"You actually read this?" Korsak asked, as Jane walked in through the door.
"Err, no," Jane replied. "I read the first page and then had a case. Speaking of; has Maura come back with any results yet?"
"Jane, it's not even nine yet," Frost reminded her. She sighed and relaxed in her chair.
"Says here, that our new partner, has had a few run-ins with his former partners at SPD."
"What do you mean?"
"He was reprimanded for use of excessive force on three of his colleagues when a fight broke out. Doesn't give the cause of the fight. It also says that he hit his former Lieutenant."
"Why is he transferring to BPD?" Jane demanded.
"Doesn't say," Korsak replied nonplussed. Frost stood up and made his way to Korsak. Peering over the older guy's shoulder he read the file.
"Woah. It says here that he's proficient in Muay Thai, Boxing, Judo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Sounds pretty bad ass." Korsak chuckled.
"You in love Frost?" He quipped, playfully. Frost laughed it off and returned to his desk.
"I wonder why he's transferring to BPD though?"
"I wanted to be closer to my family."
The statement, as well as deep voice, caught everyone off guard. Frost swiveled around and came face to face with Richard Jenner. A tall man, with piercing blue eyes, dark hair, and a dark helping of stubble, he definitely stood out. Jane stood up, and Korsak merely looked on.
"Hi. I'm Detective Richard Jenner." He held out his hand, and Frost grasped it firmly.
"Detective Barry Frost."
"Detective Jane Rizzoli." Jane shook his hand. Jenner turned to face Korsak.
"Sargent Korsak. Welcome to BPD." They shook hands, and Jenner stepped back a little.
"Thanks. Is there anywhere I can set up?"
"Err, yeah. Take Detective Cooper's desk. Here is all my open cases." Jane placed a few files on the desk. Frost and Korsak followed suit.
"Thanks. I'll familiarize myself straight away."
"Nice to see that you're settling in." It was Cavanaugh.
"Thank you, Lieutenant."
"Rizzoli, anything on your latest case?"
"Not yet, sir. Waiting for the lab. There was nothing at the crime scene."
"Don't let me stop you," Cavanaugh told her, as he left. Jenner reclined in his chair.
"What case?" His eyes pierced through to hers, and transfixed her.
"Err, we found a woman crucified in the middle of a park. No witnesses."
"Crucified?" Jenner queried, perplexed
"Ever heard of a crucifixion killing?" Frost asked.
"No. I mean, I've met some nut cases before, but a crucifixion would imply a deeply religious affiliation."
"A priest?" Jane asked.
"Doubt it," he countered. "A crucifixion denotes a cleansing of the soul. An atonement for sin." Jane, Frost and Korsak shared a smile. Jenner looked confused.
"Am I missing something?"
"You sounded like our ME. A Dr Maura Isles." Korsak explained, as Jane giggled.
XXXXXXX
"Have no fear. Your sins will be absolved by your repentance."
A young woman, barely older than twenty was sobbing. Tied to a chair, and unable to move, fear gripped her pounded heart. A tall, thin man, had his back to her. The dark, dank enclosure reeked of fecal matter, rats and general sewage. Dirty water dripped from the pipes above her, splashing her with harmful bacteria, with each drop.
Her blonde hair was dirty, and her blue eyes were wide with fear. He turned to face her. He stared at her lustily. Her curvy frame, large bust, and sculpted legs, almost made him salivate. He slowly licked his lips, and walked towards her. Each slow, deliberate step took her fear to a new level.
A blade flashed in the dim lighted. It silently swept through the air. It grazed her skin over the shoulder, leaving a lasting impression. The strap on her black dress, was severed, and left her breast exposed. He licked his lips yet again. The blade silently swept through the air again, and severed the last strap. She whimpered as she was fully exposed.
"Shh; shh; shh." He bent over, his lips mere millimeters from her left ear. He reached up and caressed her right cheek. His fingers had barely touched the tape covering her mouth, when she recoiled. A flash of anger saw him squeeze her cheeks with one hand, and hold her head in place. Her whimpers grew louder.
