Laurie exited her father's car, intent on scampering quickly to greet her grandmother, who was standing on the front porch watching their arrival. As she started up the walk, she heard her mother call out, "Laurie, slow down."

Laurie turned, hands on her hips. "Hurry up, slow pokes!" Her eyes widened as she saw her father pull her blue backpack out of the car, hefting it carefully.

"Good grief, Nan," he said. "She's only coming to visit for a few hours. How many toys does she possibly need to bring?" He unzipped it slightly to peer inside.

"No! Daddy, you'll wake my dolls!" Laurie cried, running back to her parents and grabbing the bag from him. "They're sleeping!"

"Sorry," Frank said, biting back a laugh that threatened to overtake him. "I didn't know it was naptime."

"It is," she said. "For my Barbies." She considered this a second, then added. "But not for me. Just the Barbies." Turning, she scampered the rest of the way toward the front porch and into her grandmother's welcoming arms.

"Hello, sweetheart," Laura told her. "I've been waiting for you."

Laurie turned and threw a disdained look in her parent's direction. "They were slow. I was ready all afternoon!"

Laura laughed as she released Laurie from the hug she'd swept her into. Catching Nancy's eye, she winked.

"Don't you just love the way she speaks her mind?" she said.

Nancy rolled her eyes. "Oh yeah," she said. "It makes my day extremely interesting sometimes."

Opening the door, Laura motioned them inside. "I bet it does. Why don't you two come on in for a little while? Joe said he was taking you shopping for a car today. You can tell me how that went."

Frank glanced at his watch. "We're supposed to be at Maggie's at six, Mom," he began.

"And it's only 5:30 now," she replied. "It'll take you, what, 10 minutes at the most to drive to her house? That gives you 20 minutes to spare on your poor mother. I made fresh lemonade."

"We were supposed to meet Joe and Vanessa here, then drive over together," Nancy reminded him.

He grinned. "Ok, I know when I'm beat." Kissing his mother on the cheek, he went inside. Smiling, Nancy followed him in, listening to Laurie tell her grandmother about her lunch with Uncle Joe and getting to look at cars.

Laura went into to the kitchen to pour some lemonade. Frank sprawled out on the couch, watching as Laurie proceeded to dump her bag of Barbie's out on the floor. "Ouch," he told her. "What a way to wake up, being dumped on the floor."

Laurie looked up at her father and grinned. "Naptime's over," she announced.

Nancy smiled and drifted to the corner of the living room, where Laura had a display shelf full of family photos. Skimming over the plethora of photos of Frank and Joe during various stage of childhood, she smiled. Letting her eyes drift upward, she was startled to find an unfamiliar photo among the frames. Turning, she looked quizzically at Frank.

"What?" he asked.

She picked up the picture. "I know I sent some pictures of Laurie with you for your mom and dad. Somehow I don't remember this one." She glanced down at the picture of both Laurie and herself, laughing as she wiped ice cream from Laurie's hands and face. Joe was in the background, sitting at a picnic table.

Frank gave her a funny look. "I took that, remember? Right before I went back to New York to wrap things up before moving back to Bayport. At the zoo."

Nancy set the picture back in it's place. "I remember you taking pictures of Laurie. I just didn't realize you were taking pictures of both of us."

Frank reddened slightly. "Yeah, well, I guess I took a few. You know, in case things, uh, fell through. Something to look back on." He studied his feet for a moment. "My mom saw it on my desk at home and practically demanded a copy of it. Are you mad that I was taking pictures of you?"

"Why would I be mad?" Nancy asked. "Kind of flattered, actually. And maybe a little pleased that your mom actually wanted to display picture of Laurie that also had me in it, all things considered."

"Are you kidding?" Laura said, entering the room. "It was the best picture on the roll. Of course, I wanted it. After all, dear, whatever you may think, you're part of the family now."

Nancy fell silent, smiling, at Laura's last comment. "Thanks," she finally managed, as she sipped the lemonade.

The front door opened as Joe and Vanessa entered the house. "Hey," Joe called out. "We're here! Where is everyone?" Walking over to Laura, he gave her a hug. Peering at Nancy's glass, he grinned. "Ooh, lemonade. Fresh?" he inquired.

