"Here's everything I've got on him since he started ten years ago." Anna pulled the files up and thumped them on the desk between she and John. "It's considerable and it'll take time for another set of eyes."

"Afraid yours don't work?"

"More afraid I've looked over them so many times I don't recognize anything I've not already tread over before." Anna took the files John handed her. "And I need something else to stare at for awhile."

"It's not pretty." John opened the top file and frowned, "This starts before…"

"Before me? Yeah, I definitely wasn't his first victim." Anna nodded at the picture of the woman. "She's the earliest I could find but she's… She's since deceased. Took her own life."

"I'd want to kill him for that in and of itself."

"Get in line."

"So," John closed the file, tapping his fingers against the surface before finally managing to put words together. "Why did he leave Yorkshire?"

"I'm not entirely sure." Anna flicked through the file in her hands, examining the photographs and reading the notes with eyes whizzing back and forth over the pages. "Most perfectionists don't tend to leave their comfort zones."

"He's a perfectionist?" John frowned, "I thought you said his first killing was a mistake."

"It was." Anna leaned back in her chair. "From all the evidence I gathered about that scene it was an accident and it frightened him. He didn't do anything for another five months, which is an inordinate amount of time for someone kidnapping at the rate he was."

"For ransom?"

"Yes, in a way." Anna bit her lip, "It wasn't what you think."

"That he's a greedy and entitled bastard who just wanted more of what other people had?"

"He didn't ask for money."

"What'd he ask for then?"

"Secrets." Anna shrugged, "People like that want to prove the world is as depraved as they are. For the sickest of them they're excited about the kill the way a predator is."

"Except predators kill to eat." John paused, "I do hope you're not about to tell me this man is a cannibal as well as being mad."

"He's a meat eater but not that kind of meat." Anna shook her head, "I almost wish he were because then I could explain his psychosis."

"You could?"

"Eating human flesh has shown to be the start of several degenerative diseases in the brain. Similar to scabies in sheep or Mad Cow, it affects the protein folds in the brain through the spread of prions and causes a break down. That kind of degeneration has been noted in cultures that practiced cannibalism as the source of a disease called Kuru and similar to Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease."

"And he's not got it?"

"Based on the little evidence I've gathered he's far too meticulous to be suffering a degenerative brain disease." Anna chewed the inside of her cheek. "But he's predatory. There's a stalking process to what he does and I think the thrill of the hunt is what really does it for him."

"Like I said, most predators kill to eat, not to torment."

"Have you ever watched a car play with a mouse? It's not uncommon."

"But only humanity is subject to the kind of depraved behavior that breeds people like him." John smacked the stack of folders and they shuffled over his desk. "It makes me sick to think that people can desensitize themselves to the reality of the value of human life."

"A lifetime of pornography is the swiftest way to the serial killing moniker. Women become objects and people become playthings." Anna paused, her focus on one of the photographs. "What number was this?"

"Which one?" John leaned over and Anna turned the picture for him to see it. "That was his first. It was three months ago."

"His anniversary."

"He's married?" John's eyebrows went to his hairline, "Someone made the mistake of marrying this psycho?"

"No," Anna shook her head. "It's the anniversary of his first kill. The screwed up kidnapping."

"Did the family not give him sufficient secrets?"

"They never got the chance." Anna snorted to herself, "Based on the evidence the girl was a fighter and wouldn't be taken down easily. I think he tried to restrain her and that's when he broke her neck. He panicked and then ran for it."

"It was enough though."

"Enough for him to do this." Anna clacked her teeth together, "He's made quite the set piece with her."

"We thought it was a wild animal level of destructive."

"No, it's all intentional." Anna pulled up the file and her coat. "Take me there?"

"Where?"

"To the sight of his first murder here in Dublin. I want to see the sight for myself."

"Not before we've eaten." John stood, cracking his back and then nodding toward the vending machines. "I'm not eating another meal I paid for with loose change."

