"He fits the profile perfectly Jim."

Jim's jaw clenched. He didn't want to have this argument right now. Not with Sandburg right outside the door. "I don't care, Simon. He's not a cop. Absolutely not."

"They'll take care of him. I'll get you assigned to the case temporarily so you can personally back him up."

"No. That's final. This is too dangerous. One man's already been killed by this lunatic."

"He'll be safe. Why don't we ask Sandburg and see what he thinks?"

"This doesn't feel right, Simon. Look, you put a young uniform in a wig, and he'll fit the profile too. There is no need for Blair to be involved in this. If he weren't here, Homicide would find a way around it." Why was Simon pushing this so hard? Jim didn't want Blair anywhere near this case.

Simon walked over and pulled open the door. "Sandburg, come in here for a minute please."

"Simon..."

Blair walked into the office, book in hand and glasses on. He was in scholar mode today and had been sitting at Jim's desk studying for most of the morning. Jim thought he looked even more vulnerable this way, and it cemented his determination not to allow his friend to go undercover. "Yes sir?"

"Blair, you've heard about the attacks in Galton Park?"

"Sure, it's all over the news. Gruesome." Blair made an exaggerated shuddering motion.

"Well, it's gone beyond just beatings. You've probably already heard that last night's victim was killed. We're working with Homicide on the case now. One of their detectives was in here yesterday and noticed you. He says you fit the profile perfectly."

"Oh, wow. Thanks for warning me, man."

"They want to use you as bait."

Blair rolled his eyes and moved over to the table, taking a seat and removing his glasses. "I should have seen that coming."

"It's a simple operation. We'll wire you, and you'll have a dozen men backing you up."

Blair looked up at Jim, and the detective saw absolute trust in his friend's eyes.

"Do you think this is OK?"

Jim shook his head adamantly. "Unh-uh."

"Simon, can you guarantee I won't get killed?"

"There are never any guarantees."

"And Jim thinks its a bad idea."

Simon gave Jim a frustrated look. "He doesn't like it."

Jim watched as Blair's survival instincts kicked in. "I'm gonna pass. That guy was messed up pretty bad before he died."

"Yes, but he didn't have the entire Cascade Police Department backing him up."

Blair ran a hand through his hair nervously. "And what if this nutcase decides to ditch the opening festivities and go straight to slitting my throat?"

Jim put his hand on Blair's shoulder. "You don't have to do this, Chief. Captain Jones thought you were a cop. Once we tell him you're not, that'll be the end of it."

"Am I really the only person who can do this?"

Simon was obviously disappointed. "No, you just fit the profile, that's all. But we can try to make someone else fit it."

"OK, then."

"Blair, people are dying. We need your help."

Jim couldn't hold his tongue anymore. "Simon, don't you dare lay this on Blair's shoulders. He's not a cop, you have no right to ask him to do this."

"You're right, Jim. Of course." Simon sat down and began to shuffle papers in irritation, and Jim took the cue to leave. He sensed that Simon was less angry at having Blair turn him down as he was at having lost a battle of wills with Jim. It didn't matter. The attacks in the park had become increasingly brutal, and now they'd resulted in death. The murderer had attacked four young men, knocking them out with chloroform and then moving them to an isolated location in the park, where he had bound them and brutally beat them. Last night, the violence had escalated. They had found victim number four with his throat cut.

Jim could tell by Blair's silence as he sat down at the desk and resumed studying that he felt guilty for turning Simon down. "Good call, Chief."

"Was it?"

"I think so."

"And if more people get killed because I'm a coward?"

"You're not a coward. Simon had no business asking you in the first place."

"Hey, Jim, I know I am, man. Anything that involves pain or possible death, I'm outta there."

"You've never given me any reason to think that, Blair. You were ready to lose a hand to save Maya's life. Christ, you used a baseball to take down a man with a gun. Refusing to enter a situation you aren't trained for is just common sense."

"If you say so."

"I do."

As Blair shrugged and buried his head in his books again, Jim had the distinct feeling that he'd just averted tragedy.

Blair had been in conflict since the meeting with Simon yesterday. He couldn't reconcile his refusal to help Simon with Jim's declaration that he wasn't a coward. Sure, he had been prepared to have his hand burned with a blow torch rather than tell Gustavo where Maya was, but how long would he have lasted if the old guy had actually followed through on the threat?

People were getting hurt and he was in a position to help. How dangerous could it be? He was certain that if he agreed to do this, Jim would make sure half the Cascade PD was backing him up. And Jim would be there. He'd never let anything happen. But Jim didn't want him to do it. He'd practically begged Blair to drive the rig in the DeLuca case, but he was dead set against this. Why? It had to have something to do with control. That was a big issue with Jim. But in what sense? Was it because he didn't want Simon assigning work to Blair that didn't involve him, or was it because he didn't think he'd be able to control the situation once Blair went undercover, or did he think Blair couldn't handle it? Maybe it was all of the above. But if Jim thought it was too dangerous...

Blair took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. He wasn't getting any work done obsessing like this. He got up and went into the living room where Jim had turned on the news and sat down to watch it. It had just started, and the opening story was what he had been dreading.

"...Another man has been murdered in Galton Park. This is the second death in an escalating series of brutal beatings that have taken place in the park over the last week. Cascade Police say they are stepping up their patrols, but urge people not to go into the parks alone after dark. The victim was 22-year-old Rainier University student Patrick..." Jim looked at Blair and quickly flicked off the TV.

"Aw, man. This is my fault." God, another death. What if he could have prevented it?

"No." Jim was shaking his head and clenching his jaw. Why did he look so angry? "No way."

"Yes. I heard Brown say that the person they put in the park struck out. I'm going to do it." The butterflies hit his stomach almost as soon as he said it. He was committed. No turning back now. If he backed out after this, Jim wouldn't have any more doubts about his cowardice.

"No. Look, this isn't your job. I don't want you to do it. It's too dangerous."

"I'm gonna do it, man. I have to. Someone else is going to get killed."

"I'd prefer it if it wasn't you, Chief."

Was it really that dangerous? Of course it was. Oh, god, what had he gotten himself into? "I'll be OK, Jim. You'll back me up, right?"

Jim looked resigned to the fact that he wasn't going to win this argument. "Try and stop me."