Cereal Killer?

by chooko

Major changes to story about Sully's new girlfriend. Would really appreciate having it reviewed and critiqued.

Cereal Killer?

It's a nice spring day with the shift only 2-1/2 hours old. The streets have been fairly quiet, so Sully and Davis drive to the vacant lot where they had discovered the body of a young woman the day before. As they approach they notice a petite brunette standing in the middle of the overgrown field inside the crime scene tape. As they get out of their RMP and approach the woman, they notice she has a camera in her right hand while talking on a cell phone in her left.

Sully, figuring the woman to be a ghoulish pleasure-seeker, becomes annoyed and storms to the edge of the crime tape. "Ma,am, I need you to step out of there right now."

As she glances at Sully, the woman motions to him to wait as she continues speaking into the phone.

Not liking to be ignored, Sully walks past Davis, ducks under the tape to grab the woman's arm just as she shuts off the phone. "Lady, I'm talking to you! What the hell do you think you're doing? You're standing in the middle of a crime scene!"

Spinning around while trying to jerk her arm out of Sully's grasp, she snaps at him; "No kidding, tell me something I don't know." Between Sully's strong grasp and Davis stepping in front of her, she could not move away.

"Excuse me officers, would you mind letting me go and getting out of my way? I have work to do."

Davis tells her, "I'm sorry ma'am, but you need to step over to the car to answer some questions." At that moment, her phone rings, but before she can answer it, Sully takes the phone from her hand while dragging her beyond the tape over to the RMP with Davis walking behind her.

"Hey, let go of me and give my phone back!"

Sully, trying to keep his temper, tells her "My partner told you to move over here to answer some questions. Now, this is a crime scene and you're trespassing! You'd better have a damn good explanation for what you're doing here and no more smart remarks!"

Taking a deep sigh, the woman answers, "My name is Clementine Morgan. I'm looking into the murder of the woman that was found here yesterday."

Davis asks her, "Do you know the woman who was killed?"

She replies "No, but I know of a few others who were killed in a similar fashion to her. I need to find out if she is another victim that needs to be added to my profile, or if this was just a random act. Now, may I go back to work?"

Releasing his grip, Sully, despite being angry over her intrusion, can't help notice how attractive she is with her long, dark hair blowing in the breeze and the sunlight picking up the highlights from her hair.

At that moment the woman reaches into her coat pocket and Sully and Davis immediately put their hands on their guns. Putting her hands in front of her, she states, "Just wait. I'm reaching for my ID." Handing her credentials to Sully, she tells them, "I'm a consultant with the Behavioral Science Unit at Quantico. I'm investigating the deaths of three young women, one in Virginia, one in D.C., one here but probably two."

Looking her up and down, Sully incredulously asks her, "You're a federal agent?"

"No, I'm not." As she turns and takes a step to go back to the crime scene, Sully becomes totally exasperated and yells out, "That's it, I warned you!" and grabs her again. With Clementine bent over the back of the RMP, Sully pats her down, handcuffs her and putting his hand on the top of her head, tells her, "Watch your head, ma'am" as she enters the backseat. In a rage, Clementine struggles but to no avail.

Putting her foot on the door before it can close, she tells Sully, "Just wait a minute. I just told you who I am and showed my credentials. I already stopped by the precinct and informed your Lieutenant what I was going to be doing. Now take these cuffs off me and let me get back to work."

Looking at Davis, Sully shakes his head and says, "Well, I don't know about you, but these credentials look phony to me. Since when does the FBI hand out credentials with the word 'Consultant' on them? What do you think?

Davis tells Sully, "You may be right. I've never heard of a consulting FBI agent before. Let's just take her in and try to straighten it out there."

Not taking her foot off the door, Clementine mutters "Bastards!" Keeping a tight reign on her anger, she tells them, "You can't leave my truck here! My laptop and all my notes are in there. The least you can do is let me follow you back to the station. I lose that stuff, it will put me back weeks; then you really will have a problem with me!"

Sully and Davis decide that Davis will drive her truck back to the station with Sully following. As they drive back to the 5-5, Sully tries to question her some more, but she just gives him a dirty look and stares out the side window.

Arriving at the station, Sully takes her to be booked for unauthorized entry into a crime scene. After putting Clementine in the holding cell, he goes to speak with the detective in charge of the case. As he tells Detective Tancredi about her, the detective cuts him off and wants to know the woman's name. "She told Davis and me her name is Clementine Morgan, that she's a consultant with the Behavioral Science Unit for the FBI, but her ID looked bogus, so I cuffed her and have her in the holding cell. She's not being very cooperative."

Tancredi just sighs and shakes his head. "Christ, Lt. Swersky told me about an hour ago that this woman was coming in. She came in 20 minutes later, met with me briefly, told me she was going out to the crime site for awhile and would be back. I told Sgt. Christopher to call you two, but obviously he didn't. Get her out of holding and bring her to my office, NOW!"

Davis walks over to ask Sully what he wants to do with the woman's things and just hears Sully say one word, "Crap!"

As they walk back to holding, Sully tells Davis about his conversation with Tancredi then has him bring her things in. As Sully opens the cell, Clementine looks him up and down and sneers, "Man, you are so going to owe me!" Sully is so angry that all he can do is just turn her around and point her in the direction of Tancredi's office. When they get there, Davis hands the briefcase and laptop to her then goes to stand next to Sully.

Tancredi apologizes. "Look, I'm really sorry about this, it was just a miscommunication. I told the desk Sergeant to call Officers Sullivan and Davis in so I could tell them about you and have them meet you."

Clementine deliberately rubs her wrists and tells Tancredi, "That's okay." Looking at Sully with a straight face she tells him, "Next time you feel the urge to bend me over the back of your RMP, you'd better be willing to do more than just cuff me!" With that, Clementine dismisses Sully with a wave of her hand and starts handing Tancredi reports.

Looking at some photos, Clementine says "Could I get some coffee, with cream?("

Sully, getting ready to open his mouth and say something nasty doesn't get the chance as Davis, trying hard not to laugh, tells him, "I'll get it, do you want one, too?" Sully nods and proceeds to sit down across from Clementine.

Starting to sketch the information she's gathered so far, Cam pulls out more pictures and diagrams and passes them to both men. "Three women have been murdered and left in abandoned buildings. As I told Officer Sullivan at the scene, one in Virginia, one in D.C., and one here that I'm sure of. I believe the woman your officers found the other day may be the fourth victim."

Looking at the diagrams, Tancredi informs her, "But this one was dumped in a field."

Holding a picture of the third victim, Sully looks at Clementine and says, "That field is right next to an abandoned building. Possibly the killer didn't have enough time to put the body in the building."

Not really sure if Sully is just patronizing her or not, but deciding to give him the benefit of doubt, Clementine bites back the smart retort she was about to say and just adds, "I know. It's my contention the killer got distracted by something or someone and just dumped the body where you found it. He probably hoped to return at some point to finish what he started. Fortunately or unfortunately he can't, so we can only go on supposition for now."

Reaching for the coffee that Davis put in front of her, Clementine stands up, walks around the table and tells the men, "I don't believe we have much time before the killer strikes again. The time between each killing is getting shorter. I have to work fast to find out if what happened to her fits my other victims."

Looking at his own file, Tancredi wonders, "Clementine, if the victims have been killed in two, no wait, three states, how did you tie them together?"

Pulling out other pictures and spreading them on the table, Clementine tells him, "I was in the middle of doing research on a closed case for a precinct in Virginia when the first victim was found. What forensics found at the scene were so unusual that the Captain asked me if I would take a look." Stretching and trying to suppress a yawn, Clementine continues. "What was done to that poor young woman was so horrible it made me sick. I stopped the research I was doing and continued with this case and it has led me right here."

Standing behind Sully, Clementine places a hand on his shoulder as she reaches past him rearranging the pictures. Pointing at the photos of the first three victims, she starts explaining: "All three women were professionals. Victim one worked in a brokerage firm; victim two was a paralegal and victim three was an Administrative Assistant to doctors at a teaching institution. All three were athletic; they had a habit of going running or inline skating at the nearest park every morning before starting work. The last time each woman was seen they had been on their way to work out as usual."

Sully was finding it very difficult to concentrate on what Clementine was saying. All he could think about was the feel of her hand on his shoulder and the smell of her perfume.

Being so engrossed in outlining her presentation, Clementine isn't even aware of the effect she is having on Sully until she looks up and sees him staring at her.

Catching her breath, Clementine is so startled she can't think of what to say next. Clearing her throat in an effort to cover her embarrassment, she stands up and walks back around the table.

Davis, who had been watching Sully and Clementine and their reactions to each other, could only think that it was about time his partner started looking at another woman. At that moment Clementine, looking uncomfortable and trying to act as if nothing was out of the ordinary, looked at Davis and only got a huge grin.

Refusing to look at either officer, Clementine pulls out three more pictures. Placing it in the middle of the table, she points to a circle and an arrow on each picture. "Each victim had this peculiar mark on their ankle. As of yet the M.E. in each state has not been able to identify what caused it, but could state that each victim had chloroform in their systems."

Sully, sitting back with his arms crossed, is about to ask a question but Davis beats him to it. "You told us that you're not an agent or cop, correct? So how did you become a consultant, or what, a profiler?"

Leaning against the wall and taking a sip of coffee, Clementine weighs just how much to tell them. Realizing that her best course is to be as direct as possible, she goes back to her chair and sits down. "I'm not exactly what you would call a profiler. I'm more of what you would call a receiver."

Seeing the puzzled looks on their faces, she continues. "Extrasensory perception runs in my family. My mother had it, so did my grandfather - to what extent I don't know. At first it was never as strong in me as it was in my mother."

Taking another sip she continued, "I was once married to a Detroit cop. He retired about two years ago. I quit my job and we were on our way here for a vacation when we got hit by a drunk driver. I was informed later that my husband had been killed instantly and I would have died had it not been for the couple that came upon the crash and found us. Luckily for me I didn't have my seatbelt on and was thrown clear. They called fire and rescue and I spent two weeks in the hospital in a coma. The couple that found us were in my room when I woke up and told me what happened. It wasn't until weeks later that it became apparent something about the crash seemed to have flipped a switch on inside my head. The ESP I now have is even stronger than anything my mother had."

