14.5K words, people. Apparently this is what happens when I learn a handful of my favorites are either leaving before the next season begins (Cosgrove) or during the season (Brett, Gallo, and Upton). Happy holiday season!

Nolan faces an impossible choice when prosecuting Garrett, Frank learns he's been left out of a very important loop, Firehouse 126 receives a surprise but very welcome visitor, and a call gone wrong in Chicago leads to an outcome that shakes a quartet of officers (quintet counting Boden) to their core. By the end of the chapter, take a guess who I think of when I play the soundtrack attached to this part.

Enjoy the end of "Filtered Life" and "Fog of War!"

***

"Truck 81. Squad 3. Ambulance 61."

***

"Oh, man," Mouch winced as they pulled up to the street corner.

Greg nodded in agreement and jumped from his seat to survey the damage. What appeared to be a vehicle for a storage center had driven right into one of the power poles, and in addition to smoke pouring from the hood, wires were writhing like snakes and spitting sparks. "Stay back from the live wires," he warned as he turned on his radio. "81 to Main, we have a pin-in accident and downed power lines. We need the power company to respond to this location."

"Truck 81, power company en route," Main answered as Squad 3 pulled up. "ETA 15 minutes."

Greg pursed his lips as he thought. "Copy that," he finally said, and he turned to Mouch and Gallo. "We're not waiting. Grab your rope bags, let's corral these lines."

"On it!" Gallo nodded and returned to the truck.

Greg turned to Jason as the man jogged up. "Squad, get ready to extricate when I give the all-clear," he ordered, watching another rig pull up in his peripheral vision.

"Copy that," Jason agreed, turning to his crew. "Squad standby, jaws and cutters."

"Copy that," Cruz nodded.

Greg turned to the lieutenant of Engine 37 as he arrived. "Lieutenant Lester," he introduced himself. "You guys need a hand?"

"Yeah, we'll take the help," Greg nodded. "Charge a line to cover the driver. Let's standby with a couple of extinguishers in case that truck's leaking fuel."

Lester nodded in agreement and turned to his crew. "McBride, charge a crosslay," he ordered.

"Right away, Lieutenant!" she ran back to the engine.

"Burton, Ortega, stand by with extinguishers!"

"Here we go, Lieutenant!" Gallo ran back with Mouch, the two of them with rope bags.

"Great," Greg grabbed the bag tossed to him. "Let's get to work!"

Jason tapped his booted foot, watching with eagle eyes as the crew of Truck 81 tossed ropes back and forth to secure the wires spraying sparks to and fro. "This is a deathtrap waiting to happen," Cruz muttered quietly.

"No kidding," Jason muttered in agreement.

"Secure!" Mouch called.

"Good," Greg backed away. "Squad 3, move in!"

"Copy that!" Jason nodded, waving Cruz forward.

Cruz jammed his Halligan into the driver's door to begin to pry it open, and once it was cracked, he nodded to Jason. "All yours, Lieutenant."

Jason warily looked up at the transformer above the van, and he did his best to quickly yet carefully pry open the door further with the Jaws. "Jason!" Greg yelled. "Take cover!"

Jason looked up in time to see fire and sparks soar from the transformer, and he plastered himself against the van, pulling up his turnout coat to protect his face. Flames roared to life on the asphalt and the hood of the car, and Jason peered around the van to find Engine 37's crew. "I need extinguishers on these flames!" he barked.

"Burton, Ortega, you heard the man!" Lester shouted.

"81, secure the lines!" Greg ordered.

Jason grimaced as he worked to get the door open. "Guys, come on!"

"Careful," Greg warned as Tony and Capp came to help their lieutenant open the door. "That transformer could explode again."

"Hey, wait!" Mouch suddenly shouted, and the sound of a body hitting the road made Jason turn from watching Cruz and Capp remove the driver from the vehicle. "Man down!" Mouch called, running to the side of McBride, who lay crumbled on the ground. "Man down!"

"Watch the line!" Gallo warned, hopping over the sparking line to join him.

"McBride?" Mouch crouched over the woman, carefully pulling her away from the wire. "McBride, can you hear me?"

"What happened?" Greg demanded, running over with Jason.

"She took a direct hit from that line," Mouch pointed.

Jason turned to where Violet and Gianna were guiding their gurney back to the ambulance. "Mikami!" he called. "Over here!"

Gallo pinned the wire into place with the tool McBride had been using, and Lester joined Violet in running to the huddle of firefighters. "McBride!" Lester balked. "What happened to her?"

"She got zapped by a downed line," Mouch answered.

"Where?" Violet asked, her eyes scanning McBride from head to toe.

"Hit her in the chest, I think."

"Alright, I need the heart monitor," Violet ordered, and Greg crouched down to look through her bag. "McBride, can you hear me?"

McBride's eyes slowly opened, and she weakly nodded. "Yeah," she mumbled.

"Yeah?" Violet smiled. "OK, good. Can you follow my finger?"

Greg watched McBride's eyes along with Violet. "Her pupils are equal," he reported. "Looks like she might be concussed."

"Definitely," Violet agreed.

"Alright," Greg put a hand on Jason's shoulder. "She's gonna be OK. Let's give Mikami some room to work."

Mouch shifted to take Greg's place and helped Violet put the heart monitor on McBride. "61 to Main, we need a second ambulance at this location," Violet said into her radio.

"Copy that."

Violet checked the patches then nodded in satisfaction. "Let's put her on the stretcher and get her to Med."

Jason stared long and hard at the smoke billowing from the transformer, then he took a deep breath. "Squad, let's pack up our gear," he ordered.

As his team milled around to pack, he took one last look at McBride before joining the clean-up.

***

"Docket number CR-200931-22, People v Daniel Garrett alleging murder in the first degree," the bailiff announced as she handed the file to Judge Deakin.

Deakin nodded and glanced towards the defense table. "How do you plead, Mr. Garrett?" she asked.

"Not guilty," Garrett answered.

Deakin turned to Sam. "Bail?"

"Mr. Garrett is accused of felony murder in connection with the kidnapping and slaying of Amanda Larson," Sam responded. "The defendant has no significant ties to the community and has already proven himself to be a flight risk. He was apprehended hiding at a campsite deep in the woods of Wharton Forest. People seek remand."

Deakin nodded. "I'll hear you on bail."

"I am filing a motion to dismiss," Knight said from her place next to Garrett, handing her file to the bailiff. "The complaint is legally insufficient. The People will never be able to present a prima facie murder case. There are no forensics linking my client to the crime, and, in fact, no evidence that a crime even occurred. There is no body."

Deakin raised an eyebrow and looked at Sam. "You're bringing a homicide case without a body?"

"It's true that the victim's remains haven't yet been recovered," Sam began.

"Because she isn't dead," Knight interrupted. "Amanda Larson is a social media star. This is all a big publicity stunt."

"That's preposterous!" Sam scoffed.

Knight smirked. "I literally just read on Twitter that she's in the Bahamas sitting on the beach."

Deakin huffed. "Perhaps I'm a purist, Counselor. I don't accept tweets as evidence. Motion denied. The defendant is remanded. Next case."

***

Jason huffed and crossed the apparatus floor to join Greg as Tony and Mouch parked their rigs. "Well, that was total mayhem."

"That could've been a lot worse," Greg shrugged.

"I hope she bounces back quick," Jason sighed.

"She wouldn't have been in trouble if that transformer hadn't blown out of nowhere."

Jason frowned. "I just figured the accident caused it. What did you see before it exploded?"

"It was smoking and spitting fire," Greg answered. "I've seen that with lightning strikes and flame contact, but none of that was in play here."

Jason tilted his head. "Maybe a defective unit?"

"Maybe," Greg admitted. "I was thinking of calling OFI."

Jason snorted. "Wendy might as well be OFI's liaison to 51."

Greg smirked. "Somehow, I don't think she would mind that title."

Jason barked in laughter. "No, probably not."

Greg nodded to the side as Ambulance 61 pulled back into the bay, and the pair approached Violet and Gianna as they left their rig. "How's McBride doing?" Greg asked.

"She was stable," Gianna answered. "A little banged up from her fall. They have her under observation."

"I got shocked by a bad outlet once," Violet remarked. "My arm was buzzing for days. Can't imagine what a high-voltage line feels like. She's pretty lucky."

***

"It's pretty clear the defense is gonna focus on Amanda's social media presence, claim this is all part of some big, twisted attention grab," Nolan said as he tossed the remnants of his lunch into the trash can.

Sam hummed as he returned her drink to the table. "There's a lot of money in being an influencer."

Nolan raised an eyebrow. "Your point?"

Sam shrugged. "All they have to do is convince one juror that there's a possibility that Amanda is alive, that this is a publicity stunt, and we have a mistrial."

Nolan sighed and mulled over his thoughts. "So . . . let's keep all social media addicts and spiring influencers off the jury."

Sam snorted. "That's pretty much everyone under 30."

"And anyone with a negative view of social media stars."

Sam rolled her eyes. "That's pretty much everyone over 30."

Nolan huffed as he sat down again, and he reached to one of the plastic containers and plucked a sliced peach from it. "Garrett has a social media presence as well, correct?" he asked.

"Yeah," Sam nodded as she took her own piece of fruit. "It was complete fiction, but he had presence, especially on the dating apps."

"So then it's doubtful that Amanda was the first woman that he ever reeled in with a fake persona," Nolan deduced.

Sam chewed slowly as she thought. "Want me to look for other victims?"

"Or at least other people that he duped or stalked," Nolan nodded.

Sam nodded in agreement. "Worth a try," she agreed, taking the container of fruit with her as she stood.

Nolan, who had been in the process of reaching for another piece, paused in his actions and watched Sam incredulously as she left.

