Forsaken AUTHOR: Shirley E-mail: sgoates2607@charter.net RATING: NC-17 (Sexual situations) CONTEXT: This storyline follows the events of “The Living” episode and is a sequel to my NicFic “A New Beginning?” Any resemblance to events which occurred in “The Dark” is purely coincidental, since this story was drafted before that episode aired. DISCLAIMER: My apologies to those of you who are familiar with the foster-care system if I have misrepresented those procedures here. Some of the characters portrayed herein have been shamelessly taken directly from “The Guardian” – a CBS TV Series. Others are strictly figments of my imagination. The resemblance to any person(s) living or dead is purely coincidental. Any similarity of events, dates, or characters or the portrayal of events, dates or characters depicted in any FanFic previously posted by other authors is totally unintentional. This is a work of FICTION. ~~~~~~~ Alvin had just poured himself a cup of coffee when Nick got off the elevator. He called to him. “Nick. Could you come into my office for a minute? Laurie has a case for you.” “Sure.” He followed Alvin to find Laurie waiting. “Hi, Nick.” Laurie stood just inside Alvin’s office holding two files in her hands. “Laurie.” He nodded at the files. “What is it?” “I have a young girl who needs to be placed with new foster parents.” “New foster parents? What happened to the old?” “Her last two placements didn’t work out.” “What happened?” “Well… she’s a fourteen-year-old girl and is going through a ‘boy crazy’ phase.” She rolled her eyes. “She’s been a little hard to control.” “Boy crazy? Why should that be a problem?” He frowned and shook his head. “She keeps sneaking out of the house and skipping school to be with her boyfriends,” Laurie added. “What makes you think the next placement is gonna work?” “I guess we won’t know until we try it. I do have a couple who might be interested. They’re new to the foster care system, at least in Pittsburgh, but they seem like really nice people and they claim to have had some luck with teenagers.” “Okay. Who are they?” “Tim and Sally Carter.” She handed him the thinner of the two files which contained a limited background history on the Carters. Nick opened the file and quickly glanced over the top sheet. “Not much information.” “Cassie Childers is the child. She’s currently at the Children’s Shelter.” Laurie handed Nick a substantially thicker file and in response to his quizzical look, she added, “Cassie’s been in the system for a long time.” As she turned to go, she placed her hand on Nick’s arm and said, with a smile, “You’d better watch this one, Nick. She might take a fancy to you. Alvin, I’ll talk to you later.” She made her exit. “Well, I’ve got work to do,” Nick said to Alvin, waving the two files as he scurried out of the office, almost colliding with Lulu. “Oh, sorry.” He halted for a second then continued toward his office. “Morning, Nick,” she said to his back, as he hurried away. She shrugged and entered Alvin’s office. ~/~/~/~ Nick came through the main lobby of Fallin & Fallin and encountered Burton, who was showing a client to the door. “Oh, Nicholas. I want you to meet David Phipps. David, this is my son, Nick.” “Pleased to meet you, Nick. Burton talks about you all the time.” “Oh?” Nick cast a quick glance at his father as he exchanged a hardy handshake with Mr. Phipps. “Dave, here, is our newest client, Nicholas. He has a string of movie theaters and we’re gonna represent him in a merger with the Metro Theater chain.” “Good. Well, we’re certainly glad to have you.” Nick was still amazed how his dad could still reel in the big ones. He knew for a fact that Bill McGee had been trying to land Mr. Phipps for some time. The movie chain was the smallest of Dave Phipps’ enterprises. He had a huge fast-food empire which was franchised all over the country. That would likely be Burton’s next target. He wouldn’t stop until he represented Dave Phipps for all his business needs. Nick smiled, as he looked proudly at his father then said, “Well, it’s nice to meet you. If you’ll excuse me?” “Sure.” Dave nodded and returned his attention to Burton, as Nick proceeded to his office. “Dave, I’ll get things started on the merger and we’ll be in touch.” Burton opened the main door and with a final handshake, Dave