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Four hours later many of the prominent members of both cases stood shoulder-to-shoulder in the small hospital room belonging to one of their own, Lieutenant Buffy Summers. Homicide detectives stood next to Special Victims officers as they chatted idly to themselves while waiting on Chief Giles to start the meeting.

“Do we have a profile on the Southside…?” Robbie Marshall was cut off by a distinct baritone voice as he was shoved to the side as a tall, lean figure made his way through towards the middle of the room.

Former Chief of Police Hank Summers stepped forward through the throng of blue uniforms. “Rule one: never idealize the perpetrator. Rule two, know what that is Marshall?” He smiled at his daughter and glared hard at the young officer sitting next to her with his arm around her shoulders, their hands linked. He nearly growled as the bleached blonde whispered something in his daughter’s ear that made her giggle.

“Uh…no, sir, I don’t know rule number two. Should I?” Marshall visibly shook at the intimidating glare the former chief sent him. He could see the taller man was armed with his own weapon and hazarded a guess that he was probably carrying more than one weapon on his person. The harsh reputation for settling scores with other officers and not taking crap from board members was what landed former Chief Summers the job in the first place and Marshall could think of at least two other cops that had sat desk duty for the rest of their careers because of him.

Hank strode through the small room and took a seat on the end of the hospital bed. “Rule number two is…Pratt! Get your damn hand off her! Where was I?”

Spike’s hand darted away from Buffy’s shoulder as he purposefully moved the Summers’ requisite rule of six inches away, towards the edge of the bed.

“Rule number two, sir, you were on rule number two.” Marshall stood slightly taller next to the towering Riley Finn and female officer, Faith Lehane, who only scowled at his blatant attempt at receiving the former chief’s praise.

Hank scowled at the young officer, “Rule number two is do not ever associate the perpetrator as anything but a common criminal. You’ve all been giving him too much credit. He’s human; nothing more, nothing less and don’t ever think I will ever like you Marshall. Pratt! Get your hand away from her! You’ve caused enough problems already. The next time I have to repeat myself I will blow the damn thing off.”

Buffy shrugged, “I wouldn’t tempt him on that, Spike, and he’s more than willing to do it.” She leaned in to whisper into his ear, “Once he’s gone, we can cuddle or whatever.”

He nodded but kept his six inch distance from her.

“I’ve asked Chief Summers to help out on this case because he has prior knowledge of Liam Angelus and his cohorts. As of right now any information received will go directly to him or myself.” Giles waved the older sandy blonde man on from his place leaning against the wall.

“I’ve spent the past few days right outside this door compiling a profile of the perpetrator responsible for the deaths of three women and a fourth attack on another.” Hank toyed with the file in his hands, not needing to see what he had written on it before to explain the profile to the other officers. “He’s young; twenty-two to twenty- six. He more than likely has a college education, probably graduated recently. I’d wager to guess he is middle to upper class; Caucasian, attractive. The un-sub is charismatic, polite and has a way with women that make them trust him. He will have a prior record of smaller crimes, probably an assault as a juvenile and he hates women. Women are objects to him and as a sexual sadist, he wants to cause pain; he gets off on it. It isn’t about the kill but the pain leading up to it.” Hank turned the file over to Giles before glaring at Spike once more.

Giles stepped forward into the crowd, “Don’t let him fool you, he’s organized. Every cut and bruise was planned but he’s getting sloppy. Kendall was left alive because he feels some sort of connection to Lieutenant Summers. We do not know what type of connection that is yet but, for some reason, he has singled her out. The other two victims were tortured for hours yet Kendall was a brief encounter. He targets college age women, more than likely he was rejected as a younger man and feels he needs to torture them into accepting him now.”

The hulking Finn stepped forward, “Are there any leads on who might’ve wanted to take Lieutenant Summers out?”

A grunt from the bed had heads turning towards the young blonde, “There was, is, no taking me out.”

“Of course not, sweetheart, but we do have one lead. Warren Meers, a known associate of Angelus’, was seen in the area right before my…Lieutenant Summers was shot. We currently have a tactical team canvassing the area and any other known whereabouts for him. Keep an eye out; his mission was never finished so it’s probable that he will try again. Perhaps her family since she is well guarded here…”

Buffy gasped, “Dawn.”

Hank turned and laid a comforting hand on her ankle, “Marshall, Elliot and Travers will take point on watching the house and accompanying Summers’ daughter and my wife around town. Gunn, Ford and Meyers will watch the exterior of the house and I’ve already approved cameras inside. Lehane and Finn will guard outside of the room and the surrounding halls while Pratt and myself will guard the interior of the room.”

Spike gulped audibly. He dared a glance towards the woman at his side and then back at the older man lightly fingering his gun holstered on his hip.

“Canvass the college and keep an eye out for anyone that seems slightly out of place. Attend the parties in plain clothes only. I believe he targeted Lieutenant Summers the night she and Detective Pratt attended the…” Giles looked down at his notes, “Lowell house party. There was another attack made that night before Kendall…a Miss McClay. Rosenberg, do you have the status on her?”

The shy redhead stepped forward from behind Marshall and Finn before speaking meekly, “Tara is doing alright now. She’s spoken with the sketch artist and a therapist but she’s withdrawn from the college and gone back to Illinois to be with her family. I have her parent’s number and address in case we need to speak with her again but…sir, I don’t think she’ll be of any more help to us. The description she gave was vague, at best, and she only noted that he came up from behind her when she entered her dorm room.”

“Tha’s new, pet. ‘e’s always taken the girls from parties, not stalked them in the dorm rooms. ‘e went after ‘er for a reason.” Spike finally added.

Giles cleaned his glasses while Hank stood and paced the tiny room, aware that all eyes were on the former profiler. “What does Tara McClay have to do with the un-sub and why would he flee the scene without her?”





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