"We don"t have any missing persons from Lena during that time period," he said. "I think you"re working on a dead end."

Mary quickly scribbled down a note and slid it over to Bradley. He read it and winked at her. "Well, I understand that not all of the victims came from Lena," he said. "At least one of them is from my jurisdiction."

"How"d you know that?"

"Chief Richards, I make it my point to know as much as I can about the cases I"m working on," he said, as he grinned at Mary. "I want to rea.s.sure you that I am quite aware of the deep feelings involved in this case. It was your nephew, Mike, who originally told me about the case."

"Mike," Richards sputtered. "You...you knew Mike?"

"Yes, I counted him to be a great friend," Bradley said. "I know he felt bad about Timmy"s death. Felt he had let him down."

"Mike had nothing to do with Timmy"s death," Richards replied angrily. "Nothing to do with it at all. He was nothing but a kid. We were d.a.m.n lucky he wasn"t one of them Emil killed. d.a.m.n lucky!"

"I realize that, sir," Bradley said. "But children often feel survivor"s guilt. Mike told me it took him a long time to realize that he didn"t have to feel guilty about being alive."

Mary and Bradley heard the deep sigh. "I didn"t know he felt that way," Richards said. "I had no idea."

"Well, I think we all carry around our own little secrets," Bradley said. "Things we want to keep to ourselves."

There was another pause.

"You just want to talk to Emil, that"s it?" Richards asked.

"Yeah, that"s it," Bradley said.

"Okay, you talk to him and if you got more questions, you feel free to come talk to me."

"Thank you, sir," Bradley said. "I appreciate it."

"Well, you know, any friend of Mike"s...," his voice cracked. "I sure do miss that boy. It"s like I just saw him yesterday."

Bradley looked over at Mary and shook his head.

"I know just what you mean," Bradley agreed, "Almost like he"s still here with us."

"You call me, son, if you need anything."

"Thank you, I will."

"Good-bye."

"Good-bye."

Bradley hung up the phone and turned to Mary. "So, what did you think of that?"

"Well, he certainly wants to protect the people he serves," she said. "And he doesn"t want to remind them of the past."

Placing his elbows on his desk, he cradled his hands together. "Mary, are we messing around in something we should just leave alone?"

She sighed and sat back in her chair. "I don"t know," she said. "There"s a reason Timmy hasn"t moved on. I don"t know if it"s because Emil didn"t do it or because Timmy hasn"t been able to recognize that Emil did it. But, unless we talk to Emil, we"ll never know and Timmy will never move on."

He nodded slowly. "Well, then, it looks like we"re going to be planning a visit to Dixon in the near future."

"Oh!" Mary said, sitting up straight. "I nearly forgot. Linda and Bob are getting married in a week and a half and they would like us to attend."

He smiled. "That"s great. So, will you be my date?"

Grinning, she nodded. "Of course. And she asked me to be her maid of honor."

"Well... that"s a good thing, right?"

She laughed. "A very good thing," she said. "Rosie, Linda and I are going shopping this evening to pick out some fabulous dresses."

Both of their cell phones vibrated and they reached for them at the same time and read their text messages.

Bradley grinned and typed in his response. Mary did the same.

"So, how many cookies did you buy?" he asked.

Mary looked a little embarra.s.sed. "Don"t laugh," she said, "I bought forty."

"Yeah, well, you don"t have to worry about me laughing at you," he confessed. "I bought eighty."

"Time to hit the gym, Alden," she quipped.

Yeah, you"re not kidding."

Chapter Nineteen.

"Hi honey, I"m home," Mary called as she entered her house later that day.

"Oh, and aren"t you the clever one," Ian said, strolling from the kitchen with an ap.r.o.n wrapped around his waist. "I slave all day over a hot stove and you just show up w.i.l.l.y-nilly at any time you"d like."

"Oh, Ian, you didn"t cook, did you?" Mary asked. "I"m going out with Rosie and Linda. We were going to eat in Rockford."

"Aye, and when were you going to let me know about your plans?" he asked.

"I"m sorry..." she began and then saw the twinkle in his eye. "You"re a cruel man, Ian MacDougal."

Laughing, he sat on the edge of the couch and shook his head. "I"m sorry, Mary, me darling," he said. "Bradley gave me a call and we decided we"d have a boys" night of poker while you ladies go out shopping."

