Chapter Two:

"Why didn't you tell me about the others?" Brennan asked as she looked over the body again.

Booth winced inwardly, she was trying to appear casual, but he knew she was seething inside. "It just passed my desk a few days ago; six other bodies, all tortured for a few days and then killed. I had no bodies to show you, so I didn't call." Booth smiled. "I didn't know I had to okay all my cases with you."

Brenna paused but didn't take the bait. She turned to Booth and said, "This body is more than five months old." She said, which made Booth frown. Brennan smiled. "Why did you get the file only a few days ago?"

"Washington PD was taking care of the case, until a Canadian connection was brought up. Then it got bumped up to Federal, there's a Canuck coming down as we speak." Booth explained as he stared at the body. "You sure it's been more than five months?"

Brennan just stared at Booth for a moment before he put up his hands in surrender. "I had to ask. I know the drill." He cleared his throat and said in a poor imitation of Bones, "We'll know more once Hodgins is through with his etymological study of the remains." Booth smiled and nodded around the room, proud of himself, when no one smiled back he crossed his arms and muttered, "Squint have no sense of humour."

"We do, Booth." Brennan smiled. "It's just more highly evolved."

Booth arched his eyebrows at her for a moment and then sighed. "Well we've got one thing useful out of this." He said as he started back to the stairs. "We know that this is probably his first victim, not his latest, and we also know he's been at it more than five months. That's good."

"How is that good, Agent Booth?" Zach asked from where he was examining the partially exposed skull of the body.

"Because, Zach, it takes time for a serial killer to develop his skills." Booth turned to face the small mousey haired man, who looked up in shock at Booth. "On the first few he tends to make mistakes, then …" Booth paused as he noticed Zach staring at him. "What's wrong?"

"I really wish you wouldn't refer to the killer as 'developing skills' where it relates to killing someone." Zach said. "I always felt that skills referred to useful things"

"I'm sorry Zach, but that's exactly what he's done." Booth said his voice dropping to a more relaxing tone. "He's developed the skills he needs to feed some need that he has inside him. This monster has made mistakes, and I guarantee you'll find some of them there." Booth pointed at the body. "But he's probably learned now. He's gotten better. Better at hunting and better at killing. I want to stop him before he gets any better."

Booth turned and strode down the stairs.

Hodgins took a deep breath. "I think that's smartest thing I've heard him say." He muttered thoughtfully.

Booth walked into his office and sat down at his desk. He rubbed his eyes and took a deep breath; it was only then that he noticed the man sitting in a chair by the door.

The man wore a dark green suit with a crisp white shirt and a matching tie. His hair was brown and neatly trimmed around his neck and ears. His clean shaven face smiled for a moment showing perfect white teeth and dazzling green eyes. As he stood his leather shoes squeaked as he walked over, extending his hand.

Booth glanced stood and glanced down at the man's shoes. The man glanced down at them as sell and chuckled.

"They're new." His voice was deep and strangely melodic. "I haven't had time to break them in yet." He extended his hand further towards Booth. "Sergeant Mark Hawks, R.C.M.P., special liaison from Canada."

Booth took the hand noting that it was rough and calloused. "Special Agent Seely Booth." Booth released the hand. "Please don't be insulted, but do you have identification, Sgt. Hawks?"

"Please, just call me 'Hawk', even my Dad does." Hawk reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a leather wallet, opening it he showed Booth his credentials. "You?"

Booth smiled and flipped out his badge, showing it to Hawk, who nodded.

"Okay, now that we've flopped them on the table and learned that my suit is better than yours, but your badge is WAY cooler than mine, can we get to business?" Hawk laughed, and Booth found it contagious, so he let himself chuckle a bit.

"We've got seven bodies now; the latest appears to be the first to be killed. I have my Squints at the Jeffersonian working on the remains now." Booth said. "We should have a time of death soon, they're the best."

Hawk nodded. "I have eight bodies, all killed in the same way, up in Ottawa. Started about a year and a half ago."

Booth looked up, shocked. "Fifteen bodies in two years?"

Hawk nodded. "The last seven in the last five or six months." Strangely Hawk smiled. "He's speeding up. The kill isn't lasting as long as it used to."

"Any suspects?" Booth asked, not really expecting an answer.

Hawk nodded again, the same quizzical smile on his face. "Just one, but you ain't gonna like it."