Part Four


Natalie's mind was spinning as she went over her dreaded paperwork. 
Between having off last night and leaving early two nights before that, she was
woefully backlogged.  She had come in extra early tonight so she could make
up for the lost time. To make matters worse, she couldn't get her argument
with Lacroix out of her head.
 
She hadn't intended on arguing with the elder vampire when she decided to go
confront him, but he'd made her so angry.  She had discussed it with Nick
when he had come home last night, and he told her about his own visit with his
maker.  He had been astonished to realize that he understood, and could even
relate to Lacroix's feelings.  Nick wasn't sure if he had been more surprised by
the fact that Lacroix hadn't blocked off his emotions, or that he had voiced
them.

As Natalie had started to look over the reports, she was startled by the sound
of Lacroix's voice.  He apologized for his behavior the night before, while
somehow keeping his customary pride and dignity intact.  She had tried to
apologize for her reaction, but he waved it away, explaining that her reaction
was justified.  He told Natalie that she could only judge him by what she knew
of him, and he intended to prove to her that he had indeed changed.

She sighed as she picked up the papers she had dropped when Lacroix
appeared. Hopefully, she would be able to catch up with these reports.  She
just had one more thing she had to do first; she picked up the phone and called
Marguerite.

********************

***
You take me in 
No questions asked
You strip away the ugliness 
That surrounds me
Are you an angel?
Am I already that gone?
I only hope that I won't disappoint you
When I'm down here on my knees
Sweet surrender 
Is all that I have to give
***

Lacroix stood deep in thought, staring out at the water.  He had made all the
arrangements he could for the moment.  Whatever happened next was out of
his hands, and he didn't like the feeling one bit.  He had left Marguerite alone
all evening, and was relieved when he sensed her presence nearby.  

Marguerite approached Lacroix slowly, still unsure of what she was going to
say.  After taking her time bathing and getting dressed, she had wandered into
the living room to find the coffee table full of gifts.  There was a vase filled
with a large arrangement of wildflowers, along with another chilled bottle and
a note.  She had just poured herself a drink and picked up the note when the
phone rang.  It wasn't until she was getting ready to hang up that she read
Lucien's note requesting that she meet him at the lake.  A glance at the clock
on her way out the door confirmed her suspicion that she was already late.

He was truly sorry.  Even if she hadn't read it in his blood last night, she could
sense it radiating from him now.  Marguerite had already forgiven him in her
mind, but by the time she'd reached Lacroix's back she'd decided not to give
into him so easily.  Silently, she rested a hand on his shoulder.

He said softly, "I was beginning to think you weren't coming."

As he turned to face her, Marguerite said, "I was talking to Natalie.  She called
to tell me that you came by the morgue to see her.  Were you waiting long?"

"Not at all," Lacroix replied, "I had some other business that required my
attention as well.  I was concerned that I would be late myself.  I didn't want to
leave you waiting; you're angry enough as it is."

She sighed, "I'm not angry, Lucien, not anymore."  She paused, and Lacroix
thought the better of asking if he was forgiven.  As much as it pained him, he
had decided to let Marguerite take the lead; they would discuss the subject
when she wanted to do so.  She put her arms around his neck and asked,
"Aren't you going to kiss me hello?"  

Surprised, Lacroix returned her embrace and kissed her.  When the kiss was
over he murmured, "You look beautiful, mon amour."

Marguerite smiled up at him.  "Thank you.  It's a beautiful dress, Lucien...and
so were the flowers.  Where are we going this evening?"

Lacroix smiled back.  "I thought I would take you to the movies, Marguerite. 
You're always complaining that I don't like to go.  I have something of a
romantic nature that's much more creative planned for a later date."

Her smile turned impish.  "I'll look forward to it.  It wouldn't have anything to
do with the fact that Natalie found out that she and Nicolas mysteriously have
an extra day off in a few weeks, would it?"

He merely smiled in response.  Marguerite took his hand and started to lead
him to the car.  She was impressed by the fact he was willing to actually go by
car instead of using more...supernatural means.  It was going to be an
interesting night.

