Morgan strode into the conference room and started unpacking the files from her briefcase. Locating a power and modem outlet, she plugged in her laptop. While she waited for it to boot and connect to the office she pulled a tablet and pen from the pile and started jotting notes.

Beginning from today’s homicide, she worked backward, filling in the facts they had so far.

Locations:

Warwick - Rhode Island - Goddard Park

Springdale – Arkansas – Ozark National Forrest

Nashville - Tennessee - Percy Priest Lake

Houston - Texas - Hermann Park

Vernal - Utah - Steinaker State Park

Pierre – South Dakota – Farm Island St. Rec. Area

Pendleton – Oregon – Emigrant Springs St. Park

Southern Pines – North Carolina – Weymouth Woods St. Park

Albuquerque – New Mexico – Sen. W.M. Chavez St. Park

Reno – Nevada – Kings Beach

Columbia – Missouri – Finger Lakes St. Park

Kalamazoo – Michigan - Milham Park

Worchester – Massachusetts – Moore St. Park

Morgan locked down her hard drive and was searching through her data when the rest of her team filed in, closely followed by the dining room staff. Waiting for the coffee, sodas, and pastries to be set up, Morgan instructed Bones to tack the 12-foot by 8-foot map to the wall.

Gin passed out notepads and pens to the rest of the assembled team while Douglas and Walt filled drink orders.

Taking her notepad, Morgan walked to the map and began marking known crime scenes with the red pushpins.

"Okay people, these are the known dump sites we’ve been to. I want everyone to come up here and look. See if anything stands out to any of you."

Morgan stood back, nursing her coffee and watched her crew stare at the map. It wasn’t exactly what she wanted, but it turned out to be better than she’d expected. The map didn’t show all the little country roads nor did it show the small outlying towns, but what it did show was enough for their purposes.

Morgan allowed Bones a slight smile when he pulled the small ruler from her briefcase and began taking map measurements. She had a sense of pride with this team. They were working together and comparing notes, making assumptions based on the facts and some not, but all good and all in the right direction. While she waited she sorted the pushpins into different colored piles. Red was set aside and the other colors were placed by each agent’s chair.

When the team finished their examination of the map they settled around the table and told Morgan their assumptions.

"You’re right on the money, now what we need to do is go through these old case files and see what fits the new profile."

Morgan passed out the police jackets that she’d been carrying around in her briefcase and each agent took a stack and picked up their pins, heading for the map.

Two hours and three pots of coffee later the agents were seated around the table once again. Some of the pins had been placed on the map only to be removed later, but of the forty-three case files Morgan passed out only five came back as not belonging to their perp. Fifty-one murders in all. This would be the most prolific serial killer of this decade.

"What led you to your conclusions about the perp?" Morgan asked the agents.

Bones stifled a yawn and spoke for the group. "No gunshots. None of the victims fought back. The dump sites were always within 20 to 30 miles and there would be no record of him being in any state."

"Very good Bones, we have method and opportunity. Now what about motive? Why is he doing it?"

"Isn’t that your area Morgan? You’re the shrink, you tell us."

"Okay Bones, he does it because he likes it. He’s smart but he doesn’t want the publicity. He’s not doing it to be famous. He puts his victims in plain sight because he wants them to be found. He doesn’t want them to be eaten by animals or to rot in the sun. He doesn’t hide their identities nor does he take any personal belongings from them. He wants the families to have them back as soon as possible. That means he has a strong sense of family. He probably calls home at least once a week and his family thinks he’s the best son anyone could ask for." It was late and Morgan blinked a few times to ward off the weariness she felt.

"The sex of the victims isn’t relative to him, nor is the race. He isn’t prejudiced but neither is he bisexual. He kills whoever trusts him. But the crimes are sexual in nature. He’s impotent, but he doesn’t get the thrill other sex killers get. He doesn’t experience an erection when he kills nor does he ejaculate when they die. He won’t be a virgin but he won’t be experienced either. If you put the dates in chronological order he’s been doing this for three years that we know of and it could be longer."

"Something has him agitated right now. He killed one girl less than a month ago and a man today. What set him off today to make him escalate? He was sloppy when he usually isn’t. Why was he taking a chance? "

"So what are we looking for?" Bones asked. Morgan had given them more insight into the killer in a few minutes than they’d had for the last year. She was onto something; the trick was getting her to share what she knew. Bones smiled inwardly; He had always been impressed with the way she did her job.

"I still believe he’s a white male, age could vary but I’ll stick him in the 30 to 35 year range. He’ll be white collar and in a visible position. He’ll be outgoing and friendly but not an extrovert. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn he still lives at home with his parents. Never married, no kids, no ties outside of family. His parents will be well to do, but he’ll probably be an only child. He may have a girlfriend but that’s doubtful; he won’t be able to sustain a relationship for very long. He may have a string of failed affairs but most if not all will have been sexless relationships and he probably killed the first woman he tried to sleep with after he became impotent."

"We’re missing one major piece in this puzzle," Morgan said, looking over the group. "Anyone know what it is?"

All the agents looked at one another and as a group shook their heads no.

"We don’t have the first victim. His first kill was a woman and our oldest file is a man. We need to get on the computer and search out that woman. If the police did their jobs and we can find her, there will be evidence for us to use. His first murders won’t be organized and he won’t have control of the scene like he does now. He will have left the bodies nude and that’s where we’ll look. The nudity is important to him; he needs to feel superior to his victims. Stripping their clothes is symbolic for him, it’s power and he needs to feel power over his victims."

"Find the first and we’ll find him. Gin, you still have access to VICAP, start running a record search. Use nudity as your search parameter. Branch out to nudity and woods if necessary, but for the first one I don’t think he’ll have that part planned out. He would have dumped her in the first available location; the woods would come later. Use my laptop; it’s logged into the bureau servers."

Bones, you and Douglas go over the oldest case files and make notes of any forensics we can use. Walt, do the crime scene narration and eyewitness accounts, see if we can find a witness to the early crimes. John, I want you to stick the map with the new cases Gin finds, check for proximity and location. If it doesn’t fit let her know and move on to the next one. Gin, save the case files to disk if they fit and we’ll print them out later. If we don’t find the first victim send out a query to all police stations asking for any cases they haven’t listed that meets our criteria."

Morgan’s cell phone chirped and she waved her hand to the group indicating they should get started.

"Sumners."

"Hi Angel, is this a bad time?"

"Not at all, just give me a sec okay?" Morgan walked out of the conference room, through the lobby and into the parking lot. "Okay, what’s up Little One? You should be asleep."

"I can’t sleep. I just wanted to hear your voice. I miss you so much."

