Grey and I walked back to the cars together,  and a sinking feeling grew in my stomach the moment I spotted mine. Len was no longer the passenger seat. I glanced around, not seeing her anywhere nearby, and panic set in.

“Where did she go?” I asked.

Grey looked up from his phone and saw what I meant. He turned in a circle, not spotting her. I was already walking off, hurrying to find her. Was there a chance we missed something? Could the unsub have still been in the area, waiting for us to leave her alone?

My heart raced, and I found it hard to force myself to swallow.

I rounded the corner of a small building closer to the water and saw her standing with her back to me. Relief washed over me. I wasn’t surprised to find her watching the waves.

“Len,” I called out, but she didn’t move. “Len, we’re done here. There’s nothing more. Let’s go.”

She still didn’t budge.

I walked toward her and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, trying not to startle her. She flinched and jumped away from me, her hand clutching the necklace she’d worn since dinner with her family.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, seeing the look on her face.

She looked back out toward the water and pointed. I followed her finger and finally saw what had held her attention.

Propped against a wooden pole, right next to the water, was a body. The woman looked no older than Len, her head hung, lifeless.

I left Len and rushed over, immediately checking her pulse. The body was barely cold, but I couldn’t find one. She couldn’t have been sitting there longer than an hour. Blood seeped through her shirt, and I saw the wound that ended her life: one stab straight to the chest.

I rushed back to Len, my hands stained red. I was careful not to touch her, instead leading her back to where I knew the rest of the team stood.

The second Grey spotted us rounding the corner, he hurried over.

“There’s a body,” I said in a low tone.

He signaled to the other two agents to follow while I walked Len back to the car. I drove her straight back to the house and waited for Grey to come with an update. It wasn’t until the sun set and I had Len sitting on the couch with a cup of tea that he finally came.

He knocked on the door before letting himself in. He went straight to the kitchen, away from Len. I followed, double checking she was alright before I did.

She’d barely spoken since we got back, still in shock.

“Another victim,“ Grey confirmed. “We found a ring shoved into her mouth like all the others.”

“Do we know who she is or if she has any connections to the other suspects?” I asked.