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1. All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners (Showtime, Jeff Lindsay). The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

2. All characters, events etc. portrayed in this story are fictional and any resemblance to real persons or events is purely coincidental. Also, locations, legal procedures etc. described in this story are not necessarily factually correct nor are they intended to be.

From the personal journal of FBI's Supervisory Special Agent Carl Henshaw…

September 25, 2012

Today me and my team arrived safely in Miami after an almost three hour flight from Washington DC. I've been assigned to a new case, one that could prove to be the biggest challenge in my entire career. In over 30 years at Bureau I have worked on a wide variety of cases involving fraud, corruption, extortion, kidnapping, cyber crimes, armed robbery, human trafficking, assassinations and even domestic terrorism and serial killings. But I have never worked on a case involving this, not with this many casualties at least.

Four days ago a devastating hurricane hit the Miami Metropolitan Area. Hurricane Laura they call it. It must have really stirred the Atlantic waters as two days ago dozens upon dozens of bodies and body parts began washing up on the shores of Miami, a lot of them wrapped in heavy duty plastic garbage bags. All of them were found in an advanced state of decomposition so there's absolutely no doubt that the hurricane could not have killed them. Not to mention that hurricanes don't lead to the smooth dismemberment of their victims. Speculations in the media about who or what might have done this had already begun, as usual, before the Bureau even got here to properly examine the evidence. Theories included organized crime, a Bay Harbor Butcher copycat killer or former accomplice, and even the idea that the true Bay Harbor Butcher was never caught and that Lundy got the wrong guy. No matter, I am here to get to the bottom of this.

The first order of business is to examine and ID the bodies, establish a pattern that could lead to our killer, while at the same time set up a naval task force to look for any other bodies that might still be down there.

September 26, 2012

I met with Miami Metro PD's Homicide division, but due to the nature of this case I'm only allowing them limited involvement and keeping a close eye on them. Notable people of interest include Captain Thomas Matthews, Lieutenant Angel Batista, Sergeant Angie Miller, detective Joseph Quinn, and forensic analyst Vince Masuka. I got my own forensic techs and medical examiners to look over the bodies. Indeed, the Modus Operandi matches that of the Bay Harbor Butcher for almost all the bodies that were found. The killer severs the limbs and the head. The cuts are smooth, precise, he clearly has a lot of experience. Body parts are then placed into heavy duty garbage bags, along with rocks to make sure that they always sink. Opening intact bags also reveals plastic wrappings, clothes and other leftovers, I'm guessing the killer uses the plastic to keep his own hideout clean, free from any traces of the victim's DNA. Most of the severed heads even show traces of a cut on one of their cheeks, again just like the Bay Harbor Butcher. Strangely, some of the more recent bodies do not have this cut, it's possible he may have stopped collecting his blood slide trophies at some point. Perhaps if I figure out the event that triggered this slight change in the MO, I will find the person who did it. If this is not him or at least some former accomplice, it is a very sophisticated copycat killer.

I have serious doubts that this is in fact the same Bay Harbor Butcher. Going over the BHB case files and Lundy's journal, there was overwhelming evidence linking Sergeant James Doakes to the murders back in 2007. And even though Lundy expressed some doubt early on in the investigation, he could not deny the evidence in the end. It is extremely unlikely that someone would be able to pull off such an elaborate frame job.

Plus, four of the bodies found, a young adult male, a middle aged male and two elderly males break this pattern. For one thing, they were never dismembered, but three out of four were wrapped in plastic, the same kinds used on the other victims. The fourth one, an elderly male, appears to have been shot in the stomach and then dumped into the ocean, perhaps unrelated, perhaps the killer got reckless, we shall see. The manner in which the young adult male was killed also raises some questions. Wrapped like a mummy, yet a large portion of the back of the cranium removed, neatly cut open, just like that.

I'm hoping that over the course of the next couple of days my forensic analysts will ID the bodies.

September 27, 2012

Several more unidentified bodies have been found, some were found by the naval task force, some simply washed up on shore. One body had been placed in a large carrying bag, cause of death, blunt force trauma, another deviation from the usual Bay Harbor Butcher MO, perhaps unrelated. But all others fit the same profile. Will ID soon.

