My Beautiful Doll

Chapter Three

"I'm guessing this is why you called me?" Don asked once his heart rate had fallen back to a normal rhythm.

Gary nodded. "One of the senior techs remembered that name. Turns out he was on the scene when this killer first struck" he said pointing to an older man who was kneeling in the corner. "He remembered that you were the one who first took on the case. So I called you. Figured you might have some insight on this".

"Man...I really wish I never saw this again..." Don muttered, looking around the bloody crime scene. Placing the card back to where it was, he decided to walk out. The smell of blood, the horrific scene, it was all a bit too much. Especially considering what he saw all those years ago. He could hear Gary following behind him. Once outside, Don took a deep breath. The footsteps stopped behind him.

"You okay Eppes?". Gary looked worried. Don was pretty sure it was because he looked extremely pale. No doubt from the lack of sleep and the shock that this case brought. He was somewhat amazed at the fact that he's still on his feet and not currently contaminating the crime scene by being on the floor. They were right, you do grow with age.

"Yeah" he said, nodding his head. "That just brought back some memories". He shuddered as a flash of the first few victims crossed his mind. "Trust me when I say that this guy doesn't hold back, even when he first started".

"Somehow I could believe that" Gary muttered.

Don almost snorted at the comment, but then quickly grew somber. Making up his mind, he turned around, "have your techs send everything they find to the FBI, I also want everything you guys managed to find out today".

Gary looked a little apprehensive. "Are you sure? You look like you're about to keel over".

Granted, Don knew that there was some semblance of truth to the statement. He barely slept. The team were all busy with a sudden influx of cases. So for the past few months, everyone worked with barely any breaks. They had shifts, but that wasn't really enough. Which was why after everything was done, Merrick had forced the team on a two week vacation to make up for the nonstop work they did. Don himself had just woken up from a 5 hour sleep, the longest he's had since then. But Don knew that this was the right course of action. While he hadn't been the case's lead investigator for a long time, he had always kept close tabs on it. He was familiar with the case. He should be the one to investigate this.

"I'll be fine".

"What about your team?".

Don touched the phone that was in his pocket, contemplating whether he should call them. But then he decided against it, "No. I'm not calling my team yet".

"Eppes", Gary had a warning note on his tone. "This guy is a certified nutter. The way he wrote about someone being 'his beautiful doll' is nothing short of disturbing. He's intelligent and obsessive. Two things we both know are a dangerous combination in a criminal. I think it's a bad idea for you to go at this alone."

Don shook his head. "Look, I know you're worried, but my team has been stretched thin for the past couple of months. If I call them in now, then everyone is going to be exhausted and we might miss something. Better for us to have one exhausted member on the team rather than all of them".

"Well I think it's better to have no exhausted members on the team. Come on Eppes, let someone else take this one".

But Don had already made up his mind. "Look, something tells me that it's best if I investigate this. If you're really that worried, then I'll update you every few days or so". Then he gave Gary a gentle shove, "Plus, I won't be completely working alone. I'm pretty sure this case is still open. I'll call up the current lead agent and we'll work on it together".

"Is there really no one else you can call? How about one of your boys?".

Don sighed. Notifying Ian or Billy is completely out of the question. He loved them, he really did. It's just that they were extremely protective, sometimes to an excessive degree if anyone asked him. If they knew that a criminal from Don's past was back to haunt him, they would drop anything they were doing regardless of if they were currently in the middle of a hunt or not, come to LA, and force themselves into the investigation and would not leave him alone. They were the only ones who could say no to his orders and there was nothing that Don could do about it. "No. They're both hunting fugitives in different states. It would be worse to call them than to call my team."

Gary looked unconvinced. But he could also see that arguing was a losing battle. So he relented. "I'll agree under another condition".

"What?".

"You let me stay on this with you until the other agent comes, deal?".

Don nodded, knowing that that was the best course of action. "Deal".

Suddenly the CSI's collectively walked outside and back to their cars. Gary called out to one of them. "You done?"

"Yea"

"Alright, I want you guys to send everything you find to me. We're transferring this case to Agent Eppes".

While there was usually a grumble of annoyance or a jab of some sorts whenever the FBI butts in on a case, there wasn't any of that this time. Instead, everyone had a visible look of relief on their face. Don couldn't blame them, anything the "Artist" did was bound to be rough. He still had the occasional nightmare of the first crime scene, just one of many that haunted him.

"Thanks Gary, I appreciate it."

"Thank me once you're done with the case". Putting a hand on Don's shoulder, he pointed a finger at his car. "I have to go back. But I'll stop at the office to bring in everything."

"I'll call up the agent assigned to the case and try to get all the files and evidence in the office as fast as possible," Don sighed, looking at the house. "I have a feeling that these few weeks are going to be a pain."