"Trevors, get over here!"

Daniel Trevors moved away from the crowd of curious onlookers that had gathered, at the same time wondering what it was about tragedies that brought people out. He motioned for two officers to relieve him, then rushed to his partner's side. "What's up, Ben? I thought you said the guy had a heart attack or something."

"Take a look at this." Ben pointed at the corpse lying face down.

Daniel squinted, then focused his eyes to where Ben was pointing. "Who in God's name would have done this?" he exclaimed, examining the puncture wounds in the man's jacket. "He must have been stabbed twenty times!" He looked at his partner. "You don't think this is connected with the other three, do you, Ben?"

Ben Wilson shrugged his shoulders, pondering the question. "I don't know what to think, Daniel. It looks like the poor guy was ambushed from behind." Lightning flashed. He looked up at the sky. "This storms getting worse." He looked back down at the victim. "Tell homicide to get their asses over here."

Daniel ran to the car and radioed homicide, then walked back over to his partner. "Do you think we have a serial killer on our hands, Ben?"

Ben thoughtfully scratched his head, then looked at Daniel. "What else can we think at this point?"

Jackie Davis stared at the cloudburst from the window of her dance studio. Lightning streaked through the darkened sky. She hoped the storm would let up before her class ended, and at the same time wondered if her students for the next class would show up. She didn't want to reschedule if she could help it because it would mean giving up a day she had planned for something else.

She felt a tug at her arm and turned away from the window. "What is it, Jessi?" she asked with a smile, looking into the child's frightened eyes.

"I'm afraid of the storm," Jessi answered in a quivering voice. "The lightning scares me."

"It'll soon be over," she said, soothingly. "Go back to the bar and work on your stretching exercises with the other girls. I'll be there in a minute. She patted the child's shoulder, then watched as the chubby youngster cautiously made her way over to her classmates.

Jackie turned back to the window, staring again at the raging storm and feeling her mood becoming as black as the sky. Not long ago she had thought her life was under control. She had made her own decisions and lived exactly the way she saw fit. She hadn't wanted to be tied down to anyone; that would only complicate her free nature. But recently, something had happened that made her question her priorities. She had to make some decisions about her life.

Daniel Trevors hurried down the street to the Davis Dance Studio. He stood inside the door, leaning his against the doorjamb as he caught his breath. He smiled at the group of young dancers as they twisted and turned their bodies in an attempt to imitate their teacher.

Jackie caught his eye and winked. "Okay, young ladies, that's it for today. I'll see you on Thursday." She picked up a towel and mopped her forehead as she made her way over to where he stood.

"What brings you here, Daniel?" she asked with a forced smile. She hoped he hadn't come to pressure her about resuming their relationship.

"I had some business a couple of doors down, so I thought I'd drop in for a minute to say hello." His eyes traveled around the studio. "You've done a great job with this place."

Jackie remembered only too well how deplorable this property had been when she first saw it. But she had a vision of what it could be; it seemed that she was the only one who saw the potential. Her energy and enthusiasm knew no bounds and she spent endless hours scrubbing, painting, and refinishing every inch of her studio. The end result was a bright and cheerful room which she proudly opened to the public.

"Thank you." She threw her towel on a chair. "I've got a few minutes until my next class. Can I get you anything? A soft drink?"

"No, thanks," he answered.

She looked into his dark, brooding eyes and sensed that he wasn't here for a social visit. This was only the second time, since she had known him, he had come to the studio. The first time was when she had called him to investigate some broken windows. "What is it, Daniel?" she asked.

He took her hand in his. "I don't want to alarm you, Jackie, but there's been another murder--four doors from here."

She stared wide-eyed at him. "That's four in the past month! What's going on?" she asked, her voice becoming high-pitched.

He drew her into his arms hoping to calm her trembling body. "Please be careful, Jackie," he said softly, gently running a hand over her shoulder. He felt her stiffen. "What's wrong?"

She pulled away from him. "Daniel, we'll never be more than friends. Please don't expect anything else." She picked up her ballet shoes. "I've got to get ready for my next class."

He watched her closely as she changed her shoes, her leotard clinging to her shapely and well-conditioned body. Her energy amazed him; it always had. He often wondered how she built the stamina to sustain the rigid demands her many classes put on her. She was unique, and he wanted her back.

He opened the door, turned and looked at her again. She was a strange woman. She had such a hold on him that no matter what he was doing, he couldn't rid his mind of her. She consumed his thoughts. And she had made it perfectly clear to him that they could only be friends. But still, he yearned for her. His only hope was that someday she would change her mind and love him the way he loved her.