Morgan heard the tears in Kathryn’s voice and her brow wrinkled with worry. "I miss you too Kathryn, now what’s wrong? Did Derek do something to you?"

"Kathryn’s voice broke as the tears she tried to keep inside poured from her eyes. "No nothing like that; he went to bed early. I talked to my dad."

"And?"

"I asked him if he knew about Mel and Janice and if that’s why he kept her from me. Oh God Morgan he told me he would never forgive me if I turned out like her; he would disown me without a second thought. He’s all the family I have left. What am I going to do?" Kathryn knew she was blubbering like a child, but she couldn’t hold it in. If her dad found out, she’d be alone. She didn’t know how she’d stand losing both parents, but she didn’t want to lose Morgan either.

"Shh it’s okay Little One, it will all work out. He doesn’t have to know about us if you don’t want him to." Morgan placed her hand over the phone and whistled for the taxi pulling away from the curb. When the driver pulled up next to her she asked him to wait and slipped him a twenty to ensure he would.

"Listen Kathryn I need to go, but I’ll see you as soon as I can. Hang in there for me. I’ll be there before you know it. I love you, remember that. We’ll get through this."

Kathryn hiccuped and told Morgan she loved her too and couldn’t wait to see her, before hanging up the phone.

Walking back into the conference room she told the agents she had an emergency and had to leave; she’d phone in for reports but expected results when she did. Not knowing how long she’d be gone she put Bones in charge and walked out of the hotel to the waiting taxi.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Sitting in the co-pilot’s seat, Morgan subconsciously urged the whirlybird to go faster. It had cost her a pretty penny to hire the helicopter for the trip to the island but it was worth every cent to be able to hold Kathryn when she needed her. Morgan didn’t know when the shift from work first, relationship second, had occurred and right now she didn’t care. Kathryn had become the most important thing in her life and work be damned. She didn’t care if the killer was sitting right beside her; she’d let him go just to get to her heart.

Morgan thanked the pilot and checked that her gun was secure before jumping from the chopper into the waters of the bay. She didn’t want to wait for a car to pick her up and drive her up island, choosing instead to have the pilot hover low over the water outside her house. Wading through the knee-deep water to the beach, she ran to her house, stripping out of her wet jeans as she walked through the patio door.

She rushed through, pulling on clean dry pants and clipped her gun to the back of her jeans. Passing on shoes and socks she jumped the stairs and landed neatly at the bottom, already in step for the full out run she did to the house next door.

Stepping on the porch she quieted Casey and led her from the cage. Waiting for the dog to find an appropriate spot, she picked up the false stone on the deck and removed the spare house key Janice had hidden for her. She replaced the key and picked Casey up, tiptoeing quietly through the house.

She headed for the spare room but hearing the loud manly snores coming through the door she bypassed it for the master bedroom. Pausing, she heard the muffled sobs coming from the room and softly opened the door, stepping into the darkened bedroom. Remembering the placement of the furniture was all that saved her from breaking a toe as she walked to the bed and sat on the edge.

"Come here Little One, let me hold you." Morgan whispered, pulling the huddled and shaking form into her arms. "I’m here now and it’s all going to be okay, you’ll see."

Small hands reached up and grabbed Morgan’s face. "You’re here? You’re really here? I’m not dreaming, am I?"

"No baby, you’re not dreaming, I’m right here." Morgan wrapped her arms tightly around Kathryn and pulled the small mass into her lap. She rocked back and forth making shushing noises until she felt Kathryn relax and the tears subside. When she was sure that the tears had stopped and that Kathryn was okay she asked if she wanted to go back to her house for the night. She wanted to hold Kathryn all night long but didn’t want Derek to find them together in the morning.

Kathryn’s nod was all she needed as she stood and adjusted her load. Walking quietly past the spare room she headed down the stairs and out of the house. Casey trailed along behind her and she waited for the pup to come inside before she slid the patio door closed and set the alarm. Walking up the stairs she laid Kathryn on the bed and stripped out of her clothes before pulling the covers over both of them. Wrapping her arms around Kathryn, she pulled her close until their bodies molded together and placing a kiss on the top of her head, they both drifted off to sleep.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

The warming fingers of dawn danced across the king sized bed, finding the lovers still wrapped in a tight embrace. Kathryn was the first to awaken and she turned her head, looking into Morgan’s face. She still couldn’t believe Morgan had come to her when she needed her most. Too used to relying only on herself, this was a new experience for her. Sure, her dad was there for her, but business came first these days and she understood that. She snorted derisively. She knew Derek wouldn’t drop everything and come running just because she was crying over something silly. For Morgan to drop everything in the middle of a case and in the middle of the night no less was amazing to Kathryn. She knew then that she had lucked out when she fell in love with the dark haired agent lying next to her.

Bringing her thoughts back to the present, she was startled to see eyes of the bluest sea staring into hers. Tiny wrinkles became apparent as Morgan smiled at her.

"Good morning Little One, penny for your thoughts."

"Morning Angel; I was just thinking how lucky I am to have you. You know, to steal a much overused movie line, you really do complete me."

Morgan wrapped Kathryn in a fierce hug, whispering in her ear, "You complete me too, but I’m no Angel."

"Yes you are. To me anyway. You’re the closest thing to a guardian Angel I’ve ever had, so get used to the title."

"I can’t stay, you know? I have to get back to Rhode Island, but I want to know you’re all right before I leave. Do you want to talk about last night?"

"Nothing more to say really," Kathryn replied, lying back against the pillows and crossing her arms over her face. "He doesn’t want a lesbian for a daughter, wants grandkids and all that. He never even asked if I wanted kids, just assumed it was my duty to churn the little buggers out on demand. He wants me to marry Derek, but I squashed that notion right away."

"Why don’t you want to marry Derek? You’ve dated him for a long time, it’s only natural for your dad to think that you’ll get married after three years."

"He’s hardly around, he has to fly off constantly and when he’s home he has things to do. I don’t want to be second best to his job or his family and friends. Besides, I love you! You’re who I want to be with." She reached over and stroked the bronzed face.

"I’m hardly home either and for the most part my job has to come first. Do you really want to settle for that kind of life? You’ve only had a small taste of what bureau life is like; it can get so much worse. Then there’s your job too. We’d have to maintain a long distance relationship and that will come with its own set of problems."

"Yeah but when you’re home, you’re here. You don’t talk about work all the time. I know more about piloting a 747 than I ever wanted to know. With you I don’t have to worry about getting your attention. I can handle you being gone for a few days here and there; at least you call when you can. I never hear from him unless he’s in town and sometimes not until he’s been there a few days. I’m last on his list of priorities. I can handle being second on yours."

"What about the long distance relationship? How will you handle that part?"