***

A polite cough from outside their offices made Greg and Jason scoot back from their desks in unison, and Violet blinked owlishly at them. "That's a little creepy," she said.

"Sorry," Greg chuckled as he stood from his desk. "Everything OK, Violet?"

"Uh . . . " Violet cleared her throat. "Remember that call Chief Hawkins and I worked where we saved that newborn?"

"Yeah," Jason nodded and leaned in the doorway. "He walked us through that call step by step. He was seriously impressed."

Violet gulped. "Well . . . I got a call from CFD headquarters. I'm receiving a Clinical Resuscitation Award."

"What?" Jason's jaw dropped.

"Violet, that's awesome!" Greg laughed in delight. "Do you know how huge of a deal that award is in the CFD?"

"I do now," Violet nodded shakily.

Jason paused, examining her expression. "You don't look too happy."

"I'm . . . " Violet cleared her throat. "I'm just surprised, that's all."

"Fair enough," Greg conceded and patted her on the shoulder. "But if Evan thinks you deserve the award, you definitely do."

If anything, that seemed to make Violet look even more apprehensive. "I guess so," she nodded. "Thanks, Lieutenants."

"No problem," Jason grinned. "Have you told Mackey yet?"

"On my way to do that now," Violet pointed. "See you later."

The pair waved as Violet headed back to the common area, then Boden approached from the other direction. "Hey, Chief," Greg greeted.

"Grainger," Boden nodded curtly before leveling a stern gaze on Pelham. "Pelham. That firefighter from 37 who got hurt on your call."

"McBride, yeah," Jason nodded. "Is there an update on her?"

"Separated shoulder, mild concussion," Boden answered. "She'll be out for a few weeks."

Jason sighed. "That's a tough break."

Boden frowned. "She says it's your fault."

"What?" Jason balked.

"She what?" Grainger's eyes widened.

"Apparently, you ordered her to secure a live wire on her own without the proper equipment," Boden nodded.

"No," Jason shook his head rapidly. "No way. I never gave her that order."

"That's what she says," Boden said heavily. "And that's what's going in their report."

***

"She said what?" Herrmann asked incredulously in the briefing room.

"That Lieutenant Pelham ordered her to move that wire with a pike pole," Boden answered. "She's blaming him for her injury."

"That's crazy!" Mouch protested, the only voice clearly heard over the clamor of overlapping voices saying how it couldn't be true.

Jason swallowed as he heard the support for him, and Greg squeezed his shoulder comfortingly. "Did anyone see what happened?" he asked.

"Yeah," Mouch nodded. "I saw her go down."

"Was she acting on orders?" Boden asked.

"Oh," Mouch deflated. "Well . . . I don't know that."

"Did anyone see her acting on orders from Pelham or otherwise?" Boden looked around the room.

Capp raised his hand. "I heard her lieutenant put her on hose duty, but other than that . . . "

Gallo, Cruz, and Tony shook their heads, and Boden looked to the back of the room. "Medics?"

"We were prepping for victims," Violet shook her head.

"We were behind the ambo," Gianna nodded.

Boden sighed in frustration. "It was fog of war, Chief," Cruz tried to explain. "Power lines were bouncing around everywhere, victims to save . . . "

Boden looked at Jason, who gestured helplessly. "Maybe I said something that she misunderstood?" he said weakly. "You know, I don't think so, but . . . who knows?"

"The few orders I heard from you were clear to me," Greg shook his head.

"Don't worry, Lieutenant," Mouch nodded. "We got your back."

"Absolutely," Cruz nodded determinedly. "One hundred percent."

Chimes of support came from all over the room, and Boden held up his hand to silence them. "He's gonna need more than your support," he said. "He's gonna need testimonies to contradict McBride. There's gonna be an inquiry. So I want statements from each one of you describing exactly what you witnessed. Engine 37 will do the same. Once we get a fuller picture of this thing, then . . . maybe it'll all shake out. I want those statements by the end of shift."

Jason nodded weakly, and his crew surrounded him immediately. "Hey, this is nothing, man," Cruz patted his shoulder. "It's bureaucracy."

Greg slid to the side, watching Capp and Tony join Cruz in comforting their lieutenant, and his own crew joined him. "We'll make our statements as detailed as we can make them, Lieutenant," Mouch promised.

Gallo nodded in agreement. "He wouldn't order someone to do that, Lieutenant. You wouldn't, and he wouldn't, either."

"No, he wouldn't," Greg agreed. "Thanks, guys."

"We'll get right on it," Mouch smiled.

Gallo followed the older firefighter out of the room, and Greg was about to follow them when the crew of Ambulance 61 approached him. "Hey, Lieutenant?" Gianna bit her lip. "Can I tell you something?"

"Sure," Greg nodded, gesturing them to the corner. "What's up?"

Gianna took a deep breath. "So . . . I sort of know McBride. Not very well, but I do."

"Yeah?" Greg perked up.

"Before everything . . . blew up last year," Violet said carefully, "we helped at a few Girls on Fire sessions. McBride volunteered a few times, too."

Greg nodded slowly. "Did Wendy ever meet her?"

"Maybe," Violet looked at Gianna, who shrugged. "I mean, there were different volunteers every week. She might have been there on a day I wasn't."

"I just know that this . . . doesn't sound like the McBride I met," Gianna said carefully. "She never seemed the sort to lie."

Greg pursed his lips. "Did Kidd ever seem the type to throw her promotion away in favor of going after Brett?"

Gianna winced at the reminder. "She's also concussed, Lieutenant."

"You better believe my statement is going to back up the story coming from the firefighter that didn't get a concussion," Violet agreed.

Greg sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. "I'm sorry, Mackey. That was uncalled for."

"You have a point, though," Gianna admitted.

"No one here wants to lose Pelham," Violet told Greg. "Not when you two work so well with each other."

Greg nodded heavily. "I'll talk to Wendy."

"If we can do anything else, let us know," Violet told him.

"I will," Greg smiled weakly. "Thanks."

The two women departed the room, and Greg sighed and leaned back against the wall, closing his eyes. What the hell was McBride thinking?

***

"We've identified six women, all willing to testify they met Mr. Garrett through phony, duplicitous social media interactions," Nolan told Judge Dreben when they met ahead of the trial. "Garrett would present himself as a doctor, a lawyer, a banker, then meet these women. When they discovered he was lying, they ended the date, or the relationship, as the case may be, at which point Garrett got incensed, lashed out at the women, called them whores, tramps. In two separate instances, he actually assaulted the women."

"And you want them to testify?" Dreben asked.

"Yes," Nolan nodded.

"How is their testimony remotely relevant to this murder case?" Knight frowned.

"We'll demonstrate a clear pattern of behavior, admissible under Molineux," Nolan answered.

"Molineux requires prior bad acts similar in nature," Knight argued. "My client obviously didn't kill any of these women."

"He came damn close two different times," Nolan retorted. "Hit one woman in the face. He forced another into his truck at knife point. Fortunately, she managed to escape."

"Your Honor, none of this has anything to do with whether or not my client killed Amanda Larson," Knight shook her head.

"It'll give the jury a complete and accurate picture of who the defendant really is," Nolan countered. "That he is capable of violence."

Dreben pursed her lips as she thought it through. "It's a close call," she said slowly. "But the prejudicial impact outweighs the probative value. Motion is denied."

***

"We'll be fine," Sam said with certainty as they walked down the courthouse steps. "We just need to dig into the evidence we have. When all the facts have been presented, the only logical conclusion will be Garrett threw her in his truck, killed her, then buried her body in that state park."

"I hope you're right," Nolan sighed. He blinked when he saw the news vans on the street, and he frowned. "Are they here for us?"

Sam checked her phone when it beeped, and she blanched. "Oh, no."

"What?" Nolan asked in concern.

"A new photo was just posted on Amanda's social media feed," Sam answered, tilting her screen in his direction to show the Instagram photo. "'A little fun in the sun.' Tag says she's in . . . Cancún?"

Nolan groaned in annoyance. "Someone must've hacked her account."

"Posted six minutes ago, and it already has over five thousand comments," Sam shook her head incredulously as she scrolled through the post. "A lot of people are giving her emojis, smiley faces, and thumbs up."

When they hit the bottom of the steps, the press swarmed them. "Mr. Price, what do you think about Amanda Larson's photo?" one woman asked.

"Are you going to ask the Mexican authorities to help find her?" another woman asked.

"I just read that your office is going to drop the charges," a man added.

It was that comment which made Nolan stop. "No, that's false," he said firmly. "We're not dropping the charges. Beyond that, I have no further comment."

When the reporters turned to Sam, she looked down her nose at them and followed Nolan, her heels clicking the only sound she made as she stuck close to her boss and partner.

***

The first shift for the 126 after Gwyn's funeral was . . . odd, Buck decided as he checked to make sure everything was back on the rig in their proper places. It wasn't uncomfortable or somber, but they sure weren't sunshine and rainbows. No one walked on eggshells around TK, but even Mateo could see Kelly was keeping a close eye on his 2IC. Thankfully, most of their day had consisted of calls that kept all their heads in the game, and the Dardens had dropped by after school to hang around and help distract TK.

All in all, Buck had no doubt most of them just wanted to go home.

Booted feet hit the ground near the ambulance, and Buck looked over his shoulder to see Eddie shut the back doors. "I think the last time I went at a faster pace than this was during that jinx back in Los Angeles," Eddie remarked as he walked over, brushing off his hands as he did.

"We're getting our money's worth," Buck grinned as he closed a compartment.

"Yeah, no doubt," Eddie chuckled as he leaned against the rig, dark eyes closely watching Buck work. "So, Captain Vega had a proposition for us."

"Oh?" Buck peeped over a compartment door at him.

