"At 0500 this morning, guards at Central California Women's Facility prepared prisoner 081316 for transport. Rosalind Dyer, the most rare of unicorns -- a female serial killer. For the last five years, she's been on death row, confined to an 11-by-8 cell. Today, she's coming to us. Now, before I get to assignment details, I want to defer to Assistant District Attorney Del Monte for background on Ms. Dyer. Sean?" Grey says, beginning roll call that morning.

"Thank you, Sergeant. Good morning, everyone." Del Monte says.

"Good morning." Everyone says back.

"My name is Sean Del Monte. For those of you who are not familiar with this case, in 2015, Rosalind Dyer was convicted in the torture and mutilation killings of seven individuals." Del Monte starts with Ana jotting down notes.

"But there's evidence that the body count is much higher." Armstrong adds, Ana frowns at the thought.

"In three of those seven murders, the bodies were never recovered, so now Dyer has agreed to show us the location of those three victims" Del Monte continues.

"Excuse me, sir. In exchange for what?" Nolan asks.

"Well, her sentence will be commuted from death to life without parole." Del Monte explains.

"Why the hell are we cutting her that break?" Tim asks with Ana agreeing with the sentiment. She spins the sun ring on her finger, finding that it's a good way to relieve her anxiety.

"Well, it's not for her. It's for the families of those victims. They've been waiting a long time for closure." Del Monte responds.

"Yeah, what about the other families? The ones that we promised the death penalty? What do we tell them? 'Cause they're calling me." Armstrong argues.

"Just tell them it's above your pay grade, Detective." Del Monte replies.

"Why does she have to come here? Can't she just tell you where the bodies are?" Angela asks.

"She claims not to know their precise locations. Griffith Park is over 4,000 acres. Dyer says the only way she'll be able to identify the dig sites is by retracing her original footsteps." Del Monte explains.

"Sounds like an excuse to get out in the sun, relive her kills." Harper says.

"Maybe, but she knows if she doesn't lead us to all three bodies that the deal is off, so..." Del Monte points out.

"Okay, let's get down to it. First, the station needs to be locked down for her arrival. Processing is officially closed for business. All suspects in our holding cells will be shipped to the Twin Towers." Grey says, dismissing them.

[Timeskip]

"This is so surreal. An honest-to-God serial killer?" Nolan says as they're putting criminals in the transport vehicles.

"The psychology is pretty fascinating -- well, biology, really. Brain-scan research shows clear differences in the amygdala and the supramarginal gyrus of a signature killer." Lucy explains.

"English?" Jackson requests.

"They lack the ability to feel empathy. There's also data that suggests some psychopaths could have a decreased sense of smell." Lucy says.

"I've met someone like that" Ana says, softly.

"you did?" Lucy asks.

"up in Montana" Ana nods. "kidnapped from my grandparents for two weeks, held captive in this little hut. This woman would come in and-... and, anyway, they had to send out an amber alert and stuff, I was fine and everything, but it was still scary."

"wait, what?" Lucy asks.

Ana shrugs. "what'd you do?" Ana asks the criminal they're putting in the fan.

"I stole my neighbor's sex doll." The criminal replies.

"Said with no shame at all." Jackson shakes his head.

"A man has needs." The criminal responds, making Ana scrunch her nose.

"Right. And they're usually transactional in nature. You're horny, you steal a sex toy from your neighbor, and then you get caught because no thought or planning goes into the act." Lucy says.

"Right. Only, with Rosalind, the act that fulfilled the need was torture. Man, woman, black, white -- each one scratched a different itch." Nolan adds.

"Damn. That girl is messed up." The criminal says.

[Timeskip]

Ana is standing by Harper as a van backs into the port. A man (Sergeant Hernandez) steps out of the van, walking over to Sergeant Grey.

"Sergeant Grey?" Hernandez asks.

"Yeah." Grey nods.

"Sergeant Hernandez. Her last meal was at 0600. Her last use of the bathroom was 47 minutes ago, so you're good for two more hours, but you will --" Hernandez starts as he flips through papers on a clipboard.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. What is all this?" Grey asks.

