Nicky looked at herself in the mirror of the elevator. She looked pale. The light from the door reflected off Nicky's skin. She could see the highlights in her long dark hair and the gaunt look of her brown eyes. Wearing a black, fitted shirt and black slacks, she looked like she'd been stabbed in the heart and died a number of times through the night.

In reality, she just hadn't slept.

There were several reasons why, but the two biggest were Rosie and the senator's daughter.

She was sure that Masie had suffered before she'd been killed. It was a brutal death. Nicky hadn't been able to shake the images of her lifeless body from her mind.

She wondered how much Rosie had suffered. If Nicky were to believe the police and the media, then she'd know that her sister was dead. But the thing was, Nicky didn't believe them. She didn't want to.

When she entered the office, the room was already buzzing with activity. The thuds of the copier, the ringing of the phone, the soft hum of the air conditioning, the sharp click of a stapler, the sound of a pencil sliding across a desk top, the sound of a ballpoint pen rasping the paper, the clinking of silver serving trays on a desk.

Fernando Torres came up to her, his cheeks slightly red, probably from a hangover. "Hey, Nicky, did you hear about the chief's guest?"

"Enlighten me," Nicky said coldly. Ever since their fling ended, Nicky hadn't been thrilled about Fernando's presence in the office. He didnt exactly handle her ending the fling like a champ.

Fernando raised an eyebrow. "Uh... maybe you should just head into the meeting."

Nicky nodded and pushed open the door to a conference room. Fernando was a persistent snoop, so he'd surely been eavesdropping all morning. Nicky couldnt believe shed ever slept with that guy.

Chief Eric Franco was already sitting at the head of the table, a cup of coffee in his hands. He was in his late fifties, but he was fit, with a shock of thick white hair. He was the head of the BAU unit in Jacksonville and he knew more than anyone in the room.

He caught Nicky's eye and nodded to an empty chair next to him. Early morning sun poured through the windows of the room, and outside, the palm trees and apartment buildings of Jacksonville spread as far as the eye could see. It was a hot, arid day.

Nicky sat down and immediately recognized the other faces at the table.

One was that of Ken Walker, another profiler in the office whod just been transferred there about a week ago. Ken was in his mid-thirties and was considered the most handsome guy in the office, but he was also stern, distant, and cold. Nicky hadnt exchanged more than a few words with him yet.