"Honestly? I’ve given it a lot of thought lately and I want to stay here. I like what I do, but I need a break. I really don’t have to ever work again thanks to Janice’s generosity, and I’ve been thinking about a career change for awhile now. I think I’d like to try my hand at writing. I turned out some fairly decent short stories when I was in college and I’d like to see if I still have a talent for it. What about you; could you handle having me around on a permanent basis?"

"I’d love to have you on a permanent basis. I’d love it if you moved in here with me. I want to wake up to your smiling face everyday for the rest of my life, but that’s up to you. You need to figure out if what we have is really what you want. Use your head to decide and not your heart. This is a big decision and how we feel for each other shouldn’t be the only factor."

Kathryn laughed and kissed Morgan on the cheek. "I don’t know about moving in right away, that’s a big step and you don’t know what you’re getting into there. Have you ever lived with a slob? How about I think about it while you finish up in Rhode Island and give you my decision then? You need to think about it too, this will be a change in your routine and you may not like the upset. Remember I come with baggage; you’ll have two dogs here full time instead of one."

"It’s a deal, and as far as Casey, if you left the island you’d have to give me visitation rights to her. I’ve grown just a little attached," Morgan answered. Lifting the covers she pointed out the blond ball of fur curled up at her side. "And I think she has, too." Casey lifted her head and grabbed Morgan’s finger in her mouth, gnawing playfully before its owner reclaimed it and lowered the sheet over her head again.

"Yeah I guess you can’t be all bad if Casey likes you." Kathryn teased, poking Morgan in the ribs.

"Oh so you want to have a tickle fight this morning do you?" Morgan quirked her eyebrow and rolled over on top of Kathryn, effectively pinning the blond to the mattress. Long fingers sought out tender ribs and began a gentle assault as the body beneath her squirmed.

"No!" Kathryn gasped, trying to catch her breath, "I want to do this…" Lifting her hands to Morgan’s face she pulled her closer until their lips touched. What started, as a gentle peck became a slow exploration as Morgan laid the length of her body alongside Kathryn’s. Tangling her fingers in the long platinum locks spilling across her hands, Morgan deepened the kiss until both women were breathless and weak with desire.

Pulling away she gazed into the hazel eyes staring back at her. "Do you want to do this?"

"Oh yeah, but I’m a little over dressed for the occasion, and uh, you’re going to have to show me how."

"Both are easily fixed. It’s not the how, but the how long. I do intend to take it slow with you this time Little One, and you won’t be getting the chance to do anything but enjoy it." Morgan tapped her on the nose before sliding her hands down the sides of the silk nightshirt Kathryn was wearing and grabbing the hem she pulled it up and over her head, tossing it to the foot of the bed.

Leaning up on her elbows she took in the sight of Kathryn’s warm naked body and felt she’d died and crossed over to the other side. Heaven couldn’t get any better than this she thought, leaning down to capture one of Kathryn’s rose colored nipples gently between her teeth.

Kathryn’s back arched up off the bed as she pressed harder against Morgan’s mouth. Wrapping her arms and legs tightly around Morgan, Kathryn flipped them over and pinned the taller woman underneath her.

"My turn to have fun and your turn to lay back and enjoy it." Kathryn added please to her argument after Morgan’s eyebrow reached her hairline, and was satisfied with the response as Morgan’s hand guided her mouth to a waiting breast.

Kathryn’s moans matched Morgan’s as she watched her lover succumb to the pleasure her lips and hands were inciting. Kathryn felt her own desire flowing from her body as she touched the fire raging between Morgan’s legs. Taking her cues from Morgan’s movements she slid between her outstretched legs and tentatively ran her tongue through the black curls and into Morgan’s center. She felt Morgan’s tapered fingers wrap around her head, drawing her closer as her ears picked up Morgan’s cry for faster and harder.

Increasing her tempo and sliding two fingers deeper into the dark recesses of Morgan’s body, she picked up the pace to match Morgan’s thrusts. Looking up the length of Morgan’s body she watched her lovers’ face as her body tensed with the onslaught of her orgasm. Holding tight to Morgans bucking hips, Kathryn rode the wave with her and slid into the waiting embrace when it was over.

"What did you need me to show you again Little One; I’ve forgotten?"

"Oh I’m sure there are plenty of tricks you could show me."

"Um bet I could, how about this one?" Morgan asked, mischievous twinkle lighting up her eyes as she flipped Kathryn on her back. The chirping of the cell phone called a halt to any amorous thoughts that Morgan had as she reached for it. Better be real fucking important or I’m going to reach through this phone and remove your spleen through your nose!

"Sumners. This better be good!"

"Morgan it’s Bones; we’re sending a chopper for you. We’ve got the first scene and there’s all kinds of stuff there. The police chief is going to take us to the crime scene and show us the evidence they collected. The bird will be there in 30 minutes so get a move on."

"Where is this one?"

"A little town called Katy in Texas, it’s outside Houston."

"Thanks Bones, see you soon." Morgan snapped the phone shut and turned to see the sad face of her lover. "I have to leave babe; Bones has the worst timing in the world."

"Where are you off to now?"

"Katy, Texas. Heard of it?"

"Heard of it? I was born there."

"No shit? Want to come along? Bet I can sneak you on the plane." Morgan grinned as Kathryn contemplated her question.

"I wish, but I should take care of Derek. I’ll be waiting to finish what we started when you get back. No more hysterics, I promise."

"Thanks babe, I love you. I hope you know that."

"I do, and you should know the same."

"No regrets?"

"Not a one… well other than my dad, I would love for him to meet you."

"Maybe in time, baby." Morgan left the warmth of the bed and pulled clothes from the dresser, holding out her hand for Kathryn to join her in the shower.

Morgan strode across the polished marble floor of the Katy police department and leaned against the counter in front of the desk sergeant. Clearing her throat, she introduced herself and asked where to find the chief of police. Following the directions she was given she knocked on the glass before entering Chief Ballard’s office.

She shook hands with the weathered gray haired man and took a seat opposite his desk. Leaning back in her chair she crossed one slim booted foot over the other and waited for him to light his pipe before getting down to business. A hazy cloud of cherry mixed with vanilla wafted in her direction as the tobacco caught fire and he puffed away on the stem. Satisfied the pipe would stay lit, Chief Ballard put the tobacco pouch and lighter in his desk and fixed Morgan with an inquisitive look. Clamping his teeth down on the stem he spoke slowly and with a thick southern drawl that seemed to wrap around the pipe.

"That feller Bones tells us y’all are looking to solve an old murder case of ours. What makes you think y’all can do that?"