"How many meals have you eaten that way?"

"Too many." John grabbed his coat and nodded toward the door. "I know a place. I hope you enjoy Greek food."

"Anything that's not English."

"Not even tea?" John held the door for her and Anna smiled her thanks at him, holding the file close to herself as a gust of wind threatened to carry it from her hands when it ran its chill fingers through her bones.

"I like tea. It's the cure-all my mother brought out of the cupboard whenever we had the slightest sniffle."

John only laughed, pulling his coat closer, "Oh, the restorative powers of tea."

"Don't knock it. I believe it more than I do governmental structures."

"Those should never be trusted." John guided them down the street, avoiding the few people still on the street given the early afternoon. "They're usually designed only to war with someone else or steal your money."

"Says the man working for the government."

"I work to protect people, there's a difference."

"But what is that difference, Mr. Bates?" They waited for a light and then hurried to cross. "That tone is the sound of the once hopeful and now far less inclined to trust the establishment."

"Is that your professional diagnosis?"

"I'd give something a bit more solid if I had you on a couch and I had a notebook in my hand but, lacking those accouterments, I guess we'll have to make do with what we have."

"A decent table's a good enough place for it." John beat her to the door and Anna frowned at him. "Chivalry's not dead. At least not the parts about how to treat a lady."

"I'm not a lady, Mr. Bates." Anna leaned forward as they entered the restaurant and John waved to the host busy at another table. "And I don't pretend to be one."

"What if I thought you were a lady?"

"Then I'd remind you that a lady doesn't meet a man at a pub and then sleep with him." Anna shrugged, "Though you were completely worth the trouble."

"Glad we're back on that subject now." John shuffled in place and Anna shook her head at him. "I thought we'd buried that on the roof of the building."

"I might've froze my ass off up there but I didn't lose my memory." Anna drew her tongue over her teeth, the thrill giving her a blush to compliment the insane red that bled into John's cheeks. "Not that I'd want to either."

"Welcome," Both turned to the host, returned to the podium and nodding at John. "This isn't the lady you brought last time."

"Last time?" Anna's face brightened and the man made to lean over and tell her the whole story but John's voice interrupted.

"It's fine, Adrian, we're here for lunch."

"It's what everyone's here for. That and my mousaka." He grabbed one menu and waved them to follow him to a corner booth. "For the privacy."

"We don't-" John began but Anna took her turn to interrupt him.

"Thank you, it's just what we need." She accepted the menu and slid onto the seat, John grumbling as he took the other side. "We do need somewhere to speak privately because I don't think this crowd will really go for our lunch conversation."

"Won't it?" John tugged at his coat sleeves and hung it on the hook by the table, Anna following his example. "Who doesn't want to discuss the deaths of prostitutes and the lower class over their gyros?"

"The same people who chose to be accountants and veterinarians instead of policemen and profilers." Anna stopped, putting the file to the side. "Which reminds me, you've still not said what stole all your naiveté?"

"I'm guessing your won't accept the answer 'life did', will you?"

"You're a trained interrogator, what do you think?"

"That you won't accept that as an answer so you'd leave the room for a coffee-"

"Tea," Anna held up her finger to stop his story. "I only drink coffee when it's served Irish style and I wouldn't drink that at work."

"I guess it did make you a bit randy last night didn't it?" Anna held John's smirking gaze as long as she could before crossing her hands on the table.

"That had nothing to do with the whiskey you put in that drink."

"It didn't?"

"No," Anna scoffed, "Who needs alcohol when they've got you?"

"I-"

"Are you both ready to order?"

"The sampler plate to share and two of the medium serving gyros." Anna handed over the menu she had not even read. "And I'll take your raspberry lemonade please."

Adrian turned to John, who only shrugged. "I'll have tea with mine."

"Very good."

Anna timed Adrian's departure and smiled at John. "You're not really versed on the acceptable responses to ribbing are you?"