Rubbing his chin, Sully looks at her, "That still doesn't answer the question. How did you get to work for the FBI? I thought you had to be an actual agent to work with them?"

Gathering her reports and pictures, Clementine continued her story. "The couple that found me took me into their home after I left the hospital to recuperate. With no other family or relatives, they convinced me to permanently move here. One night they had a friend over for dinner. Michael Savino is the head profiler for the FBI. During dinner, it seems that I sort of zoned out; just sat there staring at Mike and started telling him about the case he was currently working on, and that if he kept going with the plan he had to capture his suspect, some of his people or another victim were going to be killed."

Standing up again and walking around the room, Clementine said, "When I stopped talking, nobody knew exactly what to say. Mike asked me how I could know anything about his case, especially how it was going to turn out. Mike's friends and I explained about the drunk driver and some of the incidents that had been happening to me while I had been staying with them. I know Mike left that night thinking I was either the craziest person he had ever met or the most skillful liar; he just wasn't sure which."

Having stopped pacing, Clementine looked at the three cops, "He was sure about me when he captured the killer of ten children he and his people had been hunting. As his case unfolded, everything I had told him that night had been completely accurate; at the last moment he changed tactics; they caught their killer before another child was killed. Mike came to see me later and told me that after it was over, when everyone went back to the office and analyzed the situation, they realized that had they gone the way they had previously planned a few of the agents would have been killed. He was so impressed with my 'prediction' that he asked me to go through a battery of tests to see how real the ESP is with me. So, here I am."

Throwing the coffee cup in the trash, Clementine closed her briefcase and told the men, "With the amount of work I've done with Mike's group and the police, they often find it easier for me to get the cooperation that is needed between the two groups since I have no ties to either the Feds or the cops. My only reason to be involved is to do what I can to help stop the killer. I have already met with the detectives working on those other cases and have their cooperation in assisting with each investigation with the proviso that I share whatever evidence I come up with."

Looking at Tancredi she states, "The M.E. reports show that all three women had been raped and tortured over the course of approximately two to three days. The last thing the killer does is slit their throat and watches the victim bleed to death."

Looking at Tancredi, Clementine wants to know if anything unusual was found at his crime scene. Looking over his report, he tells her, "We gave the building a look over, but as the body was in the field, we didn't really search the building all that well. If there was anything unusual we didn't find it."

Clementine comments that, "The killer goes to great lengths to get rid of any possible evidence. I need to see the M.E.'s report on this woman to compare it to the other three. I would also like to go back to the scene and look it over more thoroughly, especially the building to see if the killer had any intention of going there."

At this point, Lt. Swersky enters the room to find out what his detective and officers are working on. Seeing the woman in the room he smiles and gives her a big hug. "Hello, Cam. It's been a while."

Smiling and returning the hug warmly, Clementine steps back and tells Swersky, "It's good to see you again, Lieu. Unfortunately, it's not under the best of circumstances this time."

Sully and Davis are dumbstruck. Sully is the first to react. "Lieu, you know her?"

Swersky, laughing, looks at his men, "Know her? Didn't she tell you? My wife and I were the ones that found her the night a drunk driver crashed into her and her husband. What, you think I go around hugging every pretty woman that comes into the house?"

With that, Tancredi says, "Clementine, I think you should give the Lieutenant a quick rundown on what we're working on."

After about 15 minutes, going over pictures and reports from the other three homicides, as well as giving her impressions, the Lieutenant tells Tancredi to get Cam set up at a desk with whatever she needs. "See that she gets the proper credentials to allow her to come and go from the precinct." To Clementine, "Cam, you'll have our full cooperation. If there's anything you need, just let me know." As the Lieutenant leaves he tells Sully and Davis to give Cam all the help she needs.

As the group breaks up, Sully goes over to Clementine and asks her, "How come the Lieutenant called you Cam? I thought your name was Clementine?"

Trying to ignore how close Sully is standing next to her, she continues to gather up her papers while answering, "it's short for my full name." Closing her briefcase Cam turns to leave only to find Sully blocking her way.

With a lift of his eyebrow, Sully just stands there, "Well, what is your full name?"

Stepping around Sully, Cam smiling answers over her shoulder, "That's on a need to know basis."

After a few hours of staring at the computer screen and going over various printouts, maps and files on the four cases, Cam starts getting a severe headache. Working on only five hours of sleep in the last 48, she decides it's time to take a break and leaves the precinct in search of a restaurant. As it turns out, she ends up walking into the restaurant where Sully and Davis are having dinner with Carlos, Kim, Faith and Bosco. As soon as she sees them, Cam starts to turn around and walk out when Davis calls her name and waves her over as Sully tells him, "Davis, let it go!"

It seems Cam has been the topic of conversation with Davis regaling everyone with her story and how it seems that, at one moment, Sully seems to be extremely attracted to her but then complains about what a pain-in-the-ass she is.

Davis pulls out the chair between him and Sully, pats the seat and tells her to sit down, all the while Sully just glares at his partner.

Sitting, Cam tells them, "Sorry, I don't mean to intrude but staring at the computer and printouts for the last few hours was starting to give me a headache, so I'm taking a break."

Ever the gentleman, Davis introduces Cam to the others and as the waitress approaches, asks her, "Want to see a menu?"

"No thanks." Cam tells the waitress, "Just a dinner salad, roll and ice tea with lemon, please."

"No wonder you're so small, eating rabbit food," Sully tells her as he tries to get the waitress' attention.

Rubbing her temples, Cam tells Sully, "Look, can we call a truce? I really don't have the time or energy to fight with you and concentrate on finding this killer."

Realizing just how tired she really is, Sully quietly asks her, "When was the last time you had a good night's sleep?"

With a laugh, Cam shakes her head, "Sleep? Who sleeps? I had about five hours in the last 48. Until I can stop this guy, I don't plan on sleeping much."

With everyone listening, Sully and Davis ask Cam questions about the cases, to which she willingly answers as she doodles on a napkin.

Pulling an envelope from her purse, Cam tells them, "As I was leaving, the desk Sergeant handed me this envelope saying it had been dropped off for me. It's a picture of me coming out of my home."

Handing the picture to Davis, Sully asks if she knows what it means.

"Not sure, but obviously he knows who I am. Going over the case files, I realized I have many things in common with these women." As she stares at her drawing, Davis looks the picture over and asks her, "How tall was each woman?"

Thinking back, Cam tells him, "Victim #1 was 5' 5"; Victim #2 was 5' 3"; Victim #3 was 5' 5". Why do you ask?"

Sully, sitting back and crossing his arms is trying to figure out just where his partner is going with his question.

Davis, passing the picture to Sully tells Cam, "As I recall from the pictures of your three vics and ours, a few other things they all have in common is being brunette, olive skin and short."

Now understanding what Davis is getting at, Sully adds, "Our vic was 5' 2".

Catching on to what they are implying, Cam informs them, "I'm one-quarter shy of 5' 3." Like the victims, I am also a brunette, professional career woman and I was into jogging in Central Park most of last year.

Looking somewhat confused, Sully states, "You said you worked out of Quantico; I assumed you lived in Virginia."

Looking from Davis to Sully, Cam informs them that, "No, I said I work for BSU out of Quantico. Actually I live not far from your station. Mike Savino is at Quantico, but most of my dealings with him are by phone and email."

Elaborating further, Cam adds, "It's my contention that the killer sees his victims at the parks, follows them until he can establish their routines and then sets the trap." Tapping the diagram in front of her, Cam adds, "Now I just have to figure out how and what that trap is."

Looking out the window, Cam muses, "I guess the killer plans on making me one of his victims, if not the next target."

Shaking his head and frowning, Sully tells her, "Being that you're not in law enforcement with no actual training, I don't think this is a job you should be doing, it's much too dangerous. You could be seriously hurt if not killed! An attractive woman like you should be doing something different, something safe."

Rubbing her face from the fatigue and standing, Clementine pushes her chair in while looking Sully in the eye, "The work I do is no more dangerous than yours; like you, I'm good at what I do and I like doing it very much. I've been doing this for the last two years and have yet to be in a situation that I couldn't control or have gotten hurt. Since you're neither my husband nor boyfriend, you really have no say in this. Ever hear of Women's Lib?"

Pulling money out of her pocket and slapping it on the table, Cam tells Sully, "Thanks for your concern, but save it for someone who really needs it," and storms out of the restaurant. As Cam leaves the restaurant, out of the corner of her eye she notices a young woman feeding her son a bowl of cereal.

With a smirk, Davis turns to Sully, "Oh man, I think she likes you!"

Getting up, Sully just tells him, "Shut up Davis!"

Chapter Two

Angry over the idea that Cam is being so caviler about her own safety, Sully follows her out of the restaurant. Catching up to her he grabs her arm and spins her around. "You're not planning on doing something stupid like going after this guy by yourself, are you? He obviously knows who you are, where you live and more than likely where you were tonight. That tells me he has been stalking you, probably for some time. Is there anyone you can stay with until this case is solved?"

Cam now getting angry herself, takes a deep breath and frowning at Sully tells him, "No, there isn't. I won't be scared, intimidated or frightened into leaving my home and go into hiding. I have a job to do and I plan on finishing it by catching this guy. Thanks for your concern, but when I want or need your opinion I'll ask for it! Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to work!" With that she gets in her truck and drives off. Muttering to herself, "Who the hell does he think he is? How dare he think that I need to be protected."

Watching her leave, Sully balls his hands up and mutters "Son-of-a-bitch." Not knowing quite what to do, he turns and goes back into the restaurant.

Seeing the look of concern on his partner's face, Davis asks him, "What is she planning on doing? Go after this guy alone?"

Sully shakes his head, "I don't know. I think she's been living on some astral plane for so long that she fell through a black hole and fried what she has left of a brain. Cam has no idea what real police work involves and I'm afraid she's going to get herself killed!"

