"People see what they want to see, and what they see… never has anything to do with the truth."

- Roberto Bolano

6 months later...

"What do we know?" Agent Schuester inquires as the rest of his team gets situated in their seats.

There had been no time for pleasantries when Will had called them back into the office shortly after midnight. The younger agents knew this case had to be really bad, judging by the fact that: 1) Schuester had received the request directly, 2) they were told to meet on the jet as soon as possible (instead of in the conference room like usual), and 3) Fabray would be accompanying them.

"Less than 24 hours ago, Joy Arrington was reported missing by her mother, Janet. After failing to show up to a social gathering with her friends and not being able to get ahold of her via call or text, her mother became concerned and contacted the police," Brittany informs. "Upon arriving at Joy's cabin (that she shares with her fiancé), Park Rangers found the front door ajar and the inside of the house to be in disarray. They believe that foul play was involved."

"What do we know about Joy?"

"White female, 26 years of age. Works as a Naturalist in Yosemite National Park. Very friendly and personable. No known enemies," Fabray lists off as she combs through the file.

"2 hours ago, the body of an unidentified female was found in the creek, about a mile away from Joy's cabin," Brittany continues on. "The local authorities believe the deceased is Miss Arrington, but they have to wait for a DNA comparison."

"Is there some reason they can't identify her through facial recognition?" Hudson questions. "She couldn't have been in the water long enough to distort her facial features that severely."

"No... but facial rec is a lot harder when you don't have a face to compare it to," Puckerman solemnly states. "The bastard decapitated her."

"Oh my God!" Quinn exclaims as she comes across a photo of Miss Arrington's (presumably) headless body.

Although she had been a part of the BAU for several years now, the technical analyst never got used to seeing some of the gruesome things people do to each other.

"Wait, this happened in Yosemite Park?" Santana implores, receiving a head nod from her boss. "Wasn't there a triple homicide there a few months ago where one of the victims was almost decapitated?"

"Lopez is right," Puck confirms, recalling the story he saw on the news months ago. "It was a mother and her teenaged daughter, along with a family friend.

"Do they think these cases are related?" Santana questions.

"No... not at first," Schue informs.

"According to the case file, they arrested two males for those crimes: Cooper Scott and Jason Avery. Stepbrothers," Dr. Abrams begins to say as he scans through the investigative notes. "They apparently confessed to the crimes, but their statements don't make any sense."

"What do you mean?" Santana inquires.

"Their written confessions lack any sort of detail. They don't mention how they abducted the three women, how they killed them, or even where they dumped their bodies," Artie elaborates, continuing to flip through the dozens of pages, putting his eidetic memory to good use. "There's no motive. And from what they do disclose, it doesn't match up with any of the forensics found on scene."

"So, what... they gave a false confession?" Quinn ponders, slightly confused by this information. "What would be the point of that? I mean, why would they want to confess to a crime they didn't commit; to something so heinous?"

"People do all sorts of crazy things," Puckerman answers. "From what I recall, these guys were homeless and drug addicts. Getting locked up at least provides them with shelter and free meals."

"Seems incredibly stupid," Santana chimes in.

"I agree. But now with this fourth homicide committed near the same area, in this short amount of time… it's clear that we have a serial on our hands," Will states.

"If there were so many holes in their stories, why were they arrested?" Finn ponders.

"High-profiled case, national news, the public demanding answers..." Brittany begins to list. "I'm sure the local Feds were getting a lot of heat from all angles and wanted to ease everyone's worries."

"Well... maybe if they would've done their due diligence, Miss Arrington would still be alive," Santana responds, shaking her head. Even though the headless torso found had yet to be identified as their missing woman, years of experience and the surrounding circumstances told the Latina that it was. "Seems like they're just trying to cover their own asses now."

"I'm with Lopez," Puckerman says, backing up his partner. "If the local Feds were so quick to lock up the stepbrothers (regardless if they believed them or not), then why are they asking for our help now?"

"They're not," Will definitively replies. "The Park Rangers are."

"That makes more sense," Brittany placates. "The Bureau doesn't want to look foolish and incompetent by announcing that they've imprisoned the wrong men."

"Exactly... that's why we need to hit the ground running and clean up this mess; Sylvester's orders," Schuester firmly states. "Fabray and Abrams, you'll head to the station and do a deep dive into the first three victims. See if there's any similarities or connections to Miss Arrington. Then, I want a thorough read-through of every interview with every witness, suspect, and persons of interest."

Quinn and Artie both nod in the affirmative, understanding their assignment.

"Lopez and Puckerman... you'll go to the crime scene and speak to the LEOs. Re-interview any witnesses on scene. Then, I want Miss Arrington's house searched from top to bottom."

"Yes, sir!"

"Brittany, you'll accompany them," Schue adds in. "When you find a good time to break away, head to the station and work on a statement for the press conference later today."

Brittany curtly nods her head.

"Hudson and I will meet with the M.E. to get the official cause of death and review the autopsies on the previous victims. Any questions?"

Receiving no additional inquiries from his team, Schuester dismisses the agents to go about their normal flight routines.

This case was sure to be an uphill battle.

Author's Note:

Hey guys!

I know, I know… it's been a long ass time. I wish there were more hours in the day or a way for the story I have pictured so clearly in my head to magically appear in a word doc. But, that's not the case so I hope if there's anyone still out there reading my stories, please accept my deepest apologies. In an attempt to get back in the groove of things, I'm gonna try my hardest to write shorter chapters so that I can update all of my stories in a more timely manner. Between work and real life, time definitely has not been on my side, but I'm trying to do better. As always, thanks for reading.

- Kris

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Glee or any of its characters.