"Tom ribs me all the time."

"I think I got a glimpse of that earlier." Anna shifted her shoulders against the booth. "Did it have anything to do with the nasty attitude you used to greet me this morning?"

"It had everything to do with that." John ran a hand through his hair, "If my mother saw that she'd probably skin me alive."

"Is she why you're not so naïve about the world?" When John frowned Anna shook her head, "Sorry. It just seemed, based on how you talk about her, that whatever took you away from the bright-eyed-and-bushy-tailed bunch might have something to do with her."

"Why would it?"

"Because whatever happened to you was personal and you mentioned, last night, that you lost her recently."

"So we're analyzing our conversations now?"

"All conversations are up for analysis." Anna took a deep breath, "I can understand your frustration with it but-"

"But nothing. I'm not here to be dissected."

"And I'm not here to be judged based on the tidbits of conversation I picked up and put back together." Anna huffed, "Look, if that's not the answer to the question then just say what is and I'll-"

"It's none of your business."

Anna stared at John's face, "If you don't like my methods then I should warn you, they're not going anywhere and neither am I until I find a way to catch Green."

"You can catch him without trying to peel back whatever layers you think I have."

"Everyone has layers Mr. Bates." Anna folded her arms over her chest. "It's how many layers that's the question."

"Why don't we talk about Green's layers so we're getting something done?"

"You don't think getting to know one another is 'getting something done'?"

"To be honest, Ms. Smith, I think we know one another well-enough."

"Two shags in your bedroom do not a professional relationship make."

"Yeah, I'm starting to get that insanely uncomfortable feeling." The thrust of John's hand through his hair appeared severe enough to rip out chunks indiscriminately. "Why do you care anyway?"

"Because I refuse to be the British invader for my entire stay here." Anna almost bit her tongue when she clacked her teeth together. "I don't know what it is about me that seems to get under your skin so badly, Mr. Bates, but I'll remind you that you were the one who suggested we not talk about work last night."

"Starting to wish I hadn't because then I could've avoided this." John waved his hand in a circle, as if trying to wash Anna away. "I'm not the perpetrator."

"And I'm not an interrogator. All I did was ask a question."

"Well you can stop asking questions because I'm not going to spill my life story to you just because you did earlier."

Anna blinked at him, "You think I'm after a quid pro quo?"

"Aren't you?"

"I'm trying to better understand you."

"Don't."

Anna grabbed the folder and her coat, hurrying into it and then out of the booth. "Then I won't Mr. Bates. You enjoy your meal, it's on me unless you won't take charity."

She stormed out, discussing quickly with the rather confused girl at the counter, and then left the door to hit the frame when she hit the cold again. Turning her back to the wind, Anna opened the file to check the address and flagged down a cab. The heat inside enveloped her in a moment of comfort and Anna hurried to give the destination to the driver.

They weaved through the city and when they pulled up to the location the driver stuck out an arm to get her attention. Anna frowned, "Is there something wrong with my money?"

"No," He pointed toward the alley. "But there's a lot wrong with that place."

Anna turned to look into the alley but only noticed a piece of trash blowing past. "It doesn't look all that wrong. It's just an alley."

"Do you know what happened there?"

"I've heard." Anna shrugged, "It's in the past."

"But it's not." The man shuddered and his voice took on the same tone Anna recognized from any number of horror movies. "Things change around here when it hits midnight."

"Then isn't it a good thing it's only three in the afternoon?" Anna got out of the cab, hearing the man call after her as a gust blew through the alley with a slight murmur.

"That's not the wind howling. That's the soul of that girl."

"I'll keep that in mind." Anna shut the door and went into the alley. "No wonder the English left these people to themselves. They're all mad."

The alley provided enough cover from the wind to allow Anna to open the file and compare the photographs to the scene. She counted out the paces from the street to the matching section of pavement where they body had been. Crouching down a moment she noticed the darker stains, enduring past efforts to clean the location.