Morgan coughed behind her hand to hide her amusement; small town people really had no concept of the power behind the bureau or the massive amounts of data stored in the giant computers. "We’re not saying that we can Chief, but we’d like to see the crime scene photos and look through any evidence your officers gathered. We’d like your help on this one if you can spare the men who investigated the original crime. Chances are we won’t solve this murder for you, but it may help us find a serial killer."

"Now that’s a horse of a whole nother color Miz Sumners, your man Bones had me thinkin y’all was gonna come in here and wrap this’n up like a Christmas present or sumpthin. We don’t take too kindly to strangers comin here thinkin they can do our jobs better’n us, but we’d be right proud to help you out any way we can. I was one of the investigators on that crime and I’ll tell ya it was a might bit messy. Feller that did that had a burr under his saddle over sumpthin, dang near cut that poor girl up so bad her own mama couldn’t identify her. We found his T-shirt layin by the crick and the knife he used on a rock, fingerprints didn’t turn up nuthin and ever now and then we run’em again, always come back clean as spit shined boots though."

"Bones didn’t have time to fill me in Chief so why don’t you tell me about the murder."

"We don’t stand on ceremony round here Miz Sumners, you call me Bubba. Near as I can recollect it happened bout thirteen years ago. I was pretty new to the department and that was my first homicide. She was a local girl, just graduated from high school and headin off to the city for college. Found her out in a pasture near the outskirts of town. Folks round here call it Lovers Loop. Ain’t much more than pastureland but the kids kinda took it over. They used to race cars round the outside in a loop, figure that’s how it got its name. At night the kids go there to park and neck, sometimes they have a little beer party. She’d been dead a couple of days when we got to her. I tell you Miz Sumners; the sun ain’t too kind to things left layin round. It was July and it gets perty dang hot here during that time of the year. She looked like she’d been roasted, all swollen up and blistered from the sun like she was. She was a beautiful girl but like I told ya he cut her up so dern bad her own family couldn’t identify her body. We had to use dental records to figure it out. Sliced her face almost clean off. Old Doc Waters counted over four hundered different cuts on her before givin up on it. Weren’t hardly an inch of her that feller didn’t cut on."

"Guess it’s too much to hope that there were witnesses?"

"Nary a one, not much call for folks to be out there in the heat of the day. Near as Doc Waters could figure she was killed around noon. Most folks know better than to be outside round bout that time. We was havin a heat wave that summer the likes hell ain’t seen afore. Lots of folks died from the heat and such. Kids hang round the lake when it gets hot like that, not much else to do but go swimmin."

"Was she dating anyone?"

"Yup, she was datin that Johnson boy Steve. We checked him out and he wasn’t in town when it happened. He’d graduated the year before little Nancy and was off to school. Hurt him perty bad to hear bout what happened to her. Boy cried like a baby over her body at the funeral. Them two was gonna get hitched after he finished schooling but you might as well have buried him right alongside her."

"Have you tried running the prints through the FBI computers?"

"Nope, cain’t say we have. Not much call for the FBI round here. We usually catch our bad guys without goin outside the department."

"Would you mind if we checked them with our computers?"

"Naw you go on ahead Missy, be interrestin to see if anything turns up for ya."

"How about the crime scene, could you take me out there?"

"Sure, but you ain’t gonna see anythin after all this time. Kids quit goin out there after Nancy and it’s grown up a lot since then. If you wanna go now I’ll get the old file and you can look it over on the way."

"Thanks Bubba, I’d appreciate that."

Morgan waited as Bubba stood and adjusted his pants; the saucer sized belt buckle attesting to the fact that he was past worrying about fathering children. She followed him through the homicide department to the file room and took the file he offered before walking out into the heat for the thirty-minute drive to the pasture.

Morgan slid into the passenger seat of the midnight blue Crown Victoria and adjusted the air vents as Bubba started the car. Opening the folder she perused the contents of the file, her eyes coming to rest on the pictures of Nancy Caldwell. Bubba hadn’t been exaggerating; the girl had been cut up pretty badly. Morgan ran through the rest of the pictures before setting the file aside and booting her laptop. She initialized the satellite linkup and scanned the ten print cards into the system. Within minutes the Automated Fingerprint Identification System, or as it was better known, AFIS, spit out the results and Morgan smiled to herself. It was coming together better than she planned she thought as she memorized the face of the blonde haired, bearded young man staring back at her from the monitor. Confident she had his stats and face memorized, she shut the laptop down and tucked it away.

Stepping out of the car was like walking into an oven; Morgan inhaled sharply as the heat struck her full force. Walking around the pasture she could almost sense the crime as it happened. Bubba pointed out the dumpsite and the crick as he called it, though it was really nothing more than a stream running through the pastureland. It hadn’t changed much from the pictures and she looked at the rock where the perp had hung his shirt while washing the blood from his hands. He did indeed have a burr under his saddle as Bubba so eloquently put it, and Morgan knew just what that burr was.

Thanking the chief for his help she stepped from his car into the air conditioned lobby of the Hilton and caught the elevator to her room. Shucking her gun and clothes she stepped into the shower and washed the sand and grit from her lanky form before stepping out and wrapping the soft terry cloth bathrobe around herself.

She towel dried her hair as she picked up the phone and dialed Bones.

"Bones, this is Morgan. We got a positive on the prints from the Caldwell case; we need to get the forensics through the lab to make this stick. Can you get the county coroner to let you use his facilities?"

"Sure, have them send the stuff over and we’ll get right on it."

"Thanks Bones, I need to call Bax and get an arrest warrant. Let me know what you come up with."

Morgan cradled the receiver against her shoulder and dialed Baxter.

"Bax, it’s Morgan, I need you to get a federal warrant for the arrest of Steven Johnson and push it through for me."

"How many counts?"

"One right now, he murdered a girl named Nancy Caldwell in Texas about 13 years ago. We’ll tie him in to the rest once we pick him up."

"You got it, I’ll have the papers delivered to your hotel in an hour. What about search warrants?"

"We’ll need those too, for his parent’s house as well as any residence he may have elsewhere. Why don’t you get Gin to check the computers for alternate dwellings?"

"You’re doing a great job on this Morgan, just wanted to let you know that."

"Don’t go getting all soft on me Bax, it’s just a job. When this is over I want two months off, no arguments and no bribes. I need some time to take care of a personal matter."

"You wrap this one up and you can have all the time you need, but Morgan…?"

"Yeah?"

"Bring her by the house sometime, I’d love to meet her."

Morgan felt the smile creep up on her as laughter welled from deep within her belly, "Sure Bax, but you keep your hands off her you old coot, she’s mine. We’ll come by for dinner when I get this all squared away."

"Great! We’ll be looking forward to it. I’ll get Vivian to fix us a nice dinner."

