Summary
An attempt was made on Rachel's life because she witnessed a murder. The detectives continue to run into dead ends.

The Detectives notice Kirk running to their car when they pull up to the scene. "This is what we know so far, sir," he begins as they climb out of their vehicle. "There are three victims. The two little girls were shot in their beds and their mother in the girl's bedroom doorway. The housekeeper said she heard the youngest child scream, so she ran in to check on her and that's when she discovered the three of them dead."

"Did the maid see who did it?" Jerry asks as he closes the door.

"She told me she saw a guy with long hair and a striped jacket jump out of the window when she stepped into the room."

"So the gunman is dead?" Jerry starts to cross the lawn, Kirk sprints to keep up.

"I wish it was that simple, sir. The trampoline broke his fall which helped him escape."

Jerry turns towards his detective. "Jeff, check the hospitals for anyone with broken bones, or internal bleeding. Then narrow that down using the description."

"Yes, sir." Jeff walks away.

Jerry pivots towards the forensic tech. "Where's Joe?"

"He hasn't arrived yet, sir."

"If you see him before I do, tell him I'm in the house."

"Yes, sir." Kirk heads back across the yard.

***

Rachel has been waiting for her intruder to enter for so long that her muscles are starting to ache. She shakes out one arm and then the other hoping to relieve the pain. I'd like to get this over with so I can get some sleep. She glances at the clock on her bedside table. It' s been over an hour since I've heard anything. She waits a while longer then looks at her alarm again. I'm done with this game. Taking a deep breath for courage, she grabs the lift cord and pulls it up. She expects to see a face staring back at her, but she sees a little homing pigeon instead. I went through an hour of hell because of a stupid bird. She laughs as she lets the blinds fall into place. Her phone rings beside her, she jumps. "I'm this spooked over a stinking bird." She laughs again. "Hello? Three people are dead? I'll meet you out front, Captain. Wear my vest? But... OK, OK, I'm putting it on now," she sighs, glancing towards the cumbersome object.

***

Luigi is lying across the seat when he hears a tap on the driver side window. I have two choices; I can either give up or outrun them, he anxiously concludes. He hears the noise again.

"Can you spare some change, mister?" A gruff voice asks. He turns to see a large, bearded man beside him. Luigi can tell by his unkempt appearance and layers of filthy clothes that he's one of the many homeless.

The man's overwhelming stench floats through the air when he shuffles around. "My kids haven't eaten in almost two days and they're really hungry." The intruder points to a park bench nearby.

"Get a job like the rest of us." Luigi starts his car.

Anger boils inside the bum. Clinching his fist, he hisses through rotten, gritted teeth. "Let me tell you something, mister, I had a good job, a nice home and a fancy car. Then the economy tanked and we lost it all.

"Tell your story to someone who gives a rat's ass because you're not getting a penny from me." Luigi reaches for the gearshift.

The transient looks towards his frail little girls crying in their mama's arms. He's giving me money one way or another. He reaches inside the car and grabs Luigi's hair. With one hard jerk, the bum slams his head against the partially opened window. "Give me some money, now."

Luigi grabs his cold, bony fingers and tries to pry them loose. He feels his hair being ripped out of his skull as he forces the foul-smelling extremity open. "I said get the hell out of here," Luigi warns, reaching for his pocket.

Furious, the bum shoves his other hand through the window and grabs more hair. "Give me some money, now." The bum pounds Luigi's head against the window over and over again.

Luigi tries to free his gun from the material. The transient slams his head against the glass again. Luigi holds his weapon just above his shoulder and pulls the trigger.

****

Joe and Rachel gulp down their strong coffee as they head to the crime scene. They hope the strong liquid will give them the boost they so desperately need.

Hearing something in the distance, Rachel straightens up in her seat. "Did you hear that?"

"It sounded like gunfire." Joe pushes the pedal to the floor.

"Over there." She points to a body on the side of the road. Skidding to a stop, they run towards the victim. Rachel begins a quick assessment while Joe looks for witnesses. Noticing three figures on a park bench nearby, he runs to them.

"He killed him, he killed him," the lady cries as she pulls her two daughters against her.

"Who killed him?" Joe asks.

"This...this gunman, he shot my husband and then sped away."

"What kind of car is he driving?"

"It's an old black Mustang." Joe runs over to his partner. "Get their statement." He darts towards his car. Rachel sees a haggard looking women on the bench dressed in layers of worn rags. Her face is filthy and her hair a matted mess. You could tell they were mere skin and bones underneath their blanket of clothes. Rachel pictures her family in that same spot not long ago. The trio became homeless after Jeanie lost her job. It'd be nice if I could help them the way others have helped me. I'll take their statement and then see what I can do, she concludes. She stops in front of the grieving family. "I know this is going to be difficult for you, but I need you to start at the beginning and tell me what happened tonight."

"My husband, Arnold went over to this man's car and asked for some money. The guy shot him and then drove away. I tried to save Arnold, I really did, but he was already gone," she sobs.

"Can you describe the gunman?" Rachel takes a notebook out of her pocket.

"He's tall, around six three I'd guess. He has long dark hair pulled back in a ponytail. He's wearing a striped jacket and faded jeans. Why did he have to kill my husband, why? All we wanted to do is feed our girls," she bawls.

The detective glances up from her notebook; a puzzled look on her face. "You said he has long dark hair and wore a striped jacket?"

"Yes, why?" She wipes tears from her face.

"The man you described is a suspect in another murder investigation."

"Do you know who he is?" The woman asks, hopefully.

"Not yet, but we're going to find out."

The lady jumps when she notices someone rushing towards them. Grabbing her gun, Rachel spins around. Realizing it's one of her coworkers, she laughs. "You just about got yourself shot, Kirk."

"Guess I should know better than to sneak up like that." He nervously laughs, watching her put her gun away. "Joe called, said that there's been a shooting and that I need to grab Jeff and get over here right away."

She sees Jeff walking towards them. "The captain has been overly concerned about my safety since the accident." Rachel rolls her eyes as she points to her vest.

"I don't blame..." Noticing her glare Kirk quickly changes the subject. "Where's the victim?"

"He's over there." She points to the side of the road. Nodding, Kirk heads towards the body. "If there's any evidence he'll be the one to find it," Rachel informs the grieving widow.

"I think you need to see this, Detective," Kirk yells.

"I'll be right back." Rachel rushes towards Kirk and Jeff.

"What is it?" she asks, squatting down beside him.

"I found a gun shell casing. By the looks of it, I'd say it came from a 38. I'll see if it matches the ones from the other crime scenes when I get it to the lab. There's also this." He pries the guy's fingers open and removes a clump of long black hair. "I should be able to get DNA from them."

"How much do you want to bet that it comes back as Tito's?"

"I wouldn't doubt it. Was she any help?" Jeff glances towards the family.

"Her details match the guy I saw yesterday."

"That's the same description the maid gave us at the Maroni's."

"So, the Maronis must be the target, and this bloke got in the way," Jeff concludes.

Characters
Jeanie, Rachel's mom
Emma, Rachel's cousin, but she seems like her sister.
Max, Bonnie Webb, Rachel's dad and step mom.
Bruno Greco, He's in the Import business. He also has numerous side companies to cover up illegal proceeds.
Luigi, Tito Greco 28-year-old twins. Live with and work for Bruno. They thought he was their dad until recently.
Charles Maroni, Luigi and Tito's biological father.
Leo, hired hitman.

Berryville PD
Joe Bower, Captain
Jerry Andrews, Sergeant
Rachel Webb, Detective, the captain's girlfriend
Jeff Montgomery, Detective.