Back at the station, Cam meets with Tancredi to go over the information from his notes and correlate them with what she has from the other three cases. Picking up the folder, Tancredi asks Cam, "If three if the victims were found in an abandoned building, why was the fourth victim found in a field?"

Staring at her computer, Cam tells him, "That's the $64.00 question. After I have a look at the building, I may be able to tell you more." When Tancredi leaves for another case, Cam starts hanging pictures of the dead women on the board with notes underneath.

Going back to the computer and using the picture board as a focal point she continues trying to piece together the women's last hours. She has become so engrossed in what she's working on that she is unaware of someone standing behind her until she hears a cough. Startled, she spins around to see Sully standing just inside the doorway, frowning at the pictures.

"Doesn't looking at such things give you nightmares?" he wonders out loud.

Standing up, stretching and rubbing her eyes, Cam goes and stands next to him, "Sure it does. Doesn't seeing this almost every day bother you?"

"Yea, it does" Sully answers. "But this is my job; this is what I choose to do for a living. What's your excuse?"

Looking at Sully, Cam tells him, "You don't have a corner on the market for caring about what happens to people. Personally, I'd rather watch a horror movie, at least that I know is NOT real. But this. . .", as she points at the board.

As Sully watches the emotions running across her face as she stares at the board, he asks, "Then why do it? You're not a badge, just an ordinary person, so why subject yourself to such horror?"

After a moment of thoughtful silence, Cam's only answer is, "Because I'M not ordinary. Knowing what I can do, how can you expect me to just sit waiting someplace safe when I can help?"

Shaking his head as he watches sheer exhaustion finally start to overtake her, Sully can't decide whether to shake her or kiss her. Realizing what he was just thinking, Sully starts becoming very uncomfortable as it has been such a long time since he has had feelings like this for anyone.

As Cam goes back to the desk to put her stuff away, she speaks mostly to herself; "I know you can't understand, but I have to do this. If I don't, what's my purpose for being here?" Looking at her watch Cam realizes how late it is.

Trying not to show how attracted to Cam he is, Sully suggests, "Why don't you call it quits, go home and get some sleep?"

Picking up her laptop and briefcase, Cam hesitates as if to say something. Instead she just tells him, "Good night Officer Sullivan" and walks out the door.

Stopping at the office and watching Cam leave, Davis looks at his partner. "Why didn't you ask her if she wanted to get something to eat? What's the matter with you, man? You had a perfect opportunity."

As Sully watches Cam go out the front door, he says, "Shut up, Davis! She's not interested in me", turns and walks out to go home. Davis just stares after him, shaking his head.

Having spent the entire next morning on her living room floor with files, charts and pictures spread out around her, Cam finally stands up exasperated. Addressing her black cat, she asks, "What am I missing, Pyewacket? I know it's here, but I can't seem to connect what I'm looking at!"

Receiving no answer, Cam looks at the cat and only gets a yawn in return. "Big help you are. Don't just lie there, help me!" With Pyewacket watching her, Cam starts gathering everything up when the cat jumps down from the coffee table and lays down across a picture.

Telling Pye, "Get off the picture silly", Cam stands up holding the picture when a detail in the corner of it catches her eye. After staring at the picture for a few minutes letting the association of what she is seeing coalesce in her mind, Cam grabs for her laptop and starts pulling up pictures from the other crime scenes.

Softly saying, "Damn," Cam jumps up, kisses the cat telling her "Thank you", then takes a shower and dresses. Telling Pyewacket good-bye, Cam grabs her stuff and heads out.

After walking around the crime scene a few times, Cam stops to listen, then studies the abandoned building for a few minutes before going inside.

Turning on her flashlight, Cam follows the beam while letting her inner voice and feelings direct her. Ending up on the third floor, she goes to a window and looking down sees the outline left by CSU. Shining the light around the room, it catches a flash in the far corner. Going over, Cam finds just what she expected: a neat, tidy area with a chair, a table with a bowl and spoon and a box of cereal. After taking some pictures, she pulls her phone out and dials while going back downstairs. Smiling to herself, she says out loud, "What do you think now, Officer Sullivan?"

After going through the scene with CSU and Det. Tancredi, they walk back to their vehicles. Cam tells him, "Looking over the pictures from all the crime scenes, it wasn't until this morning that I realized what was missing. In all the pictures there is a cereal bowl right near where each victim was found, only matching the photos with the reports I found that in two there was no mention of the bowls and in one the bowl was given just a cursory comment. This guy actually sat there eating a bowl of cereal while watching his victim bleed to death!"

Looking up at the window, Tancredi tells her, "I don't think this guy will be coming back here. He has to know we've found the body and from what Sully told me, the killer had a picture of you delivered to the house. He knows who you are and probably knows you're trying to track him down. He's looking for his next victim and dumping ground. We should be concentrating on that."

Getting into her truck and closing the door, Cam looks at Tancredi and tells him, "No, he'll be back."

Stopping Cam before she drives off, he tells her, "From the evidence it looks like the next victim is probably you. I don't think it is a good idea for you to be running around on your own. I'll speak with Lt. Swersky and get him to assign someone to be with you!"

Putting the truck in gear, Cam tells him, "As I told Officer Sullivan, do your job and don't worry about me. I don't need a bodyguard; I'm quite capable of defending myself. I'll see you back at the house in a few hours."

Later on, coming out of roll call, Sully stops Tancredi and wonders if he has seen or heard from Cam.

"Yea, she called a few hours ago and had me meet her at the crime scene. She went and checked out that abandoned building. Guess what? She found a bowl, spoon and cereal just sitting in the corner, waiting! She told me that these same items were in the pictures from the other crime scenes but nothing much was noted in the files. I pulled the pictures that she gave me. She's right!"

Shaking his head, Sully opens his mouth to say something when Tancredi cuts him off – "Here she comes" and goes to meet Cam.

Following her into a room, Cam tells Sully and Tancredi, "Before we start, I really need to get a cup of coffee."

As she turns around, Davis walks in and hands her and Sully a cup.

Cam is pulling files from her briefcase when Sully leans over her and quietly says in her ear, "You went into that building by yourself? What the hell were you thinking? The killer could have been there and the next time I saw you would be because I'm zipping your body up in a bag!"

Turning around Cam actually flinches from the intensity of Sully's anger. Appearing calm and cooler than she actually felt, Cam leans against the table with crossed arms and informs the men, "As a matter of fact, the killer was following me."

At the same time, all three officers shout, "WHAT?" Davis steps closer and demands to know, "Did you know that when you went inside?"

Calmly sitting down and sipping her coffee, Cam tells them, "Only after I had been inside and found these items and started going back out did I feel that he was outside watching."

Sully explodes. "Are you trying to get yourself killed?" Not realizing that he had been advancing on her, Davis puts his hand on Sully's arm and tells him, "Take it easy, Sul."

Tancredi, just as angry, steps in. "Take it easy! Why didn't you tell me that when I met you there? Are you crazy? You know what he has done and you still went out there alone?"

Slamming her hands on the desk and standing up, Cam shouts back. "ENOUGH! No matter what you might think of my ability, I do know what I'm doing. Had I been in any immediate danger I would have known it and I would have called for help!"

At this point, Lt. Swersky steps in wondering, "What the hell is going on here?"

Spinning around, Sully tells the Lt., "Your friend (pointing at Cam) is out there running around all alone with no backup, knowing that she is quite possibly the next target! And now she calmly informs us that the killer was actually following her while she was in that abandoned building by herself!"

Looking at Cam and frowning, Swersky asks her, "Is that true?"

Breathing hard and trying to control her own anger, Cam stands her ground. "Yes, it's true. Lieutenant, you of all people know that I am quite capable of handling myself." Looking at the others, she continues, "I have a job to do, same as you and I won't be coddled or scolded into behaving like a good little girl!"

Grabbing a folder, Cam tells them, "Trust me or not, that's your choice. I'm as much a professional as any of you, so either treat me as such and work with me or go find some place else to beat your chests and yell like Tarzan."

All four men pull out chairs and sit as Lt. Swersky tells Cam, "Okay, go ahead."

First looking at each man before walking to the blackboard, Cam shakes her head and mutters to herself, "Wonderful!"

After I left Tancredi at the crime site, I went home and called the detectives on the other three crimes to tell them what I found and have them go back over their forensics and check on the cereal bowls. At all three scenes there's been Fruity Smacks, Fruit Loopies and another sugary cereal, but I forget the name. I'm not sure what cereal has to do with the killings, but I hope to have some answers soon. I honestly believe that this guy actually sits there eating cereal while watching the victim bleed to death."

Swersky looking sick, "Just great! I can see the headlines if the press gets a hold of this, 'Cereal Killer on the loose'!"

Putting up a diagram of the different parks, Cam tells them, "After making my phone calls, I went and spoke to the M.E. again. The wounds and toxicology screens are consistent with my other three victims. The bowl and cereal I found in that building along with the other evidence point to the killer being the same guy."

Pointing at the pictures of the dead women, she continues. "I also figured out what this mark on each victim's ankle is and the M.E. confirmed it. It was made with fishing line."

Lt. Swersky gets up and goes to stand next to Cam. "What does fishing line have to do with any of this?"

Pulling the diagrams of the parks off the board and placing them on the table, Cam tells the officers, "Look, each victim was last seen heading to the park for a run. Runners never look down, you always look straight ahead. Somewhere in the area where the women ran, the killer set up his trap..."

Getting up and leaning over the table, Sully breaks in, "Using the fishing line as a trip wire, just at ankle height. If you're running at 5:30 or 6:00 a.m., you would never see the wire."

Leaning back in his chair, Davis adds, "And the medical reports indicate that each woman also had abrasions consistent with falling down."

Leaning against the wall, Cam takes over. "I've already called the other detectives and informed them about the trip wire. They all said they would go back to the respective parks and look for similar areas to where we are looking at here and get back to me."

With one of the diagrams in his hand, Sully questions, "The next question is, at that hour, other than joggers, who would be in a better position to be in the parks without arousing suspicion?"

