"Sykes."

He looks over and somewhat down at him, coolly. "Kevin."

"What're you doing here? Got a scoop for me?"

He smirks. "'Fraid not. I'm actually here to see Viki."

Kevin cocks an eyebrow. "Really? What for, pray tell?"

"Well, now, how's this...no comment."

Kevin laughs, unamused and about to come back at him, when Viki walks in and sees them. She bites her lip, knowing Sykes is there to question her. She takes a deep breath and walks over to them.

"Detective Sykes."

He smiles cordially. "Mrs. Carpenter...just the lady I need to see."

Kevin shoots a look at his mom, and cuts in, stroking his chin with his thumb.

"Maybe YOU'LL have better luck. Later, Sykes," he says, turning and walking back to his desk.

Sykes glares at him as he walks away. Viki takes the opportunity to study his face while he isn't looking...a chill runs down her spine, and she clears her throat.

Sykes looks back at her, smiling. "Well. Think we could speak privately for a moment?"

"I'm assuming this has to do with Starr."

"That's correct. I need to ask you a few questions."

She nods, turning back toward her office. "Of course. Shall we?"

She walks ahead of him, feeling his eyes digging into her back. She psyches herself up for the performance of her life as she approaches her office. She opens the door and steps inside, holding it open as Sykes steps in, and closes it behind him. She walks over to her desk and sits down.

She gestures to the chair in front of her desk. "Please."

He sits down, taking out a note pad. She clears a few things off the desk, and leans forward on her elbows.

"So."

Sykes glances at her, then down at his notes. "Well...first things first. How are things going with running the picture and article?"

"Well, obviously TV news was able to get a hold of it first, but we're running a special evening edition with the front page article...should be on the stands in a couple of hours."

He nods. "Mrs. Carpenter, when was the last time you saw Starr?"

She draws back, thinking. "Well...it's been a while. I guess it would have been...Christmas time. Blair brought her over one day that week, I can't remember exactly when, though."

He scribbles for a second, then he takes a deep breath.

"How about Todd?"

She blinks, hoping to God her poker face is holding up. She looks at him questioningly.

"What about him?"

"Mrs. Carpenter, I'm sure you know Blair has filed charges against him, and Tea Delgado. Now when was the last time you saw either of them?"

She takes a deep breath, trying her best to look like she's thinking hard. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees him staring at her.

"Well, I haven't actually seen or talked to Todd since the day he left. And as for Tea, she came over for dinner a few weeks ago, maybe even a month at this point. I haven't seen her since."

"Really?"

"Yes, really."

"And what did you and Ms. Delgado discuss at that time?"

She squints at him. "What would that have to do with anything, detective? That's personal."

"Well, if you were discussing Todd's whereabouts, I'd say that's relevant."

She laughs. "I don't see how that would have been possible. Nobody knows where he went."

There's a silence as Viki and Sykes stare each other down, both of them knowing exactly what is going on. Sykes studies her face, somewhat put off by the wisdom and experience that pervades her features. She sees through him, that's plain...but even though she probably suspects he took Starr, she can't prove it. But on the other hand, HE can't prove she's lying to him...and she knows it. He sees a fierce loyalty in her, to her family and those she loves. And even though Todd has deceived and hurt her as much as anyone else, he can see she would never betray him.

On the other side of the desk, Viki stares into the eyes of this man, this protégé of Senator Graham, everybody's idea of the perfect cop. She sees a great amount of intelligence in his stunningly light eyes...a sharp mind that doesn't miss a trick...and lots of attitude to go with it. But the longer she looks, the more she sees...remembering what happened with Dorian and RJ, she sees a manipulator under the surface...someone who isn't afraid of using his position to further his own agenda. And knowing he's behind Starr's disappearance sends another chill down her spine, understanding now the depth of his hatred for Todd...and how very cold he must be. She blinks at him slowly, her eyes filling with concern...not only for her niece, but also...and even more so...for Tea, who she knows, is the REAL object of Sykes' horrible little game.

The room is filled with tension, as if the two of them were standing off in a western or something. Suddenly, the phone rings and breaks the silence. Both of their heads snap over to the source of the noise. Viki shakes herself, and clears her throat as she picks up the phone.

"Yes? Oh...right. Can you hang on one second?"

She covers the mouthpiece with her hand and looks at him, cool as a cucumber.