Eddie nodded. "She told me after the paramedics' meeting this morning. She's offering to host a sleepover at hers next weekend, Friday afternoon through Sunday morning, when we're not on shift. Apparently, the twins have been begging for another since their last one, and since we all seem to be a little out of sorts after the death of TK's mom . . . "

Eddie looked at him expectantly, and Buck grinned. "And we get two nights to ourselves."

"We do," Eddie nodded, looking pleased that Buck had come to that conclusion. "Though I remember Maddie and Nancy have asked about a double date one evening."

"So maybe the first evening to ourselves, and the next we do the double date?" Buck suggested. "Since Maddie doesn't have a shift Saturday."

"Bingo," Eddie nodded.

"Great!" Buck grinned and bounced on his feet as he shut the compartment. "Oh, Christopher is going to be so excited."

"We should probably make sure he wants to do it first," Eddie pointed out dryly.

Buck snorted. "It's the Vega twins. He'll be out of the room and packing before we finish asking."

Eddie laughed loudly and nodded. "That's true."

Buck nodded and wiped his hands on his rag, then a pair at the bay doors caught his attention. It was a man holding the hand of a tiny blonde girl, her curious blue eyes taking in the firehouse with an intensity that seemed familiar to him. "Hi there!" he greeted and walked over, hearing Eddie follow him. "Can we help you, sir?"

"Oh, hello," the man smiled in return, taking a quick glance down at the girl. She practically vibrated in place, looking like she wanted to run and explore. "We're looking for a few of the captains in the house."

"Oh, sure," Buck nodded, waving to get Marjan's attention from where she was coming down the stairs from the bunks. "Casey, Severide, Brett, or Vega?"

A wide smile formed on the girl's face as the first names were said, and Eddie chuckled. "There's your answer, Buck."

"I'll get them," Marjan grinned and backtracked up the steps. "Hey, Cap!"

"I think Casey and Brett may still be conferring after our last call," Buck told the pair with a smile. "But they should be down quickly. I'm guessing this is a surprise visit?"

"Oh, yes," the man chuckled and looked down at the girl, who kept craning her neck to see further into the firehouse. "We've been meaning to come down for a long time but only recently got the time to do it. And we've been following the news pretty closely, so we know things have been busy here."

"You have no idea," Eddie muttered under his breath.

Buck cleared his throat. "Sorry, I'm Buck, and this is Eddie," he introduced them, and Eddie waved at his name. "How do you know the captains?"

The man opened his mouth to answer, but Kelly's loud voice from behind drowned out anything he said. "Oh, no way!"

The girl let out a loud squeal and pulled her hand out of the man's, and she took off across the apparatus floor as fast as her little legs could take her. "Kelly!" she cheered happily.

"Wait a minute!" Matt appeared at the top of the stairs, his eyes comically wide. "Is that – ?!"

Kelly laughed in delight and crouched down, catching the girl when she launched at him. "Amelia!" he greeted as he swung her up in the air, the girl bursting into a peal of giggles. "Hi, sweetheart!"

Eddie groaned and facepalmed. "I thought she looked familiar!"

The man who had to be Scott laughed in amusement as Matt rushed down the stairs. "Hope you guys have a lot of energy to keep up with her!"

"Oh, we could use that kind of energy," Matt grinned as he bounded up to Kelly. "There's our favorite little girl!"

Amelia, who had wrapped her arms around Kelly's neck, made a grabby gesture at the ladder captain. "Matt!"

Kelly grinned and carefully transferred Amelia to Matt, who gladly sat the little girl on his hip. "I still think you're her favorite out of the two of us."

Matt snorted. "It's probably because I'm blond, too."

"That's probably true," Kelly agreed with a chuckle.

Amelia had rested her head on Matt's shoulder, but when a flash of blonde appeared at the top of the stairs, she perked up and squealed at the top of her lungs; even Scott winced at the pitch. "Sylvie!" she called, wriggling in Matt's arms.

Matt carefully set Amelia on the ground as Sylvie careened down the stairs, almost tripping in her effort to get to the ground floor. "Amelia!" she gasped, bending down to hug her sister tightly. "What are you doing here?"

"Finally making the trip to see where you landed," Scott answered as he walked up to join them, a fond smile on his face. "We figured it was about time."

"Oh, you chose the perfect time," Sylvie breathed as she shifted Amelia to one arm so she could hug Scott. "Seriously, this is perfect timing. Thank you, Scott."

"Oh, please, it's nothing," Scott smiled and waved away her gratitude. "We're just happy to see you."

"Well, now," Tommy smiled as she came down the stairs, Judd behind her. "What do we have here?"

Amelia peered at the other paramedic captain with intense blue eyes, and Sylvie giggled. "How about we round everyone up so we can do some introductions?"

"You got it," Judd nodded and bellowed up towards the bunks. "Yo, 126! We got company!"

"Hey," Sylvie reached up and gently touched Amelia's cheek. "I do have two people I want you to meet first, OK?"

"Matt? Kelly?" Griffin's voice grew louder at the top of the steps. "Judd said – " He cut off in surprise when he saw the little girl in Sylvie's arms. "Oh," he blinked, barely reacting when Ben ran into him.

The dark-haired boy scowled at his older brother in annoyance, but when Griffin pointed down the stairs, Ben's eyes widened. "Hey, boys," Matt beckoned for them to join them. "Come meet another member of the family."

Griffin and Ben's steps were quieter as they came down the stairs. "Amelia, this is Griffin, and this is Ben," Sylvie told the girl, pointing to each boy as she said their name. "They're staying with Matt and Kelly because their mom can't take care of them. Griffin, Ben, this is my half-sister, Amelia."

"She looks just like you," Griffin marveled with a smile. "Hi, Amelia."

"Hi," Amelia waved at him before looking at Sylvie. "Their dada?"

The boys' smiles fell, and Sylvie cleared her throat. "Their dad is gone, sweetie," she answered. "Like mama."

Amelia, who never had a chance to know Julie, didn't cry at the words. Instead, she carefully wriggled, and Sylvie blinked in surprise before setting Amelia on her feet. The toddler padded to the boys and offered her arms, and Griffin's face split with a smile as he crouched and accepted the offered hug. "Thanks, Amelia."

Ben looked more hesitant, but when Amelia turned her blue eyes on him, Kelly saw the exact moment the boy caved and crouched to accept a hug as well. "It's those Brett blues," the squad captain chuckled fondly with a wink at Sylvie.

Sylvie giggled. "They work every time."

"Hey, Sylvie," Paul jogged down the steps, Nancy and Mateo behind him with Judd and TK bringing up the rear. "I didn't realize you got a baby clone."

"It really is scary how similar they look," Matt admitted.

Scott smiled. "She'll be a heartbreaker, won't she?"

Kelly snorted. "She'll wrap people around her finger left and right."

"She's already doing that," Matt pointed out.

"I can hear you two," Sylvie pouted.

Matt merely laughed and kissed her cheek. "You know we love you."

Judd chuckled. "These girls are just gonna wrap everyone around their fingers, huh?"

Scott smiled sadly. "Must've gotten it from their mother."

Sylvie's azure eyes dimmed, and Kelly rubbed her back. "How about we all meet up by the rigs and take a tour of the house?" he suggested.

"You heard the captain, kids," Judd nodded in understanding. "Come on!"

There was good-natured grumbling as Judd and Tommy herded everyone back to the apparatus floor, and Sylvie turned to Scott with a smile. "It really is good to see you," she told him.

Scott smiled with more ease as he accepted her hug. "You, too, Sylvie."

***

Jason stared at the beer placed in front of him. "Are you trying to get me drunk?"

"Is that going to make you feel better?" Hawkins asked as he sat next to Jason.

Jason sighed and picked up the bottle. "It might dull everything."

"Do you know what any of the statements say?" Hawkins asked, looking around the bar at the firefighters from Firehouse 51.

"No," Jason shook his head. "They all went straight to Boden."

Footsteps approached from behind, and Jason looked up at the hand on his shoulder. "Hey," Wendy squeezed comfortingly. "How're you holding up?"

Jason held up his beer. "Evan's trying to get me drunk."

"Man, I wish," Greg huffed as he sat down at the table. "It's tempting."

"What do you know?" Hawkins asked, straightening in his seat.

"Well, the medics didn't see or hear anything," Greg answered. "But I talked with my guys and Squad's. We're all sure that the wire came down when the transformer blew, and you were coordinating getting the driver out of the van at that point."

Hawkins frowned. "So how could he have given McBride that order?"

"Makes sense to me," Wendy nodded. "I saw McBride a few times when I dropped in to see how Girls on Fire was doing. You don't have any history that should be disclosed, do you?"

"I've never met her before," Jason shook his head. "I have no idea why she's gunning for me."

Wendy sighed. "Well, I thought about dropping in and checking on her tomorrow morning. Do a little subtle digging. I wasn't on the scene, so it shouldn't be too suspicious."

Jason smiled slightly. "Thanks, Wendy."

"In the meantime, I told Wendy about the transformer," Greg said. "What do you say about swinging back to the scene and taking another look?"

"Yeah," Jason agreed. "Sounds like a welcome distraction."

Hawkins shook his head in mock disappointment. "I'm losing you to OFI."

"Hey, we're not joining any time soon," Greg sniffed. "Consider it a hobby."

Wendy snorted. "Oh, so I'm a hobby now, am I?"

"No, you're one of our best friends," Jason corrected. "The arson is the hobby."

Wendy gave Hawkins a pleased smile. "I'll convert them one day."

"You do your worst," Hawkins scoffed. "In the meantime, mind if I tag along tomorrow? I'll keep you from going to the dark side."

Greg grinned. "You're on."