"I will save you. My restitution of my sins, will only help you. You can take my sin with you. You will be free, and in God's arms. May he have mercy on your soul."
XXXXXXX
"Maura, you texted."
"Yes. I was about to start the autopsy."
"You haven't started it?" Jane asked.
"No," Maura replied. "At your request, I performed a rape kit, which was positive. However, there was no semen on nor inside her. It seems that he didn't ejaculate. The wound on her leg was made by a knife. The general shape, indentation, and damage, can only lead to the weapon being a knife."
Maura looked down at the woman, sadly. The lean figure was covered in bruises.
"Rape before murder?" Jane asked, and Maura nodded. "Got an approximate age?"
"Early to mid twenties."
"Thanks Maura."
The doors opened and Jenner walked in.
"Hi, I'm Detective Jenner." He offered his hand to Maura, who shook it politely.
"Dr Maura Isles."
"This is current case? The woman who was crucified?"
"She wasn't crucified. She was posed on the cross, post-mortem."
"How old is she?" He had an look in his eye.
"Early to mid twenties. Why?"
"Nothing. Just something reminds me of Sacramento. Believe me, you don't want it happening in Boston."
"What was it?" Jane asked.
"A fanatical religious nut. Spent his time torturing and executing young women. Never found him though."
"Why?"
"Fingerprints didn't match any databases, and there was no semen from the rapes."
Jane and Maura looked at each other. Jenner looked perplexed.
"What?"
"No semen was found on or inside this woman. She had been raped." Maura turned to face Jenner. His face turned white.
"Tortured?" He asked, and Maura nodded. "Have a name yet?"
Maura shook her head, just as Susie walked in.
"Dr Isles. We did a fingerprint database search and found her name. A, Mary Spencer."
"Thanks Susie," Jane said. She looked at Jenner. He looked like he was about to pass out. He staggered back and landed hard on the autopsy table. Jane grabbed a chair and placed it under him.
"What is it?"
"The first woman we found was called Mary. He lets us find the names of the women he kills. Like your victim here, she had brown hair, green eyes, olive skin, and was in her early-to-mid twenties."
Jane and Maura's faces turned white. Jane grabbed her phone, and speed dialed Frost's number.
"Yeah Jane what is it?"
"I need all the files from SPD on cases where the women were raped and murdered, with religious overtones," she demanded.
"On it," he replied and hung up.
"He doesn't need to find them. I brought copies with me."
Jane turned to face Jenner.
"You brought a copy?" He nodded.
"The one unsolved case. I don't like not having everything tied up. One of the blotches on my career."
"Looks like you've got a second chance."
XXXXXXX
"Mary Spencer was a student at BCU. Studying law, and was at the top of her class." Frost informed them, as Jane and Jenner walked in. "Twenty years old, and lived in dorms."
"Family?"
"In Boston. A mother and father. No siblings."
"What do we have on the SPD cases?"
Jenner walked over to his desk, and rifled through his box of belongings. He pulled a hefty folder from it, and handed it to Jane.
"That's everything. Autopsy, crime scene photos, everything."
"There's not a lot in here."
"No. Eight murders. Seven with a different sin carved onto the victim's chest."
"All women?" Jane asked, and Jenner nodded.
"Yeah. All aged in their early-to-mid twenties, mostly students. We looked into their teachers. None had any in common, as some came from different colleges. The teachers were all clean. No joint friends. All were completely unrelated to each other. No connections whatsoever. They didn't even look alike. But the first one looked like your current victim. Brown hair, Mediterranean appearance. All the Sacramento victims were raped, tortured then executed."
"Frost, can you send the autopsy notes down to Maura, for comparison?"
"Sure," Frost replied.
"The victim's friends?"
"She didn't have many. I phoned her college dorm, and spoke to her roommate, and made a few discreet inquiries. She's coming in later."