"Tragic isn't it?" She stood up, John walking into the alley. "It'll always be the place that poor woman died."

"What do you want?" Anna closed the file. "I thought you didn't want anything to do with this."

"I never said that." John stopped himself, jaw and cheeks moving as if he wanted to form the perfect sentence before he continued. "I acted like an ass."

"It might just be who you are today." Anna squared her shoulders, "But I'm getting rather tired of it, if that's any indication I've not got the patience to endure anymore of your childish antics."

"It's…" John's hand brushed at the back of his head, disturbing his hair and then securing it in his pocket to protect his skin from a rush of wind. "It's personal."

"So was what I told you on the roof." Anna shrugged, looking back over the scene. "But I already told you we're not playing this as quid pro quo."

"Then what are we playing it as?"

Anna rounded on him, folding her arms over her chest. Partly to keep herself warm and partly to let her body indicate that she had no patience left. "As partners working to track a serial killer. I need to know you so I can trust you."

"Shouldn't we just do trust falls instead?"

"Not that I wouldn't have a fun time trying to catch you, I think we both know that's ridiculous." She sighed, "This case eats people up. It tears them apart and only the strong survive because there's only so long you can look into the abyss of someone else's depravity and not fall in. I'm trying to make sure you're not going to fall in."

"Do I appear at risk to?"

"You've already cold shouldered me twice today and, by your own admission, acted like an ass so I guess the obvious answer is yes."

"The other obvious thing here is that we're having a problem with communication." John gestured to the alley, "What've you found here?"

"Desperation, mostly."

"Desperation?"

"From you to avoid any and all conversations that have anything to do with you or anything personal." Anna opened the file, "We'll leave it where it is."

"It's just that-"

"You don't trust me, Mr. Bates." Anna shrugged, not meeting the gaze she could feel boring into the back of her neck. "It's what we get from shagging in the dark and then trying to work together in the morning."

"I don't know if it's that easy. It could be-"

"I think," Anna held up a hand, finally turning to the flustered man. "We should focus on why we're here and forget about anything else. Alright?"

John nodded. "Of course."

"Good." Anna walked the area, "He's kept it all in this area."

"What makes you so sure?"

"It was the anniversary. The date is critical to the dimensions."

"Dimensions?"

Anna demonstrated, handing the file over. "Ten by seventeen. It was October seventeenth, yes?"

John consulted the file, "According to lividity, yes. I got here early the morning of the eighteenth so…"

"Right." Anna walked the scene, lips pursed. "Was there anything else different about the alley then?"

"Yes." John pointed just over her head. "We'd found that fire escape down and some of our constables found reason to suspect he ran for it using that."

"Not his normal mode of escape but I guess one has to learn to adapt." Anna crouched in the space, "This isn't like it was in Yorkshire."

"How's it different?"

Anna waved her hand over the space, "He didn't kill her here. There's no blood and no trace that he did anything but leave the body. For an anniversary killing it feels too tame."

"Tame? After all the blood I saw I know that's not true."

"That was his art, remember, not his action." Anna paced the dimensions again, chewing the inside of her cheek.

"Then you don't think he scrubbed it away either, like the original report said?"

"No," Anna pointed up toward the pictures in his hand, "Based on what I saw in those pictures he didn't kill that woman here. He left the body and staged it."

John craned his head to examine the alley, "That's what I thought but we didn't have enough evidence to prove that."

"I guess that's what happens when someone decides to come and piss in your backyard after he did it in someone else's yard."

"That wasn't it." John pointed to the alley, "There's no safe escape and he wouldn't have the time to rape and then kill her without a passer-by seeing something of it. He wanted her found here for another reason."

"Distraction." Anna stood and John paced the alley. "It's a taunt and a celebration rolled into one."

"How complicated for him."

Anna shrugged, "His location's changed and so has his M.O. but he's still the same disgusting psychopath underneath."

