Author's Note:

Hello everyone!

Yeah, so, I'm pretty sure I fixed the little (big) problem we were having with reading this story. I have an idea of what happened, but I digress. Hopefully, it doesn't go crazy html font again. If it does, please don't hesitate to comment! Anyway, enjoy the read!

God bless,

LovedLik3WildFire

Jo was tired from a long day of work. She had been at work for almost 24 hours, with little time to rest her mind or her body. The case they were currently working on was quite intense. From what they gathered so far, it could be weeks before they closed this one.

Monday morning had been like any other morning. Jo had the day off on Sunday, and was well rested for what lay ahead. The moment she stepped into the office, Reece had filled her in on what had happened moments before her arrival.

Early that morning, two women were found dead in an abandoned building. Their bodies had been found on opposite ends of a room, seated up against the wall. The damage done was extensive. Contusions and lacerations covered the women from head to toe. Unfortunately, it looked like these women suffered long and hard before death came to claim them.

"That is not the worst of it," Reece said, her voice tainted with sadness.

"What's the worst?" Jo asked, warily.

"They were not killed where they were found."

Jo smiled slightly at the sounds of her partners voice. Turning around, she found Henry standing before her. He was dressed in his lab coat, but Jo could see his vest and shirt underneath it. Dressed to the nines, as always.

"Have we found the official murder scene?"

Henry shook his head. "Unfortunately, no. However, all hope is not lost. After I have finished the autopsy on both women, I should be able to tell you exactly where they were killed. From the evidence I have gathered thus far, I would say their demise was not met very far from where they were found."

Jo nodded and shed the coat the was wearing. Draping it over her chair, she turned back to Henry. "Can I see them?"

He nodded, and made his way toward the morgue, with Jo following next to him. Their walk was silent, which was unusual. Henry was normally quite talkative in the mornings, discussing mainly cases and his roommate, Abe. The silence started to make her uncomfortable (as silence always did), so she did her best to fill the void. She brought up various topics, even venturing as far as complimenting Henry on his clothes. However, despite her best attempts at conversation, everything fell on deaf ears.

"Hey," She finally said, putting her hand on Henry's arm to stop him.

Henry looked down at her hand and then back up to her. "What?"

"Is something wrong? You are awfully quiet."

He smiled that signature smile, which relieved her worry just slightly. "Nothing is wrong; just allowing my mind to wonder."

With that, he pushed open the door to the morgue and was greeted by Lucas. Lucas began explaining how amazing (in a scientific manner, he clarified) these women's wounds were. The precision was incredible. Whoever had done this was a professional. No cut or bruise was placed without thought. Jo looked over at Henry and could see a flash of worry flickered over his face. Before she could say anything about it, the worry disappeared and was replaced with his usual child-like excitement of discovery. However, something tugged at the corner of Jo's heart which worried her.

If something was wrong with Henry, pertaining to the case or otherwise, she needed

to find out what was going on.

Lucas continued on with his mantra of amazement until Henry put an end to it. She stifled a laugh, before turning her attention to Henry. He began elaborating on his findings, filling her mind with a thousand different facts and tidbits of information - some pertaining to the case, others simple historical facts. More than once, Jo needed to redirect his thought process back to the case. Finally, after a few more minutes, she had enough information to start her investigation.

"Jo."

She turned in the doorway, surprised at Henry's address. "Did you forget something?"

He hesitated a moment, which was so unlike him, before responding. "No, sorry."

She nodded, more than ready to leave, but still hesitating. To her surprise, Jo found herself speaking. "You coming?"

Henry grinned. "Of course." In one fell swoop, his lab coat was off and he was headed toward his office. She watched him slide his other coat on with ease, before buttoning it up. Despite his obvious anticipation of going to the crime scene to pick up more evidence, there was something odd about his demeanor. It was an urgency she had rarely seen before. Except when Abe was in danger.

But Abe had nothing to do with this case.

Something must have happened between the two of them this morning. Jo had seen their interactions together; you could call it a bit like a father-son relationship. However, the roles were reversed. Rather than Abe guiding Henry, Henry was guiding Abe. They obviously cared for one another like family, so whatever happened between them must have been serious. As they exited the building, Jo made a mental note to ask him about what happened.

Henry's mind whirled with the possibilities. Ever since he stepped foot into his office, he had been contemplating all the information Reece had given him. Two women, both around 35 years of age, murdered. Bodies left in an area which was obviously not the crime scene. Wounds expertly placed to inflict the most damage, the most pain.

The longer he thought about the evidence, both what he was told by Reece and what he discovered for himself, the more worry gripped his heart. This crime was eerily similar to a slew of crimes he saw back in the early 1900s. Each year, like clockwork, two women would be found dead in some "random" location. The killer was always three steps ahead of the police, in more ways than one. He (or she) would remain hidden from their sight, only to reveal themselves through a third murder.

The murder of a woman connected to the police.

Henry had been involved in three cases pertaining to this killer. He had seen the pattern, and watched in horror as a woman he knew (or someone a colleague knew) would be found mutilated two weeks later. The captain's wife, the assistant medical examiner's sister, and finally, his friend, Edna. This was why, when Jo asked him what was wrong, he hesitated for a brief second.

Of course, the murders connected to the 1900s killing couldn't be connected with these. That would be impossible. The killer would be long dead. Yet, something inside of Henry couldn't help but fear for Jo's safety. What if, by some stretch of the imagination, this new case was related to those killings? That meant that any one of the women on staff, or connected to staff, were in danger. Naturally, he had some worry for every woman involved directly or indirectly with this case. But his worry for Jo was far greater.

"You coming?"

Jo's words pulled Henry out of his thoughts and back into the present. A thrill of excitement surged through him at the prospect of getting to see the crime scene. Despite being a simple medical examiner, Henry loved going into the field. It gave him a chance to hone his observation skills, in a way not found in the morgue.

"Of course." He said, pulling his lab coat off and heading to his office.

And even though 99.1% of the time, Henry went into the field because he loved it, and knew it would help the case, today was different. Today, his excitement drove him go with Jo, while his worry drove him to stay with Jo, and keep her safe.