DISCLAIMER: SADLY, I DO NOT OWN CRIMINAL MINDS.
"And so therefor—" started Dr. Spencer Reid before he was rudely interrupted by the shrill ring of his cell phone. Glancing down at the small object, Reid felt a pang of annoyance at being interrupted in the middle of a lecture.
He realized that he didn't recognise the number. The area code said that the call was coming from somewhere in Canada. His brow furrowed in confusion, Reid turned to the team.
"I'm sorry, but I have to take this," he said.
"It's okay, go ahead," JJ said, only adding, "Anything to get you to shut up," after Reid had gone into the hallway to take the call, grateful for the interruption. The kid may be a genius, but, damn, he could not take a clue.
Meanwhile, back in the hallway, Reid flipped open his cellphone, lifting it up to his ear before saying, "Hello, this is Dr. Spencer Reid, how may I help you?"
"Hello, Dr. Reid. This is Dr. Deborah Lee, from the Toronto Center of Addiction and Mental health. I am calling regarding a patient of mine named Liliana Hawthorne," said a monotone female voice from the other end.
"Are you sure you have the correct phone number?" Reid asked. "I've never head of a Liliana Hawthorne."
"Well, Dr. Reid, allow me to explain the predicament I am in. My patient is a twelve year old female whose parents are deceased, which leaves her immediate care in the hands of one Diana Reid, who has been deemed and unfit guardian, leaving the next of kin as you," Deborah said, her monotone voice spiking with hints of anger.
"Please explain the situation to me," Reid said, lifting his hand to his face, rubbing his temples.
"In September of 2012, Liliana Hawthorne, ten years old at the time, was brought into our psychiatric ward after suffering a mental breakdown during school. While she was under observation, we discovered that she compulsively self-harmed. Our staff was also able to diagnose her with several other conditions, both mental and physical, that had been overlooked due to parental neglect. Two months after, her mother, Julia Hawthorne, overdosed on meth.
"In June of 2013, Liliana was being considered for releasement when she suffered another severe mental breakdown after finding out about the death of her mother, which had been kept from her as she was being stabilized. We have managed to balance her medication, and with several months of therapy, we believe that she is stable enough to return into the world of reality. As a legal-aged next of kin, it is your responsibility to overlook her wellbeing until she turns eighteen."
As Dr. Lee finished speaking, the full weight of the situation dawned on Reid. "And what exactly is her condition?" he asked. "What medication is she on?"
"Liliana has been diagnosed with OCD, for which she is taking paroxetine, which also treats her depression. Liliana also has severe epilepsy, and is on carbatrol to control it. She also has serious anger issues, and is not very well controlled," Deborah said.
"Come on Reid," Morgan said from the doorway, "The briefing is about to start."
"I apologize, but I am extremely busy at the moment. Is there any way that I can contact you later for further discussion?" Reid asked over the phone.
"Yes, I'm available at this number Monday through Saturday, between six A.M. and twelve P.M. Feel free to contact me, but please know that if you can't take her, she will be put into the foster system, and with her personal history, she most likely won't be put into an actual home."
And with that, Dr. Lee clicked off, leaving Reid feeling incredibly stressed out. He apprehensively walked into the briefing room and sat down at the table as Garcia anxiously watched him from the front of the room.
Reid," Hotch said, "What was that about?"
"Apparently," Reid started, "I have a twelve year old cousin in Canada whose mother overdosed on meth."
"No offense, Reid," JJ said, "But how does that concern you?"
"I am her next of kin, so it'll be my responsibility to look after her, unless I want to put her into the system. And judging by how many of the cases we've had that are related to foster children, I doubt that it's a very good idea."
"So…Do you have to go to a funeral or something?" Morgan asked.
"No, her mother died two years ago," Reid chirped.
"Then why are you just being notified about this now? Where has this girl been for the past two years if you're her next of kin?" Blake asked.
"A mental institution."
"Ha ha, very funny Reid…You are joking, right?" Morgan said slowly
"Why would I be kidding?" Reid asked, a puzzled look on his face.
"You're not seriously considering taking in a mental patient, are you, Spence?" JJ asked.
"She's twelve, JJ, what do expect me to do? Put her in a group home?"
"What's she in for, anyway?" Morgan asked.
"She had a mental breakdown during class and when she was in the hospital they found out that she cut herself," Reid answered.