"Eighth Amendment. Covers cruel and unusual punishment. If she's in your custody, the rules still apply. Inmate bill of rights, including the update of SB-1146, so you don't get yourself sued." Hernandez says, handing him the clipboard and a pen.

"Okay, what -- what am I signing?" Grey asks as he signs it.

"It's a sworn affidavit that states that I, Sergeant Antonio Hernandez, California Department of Corrections, hereby transfer Prisoner 081316 to the custody of Sergeant Wade Grey, Los Angeles Police Department. Thank you." Hernandez replies, taking the clipboard back.

"Okay! Bring her out!" Hernandez calls to the guards in the van.

The back door of the van opens and a redheaded woman (Rosalind) is brought out. She's strapped to a wheelchair.

Ana's breath hitches in her throat and she subconsciously grabs Harper's hand for dear life.

"what, runt?" Harper whispers, looking annoyed before she sees Ana's wide eyes.

Harper looks around, sighing and squeezes Ana's hand back, wanting an opportunity to get Ana somewhere private.

"Hello, Nick." Rosalind says, before turning to Ana.

"Rosalind." Armstrong glares.

"Are you gonna introduce me to your friends?" Rosalind asks.

"They got name tags. You got eyes." Armstrong replies.

"That's not very gracious, Nick, after all that we've been through." Rosalind pouts.

Lucy and Tim unbuckle her restraints and Rosalind stands up, staggering a little with Nolan steadying her.

"Ohh. Thank you." Rosalind grins.

Her eyes fall on Ana. "oh, I remember you" Rosalind says. "Montana, 2014, ooh that was good"

Ana is staring back at her, her eyes glassy and wide.

"Let's go" Armstrong says, dragging Rosalind away to get her to the van they'll use to get to the park where she buried her victims.

"that's her?" Lucy asks, coming over to Ana.

"I-I didn't know" Ana stutters out, shaking her head.

"hey, hey, it's okay" Lucy assures, softly.

"someone want to tell me what the hell is going on with my boot?" Harper asks.

"Rosalind. she-she... me and my grandparents were staying in Montana at this campsite... she got me while I was going to the bathroom... she-she..." Ana can't describe what happened.

"hey, hey, breathe with me cupcake" Tim instructs, now standing in front of Ana.

"do you need the day?" Grey asks, standing on Ana's other side while Harper is helping Ana stand up.

"n-no" Ana whispers, shaking her head. "she-she talked about what she would do... how she would do it... said that I'd be her first... I escaped before she could... but-..."

"Ana, honey, let's get you home" Lucy decides, softly.

"No." Ana shakes her head, sounding more resolute now.

"No. She's in prison now. She can't hurt me. I'm going to do my job and I won't let her stop me" Ana decides, softly.

"Wheels up in twenty" Grey sighs, before walking away.

"let's go splash some water on your face" Harper says, leading Ana to the bathroom.

[Timeskip]

"Couldn't ask for a nicer day for a hike. Dating anyone, Nick? It's been five years since Rebecca died. Time to get back on that horse, don't you think? You must have needs." Rosalind asks as they walk through the park. Ana and Lucy are right behind Rosalind with Lucy holding Ana's hand while Harper and Tim bring up the back

"That's enough." Nolan says, walking beside Rosalind's side.

"Ooh. You have a protector here, Nick. Officer Nolan has your back. He must not know what you did to catch me." Rosalind purrs.

"Such a lovely day. Mm. Shall we? I love this hike. Sometimes, early in the morning, you'll see rabbits darting along the trail. And, of course, the coyotes come out at night." Rosalind says.

"How did you carry a body all the way up here?" Nolan asks.

"Oh, he was still alive at this point. Thought we were going on a picnic. There was a moment, as we got deeper in the woods, when he showed just a sliver of fear, but then he remembered he was a man and didn't have to worry about things like that." Rosalind replies and Ana grips Lucy's hand tighter.

Ana and Lucy both miss Rosalind look back at them and their intertwined hands.

"Adam Team, we are now headed... 31 degrees northeast." Harper says over the radio.

