PART ONE, SCENE THREE:

Peter pulled back for a moment, as Lo Si brought a steaming mug out. "Drink this," the old man commanded, placing the mug in the boy's hands.

"I'm going to float away if I drink much more," Jake grumbled, but he wrapped his fingers around it. He seemed to relax a bit more as the warmth embraced him. Closing his eyes, he inhaled the aroma and smiled. "Hey, this is hot chocolate!" It wasn't much of a smile but Peter felt encouraged by it. As the Ancient returned to the kitchen, the younger man leaned towards the boy.

"Jake?" he prompted, sorry to disturb even this brief moment of tranquility.

"I was in this treehouse," Jake began with a sigh. "It's the first thing I do when I end up with new people...find someplace private." He looked away, embarrassed.

"A secret place," Peter said, his voice filled with empathy. Jake nodded silently.

"And a new home...are you a foster kid?" the detective asked, as the bad haircut, the wary posture and the defensive attitude suddenly fell into place.

Jake grunted something that sounded like agreement, studying his mug with sudden interest.

"A secret place...a place to think, to dream?" Lo Si asked, the squeak of the kitchen door causing him to lose part of the conversation. He was carrying a tray with more mugs, this time filled with tea for the adults.

"More like a hiding place, just in case," Jake said, his mouth twisting bitterly.

"Just in case?" Lo Si repeated, tilting his head to one side. "In case of what?"

Jake looked up and met Peter's eyes...and relaxed. In the young Shaolin's eyes there was no hint of judgement, only understanding; but it was Ariel who explained. "Just in case the family isn't as perfect as they pretended to be to Social Services."

The Ancient frowned. "I have read about such...problems in the newspapers. No one can do anything?"

The three young people traded glances. "Sometimes," Peter finally said tightly, "Some...families...seem to be better at hiding the...their problems than others." The elderly priest nodded, his lips pressed together, a frown furrowing his already wrinkled brow. Peter waited to see if the Ancient had anything else to add but he remained silent as he served the tea.

"I was in foster care for a while," Peter explained to the boy, with a sidelong glance at the elderly Shaolin offering him a teacup. Lo Si dropped his gaze to the tea. "I do know how...difficult...it can be. Was your foster family involved in this murder?"

"No..." Jake pushed his hair out of his eyes and sighed again. "The Rogers are actually pretty nice, so far. But I've only been living with them for a few weeks and I didn't think they'd believe me." He studied his hot chocolate. "I kind of have a...reputation for not telling the truth."

Peter filed that away for future reference. "So, what happened?" the young Shaolin prompted.

"Wait," Ariel interrupted. "Jake, I'm really, really sorry, but if you're going to be talking about murders, I'd rather not be here. Peter will take care of you...people in Chinatown trust him. I trust him," she added, a quick grin lighting her face. "Tell him everything, and I'm sorry, but I just can't stay." She looked apologetic as she murmured good-byes to both Shaolin, and left the apartment, shutting the door firmly behind her.

Jake finished the hot chocolate with a sigh and the blanket fell off as he shifted. "Okay, here goes, the whole story." Voice tight with strain, Jake recounted the events that were impressed into his memory.

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PART ONE, SCENE FOUR

"That was three days ago," the boy concluded, clearing his throat. "When I saw that the...murderer...saw me, I took off." Studying his dirty fingernails, he confessed, "I was afraid to even go ho...into the Rogers' house. I thought he might connect me to them and I didn't want them to be hurt."

"Don't you think that they're hurt now?" Peter pointed out. "They have no idea what happened to you."

Jake looked stubborn. "But they're alive."

Opening his mouth to reply, Peter paused when his cell phone rang. He flipped it open. "Hello?" He listened for a few minutes, studying Jake. Lo Si quietly gathered the empty cups and carried them back to the kitchen.

"Mary Margaret..." Peter started, then stopped. "He was? When?.... Yes, I'll bring him.... Okay, okay," he said, sounding irritated. "We'll be there in a bit. Bye."

Jake looked suspicious again. "Who's Mary Margaret? Where are you taking me?"

