'We've got another one Mac.' Hawkes confirmed; crouching over the body of a teenage girl. 'Same MO.'

Mac clenched his jaw hard, grinding his teeth together so tightly that they began to ache as he bit down the rising fury directed towards the Taunter. 'Get her back to the lab.' Mac stood up, glancing to his CSIs working on the surrounding crime scene.

This time it was not an alleyway that the Taunter had chosen to deposit his victim, but rather outside an abandoned warehouse opposite the dockyard. The choice of dump site was obviously deliberate as the warehouse was due to be torn down within the coming days and the girl had been found almost immediately.

That was the one thing about the Taunter; he wanted them found quickly so that he could receive the credit. Mac had known the minute the call had come in that it would be the Taunter's work. It had been ten years; ten long years and yet there were still nights when the nightmares haunted him and now the terror had returned for real. He turned, as if expecting Stella to agree with him before flinching at the realisation that whilst the Taunter may be back; Stella was not.

Jo came up beside him. 'Mac, there doesn't look to be much evidence here. We're sifting through the rubbish surrounding the scene, but that looks to have been here a long time. I don't think he's left us anything.'

'What about the vic? Any ID?' He turned back to Hawkes.

'Not on the body.'

'Mac I found something...' Lindsay called over from her spot close to the soon-to-be demolished warehouse. 'Female purse. Got a bus pass...Yep it's the vic's. 19 year-old Sarah Jones.'

'Why leave the ID?' Jo furrowed her brow.

'He likes us to know who they are so it gives him more coverage.'

Mac stood there; staring at the teenager's corpse for a long time. There was nothing he hated more than unsolved cases, where the perpetrator had escaped from justice. It felt like a personal failure for Mac. He had made an oath to protect the citizens of New York and to ensure justice and there had been many times where he had been unable to keep this promise. What he hated the most was the fact he could walk away but the victim's loved ones could not. They only had their memories to keep them company and the knowledge that the one responsible for their loved ones' death was still free in society, able to enjoy life in the way that the victim could not. That was the hardest thing of all to stomach and over the years there had been many times where Mac had had to just walk away and try and forget the case, ready to face another crime scene and another mystery.

The Taunter killings however were the ones that haunted him most. This murderer was the most coldblooded that Mac had come across. Eight innocent women had been butchered for no apparent reason. It was truly sickening. And it had gone on for too long.

Ten years and there had been no sign in the city and indeed across the country and now after so long a hiatus, already there were two victims and at a much quicker timeframe. Mac Taylor was not a man to ever admit he needed help or to shy away from challenging situations, but for the first time since 9/11 he had lost his way. He had no idea what to do; which path to take. Normally in such situations he would turn to Stella, his partner, the one person who understood him. But not this time. Stella was gone. And he had never felt so lost. Without saying a word, Mac stalked off, away from the crime scene, his CSIs watching him worriedly as he left, knowing that without their leader, they face a near impossible task of hunting the Taunter.

'Mac, we have a problem.' Danny walked into Mac's office. 'Sarah Jones was last seen at the uni library by her classmates at around about 11pm two days ago. They thought it was strange that they didn't see her yesterday but just put it down to her being busy with experiments. She was majoring in biology.'

'What's the problem?' Mac raised his eyebrows, knowing by the look on Danny's face that something was amiss.

'Sarah Jones has a twin sister, Amanda Jones, majoring in English Literature. She was last seen with Sarah at the library. I spoke to friends and teachers and they say they haven't seen her since Sarah went missing. The sisters were inseparable, Mac. I think the Taunter has Amanda and she's still alive.'

Mac was silent for a moment before speaking. 'The Taunter has never taken more than one victim at a time. This is a change in his routine.'

Danny was about to continue when Jo burst into the office, marching over to Mac's TV. 'Sorry to interrupt Mac, but you need to see this.' The TV switched on to show live news coverage, with 'Breaking News' plastered all over the screen.

The three CSIs watched and listened in silence as the newsreader spoke. 'We have breaking news just coming in. A source from the NYPD has confirmed that the bodies of two females found in the city are thought to be victims of a serial killer known as the Taunter who terrorised the city ten years ago, murdering eight women and causing a wave of panic across the city...'

Mac had heard enough and switched off the TV.

'Who leaked it?'

'We don't know Mac but this is going to cause a major panic in the city.'

'I agree Jo.' Mac nodded. 'But it's also going to feed our killer's narcissism and could accelerate his kills. We need to work fast and thoroughly, leave no stone unturned.' Jo and Danny nodded and quickly exited the office, readying themselves for the hours of intense investigation that lay before them.

Mac sighed deeply, rubbing his temples with his fingers and knowing that this nightmare had just worsened. He sat up straight as the phone began to ring and glanced down at the caller ID: Chief Sinclair. Another sigh escaped his lips and Mac braced himself for the conversation, knowing that events were about to be complicated further and that the pressure to catch the killer would only increase.

His laugh sounded as though it came from the deep bowels of hell. Except it could not really be described as a laugh as it was more a soulless cackle which emanated the evilness and insanity that its owner was reputed to be.

The Taunter watched the news coverage with unadulterated glee. This was what he had missed; all the publicity, all the infamy that came with his name. It had been ten years since he had last experienced such fame and he missed it fiercely. It was almost as thrilling as the killing itself; almost. He loved the way people feared him, how he could inspire a whole city to tremble at the mention of his name. He was the master of the world. And the best part of it all was that the great and mighty Detective Mac Taylor was powerless to stop him.

