"That was an awe-inspiring speech," Castella began after Elizabeth sat opposite her on one of the uncomfortable chairs with the creaky backrest. "I'm just wondering whether your findings will really advance the investigation or rather serve to ingratiate you with the upper management."

Elizabeth demonstratively controlled her facial features to signal that she would not respond to this question.

"Sure, you see many things," Castella continued, unguided. "But you won't find a perpetrator like this by philosophizing about morality and death lists. The senator of the interior calls me every goddamn day, and the press office rotates from morning to night. We need to pick up the pace even more. That's why I've taken the liberty of adding another backup to your team starting tomorrow."

"A woman," the captain noted, and she already had an inkling of what was to come. "A woman. An expert, but she's not from Boston."

Castella's look expressed curiosity.

"We don't need another detective; the task force is well-staffed," Elizabeth explained, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "So it has to be an expert because you always like to bring them in when you want to demonstrate to the DA's office that you're stepping up your efforts. There are very few female experts in the US for cases like this."

Castella agreed. She even skillfully overlooked her colleague's side blow. "And how do you know it's a woman?" she asked instead.

Elizabeth took a deep breath before answering. "I thought you would have worded your sentence differently if it was a man. Something like: 'I called in an expert. The word backup made it sound like you were trying to be gender-neutral."

Nick snorted in amusement, and Nikki pressed her lips together to stop herself from grinning widely.

"Good, Elizabeth," Castella continued. "Dr. Katherine Isles is straight out of Washington DC, and as I'm sure you know very well yourself, she is indeed an expert on serial killers. The most renowned one there is in the United States. She has studied their stories, visited many of them in prison cells, and had conversations with them. Hopefully, her concentrated knowledge will help us gain new insights."

Nick's grin faded instantly when he heard Katherine's name. Not only had Elizabeth's marriage broken down after the last case in Florence, but also Katherine's and his.

In recent years, the psychiatrist had repeatedly hinted that she wanted to break out of the marriage but had decided against it for Jalen's sake.

But after the boy reached traveling age, nothing could keep Katherine in Boston and her marriage any longer.

Katherine had accepted a job at Quantico, informed her family, and left Boston two weeks later without saying goodbye.

Elizabeth's expression darkened. "Why didn't I think of that myself," she countered. "I listen to Dr. Isles tell me why Ted Bundy murdered all those women back then, and then we have our Jack sitting in a cell in no time."

"Things were different under Jane Rizzoli," Castella began calmly and without a trace of sarcasm. "Time ticks differently here and now." She didn't seem to want to argue with the captain. Elizabeth felt that the chief was trying to get her on her side. "Brutal murders, exploited by the media - what do you think that does to the people of Boston?"

Elizabeth took a deep breath and nodded slowly. "You're right. Jack confirms the people in this city in their already unshakeable conviction that we're all doomed anyway. And how will this episode end? We'll catch him, they'll lock him up, and everyone will forget about him."

Castella looked closely at the captain. "And what about the dead?"

Elizabeth shrugged her shoulders. "They'll be forgotten before we catch him. Or do you remember the names of Ted Bundy's victims?"

Castella stumbled. She knew Elizabeth was not exactly known for her sentimentality in the BPD. Nevertheless, this remark seemed too indifferent, even for an experienced investigator like Elizabeth Rizzoli. "What are you up to?"

Elizabeth looked at her team and frowned a little. "I'm going to look into Jack's success stories. What he's doing all this for. And if I'm lucky, I'll find out something about him that I don't know yet."

Castella looked at her captain expectantly.

"He's making an example, and I want everyone to know," Elizabeth continued. "It's all about the media, about the feedback. He wants as many people as possible to watch him punish animal abusers or do something cruel to people he sees as anti-social. You can be sure Jack reads every report about his killing spree. And who are the people who write these reports?"

"I'm sure you'll tell me."

"The same journalists who wrote about the victims. Long before they became victims."

Castella's worried expression relaxed slightly as she understood what Elizabeth was getting at. "Everyone Jack has murdered so far has been in the media at some point with their offenses. Often just small articles, but every victim has been in the papers or on TV at some point."