"Then why are you frowning?" Anna faced John and he pointed to her expression. "If you felt confident in the diagnosis you're giving then you wouldn't look so troubled."

"Honestly?" She shook her head, "This case doesn't make the sense it used to."

"It used to make sense?"

"His methodology followed a pattern before. I could track his progress back then but now I can't."

"Something about the change from kidnapping to murder might've done it."

"That's almost too simple for him." Anna threw her hands up a bit and then snagged the photographs from the file. "He's someone who relishes his intelligence over others. That would be too see-through."

"You're saying he's got layers to his delusions, yes?" John walked along the edge of the alley. "Alright then, for my simple brain, I'm going to say that location can't be a coincidence, no matter what the change."

"In the words of every relator I've ever met, it's always about location." Anna stopped, switching between two pictures and then pointing at the wall. "This is where he propped the body?"

"Yeah." John shoved his hands into his pockets, the file tucked between his arm and his side. "Made a few of the younger constables vomit. They'd never seen something so grotesque."

"He was putting on a show. His psychosis doesn't allow for mess." Anna held the photograph up to the wall, looking between it and the wall until she handed them back to John and pulled out a baton she extended in a snap. "He was saying something with his display."

"Garish." John stepped out of Anna's way. "He could've left a note instead."

"This was his note."

"Seems a bit overly complicated."

"There's a method to all madness Mr. Bates." Anna crouched and located the darkest of the bricks before counting up seventeen from the spot. When she stopped she counted five to the right and then five to the left. Pointing to the right one she took the left. "Jiggle that. It'll be loose."

She knocked the brick with her baton and waited until enough of the grout loosened to pull at it with her fingers. Dust and pieces of brick dropped to the ground as Anna worked past them to investigate the brick. Setting it down to the side she pulled her small flashlight out and shined it inside. Something reflected back into her eyes and Anna blinked back, putting her flashlight away before grabbing for what lay inside. It scraped against the brick but Anna managed to get it in her grasp. It dragged a bit but she finally freed it from the clutches of the brick.

"Tricky bastard isn't he?" John flicked with his fingers and finally retrieved his piece. "Likes games does he?"

"He's a bit of a showman." Anna brought her piece over to his and frowned. "But why a mirror."

"I think it's-" John tipped his head up, pointing toward the roof above them.

Anna craned her head back, her frown solidifying into a scowl before she grabbed for the fire escape. "He wasn't looking for an exit when he used these."

They reached the top of the stairs, Anna dropping to the roof and walking the edges of it before returning to where John waited. Taking a deep breath, and closing her eyes a moment, she walking seventeen steps forward and stopped. Ignoring John's mutter behind her, Anna dusted her hand over the roof and then sat back.

"I think you might want to see this." Anna crouched back on her heels, crossing her arms over her knees to rest her chin on her arms. "It's worse."

"Worse than leaving a woman practically sucked dry in an alley?" John turned to the message on the roof and closed his eyes. "This is worse but I don't know why it's worse except that there's a chill running down my spine that's not the wind."

"It's his count." Anna stood up, surveying the roof again. "He wants us to know he's not done."

"He's already dropped those bodies though."

"Then he's got others on his mind." Anna stopped, frowning, "Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?" John shuffled and craned his head to listen, his brow furrowed. "What is that sound?"

"It's Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata."

"What about it?"

"I'm not sure yet." Anna followed it to the rooftop entrance and opened the door, pointing her flashlight into the stairwell. "Feel like a bit of investigating?"

"Because you hear classical music?"

"Because it's his favorite song." Anna pointed just to the side and waited for John to notice the camera. "He's watching us."

"The intelligence says we don't fall into his trap."

"Step two is always to spring the trap." Anna shrugged, "Come if you want."

"You don't have authority to do any investigating."

"Then I guess I'm just a private citizen trespassing and now you've got probably cause to follow."

Anna heard John's groan as she continued into the stairwell.