Here's the next chapter, hope you like this one as much as you all seem to like the story so far. Please read and review.
The next morning, Mac and Stella, despite their jet lag managed to get up and to work with Sandra so that they could be fully briefed on the case and start work on finding the killer. His MO was quite simple- slashing prostitutes necks both left and right handed- but the problem was a. no CCTV of any possible suspects and no witnesses, and b. he'd already killed in the US and UK and they couldn't even be sure that he was still in Britain. There was some good news, however, DNA samples had been found in four cases (two in each country) which is how they'd managed to link the cases and though there was no match in the DNA database at the moment, UCOS was about to get clearance to try a new technique on the samples where they would look at the DNA to get a physical profile of the perp.
In fact, the call came five minutes after Brian had finished giving the brief and so they were able to send off the samples that afternoon which meant that the men from UCOS were able to introduce Mac to a proper British pub at lunch and Stella was able to help Sandra with some other UCOS cases that they still hadn't got round to solving during their working lunch, which is also when she had her first encounter with Strickland. He came striding into the office about to congratulate them on getting permission for the DNA profiling when he realised ¾ of the team were missing, along with Mac.
"Sandra, can I talk to you alone for a moment?"
"With due respect, sir, Det. Bonasera knows the rules and is not about to blab confidential information so you can tell her whatever you want to tell me."
"Fine, where are your team? Just because we have a development in a case it does mean that they can indulge themselves in a liquid lunch, which is where I presume they are."
Stella could barley contain her laughter at this so stepped outside, whilst Strickland continued to berate Sandra.
"And whilst she's out of earshot, do you mind telling me why you have invited a heavily pregnant woman from America here? I'm sure she would have been a lot safer staying at home."
"For you information, Det. Bonasera was the person who made the link between the two cases, from all accounts is one of NYPD's finest and do you really think she'd come out here if she thought it was unsafe for her or her unborn child? Please leave."
Stella returned a minute later with two glasses of water to see Sandra fuming
"The nerve of him. Feel free to punch him if you want because you're not under his authority and can't punish you."
"He can't be that bad."
"He as good as said that he thought you were incapable of your job because you're pregnant."
"What?"
"Exactly."
When the men returned, Mac went for a private chat (which is by no means code for anything else) with Sandra in her office and when they closed the blinds Gerry and Stella both went to peak through them.
"Gerry, do you know what they're saying?" Stella asked him.
"No, sorry, can't read her body language so well with Mac, Brian- now that's easy cos she permanently wants to knock some sense into him and his weirdness out." (I should explain at this point to people who do not watch New Tricks that Brian is a workaholic, recovering alcoholic with a chemical imbalance in the brain which can make him mentally unstable and a photographic memory)
"Heard that" said Brain from the other side of the office.
Just then Mac and Sandra started to move towards the door and it was a rush for Stella and Gerry to get away from the window before the other two came out.
All was quiet for a further five minutes before the team received a call. It was from the police in Oxford saying they'd found a body fitting the MO of their killer. Of course, this resulted in a day trip the next day to meet Detective Inspector Lewis and collect the evidence. He took them to see the body as it had now been identified.
The post mortem had just been finished when the team (including Mac and Stella) arrived, and the CSIs were surprised to see that it was none other than Peyton Driscoll who had performed it.
"Hello Mac… and Stell." Peyton said upon seeing them arrive, "long time no see."
"One minute- you know each other?" Sandra asked, startled.
"Peyton Driscoll, ME, worked at the New York crime lab 2006 to 2007." Brian interrupted before anyone else could answer.
"How on earth do you know that?" Peyton said, annoyed at the relative stranger knowing personal information.
"He knows just about every police and related employees' employment records." Gerry responded.
"Whoa, that's some feat." Stella said, half amazed, "but still freaky." She added under her breath, earning a nudge in the side from Mac.
The victim had been killed exactly the same way as the others, but this time, he'd left a hair at the scene.
"Finally, he's starting to get careless." Mac said as they returned to the office that evening for a debrief.
As he said that, Brian started to tap on his keyboard at a rate of knots.
"What is it, Brian?" Jack asked (sorry I've missed him out so far, Jack Halford is the oldest member of the team and used to be Sandra's boss before he retired and was recruited into UCOS)
"If he's getting careless, there's a chance that he may have left CCTV evidence as well. Where was she found again?"
"In a car parked on Mulberry Road. Registration X789 ASD" (these are RANDOM, I'm sorry if it's your road or reg. number) Sandra answered.
10 minutes later Brian exclaimed, "Result!" to which the rest of the team rushed over to see what he'd found.
"The car the vic was found in was one of residents that the murderer broke into but this clip shows a woman who looks the spit of our vic with a man going towards Mulberry Road."
"Can you improve the picture?" Gerry asked, trying to make sense of the grainy picture.
"Yes, but it will take hours."
"Then we'll go home and continue this tomorrow." Sandra ordered.
"Sorry bout that- Brian has a tendency to go overboard, gets completely absorbed in cases then won't go home for weeks and forget to take his meds."
"Remove the last part and you've got Mac here, trust me it's not rare" Stella added.
"Hey!"
"What? It's true."
"Humph."
"You are getting better; you don't work for more than 12 hours in one go."