***

Wendy found McBride sitting at a station and using an exercise band, and after taking a deep breath, she approached the firefighter. McBride blinked in surprise when she saw her, but a pleased smile formed on her face. "Wendy?" she asked. "What're you doing here?"

"I just came by to see how you're doing," Wendy answered with a smile. "We're potentially taking a look at that transformer, so I saw reports from the scene. PIC Mikami says it was a pretty scary hit you took."

McBride's mood darkened, and she nodded. "Two to four weeks."

"Damn," Wendy sighed. "But hey, a few thousand volts, and you're still walking? That's pretty badass."

McBride ducked her head bashfully. "Maybe."

Wendy tapped her fingers against her thigh. "According to the reports I've seen, you're saying Lieutenant Pelham's at fault."

McBride's eyes dimmed, and she looked down at the band she held. "Yeah," she said shortly. "Well, gotta do what I gotta do, you know?"

"I get it," Wendy nodded. "It's just . . . we don't have our hands on the transformer yet, so I'm just trying to find out what happened."

"It's all in the incident report," McBride frowned.

"I know," Wendy nodded. "Those things are just so dry and procedural. I was hoping to get the full story from you."

Suspicion flickered in McBride's eyes. "Well, what's what in the report. The full story."

"OK," Wendy nodded slowly, working to determine a new angle. "I'm just trying to figure out what he could've seen from his position. He works Squad, not Truck, so . . . did he see the line go down?"

"I guess so," McBride scowled. "Because he just pointed at me and gave the order."

Wendy blinked at the aggression. "Sarah, I am just trying to get clarification – "

"You want to help your friend," McBride cut her off. "I don't think there isn't a house in the CFD that knows if you want an outside POV for a case, you go to Grainger and Pelham. I've said all I have to say, Wendy. That's it."

She plucked up her exercise band and walked to another station, and Wendy watched her leave with a sigh.

***

"There's no way Amanda posted that photograph," Valerie Larson shook her head fervently as she looked at the picture from Amanda's feed the next morning in court. "Not in a million years."

"Why do you say that?" Nolan asked.

"I know my daughter," Valerie answered. "She's a kind, loving, conscientious woman. If she were alive, she would let us know. She would call me."

Her voice trailed into tears at the end, and Nolan softened his voice as he continued. "Were you and Amanda close?"

Valerie nodded in reply. "We talked on the phone every day. I loved hearing about her life, her adventures."

"Did she have plans to take a break from the road? Come home for a few days?"

"Yes," Valerie confirmed. "She was going to surprise her grandfather for his 80th birthday. We were supposed to have a party. It would've been yesterday. She never would've missed it. Never."

Nolan nodded and backed away from the witness stand. "Thank you. And again, I'm sorry for your loss." He glanced at Knight as he returned to his seat. "Your witness."

Knight nodded and stood. "Good afternoon, Mrs. Larson," she greeted, watching as Valerie wiped away her tears. "I'm going to have to ask you some difficult questions. How many social media followers did Amanda have when she started her van life adventure?"

"I'm not sure," Valerie admitted.

"About two million," Knight supplied. "Does that sound about right?"

"I know that she was very popular," Valerie shrugged. "People loved watching her."

"And how many followers does she have now, since she left New York?"

Valerie's expression darkened. "She didn't leave New York," she spat. "She was abducted and killed!"

"The answer is over ten million," Knight told the jury.

"Objection," Nolan called. "Counsel is testifying."

"Ask a question, Ms. Knight," Dreben ordered.

Knight pursed her lips and clasped her hands together. "Your daughter started off her social media career with a travel blog, is that correct?"

"Yes," Valerie nodded. "It eventually evolved into her van life blog."

"And there was some controversy about that account a few years back, wasn't there?" Knight asked. "People accused her of lying to get attention, said she was photoshopping images of herself onto fake backgrounds. Made it look like she was in Paris when really she was sitting in your kitchen in Columbus."

"The blog was fun, aspirational," Valerie argued. "Amanda was still a teenager, nobody was supposed to believe that she was off traveling the world by herself."

"Isn't it true that your daughter's primary goal is to create buzz?" Knight asked. "Increase traffic to her page?"

"It's only part of who she was," Valerie answered. "Yes, she liked the attention. It gave her a sense of community, a feeling that she belonged."

"It also generated quite a bit of revenue for her, didn't it?" Knight smirked.

"It helped defray the cost of her trips!" Valerie snapped. "You are talking about my daughter! She was a good person! She was kind to people, she loved animals, loved her family, and we loved her very much, and now she's dead!" She turned to Garrett, tears streaming down her face. "Where is she?" she demanded. "Please, just tell me! Where is Amanda? I'm begging you!"

"Your Honor, please," Knight began.

"OK, let's take a breather," Dreben nodded and lifted her gavel. "We're in recess."

***

Valerie's weeping was ending as she stood with her husband, Josh, outside the courtroom when Nolan and Sam found them. "I'm sorry you have to go through all this," Sam said sympathetically.

"He knows where she is," Valerie whimpered. "Why won't he just . . . I just want to know where she is. Give her a proper burial, for God's sake!"

"We have three agencies out there right now, searching, looking for Amanda," Nolan assured her.

"We know," Josh nodded. "And we appreciate it."

"She's my little girl," Valerie whispered brokenly. "And she's all alone in that forest. That's all I think about. I . . . I can't sleep, I – "

She whimpered and looked at her husband, and Josh took her hand. "Excuse us," he said politely.

Nolan hastily nodded and took a respectful step away, and Josh escorted Valerie to a more private part of the hallway. As he watched the pair continue to grieve, Sam's phone beeped in her hand. She glanced down at the message she received and sighed in relief. "Finally, some good news."

"What?" Nolan asked.

"Garrett is going to take the stand," Sam answered with a satisfied smile. "Son of a bitch is so used to lying, he thinks he can fool the jury."

***

Hawkins parked his CFD vehicle on the street by the pole, and he shielded his eyes as he watched the power company put the new transformer in place. "Man, they work fast."

"Well, when one blows," Jason shrugged.

Greg led them to the worker who stood over the ruined transformer, pulling his badge from his jacket. "How's it going?" he asked, and the worker looked up from his clipboard with mild irritation. "Firefighters of the CFD, we were here on the scene," he explained, holding up his badge. "You have any idea why this thing blew?"

The worker snorted. "Well, if you were on the scene, you knew that a moving van slammed into it, right?"

"Yeah, but the pole survived," Jason huffed, gesturing to the pole. "Shouldn't the transformer have held steady?"

The worker shrugged. "Look, I'm just here to replace the thing."

Hawkins tilted his hand as he examined the transformer. "Hell of a beating it took," he murmured. "How much can it hold?"

The worker considered the barrel. "Unit this size? 50 gallons of oil."

Hawkins whistled lowly, and Greg patted the unit. "Well, since you already pulled it down, do you mind if we take it?" he asked. "We'd like to show it to the Office of Fire Investigation."

"Save me a trip to the scrapyard," the worker chuckled. "Have at it."

Greg gave him a thumbs up as he left, and he circled the transformer. "Give me a hand with this?"

"Yeah," Hawkins moved to help him, then he paused. "Jason?"

Greg looked up to see Jason slowly move around the corner. "What is it?" he asked.

"This is where the van was," Jason said slowly. "I was at the driver's door. Squad 3 was right behind me. Truck 81 was parked right there. And she was on the other side, near 37."

Hawkins rotated to follow Jason's pointing, and he frowned. "You had no sightline."

"So how could I have given her a verbal command?" Jason demanded.

"Hey," Greg moved to stand next to him. "We believe you, Jason, 100%."

Jason swallowed. "But can you confirm it?"

Greg sighed. "You weren't in my sightline once that thing exploded, either," he admitted.

"Look," Hawkins walked to join them. "I've been at the board of review. Those pencil pushers will never know what it's like to be on the ground. Right now, all you can do is keep your head down, do your job, and let the chips fall."

"I get that," Jason nodded. "But Evan, given my disciplinary record . . . it's not the chips that are gonna fall. It's an axe."

Greg swallowed down the dread that rose in him at the idea. "We'll cross that bridge if we get to it," he cleared his throat. "Right now, let's get this to OFI."

Jason nodded, and Hawkins stepped back to open the door as the pair of lieutenants hefted the transformer off the ground. His two best friends had gelled together since the moment they met, and they thrived together at 51, working side by side with their companies. He didn't want to think of the fallout that would happen if the axe did fall on Jason's neck.

***

"I liked Amanda," Garrett said as he sat in the witness box. "I thought she liked me, too. Guess I misread her vibe."

"What'd you talk about on your date?" Knight asked, keeping Garrett's eyes on him and away from the prosecutors staring hard at him for a read.

"Her trip across the country, mostly," Garrett replied. "Places she'd been, people she met."

"Did you ask her out again?"

"Yeah," Garrett nodded. "But, um . . . she's the kind of woman who's always looking for the next party. There's nothing wrong with that, I guess."

"Thank you," Knight smiled and returned to her seat.

Nolan gave Garrett a smile that might seem pleasant to anyone who didn't know the prosecutor. Those who did recognized a shark ready to find prey. "Good afternoon, Mr. Garrett," he said. "Or should I call you . . . Mr. Spencer?" He clicked the remote in his hand, flipping through the various profiles on the screen. "Or Mr. Jackson? Or Mr. Honan?" With one last click of the button, twelve various profiles filled the screen, and Nolan stood to approach Garrett. "Those dating profiles are all yours, correct?"

"Sometimes I use different names on dating apps," Garrett said. "I have to protect myself. There's a lot of crazies out there."

Nolan bit his tongue to avoid snorting. Hypocrite, he thought bitterly. "Yes, there are," he allowed. "But you didn't go to Princeton, correct? Or Harvard Medical School?"