Pulling everything off the board and walking back to the table, Cam looks at Sully. "The maintenance crews."

Putting folders in her briefcase without looking at any of the officers, Cam tells them, "The killer sets his trap in an area that affords him some cover. The next step is to figure out where, and the only way to do that will be for me to go running in the morning and see what I can come up with."

At this point, Sully thinks Cam has really lost her mind. "What the hell do you think you're going to do? Use yourself as bait?"

Taking a deep breath, Cam just looks at Sully. "I don't see that I have any other option."

Standing up, Tancredi wonders, "Just what type of plan do you have in mind? What about backup or are you not planning on having any?"

Looking at Swersky, Davis asks him, "Boss, what if the killer is actually there in the park waiting for her?"

Speaking directly to Swersky, Cam tells him, "I had every intention of telling you what my plans were. I figured you wouldn't let me go by myself and would insist that I have someone go running with me."

Swersky, with a frown gets right in Cam's face. "You're damn right I won't let you go by yourself." Turning around he asks Davis, "You do any running?"

Before Davis can answer, Sully jumps in. "Boss, there's got to be a better way. We can get someone from anticrime or vice that looks just like Cam who can go."

None of the men in the room are even looking at Cam as they discuss what they are willing to let her do. All of a sudden, there is an ear splitting whistle. Spinning around the four men see Cam, with her hands fisted, leaning on the table.

Shaking and trying not to yell, Cam looks at them. "What the hell do you think you're doing? Don't any of you get it?"

Davis moves towards her. "You're taking this kind of personal, aren't you? We're just trying to do everything we can to keep you safe!"

Standing straight up, Cam tells him, "You're damn right I'm taking this personal." Throwing the picture of herself on the table, she continues. "This makes it personal. Don't you understand! This bastard wants to do to me what he's done to these four women! Yea, you can find someone with a badge that can pass for me, but then what? All you're going to end up with is a dead Cop! Is that what you want?"

Sully and Davis just look at each other. Tancredi and Swersky are staring at Cam.

Putting her hands on her hips, Cam tells them, "Look, this guy knows that park like the back of his hand. He knows who and what belongs and what doesn't. You try passing someone else off as me or setup a stake out, he's going to know it immediately and all you'll get is another dead woman." Going back to the table and arranging the pictures of the four dead women, Cam looks at Swersky. "No matter what you try to do, this guy will not stop until he gets me. How many women are you willing to sacrifice in my place? We have less than a week before he murders another."

Walking around the table, Cam places her hand on Swersky's arm. "For the past two years you've trusted and believed in me. In all that time I've never let you down or lied to you. More than anyone, you know I'm good at what I do. You send someone else to the park, she won't know what to look for, but more importantly, she won't be able to receive the information you need to catch this son-of-a-bitch! But I can and you know that!"

Going back to the other side of the table and sitting down, Cam clasps her hands together and looks at Swersky. "I'm asking you. . ., no, I'm begging you, please, let me do my job. I'll work with anyone you want, just don't stop me because you're afraid I MIGHT get hurt!"

Sully is clearly not happy but realizes that there is nothing he can say or do to change her mind.

Swersky also knows that everything Cam has said is true and at the moment he really doesn't have a choice, but that doesn't lessen the fear he has for the safety of a dear friend.

Over his shoulder, Swersky asks, "Davis, what are your plans for tomorrow morning?"

Having taken a seat and leaning back in his chair, Davis answers, "Going for a run in the park." Looking at Cam, he adds, "Sully and I will be with her the whole time!"

Sully, taking a deep breath also adds, "Don't worry boss, we won't let anything happen to Cam!"

Swersky, staring hard at her, leans on the table and informs Cam, "Six months ago you damn near got beaten to death going after Jenkins. I'm not going to have anything like that happen to you again! Everything by the book, just like I taught you. You get hurt in any way, or Sully and Davis tell me you took off by yourself without telling them what you're going to do, I'll not only take you off this case, I'll personally throw your ass in jail until this guy is caught! Do I make myself clear?"

Breathing hard, Cam starts to answer back, "What happened six months ago was an accident. . .", but Swersky cuts her off. "I said, do I make myself clear?"

Seeing that he was not going to back down, Cam looks at the table, "Perfectly clear."

Going to the door, Swersky tells Sully and Davis, "After your shift ends tonight, both of you are on special detail. You're to stick with her like glue until we catch this bastard!"

Looking at the diagram of the park, Davis asks her, "What time do you want to go running tomorrow?"

Pointing to a spot, she tells him, "How about 6:00 a.m.? I'll meet you here, but you're to act as if you're just another runner and don't know me, just in case he's there, but I doubt that very much."

Trying to think of something to say but unable to, Sully leaves with Davis to go back on patrol and Swersky goes back to his office. Cam and Tancredi sit down and go over the files while she gives her assessment. "We're looking for a White male, 30-35, approximately 5' 10 or 11". He is going to be well built in order to be able to pickup the victims and carry them, even a short distance."

Handing him the diagram of the park, Cam continues. "If he is a maintenance worker, he probably works the early shift. I don't know how long the shift is, 8, 10 or 12 hours or if it is a rotating shift."

Tancredi, making notes, states, "I'll check with the Parks and Recreation Department, get a list of everyone who works there along with their timecards and see if I can't find a match for the time frames of the murders. We still aren't sure if the first victim also ran in Central park or anywhere else, but my partner is still tracking this down. I don't want you to do anything after your run in the morning until we touch base again." With that, Tancredi gathers his notes and leaves.

In the RMP, both Sully and Davis are quiet trying to work out in their minds everything that had just been said back at the house. Finally Davis looks at his partner and asks, "Who's Jenkins? And what did Swersky mean about her almost getting beat to death?"

Letting out a frustrated sigh, Sully answers, "I don't know, but I intend to find out, tonight if possible. I never thought I'd meet someone else that I'd care for or even hope could care for me, but I really like this woman, Ty. If anything happens to her I don't think I could stand it."

Davis, looking at Sully and seeing the anguish on his face, tells him, "I don't want anything to happen to her either. Cam will be just fine with you and me watching out for her. I promise you."

Once again, Cam becomes so single minded on her work she doesn't realize what time it is until a hand reaches out and closes her laptop. Startled, she looks up to see Sully standing over her. With genuine concern in his voice, Sully asks her, "When was the last time you had anything to eat?"

Standing up and stretching, Cam tells him, "I don't remember. When I work, I tend to forget the simple things like eating. Seems like days ago, why?"

Telling her to get her laptop, Sully takes her briefcase in one hand, her elbow in the other and steers her out of the office. "Come on, we're going to get some dinner. Then you can fill me in on what the strategy is going to be to find this guy."

Despite being fiercely independent, Cam realizes just how lonely her life has been for the last couple of years. Thinking that for all his gruffness, Sully really is a decent guy, besides being extremely attractive, Cam decides not to argue but can't help wondering if there's any possibility that he could be attracted to her. (Okay, I'm starting to remember just how hungry I am. Chinese okay?"

As they head out, they pass Davis and Cam tells him, "We're going for Chinese food, want to come?" All the while, Sully is frowning and shaking his head no at Davis, Davis just smiles and answers, (Okay, and we can plot strategy as we eat."

After being seated and ordering, Cam takes out the map she has of the park. But before she can continue, Sully stops her. "I just have one question. Is Jenkins the guy that was caught six months ago after killing ten women? And if so, what do you have to do with him?"

Looking at Sully, Cam can see that she is not going to be able to brush this man off so easily. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she stares at the top of the table as she answers.

"Yes, that's him. I was called in to help locate him after the ninth victim was found. By the time I was brought up to speed on the case and actively went searching for him he had already killed his tenth victim. When I located his hiding place I got there two minutes ahead of backup, but he already had his 11th victim ready to be butchered. I was wired and informed my backup where I was and that I was going in."

Davis and Sully are absolutely speechless. Seeing how pale Cam was just talking about it, they really didn't want to force her to finish but both were extremely curious to know what happened.

When neither man spoke, Cam looked at Davis and finished. "I took a calculated risk. I wasn't going to let that piece of crap destroy another life. I went in to confront him. Once I reached the floor where they were, I made a mistake." Looking at Sully and taking a deep breath, Cam finishes. "Instead of keeping my concentration on Jenkins, I let myself become distracted by the victim and doing that almost cost up both our lives. I took a severe beating from him that landed me in the hospital for four days. With all the simulation training Swersky and Savino had been putting me through up till then, I was able to hold my own until the rest of the team arrived. The woman was taken to the hospital, unfortunately she died three days later as a result of her wounds."

Swiping at her eyes, Cam isn't the lest bit comforted when Sully places his hand over hers and tells her, "You tried. At least you know you did the best you could."

Taking a drink of water, Cam slams the glass down. "That really doesn't make me feel any better. Turns out my best just wasn't good enough. The victim still died, didn't she?"

Clasping her hands together in an effort to still her trembling, very quietly Cam informs both officers, "Now you know. End of story." Glaring at both men in turn, she angrily informs them, "I will never talk about this case again. Either one of you ever brings this subject up again and that will be the end of our ever working together." Glancing at Sully, she adds, "Or ever seeing me again."

Picking up the map again, Cam starts, "As you can see, this path is where most of the runners go, but here is a section that goes under this bridge and around a blind curve, then reconnects back to the path over here. The problem with taking this extra section is that you are out of sight of anyone, even though only for just a matter of moments."

As Sully and Davis look the map over, Davis points out a set of steps, "Where do these lead?"

Pointing at the map, Cam tells them, "You take these steps and just a few yards away is an access road that leads to the main road. The maintenance crews use this all the time. This would be the perfect place to grab someone. Just inside the bridge, the jogger is out of sight of everyone and the killer just has to go up these few steps to his vehicle; no one would be the wiser."

After taking a few bites, Cam sits back and tells them, "I intend to run this same course going through this section. As I go along, I'll be able to get a better sense of how this guy grabbed his victim."

As the three of them get ready to leave, Davis tells Cam that he'll see her in the park the next morning. Looking at her watch, Cam sighs, "6:00 a.m. is going to come real early."

