The morning had started off fine, but Dr. Spencer Reid could tell something was…off. As he arrived at BAU headquarters, a phone call confirmed his feeling.
"Dr. Spencer Reid?" The caller asked.
"Yes, how can I help you?"
"This is Sheriff Grant, do you remember me?" He asks. Spencer immediately remembers his hometown of Las Vegas' sheriff. A short and plump man that didn't seem very frightening, but got the job done.
He must be in about his late 50s now,
Spencer thought.
"Yes, sir, I remember." Spencer answers.
"Spencer, I'm calling with a favor. We have a serial killer, no doubt about it. I will fax over the information I have, can you review it?" Sheriff Grant asks.
"Sure. But we can review it, but I'm not sure if we'll take the case." Spencer says reasonably. The whole team has to agree to take the case, it's not his call.
"There's something else I really didn't want to tell you. The newest victim, it's Ethan Madison. He was in town to visit Nathalie. I'm sorry Spencer."
Spencer's whole body freezes in the act of putting his coffee on his desk. Frozen with the cup right above his desk, his mind blanks out. No, this can't be right. Ethan, dead? By the hand of a serial killer? No.
"You're sure it's Ethan?" Spencer asks in denial. Ethan has been his friend since he was eight years old and joined chess club, Ethan was his best competition and they had planned to join the BAU together, but Ethan choose to follow a different career path; music.
"The body isn't mangled, I can easy tell it's him. A DNA check wasn't even necessary."
"How did the UnSub kill him?" Spencer asks.
"A single shot to the head with a .22, we didn't tell Nathalie yet. I just couldn't do it." Sheriff Grant says, remorse in his voice. Nathalie was Ethan's sister and they had been adopted by their aunt when their father was arrested for child abuse towards them.
"She's not going to take it good." Spencer says. Nathalie had been like a sister to him while he lived in Las Vegas, much like Ethan was a brother. "I'll talk to my team. Hold off on telling Nat, I'll tell her myself, I'm coming to Las Vegas regardless if we take the case."
"Thanks, Spencer. You're a good kid."
With that, Spencer sits down at his desk, needing a minute to cope.
"You alright, Reid?" J.J. asks. "This came through the fax for you." Her blonde hair brushes his arm as she lays it on his desk. She pauses for a moment for any kind of response from him. "Reid?"
"Yeah, thanks. Do you think you can set this up for the team to go over?" He asks, his voice shaking.
She nods, picks up the file and hurries to set up the conference room. Spencer sips his coffee without tasting it, just needing something to do. He runs a hand through his shaggy brown hair, his appearance messy as usual.
A text message beeps on his phone, from J.J., saying they have a case to review. Spencer walks up to the conference room in a hurry, having the desperate need to see Ethan's crime scene photo to make sure it's him.
The rest of the team files in as Spencer flips through the file. He finds the photo and almost chokes. It's Ethan, there is no mistaking that. On his left cheek is a perfect outline of a kiss in bright red lipstick. As if the UnSub loved him.
"Okay, so this is in Las Vegas, this was all faxed over to Reid…" J.J. says, unsure of how to explain.
"Sheriff Grant in Las Vegas called, asking us to review this. A friend of mine is the fourth victim." Spencer explains, flipping through. "All bodies appear to have a kiss mark on their left cheek and they're all found in alleys."
The whole team goes into profiler-mode, unsure how to handle the death of Reid's friend.
"This is definitely a serial killer. A death has been happening each Monday of this month." Emily Prentiss says, her dark eyes taking in the file.
"All men in late 20s, different races though." Agent Aaron Hotchner says, watching Reid closely. In his head, he is debating whether Reid should work the case because of his personal connection to one of the victims.
"All killed by a single gun shot to the head." Agent Rossi says.
"The lipstick is obviously the signature." Agent Morgan comments, as if to himself.
"The crime scene photo's look a little too…clean." J.J. says, looking for some kind of blood splatter from the gun shot.
"We're definitely taking the case, call Sheriff Grant, Reid. Everyone, wheels up in ten." Hotchner says, standing. Reid nods, and watches everyone else leave.
J.J. gives him a look of remorse, and Prentiss pats his shoulder. Rossi's arrogant look is off his face for a moment while he gather's his copy of the file. Morgan leaves quickly, obviously to let their tech analyst, Garcia, know that they're going.
Reid sits in the empty conference room another minute, staring down at Ethan's picture. Sheriff Grant was right, there is no mistake. Ethan Madison has become another victim of killers and his best friend has to find the killer before he/she strikes again.