Laura smiled. "Of course. Would you two like some?"

Vanessa shook her head.

"I would," Joe said, "but I'll have to take a rain check. We're supposed to be at Maggie's in about 15 minutes." He picked up Frank's glass. "I'll just share Frank's."

Frank shook his head as Joe finished his drink. "Sure, Joe, have some."

"Thanks," Joe said. "Hey, why do I see Frank's car sitting in the driveway. Where's that Contour we bought today? We worked hard picking that car out, yet I see Frank's old clunker in the driveway! I figured you'd be dying to try it out."

"We bought?" Nancy grinned. "Seems like it was my bank account that took the beating today."

"Okay, you bought and we just helped pick out." He turned to Vanessa. "It's not a bad little car. I took it for a spin myself when she test drove it." He turned back to Nancy. "Still think you should've went with the Mustang convertible."

Frank's eyes narrowed. "I like the car she chose."

"Yeah, yeah. Mr. Safety Conscious. I'll have you know that the 1997 Ford Mustang convertible got a 5 star ratings on front impact collision tests." Joe grinned. "Besides, it looked a lot like the car she had in high school, if you overlook the fact that it was black instead of blue."

"And the passenger side? What did it rate?" Frank asked.

Nancy groaned. Looking at Vanessa and Laura, she said, "This is what I've listened to all afternoon!"

Joe laughed. "Sorry. But I still think you should've bought that car."

"Sure. After all, it was only $18,000. For a used car." Nancy replied. "Besides, there's no need to bring back those memories, good and bad. Going forward here, remember."

"Time heals all wounds," Laura murmured.

"What's that?" Joe asked his mother.

Laura Hardy shrugged. "Just an old saying dear."

Nancy continued. "Anyway, Joe, I like the one I bought. I just can't drive it yet. There's a matter of getting it licensed, buying insurance, and getting a New York State Driver's license. I currently don't have one. So, I'm still dependant on you guys for a day or two."

"Well, in that case," Joe said, "I'm parked right out front, so I thought maybe we could take my car. If you guys are ready to go, that is."

"We're ready," Frank said. Planting a kiss on his mother's cheek, he started for the door.

Nancy started to follow, then turned back to Laura. "Thank you for babysitting Laurie," she said.

Laura looked surprised. "Anytime, Nancy. Fenton and I are both looking forward to spending time with her."

Nancy nodded. "I know. It's just..."she trailed off, at a loss for words. "Thanks," she said. Impulsively, she hugged Laura; then brushed past Frank and Joe as she went outside.

"What was that about?" Joe asked.

Frank smiled. "Family."

As dinner wound down at Maggie's, Frank found himself wondering if he'd been wrong about Maggie's possible involvement in Emma's death. She seemed so sincere, that he was finding it hard to believe she could hurt anyone. There was the evidence, of course, but at this time, it was all circumstantial. He narrowed his eyes, observing her carefully as she related a story about Shaun to Nancy. As much as he'd hoped that he'd get her to slip and say something, anything, to confirm their suspicions, he was finding himself relieved it hadn't happened. Shifting his eyes slightly, he watched Maggie's fifteen year old sister, Melissa. Apparently shy, Melissa had barely spoken five words the entire evening. He noted that she was intently watching him.

"So," he began. "Maggie says you're in high school, Melissa. Did you have Mr. Walters last year for Social Studies? He was one of my favorite teachers."

Melissa frowned at Frank. "I had him like two years ago. He just teaches freshman and sophomore classes. First year American History and World History. Stuff like that."

"I'm sorry," Frank said. "I thought your sister said you were 15. I just assumed you were a freshman last year."

Maggie smiled. "Melissa's extremely smart. She managed to skip two grades during elementary school. She'll start her senior year next year."

"Wow," Frank said. "That's impressive." Melissa merely shrugged her shoulders and glanced down at her plate.

"Skipped two years?" Joe asked. "That must be hard, being so much younger than the other kids in your class."

When Melissa didn't answer, Maggie spoke for her. "She's had a few problems, with dating mainly. The other girls in her grade have been dating for several years, and I won't let her date until she's sixteen. It's what Mom and Dad would have expected. We have had to make compromises for school functions though. I don't want her to be ostracized by the other girls."