made his exit. Nick stopped by Tanner’s desk to get his messages. “How’s the Charter Industries project coming along?” “Very well, Nick. I should have the background work completed by the end of the week.” “Good. Good.” Nick fanned through his messages as he went into his office and closed the door. ~/~/~/~ Nick walked into the Children’s Shelter and was almost immediately bowled over by two young boys who were chasing each other past the reception desk and down the hall followed closely by a young, attractive black woman. “I’m so sorry, sir,” she said, as she continued running after the two boys. Taking a deep breath then exhaling, he walked to the reception desk and introduced himself to the receptionist, whom he had never seen before. “Hi, I’m Nick Fallin. I’m here to see my client, Cassie Childers.” The receptionist pulled up Cassie’s name on a computer terminal and announced, “Cassie is down the hall, third door on the right.” Nick nodded his thanks and started down the hallway. He listened at the door then knocked lightly and entered, cautiously. “Hi,” he said, sheepishly. “Who are you?” Cassie was sitting at a desk doing what appeared to be a homework assignment. She was a pretty, petite fourteen-year old, with long blond hair held back with a headband. “I’m Nicholas Fallin, your attorney. Uh… for your shelter hearing.” “Oh.” She smiled. He smiled back and took a seat in a nearby chair. “I… uh… I understand that you’ve met the Carters, who want to be your foster parents.” “Yeah.” “What do you think of them?” “Oh, I like them fine.” She walked across the room and sat down in the middle of the bed, cross-legged. “What… what was the problem with your other foster parents?” “I guess they just didn’t like me. I don’t really know. I tried to do everything they wanted me to do.” She shrugged. “You’re really cute. You know that? Has anyone ever told you that before?” Nick flushed with embarrassment, narrowed his eyes, and opted to ignore the question. “In your file, it says something about… uh… about some problem with boys. What…?” “The problem was my parents wouldn’t let me have boyfriends.” “Well, you… you are barely fourteen. And the boys were… well, they were older.” “I’m not a child and I don’t like being treated like one. It was all harmless. My foster parents were just being hateful.” “You know… unless you’re willing to obey the rules, you may have to stay in the shelter. Is that what you want?” She shrugged. “Oh, all right. I’ll follow their silly rules. But it’s only because you asked me to, Nick. Okay?” She leaned back seductively, arms out behind her and her head thrown back, reminiscent of a starlet’s pose in an old silent movie. “Okay.” He stood, clearing his throat, and said, “The hearing’s tomorrow morning.” “Oh, Nick,” she said, breathlessly. “Yes?” He stopped at the foot of the bed. She scrambled to her knees and, grabbing him around the neck, kissed him full on the mouth before he knew what was happening. He jumped back slightly, in shock, and peeled her arms from around his neck. “You shouldn’t have done that,” he said, completely red-faced. He stepped safely out of reach. “I just wanted to thank you for being my lawyer.” Nick scowled. He didn’t really know how to deal with this behavior. “I’ll see you tomorrow… at the courthouse.” “Okay,” she replied, smiling. ~/~/~/~ He looked at his watch. He was running a little behind schedule. When he walked into Legal Services, Mr. and Mrs. Carter were already waiting for him in the meeting room. “Nicholas Fallin,” he said, extending his hand. “Sorry I’m late.” He shed his overcoat and laid it across the back of a chair. Pulling the Carters’ file from his briefcase, he sat down. “So, you’ve only been in Pittsburgh about six months.” He glanced through the scant file. “That’s right,” Tim Carter answered. “We’re from Washington State originally but we were last in Minnesota. We were in the foster care system there. I think there’s something in the file about that.” “Yeah, there is. You were in St. Paul for about two years, I see. Looks like you move around a lot.” “Heavy construction. I’m in heavy construction. I follow the jobs.” “I see. Okay. Well, you’ve met Cassie. Have you fostered teenagers before?” “We have.” It was Mrs. Carter this time doing the speaking. “We prefer