"And you're serious about taking her in?" Hotch cut in.
"I don't know, I just found out about her. Can we just get back to the case please?"
"Fine, but do not think that this conversation is over, Reid," Morgan said.
"Personally, I think that it's really sweet what you're doing, Reid," Garcia said. "Now, back to the case. We have been asked by Toronto to help them in a case. I know that it's out of our jurisdiction, but the board made an exception considering the case." Garcia pressed a button on the remote she held, and the screen lit up with the faces of four women. "Three weeks ago, 23 year old college student Faith Matthews was abducted from a bar in downtown Toronto. Her car was found the next morning in an empty parking lot with the drivers' side door open. Two days later, her body was found in a nearby park. Her body had signs of electrical torture and sexual assault. Cause of death was blood force trauma to the head.
"Four days later, 24 year old Amanda Willis was abducted from a grocery store at approximately 11:00 P.M. and her car was found the next morning with the door open. Three days later, her body was found in a dumpster behind a restaurant. She had suffered electrical torture like the first victim, except this time the cause of death was loss of blood. She had been stabbed twenty-three times in the genitals," Garcia said, a look of horror and disgust plastered to her face.
"Garcia, were there any signs of sexual assault on this victim?" Reid asked.
"It was inconclusive. The M.E. said that there was too much damage done to the genitals to tell," JJ cut in, sparring Garcia from saying it.
"This unsub is evolving fast," Morgan said.
"Oh, you haven't seen the half of it," Garcia sadly. "Two days after the body of the second victim was found, 21 year old Vanessa Thorton was abducted from the parking lot of an overnight convenience store at nearly 2:00 A.M. Like the other victims, her car was found the next morning. She was held for four days before her body was found in a bus shelter eight blocks away from her abduction site. Her body showed signs of electrical torture and sexual assault. The official cause of death is gunshot wounds to the abdomen.
"Three days ago, 23 year old Valerie Brooks was abducted on her way back home from a friends' house. Her car was found eight miles away from her house," Garcia finished, her face scrunched up in a look of concern and disgust mixed into one. "Her body hasn't been found yet."
"This unsub's MO is off the charts. The only consecutive thing about it is the electrical torture, which isn't much to base a profile off of," Morgan said.
"We'll find out what there really is to work with when we get there," Hotch said, getting up to go.
"Sir, that's not all. Across the windshields of the victims' cars, messages were written in their blood. They read 'WHORES DESERVE TO DIE!' in all capitals," said Garcia.
"We'd better get down there quick," Hotch said. He got up and grabbed his bag, saying, "Meet me at the jet in an hour. Also, because it's so far away, Garcia, you'll be joining us."
After Hotch left the room, Morgan turned to Reid. "Okay," he said, "We have seriously got to talk about this schizo pre-teen you're thinking about home."
"Morgan, you make it sound like Reid's going to be adopting a puppy, not a girl. I, for one, support his decision. It sounds like this girl's had a lot of trouble in her life, and that she could use some stability," Garcia chided.
"I think that I should probably meet her before I make any rash decisions," Reid answered.
"And how do you intend to do that? Didn't you say she lives in Canada?"
"Yeah, Toronto to be exact."
"You didn't answer my question," Morgan said.
"Morgan, where's our next case?" JJ asked with slight annoyance in her voice.
"Oh…" Morgan let his voice trail off.
"Anyway, we should get going. We don't want to keep Hotch waiting," Reid said quickly, picking up his bag before rushing out the door.
Walking into the bathroom at Quantico, Reid pulled out his cellphone and went into the call history. Going to the most recent call, he clicked redial.
After ringing for several seconds, Reid heard a glum female voice saying, "Toronto Center Of Addiction And Mental health, tis is nurse Colton speaking. How may I help you?"
"Hello, this is Dr. Spencer Reid. May I please speak with Dr. Deborah Lee?"
"One moment please." Reid heard the unpleasant sound of elevator music that people would play when they were on hold, his face scrunched up in annoyance. After a few minutes, read her a higher-pitched female voice saying, "Hello, this is Dr. Lee, may I help you?"
"Yes, this is Dr. Reid. We recently spoke on the phone regarding a Liliana Hawthorne. My team and I have a case in Toronto, and I was wondering if I could meet with her before I made any solid arrangements?"
"Hello Dr. Reid! Regarding Liliana, at the moment she is in solitary, but I am sure I can make an exception for you. Is there a specific time that I can expect you at?" Deborah asked.