Peter smiled. "My ex-partner. She's a cop who was with me when Ariel came by. I had her go down to the precinct to do some checking. They just found the, uh, body this morning. She wants you to work with a police artist and come up with a composite sketch of the man you saw."

Jake swallowed. "I hoped that maybe I'd imagined it," he admitted in a small voice, suddenly looking very young. "Do I have to do this?"

Peter put a reassuring arm around his shoulders. "Why don't we stop by my place first? I'll find you something to eat and you can take a shower and change. You'll feel better." Turning to Lo Si, he bowed awkwardly. "Thank you. I'll take him with me now. If anything comes up..."

Lo Si nodded. "You will let me know what happens?"

"Yes," Peter hesitated, then with a shrug turned to leave, his arm still around the boy's shoulders.

Jake turned back. "Thanks, Mister. You're not so bad for an old guy."

Lo Si's eyes twinkled. "You are not so bad yourself. I will see you soon."

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PART ONE, SCENE FIVE:

The precinct was quiet for once, only two patrol officers in the room, drinking coffee and filling out reports. The desk sergeant was also absorbed in paperwork, grumbling about quiet days. Mary Margaret had the detective's area all to herself. She hung up the phone with a bang, that echoed in the empty room, muttering "Peter Caine, you are the most irritating, infuriating..." She didn't hear the man coming up behind her.

"What's our favorite Shaolin up to now, Sweetcheeks?" Kermit asked, eyebrows raised.

Mary Margaret jumped, then whirled around to glare at the man behind her. "Kermit, don't sneak up on me like that. And *don't* call me Sweetcheeks!" she added, with a scowl that didn't quite reach her eyes.

Kermit ignored that, leaning over to study the computer screen. "So, what does murder victim Robert Blair have to do with our irritating, infuriating young Shaolin?"

Skalany rolled her eyes. "Can't pull the wool over your eyes, Mr. Griffin," she said sarcastically. Kermit just looked at her. "Okay, fine," she said with an elaborate sigh. "Ariel found this kid who said he saw a murder. I came in to check it out, and discovered that there was a victim found at this address. Peter went over to the Ancient's to get the kid."

With an absent-minded nod, Kermit pushed the scroll-down key and started reading the rest of the report. "Body not found for two days...no murder weapon at the scene...no apparent motive..." he stopped. "What's this? Sudden influx of cash over the past year?"

"He was a banker in Chinatown," Skalany pointed out. "That could mean..."

"...Mr. Blair was diverting funds to his own accounts...or maybe he was helping clean up some money for some of our unsavory friends." Kermit finished the reading the remainder of the report and straightened. "Hmmm...he worked for John's bank. I think it's been too long since I've seen my friend John. Maybe it's time for a visit." He looked at the other detective. "Do you have any idea who the kid is?"

Skalany tapped a printed report on the corner of the desk. "Ariel didn't give us a name; but the next-door-neighbors reported their foster son missing three days ago. I'd say he's our mystery kid. Jake Duncan...twelve years old...reddish-brown hair, green eyes..." she frowned. "Has gotten into trouble several times for telling tall tales."

"The boy who cried wolf," Kermit muttered.

"What?"

"If this is the right kid, maybe he ran because he knew no one would believe him. Have they publicized it?"

Skalany closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. "Yes. It was on the news. One of those community bulletin things."

"So if our murderer watches TV, he knows exactly who saw him," the male detective said grimly. "And if it was Channel Three, you know Sandra Mason ferreted out all the information she could to tug at the heartstrings of the viewing public-including the fact that he has no real family and has a reputation for exaggerating. What do you want to bet the scum is looking for this Jake kid right now?"

"No bet," Skalany sighed, having already reached those conclusions herself. "I've called Channel Three, and asked them to send over a copy of the videotape they used in the report. We can find out exactly what they said."

"That will take some time. So why don't I just head over there and pick up our young Mr. Caine and friend."

Mary Margaret watched as Kermit entered his office, pulled his gun from a filing cabinet, tucked it into his holster, and made for the door. "Don't do anything illegal!" she suggested as he left. "Men!" she muttered, turning back to the computer.

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