teens, actually.” “I see. Well, you are aware they can be a little more troublesome.” “We’ve had some success.” Sally Carter smiled at her husband. “Well, okay, then.” Nick folded up the file and stuffed it back in his briefcase. “The hearing’s tomorrow morning, 9:30, in Judge Damsen’s courtroom. I’ll see you at the courthouse.” He stood and opened the door. “Thank you, Mr. Fallin.” Nick watched them make their way to the elevator. He just had an eerie feeling about this couple. They seemed too good to be true. But, Social Services had already done the background check and, on paper, they were exemplary. He pulled on his overcoat and started for the elevator. “Nick.” He pulled up and slowly turned to face Lulu. “Wanna have lunch?” “I can’t. Got a luncheon appointment with a client. A Fallin client.” “Oh. Okay. Well maybe another time.” She smiled, and when he didn’t move, she added, “Well… you better get going then.” She chuckled and went toward her office. ~/~/~/~ Cassie’s shelter hearing had been routine on Tuesday. And Nick had managed to close a couple of lucrative deals, Wednesday and Thursday. Friday had finally come—the end of another busy week. With any luck, they would be able to close the Charter Industries deal early next week, thanks in part to the efforts of Tanner Lempke, who was turning out to be quite the legal assistant. It was nearly 8:00 o’clock. Nick sat with his sleeves rolled up and his tie loosened, reading through the last of the documents while Tanner put together several booklets in preparation for the meeting next week with the corporate officers of Charter Industries. “Where is that spreadsheet you put together?” Nick asked, moving papers around on the conference room table. “It’s right here,” she said as she pulled the spreadsheet from a file folder and handed it to Nick. “This has all the subsidiaries listed?” Nick asked. “Uh huh.” She leaned over him, pointing to the various columns, then took a seat in the chair next to him and proceeded to explain the layout of the data. “This is very good, Tanner,” he said, turning to face her. Their eyes met. He looked deep into those limpid pools of blue. He had never really noticed just how attractive she was. He caught a whiff of her perfume. Smiling, she reached out and touched his cheek then leaned over and kissed him firmly on the lips. She waited for his reprimand. When it didn’t come she kissed him again, this time with more passion. Nick kissed her back. They looked into each other’s eyes for a long moment then Nick pushed back his chair and walked to the window. He ran a hand down the back of his head then stood with his hands on his hips gazing out at the night sky. Tanner walked up beside him and looked out over the city; the lights sparkling like thousands of tiny diamonds in the crisp, cold night. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Nick turned to face her. “Yeah… beautiful.” Suddenly she was in his arms. He covered her mouth with his, probing with his tongue. He pressed his body against hers. She rubbed against him, increasing his desire. She was wearing a short skirt, which Nick managed to pull up around her waist, with ease. He discovered she had on thigh-high stockings and bikini panties. Hooking his thumbs in the waistband of her panties he pulled them down without difficulty. She stepped out of them as she fiddled with his belt and trousers. They continued to kiss, breathing heavily. Nick ran his hands up her thighs to her naked hips. He shuddered with pleasure as Tanner freed his swollen member from his tangled clothing and stroked him to full erection. He lifted her easily onto the narrow window ledge and, wrapping her legs around his waist, he plunged deep inside her. With long, slow, deliberate strokes he exacted his pleasure. Jake came down the stairs, file in hand, and headed for his office. Seeing Nick’s office light on, he peeked inside and noticed Nick’s suit coat tossed over the chair. He figured he must be in the bathroom or something. He was on the way to his office when he saw the light on in the conference room. Hearing a disturbance, he put his ear to the door. Nick moaned softly as he exploded inside her. She whimpered with pleasure, holding him tightly as he drained his passion; kissing him—devouring him. Jake grinned then continued