Louisiana Stephenic here! The detective duos are back! If you're new to my writing, take a look at Fighting Fierce first, and to those who are familiar with my work :) ENJOY THIS NEW FIC!

It was snowing in London. Beautiful flakes of pure frozen water, drifting lightly on the wind towards the already dusted ground. A chilly wind in the air forced everyone about, to run with hoods pulled low and collars up. Even through the picturesque scene the weather was biting if you were out for longer than a run to or from your car.

Practically the whole of London was indoors and quiet except for Regent's Park. Cars of all sizes bordered the park and Queen Mary's Gardens was abuzz with reporters, camera, spectators and police. A big yellow tent had been set up to keep the scene from the eyes of all, and Police kept the reporters back.

A taxi pulled up and two men got out. One was tall while the other was shorter with more muscle. The tall one wore a long trench coat with the collar turned mysteriously up. The other wore a jacket and sweater. His brow was furrowed in annoyance with the cold and confusion.

Reporters snapped away at the two as the Police let them through the barriers.

Inspector Greg Lestrade greeted the two.

"We need this case closed as quickly as possible and before the press know what happened." He began without even a good morning.

"How many dead?" Sherlock Holmes asked bluntly.

"Only one woman."

Their walk towards the tent faltered.

"Only one woman?" John Watson frowned.

Lestrade nodded.

"You only ever call me after at least three single murders not only one. What's so different about this one?" Sherlock demanded.

"You'll see." Lestrade told them and lifted up the tent flap a just enough to let them in.

John frowned and followed Sherlock.

"Oh Jesus, Sherlock." John cursed. The sight that greeted him made his stomach twist and he focused hard on keeping down his breakfast.

Even Sherlock froze.

"Any witnesses?" He asked.

"None." Lestrade told him.

John knelt down next to the remains. "She died five hours ago. Her organs were removed around the same time. I_, her ears are missing, and, I think her nose is too."

The woman had been mutilated. Her throat had been cut by two deep lacerations to her neck. Her ears were missing, her face sliced open and her nose had been crushed. Her abdomen had been pulled apart and her organs removed. Her blood had sunk into the snow, painting it red like a setting sun and her organs were placed in a circle around the body. Singed and burnt they appeared to have been set alight, leaving a stale smell lingering around the remains.

John had seen many disturbing sights, in both the war and working with Sherlock, but this one topped the lot by miles.

"John you look green. What's wrong?" Sherlock asked.

"Her body has been completely mutilated Sherlock! This woman had been badly beaten before she was killed!" He yelled.

"It shouldn't be too difficult to find the killer. They are clearly a psychopath and psychopaths always want an audience." Sherlock muttered, ignoring John's outburst.

xXxXxXxXx

"Where's the letter?" Sherlock demanded eagerly.

"Here." Lastrade handed over a piece of paper. "It turned up on my desk this morning. No one knows how it got there."

Sherlock read it quickly and passed it to John.

Dear Mr Greg,

I hope you liked my gift. A beautiful woman with an even more beautiful background of blood. I wish you luck in your search for me. You'll need all the luck you can get.

Catch me if you can.

John frowned deeply. The handwriting was neat, clearly male but that was all he could tell. He was disgusted by this person and decided that he wouldn't hesitate to kill them.

"How are we going to get him?" John asked.

"I don't know." Sherlock muttered. "But sooner or later they'll make a mistake."

That's the first chapter, almost a prologue. I'll update the next chapter tomorrow. Please leave a review and we'll jump right into the thick of it :D

Thanks to everyone who reviewed and liked and followed my last story I hope you enjoy this one too!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize. Sherlock and Skulduggery Pleasant does not belong to me no matter how much I wish they did :D