As if some power was punishing him for his greatness, a wave of pain flooded through his body, reminding him of his condition and he let out a soul-destroying howl of agony. Once it had passed, he stumbled to his feet; the only way to relieve him now of his suffering was to amuse himself by playing with his victim. He smiled in anticipation of the screams of excruciating pain the teenager would soon be in. And then it would be time for the next move in his little game with Detective Taylor, a move guaranteed to torture the Detective into insanity.

News of the Taunter's return had spread through New York within hours of the first headline. Every news station carried non-stop coverage of the case, including showing coverage of the original cases as well as interviewing practically anyone who had an opinion or a conspiracy theory about the Taunter. The internet was abuzz with searches dedicated to the case and all the major newspapers' front pages carried so-called exclusive details about the investigation.

As soon as the case had been leaked, panic had started. Those who remembered the original case could attest to the smothering feeling that had engulfed the city and the terror each woman had endured as they waited to see who the Taunter would target next. There had also been the unyielding pressure upon the NYPD and already this had begun due to the intense media spotlight of the current case. Women across New York were being encouraged not to walk alone and brigades had been set up at universities, colleges and schools in order to escort young women to and from buildings by bus or in large groups. All around the city there was a great fear and anticipation about where-and when- the Taunter would strike again.

It was as though New York had been engulfed in darkness and fear all over again and indeed so much so that some commentators argued that it would test the resiliency of the New York survival spirit that had been so captured in the aftermath of 9/11.

For Stella, the day had been busier than usual. Since she began her shift at eight in the morning she had been rushing non-stop to fulfil orders for the seemingly never-ending line of patrons demanding beverages. It was a different business from what she was used to at the crime lab, but despite the exhaustion she found that she actually enjoyed interacting with people going about their day without the spectre of a murder or crime hanging over their heads. She found it strangely refreshing to witness firsthand the good in the world instead of always being immersed in the bad. Despite her rush, particularly over the lunchtime period, Stella had not been too preoccupied that she noticed, out of the corner of her eye, that there seemed to be a developing news story on the plasma which a lot of her customers seemed to be staring at or discussing as they collected their beverages. But Stella had little time to ponder it before another order was placed and she once more turned to the coffee maker.

It was not until around four that it quietened down enough for Stella to take a break. Although it had only been a fifteen minute break, it had been long enough for Stella to feel recharged and she walked out of the staff area, clutching her now empty mug which had previously contained steaming black coffee.

Stella saw that Kate was standing in front of the plasma and approached her.

'So what's happening in the world Kate?'

Kate was frowning. 'I can't believe it. Look at this Stella. NYPD's sayin' there's a serial killer in the city.'

Stella immediately looked to the screen, listening to the newsreader speak.

'Thank you Sally. If you have just tuned in then the latest development in this murder case is that the New York Police Department have just officially confirmed that they believe that the recent murders of two women and the abduction of another are the work of a serial killer nicknamed the Taunter who terrorised New York a decade ago...'

The sound of a shattering ceramic filled the air as Stella dropped the mug she had been holding in shock. Oblivious to Kate's worried calls, she stood there pale and trembling as she stared at the screen, confirmation plastered all over the news that her bête noire, her arch nemesis, the killer who still haunted her, had returned.

'Let's get started.' Mac's authoritative voice effectively silenced the babble of the CSIs as they sat around the conference table waiting for the debrief to start. 'You have all probably heard by now that Chief Sinclair just confirmed that we believe the Taunter is back.'

The team nodded in response. 'This means there's a lot of pressure on us now- from top brass, from the media and from the public. From now on, every NYPD detective and officer regardless of rank is to make finding Amanda Jones and the Taunter the top priority. Chief Sinclair has ordered that the city be put on lockdown, traffic units are already setting up roadblocks on routed leading out of the city and have put extra patrols on ports and airports in case the Taunter decides to make a run for it.'

'I don't think that's likely.' Jo commented, 'He would want to stay and revel in the attention that he is receiving.'

'I agree but it is a precaution.' Mac stated. 'From now on we are working non-stop until we find Amanda Jones. Re-interview everybody to see if they noticed anything suspicious, go back over the evidence we have from both murders. Jo, Lindsay I want you both to look over the original killings; see if there's anything that has been missed.'

'Mac we could do with some more CSIs.' Hawkes asked.

'Night shift's been called in and we also have CSIs arriving from New Jersey to help with the processing of evidence. Flack, I take it you'll be helping with the tip line?'

Flack nodded. 'I don't know if we'll get much asides from the usual nutjobs and conspiracy theorists but it may pull up something.'

'It's worth a try.' Mac agreed.

'More reinforcements will be on the way shortly and if there's anything else you need then tell me and I'll square it with the chief, ok?'

The team nodded before heading back to their work, all secretly thinking that the one thing they needed the most was Stella.

However, unbeknownst to them, Mac also shared this feeling. Although he would never admit it, he was lost without Stella. Ten years ago, the last time he had faced this terrifying nightmare; she had been by his side, helping him to focus, helping him to stay sane. He knew he should pick up the phone and call New Orleans. It would be such an easy action to do and yet something stopped him.

Fear? Anger? Stubborn pride? He could not be sure of which but all he knew was what he could not face seeing Stella again. He could not bear to relive the last angry moments of their partnership; a partnership he had for so long taken advantage of and which he had once thought would never end. How wrong he had been. They had been through so much together and still she had left the lab. Still she had left him for New Orleans. A new life.

A wave of guilt hit Mac in that minute and he savagely clamped down on it. His resolve hardened, he made his decision and took his hand off of the phone.

They would manage just fine without Stella.

Another chapter of this gruesome tale, and on Halloween as well. As always your support is much appreciated and please give feedback, I do love it when you do that.