Morgan thought of her lover and decided she’d better fill Bax in on a few things before bringing the renowned eating machine to their house. "How about if I take us all out to dinner? You don’t have a clue what you’re getting into here Bax, she’ll eat you out of house and home. Besides you don’t take Vivian out nearly as much as you should."

"Sounds good to me, I’ll let her know to expect a night out. I’ll get Gin started here and have those warrants over to you soon. Take care Morgan."

Morgan replaced the receiver and lay back against the pillows, closing her eyes and letting her mind drift to Long Island and the beautiful blond waiting there for her.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Things in the Covington house were not going as smoothly as Kathryn would have wanted them to. Derek was reclined on the couch with his hands locked behind his head looking like the cat that swallowed the canary. She was pacing the oval braided rug in front of the fireplace from one end to the other and back again. He was waiting for her decision and she was running out of stall tactics.

"I won’t marry you Derek. I… I don’t love you. I can’t marry someone I don’t love."

"You’ll marry me." He brought one hand from behind his neck and examined the nails before turning the same smug look in Kathryn’s direction that he’d had since waking that morning. "You don’t have a choice Little One." The sneer he added at the end let Kathryn know that he had listened to her conversation with Morgan the previous night.

"I do have a choice Derek and I don’t choose you. I won’t marry you and nothing you say will change my mind. Can’t we just be friends and let this go?"

Derek pantomimed picking up the phone and Kathryn listened in horror at his fake conversation."Henry, this is Derek, listen old man I just asked your daughter to marry me and you know what she said? No? Well, let me tell ya, she doesn’t want to marry me, seems she wants to be a dyke and shack up with the whore next door. What do you think about all that Henry?" Derek removed the imaginary phone from his ear and turned to Kathryn, "How do you think dear old dad would take a call like that?"

"Why are you doing this to me Derek?" Kathryn pleaded with him, tears breaking her voice. It was all on the table now, he knew and he was holding all the cards.

"Because I can. What’s it going to be Katie? Me and your dad’s happiness or that whore and knowing you broke your poor dad’s heart?"

Kathryn bowed her head and took a deep breath. Gathering all the inner strength she could summon she met his eyes and said almost silently,

"I choose her."

She was unprepared for the explosion of violence coming her way when he leapt from the couch and shoved her to the floor. Towering above her, fists clenched, he kicked her into the stones lining the fireplace before covering her with his weight. "You listen to me and you listen good Kathryn, you will marry me and you will do what I say."

Kathryn choked back the bile she could feel rising in her throat as Derek told her his plans and what he had done already. She was trapped and with Morgan so far away there was no one to save her this time. Wiping the tears from her eyes she pushed Derek off her and asked if she could leave Morgan a note to keep the agent from coming after her.

"Yeah leave a note, but make it quick. I want to leave here in an hour, get your shit packed and be ready to pull out."

Kathryn walked to the kitchen on legs that would barely hold her upright; glancing quickly around the small room she picked up the grocery receipt and composed her thoughts. She had to keep Morgan away from her for both their sakes, but she wanted her to find her too. How to convey that without making Derek suspicious was the hard part. Putting pen to paper she hoped Morgan would see through the lies and find the message.

Derek's heavy footsteps alerted her to his proximity and she finished scribbling down the last lines as he snatched the note from her hand. He looked it over as he stalked hurriedly through the back entrance and across the pebbled beach to Morgan's house. Satisfied, he pinned it to her door and quickly covered the rest of the distance back to where Kathryn was nervously waiting. He grabbed her arm roughly and steered her to the car. He hadn't packed enough of her clothes and he'd left the house unlocked, but at the moment she didn't care. She knew that Casey would find her way to Mildred's and that the older woman would take her in. Trembling, she kept her gaze on Morgan's house for as long as she could keep it in sight before the car rounded a bend and she let the tears fall unchecked from her eyes.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Morgan snapped awake; there was a sense of urgency and danger but she couldn’t find the source. Her mind settled on Kathryn’s image and she picked up the phone. She let it ring thirty times before disconnecting and dialing Mildred. Asking her neighbor to check on Kathryn, she paced the floor nervously waiting for the return call. When the phone rang she jumped across the bed to snatch the receiver from the cradle.

"Morgan dear, the car is gone and it looks like she moved out. There’s a note on your door from her, but she left her house unlocked and Casey’s sittin out here just a cryin for her. This just don’t look right to me honey, perhaps you best be getting on home."

"Take Casey home with you Mildred; I can’t leave right now but I’ll be there as soon as I can."

"Now Morgan, ain’t nothing you’re working on can be more important than your lady. You get on back here and find her. Do you hear me Morgan Sumners?"

"I hear you Mildred, but Kathryn’s safe for now. I’m sure she’s off with her boyfriend. Maybe she drove him to the airport or something. I’ll be there as soon as I can, believe me. Just take care of Casey until I get back."

"Alright Morgan but don’t you be dragging your feet. I got a bad feeling in my stomach bout this, you need to be here." The older woman scolded her.

"Yes ma’am." Morgan answered, hanging up the phone and stepping into her jeans. She pulled on a worn FBI T-shirt and tucked it into her pants adding socks and boots to the combination. Running her fingers through her hair to straighten it out she checked the clip in her gun and snapped the holster to her belt.

In the lobby she asked the desk clerk if she had any deliveries; taking the envelope she opened it and read through the documents before calling for a bureau car. Bax had a team standing by waiting to help her serve the warrants.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Fifteen bureau cars surrounded the nondescript gray shingled house as agents spilled from their doors with guns drawn. A knock on the front door went unanswered and Morgan drew her leg back and kicked it in. Entering the house in a crouch, gun thrust out in front of her, she yelled clear to the team after sweeping the area.

The agents rushed the house and carried out the search. The Johnson’s appeared to be gone on vacation and this would later be verified by a neighbor, but the search turned up some useful items for Morgan’s case and she was satisfied with the results.

Steven’s room offered several key pieces of evidence concealed in a locked trunk at the foot of the bed. Morgan had broken the flimsy lock with the butt of her gun and after sifting through the items she carefully cataloged them, sealing the evidence bags for further analysis at the lab. He was an amateur photographer and liked to capture his handiwork on film; he had shot several rolls of film at each dumpsite. Morgan recognized several of the crime scenes she’d worked and some that Gin had pulled from the FBI computers yesterday.

Morgan tagged the trunk containing the pictures as evidence and sealed the lid with tape, inscribing it with her initials. She instructed the junior agents to carry the trunk out along with the other items they’d collected and sat back on Steven’s bed, letting her mind take in the room’s décor. The room looked much as Morgan suspected it did when Steven was in high school. The twin bed was made up with a red and black plaid bedspread and sat under the room’s only window. Curtains that matched the spread were tied back to reveal a large oak hanging over the house; the tire hanging from a rope swinging gently in the breeze belied the scene of horror contained inside the window.

