"They had a long day." Kerry entered and moved past the quiet desks, and now silent computers. She entered her mother's office and went to her briefcase, fishing her PDA out of it and opening it up.

Three messages, none from Dar. She frowned, and glanced briefly at the ones that were there, finding nothing more than automatic notifications. After a moment, Kerry closed the device and took out her cell phone again, dialing the first speed entry with impatient motions.

Her mother entered. "The intelligence committee is still meeting," she commented. "I'm sure they're trying to make sense out of everything that's going on. I wonder--perhaps I will join them for a few minutes to see what's happening."

Kerry listened to the ringing on the other end. "Sounds like a good idea," she said, scowling as the phone went to voice mail. She listened to Dar's gruff message, waiting for the beep.

"This is Dar Roberts. If I am not answering, I'm probably too busy for a message, but you can leave one at the beep."

At other times, it would have made her chuckle. But Kerry was starting to get a knot in her gut, a shadow of worry over the absence of any sign of her partner. "Hey hon," she said into the phone. "Where are you? Give me a buzz, huh?" She closed the phone. "Damn it."

Cynthia blinked. "Something wrong?"

Kerry tossed her phone up and caught it as it fell. "I can't reach Dar, and I don't know where she is," she said. "She said they were trying to fly her up here tonight, but I haven't heard anything since." She leaned on the back of the chair. "So I'm a little worried."

Her mother went behind her desk and sat down. "Is there someone we can call?" she asked, practically. "Surely if as you say, the military was allowing her to fly on one of their planes, someone must know about it."

Kerry sat down in the chair, setting her briefcase on the floor. "I'm sure someone does," she said. "I just don't know how to get in touch with anyone. It was probably General Easton, and he's a family friend of Dar's. I don't have his direct number here."

Her mother frowned, and sat back. "General Easton?" she asked. "Gerald Easton, you mean? From the Joint Chief's?"

"Yes." Kerry nodded. "Our dog Cappuccino came from one of his Labrador Alabaster's litters." She paused. "She was a gift."

"Oh." Cynthia didn't seem to know what to make of that. "How lovely." She pondered that. "I have to admit, I am not terribly fond of dogs, " she said. "Is yours large?"

Kerry nodded. "She's beautiful," she replied. "She's so smart, and so funny. She's almost human." A thought occurred to her. "Here, let me show you." She opened her briefcase and removed her laptop, opening it and starting it booting. "I've got pictures."

"Wonderful," Cynthia said. She got up and went to a small, wood paneled refrigerator in one corner of the office. "I have some water here, would you like some?"

"Sure." Kerry put her laptop on the desk and waited for it to finish starting up. "I've always liked dogs."

"I know." Her mother came back with two glasses, and two small bottles of Perrier. "I remember how terribly upset you were when your little pet passed on. I felt terrible for you even though as I say, I am not fond of them myself."

Kerry gazed at her slowly forming screen then looked up over it at her mother as she seated herself. "Did you know Kyle had her put down?"

Caught right in the act of sitting down, Cynthia stopped, half standing, one hand on the desk and the other on the bottle of water. She stared back at Kerry.

She didn't Kerry felt an odd wash of relief as her skill at reading body language detected the honest shock in her mother's posture. "He paid off an intern at the hospital," she added quietly. "He ended up working for us and came in and confessed to me two or three months ago. Said it haunted him."

Kerry paused, blinking a few times. Then she shook her head and concentrated on her laptop, calling up her photo albums as she pushed aside the memories. "Haunted me too."

The sound of a body hitting a leather seat was loud in the room as she clicked. "My god," Cynthia finally said. "No, I did not know that--what a b--" she stopped. "Certainly, your father didn't know."

Kerry looked up at her, one brow lifting.

"We spoke of it." Her mother seemed to sense the skepticism. "He wanted to get you another one." She watched Kerry's face. "I'm afraid I talked him out of it. But if I'd known--ugh!" She got up, visibly agitated. "I look back and wonder how we could have been so unaware."

She turned back around. "Kerrison, are you sure? This is true?"

Kerry nodded. "I'm sure," she said. "Hell, Mother, he killed my fish when he broke into my apartment in Miami and searched it. The man was a psychopath."

Cynthia's jaw dropped slightly. 'W--what?"