Looking at Sully she tells him, "Drive me back to the house to pick up my truck. I need to try to get some sleep."

"Don't worry about your truck", Sully tells her as he places his hand on the small of her back, "Ill just take you home myself."

After Sully parks in front of Cam's brownstone, he gets out and takes her briefcase from the back seat. When she unlocks and opens the front door, Cam turns to take her briefcase from Sully only to find that he has taken her face into his hands and proceeds to kiss her.

Not quite sure how to react, Cam hesitates, then places her laptop on the stoop, stands and kisses Sully back with the same intense passion.

At 5:30 the next morning, Cam is sitting on the bed getting ready for her run with Davis when she feels movement behind her. Turning around she sees that Sully is awake and watching her. Leaning over, she gives him a kiss. "Sorry, didn't mean to wake you. Go back to sleep, I'll be back soon."

Stretching, Sully sits up and throws back the covers. "No, I told Swersky that I would also be there. Just give me five minutes and I'll drive you to the park. I'm not taking any chances on you getting hurt."

Sully can see that Cam really didn't get much sleep. Knowing that she was still reeling from what she told him the night before about Jenkins, he knew she was still thinking about what had happened to her and it made him sick that he had been responsible for that. Not knowing what to say or do, all he could do was ask her, "Are you sure you really want to go through with this?"

Standing up and trying not to sound angry or upset, Cam did her best too convince him that it really wasn't necessary for him to drive her. "I really don't think anything is going to happen this morning. This is just a trial run to see if I can pick up anything that will help us find this guy."

Grabbing his clothes from the floor, Sully heads for the bathroom and tells Cam over his shoulder, "'l be ready in three minutes. I'll drop you off a safe distance and wait for you to finish", then closes the door to stop any further argument.

On the way to the park, Sully stops for coffee and the paper, after which he drops Cam off at the corner of the park where she told Davis to meet her at and proceeds to park across the street.

Spotting Davis, Cam starts to warm up. Starting out at an easy jog, Cam scans the area then clears her mind and lets her senses take over. She doesn't take the cutoff until the second run around. The closer she gets to that area Cam finds herself starting to have difficulty breathing.

Knowing that what she is feeling are just sensations Cam slows her jog in an effort to calm herself and get her breathing under control.

At the same time she is aware that Davis is just far enough behind her but still able to keep her in sight. Picking up speed as she takes the cutoff, Cam gets three quarters of the way under the bridge when she stops because she has not only tripped but also doubled over in a coughing fit, feeling as if she is being smothered. Not able to catch her breath she falls to the ground on her hands and knees.

As Davis rounds the corner, he sees Cam kneeling on the ground coughing. Not sure if something actually happened, he sprints to her side. "Lady, are you all right? Let me help you up."

Not able to speak, Cam just points to the end of the bridge and allows Davis to support her out of the area. The farther they get from the middle of the bridge, the easier it becomes for her to breath and the feeling of suffocating disappears.

"I'm okay now", Cam tells Davis as he helps to a nearby bench. Just as Cam seems to be calming down, they see Sully approach demanding "What happened?", as he sits down next to Cam.

Breathing normally again, Cam tells them, "Sorry. Just as I got past the middle of the bridge, I tripped. Landing on my hands and knees, I felt like my mouth was covered, making it impossible to breath. It was just sensory overload and I panicked."

Sully, looking overly worried, stands up and takes Cam by the arm. "Come on, I'm taking you home. We'll just have to figure out another way."

Standing up and shaking her arm free, Cam looks at both men. "No, you don't understand. What just happened was exactly what happened to both victims. They were attacked at this spot. What made me trip was fishing line stretched across the path. Look. Pulling her sock down, Cam shows them the same mark the other victims had, just above her ankle.

"Come on, I'll show you." Walking back to where she fell, Cam feels her chest starting to tighten making it difficult to breath, but Sully quietly puts his arm around her shoulders and she calms down.

A quarter of the way in under the bridge, Cam goes across to one side, squats down and points out a tiny eye screw in the wall. Attached to it are three strands of fishing line. Getting up and going to the other side, she shows both men the same thing. "This is where the killer set the trap for his victims. As you can see, there are three sets of line attached. After they fall, he comes from behind and places a cloth soaked in chloroform over their mouths. Once unconscious, he picks them up then goes up these stairs."

All three climb the stairs and stand on the top of the bridge looking out at the park. Turning around, Cam sees something, grabs Sully's arm and points. "There. That's how he removed the victims from the park without anyone seeing!"

Looking where Cam was pointing, Davis and Sully see a maintenance worker driving what looked like a golf cart with garbage bins on the back.

Cam starts to walk up the road just a few feet, while telling both men, "The choking sensation I felt was exactly what each woman felt when the killer chloroformed them." Stopping Cam points to a spot, "I think this is about the spot where he parked a cart like the one we just saw, put the body in the bin and then just drove on out."

Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, Cam slowly starts to turn. Half way around she opens her eyes and points to a three story building just beyond the trees. "I'll bet my life that is where he raped and tortured both victims before taking them to an abandoned building and dump."

Glancing at Sully, who just shrugs, Davis pulls out his phone and calls Tancredi. While waiting for Tancredi, Sully and Davis are sitting on a bench watching Cam pace. As she turns and faces them, Sully asks her, "Do you always feel what the victim feels?"

Staring at her feet, Cam tries to explain. "Sometimes but not always. It all depends upon the nature of the crime. Sometimes I get a 'flashbulb' going off inside my head, almost like a movie." Getting real quiet, she adds, "But sometimes the sensations are so bad, it's almost as if the attack is actually happening to me."

Looking almost sick, Davis asks, "You mean, you can actually feel what the victim is experiencing?"

Not able to look at either man, Cam stares off in the distance with her arms wrapped around herself as she nods.

Now thoroughly disgusted, Sully pulls Cam down on the seat next to him and hugs her.

When Tancredi and CSU arrive, Davis, Sully and Cam speak with the detective for a few minutes then follow CSU inside. It's where the maintenance crews store the golf carts and other equipment they use to clean he park. Going up to the third floor they find CSU has not only found the area where the two women had been killed, but they also find a door with a heavy lock on it. Cutting the lock and opening the door, they see a small room with the walls covered in pictures.

Pulling one of the pictures down, Tancredi goes over to Cam and hands it to her. "Anyone you know?"

Standing behind her with his hands on her shoulders, Sully mutters, "Son-of- a-bitch!"

Taking the picture to the door for more light, Cam tells the men, "I remember that outfit. That was the last day I went running last year." Going back to one wall and looking at the other pictures, she continues, "I got a call from Mike that afternoon wanting me to fly to Virginia. He had a few cases he wanted my input on. Since then, it has been one thing after another and I haven't had the opportunity to run again."

Motioning Sully and Davis away, Tancredi tells them, "I think Cam has been the intended target all along. I'm going to suggest to Swersky that she be placed in protective custody until we get this guy!"

Chapter 3

Going over to Cam, Sully tries to get her to leave the room but she continues looking over the pictures. Finally Sully takes her arm and tells her, "Look, let CSU and Tancredi do what they have to. I'm taking you home right now. You look like you're about to collapse. Whatever they find, Davis will be here and then will let us know."

Walking out of the room with one last glance backward, Cam nods her head and walks away.

During the entire ride, even stopping at his apartment to pick up fresh clothes, Cam doesn't say a word, just stares out the window. Getting home, she heads for the bathroom and takes a long hot shower while Sully makes a fresh pot of coffee.

Sitting at the table going over the cases, Sully finally realizes there's no noise and Cam hasn't come out. Going to look for her, Sully finds that Cam has gotten into bed and fallen asleep. Climbing in beside her, Sully wraps his arms around her and whispers, "I promise I'll protect you", and falls asleep.

After a few hours of sleep, Cam dresses and heads to the kitchen for some coffee where she sees Sully and Davis at the dining room table with charts. Getting up Sully hands her a cup of coffee, "Sorry, did we wake you?"

Sitting down, Cam takes the coffee. "No. I slept long enough." Reaching down Cam picks up the cat Pyewacket and puts it on her lap. Looking at Sully, Cam starts to outline what she has been thinking."

Going by the dates and times stamped on those pictures means that this killer has been stalking me for at least a year. The two women killed here, he stalked after me. So, if we believe I am a target, the question is, why hasn't he come after me before now?"

Sully, sitting back and crossing his arms tells her, "We know that all four victims resemble you, which leads me to believe that you resemble the person in his life that he actually hates, probably his mother."

Picking up on that thread, Davis adds, "Whoever that person is or was, we have to assume was a very strong, dominant presence. If he has been following you for this long, we can guess that he has some idea about the work you do with the police. Maybe he feels that you are a much stronger personality and could actually be afraid of you, that's why he hasn't tried to grab you."

Rubbing his chin, Sully adds, "Or, could be that he has tried to grab you but something has always gone wrong when he made an attempt."

Putting the cat on top of the table and continuing to stroke it, Cam adds, "Okay, for the sake of argument, let's assume the person I resemble is the killer's mother. I think it's safe to assume that she is already dead. Maybe he thinks she came back as me. If so, that still doesn't answer the question, why wait so long to come after me? Why kill those other women?"

Going for more coffee, Sully stops and looks at Cam. "As I said, the opportunity to grab you never materialized, so when the urge to kill came over him, he went for the next opportunity. That picture Tancredi showed you. You said that was the last time you had been running. Do you remember when that was, what month?"

Sitting back and pulling her legs up, Cam closes her eyes to think. "November, maybe the middle of the month. Mike called me to come down to Virginia." Standing up Cam walks over to the couch and lays down.

Following her, Sully sits down and puts Cam's feet on his lap while Davis sits in the chair across from them and asks her, "Do you remember where you were when Mike called you?"

Keeping her eyes closed, trying to think back, Cam answers, "That morning. I slept later than usual, went running about 9:00. I really wasn't in a mood to run so I only did one mile, then sat on the bench for a breather, just people watching and enjoying the last of the warm sun."

Rubbing her feet, Sully asks, "Can you see what is happening in the park, right now?"