down the hallway to his office. Nick withdrew and tucking his shirttail in, he zipped his pants and pulled himself together while Tanner pulled on her panties, adjusted her skirt and quickly ran her fingers through her hair. Jake made a few last minute entries in his computer, logged-off, and pulled on his overcoat. He stuffed another file in his briefcase and, turning the light off in his office, he headed for the main door. Nick gave Tanner a last look to make sure she was together, then opened the door and crossed to his office. He was surprised to see Jake. “Jake. I didn’t know you were still here.” Nick glanced toward the conference room just as Tanner emerged. “I was in the upstairs’ library.” Jake grinned, knowingly. Tanner glanced at Jake then at Nick. “Do you need me any more tonight, Nick?” Nick looked at Jake who smiled and raised his eyebrows. “No. That will be all, Tanner. Thanks.” She got her purse from her desk drawer, turned off the desk lamp and her computer and headed for the door. “Goodnight.” Nick went into his office. He rolled his sleeves down and pulled on his suit jacket, then his overcoat. Grabbing his briefcase, he turned to find Jake in the doorway. “What do you need, Jake?” he asked, gruffly. “Aren’t you breaking your own rules, Nick?” Nick scowled. “You mind?” he asked, tersely, gesturing for him to move. Jake stepped aside to allow him to pass and watched him leave without another word. He shook his head and chuckled to himself, then followed. Clearly, Nick played by a separate set of rules. ~/~/~/~ Monday morning Nick was in the office early. He wanted to try and catch Tanner before things got busy. Through his open door, he saw her arrive about 30 minutes later. “Tanner, can you come in here a minute?” She hurriedly put her purse down and grabbed a pad. “Shut the door and have a seat.” He swiveled his chair around and looked out the window, tenting his fingers in front of him. “Tanner, about last Friday night…” “You needn’t worry, Nick. It never happened.” He swiveled around to face her and after a moment, he said, “Right. And, it’ll never happen again.” “So I still have my job?” she asked, cautiously. “I take full responsibility, Miss Lempke, and I’m sorry. That will be all.” She stood to leave. “And close the door behind you.” He stared at the door for several minutes. ~/~/~/~ Later that morning, Tanner announced over the phone intercom, “Mr. Fallin, there’s a Cassie Childers on line one.” “Thank you, Tanner.” Nick punched line one. “Cassie?” “Hi, Nick.” He waited a moment for Cassie to say why she was calling then asked, “Did you need something?” “No. I just wanted to talk.” He looked at his watch. “Shouldn’t you be in school?” “I didn’t feel good this morning, so I stayed home.” “I see. Is Mrs. Carter there?” “No. I don’t know where she went. I’m home by myself. You wanna come over?” “What? Listen, Cassie… Uh… how are things working out? Do you like it with the Carters?” “Yeah, it’s all right, I guess. They’re weird.” “What do you mean—weird?” “Just weird. I don’t know.” A knock came at his door and Burton poked his head in. “Oh…” Burton said, when he noticed Nick was on the phone. Nick covered the mouthpiece. “What is it, Dad?” “Are you gonna make the meeting?” Nick looked at his watch then spoke into the phone. “Cassie. I’ve gotta go right now. Just try to get along, okay?” “Okay.” To his dad he said, “Sorry. I’ll get my file and be right in.” ~/~/~/~ On his way home, he drove by the Carters’ house. He rang the bell and knocked several times but there was no answer. Their car was not in the driveway. He made a mental note to try back later. ~/~/~/~ Several days passed before he got another phone call from Cassie. “Cassie? What now?” He said, impatiently. “You don’t like me to call, do you, Nick?” “No. Uh… I mean… I don’t mind, if it’s important. Is there something you need?” “Just somebody to talk to.” “Where are you?” “At school. In the office.” “Are you in trouble?” he asked, concerned. “No. I just told them I had to talk to my lawyer.” She laughed. “Well, you should get back to class. Okay?” “Okay, if you say so.” “Good.” He hung up the phone. This was getting to be a problem. Cassie definitely had a crush on him but he couldn’t figure out how to deal with it without hurting her feelings. She seemed