"You knew he visited me there." Kerry felt an odd mixture of regret, relief, and curiosity. "Father sent him. Don't tell me now he was acting all on his own. I won't believe it."

Her mother blinked. "Yes," she said. "Your father sent him. He sent him to find out how you really were doing. He thought you were perhaps not doing well, but too proud to tell us," she murmured. "Kyle said nothing about a fish, or breaking into anyplace, he just--he told us he felt you were hiding something from us."

"Well," Kerry exhaled. "I was."

"But he said he spoke with you." Cynthia sat down. "Didn't he?"

"He did. He came back the next day," Kerry said. "He started to threaten me but Dar was there." She shook her head. "Anyway." She got up and turned her laptop around, coming to kneel next to her mother's chair. "Here's Cappuccino."

With a visible effort, Cynthia focused on the screen. "Oh," she murmured. "She is quite large." She studied the profile on the screen. "But quite attractive, as well. Lovely color, almost white, isn't it?"

"Cream," Kerry agreed, calling up a second picture. "This is our cabin."

Relieved as the subject changed, her mother leaned forward. "Charming," she said. "Is that stained glass? How lovely with the sun coming in."

"That's our bedroom." Kerry's lips twitched a little. "Here's the kitchen, and that's the view out the bay window in the living room."

"Stunning."

"That's our motorcycle."

"Oh my."

"Stay with me, Mom." Kerry had to fight to stifle a laugh. "It's a Honda." She heard the sound of footsteps, and looked up, as the inner door opened. "Ah."

Cynthia also looked up. "Hello Alan," she said. "I didn't realize you were still here. It's late."

Markhaus entered, pausing when he spotted Kerry behind the desk. "I was hoping to discuss some matters with you in private." He removed half glasses from his eyes and gave Kerry a disapproving look. "We have a serious situation here."

Cynthia merely gazed back at him. "I'm afraid my family is quite the most serious matter in my life at the moment. Whatever it is, Alan, can wait until tomorrow. "

"It can't," he said.

"Then feel free to discuss it in front of my daughter," Cynthia replied. "I believe she's cleared for this sort of thing, Aren't you, Kerrison?"

"Yes," Kerry confirmed briefly. "But I'll be glad to step out, Mother. I wouldn't want to add any of our confidential information into the mix."

Markhaus openly glared at her.

"Certainly not," her mother said. "Alan, please be brief. Kerrison has been kind enough to provide a meal for our guards since no one else seems to have remembered them. We are merely waiting for that to arrive then we are going home for the evening."

"Cynthia, are you not aware of what's going on here?" Markhaus came closer to the desk. "This country's been attacked. We are effectively at war. I realize you have no experience in any international matters, but at least pretend to give a damn."

Kerry slowly stood up.

"I do." Her mother folded her hands on her desk. "I just seem to have the sense to know that all of us sitting here burning the midnight oil, so to speak, and talking about it is simply pointless. We do not have any information. All we have is speculation, and rumor. Or has the White House responded to your questions?"

"They were trying to kill the President."

"At least he's a valid target," Kerry said quietly.

"What?" The man looked at her. "What kind of nonsense talk is that? These people are insane!" He waved his free hand. "We have to have plans. We have to find out how this happened. We have to put together a strategy to get back at them, and make sure this never happens again."

"Do you know why they did it?" Kerry countered.

"It doesn't matter!" Markhaus shot back. "I don't care why they did it."

"Then you won't ever keep them from doing it again." Kerry folded her arms over her chest. "What are you going to do, send bombers over there and blow them up?"

"That's an option," Markhaus said. "If it were up to me, I'd have them send a nuke over there and just sterilize the whole damn region."

"Alan!" Cynthia stood up. "What are you saying?"

"No bleeding hearts here," he said. "Or pansies."

He looked directly at Kerry. "That's what the problem is. We don't have enough right thinking people. Just perverts and peaceniks."

"Are you calling me a pervert?" Kerry asked, sharply. "Hold on a minute, mister. Who the hell do you think you are?"

"Now, hold on." Cynthia stood up. "This is ridiculous. Please!"

"Ridiculous?" Markhaus pointed at Kerry. "How do we know you didn't help them, since you had all that information? How do we know you didn't sell us out?"