Written for the Strangeness of September Challenge
Bad Days
The team was in the air, getting their briefing on their way to Dallas, Texas. They had been about to fly back to DC when this new case came up for their attention. Garcia had already sent the preliminary information and was gathering more details.
Rossi frowned as he looked over the initial briefing.
"So, we have three dead so far this month. In a city the size of Dallas, I'm not sure I'm getting the concern or the connection. Woman found dead in the toy store she worked in. Man murdered in an ice cream parlor. A waitress dead outside of a Chinese restaurant. Same section of the city, but beyond that? Different sexes - different age groups - two different races - different times of the day. So why do the local police think they're all connected?"
Garcia's voice piped up over the laptop connection.
"I can now answer that question for you all, my ducklings. All three were killed by stabbing and not just any stabbing. All of them were killed by a triangular blade. Either the same blade or ones with the same dimensions."
"Isn't that like that freaky blade that was in that movie 'The Golden Child'?
Reid gave Morgan a puzzled glance at that question, then turned his attention back to Garcia.
"Indeed it was, my golden chocolate god. Our dear doctor will recognize it more by the name of phurba."
From the way Reid's eyes lit up, Garcia had been right about the name of the blade meaning something to their doctor.
"Definitely not something you'd find just anywhere. Ritualistic dagger, the most sought after ones are made from metals taken from a meteorite, but they were made out of both metal and wood. Most commonly bronze or sandalwood."
Hotch was looking over his notebook thoughtfully.
"Ritualistic? Any particular kind of ritual?"
"It depends on the area the phurba is from, but generally, they're used when someone is dealing with spirits or demons."
They saw Garcia turn her head.
"Hold on - incoming call from our contact in Dallas, Detective Martinez."
The rest of the team continued discussing the information they had so far while waiting on Garcia's return. When she came back on screen, they could already tell the news wasn't good.
"They've just found another body. Detective Martinez is going to meet your plane and take you directly to the scene. Preliminary information is that the victim's name is John Carroll, a white male in his early sixties found stabbed in the small grocery store he owned. No signs of robbery, just apples spilled all over the floor and the same odd stab wound."
Reid's head snapped up from what he was doing.
"Today is the 26th of September."
The rest of the team gave Reid a puzzled look as Garcia nodded in agreement.
"Yes it is. Is that important?"
"It might be. What day was it that you were making fun of me for not knowing that kid song?"
"Kid song? Oh! Teddy Bear Picnic! That was on the 9th - Teddy Bear Day."
"What day was the woman killed in the toy store?"
After a quick look down at her notes, Garcia went silent for a moment and swallowed.
"She was killed on the 9th."
"Today is the 26th - the birthdate of Jonathan Chapman, better known to history as Johnny Appleseed. Garcia - is there anything associated with the other days when bodies were found?"
"A quick search should give us the answer. September 12th - National Video Games Day and Chocolate Shake Day."
Rossi frowned.
"And the victim that day was found in an ice cream parlor. If the waitress is also a match to a day, I think you guys are onto the killer's pattern."
Nodding, Garcia typed rapidly.
"September 13th - Uncle Sam Day - National Peanut Day - Positive Thinking Day - Fortune Cookie Day -"
"Stop there, kitten. The waitress worked in a Chinese restaurant."
Morgan leaned against the table.
"You mean someone killed a woman because she handed out a little cookie along with their bill? That is so messed up."
"Unfortunately, we've seen people killed for less. Garcia - can you tell us what other days like this are coming up? Maybe we can get ahead of our killer now that we know about this."
"On it, oh glorious Leader. Tomorrow is Crush a Can Day followed by Ask a Stupid Question Day and then we have Mud Pack Day on the 30th."
"Crush a Can - they might strike at a recycling station for that."
"Reid, start working up a geographic profile. Let's see what recycling businesses might be in the same areas as the other killings have occurred. We'll be touching down in less than half an hour. Morgan, you work on the Chinese restaurant case - JJ, take the toy store and Rossi, work on the ice cream parlor. I'll work with Garcia on what we already have on the grocery killing. This angle might be a hard sell for the locals, so I want us to have as strong of a case as we can pull together."
Hotch was right about the hard sell. Detective Andrea Martinez gave them a look as if they were making a joke - and a very poor joke at that. But Hotch left her in the hands of Reid and Garcia. The two of them managed to convince her as Reid commented.
"It doesn't have to make perfect sense to me or you - or to anyone else other than the Unsub. We aren't making the pattern, we're simply trying to see the one that they've made."
As it turned out, there were only two recycling centers in the Unsub's comfort zone. The team decided to divide into two groups, with Hotch taking Morgan and Dr. Blake with him while Reid and JJ went with Rossi.
By noon the next day, they were beginning to wonder if they were following a false lead. After all, the Unsub had skipped other days such as 'Talk Like a Pirate Day'. Perhaps 'Crush a Can Day' wasn't one of the ones on his radar either. Not long after lunch, the recycling center went down to a smaller crew. JJ pointed out that fewer people around would make this time of day far more attractive to their Unsub. Rossi agreed and made the call that they would remain until the center shut down for the day.
It was about an hour before closing that a car drove up and a man who seemed to be in his late twenties got out. The fact that he didn't seem to be bringing in materials for recycling seemed odd and the team stayed out of sight, but went on alert. When JJ spotted that he was carrying an object wrapped in cloth, they all drew weapons and quietly moved into position as directed by Rossi.
When the man started to enter the area clearly marked as off-limits to non-employees, Rossi decided to act. Stepping forward, he brought his gun up and called out.
"FBI! Drop your weapon and put your hands up!"
Startled, the man whipped around, his face twisted with anger and appeared ready to launch himself at Rossi until Reid and JJ made their presence known. Looking from one agent to another with wild eyes, the man turned the wrapped knife on himself, driving it into himself before any of the agents had time to react. JJ immediately pulled out her phone and called for an ambulance while Reid and Rossi tried to stop the man from pulling the knife back out, but the Unsub jerked it back out and was laughing at the sight of his own blood dripping from the blade.
Rossi forced the blade away as Reid knelt down to try and put pressure on the wound, but it was no use. The man bled out on his way to the hospital, leaving behind him far more questions than answers.
Detective Martinez drove them all back to the airport, repeating her thanks.
"You folks are welcome back here any time, but please don't take it as an insult when I say I hope you aren't needed back here for quite some time."
Hotch gave her a slight smile.
"It's the times that we're not needed that we treasure. Thanks for taking the chance and working with us."
After they boarded the jet, Rossi saw Reid quietly staring out of the window and was pretty sure he knew what was running through the mind of their resident genius.
"Still trying to figure out why? There's really not any point, you know. The best we can do is speculate. The only one that could have confirmed or denied it is gone."
"I know. It all seemed so pointless though."
"Just keep one thing in mind. If you and Garcia hadn't put things together the way you did, there would be another family mourning right now and who knows how many others in the future? Chalk this one up as a win in the Good Guys column, then let it go."
Reid considered that for a moment then gave Rossi a nod. Whatever had started the string of murders, it was over now. Rossi was right - that equaled a win.