[MacGirl]

Stephanie finished proofreading her report, then sent it to the printer. She was still stunned by what she had heard, and then written up.
She had been in her office, working on the usual mountain of paperwork, when an officer had stopped by her door. “This young man,” the officer had said, “claims to have been present when Erin Cahill was murdered, and wants to talk to you.”
Stephanie had questioned John carefully, asking him about details that she knew had not been made public. The Hate Groups Intelligence Unit at the Phoenix Foundation had provided her with some preliminary research about a small, virulently antigay Christian group, practically a cult, that they had recently discovered operating in the area.
John’s answers had all matched up with the evidence that had been uncovered. It turned out that the members of the group, which called itself God’s Family, were so militantly antigay that it had jumped people who they thought looked gay. They always wore masks, or else attacked in a dark place at night, so their victims couldn’t give descriptions of them. It turned out that Nikki’s acquaintance, Chris, was not only involved, he was the leader of the group. Nikki’s hunch had, sadly, been right on target.
“I know I deserve to go to prison for this. I’m not going to ask for a deal,” John had said. “All I ask is that you get Chris and the rest of the gang. Here are their names and what they look like…”

A week later, it was over. The rest of God’s Family had been cornered and arrested. They were not only charged with Erin Cahill’s murder, but also with the murder of the Hispanic man earlier that spring. The trial didn’t take long. John turned against his former comrades and testified against them. The prosecutor did cut him a deal, in spite of his not asking for one, as he had not actually raped Erin or participated in the beating that led to her death.
The button Stacey had found at the crime scene had come off the coat that one of the gang members had been wearing. Erin had clawed it off as he attacked her. Another admitted to smoking and eating an orange while keeping a lookout as the attack was going on. The cigarette butts found at the scene were the same brand that he smoked. All of them had been drinking. Of the DNA samples that all of them had been forced to give, five had matched the rape kit that the coroner had done on Erin.
Everyone in the gang was convicted of assault, rape or aiding and abetting a rape, kidnapping, and a hate crime. They were all sentenced to long prison terms, with the exception of John, who would have to serve only five years. They were absolutely unrepentant about what they had done. John was the only one who showed any remorse.
Mac, Stacey, Pete, Nikki, and Cindy had all attended the trial, Pete, Mac, and Stacey attending every day. The prosecutor had asked Stacey to testify, but hadn’t pressed. Nikki had testified instead, about the search for Erin, and what it had been like to find her. Stacey had had to leave the courtroom at that point; she couldn’t bear to hear it all again.
On the day that the trial ended, Stacey walked out of the courthouse, her father and Pete on either side of her. Nikki was there, too, though Cindy had had to rush off to attend to a new case. It was a beautiful, hot summer day. Stacey found it hard to believe that just six weeks had passed since Erin had been murdered. Everything had seemed to happen very fast.
“What about Erin’s funeral?” asked Nikki. “There hasn’t been one yet, has there?”
“Not as far as I know,” answered Stacey. “I haven’t heard a thing. Of course, I don’t know Erin’s family very well. But I think we should hold our own memorial for her, regardless.”
“I agree,” answered Mac. “She deserves to be remembered by the people who loved her most.”
“I’m working on writing something,” said Stacey. She had started writing a bit of poetry now and then, as part of her recovery from her experience with the Liberation Army. “I’m not sure yet how it’ll turn out, but I’ll see.”
“Whatever you write, it’ll be beautiful, Stacey,” replied Pete. She had shared a few of her poems with him. “I know that much.”
“Thanks, Pete. Erin wrote me a letter just before she died, and in it, she said, ‘In your moments of joy, you will hear my laughter blend with yours, and in your times of sorrow, you will feel my arms around you, for I will be found as close as your own heartbeat.’ I think I’ll find a way to use that in my poem.”
“Wow,” said Mac. “She really had a way with words.”
Suddenly, Stacey stopped cold. She could have sworn that she had just seen Erin. That woman in the green blouse and black slacks, with dark hair, looked so much like her….
“What is it, honey?” Mac asked. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“Maybe I have, Dad.” She turned away, heading left around the corner, away from the young woman. “But, you know, I’ll never stop seeing her.” She was quiet a moment, then began to sing, in a low, husky alto. “I will be walking one day, down a street far away, and see a face in a crowd, and smile. Knowing how you made me laugh, hearing sweet echoes of you from the past…I will remember you.”
“Who sang that? Amy Grant, wasn’t it?” asked Nikki.
“Yep, it was,” answered Stacey. “It really fits, don’t you think? Maybe we should ask someone to sing that at the memorial service.”
They all fell quiet, walking along, thinking of Erin, whom they had all loved so much. The sun shone on them, the palm trees rustled in a light breeze. The young woman Stacey had seen stood smiling after them for several minutes, before she turned and vanished into the sunlight.

THE END

[Geekgirl]

I liked it. Neat to see an older Mac still workign with troubled youth, taking an active part in their lives. Like the inclusion of Nikki. She did seem prickly in the series initially, but I think in the end she was a softy like Mac and you captured that well.

Including Pete was great. I always wondered if Mac and Pete still visited after Mac road off with Sam in the last episode. I like how Pete is the sage old counselor who helps Stacey deal with her grief and depression.

Well written and like the show, touches on some sensitive subjects. I always appreciated that aspect of the show and it is one reason I let my kids watch it today. Glad to see another story on the board! Thanks for sharing!

[ghostdoll]

Thanks for sharing your story. Really nice read. The inclusion of beloved characters like Pete and Nikki (don't care if no one else likes her, I always thought that she and Mac should have ended together! Bwuahahahahahahahahaha!!) it's always a bonus.

[Traveller]

I tried very hard to like this story, but I didn't.
Not that it is badly written, not at all, but I cannot find the teeniest tiniest bit of MacGyver in it. The man you call Mac could be anybody. Just for the heck of it I changed Mac's name into Jack O'Neill, Nikki's into Sam Carter, Pete's into General Hammond, Phoenix into SGC and it didn't make any difference.
Sorry. You obviously know how to write a story, and I'd love to see you put some real Mac in it next time.