Football pennants hung from the walls and pictures of young Steven, resplendent in his uniform, and as the homecoming King with Nancy Caldwell on his arm, adorned every available surface of the room’s spartan furniture. According to the plaques on the walls he was the captain of the football team as well as Student Council President and a member of the honor society. Who’s Who Among American High School Students certificates hung alongside U.I.L. awards for debate, poetry reading, and solo instrumentals. From outward appearances he was the picture of the All-American boy, every mother’s dream child. Only the FBI knew what lurked behind Steven Johnson’s façade and Morgan was determined, sitting in this shrine to the wonder boy, to bring some form of justice to the families of the people’s lives he’d destroyed.

Nodding to the agent standing outside the room she allowed him to seal the door with crime scene tape and walked out of the house into the Texas heat, welcoming the searing intensity of the sun to ward off the chill she’d felt sitting in that room. Her part in this case was over. She had identified the killer, found his lair, collected the evidence, and would later testify at his trial if she was called, but in her mind she didn’t want nor need to be there for his arrest. She didn’t trust herself to remain in control long enough to read him his rights before she blew him to hell. Better to go back to the island and relax with Kathryn until she was needed again.

Drawing the scorched air deep into her lungs she turned from the house and climbed in the sedan for the drive back to the hotel. She wanted a shower and the first available flight back home. But first things first, she’d have to call Bax and tell him the case was solved and that they only needed to pick up Steven and have him bound over for trial in whichever state wanted him first. She had no doubt that Texas would be at the front of the line, he’d committed six murders here, and that was by far the most in any state.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Morgan stretched her legs out in the open space of the first class cabin and reclined her seat, closing her eyes for a nap. Bax had secured her flight on a non-stop to Islip. She’d be home in less than four hours and hoped Kathryn would be waiting for her. After the horrors of today she needed to feel the blonde’s arms tight around her, she needed to be wrapped in the warmth of Kathryn’s love. Smiling at the thought of two months alone with the love of her life, she drifted to off to sleep and let her dreams pick up where her thoughts left off.

Morgan paid the short-term parking fee and pulled the Land Cruiser out on the Long Island expressway for the one-hour trip home. Removing the cell phone from its cradle she called Bones for an update.

"Hey Bones, they picked him up yet?"

"Hey Morgan, what do you want first, the good news or the bad news?"

"Give me the bad Bones, always the bad first, makes the good news that much better."

"Well Steven Johnson doesn’t exist anymore. No records of him after he left college. The fingerprints we have on file were from a job he applied for in college."

"Fuck me running." Morgan muttered to herself, they had the SOB but they didn’t have him.

"What did you say Morgan? I missed that, must be a bad connection."

"Nothing Bones, what’s the good news?"

"Ah well, we can positively link him to all our crime scenes. He has hair from all his victims and they match perfectly on microscopic examination. If we find him we have a damn good chance of making all the charges stick."

"Not if Bones, when. We’ll find him; he can’t stay hidden forever. Any information on his parents yet?"

"Gin’s working on it, they’re somewhere in the mountains, doing a nature hike or something like that. We’re trying to get them home now. Bax said he’d call you when we brought them in."

"Make sure someone lets me know, I want to speak to these people. In the meantime we need to set up a hypnotist for the witness in Rhode Island, see if you can line up someone good. Maybe we’ll get lucky with that girl and she’ll pull a rabbit out of her ass for us."

"I know one woman who’s pretty damn good at hypnosis, not the typical carnival act but a genuine hypnotherapist. I’ll give her a call and see what I can arrange for you. Hey, Bax tells me you’re taking some time off to go on a honeymoon. Do I get an invite to the wedding?"

"Geez does everyone know about my personal life here?"

"Probably not Morg, but Kathryn’s a sweetheart and you make a great couple you know? She’s good for you, brings out the softer side of you that you try so hard to hide from us. I’m happy for you, you’ve needed someone like her for a long time now."

"Thanks Bones, she is pretty special. I love her so much it’s scary at times. As for a wedding, I think I should ask her first before I send out any invitations don’t you think?"

"Probably be a good idea. Don’t wait too long though. Someone may snatch her away from you."

"I don’t see that happening Bones; we have this connection. It’s hard to put into words but for me it’s almost like she’s a part of my soul. Ugh I sound like a schoolgirl! But she does bring that out in me indeed. I love her more than I thought I would ever love anyone. I’m glad you approve too Bones, that means a lot to me. You never cared much for Megan and I understand why you didn’t but Kathryn is different."

"Yeah she is, take good care of her Morgan, she loves you too."

"I will Bones, listen I need to hang up now my exit’s coming up. I’ll be in touch later."

"See ya Morgan, enjoy your time off."

Morgan replaced the cell in its cradle and let her mind drift to Kathryn until the garage door closed and she went to the back of the house. The note Mildred mentioned earlier was still stuck between the glass in the patio door and Morgan’s eyes filled with tears as she read it for the third time.

Don't look for me

everything is fine

really, I just need time,

everything happened too fast

know that it isn't you it's me

I can't handle this

situation right now

the best thing is to leave

here and try to work

everything out in my mind

Kissing you was a mistake

I'm sorry if I hurt you

luckily you found out before you

loved me in return. I hope this

eases your mind in some way. I

really do

Putting me ahead of your job will

lead to problems for both of us

eventually you'll grow to resent it

and that would tear us apart

so I'm ending this before it

even starts.

however hard this is right now

everything always works out

life changes all of us and

people change each others lives

mine changed very badly but

eventually it will straighten out

Love Katie

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Laying her briefcase on the counter beside the note Morgan took a beer from the fridge and popped the cap. Leaning against the opposite cabinet she found her eyes drawn to the note. It just didn’t make sense to her. This morning Kathryn was looking forward to being together when she returned from Texas. They’d played in the shower, teasing each other until the water had turned cold. They’d made plans to take the dogs out on the boat this weekend, sailing up to Maine and back. Kathryn’s kiss good-bye in the garage had certainly left no doubt in Morgan’s mind that she wanted to be with her.

Morgan was on her eighth beer when the cell phone inside her briefcase chirped, and pushing herself up from the floor she staggered to the counter and popped the clasps holding the lid shut. Glancing briefly at the note she took the cell phone out before slamming the lid shut once again.

"Hello?"

"Hey Morgan, its Bones, you drunk?"

"Not yet, but I’m getting there. Whatcha need Bones, I’m a little busy here."

"I wanted to tell you I lined up the doctor for you; she’ll meet you in Rhode Island tomorrow afternoon. Pati’s been called and she agreed to show. Want to tell me why you’re getting drunk? What’s going on there?"