"Exactly," Elizabeth confirmed, nodding. "If those who brought Jack to his victims in the first place are now writing about him, then it could be that one or two of them are giving our serial killer ideas."

"What would that look like?"

"Maybe one of the reporters will mention people who could fit into Jack's revenge plan on society."

"You mean he could indirectly get suggestions as to who else deserves to be on the list?"

"His list has already been finalized. But perhaps he's still looking for representatives for the individual transgressions." Elizabeth paused for a moment and then speculated mockingly. "Perhaps Dr. Isles can tell us more. When will her expertise be available to us?"

Castella took a deep breath and licked her lips. "She's working on the files today. I'll send her over tomorrow morning for the first meeting. What are you planning to do until then?"

"I'm going to go home to my son," Elizabeth replied and started to move.

Nick jumped up from his chair and followed the captain. "Did you know Kate was going to be called in?" he asked as he followed her.

"Yes, Nick," Elizabeth growled, marching down the hall towards her office. "I heard about it but didn't tell you. And I figured I'd just pretend to be surprised." She stopped at her office door and gave him a miffed look. "No, of course, I didn't know about it," she barked, entering her office and slamming the door in his face.

xxx

"The food has tasted better here before," Elizabeth said, sitting in her favorite bar, pushing her barely touched plate away from her with the corners of her mouth pulled down.

"If you want something sensible to eat, you should try the restaurant down the road that's just opened," Nick replied with a deep frown as he approached their table. "Can I join you?"

Elizabeth looked up and smiled happily.

The distraction was just what she needed. She had retired to her favorite bar with a considerable stack of copies of various daily newspapers. While one of the more serious papers ran the headline: Boston in the grip of a murderer - where does the violence come from?

The lurid Crosshairs opened with blood, death, and pain! Who will the mad killer grab next?

There was a multitude of reports on Jack's murders, some better, some worse, and Elizabeth noticed that the emphasis in the reporting was primarily geared to the educational level of the target audience.

While one newspaper speculated wildly about the torture to which Jack's victims had allegedly been subjected, another used Pierre La Maire's death as an opportunity to reflect on animal welfare issues.

As Elizabeth had expected, some papers pointed out that they had previously reported on the later murder victims. In contrast, others criticized their competitors for this, accusing them of a media witch hunt.

Elizabeth realized, to her regret, that it was almost impossible to gain any real insight from the plethora of reports, even if she might take up her idea again later.

Nick Simms's appearance was a welcome distraction for her, especially since her brother-in-law had asked to work on a completely different case.

"Have you found this model yet?" Elizabeth wanted to know.

Nick rolled his eyes and took a sip of his coffee. "Stop it," he rebutted as he sat at the table. "I'd love to swap places with you if Kate wasn't involved again! This bitching is getting on my nerves. I thought it would be different. I thought I'd investigate fashion shows and interview one model after another."

Elizabeth arched a brow as she looked at him and grinned mischievously. "They all think you're so sexy, of course, and ask you to show them your gun."

Nick rolled his eyes again. "And what do I do? I match databases and have to justify myself to journalists. Well, thank you, too."

Tanja Henderson was an internationally successful top model from Boston and a judge on a top-rated casting show for aspiring catwalk beauties. Just over a week ago, she disappeared without a trace. There was no evidence of foul play, so no police search was initially launched. There were no signs of a struggle, and Henderson's family had not received a ransom demand.

It was only public pressure from the media that finally prompted the DA's office to launch an investigation into her disappearance.

"Did you at least conduct a few body searches on the contestants on her casting show?" Elizabeth asked with obvious mock concern. "Not that you're missing any facts."

Nick laughed and took another sip of his coffee. "Well, those facts are more likely to be the responsibility of the fraud squad."

Elizabeth eyed her plate again with disdain. "But let's return to your model ... Do you think anything happened?"

Nick seemed torn on the question. "Let me put it this way: I do not indicate that there's a crime. We wouldn't be investigating at all if she wasn't so prominent."

Elizabeth casually looked into her coffee cup, even though she knew it was empty. "You should look on the bright side. As soon as Tanja Henderson reappears, you can invite her in for questioning to your heart's content."