We've also found several complete bodies with no signs of a violent struggle, recently deceased. Most likely victims of the Hurricane Laura. Does not pertain to the current case.

September 28, 2012

Shocking discovery off the coast of Miami. Homicide detective Debra Morgan's body was found in white hospital sheets, washed up on shore this morning. Her colleagues at Miami Metro PD immediately recognized her. This does not seem to be at all related to the case, no signs of blunt force trauma or other human caused injury apart from the previous gunshot wound of known origin, but it is odd.

Besides, at the time she disappeared, she was in an ICU at Miami Central Hospital, on life-support and in a coma after complications from being shot in the line of duty that left her permanently brain damaged, so there is no way she could have walked out of there alone. Despite Miami Metro PD's interrogations and interviews, nobody at the hospital was able to explain exactly how her body went missing, much less how it ended up at the bottom of the ocean, and there was extensive damage done to the building due to the hurricane such that we were not able to retrieve a single relevant security footage or fingerprint.

The night she disappeared from the hospital was the night all patients were being transferred to a different facility. Is this the result of gross criminal negligence fueled by the widespread panic of an impending hurricane? Perhaps we'll never know. No arrests have been made so far, but the hospital manager has already submitted his resignation following this tragic event.

September 29, 2012

My team has finally managed to ID most of the 32 bodies and as I suspected, most of them have, at some point in their lives, been convicted, tried or at least suspect of murder, and it's a sure bet that others have at least some kind of dark secret.

This is true for all the bodies that break the standard MO, all of them have been convicted or suspected of something nefarious. There is definitely enough reason to treat these cases as related, even though there are some questions still left unanswered. These special cases are as follows:

- Zach Hamilton, young adult male, suspected of murdering Norma Rivera but Miami Metro PD was never able to obtain evidence on him and according to detective Joseph Quinn the only witness who could place him at the scene recanted, manner of death back of the cranium cut

What's really strange about this kill is that we already know who did it, Oliver Saxon, the infamous Brain Surgeon. We have footage of him doing it. But the manner of disposal is puzzling, entirely wrapped in black plastic, just like the next victim. Was Oliver Saxon the Bay Harbor Butcher copycat? If he already has his own MO, why copy others? Will investigate further.

- Albert J. Yates, middle aged male, serial killer who went after women, manner of death, stabbed through the stomach with a long foreign object, possible a pole, wrapped in black plastic just like Zach and dumped in the ocean
- Clint McKay, elderly male, ex-convict, not a murderer as far as I can tell but definitely a scumbag, perhaps the killer knows something we don't, manner of death stabbed in the heart once, like the usual victims, but not dismembered, body wrapped in translucent plastic
- Victor Baskov, middle aged male, cop murder suspect, bludgeoned to death and dumped in a long carrying bag
- Isaak Sirko, elderly male, Ukrainian mob boss and suspect in a triple murder, released due to evidence going missing, enough said, shot in the stomach and then dumped into the ocean

The other victims that we could identify, all in line with the standard MO, are as follows: Ron Galuzzo, Carlos Guerrero, Julio Benes, Joe Walker, Ben Williams, Roger Atkins, Cole Harmon, Boyd Fowler, Jordan Chase, Stan Beaudry, Jonathan Farrow, officer Zoey Kruger, Benito Gomez, Fred Bowman AKA 'Freebo', Arthur Mitchell AKA 'The Trinity Killer', Nathan Marten, Ethan Turner, Clemson Galt, Billy Fleeter.

The other victims' identities remain unknown.

September 30, 2012

A memorial service was held today for Deputy US Marshal Max Clayton, detective Debra Morgan and her foster brother Dexter Morgan, a forensic analyst that was himself killed in the hurricane. It was very sad to hear that Dexter's body was never even recovered for a proper burial. Close friends and colleagues gave speeches about their dedication to combating crime in Miami. It was truly a sad day for Miami Metro PD, USMS and law enforcement in general.

Investigation into my current case will resume tomorrow.