"Kathryn’s gone."

"Gone where?"

"Not where, gone as in she left me. Dear Morgan letter on the door, bags packed, ain’t coming back, gone."

"Damn Morgan, I’m so sorry honey. Anything I can do for you?"

"Bring me some more beer."

"Besides that. Why don’t you go stay at Mildred’s for the night?"

"I’m a big girl Bones, and she’s not the first woman to walk out on me you know? What time do I need to meet your doctor and where?"

"She’ll meet you and Pati at the police station where you interviewed her before, around 2 p.m."

"What’s her name?"

"Dr. Antonia Grey. She has a copy of the interview questions and answers and we’ve given her a list of questions we want her to ask as well. Anything else she needs she said she’d ask you for when she gets there."

"Sounds good to me. What are you working on right now?" Morgan tried to concentrate on his words as a combination of grief and alcohol washed over her.

"We’re looking into the rest of the homicides he committed in Texas, should have it wrapped up here tomorrow or the day after, then we’ll be heading back home."

"Yeah, okay. See you when you get back. If you need anything holler."

"Will do, and Morgan, lay off the beer and get some sleep. You can worry about all this tomorrow."

"Yeah, whatever Bones. Later."

Morgan slapped the cell phone shut and sent it spinning across the hardwood floors before reaching for another beer. She didn’t want to think about it tomorrow, she wanted to think about it now. Waiting for the beer to do its job she leaned back against the counter and chugged the remainder of the cool liquid from the brown frosted bottle before reaching for another.

She had worked her way through most of the case when the ringing doorbell broke through her thoughts and propelled her from the floor. Kicking empty bottles out of her path she staggered to the front door and fumbled with the latch. Half hoping it would be Kathryn she tried to get her fingers to cooperate with her mind as she finally threw the deadbolt and opened the door. Squinting against the glare from the porch light she trained her bloodshot eyes on the last person she expected to pay her a midnight visit. Stopped from slamming the door by a well-placed foot she stepped back and allowed the woman to follow her inside.

Megan leaned the guitar case against the wall by the door and locked the deadbolt. She’d seen Morgan in her cups before but never quite this bad, lending a hand to the staggering agent she tried to sit her on the sofa, but Morgan had other plans. Morgan pulled in the direction of the kitchen as Megan tried to steer her to the couch and both ended up in a pile on the floor. Megan wrapped her arms around Morgan’s shoulders and pulled her into her lap as the lanky brunette fell apart in her arms.

"She left me Meg, I fucked up again." Morgan sobbed, holding tight to Megan’s shirt.

Softly stroking the long raven hair falling across heaving shoulders, Megan shushed Morgan and listened as the tale poured forth. Trying to pick out the relevant points from the slurred speech she rocked gently back and forth until Morgan ran out of words and tears. She didn’t understand everything that had happened but she did feel Morgan’s pain at losing the only woman she’d ever loved. She’d never have Morgan back in her life as a lover but she could have her as a friend and right now she wanted that more than she would ever want the other. They could be friends; they always had that, being lovers is what never seemed to work for them.

When Morgan’s tears subsided Megan pulled her to her feet and up the stairs to her room. Morgan paused in the doorway, eyes lighting on the rumpled bed as her mind remembered the reason for the tumbled sheets.

"I can’t stay in here Megan," She muttered, "Too many memories."

"Where then?"

"Spare room, it’s the only place she’s never been."

"You need a shower Tigger, let’s get you in the tub and I’ll make the bed for you."

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why are you being so nice to me? Why are you here at all?"

"I came to bring your guitar, you left it at the Swamp. I’m being nice because I’ve always been nice. You need a friend and we’ve always had that. No reason to stop now. Do you want me to leave?"

"Yeah, no, wait. You can stay, but I can’t be what you need. Not now, and probably not ever. I love her Megan, I’ll always love her."

"I’m not asking you to love me Morgan, I got over wanting that a long time ago. I just want to be your friend. I’m here for you but I don’t want anything back. Can you understand that? Leaving you was hard, harder than being with you. I just got tired of being alone. Even when you were here I was alone; I need more than that. Someday I’ll have it, just not with you, and I’m okay with that. "

"I never wanted to hurt you Meg. I tried to love you, I just couldn’t. There was always some part of me that held back. You never seemed to need me in the beginning and then when you did I didn’t want to be needed. It’s different now, she took something from me, and I can’t control myself like that with her. She just looks at me and it melts my heart. It’s like she reached into the darkest parts of me and turned the lights on, scared away all the demons of the past and set me free. I’ve never known love like this before."

"I’m happy for you, really happy. You’ve needed someone like her in your life for a long time. Don’t let her go Morg, find her, and bring her home. Now come on, I can’t stand here holding you up all night." Megan steered Morgan into the guest bathroom and helped her undress. Running a tub full of water she eased Morgan down and propped her against the wall. Satisfied that she wouldn’t pass out and drown, she closed the door softly behind her and carried the sheets to the spare room.

Megan smoothed the sheets on the queen-sized bed and folded the top over the down comforter. Sitting on the edge of the bed she let old memories surface. They had spent some happy times in this room, but more sad ones towards the end. She didn’t regret leaving Morgan; the relationship wasn’t healthy, and they both knew it. Endless hours were passed trying to work toward a goal both knew they would never attain.

Thinking about the petite blonde that she’d seen singing to Morgan at the bar and the look on Morgan’s face as she realized what was sitting before her had finally sealed the door on that part of her heart. Morgan had looked happier right then than Megan had ever seen her in their time together. If she allowed herself to admit the truth, she was a little upset when she saw them together. She’d tried one last stab at Morgan when she was leaving the bar, but it was more from past hurts than a desire to have her back.

She meant what she’d said earlier; she wanted to be friends, nothing more. She was glad Morgan had finally found someone to love and it seemed Kathryn loved her back. Tomorrow when she’d sobered up she’d get Morgan to tell her the whole story, what she said earlier had been disjointed and more like self flagellation than an explanation of what had happened between them.

She hoped Kathryn would come to her senses and return on her own, and if not, she wasn’t beyond making a social call herself. Perhaps Kathryn just needed to be nudged in the right direction. If anyone could explain Morgan to someone else she could. Two years together and six months apart gave her a unique insight as to just what it was that made her tick.

Shaking off her thoughts she walked back to the bathroom and helped Morgan wash her hair and body. Grabbing a thick towel from the cabinet she braced her against the wall and dried the water from Morgan’s lithe form. Wrapping her in the blue silk robe she’d brought from Morgan’s bathroom she led her to the spare room and settled her in the bed before going downstairs to pick up the empty bottles and shut off the lights.

