Chapter 2


Detective Austin Moon sat behind his desk at Miami Police headquarters, and stared out a window that overlooked Biscayne Bay. He pressed his hands over his eyes, and ran his right hand through his wavy blonde hair.

It had been a long week.

He was concerned about the recent string of murders that took place under his watch. It was a bit unusual, as just about every murder that took place occurred with a glimpse from the past.

He heard a knock at his door, and looked towards the door. On the other side of it, he saw two FBI agents standing outside.

"Please come in." Austin said as he got up from the desk.

"Detective Moon, I'm SSA Hotchner, this is Dr. Reid." Hotch said as he extended his hand towards the detective.

"Welcome to Miami, agent Hotchner. My officers are currently over at the Starr Records building processing the crime scene. We can head on over there if you'd like." Austin said leaning against his desk.

"I already have SSAs Morgan and Jureau en route to the area. Dr. Reid and I believe that these murders might have something to do with your past." Hotch said sitting down in one of the chairs.

"Detective Moon, I know this is a difficult subject, but what do you remember of your music career, and of your personal relationship with Megan Simms?" Reid asked the detective.

"Megan and I were friends. She was an excellent photographer, and took many of the photos that were printed in the gossip magazines. Nothing too risque, but it was age-appropriate." Austin recollected. "I can't believe somebody would kill her."

"We have reason to believe that your involvement in this investigation would make you a potential target of the unsub. I think that it is best if you give us some leeway on this." Hotch said.

"Sure, whatever you recommend. You are guests of the city of Miami, and we are here to do your duty." Austin Moon sighed as he escorted the FBI agents to the conference room. "We already have the conference room set for you. If there is anything you need, agent Hotchner, please let me know."

"We will. That will be all, detective. Thank you." Hotch said

Sitting at the table, Reid made an interesting observation to Hotch.

"He's definitely hiding something about his past relationship with Megan Simms. When we mentioned her name, he looked away, and stared out the window. Did you notice that?" Reid explained.

"He knows something we don't. It's obvious that these murders are related to Moon's past. We need to keep asking him questions about Simms, and also about his relationship with Ally Dawson." Hotch said pouring a glass of water from a pitcher on the table.

"I think we should question mayor Dawson herself when the time comes. She could be very valuable in this investigation, as she has a connection to both Megan Simms and detective Moon." Reid said.

"You might be right, Reid. It's a risk we can't afford to take."


Morgan and JJ stepped out of the SUV in the parking deck of the Starr Records building, and made their way to the crime scene. They immediately spotted the officer in charge, and walked towards him."

"SSAs Morgan and Jureau, FBI. We are assisting in the recent murders." Morgan told the cop and he and JJ showed their credentials to the police sergeant.

"I'm sergeant Desmond Perrado. I'm detective Moon's adjutant. How may I assist you, agent Morgan?" the red-headed sergeant told the FBI agent.

"What can you tell us about the dead body that was just discovered?" JJ asked as they made their way to the victim.

"Our victim is Diane Blevins, a receptionist at Starr Records. Surveillance records showed that she exited the building at 10:15 PM, and was found this morning by a security guard. However, the moments between the time she exited the building and when she was discovered was erased. That is a bit unusual." Dez said looking at the dead body.

"What do you know about surveillance footage, sergeant Perrado?" Morgan asked.

"I prefer that you call me Dez. I was an aspiring director once upon a time directing Austin's music videos with ambitions to attend film school at USC, until that fateful night eight years ago. It was so unexpected, and Ally was shattered by what occurred. We all vowed afterward that we would look out for each other. Now, twelve years later, who knew that Austin and I would be protecting and serving the great denizens of the city of Miami, and that Ally would be the most powerful civic figure in the city?" Dez said.

"So you grew up with both detective Moon and mayor Dawson?" JJ asked.

"Yes. In fact, we were best friends, all of us. We would always be there for each other, no matter what. As for our victim, she wasn't so lucky. It can be determined that she put up a fight with whoever killed her. There are several defensive wounds on her arms, and she was stabbed in a manner similar to the other girl." Dez explained.

"Did you know Megan Simms?" Morgan asked focusing his gaze on Dez.

"Megan introduced the world to Austin. If it hadn't been for her, no one would know how great a musician Austin Moon was. I had several encounters with her in the past, but sometimes I had a feeling she was stalking us."

"Was Megan always hanging out with you guys?" JJ asked, keeping her eyes on the dead receptionist.

"Every so often, we would gather at Sonic Boom in an upstairs storage room that Austin and I converted into a music room for Ally. We would watch movies, play video games, basically normal stuff young adults would do." Dez explained.

"Was that Ally's father's music store?" Morgan asked him

"Yes, it was. As a matter of fact, Ally still runs it, but she has some employees now. When it first opened fifteen years ago, Ally was the only employee."

"Thank you, Dez. I think you revealed to us a little too much information. We have reason to believe that these murders might be somehow connected to your past. We will question you again should we need anything." JJ said as her and Morgan stepped back into the SUV.


In the morgue at Jackson Memorial Hospital, Rossi and Blake stood over the slab that held Megan Simms' body, when the medical examiner came in.

"This poor girl was dead within a matter of minutes. Cause of death was a stab wound that severed the abdominal artery. The wound was at least six inches wide." the medical examiner said looking at the autopsy report.

"There's no way an ordinary knife could have severed a major artery without penetrating some of the internal organs. Surely there was some tissue damage to the surrounding organs." Blake explained.

"Luckily there wasn't any tissue damage. It was the severing of the abdominal artery that killed her."

"Given Megan's size, it was easy to stab her and sever the artery. She's very slim, no more than 120lbs, and the blade was probably a lot longer, maybe 10 inches in diameter." Rossi said.

"I don't get it at all. Why let her bleed to death? If our unsub wanted her dead, why didn't they just beat her into submission?" Blake asked with a puzzled look on her face.

"It seems to me that our unsub has some training in anatomy. We should report this to Hotch. This is truly a strange case, and I believe it will only get stranger." Rossi said as they exited the morgue.