The walk to Stratus and then the stiff atmosphere inside the car was about as uncomfortable as Martin Fitzgerald had ever been around Danny Taylor. The uneasiness that surrounded them was in a word: stifling. However, to his contentment Martin soon realized that it was one of the only times he had ever felt awkward in Danny's presence. The two had a relaxed working relationship; that was true, but it was more than that. Danny respected Martin. He had since the moment that he had met him, and Martin, who had entered into such an incredibly proficient and close-knit team, had needed that kind of kinship.

He supposed that was part of what made this trip so painful. He respected Danny in return, and therefore it wasn't his place to go prying for closeted skeletons that were none of his business.

He had planned to do just that, just keep his mouth shut and endure the ride. But as they were driving, Martin felt the air about them thicken, grow dense with silence. Not wanting to imagine it becoming any more unbearable, he spoke aloud.

"So," he said. "How long have you known her?"

"Sr. Rachel."

"Yeah."

"Seven years," Danny answered, inwardly marveling at what a long span of time it had been. "She was one of the first people I met when I started working at the orphanage."

Martin probably shouldn't have felt any thrill at such an answer. But it was somewhat exciting…hearing even the tiniest facet of a life kept so guarded. What Danny didn't realize was that by keeping his life a secret, he was making it all the more interesting.

"So…you've been in New York for a long time, huh?"

"Yep," Danny drawled.

Martin waited a few more moments, but it soon became clear that Danny had no wish to elaborate. With no other comments to make and no other polite questions to ask, Martin resigned himself to looking around the car. He'd been in the Stratus many times, often made remarks about the 'family sedan' as being a reliable choice and safe for the kids. He'd even tacked a 'Baby on Board' sign onto his back window one morning for shits and giggles. But Danny had never really found those jokes all that funny, and he certainly wouldn't now.

Martin went to grab his travel coffee mug when his hand unintentionally smacked into a CD sticking out of the CD player.

"Oops," he said.

A CD labeled 'Mix #3' spun and began to play. The chords that floated from the stereo belonged to the song 'Bled White.' Martin listened and then recognized the voice of the singer.

"You like Elliott Smith?" he asked in disbelief.

Danny's mouth hung open uselessly for a moment. "Um, yeah," he decided. "He's not so bad, once you get used to him."

It gave Martin a seg-way into small talk. "He writes songs for a lot of movie soundtracks. He do any live shows?"

For the first time since Danny could remember, Jordan's random trivia came in handy. "Not anymore," he answered. "The guy topped himself a few weeks ago."

"Oh," Martin said. He took a sip of his coffee. "That's cheerful. I guess I shouldn't be looking forward to any new albums then."

Danny smirked, letting out a small laugh. Martin smiled, only too thankful that the tension of the situation had lessened, despite the morbid reference.

The car pulled over into a small parking lot behind the church. "Here it is," Danny announced. "St. Luke's."

Martin studied the exterior. The church was a modest brick building, but well-built, with vibrant stained-glass windows lining the sides. Connected to the church were two smaller buildings. He assumed one was the convent, and then other, obviously, the orphanage.

The two exited the car, and when they did, Martin spotted a woman waiting for them by the porch steps. Beneath her a handful of children played harmlessly outside. Martin smiled to a little Asian girl playing with a hula-hoop. She grinned back widely to show two front teeth missing. She laughed when she saw his reaction, and Martin lent her an amused smile.

Shifting his gaze, Martin quickened his pace to catch up with Danny, who was already on the steps, and met him at the top.

Danny and the woman looked at each other. "They told me you were coming," she said.

He imparted a sympathetic gaze. "Then you understand all the things I have to ask you."

Martin quickly realized the woman before him to be Sr. Rachel. To put it bluntly, she wasn't what he had expected at all. She was young, barely into her thirties. She had chestnut brown hair, smooth skin, and a calm and comforting smile. He assumed the habit was hiding her injuries, but if he hadn't been informed of her attack, he never would have guessed that anything violent had happened to her at all.

Rachel nodded to Danny with a beauty birthed of strength rather than delicacy. She welcomed them inside, and after asking one of the deacons to watch the children, she joined them at the kitchen table.

- - - - -

After introducing Martin, Danny wasted little time in beginning the interrogation. "Where were you the night of Jason's disappearance?"

