The Return of Mesmero

Prentiss was woken early by the sound of her phone ringing. She rolled over in the hotel bed to grab it from the bedside table and tapped to answer the call.

"Prentiss." She said groggily, while trying to work out the time.

"Emily, my dawn angel, I am so sorry to wake you early while you're on leave." The voice of technical analyst Penelope Garcia came from the phone.

"That's okay, what's wrong?"

"Paul Simonson, you might know him better as Mesmero."

"What about him?" Instantly more awake, Prentiss sat up on the edge of the bed. The rogue hypnotist had been responsible for stripping several women naked, including Prentiss herself twice, and leaving them in the middle of Vegas. He had been caught, but escaped custody, leaving a naked policewoman on his way (if you missed it, go back a step and see the story beginning "A New Case").

"I think he's resurfaced." Garcia said, "His MO certainly has, we've got five cases of women being picked up by police naked, claiming no memory of what happened to them."

"Where?" Prentiss stood from the bed, naked, and began to pace the room, her brain starting to speed up.

"California. Shall I call in the rest of the team?"

"No." Prentiss said quickly, "No, if things go the way they did before I don't want the guys around. Is JJ free?"

"Already flying out."

"Great. Looks like vacation's over, I'll find a flight."

"I'll text you the contact at the California Bureau of Investigation."

"You're a sweetheart."

"I know. By for now."

Prentiss hung up. The man who had humiliated her repeatedly had come back, and this time she was determined he would not get away. She needed to pack and get a flight to California as soon as possible...

She stopped, halfway through looking around the room at her scattered belongings. She had just realised that while she had been walking about in front of the window, the curtains were open. And there was a small crowd gathered on the pavement outside the hotel. And she was still nude.

Prentiss let out a squeal and dove away from the window onto the bed.