"If that's what I want," Nick grumbled and looked at his sister-in-law closely.

"You're right about that. Isn't she such a badass, talking to the girls like they're on a military base?"

Nick looked at her in surprise, but then he raised his eyebrows. "Say, couldn't Henderson be a victim of your serial killer, too?"

The lieutenant had long since considered the question. "No," she replied. "First of all, Jack hasn't killed a woman yet. That is a weak argument, admittedly. Secondly, no figure has yet emerged in connection with Tanja's disappearance. That's a better argument. Thirdly - and now comes the main argument: there is no body! Jack's in a hurry, Nick. He doesn't waste time; he leaves disfigured victims, and what he does to them, he does to them in public." She pushed her cup away. "No, there's something else going on with the model. Did you check first whether she had a stalker?"

"Yes, because that would have explained why there's no ransom note," Nick replied with a furrowed brow. "She has many fans, but no one knows about a classic stalker."

She thought about how she could help her brother-in-law and long-time friend. "Still, you shouldn't give up on the idea that someone has kidnapped this beautiful woman so that she can be with them all the time. I have an idea. Are you interested?" The look on Nick's face was answer enough. She licked her lips and frowned a little. "If it was an introduction, the perpetrator must have studied her carefully beforehand. He can't get into her house that easily, so he'd have to kidnap her in public. But such a well-known model has someone around her all the time. She is constantly being photographed, and cameras follow her everywhere. If you want to kidnap a woman like that, you have to have a perfect time. And that requires planning. Where could he have gotten close to her?"

Nick listened up. "You mean there must have been an interface between her and her fans?"

Elizabeth smiled. "Very well. The final rounds of her casting show were all produced in front of a live audience, and anyone could buy the tickets. So, a later kidnapper could have come very close to Henderson. Why don't you ask the production company to explain this?"

"You want me to look for someone who sat in the audience several times?"

"What if a single sex offender with a criminal record was in the audience ten times? You should visit him in his pavilion, shouldn't you?"

Nick liked the suggestion. "It's worth a try. I'm glad of everything I can still find out," he admitted with a hint of a smile. "I've turned over every stone in this woman's life. She's gone, nobody's seen anything, nobody's a suspect. Why am I being given such a thankless case?"

Elizabeth took a deep breath and licked her lips. "Well, you asked for this case when it came out that Kate was rejoining the team. Castella probably trusts you with this case. If you want, you can go back to hunting serial killers --" she paused and furrowed her brows. "Just not mine! He's starting to grow on me."

Nick rolled his eyes. Nick had asked to be taken off the Jack case after learning that Katherine would return to the team. Still, the fact that Castella had entrusted him with the missing model case was anything but a demotion. "Say, Liz, can't you solve my case for me? Then I could retrain as a chef and provide some good food here."

Elizabeth grinned broadly and shook her head. "Don't bother; good food hasn't fit in here for a long time. Besides, the casting shows have been getting on my nerves for a long time. You can take your time finding Henderson for all I care."

Nick rolled his eyes again, this time with a grin, before standing up.

xxx

Nikki had noticed that her mother was silent on the way to the house where Maggie still lived with Benjamin. Elizabeth had looked for a small apartment as quickly as possible after the separation and, despite Maggie's objections, had insisted that the redhead stay in the house they shared.

The young woman cleared her throat before turning into the driveway, and Elizabeth slowly lifted her head from the passenger window. "Are you okay?"

The captain took a deep breath, nodded, and exited her daughter's car.

Nikki licked her lips and followed her mother without asking any more questions.

The captain had barely opened the front door when she heard little feet running towards her.

"Mama!" said Benjamin, barely allowing his mother to catch him.

"Come here, you cute little rascal," she groaned with a broad smile as she lifted the boy into her arms.

Nikki couldn't help but grin widely and waved at her little brother as he looked at her wide-eyed.

Elizabeth rocked her son in her arms, smiling gently and looking at him with furrowed brows. "Where's your mommy?" She followed Benjamin's outstretched arm with her gaze. "In the kitchen?"

Nikki chuckled as Benjamin nodded in agreement.

"Okay, let's go to the kitchen then."