Melissa threw down her napkin, embarrassed. "Gee, thanks Maggie. Thanks for sharing that with complete strangers, right in front of me." She stood up, and looked at Frank. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to be rude, but I really need to go." She glared at her sister. "I told Becky I'd be over at 8." With that, she stalked out of the dining room. Everyone sat in complete silence as the front door slammed shut.

Steven spoke first. "Maggie, I know she's got a lot of problems, but if you don't do something with her soon..."

"I know," she sighed. She turned to the others. "I apologize about that. It seems like everything I say lately can set her off. I've tried getting her into therapy, but she refuses to go."

"Fifteen is a rough age," Vanessa said sympathetically. "And I'm sure being the youngest kid in high school doesn't help. Couple that with losing both of your parents and you've probably got a well of anger built up there."

Maggie nodded. "Yeah, I don't think she's ever really gotten over our parents death. Plus, she's head over heels for this guy at school that's too old for her. We've had some major fights over that."

Joe looked thoughtfully at Maggie. "An older boy?" He glanced at Nancy, wondering if she was thinking the same thing he was thinking. "I don't suppose that boy's name would be Jeff Masters, would it?"

Maggie looked surprised. "How did you know?"

Nancy looked at Frank, unsure of how much to tell Maggie. Frank cleared his throat and began.

"Well, Joe and Nancy spoke to him today. Someone gave us a tip that he may have wanted revenge on Steven over his expulsion from school this past year."

Steven set his coffee cup down on the table. "You don't honestly think Jeff killed Emma in order to get back at me, do you?"

"Well," Frank said, watching their reactions carefully. "It is a possibility that a student may have killed her. He was very angry with you over writing the discipline notice that got him kicked out of school. He could have slipped into your house and forced Emma to take those pills. Killing the woman you loved would have been the ultimate revenge."

Steven looked troubled. "Look, Frank. I appreciate the fact that you're looking at people other than me as suspects. But, as much as I can't stand Jeff, I don't think he's a killer. He's mostly talk."

"Well, I certainly don't like him," Maggie fairly growled. "I've told him repeatedly to stay away from Melissa. And does he listen? Absolutely not! I'm not stupid. There's only one reason an 18 year old boy would want to date a 15 year old girl."

"Actually," Joe said, "when we spoke to Jeff earlier today, I got the distinct impression that he really loved his girlfriend. He seemed really sincere. I just didn't realize at the time that he was talking about your sister."

Maggie shot Joe a dark look. "Maybe he thinks he's in love with her, but it's not. It's just hormones." She sighed. "Look, the only reason Melissa wants to date Jeff is to push my buttons. I made the mistake of saying how much I couldn't stand him the first time I saw them together. Now, they're practically inseparable."

Joe started to respond, but stopped as the pager clipped to his belt went off. He glanced quickly at Frank, then turned to Maggie. "I'm sorry. That's a friend of mine who's having some problems with his car. I told him to call me if it breaks down again, and I'd give him a ride to work." He smiled apologetically. "I'll be right back. Won't take more than 20 or 30 minutes." Quickly, he rose from the table and slipped out the front door.

Nancy glanced at Vanessa, who nodded slightly. Turning to Maggie, she spoke. "Well, it looks like everyone's about done with dinner. Why don't I clear the table and get the dishes for you?"

"I can't let you do that," Maggie said. "You're my guest!"

"Nonsense," Nancy said, as she began to gather dishes. "I insist. And don't try to argue, Maggie. I can be very stubborn. Just ask Frank," she added.

He nodded. "Better believe it. She's almost as stubborn as Joe."

"Well, if you insist then," Maggie said. Collecting a handful of dishes herself, she nodded her head toward the door. "Follow me, Nancy. I'll show you where everything is."

Once Nancy managed to get Maggie to join the others in the living room, on the premise of keeping Vanessa company, she turned on the hot water full force. Watching carefully for Maggie or Stephen to appear, she carefully slipped out of the kitchen and unlocked Maggie's back door. Standing guard, she waited as Joe slipped back inside and quietly headed upstairs. Satisfied that no one had seen him, Nancy went back into the kitchen.