A/N: Very short chapter for now, but there will be another one later this day, or tomorrow!

As for the lovely reviews you wrote:

Ciara: So glad you're enjoying this! I hope the next chapters won't disappoint.

Katie: Thank you so much! Your review put a huge smile on my face. I promise I will finish this. Might make me a while to get there, but I don't leave something undone if I can help it.

alix33: Ha, Renée always did remind me of Barbie. I have no idea what Harm ever saw in her. Then again, she was available and willing, so...

achaon: I agree. They'll definitely have to talk about this and they will. But it might not be what you expect.

Thank you all so much!


This chapter was inspired by "Seven devils" by Florence + the Machine.

A very special thank you to AvaniHeath for her beta skills and wonderful comments!

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: JAG is property of Donald P. Bellisario. I'm only borrowing.


6 Seven devils

His eyes were fixed on a house a little distance away. It was one of many in a row of almost identical houses, but today it stood out. Yellow crime scene tape flapped noisily in the wind. Two Marines flanked the entrance to make sure nobody trespassed onto the crime scene.

He hadn't been here this morning when her body was found; he'd been scheduled for a routine exercise along with the rest of the men under his command. His performance hadn't exactly been stellar, which was no surprise, considering he'd been up all night. He'd make up for it next time. Besides, he didn't expect to find another one so soon. He'd have to keep a low profile for a while, make sure nobody was on to him.

He knew NCIS would knock on his door sooner or later because he lived so close to the crime scene. He'd tell them that he hadn't seen anyone around who didn't belong, which wasn't a lie. He did belong. They probably suspected that whoever had killed Florence Acker was also stationed at Norfolk, but they'd have a hard time narrowing it down. He knew he'd left no traces. He was too experienced for that. Too meticulous.

Nobody would be able to connect him to her murder.

As he turned to go back inside, someone called his name. He paused and looked over his shoulder down the street. One of his friends was was jogging up to meet him. "Man, that's messed up," he said once he was in hearing distance. He nodded at the house. "Couldn't believe it when I heard. How's your girl holding up?"

"Me neither," he replied, with just the right mixture of disgust and anger that struck him as the appropriate reaction to such a crime. He had lots of practice. "And she's fine, given the circumstances. Did you hear what that bastard did to Florence?"

"Some of it," his teammate said, grimacing. "Her poor parents. Scuttlebutt is her dad's a Marine general and he's been busy pissing off NCIS by interfering with their investigation. Even went so far as to get two JAG lawyers sent down here. They're going to be looking into base security."

That could pose a problem. While he doubted someone would discover the weakness it had taken him weeks to find, he couldn't rule it out. He'd have to be careful; nobody could know that he'd known about it all along and not reported it. Otherwise he was guaranteed to land on the suspect list.

"I hope they find the son of a bitch who did this," he said, hoping no such thing.

Yet he somehow managed to sound sincere.


A/N: I know this is short, but please review. You know I love hearing your thoughts. Next chapter soon!