'Sweet little girl,' Serena said. 'Is she walking?'

'She can walk a few steps if she's holding on to something.'

'What about climbing?'

'She hasn't climbed out of her crib yet, but even if she could, the window was closed and so was the bedroom door. She didn't wander off.'

'No offense, Denise,' Stride told her, 'but what does this have to do with us?'

'I'd like you to run the investigation.'

'Yes, but why give up the case?' Stride asked.

Denise snorted. 'Marcus raised a stink. He wanted me to call the Attorney General, the FBI, hell, he probably expected me to call the Governor. He wants me to give the case to the feds.'

'That's what parents always want,' Serena said.

'Yeah, but most parents don't have the clout in the northland that Marcus Glenn does. If I'm going to put someone else in charge, I'd rather it be someone I know and trust, and that's you, Stride. Anyway, not that I would ever say so to the bastard's face, but the fact is, I don't really have the resources or experience on my team to handle something like this. This is about the kid, not about my ego.'

'What are you leaving out?' Serena asked Denise.

'What do you mean?'

'I mean, you obviously know Marcus Glenn. There's something personal going on here.'

Denise took back the photograph of Callie Glenn from Serena and held it tenderly between her fingers. 'OK, there's a conflict, too. I can't take the lead on this one. It hits too close to home.' 'What's the conflict?' Serena asked.

'Callie is my niece,' Denise replied. 'Marcus Glenn is married to my sister.'