Chapter 2

Jess walked into the building two minutes late. No one would really mind, but it bothered her. She liked to be on time and organized, but the universe had conspired against her this morning. On top of that, Dean had called last night to wish her a happy birthday. It was nice of him, but Dean reminded her if Sam, something that had her crying as well as making it necessary to take out the anger on her punching bag. Needless to say, she hadn't gotten much sleep the night before. Today was not looking like a good one.

She reached her desk in a foul mood, ready to tear any and every body's head off. Jess told herself that she needed to remain calm, something that prevented her from decapitating her newest partner as he cleared his throat behind her.

"Ah, the chief wants to see you in his office. It sounded urgent." he ventured to say.

"Perfect. That's just great. I'm going now." Jess stalked off without a backwards glance.

Once she reached the office, she knocked on the door, and at the urging of the chief, came in. He gestured to her to sit down. She complied, crossing her arms slightly as she prepared for the unknown.

"You're one of the best detectives here, Detective Moore. That's why I'm giving you this case, if you'll take it. It's special, involves an old case and some cooperation with another department. would you be interested?"

Jess thought about it. She and her new partner were not getting along so well at the moment and she needed to take her mind off Sam for a moment. She nodded. "Yes, sir. I'd be glad to take it."

"All right. In that case, I'll give you the files, the address of the precinct you'll be working with, and a little background before you leave."

He pulled out a stack of files, some old, some new from somewhere in his desk and handed them to Jess. She took them, putting them in her lap, since she didn't have her bag. "Thank you sir. Now what do you have to tell me?"

The chief sighed. "6 homicides in the past week. They've all been killed the same way- and tortured. We think it's a copycat to a similar string of murders 10, 11 years ago. The new murders took place in our area, while the others took place in the 20th's. That's why we're sharing the case. The rest's in the files. You're expected at the 20th precinct in half an hour to meet whoever you'll be working with. I'll let you go now, thank you for taking this."

Jess wrote down the information on a small notecard she had managed to dig out of a pocket. "Thank you, sir, I'll be on my way, then."

She stood, turned, and finally exited the office. She could make it over to the 20th in 15 minutes tops, but being early never hurt anyone. She stopped by her desk to grab her coat and bag, smiling at her partner as she left. This would be interesting, she thought as she walked to her car. After she had started it up, Jess looked at the stack of files, noticing there was an officer's card stuck in one. She pulled it out, reading the note that said "working with" hastily scribbled on the back. She turned it over and read, "Detective Nick Milton." the name didn't ring any bells. Oh, well, Jessica Moore would find out about this Milton soon enough. And if he tried anything, she would be ready.