"Poker," Mary cried. "I love poker."

"Aye and you fleece us out of every penny we have," he replied. "With you out of the way, the rest of us have a chance to win something."

"What are you playing for?" she asked.

"Samoas," he said with a grin. "But the cookies aren"t coming until the weekend, so we"ll be using pennies in their stead."

"How late is the game going?" she asked innocently.

"Oh, no, you"re not going to come back here all fresh from shopping and then take away all our winnings," Ian said. "We stop the game as soon as you enter that door."

"Spoilsport," Mary mumbled.

"Aye, darling, that I am," he said. "Now, would you be having a taste of my chili before you leave?"

She followed him into the kitchen. The counters were covered with chopping boards, pots and pans and various ingredients. "Well, from the looks of the kitchen, I"d say you worked very hard on your recipe."

"Now, Mary, darling, don"t be looking at the process," Ian said, grabbing a spoon from the drawer and dipping it into the chili. "Try the final creation."

She leaned forward and blew on the spoon, and then took the contents into her mouth. "Oh, wow, that"s good," she said. "What"s in it?"

"Well, I took your basic recipe and added some ingredients of my own," he replied.

She pulled a small cup from the cabinet and filled it halfway with more chili. "Like what?" she asked, shoveling another spoonful into her mouth.

"Well, a bit of cocoa, a wee bit of cinnamon, some cilantro and some c.u.min," he said. "And then there"s the secret ingredient."

Licking the chili sauce from her lips, she smacked them together. "You have to tell me," she insisted. "What"s the secret ingredient?"

"Tripe," he p.r.o.nounced proudly.

Mary covered her mouth with her hand. "You"re kidding? Tripe?" she gagged, "as in sheep"s stomach?"

"Aye," he replied.

"Aye as in you"re kidding or aye as in sheep"s stomach?"

Grinning he placed the lid back on the pot. "Aye, as in if I"m losing at poker, I"ll mention the tripe in the chili. That ought to put them off their game for a bit," he said and then added, "And aye, I"m only teasing. There isn"t a grocery store within five miles of here that carries a good selection of tripe."

"Well, thank goodness for small favors," Mary said. "And just to show you that there are no hard feelings, I"m not going to help you clean up."

"Ach, Mary, you wound me," he teased.

She laughed. "I"m sure you"ll get over it."

He picked up a collection of pots and pans and carried them over to the sink. Mary found herself automatically following his lead and started to put spices back in place in the cabinet.

"Where are you going with the ladies?" Ian asked.

"Rockford for a little dress shopping," she replied. "Linda is getting married in a week and a half and she asked me to be her maid-of-honor."

"Well, that is an honor, isn"t it? Wasn"t she the one who received the letters from the soldier?"

Mary nodded. "You"ve been reading my files," she said.

"Aye, you"ve some amazing cases there."

"Some more gratifying than others. It"s so wonderful that Linda and Bob will finally be together."

"True loves conquers all?" Ian asked.

"With a little help it does," Mary said, smiling at Ian. "Although even with help, it"s not easy."

"Aye, I agree with you on that," he said. "So, is Linda"s mother coming with you?"

Shaking her head, Mary gathered the measuring cups and spoons and put them in the sink. "No," she replied. "Linda mentioned that her mother had her hands full with dealing with her father."

"Dealing with her father, strange comment, that," he said.

"I agree. I can"t imagine my mother not being involved with my wedding."

"Aye, and speaking of which, what can I do to help you with the arrangements for your own wedding?"

A bright smile spread over her face. "You"ll stay then?" she asked. "You"ll stay until June?"

"Now how could I leave without seeing the marriage of two of my newest and best friends?" he asked. "I"ll stay and see if Gillian can come over to meet you."

She threw her arms around him. "Thank you, Ian," she said.

He hugged her back. "Of course, this does mean you have to have haggis on the menu," he teased. "It"s customary at a wedding."

Stepping back, she laughed and picked up a sponge to wipe the counters. "Actually, I"m thinking we might be having Girl Scout Cookies at the wedding."

"Well, our Maggie was floating a few inches off the ground when she went to school this morning," he said, pouring dish soap into the sink and adding hot water. "I do believe she has Mary Margaret Kelly soundly trounced."

"You"re a good man, Ian MacDougal," Mary said.

He winked at her. "Aye, and don"t you forget it."

Chapter Twenty.