"I was in here," Sr. Rachel answered, setting down her teacup on a flowered saucer. "I heard a noise, which was nothing to write home about, but I came back to check on it. I felt something strike me from behind, and from there…I was out before I could discern anything else."

Danny nodded, keeping a perfectly detached face despite the description. "You awoke in the hospital."

"Yes." For a moment, emotion dipped into her speech. "I woke up… I learned Jason was gone, and the rest appears to be seen."

It was Martin's turn to address her. "When the cops came, they found that none of the locks had been broken, and there was no sign of a forced entry. Do you have any enemies that might have access to the orphanage?"

"Well, as a woman who holds orphaned children away from the state, the government, and sometimes the children's own families, I have plenty of enemies. Sure," she answered. "But I can't think of any that I've given the security code to."

Martin nodded. He planned to ask more questions about that later. "And no one saw anything?"

"If they have, they have yet to come forward."

As he listened to her answers, Danny was struck by a thought. He leaned forward. "Did any of the kids see anything?"

"We tried asking them," Rachel said. "But, you know children. The younger ones are so quick to agree with anything you say just to please you, and the others are old enough to be terrified. They think they're next."

Danny pressed her again. "But it is still possible they witnessed something."

"I'd like to think if they'd seen someone attack me, they would have said something."

"You never know," Danny said. "Children hold back valuable information sometimes. Especially if they think they're in trouble."

Rachel paused, taking a moment to examine his intentions. "You want to question them…don't you?"

"Sr. Corrione," Martin began. "We need to see every aspect of this case as clearly as possible. If we don't question every person here, including the children, we could miss something. Something that otherwise might have led us to Jason."

Even though Martin was talking, she and Danny never lost eye contact. "Someone might have seen something," Danny said again. "We have to start somewhere. It's standard, Rachel. I wouldn't ask you to do it if it wasn't important."

Rachel stared at him. "I won't let you scare them. They've been frightened enough with two of the children here missing without explanation. They're edgy… They're not themselves." She looked at Martin. "They've nightmares enough."

"And if they never see Jason?" Danny countered. "If we never find them? How will they react then?"

Breaking eye contact, the sister looked away, contemplating the possibility of such a terrible scenario. After a few moments of deliberation, she looked to Martin, and then back at Danny. "Alright," she conceded, rising from her chair. "But I stay in the room with them."

Martin didn't like the sound of that. "I'm sorry, Sr. Corrione, but just your presence there could have an effect on what they say and do."

The glance she sent him could have lifted a brick building with its strength. "You think they're not saying anything to the workers here? You wait and see how fast they clam up when they're faced with a complete stranger such as yourself."

Martin sent a subtle glance to Danny. From the look on his face, it was clear that what Rachel was saying was true. Martin took a moment to amend his first claim. "Alright," he said. "You can be there, but I'll need to ask you to stay to the back of the room." Unintentionally, he let attitude seep into his tone. "If that's okay."

She sent a smart remark right back. "It was the moment I thought of it. Why shouldn't it be now?" Without a further word, Sr. Rachel stalked past them and went outside to gather the children together.

Getting up from his chair, Martin crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe, where Danny soon joined him.

Martin squinted, taking in a range of thoughts. "You think she's trying to hide something?"

It took Danny a moment to answer. "It's possible," he allowed, letting out an uncertain sigh. "She's been under more stress than I'd care to imagine. But right now, I'd rather focus on these kids."

"You really think they saw something, huh?"

"There's twelve of them here, all throughout the building. Kids are nosy. And they're much more knowledgeable of things than we give them credit for."

Martin watched Sr. Rachel as she arranged the children in two lines and began to lead them inside. He went to go secure a room inside the church for questioning. "Let's hope your right."

Danny looked on as the children entered past him, waving to him much more warily than they had in days before. Sr. Rachel sent him a glance as she filed past him. "I hope you know what you're doing," she said discreetly before disappearing into the next room.

Martin and Sr. Rachel hoped he was right, but Danny was far beyond hope. He had tried fooling himself into thinking it was just another case, involving people he had never seen before and probably never would again. Now, he understood it was nothing like that. In other cases, he too might have hoped he was right. But here in this orphanage he needed to be right, especially if he was going to find Jason and Jordan Coliandri alive.