Breathing slowly, Cam tells them, "I had just finished working on a case for the 3-5 four days earlier and spent the next few days trying to catch up on my sleep. That's why I slept so late that morning. I had no other cases to work on so I went for a run while trying to figure out what I was going to do with myself."

Seeing that Cam wasn't going to say anything more, Sully gently prodded her. "So, you went running. How many miles do you usually run?"

"Sometimes three or four miles. Mostly running one or two is enough. It's hard to explain, but that morning I was feeling out of sorts. That's why I only ran one mile."

Taking notes, Davis asked her, "What else do you remember of that day?"

Opening her eyes and looking at the ceiling, Cam continues. "I felt as if everything was in slow motion. Then Mike called telling me to meet him in Virginia. After hanging up I sat there for about five minutes. When I stood up and turned to leave, I almost bumped into one of the maintenance workers."

Sitting up, Cam and Sully look at Davis. "Do you remember the first time you noticed that guy?"

Putting her feet on the floor, Cam stares at Davis. "I kept debating whether I should get up and leave while talking to Mike or finish listening to him and then leave. I looked around because some guys went roller- blading right behind me and made a lot of noise. That's when I saw the maintenance worker standing just to the right and behind me, maybe five feet away."

Getting up from the couch and getting her cup from the table, Cam adds, "Now that you ask. He was just staring at me and I wondered what his problem was." Turning back to face Davis, she said, "I thought it was odd, because not only was he staring, but it seemed that he was trying to shove something into his pocket before I saw it. I distinctly remember getting a chill along with the sensation of absolute hate."

Frowning Sully asks Cam, "Did you call or tell anyone about that?"

Shaking her head, Cam wants to know, "No. The sensations were so fleeting, and especially the way I was feeling at the time, I couldn't be absolutely sure they were coming from him."

Looking at Sully, "You have to understand. These feelings and sensations are not absolutes. Their just bits and pieces of a puzzle that only make sense when I put that puzzle together. I take what I sense and feel, then go from there, that's it."

Standing up, Davis tells them, "Hold on a minute. You mean to tell us that this ESP you have is just a guessing game?"

Giving Davis a long stare, Cam tells him, "No, that's not what I said. It's not a guessing game." Running a hand through her hair, "It's hard to explain. It's like your cop gut – you just know you're on the right track and you follow your instincts. The only difference is that I sometimes I see pictures."

At that moment the phone rings. Just as Cam reaches to answer it, Sully picks it up. After listening a few minutes he tells the caller, "Okay, we're on our way" then hangs up. "That's Tancredi. He has the pictures and more information. He wants all of us down at the house."

At the station, Tancredi meets with Cam, Sully and Davis. "I have the time records for all the employees at the park. Let's divvy up the sheets and start checking dates and times."

As Sully makes a table with dates of each victims' death, he asks Cam, "What was the exact date you went to Virginia and how long were you there before you got the call about the first vic?"

Looking up she answers, "November 15th. About 2 to 2-1/2 weeks later the Captain told me about her and asked me to look at the case. Why?"

Sully says, "One more question. When you were in the park talking to Mike, do you think it's possible that maintenance worker heard you?" Holding up his hand to stop her comment, he adds, "I'm going on the assumption that the guy you almost bumped into is the one we're looking for."

Nodding her head, Cam answers, "Yea, it's possible but highly likely that he heard my whole side of the conversation."

Pushing the time records forward, Davis tells everyone, "Look. This one name keeps popping up. Derrick Miller. He was not working the date the first vic in Virginia was killed."

Sully adds that to his table. "Okay. How long did you spend on that case?"

Sitting back with her hands behind her head, Cam answers, "I spent approximately three days with the detectives. After that I went back and finished the research I had originally been down there to do. That took about four more days. After that I went to Washington, D.C. to spend some time with friends and stayed approximately four weeks when I was called about the second victim."

Adding that to the table, Sully states, "That makes it approximately five to six weeks between the murders of vic's one and two." Looking up he asks, "Then what did you do?"

Leaning forward on the desk, Cam answers, "After a few days of working with the detectives in Washington, giving them all the information I had and putting them in touch with the detectives in Virginia I came home. It was almost seven or eight weeks before the third victim turned up here, but I wasn't called to help on that until the fourth victim turned up almost five weeks later."

Gathering up the papers, Tancredi tells Sully and Davis, "Okay. Take Cam home for now. My partner and I will take things from here."

Pointing his finger at Cam, Tancredi informs her, "Stay home, don't do anything – and I mean anything until I get back to you."

Trying to look unconcerned, Cam looks at Tancredi and tells him, "Okay", then stands and gathers her stuff, all the while trying to keep any hint of her thoughts from showing on her face.

But Sully and Davis aren't fooled by her innocent act. One thing they had learned about Clementine was, even if they didn't quite understand why she did this work, both men knew that she was not a woman to just meekly acquiesce because men told her to.

Going over to Cam and taking her briefcase, Sully takes her chin in his hand forcing her to look at him. "So, what are you planning on doing next?"

Trying to keep a poker face, which Cam was finding more difficult to do every time Sully touched her, she shrugged her shoulders. "At the moment I'm all out of ideas. I'll just go home, continue going over all four cases to see if I've missed anything. In between I'll try to take a nap and catch up on my sleep."

Grabbing her purse off the back of the chair, Cam has turned and moved toward the door but doesn't fail to hear both Sully and Davis say in unison, "Yea, right!" What both men aren't able to see as they follow Cam out, is the smile that briefly flits across her mouth.

After dropping Cam home and getting her promise to 'stay put', Sully has just enough time to run home, grab his uniform and get to work. He sits down in roll call just as Lt. Swersky starts speaking. When he's done, he tells Sully and Davis to stay back and dismisses the troops. Walking over to his officers, Swersky wants to know what has been happening with Cam and the cases.

Glancing at Davis, Sully briefs the Lieutenant and brings him up to speed, especially about the name of the possible suspect that Tancredi and his partner are checking on and that after dropping Cam home, he had made her promise to stay put. "Boss, Cam told me she was going to stay home, go over the cases again, make a few calls and then try to get some sleep."

Rubbing his forehead, Swersky, speaking out loud to no one in particular, says, "Why do I suddenly have this headache!" Looking at Sully, he asks his best seasoned officer, "Do you really think she will?"

With a smirk and shrug of his shoulders, Sully answers, "What do you think?"

Shaking his head as he turns to leave, Swersky tells both men, "Knowing Cam, I highly doubt she will." With that the Lieutenant dismisses them and goes to his office.

After a couple of hours of going over the files for the umpteenth time, Cam stands up rubbing her eyes. She knows these reports so well she could almost quote them verbatim. Going to bed she curls up to a pillow and tries to sleep but only succeeds in dozing for a half hour or so. Knowing that inactivity was only making her more frustrated, she finally makes a decision. Getting up and looking at herself in the mirror, she tells it, "I'm sorry, but I have to do something", as she dresses to go running.

Upon arriving at the park, Cam spends a few minutes just sitting on a bench and people watching. Closing her eyes and breathing deeply, she lets her senses take over. When she is satisfied with her conclusions, she stands to warm up.

As Cam runs, she's finding it very difficult to keep her concentration. Thoughts of Sully making love to her last night keep intruding. Trying her best to get back on focus, Cam finally realizes that her speed has dropped so much she is almost walking. Shaking herself as if waking up from a deep sleep, she finally sets her mind to the job and picks up the pace.

On the third lap, half way to the cut-off, Cam is able to pinpoint the spot where the man she has been seeking is hiding. Even though she is unarmed, Cam isn't really afraid of the confrontation that is coming. Over the past two years, Lt. Swersky and Mike Savino have made sure that Cam has had the best training in the use of guns, self-defense training and hand-to-hand fighting. She has confidence in her ability to handle just about any situation, but is not foolish enough to believe that there is no possibility of her getting hurt. She knows only too well how real that possibility is.

Spying the cut off, Cam has a moment of doubt. Up to now, she's had no one in her life to worry about or have worry about her. For just a moment, seeing Sully's face again Cam sees what her possible future could be and what the possible consequences can be if she continues.

Cam starts to slow down, but then the faces of the four dead women come through and her decision is made. Whatever happens in the next few minutes, Cam knows that what she is doing is the right thing. This is her job and only she can help bring about some justice for these women. Now all doubt and has left her and she picks up the pace.

Really running now, Cam takes the cut off. As she nears the end of the bridge, she glances down and to the side. In the half light Cam spots the shine. Another fishing line has been stretched across the path. At the last moment, without breaking her stride, Cam jumps over and continues running, only slightly changing her course so that she is closer to the wall.

Not realizing that Cam knows he is waiting at the end for her, or how close she is, the killer steps out thinking that she has already tripped over the wire. Unfortunately for him, as the killer steps out, he sees that Cam not only hasn't fallen but she is coming at him with her head down, almost like a ram.

Too late for the killer to move back, Cam hits him low on his chest with her head and arms just like a linebacker. As he goes down, Cam also goes down and over the killer. Then the struggle ensues.

The killer realizes he made a drastic mistake in underestimating this woman. Showing more strength and resolve in fighting back than the other women had, he panics. The fight only lasts about two or three minutes, but to Cam, it seemed like hours. Only when a couple of male joggers come around the corner, does the killer finally stop and run off.

Seeing the fighting, both joggers start yelling. They see the woman go down and the man look over his shoulder before taking off up the stairs. By the time the joggers reach Cam, she has rolled onto her hands and knees and is trying to get up.

As one of the joggers helps Cam up while checking to see if she is okay his friend is on a cell phone calling 9-1-1.

Unable to catch her breath, Cam is only able to lean on the jogger while he helps her to a bench. Upon catching up to his running buddy, the second jogger tells them that the police are on their way.

Knowing she must look awful, Cam tells the joggers she is okay and tries to stand up, but both men insist that she not move and wait for the police. At that moment they hear the police siren.

Just hoping that the cops who arrive are NOT Sully and Davis, Cam tries to calm down, only problem is that it hurts like hell when she breaths.

