The morning air was crisp and cold, even though the sun was fighting its way out of the murky sky. The autumn foliage had reached a crescendo and this tapestry of deep earthy colors broke through the isinglass mist. Grace closed her eyes and took a deep breath letting it out slowly. The filtered sun coming through the car window offered little warmth this early in the day. The pungent aroma of wood smoke pouring out from most of the chimneys, slowly crawled along with ghostly alabaster tendrils, leaving hints of its acrid scent behind. Grace loved autumn. She looked forward to her fall wardrobe of cashmere and flannel, the bright plaids and comfy sweatshirts. There was always a few surprises, as she unpacked her clothes for a new season. She also loved warm drinks at the end of the day, as she sat on the terrace with a steamy cup of coffee or mulled cider, and breathed in the scents that filled the air. Another joy that returned in cooler weather, was cooking. Complex flavors mixed with fall's abundance', creating through alchemy, a delicious feast, was pure joy. There was also, the corridor that opened only in the fall to her favorite holidays. The day after tomorrow would be Halloween. She smiled as she thought about Thanksgiving and Christmas and all the celebrations to come with her new family.

"Let's go for a hike this weekend," she said as they drove back home. "I'll make a thermos of hot chocolate and my famous churros."

Michael looked over at her with a serious expression, "I don't think that would be a good idea; not until this situation is resolved."

She felt as if she had been slapped. "I forgot for a minute." Her expression became sober and she looked down at her hands as she attempted to veil her disappointment.

He reached over and put his hand on hers. "We'll have plenty of time for hikes and adventures, I promise." He winked at her, "The hot chocolate and churros sound great. I bet they'd taste good on the backyard beach, too."

When they arrived home Rosa told Grace about Detective Hillman's phone call. Grace immediately phoned him back.

"Grace," Hillman greeted, "I received the faxes on your mother's accident. There wasn't any new information, it was believed to be an accidental fall so that's how it was treated."

She gave a heavy sigh. She was hoping for some indication that Kate's accident had been more than that. If she had been murdered, it would mean they were on the right track, looking for Donny Mason. Without that tie-in, they'd be back to square one; not knowing who they were looking for or why. "Well, it was a long time ago," she rationalized.

"True, but the autopsy report was a little more revealing. Do you want to hear this? I would understand it you didn't."

"Yes, please, I need to know all of it."

"According to the report, Kate died from a broken neck, which is consistent with the fall – but get this, she had bruises on both of her upper arms. They could have been made by fingers digging into her skin while grabbing her." He paused a moment then continued, "The report doesn't say it like that. The bruises were simply noted from the examination – but looking at it with a new perspective, that's how it could have happened."

"Okay, what now?" she asked, surprisingly, not feeling any better with the information.

"I'm looking for this Donny Mason. I've contacted Oregon and all of California, alerting the authorities that he's a person of interest in Laura and Scotts' homicide."

"Have you talked with his mother?"

"Yes, unfortunately, she's not going to be any help. She had a cell phone number for him, but it was a throwaway. The address he gave her belongs to a business that's never heard of him. Don't worry, I believe he'll turn up sooner or later."

"Sooner, I hope." She smiled at Michael, trying to keep her expression relaxed.

Hillman promised to keep her informed then said goodbye.

After hanging up she reviewed Hillman's information with Michael and Rosa. She realized there was no upside to any of this. Until Donny was in custody, she was as trapped as if he had a gun to her head. The joy and elation she had felt all morning evaporated as reality burned through her mind. Once again she began to fall into that black hole, but this time, when Michael reached out and took her hand she was able to brace herself.

~~~~~

Reggie felt the stirring of his humans' emotions and they were all over the place. This only made him more vigilant. He had smelled the scent of danger this morning in the woods near where he had detected it before. It was close and he instinctively knew that it was coming closer.