"Call me Sylvia, please." The tall slender detective wasn't like the one she remembered from court. She wore jeans and a t-shirt with police on it and her badge was fastened to a belt loop with a carabiner. Her sidearm and handcuffs were attached to her belt as well.

"I'm going to tell you a few things because my lawyer said it was up to me if I wanted to reveal them. The records are sealed," Mel said.

They were sitting in Greg's favorite corner, and Ralph was there with her. Someone from her private army of tireless investigators was at her side no matter where she was. She, Ralph, and Suze all had invitations to join Greg's family for Thanksgiving, which was only a couple of weeks away. The first serious snowfall blanketed the city the night before.

"I'm all ears. This attack on you was vicious. And the threats to find you and burn you alive are heinous. So, I'll be grateful for any background you are willing to give me."

It took Mel nearly half an hour of talking to give the detective all the details and answer some very pointed questions.

"Grumman is still an active officer. I'll find out why there was no detective assigned. We don't have the same Sheriff anymore, so there has been a slow change for the better between the Sheriffs and the Troopers. I should be able to track down that tip line call from Hans Obrecht as well. A lot quicker than the subpoena route."

Ralph started gathering their plates and empty cups as she spoke. Then he said, "There's a meeting of all the people who have been working on gathering information and evidence on Sunday. Lana Cooper is spearheading the legal work."

"I want you to be there too," Mel requested. "I've seen the 'shadow' in black again and again. Now Suze and Ralph have seen them, and Ralph even chased them."

"I take it you couldn't catch up with them either?" Sylvia asked

"No. They're in really good shape. I was rather surprised and impressed. I used to play football in high school. Running back. I'm not bragging when I say I'm fast on my feet."

"We run home from school three times a week," Mel said.

Sylvia nodded as she tapped her pen on the table, staying quiet for a couple of minutes.

"What time are you meeting?"

"Everyone is usually here by 09:30," Ralph told her.

"You should know, Elvin, Anson and Gregory Ste. Claire are all in on this," Mel informed her.

"Crap, Elvin and Anson are legends. Anson solved some of the most interesting cases the Troopers have ever dealt with. Why the hell didn't Sheriff's listen to him if he had questions? Elvin wrote some of the Troopers operating policy."

Mel's smile widened as she listened. "Greg hasn't told me a lot of what he's done in the past. But I know he's retired military and CIA from what little he has been able to share. That and he's a foodie. I'm surprised it's as quiet as it is in here right now."

"So, he probably has contacts who can help you all out too. You know, I read his blog too," Sylvia admitted. "Those Rueben Rolls are amazing. Not to mention the brownies. And speaking of Lana Cooper? You snagged a legend there too. She's defended quite a number of innocent youth and helped them through her excellent ability to network with social services and non-profit agencies. I know many of your team already."

"Greg is tracking down Garth Durant-Williams. He's out of town right now in Telluride." Mel picked a chunk of dark chocolate off her plate just before Ralph added it to the stack he was making.

"Then there's Agnus Hiller," Ralph added as he disappeared into the back where the dishwashing station was.

Sylvia's jaw dropped. "Crime reporter extraordinaire. She's put together a number of excellent articles casting doubt on convictions over the years. You've got the dream team, Mel. How did you get so lucky?"

"Well, Dr. Elizabeth Harrow was assigned by the state and so was Lana Cooper. You'll never guess how Greg got involved."

"I'm ready to believe anything right now. Your life has been one hell of a roller coaster."

"Tell me about it." Mel told her about the infamous trip hazard which started the ball rolling.

"So, he's been in on this almost since you got out of detention."

Mel nodded. "If I knew ahead of time, life couldn't have taken a better path for me if I had a blueprint to follow. I'm still not sure I can move back into my apartment though. Thank God, Lana made sure I had tenant's insurance."

"I'll make sure you have the police report for your claim," Sylvia said.

Mel made a face. "I'll have to call them tomorrow. I just couldn't face it until I got most of it cleaned up. Ralph and Suze helped me, and I've been staying at Ralph's place. At least it's within walking distance of Cozy Corner."

"You don't have a car?"

"Learning to drive wasn't on the list of approved courses in Juvie," Mel hoped the detective would take her sarcastic comment the right way.

Sylvia's quick smile and stifled giggled confirmed she had the same wry sense of humor. "No kidding. We'll have to see about fixing that."

"Ralph doesn't have a car, and Suze won't let anyone, but her brothers drive her car. They built it for her for her sixteenth birthday. All three of them worked on it for months beforehand."

"Lucky girl. Refresh my memory, did you find anything missing in your apartment?"

"No. And I also didn't find a single thing I could save. All my clothes were ripped, torn, or so badly stained I couldn't find a way to save them. My bed, the sheets were shredded, pillows and comforter too. Even the mattress was gouged. All my food, Smoky's litterbox, and then my mismatched dishes where shattered. The glass shards on the floor were almost impossible to clean up because there were so many of them. They even broke the drawers from the furniture in the bedroom."

"Well we've got one thing back from the crime scene team. A positive match of the tread from the footprints. A women's size six Sketcher's runner. I won't tell you the exact model, but when we find our burglar, it will be the confirmation it was them."

"A woman?"

"Yes. Sometimes they can be more vicious than any man."

"I wonder if it's Aunt Deloras. But from what Helga told us, it could be Garth as well. They're twisted together in this in some truly unexpected way."

"I would need to get them both into interview to sort it out," Sylvia said. A deep sigh followed, before she continued. "We need to find them and see what their alibis might be first."

"Which is what Greg's goal is. You will be there on Sunday, right?"

"Definitely. If you have trouble with the insurance claim, have them call me okay?"

"Thank you, Sylvia," Mel said as the Detective stood up.

"I'll see you then. For now, I'm going to do my own search to find our two missing people. I'm hoping the tools I have access to will give me a place to start. Thank you for what you shared with me. It gives me a much better picture of what we are dealing with."

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Greg sat in his car watching a six condo building in Telluride. Pulling favors from former colleagues, and his former boss in the CIA, he discovered the address. Garth was independently well to do. There was no lien registered against the property, and the property taxes were paid in full for the current year. Finding Deloras was far more difficult. The property she bought changed hands three times since she sold it four years ago. He couldn't find an address for her in any database he could search.

He had to assume a cash sale. How had Garth come into enough money to do this? Things did not add up in a straight line. His mother sold the property, so perhaps a gift, but the tax records said no. He scratched his temple as he went through the facts which were provable from direct evidence again.

No matter how often he sifted through it, the fact remained, he needed to talk to Garth Durant-Williams. Hopefully, his drivers license picture was accurate because it certainly did not match this address. In fact, that might be him coming up the street now. Walking at a brisk pace, the slender man turned into the pathway leading to the stairs to the second floor.

Greg stepped out of his car and closed his door gently. Checking his door handle, he confirmed the lock was engaged and he slipped his keys in his pocket. Following his target, he watched him enter the door to the condo he knew was Garth's. Time to get some answers.

Rapping hard on the door, he stood to the side and waited.