Garrett huffed. "Come on, people exaggerate on those sites."

"You didn't go to college at all, let alone medical school," Nolan said. "You just said you did in order to meet women. Women like Amanda Larson."

"Look, I was just playing around," Garrett shook his head. "It was like a social experiment. I wanted to see which résumé was the best. It was like a joke."

Nolan smiled blandly. "Oh." His tone of voice made the temperature drop a few degrees in the courtroom. "You went out with Amanda on March 19th, correct?"

Garrett tilted his head as he thought. "Yes," he nodded. "We had coffee, then did some sightseeing. That was it."

"No, actually, that wasn't it," Nolan shook his head. "Because a couple of hours after she turned you down for a second date, you went to Home Depot on 23rd Street and bought zip ties, a shovel, a plastic tarp."

"I was going camping," Garrett told him.

"You also bought a 30-pound bag of lye," Nolan finished his list and held up the evidence bag containing the remnants of the bag of lye. "What was that for?"

The jury looked at Garrett expectantly, and Garrett huffed. "To keep animals away."

Nolan scoffed as he set down the evidence bag. "Let's go back to the timeline, the things we know for certain. You tricked Amanda Larson into having coffee with you, did some sightseeing. She rejected you. You went out and bought a bag of lye and a shovel, then you dragged her off the street and into your truck. She fought back and lost one of her shoes in the struggle."

"Objection," Knight called. "This isn't a question. It's a closing argument."

"Sustained," Dreben nodded. "Anything else, Mr. Price?"

Nolan hummed, then he shook his head. "No, that covers it."

"OK," Dreben nodded. "We're adjourned for the day."

Those in the benches started to leave, and Sam smiled at Nolan when he rejoined her. "Nice job." Nolan merely sighed and went to work packing up his belongings when his phone rang. He glanced at the Caller ID and raised an eyebrow before answering. "Nolan Price." Sam continued to pack up, then she saw Nolan's eyes widen. "OK, we'll be right there." She looked at him expectantly when he hung up, and Nolan smirked at her. "That was Bernard. Someone just found Amanda's missing shoe."

***

"Well, as you can see," Kevin gestured around the walls of Lisa's room with a face that said he was struggling not to show incredulity. "Lisa's been following the case . . . religiously."

Frank, on the other hand, had no qualms about hiding the face he made at Nolan from where he stood behind Lisa, and Nolan raised his eyebrows in acknowledgement before looking at Lisa. "I went to high school with Danny Garrett," she told them. "He was a total loser back then, too."

"So how'd you find the shoe?" Nolan asked.

"I remembered Danny's cousin had a cabin near Wharton Forest," she answered. "He invited me there once, said he was having a party. But when I got there, there was no party, and I just started running. Never been so scared in my life."

"Lisa decided to check out the cabin for herself," Frank explained.

"I thought I might find Amanda's dead body there," Lisa nodded. "I didn't, but I saw the shoe inside the house. I knew it was the exact same one found near her van."

Nolan looked at the very dirty shoe that did indeed match the one in their possession, then he looked at Lisa. "How do you know that?"

"I saw the pictures on social media," Lisa shrugged.

"Did someone let you into the cabin?" Sam asked.

"No," Lisa shook her head. "No one was there."

Nolan had a feeling he was going to regret asking when Frank gave him another look. "How'd you get in?"

"I jimmied the lock," Lisa answered simply.

Sam balked. "You broke in?"

"Yeah," Lisa nodded, looking between the prosecutors. "That a problem?"

***

Nolan let his frustration show when Lisa shut the door to her apartment behind them. "I would've appreciated some kind of warning about that."

"What, and miss out on you try and keep your prosecutor mask on?" Frank laughed. "In your dreams."

"Glad you got a kick out of that, Frank," Sam sighed as she tapped on her phone. "We have to see if Garrett's cousin is going to press charges for Lisa breaking into his cabin."

"And we have to make sure that it is Amanda's shoe," Nolan added, nodding to the shoe held in an evidence bag by Kevin.

"Eh, leave that to us," Kevin waved away his concern. "You're the ones having to deal with Garrett. We'll handle this."

"Thanks," Nolan sighed and rubbed his forehead. "We'll head back and update Jack."

"Oh, by the way," Frank snapped his fingers and pointed at Nolan as he walked backwards towards his car. "Lily's paper came back the other day."

"Oh, did it?" Nolan perked up. "How'd she do?"

"Best score in the class," Frank grinned proudly. "And everyone is wondering how she got the material she did."

Nolan laughed loudly. "Oh, good for her!"

"He's been as proud as a peacock since he found out," Kevin said dryly as he opened his door.

Sam snickered. "We can tell."

Frank shot Kevin a glare that only made Sam's snickers increase, but Kevin ignored it. "Before I forget," he said, leaning on the top of his car. "That e-mail you sent us earlier about there being a week you won't need us at the courthouse?"

"Oh," Nolan blinked and cleared his throat. "Yeah, there's a case Jack needs me on that's gonna take me away from the 2-7 in the meantime."

Frank's head shot up at the words, and Kevin nodded. "So no witness statements or anything?"

"Nope," Nolan shook his head, rocking on his heels as he did. "You'll be free of us breathing down your necks."

Kevin snorted. "Thanks, Price."

Frank's first clue that something was off was when Nolan merely nodded curtly and didn't verbally respond. His second was Nolan's tenseness as he abruptly turned on his heel and turned to walk down the street, leaving Sam to give them a quick wave before she hurried to catch up to him. "That's the first I'm hearing of him taking a case that's not high-profile homicide," Frank remarked as he slid into the car with Kevin.

"Well, he's McCoy's direct second in the office," Kevin shrugged as he started the car. "It makes sense that if there's ever a case he thinks needs a second look, Price is the one to give it to."

Frank nodded and absently drummed his fingers on his leg as Kevin peeled away from the curb to head back to the precinct. "You'd think we'd hear about the case, though," he said.

"It may not be a homicide," Kevin pointed out. "And if it's a critical-enough case, anything could be placed on Price's desk."

Frank frowned, still feeling like something was bugging him as he looked out the window. "Yeah."

"Besides," Kevin shrugged as he pulled into traffic. "We've seen how Price gets along with the SVU and OC teams. Maybe they needed him for something, and that'll take up his time."

Everything suddenly pieced together in Frank's head, and he sat upright, fumbling to take his phone out of his pocket. "When is it that Nolan said our week is clear?" he asked as he pulled up his calendar.

"Um," Kevin frowned as he thought it through. "Two weeks from yesterday, I'm pretty sure. Yeah." He was grateful when he came to a red light, for it allowed him to look sharply at Frank when the younger man cursed. "What is it?"

"God, I hope I'm wrong," Frank seethed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "I thought of it when you mentioned the other teams."

Kevin looked at him warily. "Is this something we may need to be warned about?"

Frank laughed bitterly. "Considering the case I know is scheduled to go to court thanks to being told in advance? Yeah, I really think we should."

***

"The good news is, the owners of the cabin don't want to press charges," Sam told Jack as they walked down the halls.

"Bad news is, that damn shoe is fraught with issues," Nolan continued.

"No, the law is clear," Jack frowned. "The 4th Amendment doesn't apply to private citizens. A motion to suppress will be denied."

"This is about more than meeting the threshold for admissibility," Nolan shook his head. "Photos of Amanda's shoe from the crime scene were all over the Internet. It is plausible this witness saw the photos, went down to Macy's, and bought its mate."

"That shoe is identical to the one at the crime scene," Sam argued. "Same size, same amount of wear and tear."

"She could easily have manipulated it," Nolan shrugged.

"You think the witness is lying?" Jack questioned.

"No," Nolan answered at once. "But the jury might. A key piece of evidence suddenly appears at the 11th hour? It doesn't look good. And if the jury doesn't buy it, they'll hold us responsible."

Jack pressed his lips tightly together as he thought it over. "The circumstances surrounding the search were less than ideal," he admitted. "But the shoe is the next best thing to having Amanda Larson's body. Put the witness on the stand."

Nolan nodded in agreement and looked at Sam. "I'll arrange it," she told him.

"Thank you," Nolan gave her a tight smile.

Sam patted his arm and walked down the hall. "Before you go," Jack stepped into his office and beckoned to Nolan, and the younger man followed him. "Peter gathered everything he had for the Wheatley trial for me to hand to you."

"Oh, thanks," Nolan nodded, picking up the pile of folders that Jack gestured for him to take. "How many more times can Wheatley postpone this?"

Jack smirked. "None."

Nolan grinned in return. "Perfect," he said as he headed back to the door. "The 2-7 is already aware they won't be needed for that week."

"Good," Jack nodded. "Though it won't hurt to have them on standby in case this goes sideways."

"I know that," Nolan waved off his concern. "I'm just hoping it won't come to that."

"It's Richard Wheatley, Nolan," Jack pointed out. "I'm thinking of everything this case could come to."

Nolan didn't have a response to that, so he nodded and departed down the hall. He absently opened the top file and started scanning its contents, so he didn't notice the man that was striding from the other direction with purpose. He walked into his office and dropped the files on his desk, then he looked up when he heard footsteps in the doorway. "Frank," he greeted, and he frowned in concern when he saw the tightness in Frank's posture. "What's going on?"

"You're prosecuting Richard Wheatley?" the detective demanded, pale eyes blazing.

Nolan's heart skipped a few beats, and he lunged forward and grabbed Frank's arm. "Get in here," he ground out. Frank stumbled further into the office, and he turned around to watch Nolan quickly shut his door. "That is not something the entire office needs to hear," he warned Frank as he returned to his desk.

Whatever heat Frank had held as he entered the office seemed to dissipate, and the detective blinked at him in surprise. "How many people know about it?" he asked.