"I'm sorry, detective, but I have to take this call. Was there anything else?"

He leans forward, eyes drilling into her face, his voice low and icy.

"I suppose not...for now, anyway. But I warn you, Mrs. Carpenter...we WILL find them. And I have a feeling you're going to have a LOT of explaining to do when your brother and his wife are hauled off to Statesville."

He gets up, his coat swinging around behind him as he walks to the door. He turns back as he opens the door, shooting another look her way. Viki just stares right back, seemingly unimpressed by his threat. He steps out and shuts the door behind him. She sits there frozen for a moment, clutching the phone. She shuts her eyes and sighs heavily, trying to get herself together.

Later that evening, RJ sits hunched down in the rental car, parked about half a block down and across the street from the PD, practically falling asleep. He catches himself nodding off, snapping his head up and shaking the fatigue off. He rubs his eyes as he glances over at the parking lot, then checks his watch. Sykes came back to the station house a couple of hours ago, and hasn't left since. RJ sighs, wondering how long he's going to have to follow him around. He shifts around in his seat, and folds his arms, resting his head back.

He feels himself nodding off again, his eyes getting heavy...before his head dips down again, he catches sight of something, and snaps his head up again. He blinks, and focuses on the front entrance of the PD, where three men have just come out. He squints...one of them is Sykes. All three look like the typical cardboard cutout lawmen...he figures the other two must be the feds. He slouches down lower, keeping his eyes on Sykes.

They stand there talking for a while, then all three head for the parking lot. RJ checks his watch and waits for the cars to pull out. He straightens his beret out as a car appears...it's not Sykes. The two feds pull out and head down the street. RJ turns and watches them for a second, then quickly turns back to see Sykes' car approaching the gate. He pulls the lever on his seat and drops it all the way back, hiding himself as the car pulls out and heads in the opposite direction. RJ peers over the door, watching him as the car gets farther away. Then he lifts his seat back up and starts the car, taking a deep breath as he pulls away from the curb.

Several hours later, RJ notices the road becoming darker and darker as he follows Sykes out of town. He checks his watch, hoping he's finally going to lead him to Starr. It's late, and they made several stops along the way. He followed him to a local market, then to his apartment, where he stayed for an hour or so. And now, he trails behind him on this secondary road leading out into the boonies of Llantano County. He starts to worry that Sykes has spotted him...he IS a cop, after all.

Up ahead, Sykes drives along, eyes scanning the road. He glances up into the rearview mirror...nothing for a second, then a pair of headlights come into view. He looks ahead of him again, then back into the mirror. His eyes narrow, tilting his head slightly. He runs his tongue along the inside of his cheek, starting to get a bad feeling. He looks around him...and sees a small mailbox up ahead...and the hidden driveway next to it. Following his gut, he turns suddenly and sharply to make the entrance.

Behind him, RJ sees this. He curses, knowing instinctively that Sykes has made him. He does the only thing he can do...he steps on the gas and keeps going, as fast as possible. He whizzes past the driveway where Sykes sits, looking behind him. He sits there for a moment, thinking...then throws it into reverse, backing out of the driveway and back out onto the road. He continues down the dark stretch, looking for the car...but it's nowhere in sight. He sighs, somewhat relieved, and runs a hand through his hair as he speeds down the road, past a turnout...where RJ sits, parked, hidden behind some brush.

RJ waits a few seconds after he sees him pass, then pulls back out onto the road, following again, this time with his lights off. He doesn't see Sykes' car for a while, and he gets a little nervous, hoping he hasn't lost him. But there aren't too many roads coming off of this one, so he continues on, looking all around. After a moment, he sees light coming from a spot up ahead. As he starts to come over the hill, he sees the light source...a small, cheap-looking motel. RJ grins, feeling it in his gut...jackpot. He slows to a stop, then shuts the engine off. He looks behind him as he throws the car in neutral, letting it roll back down the hill quietly.

Sykes parks at the end of the lot, hiding his car behind the row of other cars. He gets out, cautiously, eyes on the road the whole time. He peers out from behind his car, and watches for a moment...nothing. He sighs heavily, shaking his head as he grabs the bags out of the passenger seat. He walks to the door of D's room quickly, knocking, and looking all around. The curtain in the window opens a bit, then the door. Sykes steps in fast, and shuts the door behind him.