so desperate for someone to love her that she’d do almost anything to get it. ~/~/~/~ The sun had already set and there was definitely a nip in the air. Nick pulled his overcoat collar up around his neck. He knocked on the door and waited. The living room lights were on inside and he could hear the TV so he knew someone was home this time. “Oh… hi, Mr. Fallin.” It was Mrs. Carter. “What are you doing here?” “Uh… kind of a follow-up visit. Cassie home?” “No, she and Tim went to the mall.” She held the door closed just enough so he couldn’t see inside. “Do you mind if I come in and wait?” “Well… they just left a few minutes ago so it’ll probably be a couple hours. Cassie said she needed some clothes for school.” She smiled. Nick glanced at the car sitting in the driveway. Mrs. Carter followed his gaze and said, “Oh, I dropped them off. I needed the car for an errand. I’m picking them up later at the mall.” “Oh, I see. Well, tell her I stopped by and to give me a call tomorrow.” “I will. Nice to see you, Mr. Fallin.” He sat in his car for a moment, thinking. Why would the father, instead of the mother, accompany his daughter to the mall to shop for clothes? He looked back at the house. He would ask, the next time he talked with Cassie. ~/~/~/~ The next day was brutal. Meetings all day long. Tanner entered the conference room and quietly walked up beside Nick and whispered, “You have a call from Cassie. She says it’s really important that she speak with you, now.” The meeting was at a crucial stage. He looked at his watch and noted the time was 1:20 PM. He didn’t have time right now to entertain Cassie. He said, “Tell her I’m tied up right now. I’ll call her back between meetings.” “Okay.” Tanner slipped back out of the room. ~/~/~/~ During the break between meetings, Nick checked his messages. He noted the one from Cassie, taken at 1:20, which left her home number to call. It was 2:30. He called. No answer. Jake was at his door. “You ready, Nick?” “Yeah. I’ve got one more phone call to make and I’ll be right there.” ~/~/~/~ He tried Cassie’s number again. It was now 3:35. Still no answer. He donned his overcoat and gathered up his briefcase. “Tanner, I won’t be back today. If anything important comes up, you can reach me on my cell.” He turned to leave and almost collided with Jake. “Nick. You leaving?” Nick surged past him. “What about the Klemper deal? Nick? I thought we were…” By this time, Nick was exiting the main doors. Jake glanced at Tanner. She smiled and returned to the work on her desk. ~/~/~/~ He pulled up in front of the Carter residence, a rental house in a nice neighborhood. There was no car in the driveway. He rang the doorbell and waited. He tried the bell again. Nothing. He opened the screen door and knocked lightly on the front door. It opened slightly at his touch. It had not been properly latched. He peered in through the crack and called out. “Anyone home? Cassie? It’s Nick.” He waited. No sounds from within. He pushed the door open a little more continuing to call out. He had a funny feeling about this. Cautiously, he walked through the house, checking the rooms. He slowly pushed open a bedroom door and almost collapsed at the sight. There, on the floor, in a puddle of blood lay Cassie, her dead eyes staring at the ceiling. She had no clothes on her lower body; her legs splayed apart and smeared with blood. Her throat had been slashed. Nick grabbed for his handkerchief and, holding it over his mouth, he ran outside for fresh air. Leaning against the porch railing he sucked in air as though he was drowning. His throat and chest burned with the sudden intake of frigid cold air. When he was finally sure he wouldn’t throw up, he reached for his cell phone and dialed 9-1-1. ~/~/~/~ “Detective Malloy.” The detective introduced himself to Nick. “You the one who called in the report?” “Yeah. Nick Fallin.” Nick stood beside the detective’s unmarked car, his stomach still roiling. “You okay?” Detective Malloy asked, clearly sensing Nick’s distress. He opened the passenger door of his car and said, “Here. Have a seat.” Nick gladly sat down and put his head in his hands. “What’s your relationship?” “I’m Cassie’s attorney. Was,” he corrected himself. “The dead girl.” Nick looked at Malloy with a pained expression. “Yes.” “What do you