A/N - this is the third in the series starting with Expert Testimony and Conversation. Neither is especially necessary to read prior to this. In ET Methos got tangled up in a BAU investigation or two regarding rogue immortals thanks to being a student of Jason Gideon's under one of his numerous pseudonyms in the past. Brought in as an expert he quickly got in over his head. Conversation takes place after breaking ties with the BAU he confessed his past as Death to Gideon during a road trip of sorts after Gideon left the bureau. This story opens sometime after they once again parted ways.

The dead girl lay on her back. Her eyes wide open, they'd been blue but now they were clouding. Her skin was too pale, pert pink lips open slightly to reveal teeth like pebbles on a beach small and perfectly white. She'd been pretty, wasn't wearing makeup even though her mother had said she was meeting a boy. A good girl then. Her clothing was conservative, a long ankle length flower print dress, short sleeved but cut modestly. She had fought back; her nails were broken and bloodied but there was no obvious sign of death.

Hotchner sighed and straightened. "Time of death?" He asked

"About four hours ago, the mother was worried when she didn't call to say she'd arrived okay. Normally we wouldn't've responded so quickly, but Madge kept Samantha on a tight leash, I was pretty surprised when she said Sam was meeting a boy."

"Do we know anything about the boy?"

"New kid in school, only been enrolled for two weeks. Registered under a fake address. Sent my guys out to bring him in. We've got an APB out."

Hotchner stared at the dead girl, his expression stoic but tired.

The sheriff shifted his weight. "You think this is a serial killer?" He asked.

"Possibly. There are some traits in common with someone we've been tracking."

"If it's a serial –"

"They've been occurring sporadically for the last twenty years all over the country. Our analyst picked up the pattern."

"Oh. Okay then."

"I need to contact my team. Please see if the coroner can rush her, we need a cause of death."

"Right away."

Hotchner pulled out his cell and dialed JJ.

"Get the team. We have a job, unknown COD but it looks similar to the pattern Garcia identified last week. This case is fresh."

He hung up and glanced at the dead girl, Samantha, again. He let out a slow breath and nodded at the sheriff. The girl was lying next to a slow moving otherwise charming brook in the heart of a tiny park. As Hotchner walked to his car he noticed a dozen or so cats lurking in the park. He studied them for a moment. Most looked healthy and well fed a few even had collars so they weren't strays. Why were they gathered in the park?