********************

Nat sorted through the papers that she'd dropped when Lacroix had come in
the room.  One of these was the report on the OD they had found in the alley
outside Marguerite's store.  The tox screen had shown nothing, absolutely
nothing.  The autopsy had shown that the man had died of a heart attack,
which Natalie had assumed was caused by an overdose.  He was too young
and in relative good health for it to have occurred naturally, and instinctively
Natalie suspected foul play.  There were other drugs to test for, if you knew to
look for them.  She picked up the phone to order more tests.

********************

Two weeks later...

Lacroix checked his watch as he walked into Fleur-de-lis.  They had plenty of
time to meet Nicholas and Natalie, but he just *knew* Marguerite was not
going to be ready yet.  He sighed; this had probably been the most hellish two
weeks of his entire life...not that he didn't deserve it, he supposed.  While they
had been getting along wonderfully in all other areas, Marguerite was still
sleeping in the guest bedroom.  He was not at all happy about it, and he'd been
taking it out on everyone around him.  After a week, Miklos politely suggested
that he avoid the Raven to keep from scaring any more customers away.

He had just convinced himself to press the issue tonight--to hell with his vow
to let Marguerite take her time--when he was brought up short by the sound of
sound of a child's rapid heartbeat...and laughter.  He moved to stand silently in
the doorway, watching Marguerite crawl around on the floor with a small
child.  It went without saying that she was not ready for their evening out, but
he remained unmoving in the doorway, unwilling to interrupt.  

Instead, he studied the child before him.  She was an adorable little moppet,
with honey blonde hair caught up in two pigtails.  She was staring intently at
some inexpensive bauble that Marguerite had just placed in her hands.  The
child held it as carefully as if it were a precious heirloom.  Her entire face lit up
as Marguerite informed the child that she could keep it.  It was then that
Marguerite seemed to sense his presence and met his gaze.

"Lucien..."  she trailed off as she stood up and brushed off her pants.

Lacroix watched for a moment before looking down at the tiny form that was
now tugging at his pants leg.  "Hello." she said shyly.

He couldn't help smiling down at the child before replying, "Hello."  Her eyes
were a deep chocolate brown.

She held up the object in her hand.  "See what Aunt Maggie gave to me?"

Unable to resist, Lacroix knelt down to have a closer look.  It was a small
marcasite pin; it was fairly old, but certainly not as old as some of the jewelry
in the store.  He looked at Marguerite as he noted, "It's beautiful."  

Marguerite smiled as she toyed with one of the girl's pigtails.  "Siobhan is
Anna's daughter.  I told Anna I would watch her for a little bit while she ran an
errand.  She should be back soon."  Anna was the woman who ran
Marguerite's store during the day, and Lacroix recalled that she had two
children, a boy and a girl.

He stood up and said noncommittally, "Really?"

She ignored his comment and said, "She's only five, and she really should be
getting ready for bed soon.  Maybe you'd like to tell Siobhan a story while I get
changed?"

Siobhan threw her arms around his leg and pleaded, "Oh please, Uncle
Lucien!"

Lacroix stiffened slightly, but not enough so that the child would notice. 
"Certainly, child.  We'll sit on the couch and I'll tell you a story." he said aloud;
through their link he said, "You taught her that on purpose."

As Marguerite turned to walk into the bathroom adjoining her office, she
tossed back through their link, "Make it a nice story, *Uncle* Lucien."

When she emerged from the bathroom, Marguerite found Siobhan curled up on
Lacroix's lap.  She was sound asleep, and still clutching the brooch tightly. 
Even though Siobhan's head was resting on his arm, Lacroix looked far more
comfortable than he had before.  Marguerite was smiling as she whispered,
"She's beautiful, isn't she?  Admit it, Lucien, she's not so bad."  Lacroix only
looked at her; his expression clearly indicating that the topic was not up for
even a teasing conversation.  

Lacroix's expression changed as he held her gaze.  Marguerite instinctively
knew what he wanted; just because she had held herself back from him didn't
mean she hadn't missed him.  In a husky voice she whispered, "Tonight,
Lucien, I promise."  She approached him and gave him a kiss.  "Thank you for
watching Siobhan for me.  I really appreciate it," she purred into his ear.

Lacroix caught her mouth in a kiss before replying, "I look forward to your
show of gratitude, Marguerite."

++++++++++++++++++++

Marguerite sighed as she rested her elbows on the railing.  If she leaned over,
she could see the water lapping against the boat.  She had tired of this quickly
enough, and picked up the pendant hanging around her neck in order to study
it again.  Lucien had given it to her before they had left to meet Nick and
Natalie.

