It was 6 am on a sunny Friday when Mac arrived at the lab. He was on his way to leaving his things in his office when he went through Stella's office and noticed a dim light on. Upon entering, he saw Stella asleep on the couch surrounded by papers and photographs of an obvious crime scene. He was not surprised to see her like that at all, since he is aware of the hard work she constantly does and knows that she will not go home until she resolves the case. In that sense they were very similar. Both stubborn.

He walked quietly to avoid waking her and approached her to try to remove the papers from her and sort out the chaos there was. When he was about to turn off the light, Stella suddenly woke up, agitated, from her nightmare, giving Mac a small scare, who immediately reacted and tried to reassure her.

-Stella, calm, breathe, it was just a nightmare.- Watching how Stella recover the air and normalize her breathing, he continue- Tell me what happened, you should be at home.

-I know Mac, but last night before I left I received a call from Sid- there is some distress in her voice- they found a woman dead in her apartment, it was Marina Garito.

-Marina Garito?

-Yes, she was a young woman who looked for me a couple of years ago because of the disappearance of her younger brother, Luke Garito. He had been missing for twelve years then ...

Mac still lacked information to understand why the case was so important to her, so he dedicated one of his inquiring glances and she continued her explanation.

-I loaded Luke's DNA into the database, and gave her my card to keep in touch and give her any information about her brother. But it has been searched everywhere and we get nothing. She called me every Monday and asked me about the case, told me that she had clues, that she was making connections that she had previously missed. She was determined to find him, never stopped looking for him. On Monday she left me a message saying that she had discovered something, that she had a clue ... and I was too busy to answer her.- She finished with a lump in her throat and with glassy eyes, full of tears that threatened to leave. She felt guilty, Marina had come to her for help and she had done nothing but answer her calls.

At that moment, Mac hugged her tightly. He fully understood how she was feeling, it was not something he had not lived at some point, feeling responsible, as if you had not given all of yourself, or at least enough. When they separated, she looked for a handkerchief to dry her tears, which were already inevitable, and he began to speak.

-Stella, you cannot take responsibility for this, you did your job, you looked for him and you didn't find him. The folders with new cases keep accumulating, and you keep working. We have the head in the here and now, we work hard in each case, hours reading records, looking for witnesses, working in the laboratory. You couldn't do more.- It felt weird to say those things, since most of the time, she told them to him.

Gradually Stella began to calm down, and tears began to stop. She knew what Mac was telling her was true, but she still felt indebted to Marina.

-Thanks Mac, seriously.- Looked into his eyes really grateful, she was sure that if he hadn't been there, she would have drowned in a sea of tears, since strong people also cry.

At that time, she received a call from Sid, the autopsy results were ready. Both went to the autopsy room. Upon arriving there, they saw Marina's body on the table and Sid began to communicate their deductions.

-Marina Garito committed suicide.

-What?!- Stella exclaimed without understanding.

-Yes, look, gunshot wound in the abdomen, and gunpowder residue in the right hand. Marina was right-handed, so it is logical to find traces in that hand.

Stella was stunned, did not understand why someone so determined and with a mission to fulfill would commit suicide.

-There are no signs of fighting, or bruises that suggest one?- Mac asked to really rule out the murder.

-No, none.

-The coroner of the scene concluded that it was a suicide?

-Yes, and my analysis confirms it.

-I'm sorry Sid, but it's impossible that Marina has taken her own life.- Stella exclaimed.

-I'm sorry Stella, but there are no signs that it was homicide, or that someone had attacked her. They also found a note.- Sid explained.

-Come on Sid, you know that when suicide is sentenced, the investigation protocols are very different from when a murder is investigated, and they are not carried out with the same emphasis.- Stella said altered, angry, raising her voice.

-Well, now ... - Mac said, but Stella didn't let him finish.

-No, if there is something I am sure of is that Marina Garito did not take her own life. It was homicide.- She was furious, and left the autopsy room leaving Mac and Sid alone.

-Sorry her, she hasn't had a good night, she's tired.- Mac announced.

-Yes, I imagine, I am also disappointed. I was aware of the case, and what had happened to her brother, I am sorry I did not do more for them.- Sid said.

Without further ado, Mac withdrew from the place, and Sid decided to redo his analysis of Marina's body, since Stella really seemed very confident in what she was saying.

Arriving at his office he met Stella, she was very upset. Before he could say anything, Stella started talking to him.

-It can't be Mac, she wouldn't kill herself, she hadn't found her brother yet.

-Nothing suggests that something else happened. Maybe she abandoned his search.

-No, she was following a clue, and if she had discovered something or found him, she would have told myself.

-Stella, there is no evidence that it was homicide.- Mac insisted.

-I can't understand it, and I don't know what happened, but I'm sure it wasn't suicide.- Stella said determinedly and left. She was completely sure that Marina hadn't killed herself, now she had to try it.