"After you figured it out?" Nolan sighed, running his hand through his hair. "Six. Benson, Stabler, Jack, Peter, Sam . . . and you. If what Peter told me is right, the rest of their teams are being told today."

"God, Nolan," Frank shook his head in frustration. "Why you? This is OC's case, one SVU's prosecutor was set to handle."

"And before Wheatley fired his attorney again, they managed to throw Peter off the case," Nolan answered as he sat in his chair. "Stabler and Benson need a prosecutor on this case with enough experience to go up against whoever Wheatley chooses to represent him . . . a prosecutor that won't be corrupted by Wheatley."

Frank sighed. "And there's no better candidate with those qualifications than you." Nolan nodded in agreement, and Frank huffed and pulled up a chair to sit across from Nolan. "There isn't a precinct in Manhattan that doesn't know of Wheatley, Nolan. Do you know what all he's done?"

Nolan gestured with a flourish to the stack of folders on his desk. "If there's anything I don't know, I'm going to find out about it when I go through all of this."

Frank wrinkled his nose at the stack of paperwork. "Jesus, Mary, and Joseph."

"Yeah," Nolan huffed and rubbed a hand over his face. "Which is why I'm hoping we wrap up this trial before the end of the week. I'm going to pull Sam to help me go through this."

"And you can't ask Stone because of whatever crap Wheatley's lawyer pulled to kick him off," Frank deduced.

Nolan's smile looked more like a grimace. "The politics of the DA's office."

Frank scoffed his opinion of that. "No, thank you." He stood from his chair and checked his watch. "Lisa's on the stand tomorrow, right?"

"That's the plan," Nolan confirmed, clicking his mouse to check the trial schedule. "You planning on sitting in?"

"Unless you're banning me from watching the magic," Frank smirked.

Nolan glared at Frank, but there was no heat in his stare. "Get out of here."

Frank laughed and gave a playful salute as he headed for the door, leaving Nolan to drop his face into his palm. "Yes, sir!"

***

"Look," Ben crouched next to Amelia, pointing through the glass in front of them. "You see?"

Amelia bounced up and down on the ledge, watching the dolphins swim through the water. "I didn't expect Ben to like Amelia so much," Matt admitted, standing back with his partners and Scott as they watched the Dardens interact with Amelia.

"That's Amelia for you," Scott chuckled. "She wraps everyone around her finger."

Kelly snorted softly. "You're telling us."

"I can't believe how fast she's growing," Sylvie marveled.

"This is a really fun age," Scott told her, watching fondly as Amelia jumped up and down, pressing her hands against the glass as the dolphins twirled by her. "So curious about everything . . . and fast. Don't blink, or she'll be in the shark section."

Matt laughed. "I like our chances of catching her."

"Now, if she turns the Dardens against us?" Kelly tilted his head side to side. "That's a different story."

"A lot's changed with you since we last saw you," Scott remarked.

"That's an understatement," Sylvie smiled. "We moved firehouses, these two got two wards."

"You three finally figured out how to tango together," Scott smirked.

Kelly snorted. "That's one way to put it."

Sylvie sighed. "I'm sorry we never got out to Rockford since our last visit. It seems like every time it's crossed my mind, Austin's thrown something else at us."

Scott glanced at her. "Or Los Angeles, right?"

Sylvie swallowed and looked down at her feet. "So much happened in Los Angeles," she whispered. "Scott . . . "

"Sylvie, when Julie told me you were her daughter, I never pushed to ask her about your father," Scott shook his head. "She told me it was one night, and that was it. Did I expect to hear that you had another sibling? Not at all . . . but I guess I wasn't too surprised."

"Everyone was surprised," Matt said. "But Nolan's a good man."

"I got that idea when Sylvie said he helped make sure those boys ended up in your care," Scott told them with a gesture to Griffin and Ben, the former hoisting Amelia onto his hip so she could see the dolphins better. "I'm guessing some of your furlough will be spent going up to visit him?"

"Preferably for circumstances far better than ones in the past," Sylvie admitted. "Chicago to Rockford was easy compared to Austin to New York. That Nolan had the time to come to Chicago for my recovery was a miracle in itself."

"And now you're juggling two siblings in two different cities," Scott concluded.

Sylvie closed her eyes. "I sound selfish, don't I?"

"Not at all," Scott shook his head. "Look, I . . . I know I put you in a difficult position before and after Amelia was born, and you've done so much for us, coming to visit and whatnot. I think it's our time to do something for you." Sylvie looked up at him curiously, and Scott smiled. "Well, it's a little weird to think of the Dardens as Amelia's nephews of a sort, isn't it?"

Kelly wrinkled his nose. "A little."

Scott chuckled. "So I was thinking Amelia and I would come down here more often. We'll come visit our family here so you can use your extra time to visit yours way up north. How does that sound?"

***

"All eyewitness statements are in from all four companies that were present at the scene," Boden told the four officers in his office.

"And?" Jason asked impatiently.

"None of them can back up Sarah McBride's account," Boden answered with a sigh. "But they don't contradict her either."

"Damn," Herrmann sighed as Violet shook her head.

"Chief, Greg, Evan, and I were back on the scene yesterday," Jason told Boden. "And just looking at how it all laid out . . . I've never been more sure. I couldn't have even seen her when that wire came down."

"I don't doubt you, Pelham," Boden assured him. "There's a review board that weighs up all the evidence."

"What are the chances it'll just end up a 'he said, she said' situation?" Violet asked.

"Politics," Herrmann grumbled.

"Wendy said she talked to McBride yesterday while we were at the scene," Greg said. "When she asked about the accident, she said McBride acted . . . weird."

Boden narrowed his eyes. "How weird?"

"Well, Wendy didn't want to accuse her of anything, but she acted defensive," Greg shrugged. "She thought something wasn't right."

Jason groaned and dropped into a chair, putting his face in his hands. Greg put his hand on his shoulder supportively, and he was grateful when the door opened. "Lieutenant Grainger?" Kylie said.

"Yeah?" Greg asked.

"Captain Van Meter and Lieutenant Seager are on the apparatus floor," she told them.

Jason looked up at the mention of Wendy, and Boden smiled slightly. "Go," he told them.

Jason jumped to his feet and immediately left the office without a word. Greg gave Boden an apologetic smile before following his friend. "Unbelievable," Jason seethed when Greg finally caught up to him.

"Hey, I don't think we have the full story here, man," Greg shook his head. "And now that the chief knows something is up, he can dig further than we can reach."

"Yeah," Jason sighed. "But will that be able to help me?"

Greg didn't have an answer for that, and he didn't have to supply one as they finally reached the apparatus floor. "Your timing is impeccable, Wendy," he declared.

"Well, I do my best," Wendy smiled, making Van Meter snort. "I was giving Van Meter the rundown."

"What's your concern?" Van Meter asked.

"Well," Jason straightened and patted the transformer. "Supposedly, this thing had 50 gallons of oil in it when it blew. If that was true, I'd be in the burn ward, not here. It was half-full, at most."

Van Meter nodded. "So you're saying the accident wouldn't have caused it to blow except that most of the coolant had evaporated?"

"Makes sense to me," Greg shrugged. "Judging by the serial number, this thing is ten years past its due date."

Wendy scoffed. "Probably cutting costs by letting them run longer than they should."

Van Meter nodded in agreement. "Well, maybe I can subpoena the power company for their records, pressure them into replacing them all or face criminal charges."

"Couldn't happen to nicer companies," Jason said bitterly.

Van Meter eyed him. "Seager's kept me updated on the inquiry that's happening," he said. "If there's anything I can do to help you out, you give me a shout, alright?"

"Thank you, Captain," Jason smiled at him. "I appreciate it."

"Of course," Van Meter nodded.

Wendy sighed and looked at the transformer. "I can't believe you two found this without me."

"She keeps bugging me about bringing you back on other cases," Van Meter told Greg and Jason with a smirk.

"We went over this the other night, Wendy," Greg grinned. "We don't work for OFI."

Wendy smirked at him. "What makes you think I care? It's no fun burning the midnight oil without my boys."

Jason's resulting laughter made Greg smile at her in appreciation, and she winked in return.

***

"I found it under the mattress," Lisa explained as she sat in the witness box and pointed to Garrett. "In his cousin's cabin less than a mile from Wharton Forest."

"Thank you," Nolan nodded, turning to show the bagged shoe to the jury. "Your Honor, let the record reflect that the shoe I'm holding is the exact same brand, same size, same color as the shoe recovered outside of Amanda Larson's van."

The security officer passed the shoe to Dreben, who glanced between the shoe and the crime scene photo on the screen. "I'll allow it," she decided with a nod.

Nolan returned to his seat, and Knight abruptly stood and crossed to Lisa. "You never liked my client, did you?" she asked.

Lisa curled her lip in a sneer. "Correct."

"You've known him since high school?"

"He was in my tenth-grade homeroom," Lisa confirmed.

"You asked him to prom, and he turned you down, right?" Knight asked.

Lisa's eyebrows rose incredulously. "Is that what he said? He's delusional!"

"Please just answer the question," Dreben ordered.

Lisa huffed. "No, I never asked him to prom."

"You started a podcast about this case about a week before miraculously finding this shoe," Knight said.

"I have a podcast, yes," Lisa nodded.

"And this trial will increase the size of your audience?" Knight asked.

"Probably."

"And your social media followers will skyrocket as well?"

"I suppose."

"You planning to do any of the morning talk shows?"

"I got a few requests."

Knight smirked. "Must feel good, all that attention."

"I'm just doing what's right because I know the truth," Lisa shook her head. "I know that Daniel Garrett is dangerous."