Jane sat at her desk, just as Cavanaugh walked in.
"What do we have people?" He asked, and Jane shared a look with Jenner. "What is it Rizzoli? I don't like the look on your face."
Jane sighed heavily.
"We may have a serial killer on the loose."
"M.O?"
"The seven deadly sins. We think it could be the same guy from Sacramento." Jenner stated, unhappily.
"Who was it?" Cavanaugh demanded.
"Never caught him," came Jenner's reply, and Cavanaugh cursed under his breath.
"Keep it under wraps. I don't want the media getting a hold of this, and causing panic in the streets. Do whatever you can to try and minimize the chance of another murder."
"On it Sean," Korsak replied.
Jane's phone buzzed.
"Crap!" She exclaimed loudly, and Cavanaugh turned around, nearly banging his head on the door frame.
"What?" Jenner asked.
"We have another murder."
XXXXXXX
"Young female, blonde, in her mid-to-early twenties." Jane heard Maura's voice, but wasn't prepared for the scene that was awaiting her. Jane turned the corner and nearly vomited.
Korsak and Frost followed suit, but Jenner breezed in, seemingly unaffected.
The woman had been tied to another cross. Placed carefully on the swing set, the child's playground seemed to be a deliberate location for the dump. The woman's face had been gashed repeatedly. Her body was covered in bruises and scars, and it was hard to make out any flesh. The entire body was naked. Carved onto her chest, was a single word.
Lust.
Jane spat the reflux onto the grass, and proceeded to the crime scene.
"It's clear Jane," Maura called, but lowered her voice once Jane was beside her. "She's been raped."
"How can you tell?"
"I was able to do a visual inspection of her vagina, which was severely torn and bruised. It's possible she was raped multiple times."
"Semen?"
"Won't know until I perform the autopsy."
Frost and Korsak appeared, both looking a little pale. Jenner was examining the body very closely. His face was mere millimeters from the body.
"Detective Jenner?" Maura inquired, a worried overtone to her voice.
"Just looking doctor. Nothing to worry about." As he finished his sentence, like an owl, his head tilted, as if confused.
"What is it?"
"Teeth marks."
"Teeth marks?" Jane sounded almost excited, in a perverted, sadistic way.
"But they won't help us?"
"Why not," Jane demanded.
"Rats."
"Rats?" Frost asked, before turning and vomiting violently. Jenner looked at him sympathetically, before turning to Jane.
"He always do that?" Jane nodded.
"Yeah, he can't stand blood and gore."
"Yet, he's in the homicide squad." Jane nodded.
"Awesome at his job too." She was confused. It sounded like she was defending Frost from an attack by Jenner.
"That's not what I meant. I mean it's just unusual for a homicide detective to be disturbed by stuff he sees on a regular basis."
"Can't blame him on this one. Even I feel a little squeamish," Korsak interjected.
"But, you're okay with this?" Jane asked Jenner, and he nodded.
"I kind of prepared myself. I don't blame him either. I did exactly the same thing in Sacramento."
"What do you mean?" Korsak was curious, as was Jane.
"The posture, placement, and amount of abuse is identical to the second body in Sacramento. It seems that he kills to get our attention, and then goes on a rampage."
"Time between killings?"
"Anywhere from three days to a week."
"We found the first body on Friday, and today's Monday... It's about three days. Where is he getting the crosses from? They're heavy, and hard to transport. It would be too difficult to bring her here, and then assemble the cross, before tying her to it."
"He ties her to the cross and then transports her?" Jenner asked, and Jane merely looked around.
"He'd have to drag her, but there is not a mark on the ground. Maura, can we get her back to BPD?"
"Yes. I have done all I can here."
"All right." She turned to the entrance, where Frost was waiting just out of sight. "Frost, we're going!"
Jane breezed out of the playground, taking one last look at the victim tied to the cross. Jenner was looking intently up at her as well. A knot tightened in her stomach as she turned and left.