"My name is Gabrielle...By the way," the young woman in green practically chirps.

  The woman offers Madison her hand for a shake. Madison maneuvers her right hand from Jamie's stroller and shakes Gabrielle's hand. Both women smile appreciatively at each other.

  "I'm Madison. Madison Mackey. My husband is the local detective. Well, one of them. Ha. And a damn good one too," Madison coos.

  Madison places her hand on James Junior's stroller, subtly drawing prideful attention to the sleeping infant within. Gabrielle lowers her gaze, admiring the tiny newborn tucked into the child stroller. Kneeling beside the stroller, Gabrielle studies Jamie with wide eyes.

  "Oh, my gosh! He's so adorable. What a sweetie pie! He can't be more than a few weeks old?"

  "Just over two months," Madison answers, raising the stroller's canopy so Gabrielle can view Jamie more clearly.

  "He's precious. I almost had a kid once. About five years ago. Later, me and my partner tried IVF. It didn't take. But this angel you have...He's so lovely. You're very fortunate."

  Madison's stomach does a strange dance. The young mother presses a hand to the left side of her belly, struggling to push down the anxiety building in her chest. Yes, she is quite fortunate. Fortunate that it was James Mackey and Dave Newsome on the Aquarius case; and not some bumbling harebrained idiots. Fortunate that Mackey had taken as much of an interest in her as she had of him. Fortunate to have shared his bed and bore his son. Does any of this make any sense? Things like this never happened to her before. Is this really her life?

  Gabrielle peers upward, a stunned expression on her face. She stands to her full height, appraising Madison with worried eyes. Gabrielle's eyes are riveted to the hand pressed to Madison's belly.

  "Hey! Are you okay, Madison? Are you in some sort of pain?" Gabrielle asks. "Should I call someone?"

  Madison breaks from her sorrowful musing and offers Gabrielle a friendly smile. She calmly shakes her head.

  "No. I mean...Yes, I'm fine. Thank you for asking. I was...Nevermind. It's just that...It wasn't easy for me either. Prior to having our little Jamie. Nothing as bad as losing a child, though. I'm really sorry for your loss, Gabrielle."

  "It was five years ago. Besides, me and my ex aren't together anymore. He was a real jerk. I'm glad we never had any children. I can't imagine having to co-parent with an asshole like that. Probably wouldn't even want to pay child support. He was a selfish prick. Lives in his mother's basement now. You're lucky, Madison...If you have a man who loves you half as much as you seem to love your husband. I'm okay. I hardly ever think about it anymore."

  "Oh," Madison utters in a soft whisper, averting her gaze. "Well, let's go see if we can find your friends."

  -

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  -

  After fifteen minutes of walking, Madison and Gabrielle arrive at a fork in the dirt road. The sounds of the marching band are much closer. A moment later, the band is within sight--coming around a bend in the road. Madison points with her right index finger.

  "Looks like they may have found us."

  "Yay," Gabrielle mutters. "Too bad, they don't carry porta johns along. I've gotta go. Again. Oh man! Why do I do this to myself?"

  "There's always the woods," Madison quips, peeking beneath the stroller's canopy at Jamie.

  When Madison glances up at Gabrielle, there is a mischievous twinkle in her eye. Between work, almost being killed by a serial psycho, marriage, and a new infant--it's been forever since she's had a close friend. Besides Octavia, anyway. With Octavia, there's always an invisible wall Madison can never cross. The thin blue shield of silence. It would be nice to have a woman friend to talk to again--without any restrictions. Someone she can talk about almost anything with. Gabrielle seems really nice and chill.

  Gabrielle twists her mouth unattractively and crosses both arms over her chest. Tapping the toe of one foot against the dirt, Gabrielle shakes her head negatively.

  "Been there, done that. That's how I ended up in this mess. I'll hold it. For now. Maybe Kane and Richie are with the parade group coming up the road? I might just get lucky. That would mean the car isn't very far away."

  "If you really need to go that bad, we can walk back to my place? You can even meet my husband. Or you can ask Ms. Fremont to borrow her bathroom facilities? I still don't know all of my neighbors. I spend a lot of time at home with the baby. But, Ms. Fremont is very nice. She's a recent widow and loves having company over. I take her dinner from time to time. It never hurts to ask."

  The parade troupe reaches the two women just as Gabrielle opens her mouth to respond. Madison pushes Jamie's stroller all the way to the right side of the road, going more than a foot onto the grass. The infant's eyelids flutter and he whimpers softly, bottom lip trembling.

  "Oh, Jamie. No, no. Mommy's here. Mommy's here."

  Unstrapping the newborn, Madison gently plucks him from the stroller. She positions Jamie in the space between her left shoulder and collarbone, patting his back with a slender hand. Gabrielle is unable to control herself. She tenderly strokes the newborn's hair.

  "My goodness," Gabrielle coos softly. "He's so cute. He has your hair...I think. But I'm guessing he has his father's nose. Who actually knows with baby's though. They change so fast. I don't look anything like I did when I was a baby."

  More than ever, Madison studies the woman standing opposite her. Gabrielle is such a beautiful woman. Tall, slender, pleasing to look at, and extremely easy-going. Just the kind of woman the Aquarius Killer might have chosen for his quarry. The idea of Aquarius stalking either her, or the glamorous Gabrielle, sends shivers down Madison's spine. So how does one go about asking such a gorgeous woman to be their friend? It's not exactly like they know each other. Gabrielle isn't even from around these parts. Will she be weirded out by the request?

  A child, adorned from head to toe in green, rushes up to Gabrielle. She offers the woman a paint palette with a wide grin.

  "Face painting, Ma'am? We're raising money for a school trip. It's only two dollars."

  Gabrielle utters a warm laugh and reaches into her bra. Retrieving a small wad of cash, she peels off a ten-dollar bill. She hands the money to the beaming child.

  "Two dollars?" Gabrielle gasps. "That's a steal? Here. Take ten. Keep the change, hon."

  The child grins from ear to ear. She takes the offered money, placing it inside a fanny pack around her waist. With a satisfied smile, Gabrielle replaces her wad of money where she got it.

  "Thanks, Ma'am," the little girl exclaims.

  Madison smiles as well. A woman so kind would never refuse an opportunity to make new friends. What harm is there in asking?