"You haven't spoken to my client in several years," Knight retorted. "You have no idea if he's dangerous. You're just fabricating stories so that you can raise your profile to help launch your social media brand."

"Objection," Nolan stated, not having to raise his voice.

Knight clenched her jaw. "Withdrawn," she muttered. "That's all I have."

Dreben glanced at Nolan. "Are there any additional witnesses?"

"No, Your Honor," Nolan answered.

"Ms. Knight?" Dreben prompted.

Knight leaned over and spoke with Garrett for a few seconds before turning back to the judge. "May I have some time to confer with the prosecution?"

Dreben nodded. "Let's recess until tomorrow."

When the gavel hit, Nolan stood to gather up his belongings from the table. He heard footsteps approach from the bench behind him, and he inclined his head towards Frank as the detective leaned towards him. "Any idea what she might ask?" Frank asked quietly.

"No," Nolan shook his head. "Stick around in case we need you?"

Frank nodded in agreement. "You got it."

***

"I really wish I couldn't believe this," Greg said angrily, shaking his head in disgust as he sat in Boden's office.

"Oh, I can," Hawkins said darkly. "If there's ever a way to take shots at Jason, Kilbourne is gonna take the chance every time."

"How do we prove it?" Jason demanded.

"How can we?" Boden asked. "Unless she fesses up."

"Based on how she sounded, I don't think that's likely," Wendy sighed.

Jason paced the office in frustration, and Boden leaned against his desk. "Look, Pelham, I understand why you took the hit to protect Captain Stafford, but Kilbourne clearly has it in for you," he said. "Doesn't it seem like it's time to tell the full story of why you slugged his friend?"

Jason scoffed. "Kilbourne knew as well as anyone that Stafford was in a tailspin. He just figured he'd pull out of it. I was less optimistic. I could tell Stafford was gonna end up getting someone killed. My only crime was not following the old school code of turning a blind eye. I am the pissant lieutenant who forced his buddy to retire. That is why Kilbourne will never forgive me."

"So all we do is wait?" Wendy asked quietly.

Greg and Hawkins glanced at Jason. His silence was the only answer they needed.

***

Garrett looked down at the table in the conference room, and Knight coughed meaningfully. "Hypothetically speaking . . . if my client could lead you to the location of Ms. Larson's remains, what kind of deal are you willing to proffer?"

Sam's eyes bugged open wide, and Nolan cleared his throat. When they had agreed to the meeting, that had not been what they had expected to hear. "What are you looking for?" he asked.

"Man one, fifteen years," Knight answered.

"On a felony murder?" Sam asked incredulously.

Knight shrugged. "Choice number two is Amanda's parents never find their daughter."

Garrett glanced up at them, and Nolan pursed his lips. "We'll get back to you," he finally said, turning and walking out of the door. Sam followed behind him, shaking her head in disgust.

***

"I can't make any guarantees, but as things stand right now, I think we have a good shot at a guilty verdict," Nolan explained to the Larsons.

"If so, Garrett is staring down a life sentence," Sam added.

"Believe me, I want him to rot in prison," Valerie told them. "But there's one thing I want more. Closure."

"A conviction will give you closure," Nolan pointed out.

"No," Valerie scowled. "A conviction will give you closure. You'll move on to your next case, but we'll still be in the exact same position! Waiting by the phone, wondering where our daughter is!"

"But you'll have the peace of mind to know that Garrett is behind bars, that he won't be able to hurt anyone else's daughter."

"Look, we get it," Josh told them. "But we – "

"No, we want to give our daughter a proper burial," Valerie vehemently shook her head. "So please . . . make the deal."

***

"I think we should make the deal," Sam said quietly as they met with Jack. "We can't just ignore the Larsons' desire for closure."

"I'd be tempted," Frank admitted. "I've been going between dad and cop since Nolan told me about the deal."

"I have tremendous empathy for them, I do," Nolan said heavily. "But we're not their personal attorneys. We can't let their grieving, their emotions, drive the train here."

"You want to go to the jury with this?" Jack asked.

"We can't just give a predator a sweetheart deal to make the family feel better about a horrible situation," Nolan defended his position.

Frank winced. "Harsh."

"But true," Nolan told him.

"It's a jury trial," Sam argued. "That photo of her on the beach is still making the rounds. Anything's possible, means there's a chance we could lose, then what? The Larsons will never know where Amanda is buried, and Garrett will be back out on the street."

Frank shook his head. "Right now, the cop and the dad in me is saying put him behind bars as long as possible."

Jack hummed thoughtfully. "How old is Garrett?"

Sam blinked at the abrupt change in subject. "27."

Jack nodded. "If we take the deal, Garrett will wind up serving about twelve and a half years, which means he'll be 39 years old when he's released." Sam's face fell when she understood Jack's train of thought, and Frank's knuckles whitened as his fingers curled into fists. "Plenty of time to victimize a whole new generation of women." Nolan's face drained of color at the words, and Jack looked at him pointedly. "Can you bring this one home, Nolan?" he asked.

Nolan steeled himself and nodded. "I believe I can."

"Then pass on the deal," Jack ordered. "Bury this son of a bitch."

Nolan nodded in agreement as Jack walked down the hall, and Sam sighed. "The Larsons aren't going to like this."

"The final call isn't theirs to make," Frank argued.

Nolan was grateful when his phone rang. "The less of a threat Garrett is to others, the better," he said, and he blinked when he saw the FaceTime call. "What the . . . " He answered the call with a grin. "Well, this is a surprise!"

"That was the idea!" Sylvie grinned at him. "Is it a bad time?"

"Actually, perfect timing," Nolan shook his head. "Is something wrong?"

"Oh, definitely not," Sylvie shook her head. "I have a surprise!"

"Oh, I'm staying for this," Frank grinned, folding his arms.

"Was that Detective Cosgrove?" Griffin's head poked into the frame. "Is Lily there?"

"I should've expected that," Frank sighed, making Sam laugh.

"No, it's just the three of us," Nolan shook his head, adjusting the camera angle so all three of them were in view. "Who's over there with you?"

"Well, most of the firehouse is in the backyard," Sylvie looked over her shoulder. "I'm impressed with all the food everyone brought for an impromptu family barbecue, but when it was on Owen's orders . . . "

"What brought that on?" Sam asked.

A tiny silvery voice filtered through the video, and a grin grew on Nolan's face. "Wait a minute. Is that – ?"

"Yeah!" Sylvie nodded, her smile splitting her face as Ben finally shuffled into frame, a little girl who looked like a clone of Sylvie on his hip. "Scott and Amelia came to visit!"

Sam gasped in delight, shuffling closer to Nolan for a better look. "That's your little sister?"

"Yep!" Sylvie nodded, and Frank looked over Nolan's other shoulder. "Amelia, this is Nolan, Frank, and Sam. Can you say hi?"

"Hi!" Amelia waved and gave them a toothy smile.

"Oh, my God, she's adorable," Sam gushed.

"It's a good thing Lily isn't here," Frank grinned. "She would melt."

"I'm melting," Nolan admitted with a soft smile at his sister's little half-sister. God, that was so weird to think. "She looks just like you, Sylvie."

"I know," Sylvie smiled fondly, brushing a lock of Amelia's hair behind her ear. The girl giggled and leaned her head on Ben's shoulder, and Sam looked ready to reach through the screen and hug her. "She's grown up so much since last time we saw her."

"That happens, unfortunately," Frank nodded sagely. "The time flies. It only goes faster from here."

Sylvie pouted. "You're not helping, Frank."

Frank chuckled. "Maybe I should leave, in that case."

"Say hi to Lily for us!" Griffin added.

"Oh, I will," Frank laughed, patting Nolan on the shoulder. "Let me know when you start closing."

"Will do," Nolan nodded.

"I need to head home, too," Sam added, giving a dainty wave to Amelia. "It was fun to meet you, Amelia!"

"Sam!" Amelia chirped with a point at her.

"OK, I need to leave, or else I'm staying on the call," Sam backed away. "I'll see you in the morning."

"See you," Nolan waved. When Sam was out of sight, he turned back to the camera. "Has it been a good visit?"

"It's been great," Sylvie beamed. "Amelia loved the aquarium. She loves the boys just as much."

"She's a mini you," Ben shrugged. "It's hard not to like her back."

"How much longer are they there?"

"We'll leave tomorrow morning." An older man who could only be Amelia's father joined behind Sylvie, his hand coming up to run over Amelia's hair. "We didn't have much planned when we came down here to surprise Sylvie, Matt, and Kelly." He offered Nolan a kind smile, one that was a mirror image of Amelia's. "It's nice to finally meet you, Nolan."

"Likewise, Scott," Nolan nodded, his throat suddenly tight in the face of his sister's mother's husband. Oh, that was just as weird to think. "Enjoying Austin?"

"It's the people that make the city," Scott nodded, patting Sylvie's shoulder. "We've already decided we're coming down more often."

"Sylvie would like that," Nolan smiled. "I wish my schedule allowed more trips like that."

"Hence why we're making the trips," Scott gestured to Amelia. "Look . . . I only know you based on what Sylvie has told me, but everyone here has nothing but good things to say about you, and I know the amount of distance that separates you and Sylvie." Sylvie ducked her head at the words, and Nolan nodded somberly. "Sylvie has two siblings in two different cities, and I know she's busy. We'll come visit her, and she can see you as much as possible."

Nolan blinked. "Scott, we can manage to make it work both ways," he began.

Scott held up his hand. "When Julie and I first started dating, I had a lot of business travel," he said. "Carving our time together was hard, but we made it work. I look back now, and I wish . . . just one more movie night on the couch, or that ski trip to Boyne we kept meaning to take. My hope for Sylvie is that she gets as much time as possible with you now that you have each other. She's come to us so many times, so now we'll come to her for a little while and she can come to you. Deal?"

