A/n thanks for all the reviews, your all great. As for how I can write this type of story, to be honest not a clue especially since I've been told I have the emotional range of a teaspoon….: )
Mac was sat looking as defeated and angry as the rest of the team. One whole day since Lindsay was attacked and they had nothing.
"Mac I've got a case for you," Flack's voice called from the doorway.
"Flack we only have one case," replied Mac, confused that the detective was suggesting they work something other than Lindsay's case.
"You're going to want his. A woman was found dead in her hallway, suffocated and suspected rape," said Flack reading from his note book, "Neighbour found her. She'd been out with friends," he added.
"Do we think there linked?" asked Danny grabbing his coat as they got up, knowing it was a pointless question, if he didn't he wouldn't have brought them the case.
"Same MO," replied Flack.
The drive to the woman's apartment was short and they met Detective Angell outside.
"Her neighbour found her noticed the door was open, knocked to see if she was ok and found her body. The woman said she went out for a drinks earlier, saw her leave and spoke to her," finished Angell putting her notebook away.
"He's a serial isn't he?" Hawkes said in nothing more than a whisper.
"If he is that means he'll get clever," said Mac making Danny jump from his thoughts, "meaning we have even less to go on."
"He's advanced to murder," stated Hawkes as they reached the body.
"We don't' know that. According to Lindsay she heard men's voices and was able to push him away" said Mac nodding to Sid who was bent down with the body.
"He meant to kill Lindsay," said Danny with venom in his voice making everyone shudder.
"Flack, get hold of the media," instructed Mac.
"What?" asked Flack looking confused
"He'll strike again tomorrow night, probably more than once. Somebody knows him, somebody saw him I'm not letting anyone else go through this," he said as Flack nodded.
"She's been dead about three hours," said Sid moving so Hawkes could remove the towel that was shoved down her throat.
"Affixation due to suffocation. Obvious defensive wounds and signs of rape," he finished noticing how reluctant everyone was to acknowledge the fact this woman had been left in her hallway with her trousers and underwear round her ankles, a wrong glace and it could have been Lindsay laid there.
Two hours later and the house was been checked form top to bottom.
"He cleaned up," announced Danny holding up a hover missing a bag, so tight his knuckles were turning white.
"That's why I can't find any hairs," said Mac who was searching the hallway for fibres, "we didn't find any at Lindsay's…the first scene," said Hawkes realising now was not the time to remind everyone of how Lindsay's attack could have ended.
"Lindsay was in the apartment she would have heard," said Danny nearly choking on his own words.
"Did we find a hover bag?" Mac asked looking at Hawkes for conformation of what he already thought.
"I don't think so, best check. He may be shaving and wearing a wig, so the clean up might just be for anything else he leaves," he said looking up form where he had literally covered the whole door in printing powder. Danny was left to think for a minute how Lindsay would have loved to do it as he had broken out one of his 'special powders', something Lindsay had wanted to use.
"Ok I'll meet you all back at the lab," Hawkes said collecting his kit and leaving nodding to Mac on his way out.
Three hours later and the group were back at the lab. The only thing they could find around the scene was a smudged fingerprint, that it was unlikely AFIS would be able to find any matches to.
Sid was sat at the desk away from his usual place of work at morgue staring at pictures he'd rather not have seen.
"Are they……..?" asked Danny as he and Mac came in.
"Yes," replied Sid sounding unusually angry, but that was going around.
"Severe bruising in the usual places for rape," he answered not wanting to go into detail unless necessary.
"Also bruising around her wrists, signs of been held down," he continued, "There is however an unusual mark" he said pulling out one photo that make many people in the room hold their breath. The picture was of Lindsay's torso, embedded into it was a bruise in a distinctive pattern.
"What the hell?" said Danny becoming angry, "has he branded her?" he asked no one as he clenched his fists.
"It does look like that," said Mac reaching out and placing a hand on Danny's trembling arm. It was then a cough form the door alerted them to Adam's presence. Mac quickly removed the picture not wanting everyone to see it.
"Urm, sorry to interrupt but the cases are linked," announced Adam. "DNA's the same but I have something else," he said shuffling through some sheets in his hands.
"We found some foreign DNA on the towel in the victims mouth, it was Lindsay's" he said making every wince subconsciously.
"He kept it and used it the next time," said Sid looking disgusted.
"Oh and if you don't' mind me saying so that bruise the belts from the outlet store at the mall," said Adam shifting self-consciously knowing he wasn't supposed to have seen what he guessed was Lindsay.
"What?" asked Mac getting the photo out again.
"Yeah I've got one, its a Levi's rip off," he said leaving.
"Ok so he was wearing a belt at the time, he lent down so hard that it created a impression on the skin." Said Mac thinking out loud.
"He wore it for the second victim too," added Sid.
"That mall has hundred of shoppers each day. It's going to be impossible to trace," said Mac brining back the reality of the situation as a assistant appeared at the door.
"Mr Taylor there's a woman at the front desk asking for you."
"Who is it?" asked Mac
"She didn't say her name, she said it was about the attacks on the news," with that Mac shot from his chair flanked by Danny.
TBC….