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she was pointing out, but killing for gratification was so far outside of his reality, he had a hard time accepting that difference.
    “And because the kill provides him some personal gratification,” Ian all but choked on the word, “and it isn't specific to this victim…” His voice trailed off, unwilling to finish what he was saying.
    “And because his method is so advanced,” she added.
    “You think he's done this before, to other women.”
    She gave a grim nod. Her reasoning made sense, but he still wasn't ready to admit to the possibility of a serial killer in Windsor. “Isn't there some component of sex in most serial kills?” he asked, remembering her comment about a potential sexual assault.
    “Not always, but it is common. And sexual gratification can be a big part of a kill. Not sex in the way we normally think of sex, but gratification can come in many ways, whether an actual rape or ejaculation occurs or not.”
    “There is nothing normal about sexual gratification and killing,” he commented.
    “On that we agree, but we're not serial killers, are we? So my initial comments still stand. I do think she was sexually assaulted. Based on my findings today, I believe the actual cause of death isstrangulation. But given the fact she was chained down, I do think there was a sexual component that manifested itself physically with the victim.”
    That he could understand. It wasn't too far-fetched to imagine that a young, beautiful woman chained down was also sexually assaulted. In fact he would have found it hard to believe otherwise. But that was still a far cry from having a serial killer on the loose.
    “I get that. But what makes you think this isn't his first kill? You said his method was advanced, but what does that mean?”
    “Think about the psychology of it. Or,” Vivienne paused, tilting her head in thought. “Do you hunt?”
    He nodded.
    “It's a horrible analogy, I know. But hunting people isn't unlike hunting animals. How clean was your first kill?” Ian was thankful she didn't seem to want to wait for his answer. “I bet it wasn't as efficient as it was after five hunting seasons. With each hunt, you gain insight into what works and what doesn't. If you're organized, and I'd bet my life we're dealing with an organized killer here, rather than a disorganized one, you'll become more methodical over time. The kill is still the kill, but part of the rush comes in how expertly you execute the plan.”
    Everything in him rejected what she was saying. But in rapid fire, Ian's mind flashed through his first few hunting seasons, then sped forward to his first few missions as a Ranger. During his early years, the rush came in just being successful—being able to check the box and get out alive. But by the time he left, he rarely deemed a mission a success unless everything about it went according to plan. Getting the target wasn't enough.
    “It's a kill that took time and planning. It's not personal to this victim. And the execution and dump itself was very successful. What does that tell you?” she challenged him.
    Ian wanted to argue. He wanted to point out that maybe it was a fluke. But he couldn't. He wanted to point out that they didn't have any more bodies, but that would be too much like tempting the fates. He wanted to argue that she must have missed something. But everything she'd said pointed to one thing. A killer that not only knew what to do and how to do it, but one that had experienced it, probably multiple times.
    “Fuck,” he said, running a hand through his hair.
    “I could be all wrong, you know,” Vivienne offered.
    “But you don't think you are?”
    She shook her head.
    “So, what now?” he asked.
    “Now we run the pertinent points through the similar crimes database and see if anything pops,” she answered.
    “If it's someone local doing this, don't you think we would have had a least one missing person from this area? Because we haven't had any missing persons