A few minutes later, RJ approaches the entrance to the motel parking lot. He looks around, and decides to go around the back way. He reaches behind him as he steps into the brush, and pulls a 9mm out of his belt. He covers it with gloved hands as he pulls the slide back, chambering a round. He plasters himself against the side of the building, and moves down the wall quietly. He stands up on tiptoe to peer into the windows of each room as he slides by. He gets to the corner and stops, noticing a walkway through to the parking lot. He pushes himself up against the wall and peers around...it's clear. He shuts his eyes and takes a deep breath, then rounds the corner.

He takes a few silent steps down the walkway and peers into the parking lot, scanning for Sykes' car. His eyes move down the row...and stop. He smirks, seeing it parked there. He takes another deep breath, knowing all he has to do now is figure out what room he's in. He stands there for a moment, thinking. Suddenly, he looks...up.

He smirks, seeing the second floor above him. He comes out a little farther and sees the staircase around the corner. He looks around, then moves to it, quickly...he climbs the stairs quietly and looks around...no lights are on. He looks down from the balcony, over the parking lot. He can see everything from there, and sees that all of the lights are coming from the bottom floor. He counts the cars, then the lit rooms...almost a perfect match. He steps away from the railing, and walks around to the side where Sykes' car is parked, taking a chance that his room is on that side. He slides down the wall, and sits against it, pulling his knees up. He looks around again, and takes another deep breath as he waits, listening.

After a few minutes, he hears a door open beneath him somewhere, and hushed voices. He holds his breath for a second, listening carefully...it's Sykes, and another man's voice. RJ licks his lips and starts to crawl forward, ever so slowly. He lowers himself down, sliding toward the railing on his belly. He folds his arms out in front of him and rests his head on them, looking out and down through the railing. He hears them talking, off to his left...but can't quite make out the words...then footsteps...the door closing...footsteps getting louder, stepping onto dirt...the sound of a car door opening. His eyes dart all around, finally catching sight of Sykes, glancing around, then getting in his car.

RJ watches as he pulls out...and grins, waving his gloved fingers at the back of the car as it drives away. He pushes himself up, getting up slowly and tiptoeing back to the stairs. He gets back down to the first floor and stands there for a moment, looking up at where he was, then down at the rooms in front of him. He narrows the area where he heard the door closing to a couple of rooms, starts to move down the wall toward them. As he gets to the windows, he ducks down, moving along the wall until he gets to the first room. He checks the parking lot, then looks back at the window, trying to find a clear spot to peek in. There's no opening, but the curtains are thin...he can make out a couple of shadowy shapes on the bed...looks like a man and a woman. He watches for a minute...

...then draws back, eyes wide.

"Whoa...think I got the wrong room," he whispers, shaking it off and moving on down the wall.

He squats underneath the window of the next room and tries to get a look inside...again, no clear spots, but after a moment, he can sort of see through the curtain. He can hear the TV playing softly inside and starts to curse to himself, getting frustrated as he tries to get a better look. Finally, he moves his head in such a way that a tiny sliver of an opening reveals itself, between the bottom of the curtain and the window sill. He squints, seeing the blanket...his eyes dart around...and sees an arm resting on a chair...a man's arm. His eyes dart back to the bed, and he moves himself to try to see farther up the bed. He sighs, not seeing anything for a minute...he glances around him quickly, getting more nervous the longer he remains there. He looks back through again...and stops, blinking, trying to focus...he sees something.

His brow creases, seeing a blobby greenish shape...looks like...a pillow? No, it's way too small...

Suddenly, his eyes widen, and his mouth opens slightly as he makes it out...a stuffed animal...looks like...a frog? Then he looks off to the side, just a bit...and sees...something resting by it. He holds his breath for a second as he tries to make it out...

...and he smiles broadly, seeing pretty clearly now...a child's hand.

He closes his eyes a second, nodding to himself, knowing in his gut...that it's her. He glances around him to make sure no one's around, then back toward the window, looking through the tiny slit at the little girl's hand.

He whispers through the window to her. "Hold on, Starr...we're comin' to get ya."

He checks around him one last time...then, with one hand behind him on the butt of his gun, moves down the wall toward the walkway. He slips back to the rear of the building and takes off fast, back through the brush, sprinting back up the road to where he hid his car.