I do not own Criminal Minds or its characters, including Theo. I do own Jackie, Lucas, Jo, PJ, and Dexter.

Graphic Warning: Viewer Discretion Advised

Also, I've left an important message at the end of this chapter. It's vital that you read it!

It was still daylight when the team had landed in Gracetown, Minnosota. Lucas had wasted no time driving himself and Jackie to the latest crime scene. When they got there, they quickly noticed a large patch of blood in the middle of the police taped area. The body had been removed, but had been there for awhile. Lucas could tell that fact by the size of the bloody circle.

"What time did the hunting party find the body?" he asked as he knelt down to examine the blood patch Jackie.

She answered "at about 3:30 in the morning."

"I'd say that he'd been killed about four to five hours prior to when his body had been removed."

Jackie looked over the report on her iPad. "Says that he didn't close up his store till about 11pm last night."

Lucas stood back up to take a good look around the area where the murder happened. If there was one thing he learned from reading all of David Rossi's books, it's that kill zones and dump sights told a lot about an unsub.

"Woods are the perfect place for unsubs to kill" he said out loud. "Hidden area, hardly any witnesses. Anyone could do anything to you and no one would hear you scream."

"And doing it under the cover of darkness only makes it easier" Jackie added in a chilled tone. "But Cindy Hilled was killed in her home. A huge risk to kill someone in their own home."

"Not necessarily. Home is where you feel the most safe, where you can let your guard down. And she was found in the backyard. The unsub could have waited until she was out of her house. Then killed her when she least expected it." It was the cowardly way for someone to kill. Yet, something about this latest victim made him believe that this unsub wasn't the coward type.

"If she had been a specific target, that would make sense. Was Gregg Marsh the same?" Based on the data Dexter had given them about Cindy Hilled and Gregg Marsh, it didn't look like their was a clear connection that tied them both together. Hilled was planning on being a mom and Marsh was a divorced father of two. Did the unsub really see them as unfit parents? Was that why he chose to kill them? Or was there a different reason?

That was when he remembered something that he read about Cindy Hilled's report. She'd been shot at several times by arrows while outside. "Maybe she was a victim of opportunity" he spoke his mind. "She was killed outside, same as Marsh had. Says that this guy is comfortable outdoors."

"But Marsh was also outside his store locking it up" Jackie pointed out. "The unsub could have killed him there. This is twenty-nine miles away from the store. Why would he follow him that far?"

She had a point. If Marsh closed his store at 11pm, that made it where hardly anyone was around. Even if there were some witnesses around as Marsh had closed his store, somehow he didn't get the feeling that this unsub would go as far as to follow him all the way here.

There had to be something that they were missing. So he took a walk around the area. The unsub couldn't have picked a more perfect place to do his dirty work. It was miles outside of town, secure location and no one would witness it happening. If the unsub knew, he would have had well known knowledge of this area. He would feel confident in murdering someone right here.

"His weapon of choice was an arrow, right?" he asked as he continued to search.

"And a hunting rifle" Jackie added.

"Things that hunters use."

He heard her huff. "Well, that is why it's called a hunting gun."

"Just think for a moment. The unsub used weaponry that hunters use and he killed someone in a woodland area." With all of that info put together, one thought came to his mind. Hunting. Could this unsub have hunting experience? That explained a lot from what they've seen from here. And what do good hunters do? Wait for the perfect prey.

So he walked farther along the zone. He didn't really know what to find. He just knew that he would know it when he saw it.

Jackie, noticing his wondering, asked him "what are you doing?"

"Looking for something" he answered as he searched.

"What something?"

"Our unsub is showing all of the signs of an expert hunter. And if he's smart, he would know that in order to get the best prey, patience is what is required."

Jackie shrugged. "So, our unsub is patient? Is that really a big deal?"

"Think, Shepherd. You're a hunter searching for the right prey. You know the right location where it will be and where to kill. But, you don't know when it will come. So, you wait in one place for it to come to you. You'll need a good spot to wait at. Somewhere no one would notice you. Where you won't be seen, but would be able to see others that pass. It would also have to be close enough to take aim at your target." That was when another idea hit him. "Which way was Marsh's body found?"

Jackie looked at the report and turned her body. "Like this."

"The arrow hit his right leg." He then followed the direction from Jackie's right side. He then began walking in a straight line away from her. It took him to a bunch of bushes. It didn't take him long to find a patch with bent down grass. He took a step in it. The spot was covered by branches and looked like someone had been there for a long period of time. He saw Jackie clearly from it and was just the right amount of distance to shoot an arrow.

Jackie then walked over to him. "What did you find?"

"Our unsub's hiding spot" he answered in a firm tone. "He was waiting here for his target to come to him. So, this guy does have some hunting experience."

"Think you found something else from it" she spoke worriedly.

"What would that be?"

"Either our unsub knew that Gregg Marsh would be out here at night. Or he just waited for someone to come to him. So, he is an opportunist."

P.S. Daniel, Wyoming has yet to do the right thing to sentence a monster fairly after his horrific abuse towards a wolf who never had the chance to live a true life. Most of it is due to the poor animal protection laws Wyoming has at the moment. And it's sadly not just Wyoming that has this major issue. States such as Idaho and Montana allow people to run over animals for pleasure. What type of government allows for such things? This cannot go on. This is no different that the terrible event that took place in Zanesville, Ohio in 2011. A man who owned several exotic animals (lions, tigers, wolves, bears, etc) released them all, endangering the public. What's worse, all of those escaped animals ended up being killed. But the saddest part of this story is that the reason why this occurred was because Ohio's poor animal protection laws allowed anyone to keep exotic animals as pets. Before this took place, animal advocates spent years begging Ohio officials to strengthen the laws so that just anyone can easily keep a wild animal without proper clearance. However, the government never took this case seriously until this bloodbath. If Wyoming, Idaho, Montana and basically every state and country with poor animal welfare laws do not take action now, I fear that it will be just a matter of time until more bloodbaths occur. And when I say bloodbath, I don't just mean the blood of innocent creatures that will be spilled. Humans will have to pay the costs of their government's ignorance. This I know for sure. If we are to ensure a better future for ourselves and generations to come, we must act now. Demand state officials for better animal protection laws. Not just for domestic animals. Wildlife too. Because every life matters and no animal is more important than another. That includes humans because in the end, we're animals too.