It was hung from a long gold chain so that when she let go of the disc, it rested
in between her breasts.  She smiled as she traced the design...around the outer
edge was a laurel wreath intertwined with daisies, and inside that was an eagle. 
Lucien had explained that the eagle was the standard that Roman legions
fought under.  Marguerite already knew that, but she let him explain it anyway.

"I'll show you mine if you show me yours," Nat's teasing voice penetrated the
silence.

Marguerite turned and smiled at her friend.  "You've already seen mine...show
me yours."  Nat proudly held out a similar pendant, this one in the shape of the
shield of Brabant.

Marguerite took it in her fingers in order to look at it more closely.  It was
Brabant's coat of arms, quartered with a caduceus, the symbol of the medical
profession.  She let go of the shield as she looked up and asked, "Do you know
what this symbolizes?"

Natalie picked it up and looked at it before replying, "Well, I know what the
symbols are, but I'm not sure what they mean on the shield."

"Well, a shield was sometimes quartered when two families joined; Lucien is
acknowledging your importance in Nick's life.  I'm rather impressed.  Did
Uncle Nick like it?"

Nat leaned back against the railing.  "He liked it a lot, but I didn't know why
until now."

********************

After Natalie left the room, Nick clapped Lacroix on the shoulder in an
affectionate gesture.  "The shield...it's beautiful.  I just wanted you to know
how much it means to me.  Thank you, Lucien."

Uneasy with such a rare display of affection and familiarity from his son, it
took Lacroix a moment to reply, "You're quite welcome, Nicholas.  I wanted a
symbol of Natalie's place in our family...of her importance in your life.  Despite
recent events, I *have* grown quite fond of her."

"I know," Nick said softly after a moment, his voice thick with emotion.  Also
uneasy with the closeness, he decided to lighten the mood.  "So, daisies and
laurel leaves intertwined...who's captured whom, Lacroix?"
 
Lacroix smiled mysteriously.  "That would depend on with whom you speak."

Nick's eyes twinkled.  "Well, I think I'd prefer to believe that it's mutual."

"As would I, Nicholas."

The rest of their talk came easier, and they were in the middle of a friendly
debate when Natalie and Marguerite entered the room.  Marguerite cleared her
throat to get their attention, and she was smiling as the men looked up.  She
asked, "Are you ready to go, Lucien?"

Lacroix stood up and looked at her with a glint in his eye.  "If you insist on
cutting such a wonderful evening short, Marguerite, I suppose we could leave
Nicholas and Natalie alone for the rest of the cruise."

After Lacroix and Marguerite had gone, Nick turned to Natalie and looked at
her expectantly.  "Do you want to tell me what's been bothering you, Nat, or
do I have to guess?"

Natalie looked surprised.  "Bothering me?"

"Well, maybe not over the last few days, but for awhile there you were
definitely stressing over something.  I didn't want to smother you with concern,
but I want you to know that you can talk to me if you want.  I'm not totally
clueless, you know."  He smiled softly as he finished.

Nat had been very reassured by her conversation with Anastasia, who had
arrived about a week before.  Anastasia had been childless also, though not for
lack of trying.  She hadn't given too many details, but Natalie had gotten the
feeling that one of the reasons that Anastasia had chosen to come across was
her trouble with conceiving and carrying a child to term.

"I didn't think you were; I just didn't want you to feel guilty about my worries." 
Natalie smiled back.  "It's just that it was close to the anniversary of Cynthia's
murder, and I had to do an autopsy on a little girl.  I got to thinking about how
I won't ever be able to have children if we never find a cure."

"Is that the night Lacroix came to get me?"

She nodded.  "As I was leaving the morgue, I ran into Sasha and he followed
me to the park.  I told him that I wanted to be alone, and instead he went and
got Maggie.  I felt better after I told her about it, but she thought I should talk
to Anastasia too."

Nick looked confused.  "Why?"

"Anastasia didn't tell me too much, but she did tell me that she never had a
baby either."

Nick's eyes grew wide in understanding.  "It couldn't have been easy on her,
Nat.  There was a lot of pressure on a woman to bear children back then; if a
woman didn't conceive, she would be put aside."

"So she told me.  I didn't want to say anything to you, because I didn't want
you to blame yourself.  I would have like to have children one day, but having
children doesn't mean as much to me if that means I can't be with you, Nick."