Megan crawled in behind Morgan and waited while she settled her head in her lap. Stroking the wet hair beneath her fingers she hummed until she felt Morgan’s body relax and soft snoring sounds reached her ears. Turning off the light she cradled Morgan’s head against her stomach and joined her in sleeping.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Morning found Megan with a crick in her neck from leaning on the wall all night and Morgan with cotton mouth from too much booze. Megan stirred first and eased Morgan’s body from her lap, patting the still damp hair she tried to ease the agent into wakefulness.

"Come on Tigger it’s time to get up."

"Yeah, yeah give me a minute, my heads gonna explode."

"How about a cup of coffee and an English muffin?"

"Sounds good, put some of that sliced turkey breast and a little avocado on it and we’re in business."

"God you eat like a kid Morgan, think of what you’re doing to your body."

"Can you hold off on being a nurse until after breakfast Meg? I’m starving! Hey, put some of that garlic cream cheese spread on it too."

"Ugh, I give up! Don’t blame me if your stomach rebels. Go brush your teeth and I’ll make the coffee."

Megan waited until she heard the water running in the sink before heading downstairs to start breakfast. Seeing the note from Kathryn lying on the bar she picked it up and read it, quickly tossing it inside Morgan’s briefcase and setting it on the floor.

She poured them coffee and made Morgan’s sandwich deciding on plain muffins and jelly for herself. She was amazed at the things Morgan ate and still remained alive. Normal people just didn’t eat stuff like that and look like her.

Fifteen minutes later Morgan appeared and took the offered coffee and sandwich, swinging her long leg over a barstool and settling in. She had combed her hair and dressed while Megan cooked breakfast and now found herself at a loss for words. She remembered everything that happened the night before and was more than a little embarrassed to have been caught like that. Wallowing around in self-pity wasn’t her style and letting someone else see that in her was even worse.

Clearing her throat she took a stab at ending the silence between them and maybe repairing some damage too. "I...uh, well I want to thank you for last night Meg, you didn’t have to do that."

"Yeah well it’s nice to know you’re human sometimes Tigger, for a while there you had me fooled."

"I can tell you that right now I feel all too human, it would be nice to take my head off for a few hours. Thanks for bringing my guitar home too."

"You’re welcome babe, but I meant what I said last night. You need to go find her and bring her home. What you two share is too special not to fight for it."

Morgan laid her cup and saucer in the sink and walked up behind Megan, slipping her arms around the slender waist she hugged the smaller woman to her.

"You’re pretty special too you know. I’m am so very sorry for the way things turned out between us; if I could do it all over again I would have treated you better. I’m amazed that you even want to be my friend let alone that you forgive me."

"We all have to grow up sometime Tigger, just took you a little longer than most babe. But you know I wouldn’t have traded our time together for anything in the world. Did us both a little good in the long run no matter how much it hurt at the time."

Morgan released her grip and moved away, looking in the sincere brown eyes holding hers she saw the truth in Megan’s words and was glad to know that she did indeed still have her friend.

"You were always too good for me Meg. Much as I would like to stay and talk to you I need to catch a flight for Rhode Island. Work comes between us once again."

"That’s okay babe, we’ll talk later. Take care of yourself huh?"

"I will."

Morgan walked Megan to her car and stood watching as she rounded the curve and disappeared from sight. With a sigh she picked up her briefcase and climbed into her truck returning once again to the tiny airport at Islip.

Morgan walked into the interrogation room and nodded at Pati, setting her briefcase on the table she extended her hand.

"Nice to see you again Ms. St. Jean. How have you been?"

"Hi, it's nice to see you again too. It's been tough. I never really noticed how much Jay was a part of my life until now. But… it’s getting easier every day. I'm a little nervous about today though. I hope I can help."

"If you relax a little, everything will go fine. Try not to think about it too much. Do what the doctor tells you and we'll go from there."

"Ok I'll try...it's just that I don't remember much of what I saw."

"You'd be surprised what the subconscious picks up, Ms. St. Jean. If there's anything there we'll find it."

Morgan's cell phone chirped and she removed it from her belt. Flipping it open she shot an apologetic look at Pati and answered the call.

"Sumners."

"Morgan it's Bones. I need to know the name of the doctor that did the second autopsy. The number too if you have it."

Morgan opened her briefcase and dumped the growing stack of files on the table. Her eye caught Kathryn's note as it slid out between the folders. No time to think about that now. She retrieved the file Bones was asking about, took it to a corner table and began to dig through it for the necessary information.

Pati sighed, shifting nervously in her chair while Morgan spoke in low tones into the receiver. She glanced idly around the room until her gaze rested on the scattered files, which had partially covered up Kathryn’s note. She was about to turn away; to find something else of interest to look at while she waited but as she stared at the note her eyes widened in surprise.

"Umm…Agent Sumners? …Who’s Derek?"

Morgan closed the phone and walked back to the table. Putting the folder in her briefcase, she was startled by Pati's question and found herself staring pointedly at the woman.

"What…what did you say?"

"I…I was just wondering who Derek was."

"What makes you ask that?" Morgan’s heart was pounding wildly in her chest but to all outward appearances she remained calm.

"Umm, well, when you were on the phone..." She trailed off, uncertain how the imposing figure before her would react to the truth. "I just happened to notice the note on the table. I wasn’t trying to pry, really…I just..."

Morgan picked up Kathryn's note. "This piece of paper?"

"Yeah that's the one. I probably shouldn't have read it, but I got bored... I guess my mind wandered. I’m sorry, Agent Sumners."

Morgan’s pulse pounded so hard she could feel it in her temples. Was it possible that this woman had found something in the note that she'd missed? Morgan scanned the brief message once again even though she'd memorized it last night. Nothing in the note mentioned Derek's name.

Walking around the table she handed the note to Pati. "How did you get Derek from this?"

"Well," she began, obviously still nervous, "Your files there covered most of it up. The way it faced me only the first letter of each word was visible." Pati looked up into expectant blue eyes. "And…well look, Ms. Sumners." She reached over and set one of the files back on top of the paper, presenting it as she had seen it moments before. Pati was right; if you read only the first letter of each sentence….

"Oh my God." Morgan drew in a sharp breath. Lengthwise from top to bottom, Kathryn had spelled it out. It said, "Derek Is The Killer…Please Help Me."

Morgan snatched the note from Pati's hand and immediately saw what she'd missed before. There it was plain as the nose on her face. Kathryn hadn't wanted to leave after all. Now the note made sense, all the lies were just that...lies. She wanted to hug Pati and run from the room to the first available plane all at the same time. The only thing stopping her was she didn't know what last name Derek was using. How would she find him? She needed a good description if she was going to pin anything on him and make it stick. Her sense of professionalism warred with every other available emotion as the realization of the truth hit her full force.