"Hey, how much further?" Del Monte asks.

"A ways." Rosalind replies.

[Timeskip]

They reach a clearing and Rosalind stops.

"We should take a break. It's gonna be a long day. We wouldn't want to burn out too early." Rosalind says.

"We're gonna hold here. All units stand by." Harper says over the radio.

Nolan offers Rosalind a bottle of water but she holds up her cuffs.

"Uh... Armstrong, I'm gonna take off her cuffs -- just one, just for water." Nolan announces. Ana unconsciously takes a step back, into Tim, who puts his hand on her shoulders, grounding her.

"Got it." Armstrong replies.

"Thank you, Officer Nolan. You're very sweet." Rosalind smiles.

"Don't take it personally. Just wouldn't want to get a cruel and unusual punishment charge lodged against me." Nolan replies.

"That'd be ironic, huh? Me accusing someone else of being cruel. And I could teach a master class on unusual punishments." Rosalind grins.

Ana turns, seeing something move in the woods.

"What?" Lucy asks, noticing Ana's movement.

"I thought I saw movement. Do we have any other personnel in the woods with us today?" Ana asks, softly.

"No." Harper replies.

Then they are being shot at. Nolan tackles Rosalind to the ground while everyone else shoots back.

"Flank him." Bradford orders when Del Monte falls to the ground.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Lucy says and they move to form a protective circle around Del Monte.

Once they realize Del Monte is okay, Lucy, Tim, and Ana all move forward, finding a man (Peter Mason) with the rifle in the trees.

"Drop the gun! Drop the gun! Put it down on the ground now! Hands up in the air! Hands behind your head! Interlock your fingers! Who else is with you?" Tim asks while Ana cuffs him.

"Nobody." Mason responds.

"Are you trying to free Rosalind?" Lucy asks.

"Free her? I'm trying to kill her. She murdered my wife." Mason replies.

[Timeskip]

"Hey. What the hell happened?" Grey asks, coming over.

"Peter's wife was Rosalind's third official victim. We only found half her body. In the years since, I have been to this man's house more times than I can count -- dinners, kids' birthday parties. Crimes like this, you get close to people, and --" Armstrong groans.

"First, they lose their mother, and now this. Even now, she's still destroying people's lives." Nolan shakes his head.

"you good, Cabrera?" Grey asks.

"fine, sir" Ana says, softly, seeing him eye her muddy uniform from cuffing Peter.

"Look, maybe we should pull the plug." Grey says.

"No way." Del Monte shuts down.

"I agree with the sarge." Armstrong pipes up.

"I don't care. We have a job to do. Listen to me, Sergeant, if you pull the plug now, we're gonna have to go through this whole operation all over again in a week, maybe a month's time, and then, this circus will be twice as big next time." Del Monte argues.

"He's right. We're here. We should just get it done." Harper says and they continue the hike.

"Penny for your thoughts." Rosalind requests to Nolan.

"Well, I was just thinking about how you saved my life. I've literally peeled a woman's face off, and yet, you put your body between me and a bullet. Why?" Rosalind asks. Ana watches Nolan stiffen.

"back off" Ana growls, taking over Nolan's place next to her.

"Oh, it's funny. People look at me like I'm an alien, but it goes both ways. You don't do sadism, I don't do selfless. Ah. We're here. I buried him at the base of that tree. I gave him a paralytic. Put it in his iced tea. And we watched the sun set as I took off his hands and feet. It was such a special day. Do you know why, Nick?" Rosalind asks, smirking at Ana.

"No. And I don't want to." Armstrong replies.

"It was the first day that you and I met. Ohhhh. You had no idea when you came to my office that morning that I was the one you were looking for. I thought for sure at first you were onto me, but I could see in your eyes you had no clue. So... I came up here to celebrate." Rosalind explains.

Nolan and Jackson start digging around.

"Got something. No hands. It's him." Nolan announces.

Jackson is digging nearby and finds a partially decomposed head.

"Holy God!" Jackson curses.

"There's another body." Angela realizes.

"And it's much fresher." Harper says.

"Six months, nine tops." Grey says, wrinkling his nose.