Nick put his arms around Natalie and kissed her.  "I'm beginning to understand
that now, Nat.  But I'm going to be optimistic that we will have children one
day."

********************

Two nights later...

The moon was bright, full and hung low in the sky.  Lacroix watched to
reflection of light play along the waves as he waited.  After what seemed to be
an interminable amount of time, he sensed her approach.  He didn't turn right
away, pretending to be lost in thought.

Marguerite studied her lover as she drew closer.  Outwardly he looked relaxed
and contemplative, but she could feel a sense of anticipation through their link
and it was contagious.  Making him wait had only added to the sensations
flowing between them; it was all she could do to keep from running to him.

When she had left for her store Lacroix had still been in the shower.  While
Anna took care of the customers during the daylight hours, Marguerite would
occasionally keep the store open for those who were...nocturnal by nature. 
Tonight had been just such an occasion.  The customer in question had taken
forever to make a selection, but when she'd left her wallet was significantly
lighter, having paid a small fortune for a very old earring and necklace set.

Lacroix turned to greet her at the last moment; he smiled widely when he saw
what Marguerite had chosen to wear.  She wore a forest green dress with a
short skirt.  The color not only complimented her coloring, but also the gift he
was finally going to give her.  Marguerite returned his smile as she stepped into
his arms for a kiss.

"Troublesome customer, my dear?"

"You might say that, but she left with a smile on her face.  I'm guessing you
have plans for us this evening?  I hope I'm not late."

Lacroix's smile turned mysterious.  "What I have planned has no timetable,
amour.  But I did ensure we will have no unwanted interruptions this time." 
She tilted her head questioningly and waited for him to explain.  "Anastasia and
Alejandro have gone out for the evening, and I've been assured that Nicholas is
occupying Natalie in any spare time they might have."

"Well, I'm intrigued.  What did you have in mind, Lucien?

"The one thing that I definitely wanted to do, mon amour, is give you this..." 
He pulled a small box out of his pocket and presented it to Marguerite.  She
opened it up and her eyes widened at the contents.  It was a gold ring set with
emeralds.  Besides the daisy pendant, it was the most precious thing he had
ever given her.  She took it out of the box to inspect it.  Inscribed inside the
ring were the words 'sans cesse'...forever.

"Oh, Lucien, it's beautiful!  Anton made this, didn't he?"  

Lacroix took the box and ring out of her hands and smiled.  "Very astute.  He
said you would be able to tell that it was his work."  He slipped the ring on the
ring finger of her left hand.

Marguerite held out her hand to study the ring appreciatively.  Anton had really
outdone himself this time.  She had no idea what to say; she never expected
anything like this.  Lacroix tilted her face up to look into his.  "Your eyes
glitter more brilliantly than these stones, mon amour.  To me, you are far more
precious than any jewel...more delicate than any flower..."

"Lucien?"  She put a finger to his lips to hush him.  "Shut up and kiss me." 
Lacroix smiled as he leaned down to do as he was ordered.

++++++++++++++++++++

The next night...

Natalie was up to her elbows in intestines, trying her best not to be aroused at
the scent of all the blood.  Maybe she should have put this off until after her
dinner break, she reflected, but she'd just wanted to get this one over with. 
The victim was a teen-aged gang-banger, killed in a drive-by shooting.  The
first few bullets she'd found easily enough, but this last one was giving her a
tough time.  She couldn't figure out where this ever-elusive bullet had hidden
itself, but when she found it...

"Boo!"  Someone grabbed Nat from behind, and she instinctively turned to the
person, vamped out.  It all happened so quickly that she couldn't control
herself.  In the few precious seconds it had taken her to regain control, she
realized that it was Nick's partner, Eric.  He was clearly terrified, and was
backing away towards the door.  As their eyes met, Eric turned around and
took off.

Eric turned and ran.  He didn't know what it was he just saw, but he didn't
want to stick around and find out.  There was something definitely wrong with
his partner's wife.  After he'd startled her, she'd turned around and hissed at
him.  Her eyes glowed with some kind of greenish-gold light, like a cat's. 
She'd had fangs...and they looked sharp.

He felt his arm hook around something, and he came to a dead stop.  Oh God! 
He looked up from the floor to stare into the green eyes of Marguerite de
Louvain.  She looked concerned.  "Eric?  Is everything okay?"