"Not specifically, but definitely within three days" Reid replied.
"Alright, I guess I'll see you then." Dr. Lee clicked. Reid turned and stared at is reflection in the mirror. He looked worried, he realised. Splashing some cold water on his face, Reid stood up and walked out of the bathroom and went to get his overnight bag.
"Alright, team, let's go over the case file," Hotch said, reaching into his bag and returning with his tablet. They were I the jet, on their way into Canada. "So far," Hotch said, "We know that the unsub has a specific type."
"All the victims were brunettes with green eyes, and all between the ages of 20 and 25. All were in relatively good physical condition, with shoulder-length hair. They all lived in downtown Toronto. I'd say that's a pretty specific type," Reid commented.
"Yeah, it is. When we land, Morgan and Reid, you two go to the M.E.'s and examine the bodies. Rossi and Blake, you guys go to the first dump site. Garcia, JJ, and I will head down to the police station."
"Hello, thank you for coming," Detective Jacoby said as Garcia, JJ, and Hotch walked into the Toronto police station.
"Is there somewhere we could set up?" Hotch asked.
"Yes, right this way," Detective Jacoby said, leading them further into the police station and into a room with two wooden tables in the center. Garcia Went to the one closest to the wall and began setting up her laptops.
"I just really wanted to thank you for coming so quickly to something out of your jurisdiction," Jacoby said again, her high ponytail swishing behind her head.
"You're welcome," JJ said, "We're happy to help."
"Were there any ligature marks on the first victim?" Reid asked the lab assistant.
"Yeah, that's where she was electrocuted," he said, motioning to the burn marks against Faith Matthews wrists. "The same goes for the two other victims, on both arms and legs."
"Are you able to tell whether or not the second victim suffered any sexual assault?" Morgan asked.
"It was inconclusive," the lab assistant said, shaking his head. "The stab wounds to the genitals were too extensive to tell from. But I can tell you that all of the victims had traces of oxycodone in their systems, so that was most likely what their killer used to subdue them."
"I don't see anything out of the ordinary here," Blake said as she stared at the closed-off section of the park where the first victim was dumped. There wasn't even a blood stain where the body was.
"Well, it's clear that the victim was killed elsewhere, so what other reason could the unsub have to dump a body here?" Rossi mused aloud.
"Personal attachment?" Blake offered.
"Maybe, but victims two and three were dumped in a dumpster and a bus shelter."
"Maybe the unsub dumped them at random locations as a forensic countermeasure?"
"Or maybe all the places held some sort of meaning to him. Let's head back to the police station," Rossi said.
"Find anything?" Hotch asked as Blake and Rossi walked into the station.
"Nada," Rossi said, shaking his head. "T here's nothing important at the dump sites. Where are Morgan and Reid?"
"Not back yet," JJ said. She was looking over the case when Detective Jacoby walked in.
"Blake, Rossi, this is Detective Jacoby, head of the police station. Detective Jacoby, this is Special Agent David Rossi, and Dr. Alex Blake," Hotch introduced, gesturing at each person in turn.
"Hi," Detective Jacoby, smiling. "I just want to thank you all again for coming, it's been so long since we've had a serial killer here, I don't think any of us remember how to handle one."
Just as the detective finished speaking, Morgan and Reid stepped into the room, interrupting what would have been a very awkward conversation.
"Hey, you guys will never guess what we found. All of the victims had traces of oxycodone in their systems at their time of death," Morgan said, walking to the table that Garcia was and sitting down next to her.
"So we know that he uses oxycodone to subdue them, which suggests that the unsub isn't necessarily fit, or that perhaps he was injured," Hotch said.
"Or he could have no trouble subduing them, but evidence does show that he keeps them for several days, so he could be using it to keep them silent," Blake offered.
"But isn't this guy a sexual sadist? That means that he likes to hear them scream," said JJ.
"The oxycodone will make them disoriented, but it won't silence them."
"So you think that he's just using it to keep them quiet, but not silent," JJ said.
"Exactly," Hotch said, "And that's exactly why we need to find him before he puts another woman through the same torture that the others went through."
Just as Hotch finished speaking, a tall, lean police officer with blond hair burst into the room. "Oooh," Garcia murmured, earning herself a patronizing scowl from Derek.
"Detective Jacoby," the newcomer breathed, "there's been another girl reported missing."