They all turn to look at Rosalind. "Don't look at me. I've been in prison for the last five years."

Ana's grip tightens on Rosalind's arm that she's holding so she doesn't run away or try anything.

[Timeskip]

"How is this possible? The only person that knew Rosalind buried a body in that spot is her, and she's been on death row for four years." Grey asks in his office.

"Maybe she was working with someone from back in the day, someone we missed." Armstrong muses.

"or she inspired another killer" Ana brings up, softly.

"And she just so happened to find the dig spot in the middle of a state park? I don't think so. They've got to be working together." Nolan points out.

"But how? All contact between her and the world is heavily monitored." Grey questions.

"Let's ask her." Nolan suggests.

"Not yet. This was coordinated from the beginning. She's been playing us since she made the deal with Del Monte." Armstrong disagrees.

"You know her better than anyone else. What's the play here?" Harper asks Armstrong.

"She wants attention. So let's not give it to her till we find out everything we can about that second body." Armstrong decides.

[Timeskip]

"you don't have to" Nolan assures her.

"I'm going to" Ana replies, softly, walking into the interrogation room.

Rosalind requested to talk to her or "pup" as Rosalind has nicknamed her.

"well, hello there my pup" Rosalind smirks.

"hi" Ana says, coldly.

"don't be so angry" Rosalind pouts. "you're lucky, you were going to be my first kill, you know?"

"I escaped" Ana deadpans.

"unfortunately" Rosalind replies.

"you tortured me for hours on end, I was 16" Ana says.

"mmm" Rosalind hums. "how are your grandparents doing, pup? I saw their faces when they couldn't find you... oh it was deliciously thrilling"

"the other body..." Ana starts. "it's not how you kill people. You'd imagine it with me for hours, how you would paralyze me, how I would still be awake when you used me. You'd start with my hands, cutting each finger off one by one, then my wrist. Then you'd go down to my toes, watching me cry in pain but unable to do anything about it. Then, when you had squeezed every last ounce of hope, of tears, of life left in me, you'd kill me and bury me, leaving me to rot in the middle of nowhere Montana."

"yes... my protege, he does things... differently" Rosalind admits.

"your protege?" Ana asks, softly, realizing she got Rosalind to admit something.

"ah, yes" Rosalind nods, seeming unbothered.

"who is your protege?" Ana interrogates.

"that's all you're getting out of me pup, unless you want to tell everyone in the observation room what else I did with you in that hut" Rosalind smirks.

Ana's face falters for a moment.

"is that why you're out? for your protege?" Ana asks.

"Oh, on the first night, it was like unwrapping a present..." Rosalind starts.

Ana freezes, standing up suddenly and leaving the room.

"sorry I didn't get more out of her" Ana apologizes, softly, to Armstrong.

"this protege information is more than enough, thank you Officer Cabrera" Armstrong says.

[Timeskip]

"hey, how are you doing?" Lucy asks, walking over to Ana.

"good, got cleared with the trauma specialist" Ana replies, softly. "just-... it's a lot, seeing her again, you know?"

"yeah I do know, hey, I'm going out for drinks tonight, wanna come?" Lucy asks, wiggling her eyebrows.

"what about this Caleb fella?" Ana asks, raising an eyebrow.

"sisters before misters" Lucy replies, making Ana giggle.

"I would, another night, I'm sorry, I'm tired and I just really want to go home" Ana says, softly.

"hey, it's fine, I get it, the past 36 hours have been hard" Lucy agrees.

"so if you're not going out with me, you're going out with Caleb, right?" Ana questions, softly.

"I suppose I am" Lucy giggles.

"thank god, I won't have to hear you complain about your dating life again" Ana teases.

"oh no, ma'am, once I've bagged Caleb, I'm going to be all over you about your dating life" Lucy teases back.

Ana giggles. "well I shall prepare myself. I'll see you tomorrow, yeah?"

"see you tomorrow, get home safe" Lucy calls.

"have a good time with Caleb" Ana smiles, waving goodbye before she leaves.



Ana will forever regret turning down Lucy's invitation.