her, he lifted the window and leaned against the frame. "If it isn't Regina Grace Porter. What brings you here?"

"To proposition you...I meant I have a proposition for you."

"Oh I think the first part was right you want to take advantage of me."

"Definitely not, it's not that kind of proposition."

"Oh, well, you should come inside anyway." He gestured her inside, and while climbing into a window seemed great in theory, it was not something easy for her to do, so Ricky had to reach out and lift her over the windowsill as it dug into her knees.

When he reached to grab her in, she tried to jump off the windowsill and the momentum of her jump made them both land on Ricky's bed with Gina on top of him.

She held in a cry, not wanting to let Ricky's dad know she was in his house.

"You know my dad can't hear us," he said, his voice oddly strained.

Ricky's dad was deaf, not that he let that stop him.

They waited a moment longer and Gina got to studied the boy's facial features up close and personal. His eyes were red.

"How long were you taking a shower?"

"Not too long, why?"

"Your eyes are red."

He turned his head and squeezed them with a thumb and index finger, then sniffed and said, "Allergies."

"Are you sure? Your voice seems a bit scratchy." She lifted a hand to his forehead.

"I'm good. I took some Zyrtec and I feel better now."

She'd been so focused on herself and her own silly life, she hadn't picked up on the fact that Ricky did seem a bit different lately. Quieter. More reserved than usual. Which, for Ricky, was saying a lot.

"Ricky, is something wrong?"

"How could anything be wrong when I have a hot girl lying on top of me."

"Hot girl?" she asked, stunned. When he only grinned, his gaze traveling over her face, his words sank in. "Oh, right, sorry." She started to squirm off, but he put a hand on her butt and held her to him.

"Hold on. Please don't move just yet."

A warmth spread throughout her body and pooled in her lower abdomen. "Why shouldn't I move?"

"Well, I didn't want to alarm you, but my towel fell off."

She went still, afraid to move. "You mean I am on top of you and … you are naked?"

He told her yes with a wicked grin.

"What should we do?"

"We have two options."

"What are they?"

"You can take off your clothes and be naked with me—"

She sucked in a soft breath.

"—or you can close your eyes and roll off me. I promise to get dressed quickly."

Before he could finish the sentence she had rolled off of him and squeezed her eyes shut and rolled.

She heard him laughing while he got clothes and went into his closet to change into them.

"I am fully dressed," he said.

She sat up, opened her eyes, and saw him dressed in a pair of black gym shorts and black T-shirt.

"Is that what you sleep in?" she asked.

"Depends on what's clean. So, why are you here?"

She'd temporarily forgotten. "While we were helping my grandparents clean out the attic today, Ashlyn and I found clippings and reports from an old case with several disappearances right here in Lima Springs."

"And."

"Long story short, I am convinced that Mrs. Banks is a serial killer."

"The same Mrs. Banks who just celebrated her eightieth birthday?"

"Yep. And we need help searching Mrs. Banks's house tomorrow while she's at the sheriff's department confessing to stabbing that man at Rowdy's and hitting Sam with a Toyota Tundra even though she can't drive and doesn't have a car nevertheless a truck."

"I will help you." He said as if it was no big deal.

"You'll be in charge of getting us."

"Okay."

"It's illegal. It's called breaking and entering."

"Did you expect me to try to talk you out of doing it?"

"Maybe. A little."

"The way I see it, if I get caught breaking into a house with the sheriff's kid, my part in all of it will be ignored."

"You think my mother would ignore a third-degree felony?"

"Yes, I do because you're her daughter."

"You obviously don't know my mother very well. She even threatens to arrest my grandparents on the daily."

"I'm not saying that you won't get in trouble. I'm saying I won't. She will know that you are the mastermind who put me under your spell and compelled me to aid and abet you. That's something your mom will fully understand and besides she likes me."

"She does like you, so you may be right."

"She did let me stay in your room last night when she could've arrested me."

"That says a lot." Something dinged on Ricky's small desk eight times and Gina looked at the clock showing that it had turned eight o'clock.

She quickly got to her feet. "It's eight already?"

"Don't tell me that you snuck out again after your mother telling you not to."

"I choose not to answer that on grounds that it could incriminate me, but l have to go now."

"I thought you promised you would stop."

"It was the perfect opportunity to plan tomorrow's search while my grandparents went out on a date. They'll be back any soon. I'm dead. I am so dead." She ran to the window and practically fell out of it. "Oh," she said, turning back to him once she was able to stand without falling, "wear comfortable nondescript clothes tomorrow and shoes you can run in, just in case we have to run from my mom."

"Okay," he said, watching her from the window as she picked up her bike and sped towards her home.

When Gina looked back, a light came on in the kitchen of Ricky's house as she pedaled past and blind panic spurred her faster. She could only hope it wasn't his father and that she didn't get Ricky into trouble.