"Scarlet Hansen, 23, reported missing this morning when her partner noticed that she didn't come over the previous night, and when she wasn't answering her cellphone and she wasn't at her apartment," Garcia said, pointing to a picture of a woman who looked a lot like the other victims, with brown hair and green eyes.
"Even though the physical type is the same, how are we sure that it's the same unsub?" Reid asked.
"Her car was found in the parking lot of an all-night Walmart. The drivers' side door was open, and the same message was painted in her blood. 'WHORES DISERVE TO DIE.' All in capitals," Garcia quoted.
"There's something strange here," Reid said, "The crime scene seems staged."
"How so?" Rossi asked.
"The message on the windshield was written in the victims' blood, but there's no other traces of blood anywhere else, nor any traces of a cleaning chemical," said Reid with a puzzled look on his face.
"Good point. All right, I want to interview everyone who reported this girl missing," Hotch said.
"No, I just—Agh!" said Joanna Whitman before she broke into sobs one more. They were in the middle of interviewing her, regarding Faith Matthews. Joanna was the one who reported her missing, and was also her best friend and roommate.
"Hey, it's okay," JJ said. She and Morgan were the ones doing the interview, and the poor girl was a wreck.
"We're just going to walk you through the night again. 'Kay?" Morgan said. "Just close your eyes. You guys were at a bar. Did you dance?"
Joanna nodded. Morgan continued.
"It was probably hot in there, especially with you dancing. So you went and got a drink." Another nod. "Did Faith drink anything?"
Joanna shook her head. "She was the designated driver." Morgan looked to JJ.
"I met someone. Went home with them. Faith said that she would drive herself home. And I—oh god, when I came home and she wasn't there, I knew that something was wrong. And that it was all my fault."
Again, Joanna became consumed in the sound of her sobs.
Later on, when all of the interviews had been completed, the team came together and decided that it had been a waste of time.
"We do have one thing, though," Reid said.
"Yeah?" asked Rossi.
"We know that Scarlet Hansen was kidnapped, and that we still don't have Valerie Brooks' body."
"Good point. Detective Jacoby!" Hotch called.
Detective Jacoby walked into the room, asking, "What?"
"We're ready to give a profile," said Rossi.
"We're looking for a fit, white male in his mid to late twenties, with a large amount of secluded property. His job allows him to spend many hours at home with his victims, so he probably works an at-home job. He has a vehicle large enough to both abduct and dispose of bodies, but not overly large as to draw attention to himself at a club, such as a sedan," Rossi said.
"The unsub is using the victims as surrogates for a female figure in his life, most likely a mother. He is able to acquire large quantities of oxycodone. He blends in incredibly well in a crowd," Hotch finished.
As the officers began to leave the room, Reid turned to the team. "If the oxycodone was administered after, to keep them quiet, then how did the victims get into the car?"
"They knew him!" Hotch said. "Garcia?"
"Yes sir?"
"Did any of the victims have relatives in hospice care?" After a few seconds of typing, Garcia looked up.
"They all had grandparents that were admitted into hospice care, sir."
"Did any of them have the same one, baby girl?" Morgan asked.
"No, but wait a second! Get this: none of them had the same hospice, but all of hospice's had the same on-call nurse!"
"Name?" Hotch demanded.
"Roy Larkin, age twenty-eight. He's a white man with no living family but his mother, and she ran out on the family when Roy was eleven," Garcia chirped.
"Pull up a picture," Hotch ordered.
Garcia did. The woman that came up was damn well a twin of the victims, with shoulder-length brown hair, blue eyes, and a tan.
"Got an address, baby girl?" Morgan asked.
"3358 Bloor St," Garcia answered. The team was out in a flash.
"FBI, open up!" Morgan yelled. When nothing answered, Morgan signalled the team before kicking open the door. Each person went into a room, yelling "Clear!" when they came up empty.
"Basement," Blake said, gesturing to a door along the hallway. Opening the door, the team went down about fifty steps before entering a stone-set hallway.
Lifting a finger to his lips, Hotch walked down the hallway, gun drawn. The rest of the team followed. Soon, they came to a door, and raising his had in silent signal, Hotch counted down one, two—
"THREE!" The team burst into a room, which contained a bruised and battered Valerie Brooks hooked up to the springs of a mattress, her wrists bound in copper wire. In the back of the room, a sweaty Roy Larkin was holding a badly beaten Scarlet Hansen with a gun to her head.