know about this?” He bowed his head. “Nothing.” He looked back at the detective. “She called me at the office today around 1:30. I was in a meeting. My assistant took the message. She said she needed to talk to me.” Nick wondered, if only he had taken her call, would she still be alive now? He put his head in his hands and squeezed tightly, trying to obliterate the last image of Cassie from his mind. “And the girl’s parents?” “She was an orphan. She was placed recently with Tim and Sally Carter—foster parents. This is their house.” “Do you know where they are?” “No. Do you think they might have had something to do with this?” The detective hesitated before answering, “I know that Carter is an alias.” “What?” Nick couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “The FBI’s been tracking these two across five states. Seems they kidnapped a kid in Oregon, several months back. Her body was recently discovered in Wyoming.” “But we did a background check on them. They were clean.” “Everything was forged or stolen—identity theft. The Feds were closing in on them. It was just a matter of time.” “Not soon enough.” Nick was angry—angry at his own failure to properly check these people out and angry at the government for failing to capture them sooner. “We’d like you to come down to the station and give us a statement.” “Sure. Will tomorrow be soon enough?” “That’ll be fine.” Nick stood up and ran his hand through his hair. “Are we done here?” “Yeah. For now.” ~/~/~/~ Legal Services was closed for the day. Most everyone had gone home. Nick found Alvin in his office, which he entered without knocking. “Nick.” Alvin could clearly see that Nick was upset and he knew why. “Look. I’m sorry, Nick. I didn’t know anything about it until late this afternoon when I got a visit from the FBI.” Alvin could tell this was of no comfort to Nick, who sat and stared blankly out the window. “Did Miss Lempke tell you I called?” “How could this happen?” Nick shook his head, struggling to keep his emotions in check. “Apparently the background check didn’t include a verification of the references, which turned out to be fakes. They knew enough about the system to know how to manipulate it.” Nick stood and started for the door. “Nick…” He looked back at Alvin. “You can’t blame yourself for this.” “She called me… and I was too busy to talk to her. I might have been able to help her but… I was too busy to talk to her.” He walked out. The elevator arrived and Lulu stepped off as Nick stepped on. “Oh, hi, Nick.” She smiled. He looked at her, as though his mind was a million miles away. He didn’t speak. The doors closed. For a moment, Lulu stood looking at the closed elevator doors. “Huh,” she said to herself and turned to go to her office to retrieve a file she’d left behind earlier. ~/~/~/~ Since the divorce, Lulu was working longer hours and had started stopping in for a drink at The Incline, before going home. It seemed to make the lonely nights shorter. And when she did finally get home she would take a long hot bath and collapse into bed. Such was her life now, after Brian. She seated herself on the first stool at the bar and ordered her usual—vodka & soda. The bartender set her drink down in front of her and said, “Hey. Don’t you know that guy?” He gestured, with a bob of his head, towards the end of the bar. “He’s in no shape to drive home tonight.” Lulu looked around for the first time. “Yeah… I know him. Thanks.” She picked up her drink and moved to the end of the bar. “Nick?” He looked around at her then back to the glass he had in his hand. He tossed back his 8th shot of tequila and motioned to the bartender to pour him another. Lulu placed her hand on his arm. “Nick,” she said again, softly. He jerked his arm away. “Nick. Don’t you think you’ve had enough?” He rubbed his eyes with the fingers of his left hand then tossed back his 9th. Fumbling in his pocket for his money clip, he peeled off several bills and tossed them on the bar. As he stood to leave, he stumbled against the bar then, regaining his balance, he walked gingerly toward the door. Lulu quickly placed money on the bar for her drink and followed him. Outside, she noticed Nick’s BMW parked at the curb, a few doors down from The Incline. Nick staggered toward his car, fumbling for his keys. “Nick. Should