When she heard Elizabeth's voice and footsteps, Maggie looked up and smiled broadly when she saw her still-wife carrying Benjamin in her arms, grinning broadly.

Sitting at the kitchen island, Jane also raised her eyes and frowned deeply when she saw the look on Elizabeth's face. "Oh dear."

"You can say that again," the captain replied, handing Maggie her son and pausing hesitantly as if part of her routine was missing.

Nikki pressed her lips together as she watched the spectacle and licked her lips.

Maggie seemed to keep waiting for a kiss, even though she wanted the separation. She cleared her throat and blinked a few times as the captain backed away. "How was your date?"

Maura came out of the guest restroom and furrowed her eyebrows. "You had a date?"

Elizabeth rolled her eyes, went to the fridge, and pulled out two beers—one for herself and one for Nikki. "Yes, I did, and let's not talk about it."

Maggie continued to rock Benjamin on her arm and furrowed her eyebrows. She had run into the woman Elizabeth had lunched with that day at the coffee shop time and time again and had a conversation or two with her. She had encouraged Elizabeth to invite the woman called Deanne to lunch and almost insisted on it. "Deanne made a very nice impression on me, and she looks good too."

Nikki grinned broadly and opened her bottle of beer. "Ma says Deanne's stingy and that you can't have fun with stingy women."

Jane frowned a little but then pulled the corners of her mouth down and nodded in agreement.

Maura looked at her wife admonishingly. "Back off now, Jane."

The retired chief paused and looked at her wife in astonishment. "What? But when Liz is right, she's right."

Maura rolled her eyes and looked closely at her older daughter. "Aren't you a little too old to just have fun?"

Elizabeth sat down next to Jane and lifted her shoulders. "No, not really. I mean, I have human needs, after all."

Nikki was about to take a swig from the bottle when she paused abruptly after her mother's statement and made a face as a movie of her mother and other women played in her mind's eye. "Those are images I didn't want in my head. Ever!"

Maggie couldn't suppress an amused chuckle.

Elizabeth looked at the young woman in astonishment. "What, you still think your mom and I just told each other bedtime stories every night until we fell asleep?"

Nikki rolled her eyes and furrowed her brows as she waved her hands back and forth between Maggie and Elizabeth. "No, after all, I overheard you two having sex one too many times. But that was --"

Maura cocked her head to one side with interest while Jane just waited for the young woman to finish her sentence.

Elizabeth blinked a few times and listened intently to her daughter.

Maggie frowned a little; obviously, she wasn't quite as patient as the others. "What?"

Nikki flailed even more intensely between her parents, her eyes wide. "That was just something else. That was normal!"

Elizabeth's eyebrows drew together. "Because we're married?" She paused and lifted her shoulders as Maggie's eyes flew to her.

"Yes," the young woman said, pointing at the captain. "That's right!"

Elizabeth nodded slowly and pulled down the corners of her mouth while Maura and Jane grinned broadly. "Maggie and I didn't start having sex after we got married."

Nikki rolled her eyes. "I'm well aware of that, Ma."

Maggie pointed at herself and the captain. "If I remember correctly, we slept together before we even had a real relationship. We were friends with benefits, so to speak."

Elizabeth nodded slowly in agreement. "Yep."

Nikki slumped her shoulders and lowered her brows. "Seriously? At this moment, you lose all the respect I've ever had for you."

Maura laughed heartily, and Jane grinned broadly.

"Oh," Elizabeth replied with a mischievous smile, "you had respect for us?"

Nikki rolled her eyes, and Elizabeth laughed. Of course, the captain knew that Nikki had the utmost respect for Maggie, her, Jane, and Maura.

Elizabeth became serious again and looked at Maura. "You gave Castella quite a beating today, didn't you?"

Maura became serious again and took a sip from her wine glass. "Rightly so, I'd say."

Elizabeth sighed and raised her eyebrows briefly without saying anything.

Jane now looked at the three women with interest. "How are things going with Castella?"

"Can't you come out of retirement?" Nikki replied, looking at her grandmother with lowered brows.

Jane tucked her chin. "That bad?"

"That bad," Elizabeth, Maggie, and Nikki said simultaneously.