Sitting with her arms resting on her legs, Cam refuses to look up even after she hears a voice yell, "What the hell happened here? Ma'am are you all right?"

Painfully Cam says, "Yea, I'm okay" as she slowly looks up at the two cops standing in front of her.

One look at her face and Sully explodes. "Son-of-a-bitch!" Davis reaches for Sully's arm just as Sully grabs Cam by both arms and drags her to her feet.

It's only when she cries out that Sully and Davis realize Cam is hurt worse than she looks. As Sully hugs Cam and then makes her sit back down, Davis takes the report from the two joggers.

After getting their information, Davis sends the joggers on their way. Just as Cam opens her mouth to tell Sully what she's found out, he turns away from her as he speaks into his radio. "Central, this is 5-5 Charlie. We need a bus at this location, forth with." Turning back he helps Cam off the bench. "Let's wait for the bus by the RMP."

As they walk Cam tries again to tell Sully about her information, but he won't listen. He just tells her, "Save your breath. Wait until the bus arrives."

When Kim and Carlos arrive, they quickly take charge of Cam. Feeling her rib cage to see if anything is broken, he asks Cam, "What happened? Were you in a fight?"

With a smirk Cam stares at Carlos and then says, "No. I was in a tickle contest and I lost. What do you think?"

Totally exasperated, Sully tells her, "Stop being a wise-ass. They're trying to help you!"

Being angry, which wasn't making it any easier to breath, Cam pushes Kim's had away from her face. Standing up while holding her side, she gets in Sully's face. "Listen, I'll go to the hospital; I'll even go to hell if you want. But first you're going to listen to me!"

Concerned by the pain etched across her face, Sully backs off with his hands up trying to placate Cam. "Okay, okay. Just, please sit down and let Kim check you out."

Sitting back down, Cam sees Davis has his book out and is ready to write. "You have to reach Tancredi. Davis, that name you found on the time records for the maintenance crews is correct, but that name is phony. All Tancredi will find is a non-existent person and address. The guy's name isn't 'Derrick Miller'. It's Dirk Mueller. Check it out. You'll find that he's my neighbor."

Davis stops writing. "What do you mean your neighbor?"

Looking from Sully to Davis, Cam tells them, "He lives across the street from me. Just a few houses down."

Seeing the skeptical looks on their faces, Cam starts getting agitated. "Listen, you have to believe what I'm telling you. That's the guy we're looking for!"

"All right, just calm down." Sully turns to tell Davis to call in but Davis is already relaying the information to dispatch to get to Tancredi. Watching his partner for a moment, Sully turns to Cam, "Okay? Now will you go to the hospital and get checked out?"

Nodding yes, Cam lets Carlos help her into the bus. Turning around she sees Sully start to climb in. Putting her hand on his shoulder she tells him, "Sully, I'm okay. There's no need for you to come with me."

Stopping short, Sully looks at Cam. He is frustrated that she won't let him help or take care of her. "I just want to make sure that you're going to be okay. Then I'll take you home."

Looking very tired, Cam tells Sully, "Look, I know you want to help me and I truly appreciate that. But if you want to help me, go do your job. I need you and Davis to catch this bastard. I promise..."

At that, Sully cuts her off, "Yea, like you promised me you'd stay put at home!"

At the look of anguish and guilt on her face, Sully relents. After everything she has been through, he doesn't want to cause her anymore distress. Backing out of the bus, Sully asks Cam, "This time, promise me that you'll go directly home and stay there until I come over?"

Laying down on the gurney, Cam tells Sully that unless the doctor finds any broken bones, she'll go home and wait. With that said, Sully closes the doors and turns back to Davis.

Davis is just pocketing his cell phone as Sully reaches for the keys to the RMP. "That was Tancredi. As Cam said, the name Derrick Miller is a phony. The address he had listed for employment is in the middle of the Hudson River. He'll run the name Cam gave us but wants us back at the station in case something pops up."

Handing the keys of the RMP to Sully, Davis quietly asks him, "You really like her, don't you?"

Opening the driver's door, Sully looks at his partner over the roof trying to gauge his feelings. Looking in the direction of where the ambulance went, Sully takes a breath because what comes out of his mouth startles him. "No, Davis. I don't like Cam." Turning to Davis, he finishes, "I'm in love with her."

Getting in the RMP and closing the door, Sully fails to here Davis say, "Well, it's about time!"

CONCLUSION

After spending a few hours at the hospital only to be told what she already knew, Cam catches a cab for home. The closer she gets a picture forms in her mind letting her know that the killer isn't at home. He's back at the abandoned building where he tried dumping his latest victim.

Inside, taking a shower and dressing as quickly as her wounds allow, Cam weighs whether or not to call Sully. Though she doesn't want to be the cause of distress or worry to him, Cam knows that she can't just stand around waiting for anyone to give her permission to do her job. She takes great pride in her work, along with having a bad case of curiosity. Deciding for the moment to wait, Cam figures she'll call Swersky to tell him and have him call Sully, after she has checked things out for herself.

Before leaving, Cam goes upstairs to her office and retrieves her gun. Even though it's registered, she doesn't have a permit to carry, but she will not confront this killer unarmed. Should she actually have to use it, Cam knows she could be in for a lot of trouble, but at least she will be alive. Checking it and taking three extra clips, she grabs her keys and wallet and leaves before she can fully think about what she is about to do. Just after she gets in her truck and drives off, Sully and Davis with backup and the detectives, turn onto her street as she turns the next corner.

After seeing Cam leave with the paramedics, Sully and Davis catch up with Tancredi and his partner at the police station where they are informed that with the information that Cam supplied and all the circumstantial evidence on all four killings, there was enough to get a warrant for Dirk Mueller's house. Tancredi adds, "Cam was right. There is no such person as 'Derrick Miller'. But Dirk Mueller turns out to have a juvenile record that is sealed. Swersky is working on getting it unsealed while we go and search his house."

Stopping at the desk to inform Swersky where they were headed, Tancredi asks, "Where's Cam?"

Sully informs him and Swersky about the fight that Cam was in earlier and the beating she received. "Besides a black eye and split lip, she may only have bruised ribs, but to make sure I called for a bus and had her go to the hospital." Looking at Swersky, he tells them, "But she promised me this time, after getting looked at she would go straight home and wait there until I show up."

As they start to walk out, Swersky calls Davis over. "What's with Sullivan? He's taking things with Cam real personal."

Knowing that Cam is a personal friend of the boss's, Davis tells him what has been happening between those two. "It seems my partner has fallen in love with your friend and it's tearing him up seeing what she is going through with this case, especially after telling us at dinner last night a little bit about her confrontation with Jenkins. Sully wants so much to take on her problems to help, but Cam is making it very difficult for either one of us to help."

Smiling, Swersky echoes Davis' earlier comment. "Well, it's about time, don't you think? Believe me Davis, those two deserve each other and I believe Sully is just the man to make her see just how dangerous her work is. Or at least, get her to quit going on the streets after these mops." With a nod of his head Swersky dismisses Davis just as Sully calls him from the door. "Davis, let's go!"

After arriving at Dirk Mueller's house, as he's getting out of the RMP, Sully looks across the street. "Davis, Cam's truck is gone."

Davis, looking across the street then at his partner, he asks, "You don't think she took off after this guy, do you?"

Closing the door, Sully looks at Davis. "I just got a sinking feeling in my gut. I swear if she's doing what I fear, I'll strangle her myself."

Going inside Mueller's house after the detectives, they are greeted by an odor, which they all have too often smelled before, of what could only be a body that's been dead for some time, along with the sight of hundreds of pictures of the four dead women and Cam on the walls.

Coming from the back rooms, Tancredi tells Davis to call for the medical examiner and CSU. "There's a dead body in the back room. By what's left, I'm assuming it's a woman."

While Davis makes the call, Tancredi takes Sully over to the far wall. Looking at the pictures, they see that all of them are of Clementine.

Trying not to let the fear he is feeling come out in his tone, Sully looks at Tancredi. "There must be hundreds of pictures of her."

Shaking his head, Tancredi states what Sully is fearing. "You said she was going straight home from the hospital, right?"

Telling Tancredi to keep looking, Sully tells him, "I'll be right back", and runs from the room. As he passes Davis, Sully yells, "Davis!"

Hoping against hope that Cam will be home, both men run across the street. Going up the stairs to her house, Davis starts pounding on the door while Sully gets out a key and unlocks the door. Seeing the raise eyebrow of his partner, Sully tells him, "I'll explain later."

Going inside they call out Cam's name. Getting no response Sully tells his partner, "Check the rooms down here, I'll check upstairs. The last time Sully was here, while Cam was sleeping he had checked out the rooms upstairs. This time he went directly to her office and opened one of the drawers on her desk. Not finding what he knew should have been there, Sully slams the drawer shut and bolts downstairs. "Damn it! She's gone.

Davis, hearing the fear and anger in his partner's voice comes from the bathroom holding up a wet towel. "She came home alright. Showered, dressed and took off. Any idea where she might be?"

Really pissed now, Sully tells him, "No. But I checked the drawer in her desk where she keeps her gun and it's gone, along with four clips of ammo."

Trying not to think the worst, both men leave and return across the street. Going inside they find that CSU is all over the place. Finding Tancredi Davis informs him, "We just checked. She came home all right. There was a wet towel on the floor along with the clothes she had been wearing. Sully's checking with the hospital right now to find out when she left."

Looking at his watch, Sully tells them, "Procter told me she left the hospital approximately one hour ago, so she hasn't been gone that long."

At that moment, Davis's cell phone goes off. Listening, he motions to Tancredi then yells, "Sully."

As both men approach, Davis is telling the person on the phone, "Okay boss. Don't worry. Sully and I are leaving right now."

Hanging up, Davis informs Tancredi and Sully, "That was the boss. Cam just called him to say that as she got home, she knew this Dirk character wasn't here. He's at the abandoned building near where we found his fourth victim. She called Swersky and told him where the killer is and that he has another victim."

Afraid to ask the question he already knows the answer to, Sully asks anyway. "Did Swersky say where Cam is?"

