Burly opened the door to the patrol car she rode in, assaulted by the frigid air. When had it gotten so cold out, she thought to herself. She picked up her crime scene bag off the floorboard and slung it over her shoulder. Taking a moment to steady herself under its weight and the unease on her knee, she started toward the gym door. A uniformed officer followed close behind.

Ryan expected her, waiting at the door to usher her inside. "I guess this isn't a social visit," he said as the two entered.

"Strictly business this time. I need something from you, need you to let me search Greg's things that he left."

He gestured to the office behind the receptionist's desk. Both Burly and the uniformed officer stepped inside. With the door shut behind them, Ryan asked, "Can I do that? Just let you search through someone's things?"

Burly set her bag on the desk, retrieving a file folder out of it. She handed him a piece of paper.

"Sign that, it is a consent to search form. You are giving me permission as the owner to let me look around for evidence. It is perfectly legal. Take a moment to look it over if you'd like, or call your lawyer if you need to. I would like to look at Greg's belongings and his personnel file, as well as some of the video of the last few days."

"I'll sign it, we don't need to call any lawyers. Go ahead and get the video you need, since we're right here. Then I'll take you to Greg's locker, in the break room and in the changing room."

She nodded, walked around the desk and started flipping through his cameras. Everything was digitally recorded here, so she inserted a memory card in the recorder and went back as far as memory allowed. Since she had installed the system last year, she was familiar with the equipment and it did not take her long to finish. She removed the memory card, placed it in a small plastic case and stuck it in her bag in an envelope marked evidence.

Retrieving a pair of rubber gloves from her bag, she put them on. She then took her camera out, checked the batteries and memory card. "I need that paper before we can go any further, Ryan."

He handed her the paper, signed on the bottom.

She flashed him a quick smile, grateful that he was cooperating with her investigation. Since she left his house this morning, she hadn't had time to call him and tell him what she had found out. Now she was here at the gym, asking him to let her look around at a former employees things. She returned the paper to the folder, putting it back in her bag.

"Where's Ruckus?" Ryan asked casually.

"We split up for the day, to cover more ground. I got the easier assignment, both of us collecting evidence though."

"I see, is everything alright, detective?"

She nodded. "I think so."

They started for the door, to leave the office. Burly turned to speak to the uniformed officer. "Stay here, in the lobby. Radio me if you notice anything unusual." She reached down and turned her radio up to emphasize her words to not follow her.

Ryan led her to the back of the gym, past new equipment. "When did this come in?"

He stopped and faced her. "I ordered some new stuff the day you..."

"Disappeared, were abducted, wrecked your car," she looked him in the eye. "You can say it, I am a big girl and words don't hurt my feelings. I know what happened the other night, it is nothing to be ashamed to say. Laugh at it, Ryan. Find the humor in it now that we know that I'm fine."

"I ordered it the other day, the new pieces came in this morning." He reached out, cupping her cheek in his hand. She leaned into his touch, then pulled away.

"Professional now, Ryan. There will be time for personal later, please."

He nodded and continued towards the door with 'staff' marked on it. Opening it, he stepped aside to let her pass. She moved inside, placing her bag on the table in the center of the room. He closed the door, then leaned against the wall with arms folded across his chest, to watch her work.

"This is the break room. Greg's locker is number seven, over there. I'll unlock it when you're ready."

"Thank you. I want to check this first," she said as she pulled a chair over to the video camera mounted high in the corner of the room.

With the chair under the camera, she climbed up. Ryan was by her side in an instant, hands on her hips.

"You shouldn't be climbing just yet, your not steady on your feet as it is."

"I am not going to argue with you, you're right. But this is my investigation and I'm not going to let someone else miss anything that I'm looking for. I just want to check the cables coming out of this camera."

She leaned to the left a little and started to lose her balance, grateful that Ryan was holding her and would not let her fall. The camera had been tampered with, just as she thought. She had taught Greg many things about surveillance videos last summer while they installed these cameras and he must have done more research afterward. There was now a new wire coming out of the camera, attached to a small digital transmitter hidden behind the camera. She took a few pictures of the set up, and of the security camera itself.

Looking down at Ryan, who was watching her intently, she said, "You can let go, I'm done."

He lifted her off the chair and placed her on the ground.

"Don't do that. I hate being picked up." She glared at him.

"I won't do it again, sorry."

"Has anyone been in his locker since he left?"

Ryan shook his head. "I have the master key and Greg hasn't been back since. Well he hasn't been here in over a week."

He opened the locker for her, then took a step back. She moved toward his stuff, took a deep breath. Coughed. The smell that seaped out of his locker was the same nasty odor she had remembered on several occasions this week. She thought about the smell of death and decay from John's house, but this smell was there too. It just wasn't as pronounced because of all the other scents at the crime scene. Her car smelled like this the night she was abducted, the towel in her apartment, and that get well card she received this morning. They all stunk like Greg.

There wasn't much to see in his locker, for the most part. It was unnerving to find a couple of pictures of herself, but that was really no surprise to her, she knew he had a crush on her. It really bothered her when she found a piece of paper that had her phone contacts listed on it, just as they had appeared on her phone.

She stepped back, stumbled over the leg of a chair and almost fell. Ryan moved behind her, sitting her down as she stared at the paper. Beside the first two names were red checks. They had been finished before he left work, they would have been dead for three days before his last day at the gym. How convenient for him to have a family emergency.

Bowing her head, she placed the paper on the table and reached for her radio. Behind her, Ryan placed his hand on her shoulder. He read the names on the paper before she put it on the table.

Pressing the talk button, she forgot all about codes and procedure. "Ruckus, please answer me." She spoke with a shaky voice.

"What is it?"

"Forget his house. Get back to the station. Please."

"I'm not leaving now."

Breathe, Burly, she told herself. Her earlier headache was returning now with a vengeance and it took a conscious effort to stay focused. She got up from the chair, continued looking through the locker. With determination, she found a few other items that could be used as evidence and placed them all in a bag.

"I'm ready to go look in the locker room now," she looked up at Ryan.

He shook his head. From the refrigerator, he grabbed a bottle of water and handed it to her. She took a small sip of it.

"I need to finish now. I don't have time to be distracted. Ruckus won't let me help him, I know that. But I also know that enough officers heard our conversation that I hope someone will back him up."

Leading her out of the break room, they walked back to the locker room doors.

"Wait here, just long enough for me to make sure no one is changing in there."

She nodded. He was gone only a moment, then back, holding the door open for her to come inside. They found Greg's locker quickly, opening it. The thing was empty, except for a shirt. It was her shirt.

"Let's go. I can't stay here anymore." She backed away from the locker, shaking her head.

Ryan led her back to the office, passing the uniformed officer. He started to say something, but stopped when he saw the look on Burly's face.

She sat down on the couch, almost dropping her bag on the floor next to her. Leaning her head against the wall, she closed her eyes. Ryan moved over to the desk, sitting in front of his computer. With a few keystrokes, he retrieved the information he needed, then printed it out for her.

Sitting down next to her, he handed her the piece of paper. She leaned up, opened her eyes and tried to focus on the words. Apparently, Greg preferred being called by his middle name, not his first. James Gregory Sears, age thirty-three.

Burly was reading his personnel file when her radio went off. The alert signal toning out from it. She heard her captain speak. There was no answer. A silent prayer said. Still no answer.