Marguerite listened as Eric started to babble about fangs and glowing eyes. 
She very calmly dragged him back to the morgue as he spoke.  He was so
upset that he didn't even notice where they were going at first.  Once they
reached the door, she saw the realization hit his face and he began to struggle.

No match for the petite vampire, she pushed him through the doorway gently
with one hand and drew the door shut with the other.  Natalie was backing
away from the doorway; she must have been in the process of going after Eric. 
Completely terrified now, Eric just kept saying the word 'no' over and over. 
Natalie looked almost as equally scared.

"You're going to have to handle this, Natalie.  He can't be allowed to run
around with this knowledge."

Nat shook her head forcefully.  "No...no!  I won't kill him.  I can't!  Please,
Maggie!"

Marguerite sighed, "Well, being I'm not very hungry myself, how about you try
making him forget first?"

Natalie slumped against an examination table and closed her eyes in relief.  "I'm
sorry.  I wasn't thinking."

Marguerite turned to her uncle's incoherent partner.  He had quieted down
somewhat, and was staring at Natalie with a wary expression on his face.  She
shifted her hand from his wrist to grip his hand, and she squeezed it
reassuringly.  Through her link with Natalie she said, "Concentrate on his
heartbeat, Natalie, and stare into his eyes."

Natalie did as she was told and was rewarded for her efforts as Eric relaxed. 
His eyes glazed over and she felt his will bend to hers.  "Now what?" she
whispered.

"Well, you tell him to forget, and then you give him a memory to take its place. 
Do you think he's squeamish?"  Marguerite grinned wickedly.

"He is now."  Nat started into Eric's eyes.  "You didn't see anything before,
Eric.  You came into the morgue, and when you saw me working on the body
with all the blood, you passed out."

Eric mumbled, "Came into the morgue, all that blood." and then he passed out.

Marguerite caught him and eased him into a chair.  "Nat, maybe you should
clean up a little?  He won't be out for long."  She gestured to the blood
covered gloves on Natalie's hands.

"Ugh, I almost forgot."  Nat quickly shed the gloves and tossed them into the
trash.  "Do you think it worked?"

"We're going to find out soon enough, I think he's waking up."

Eric put a hand to his head as he came around.  "What happened?"

Nat leaned over him.  "You fainted.  It's a good think Maggie came by to visit
too, I don't think I could've gotten you into that chair by myself.  Are you
okay?"

"I think so...I guess all that blood was too much for me.  I came by to get the
lab report on the John Doe from the alleyway.  Captain Reese gave the case to
us."

"Nick mentioned it; I have it right here."  She picked a file up off of her desk
and handed it to him.  "Someone shot him up with epinephrine, which caused
his heart attack.  I think they were counting on the marks on his body to cover
up the injection site, but it was the only recent one."

He stood up on slightly unsteady legs.  Marguerite asked, "Are you sure you're
all right, Eric?  You look a little pale."

"I'm okay, Daisy.  Thanks.  I think I just need some fresh air, I have a little
headache."

********************

Joe Reese was on the phone with his wife, Denise.  He was trying to focus on
the conversation, but his mind was in overdrive, trying to piece together
solutions to the department's problems as well as Denise's concerns about their
daughters.  After several more minutes of internal struggling he told his wife he
had to go, but promised to be home early.

He rubbed at his temples as he contemplated trying to coax a cup of water out
of the cooler, but decided that coffee might be more what he needed.  The
Captain sat back in his chair and looked out of his window at the department. 
As his eyes scanned the room beyond his office, they rested on the desks of his
two 'star' detectives.  He smiled when he realized that Knight was actually
doing paperwork; D'Angelo must be a good influence on him.

Knight had settled down considerably over the last year and a half.  After
Tracy Vetter had gotten shot, Joe had been worried about Knight's emotional
state.  Knight was a damn good cop, no doubt about that, but he'd lost two
partners in a short span of time.  He'd been sure that Nick would try to resign
again, and was pleasantly surprised when all he'd asked for was a leave of
absence.

Of course, the reason wasn't pleasant at all...Natalie Lambert had been ill and
needed months off to recover.  The medication she'd been on left her sensitive
to sunlight, so when she came back it was to the night shift.  There had been
no reason for her to work any day shifts, really; no one else seemed to want to
work nights.