Nodding, Davis tells them, "She's outside the building waiting for us to get there. The boss is afraid she won't wait. He also said that Cam is armed."

Without hesitation, Tancredi tells both men, "Let's go." As he runs for the door he yells for his partner while Sully yells for Bosco and Yokas to follow them.

Speeding off, Sully sends up a prayer, "Please, don't let anything happen to her!"

Trying to allay some of his fears, Davis tells him, "She's going to be okay, Sul. Cam's a smart woman; she won't do anything stupid." He turns to look out the side window so Sully can't see on his face that he doesn't believe half of what he said.

At the abandoned building, Cam has been waiting just inside a dark doorway. Looking at her watch for the tenth time she sees that approximately 15 minutes has gone by. Hearing the woman's screams and moans, Cam decides not to wait any longer. Like the last time, she takes a calculated risk and goes inside up to the third floor.

Reaching the third floor, Cam hesitates just a moment to let her eyes adjust to the dim light. Opening the door from the stairwell, using her flashlight with her gun at the ready, she proceeds down the right hallway to the larger room she encountered a few days earlier when she went to inspect it.

Making her way as quietly as possible around the trash left behind, she hears the woman begging for her life and the killer screaming at her to shut up.

With a mental fix on where the killer is, she stops behind some tall boxes that limit her view. Squatting down Cam no longer hears the killer talking. Starting to really sweat Cam experiences dé jà vu. She is in almost exactly the same position as six months ago when she was chasing Jenkins and that situation didn't turn out very well. This time, as then, Cam knows that if she continues the possibility of her getting killed are pretty good.

Squatting there Cam tries to mentally feel her way but knows that it is no good. As with Jenkins, her sixth sense has deserted her leaving her with just her own natural wits and intelligence to succeed or fail. "Okay, I'm on my own, again. Guess you want to see how I'll do this time! With my ribs and lip hurting like hell, the least you can do is give me a fighting chance!"

Wiping the sweat from her face, Cam knows, as her mother always used to say, "shit or get off the pot." Well, she figures she's come this far, might as well get off the pot.

Standing up Cam comes out from behind the boxes where she sees the victim sitting in a chair, bound and beaten but very much alive. With no sign of the killer, Cam quickly crosses to her side while motioning for her to be quiet. Grabbing a knife from the table nearby, she sticks her gun in her waistband and starts to free the woman.

As Cam cuts the cords binding the woman's legs, she freezes as she senses the killer standing right behind her. Putting her fingers against the woman's mouth to cut off her scream, Cam quietly says, "Hello, Dirk. Waiting for me?"

Behind Cam is her neighbor. Breathing raggedly, he tells Cam to stand up and turn around. When she does Cam sees the fright in his eyes.

"I knew it", the killer whispers as he stands there trembling. "It is you. You did come back."

Keeping herself as calm as possible, Cam answers. "No, Dirk. I'm not your mother. You killed her five months ago, remember?"

"No, no. You came back. You swore you would only I didn't believe you. But every time I turned around, there you were, following me, laughing at me, telling me you were going to punish me again the way you always did." Almost screaming Dirk was advancing on Cam. As he did so, Cam keeps sidestepping in a circle forcing Dirk to put his back to the woman.

At that moment, even though no sirens are heard, Cam feels that Sully and Davis have arrived and are standing just on the other side of the door. All she has to do is keep this guy talking and wait for the Calvary.

Still backing up with the killer matching her step for step, Cam is trying to put as much distance between them and the sobbing woman on the chair. Cam knows that by getting this woman out safely, she will have a better chance in a fight with an emotionally disturbed killer, even one wielding a very sharp and long knife. When Cam judged the distance to be far enough, she stops moving and starts talking a little louder in hopes that Sully and Davis will hear.

"Dirk, you have to give it up. The police will be here any moment and they won't care. They'll shoot you if they have to. Give me the knife and let me help you."

Almost snarling, Dirk is a man possessed. "You don't want to help me, you're just want to hurt me again, punish me like you always do. Well not this time, I won't let you." Crying now and almost begging, Dirk doesn't see Cam standing in front of him. Looking at her, all he can see is his mother's face.

"All I ever wanted was for you to love me like the other kids' parents loved them. But no, all you ever do is humiliate me and make me do degrading, disgusting things." At this point he is almost shouting as he starts to advance on Cam. Swinging the knife back and forth he demands, "Why won't you just stay dead? All you have to do is stay dead and every thing will be okay. Why won't you stay DEAD?"

On the other side of the door, Sully, Davis and Tancredi can almost hear what is being said. Calling Bosco, Sully tells them the approximate location of Cam and the killer. He wants to know Bosco's and Faith's position.

As quietly as possible, Bosco radios back. "We just came in the room from the back. There's boxes in our way but we can see them. There's a woman sitting in a chair crying. Cam's back is to your door, about 20 feet. He's about 10 feet in front. We're closer to the other woman."

Looking at Davis, Sully radios back. "Okay. Get that other woman out. We'll go in and get Cam." Holding up his hand, Sully gives the sign, 'on three' and counts.

Just as Davis yanks the door open Faith's cell phone starts ringing. Hearing it, the killer turns his head and looks back. Seeing the cops he gives a strangled cry while turning back toward Cam who, at the same time, starts running toward him. As the cops converge into the room, they see Cam and the killer rolling on the floor with Cam trying to wrestle the knife out of his hand.

Barking out, "Police!" Sully, Davis, Tancredi and his partner move in and form a semicircle around the two. Unfortunately, in trying to break away from the killer, Cam slips as she tries standing and ends up with her back to him. With her in the line of fire the cops can't take the chance to shoot.

As Cam stands completely up and tries to move forward, the Killer also stands up and grabs her by the back of her hair. Pulling her backward, he brings the knife up to her throat.

As Faith ushers the other woman out the back door and down to a waiting ambulance, Bosco joins the four officers hoping for an opening.

Seeing Cam with her lip split and bleeding again is almost more than Sully can stand. Trying to keep a tight reign on his emotions, Sully tells the killer, "Let her go Dirk. It's over. You've no place to go. Hurting her isn't going to help."

With the killer backing up pulling Cam by the hair, he tries telling the cops, "You don't understand, she has to die. She's evil." Sweeping his eyes from cop to cop, "Can't you see that? You can't let her live. I have to kill her. Don't you see?"

Having worked with Cam over the last three to four days, Sully and Davis have gotten to know her fairly well and both men could almost see what she is thinking. But before anyone could make a move, there's a crash from the corner.

Bosco and Davis glance over but the killer turns his head completely to look. What they see is that a very large rat had knocked over the cereal bowl that had been placed on the corner of the table and was now lying broken on the floor with milk spilled all over.

When Dirk turns his head to look, Cam lets her body become dead weight while at the same time trying to pull his arm away from her throat giving the cops something to aim at. As Cam goes down, Sully, Davis and Bosco shoot.

After the paramedics rush off to the hospital with the killer, other paramedics have put Cam into the back of the bus and are working on her. After talking to Tancredi and his partner, Sully walks over to their RMP and tells Davis to follow them to the hospital. Without a word, Sully climbs in the back of the bus, sits down with a towel in his hand and starts to wipe the sweat off of Cam's forehead.

After being released from the hospital, Sully and Davis take Cam home then return to the precinct to finish their reports and clock out for the night. As they leave Lt. Swersky stops Sully. "Well, how is she?"

Running a hand over his face, Sully tells his boss. "She's going to be fine, Lieu. Besides her bruised ribs, she's got a split lip and a cut across her throat, but it's not bad. It was a risky move on her part, but considering what the outcome could have been..."

Patting Sully on the arm, Swersky tells him, "She's a tough one. Let Cam know that I'll stop by to see her in a few days after she's had time to heal up a little."

Nodding, Sully goes back to Cam's house where he finds that she has taken a shower and is already in bed half asleep.

After locking up, Sully undresses and climbs in beside her. Leaning on his arm looking down on Cam, he asks, "Did you ever find out what the cereal bowls had to do with Dirk killing those women?"

Snuggling up to Sully, Cam tells him, "Yea. Seems his mother only fed him sugary cereals every single day for breakfast, lunch and dinner from the time he was a child until he became a teenager. That much sugar made him extremely hyperactive for which his mother would severely punish him. It was a no win situation for him. That on top of the physical, sexual and mental abuse he suffered at her hands, it's no wonder he's nuts."

Looking Cam in the eye, he states, "Sounds like you feel sorry for him. I hope you don't."

Stretching, Cam sighs. "I do feel sorry for the extreme cruelty and abuse he suffered as a child, but I have no sympathy for him for what he did to those four women or what he wanted to do to me."

Taking Cam's chin in his hand, he tells her, "I want you to stop doing this. I don't want you taking any more chances with your life. You hear me? Promise me you'll find some other work to do, or just stay home and let me take care of you?"

Running her fingers across his shoulder, Cam tells Sully, "I'm sorry, but I can't promise you that. Please try and understand. It's not something I can just ignore or turn off at will. It comes or goes on its own!"

Putting her hand against his mouth to stop his comment, she continues, "But I will promise you that from now on, before I accept any case, I'll discuss it with you first. I'll listen to your advice and if you can convince me with logic not to take it, then I won't. You can't expect me to sit idly by when someone has been or is going to be hurt and not help just because you're afraid for me. Okay? Please?"

Pulling Cam's hand down, Sully kisses her on the forehead. "I don't want to take the chance of losing you! I couldn't bear it."

Giving Sully a kiss, Cam says, "Nothing is going to happen and I promise you're not going to lose me. I need you to believe me. I trust you and believe in you. Can't you do the same for me?"

Taking a deep breath, Sully knows he's lost the fight, at least this round. Pushing her hair off her forehead, he tells her, "Okay."

After a moment of silence, Cam puts her arms around Sully's neck. "I was wondering. If you really want to try keeping me out of trouble, how would you feel about moving in with me?"

Rolling over and burying his hands in her hair, Sully smiles. "Absolutely", as he starts kissing her cuts and bruises and makes love to Cam once again.