you be driving?” They reached his car. He ignored her as he stumbled off the curb, falling against the hood of his car. “Give me your keys, Nick.” In his drunken state, Nick was no match for Lulu. She was able to wrest his keys from him with very little struggle. She led him around to the passenger side of the car and helped him get in. Once behind the wheel, she glanced over at him. He was out like a light, his head lolled against the passenger door glass. She pulled up in front of Nick’s house and looked dauntingly at the flight of steps leading to his front door. Sorting through his keys, she found what appeared to be his house key and walked around to the passenger side of the car. She opened the car door carefully to prevent Nick from falling out. She was able to rouse him, somewhat, and they made their way, haltingly, up the steps. Inside she steered him to the living room. With some difficulty, she managed to pull off his overcoat and suit jacket before he flopped down on the sofa where he promptly collapsed. She removed his shoes. Looking around for a throw of some kind, she found nothing. She went upstairs to the master bedroom; a neatly tailored room, sparsely furnished but tastefully done. Across one corner of the king-sized bed she found a steel-gray cashmere throw which she took downstairs, along with one of the bed pillows. She gently tucked the pillow beneath Nick’s head and loosened his tie, then unbuttoned his collar and shirt cuffs. Finally, she spread the cashmere throw over him. Unfamiliar with her surroundings, having never been in Nick’s house before, she finally found a phone and dialed information for a cab company, then placed the call for a cab. As she waited, she noticed Nick’s breathing had evened out. He was clearly in an alcohol-induced slumber. She knelt beside the sofa and tenderly touched his hair, then kissed him gently on the cheek. He stirred but did not wake. She wondered what it was that was troubling Nick. He had seemed distant when they met at the office earlier. Lulu heard the sound of a car horn and went to the window to find her cab waiting. She gathered up her purse and quietly let herself out. ~/~/~/~ “Alvin, you wanted to see me?” Nick had gotten to his office late the next morning, after tying one on the night before, to find a message that Alvin wanted to see him. He could not remember how he’d gotten home last night; he’d been that drunk. Scary. Right now his head was pounding and his stomach was churning. “Yeah, Nick. You doing okay? Come in.” Nick sat down in the chair and leaned forward, his forearms resting on his knees, head bowed. “Yeah. I’m fine,” he lied. “I thought you might like to know that the Feds picked up the Carters last night. At the airport. Apparently there was sufficient evidence at the scene to charge them with first degree murder. And they still have to face kidnapping and murder charges in Oregon.” “Too late for Cassie.” He clenched his jaw and shook his head. “Nick. They found video tapes of Cassie and other little girls in their luggage. And they apparently had a ‘special’ room set up in the basement of the house where they did the video-taping.” Nick stared at the floor, jaw clenched. “You need me for anything else?” “No. That’s all. Nick… If you need to talk about it, I’m here.” “Right.” Nick made his exit from Alvin’s office without a backward glance. “Hi, Nick. When did you get in?” Lulu approached him, holding several files. “Just now,” he said, continuing to walk. “Well, how are you feeling this morning?” she persisted, following him to his office. Nick set his briefcase on his desk and turned toward Lulu. “Fine. Why?” His eyes narrowed. He was in no mood for small talk this morning. “Well… last night?” Suddenly, it was all beginning to come back to him now. It was Lulu who had driven him home. “Oh, yeah… that.” He frowned. “Alvin told me about Cassie this morning. I’m so sorry, Nick.” “Yeah, well…” He pulled a file from his briefcase, opened it and reached for the phone. He punched in a number and spoke into the phone, “Nicholas Fallin for Mr. Evans. Yeah, I’ll wait.” He glanced at Lulu who shrugged and turned to leave. She pulled the door closed behind her. He returned the phone to its cradle and leaned back in his chair. Sometimes he just hated this job. THE END