"Put down your guns," he said, "or I'll shoot her!"
"Hey, you won't do that, will you?" JJ said. "Because you haven't punished her yet. You haven't punished her for leaving you alone."
"That's right! She deserves to die!" Roy yelled.
"Roy, you have to know, that isn't your mom. Your mom died in Santa Fe two years ago, Roy. And that girl, that girl did nothing to you," JJ said.
"No, no! She wouldn't—would she? She just—" Roy pushed Scarlet away from him and looked as if he was in daze. He dropped his gun. Morgan ran forward and pushed him into the wall, face first.
"Roy Larkin, you are under arrest for the murder, rape, and kidnapping of Faith Matthews, Amanda Willis, and Vanessa Thorton, the attempt of murder of Valerie Brooks, and the kidnapping of Scarlet Hansen. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law…"
One Day Later
"Reid, you okay?" Morgan asked, waving his hand in front of boy genius' face.
"What? Oh, it's just that I'm supposed to go meet Liliana Hawthorne today and decide if I want to obtain legal guardianship of her," said Reid.
"Do you want us to come with you?" JJ offered.
"Thanks, that would help," Reid answered. "The place is a couple streets over."
"Oh, Dr. Reid!" exclaimed Dr. Lee as she saw him. "How are you?" she asked, flirtatious implication heavy in her voice, which, of course, Reid missed.
"I'm fine, thank you. This is my team, Penelope Garcia, Derek Morgan, Jenifer Jareau, Alex Blake, David Rossi, and Aaron Hotchner," Reid said, gesturing to each person in turn.
"If you do decide to take Liliana with you, we have a temporary visa ready for her. Come this way, Liliana just got out of solitary," said Deborah, leading the team down a white hallway.
"What was she in for?" Morgan asked.
"She screamed at a fellow patient for touching her," Dr. Lee said. She stopped in front of a plain white door, with a whiteboard on it that read, "PATIENT 1182." Pulling out a set of keys, Deborah began to unlock the door.
"You lock her in?" asked Reid.
"We like to keep track of our patients," Dr. Lee said, smiling. She opened the door, revealing a small room with white walls, a twin bed without sheets, and a barred four by eight window. In the corner of the room was a person curled in the fetal position.
"Get up!" Dr. Lee snapped at her.
The lump on the floor stood up. There stood a girl, not exactly thin, but not chubby, either who was about 5'4". She had short, choppy, dirty blond hair that looked like it had been cut with glass. She wore rectangular-framed glasses, faded, loose jeans, and a three-sizes too big long-sleeved Marvel shirt. She wore no shoes.
Liliana Hawthorne had blue eyes, and a lifeless expression.
"She's a bit doped up right now, to keep her quiet, but she'll get used to it in a few minutes," Dr. Lee assured. That was when Reid made up his mind that no matter what, this girl wouldn't have to spend another night here.
Apprehensively, Reid walked towards the girl. "Hello, I'm Spencer Reid," he said.
"And I don't care," Liliana said suddenly before walking over and plopping down on the bed.
"I would give you two sometime alone, but I'm afraid that Liliana is still on probation."
Turning around, Reid faced Deborah. "May I speak with you in the hall?" he asked.
"Certainly," said Dr. Lee. They went into the corridor.
"I wonder what they're talking about," organ asked his eyes trained on the figure of the now-sleeping Liliana Hawthorne, same as the rest of the team. "But, damn, how is it right to dope a kid up just to shut her up?"
"I don't know her, but I hope that Reid takes her," JJ said in a monotone voice.
Several minutes later, Reid returned without Dr. Lee. "It's settled," he said, "I'm taking her with me." Just as he finished speaking, Deborah Lee returned.
"Alright, here's everything you need to sign," she said, handing Reid a few papers. As he was filling them out, one more thing struck his mind.
"Oh, Dr. Lee?" he asked.
"Yes?" she answered immediately, her voice rich with implications.
"What about school?"
"Oh? Well, the brainiac here actually has enough credits to graduate, but if you wanted to put her through school like a normal person, she would be in grade seven."
Reid nodded.
"Alright, then. It'll take her a few minutes or her to pack the things in her room, and I can have the rest of her things, including instructions, sent to your home."
Anther nod.
This was happening. This was final. This was going to be so damn hard.