Their engagement was no surprise to anyone, but the appearance of Nick's
niece was.  Nick had told everyone that he'd had no family...and as far as he
knew, that was true.  His sister had eloped and run away when Nick was very
young, and he never saw her again.  Marguerite, his sister's only child, had
tracked him down after she was told about her mother's family.  Joe Reese
shook his head as the phone jarred him out of his thoughts.  Going home early
was looking better all the time.

*****

Eric's head shot up as he felt something bounce off the top of his head, out of
the corner of his eye he could see a crumpled piece of paper lying on the floor. 
His hazel eyes narrowed suspiciously at his partner, who was trying hard not to
laugh as he studied the form in front of him.  "Bored, Knight?"

Nick looked up, his eyes twinkling in amusement.  "Why would I be bored,
Eric?"

Eric threw his pen down on the desk.  "You know, some day I'm gonna catch
you doing that."  He picked up his mug and sniffed at the contents cautiously
before taking an experimental sip.

"Doing what?"  Nick smiled as his partner made a face similar to the one that
Nick himself made after tasting one of Nat's protein shakes.  The mug went
back to its home on Eric's desk.

"This coffee is terrible!  Hey, partner, how about we take a break and grab a
bite to eat...or do you have other plans?"

"As a matter of fact, I'm supposed to meet Nat in a little while.  Maybe next
time?"  Nick put the papers he'd been working on into a folder and threw them
into a drawer.

"Sure, whenever you want, Nick, just say the word.  I'm just gonna clean up
here and then I'm leaving too."  Eric shook his head as his partner threw back a
'thank you' on his way out the door.  As if he'd ever get a chance to see what
Nick liked to eat; his partner shared all his meals with Natalie.  

The report was quickly finished and printed out.  His desk was as clean as it
was ever going to get, and he hastily walked through the department in an
effort to get away before the Captain could think of something else for him to
do.  On his way out, he nearly a collided with woman.  He took a closer look
to discover that she was young--not more that nineteen or twenty--and very
nervous.  She shied away when he put a hand out to try and steady her.

"Do you need help, miss?  My name is Detective D'Angelo."

The young woman closed her eyes and took a deep breath.  When she opened
them, she said, "Yes, I could use some help.  I need to speak to someone about
a friend of mine.  He's missing...and...and I'm so worried."

Eric took her by the arm and led her to his desk.  "I'm a homicide detective, but
I'll do what I can to help you.  Miss...Miss?"

"Emma Fuller."  She sat down in the chair he offered her and smiled weakly.

"Okay, Ms. Fuller."  He took out a pad and started to make a few notations. 
"When did you last see your friend?"

Emma started to fidget nervously.  "A little over two weeks ago.  I, uh...he's a
recovering drug user, and at first I was afraid that maybe he'd started to use
again.  But no one's seen him, not even his...'old' friends.  I'm worried that
something terrible has happened, Detective."

"Do you have a picture of him?  The more recent it is, the better."

She pulled her wallet out of her pocketbook and looked through it for a minute
until she came up with a small photo.  She handed it to him.  "This was taken
about a month ago, in one of those photo booths, you know?  Matt loves to
pose for pictures." 

Eric stared at the picture in amazement; the face was very familiar to him.  As a
matter of fact, it was a case that Captain Reese had handed over to Eric and
Nick after Roberts had gotten himself suspended after harassing one too many
women, and Jonas couldn't handle the caseload by himself.  Coincidentally
enough, it was the body they found in the alley near Marguerite de Louvain's
store.  Natalie hadn't found a trace of illegal drugs in him.  As a matter of fact,
after the autopsy she'd run more detailed tests and found that he'd been injected
with epinephrine, which caused a heart attack.  Until now, they'd had
absolutely nothing to go on.

Still staring at the photo, he asked, "You said his name was Matt?"

Ms. Fuller nodded.  "Matthew Peters.  He's been clean for a long time,
Detective.  We've become very close since he's been in recovery; he has no real
family and he's my best friend.  We tell each other everything.  I can't believe
he'd just run away."

"I don't think he did..."  He drew a deep breath as he tried to find the words to
tell this woman that her friend would never be coming home.  "Ms. Fuller, I
need you to come with me.  I'm afraid I know where your friend is."


End Part Four