Nolan glanced at Sylvie, who gave him a smile, and he nodded in agreement. "Deal," he said. "Thank you, Scott. That means . . . a hell of a lot."

"I saw how happy Julie was in the time she had with Sylvie," Scott smiled sadly. "I have an idea."

"Hey, guys!" Buck's voice echoed faintly. "We're digging into dessert!"

Amelia visibly brightened, and Ben grinned. "We better make sure the others don't eat it all."

Scott patted Sylvie's shoulder, and he left with the Dardens and Amelia, leaving the paramedic alone. "You have a great family, Sylvie," Nolan smiled at her.

"We do, don't we?" Sylvie smiled in return. "We'll get up to visit you soon." Her smile dimmed. "You're really prosecuting Richard Wheatley?"

Nolan sighed and nodded. "I am."

Sylvie nodded slowly. "Be careful?" she pleaded.

"I promise," Nolan vowed.

"I'll hold you to that," Sylvie smiled. "I'll call again soon. Love you."

"Love you, too," Nolan waved.

Sylvie blew him a kiss in return, then the screen went black. Nolan sighed heavily and returned to his office, his heart heavy as the words for his closing started to run in his head. His sister was a good momentary distraction, but this case would hang over his head until it was over.

***

"People have always been interested in true crime," Nolan began his closing as he sat on the edge of the prosecution table, facing the jury as he spoke. "But lately, it's become a national obsession, fueled by the Internet. Someone goes missing, and people want to follow along in real time." He gestured to the Larsons, who sat behind the prosecution table. "A family's tragedy becomes entertainment, an exciting mystery to be solved, and the people involved become objects of our curiosity. Their faces are splashed all over social media, so many times that we begin to think we know them based on nothing more than a photograph or a description on a dating site. The line between truth and fiction is blurred."

He stirred from his perch on the table and paced in front of the jury box. "Daniel Garrett created a false narrative in order to dupe Amanda Larson, and that is exactly what the defense is trying to do to you," he declared. "Don't fall for it. Learn from Amanda's mistake. The credible, reliable, real-life evidence proves that Amanda Larson is dead and that he killed her." He pointed at Garrett as he stepped back from the box. "When you go back to the jury room to deliberate, remember one thing. 'Verdict' comes from the Latin 'veredictum.' It means to speak the truth. So when you come back out here, I ask you to do what Daniel Garrett seems incapable of doing . . . speak the truth."

***

When Boden stepped out of his battalion vehicle in front of Jason's house, he paused when he saw the group of four that milled in front. Greg and Jason were checking under the hood of Jason's truck, Hawkins and Wendy on either side and watching. All four glanced up at his arrival, and Jason visibly deflated. "Chief," he greeted flatly.

Boden nodded as he approached them. "They finished reviewing your case," he said.

Greg stiffened, and Wendy looked between Boden and Jason warily. Jason nodded and placed his rag to the side, and he gestured to the open cooler. "Want a beer?" he asked.

"Yup," Boden nodded at once.

Hawkins muttered a curse under his breath, and Jason gritted his teeth as he pulled two cans out of the ice. "Alright," he braced himself, handing one beer to Boden. "How bad is it?"

Boden glanced around the ring of officers, then he took a deep breath. "They're recommending termination."

"They what?!" Hawkins demanded.

Wendy's eyes widened in horror, and Greg slowly turned to look at his best friend, whose fingers were tightening around his beer can until he could hear aluminum crunch. "Jason," he began.

Jason abruptly turned and threw his can at the side of his building with a yell of frustration, which quickly turned into sobs. Wendy all but flew around the truck to engulf Jason in a hug, and he crumbled into her arms, all the fight gone from him. Hawkins swallowed hard and placed a tentative hand on Jason's back, murmuring quietly to him.

While Wendy and Hawkins comforted Jason, Boden watched Greg's expression morph from anguish about his friend's predicament to raw fury akin to what Boden had seen from Matt and Kelly regarding Stella Kidd. He could almost hear Greg's bones creak as he clenched his jaw hard, and the lieutenant spun to face him. "This can't be the end of it, Chief," he said urgently. "We've got to fight this!"

"Believe me, Lieutenant," Boden nodded, letting his own anger at the situation come to the surface. "I have every intention of doing just that."

***

Dreben examined the contents of the jury's folder, then she handed it back to the bailiff. "Has the jury reached a verdict?" she asked.

"We have, Your Honor," the foreperson answered, taking back to the folder. "We find the defendant guilty."

Valerie's wail of grief made Sam flinch, and Dreben nodded. "Members of the jury, thank you for your service," she said. "You are excused."

Nolan swallowed hard as Valerie's sobs continued behind them. "We did the right thing, Sam," he whispered.

Sam somberly shook her head. "Not sure Amanda's parents would agree."

Nolan glanced past her to see Josh glaring at him as he attempted to comfort his wife, and Nolan sighed and nodded as he zipped up his briefcase and headed out of the courtroom. Stepping out felt like a breath of fresh air, and he exhaled heavily as he checked his watch, debating whether the rest of the paperwork on his desk needed immediate attention or if it could be pushed to the next day.

"Nolan!"

His head shot up at his name, and a flash of brunette was his only warning before Lily barreled into him. "Whoa!" he stumbled back a few feet before laughing. "Lily?"

"Sorry I missed the verdict," Frank said with a smile as he leaned against the wall and watched Lily tightly hug Nolan. "But Cromwell let out, and Lily's with me for the next few weeks."

"Did Dad tell you about the score I got on my project?" Lily grinned up at Nolan, bouncing up and down on her feet and making her ponytail bob with her.

"He did," Nolan nodded, a smile growing on his own face at Lily's enthusiasm. "Way to go, Lily."

"Thanks!" Lily beamed. "Dad promised ice cream when I got out of school."

"And Lily suggested that since you were the one who helped make the arrangements that earned her the best grade in class, you might want to join us," Frank gave him an innocent smile.

Nolan snorted. "You're using your daughter to bribe me, Frank?"

"Please?" Lily tilted her head and batted her eyes.

"Oh, my God," Nolan rolled his eyes to the sky, but he was unable to keep from laughing. "You could weaponize those eyes if you wanted, Lily."

"Don't give her any ideas," Frank snorted. "She uses them enough on me and Julia."

"So that's a yes?" Lily asked hopefully.

Nolan shook his head in amusement and laughed. "Yeah, ice cream sounds perfect right now," he agreed, and Lily whooped happily. "Just let me pack up my office, and I'll be ready to get out of here."

"Awesome!" Lily cheered.

"Before I forget," Frank looked around, watching people pour from the courtroom. "What was the verdict?"

Nolan sighed. "Guilty."

Frank's pale gaze hardened. "Good."

"That's why Dad has been adamant about being careful about social media, and I only have the group chat apps," Lily said as she leaned into Nolan's side. "I wouldn't want someone like that out there being a threat to me. He's gone?"

A muffled gasp came from behind Nolan, but he ignored it in favor of nodding and tentatively wrapping an arm around Lily's shoulders. "He's going away for a very long time."

Lily smiled. "Good."

"You two go on ahead," Frank told them. "Lily hasn't seen that part of the courthouse yet."

"Oh, she hasn't?" Nolan grinned. "I guess I have to fix that."

Lily laughed with glee and followed Nolan through the courthouse, and Frank turned to face the Larsons, who had frozen in their tracks behind where Nolan had just been standing. "I'm very sorry for your loss," he told them, sympathy in his voice. "I know what would have happened if the deal had been taken. I'm sorry we haven't been able to find Amanda for you."

Valerie whimpered into her hand. "All we wanted was to bury our daughter."

"As a father, I completely understand," Frank told her. "And as both a father and a cop, I hope I never have to go through what you have. At the same time . . . I'm relieved that son of a bitch won't have a chance to prey on any other women."

"We understand," Josh nodded. "We may not like it . . . but we understand."

"Can you give Mr. Price our apologies?" Valerie swallowed.

Frank gave her a kind smile. "I'm certain he forgave you before he walked out those doors."

Valerie nodded meekly, and Frank turned and walked down the hallway towards the prosecution offices. When he reached Nolan's, he found the man listening with a smile as Lily rambled about the other papers that had been written for her class, not even pausing when Nolan pointed out something for her to hand to him. He leaned in the doorway and watched with a smile as Nolan gave all his spare attention to his daughter as he closed his office for the day.

He didn't even hear the click of Sam's heels as the woman stepped up behind him. "He's a natural with her," she whispered, dark eyes watching.

"Yeah," Frank nodded, finding his throat suddenly dry as he watched Lily hop off Nolan's desk and join him as the prosecutor finished his work. "He is."

***

Someone is catching feelings, methinks. And isn't Amelia the most adorable toddler ever?

Here's Eddie's biography!

***

Edmundo

Spanish, "fortunate protector"

Melancholic

brooding, thoughtful, sensitive

The Warrior

forceful, loyal, determined

Type 1, The Reformer

purposeful, self-controlled, perfectionist

INFP

The Healer

Slytherin

cunning, leadership, resourceful

Virgo

the sensitive lover, loyal, analytical, kind, hardworking, practical

Earth

hard-working, loyal, empathetic

Upright Death

new beginnings, letting go, change, transitions, sudden or unexpected upheaval

Archetypes

Dark and Troubled Past, Karmic Jackpot, Lineage Ladder, Misery Builds Character, Nerves of Steel

Lawful Neutral

The Judge

Status

alive

***

Next up is an episode I'm sure everyone's been looking forward to since you figured out I was doing it . . . folks from Austin head to Manhattan as Nolan takes on Barba for "People Vs Richard Wheatley!"

graphic by marvelity