Chapter One

The sun was shining in the late morning as she exited her hotel room. Holy crap, it's hot. She had almost forgotten how hot the Florida climate was, and was thankful that she had sold all of her winter clothing before moving back. She adjusted the straps of her black bikini and head down the outdoor steps, only to be intercepted by the person she least expected to see so soon after her arrival.

"What are you doing here?" Her foster brother asked as he stood over her.

Ruanna was taken aback, "Dex? What are you doing here?"

"Working." He took her by the elbow and she looked around, seeing police cars and crime scene tape.

"Crap," Rue muttered under her breath.

"Dex!" A familiar voice ushered them over, and Rue looked over to see her foster sister standing in the doorway to a room. "Rue?"

Dexter Morgan ushered Ruanna into the room and looked to Debra, "Jeez, Deb, where the hell do you keep your gun?"

"They found another hooker in the pool," Debra said as soon as the door closed.

Rue let out a sigh, "Damn, I was going to take a swim before I checked out."

Debra crossed her arms and frowned at her foster sister, "When did you get back from Colorado?"

Rue felt color rise in her cheeks, "… Yesterday."

The frown turned to a glare and she gestured between her and Dexter, "And you didn't fucking call one of us instead of staying at this shit hole?"

The younger Morgan's spine stiffened, "I don't have a phone. I lost it…" Somewhere in the Rockies. "What are you doing here?"

Deb arched an eyebrow, "Working."

Dexter looked to Deb, "They found another hooker?"

Deb nodded, "Chopped up in bits and pieces. That's the third one in five months."

Rue's eyes widened, "Third? You mean-"

"A serial killer, that's right. The other two were in Broward, chopped up just like this one."

Dex looked to their younger sister, "Thank God you weren't the one to find her."

"I'm no stranger to blood…" Rue muttered under her breathe then looked up to see Dex watching her oddly then glancing back to Deb.

"Any suspects?" He asked.

"I wish I knew," Deb put her hands on her hips. "I'm on vice, so LaGuerta sent me to my room and told me to stay out of sight."

Rue grinned, "No wonder why you look like a hooker."

Deb laughed, "Fuck you."

Rue smirked in response, "No thanks."

"God forbid she listens to what you have to say," Dexter said in reference to the Miami Metro Police Lieutenant, Maria LaGuerta.

Deb sighed, "Tell me about it."

The youngest Morgan nodded, having heard many stories from her foster brother and sister, "She's so dumb. I don't understand how she has so much power on the force."

"She knows how to play the game," Dexter pointed to them both. "You both could take a lesson."

Debra scoffed as she took a drag from her cigarette, "In what, ass-kissing?"

Dex gave the older sister a pointed look, "Politics."

Rue shrugged, "Well I don't have to rely on politics too much. Unless the force hires a forensic anthropologist, I'm applying for the position at the Hooton Research Center here in Miami."

The Hooton Research Center was a newest branch of the Florida Museum of Natural History with a dedication to forensics and forensic anthropology.

Deb's smile went bright, "You got your fucking degree? That's awesome, Sis!"

"Doctorate," Dexter corrected.

"Whatever," Debra hugged Rue. "Our sister's a fucking Temperance Brennan!"

Rue laughed, "No. I also have a masters in psychology. And I don't help solve crimes… though I'd like to."

She then gave her sister a pointed look, frowning at the stick in her hand.

Deb looked down for a moment, and snuffed out her cigarette, "I just wanna catch this guy before he kills another one of my girls."

Dex frowned, "You can't get so emotionally invested."

Deb stood back and looked at him, "You always say that."

"So did dad," Dexter and Ruanna said at the same time and looked to each other with surprise.

Deb nodded, "Yeah, but he also said, 'Go after what you want.' I want out of vice and into homicide."

Dex sat down, leaning against the wall, "What can I do to help?"

The oldest female Morgan smiled, "You get these hunches, you know, with these types of murders."

He rolled his shoulders, "Only sometimes."

"Well, see if you get one this time." She then gestured to both of her foster siblings, "And can I bounce some ideas off the both of you later? You know I always get smarter when I'm talking with the both of you."

"You just need a little more confidence." Dexter looked to Rue, "And that goes for you too. Apply at the police department too." He looked back to Debra and saw her crestfallen look and sighed, "All right, I'll take a look." He stood back up, "In the meantime, avoid LaGuerta and talk to Captain Matthews. He and dad were tight. Maybe he'll put you on the case."

Deb smiled brightly, "You're making me smarter already, see?"

"And keep the sex suit on when you talk to the captain. It'll help your cause." He grinned, grabbing Rue's arm and they left before Deb had a chance to whack him upside the head. Once outside, they headed towards the pool area, "They're gonna see you were checked into the hotel, so go make a statement now."

Rue felt her heart begin to beat rapidly, "I didn't see anything…"

Dex stopped and turned to her, "That doesn't sound confident."

She frowned, "Dex, I swear I didn't see anything."

As he regarded her, Rue couldn't believe that she had forgotten how tall he was, "Then what?"

She looked around before whispering, "I… smelled… I can't explain it to you."

His green eyes narrowed, boring into her blue ones, "Why the hell not?"

She lifted her chin, "Some of us have our own-"

"Secrets to keep," Dexter finished and searched her eyes. "What did you do on your hunting trips with Harry?"

Ruanna's eyes never left his, "What did you do when you spent time with him?"

His face became more impassive, "Avoidance."

She arched an eyebrow, "A powerful defense."

He stepped closer to her, "Just say you were in your room watching TV, sleeping, whatever. The last thing you need is to be brought in."

She refused to dispute otherwise, "I'm not stupid."

"I know…" He then took a step back and smiled. "We have a doctorate in the family now." She watched as he went over the police tape and put on latex gloves. "That's a nice haircut, Masuka."

"I saw Deb," Ruanna watched the Asian looked to her with a grin. "Is that Rue? Damn your sisters are looking hot."

Rue rolled her eyes and turned to see LaGuerta coming her way. Damn, it's too early for this.

"Yeah, they should. It's hot as hell out here." The younger Morgan's sensitive hearing picked up her foster brother's reply.

Lieutenant LaGuerta tilted her head and regarded Rue, "Ruanna Morgan, what are you doing here!?"

Rue gave the older woman a smiled, "Well, I'm a guest at this fine establishment. I got back into town yesterday."

Maria arched an eyebrow, "…. Go back to your room and I'll send an officer to take a statement."

At that dismissal, Ruanna headed back the way she came, her mind swirling in thoughts as she pulled her long brownish blonde hair into a sleek ponytail. She hadn't lied to Dexter. She hadn't seen anything last night. What she smelled though, while she was in the shower, and stronger now that she was outside, was dead flesh… that somehow held no trace of blood.