Chapter One

"FBI! Drop the weapon!"

Spencer aimed his gun with an icy gaze. The man before him had killed fifteen women over a period of six months. All upper class and between the ages of 20 and 27, they were tortured for a week before being asphyxiated then dumped in industrial trashcans all over Virginia after disappearing from their last work shift. He had only been caught due to one fatal error.

Flashback

"Garcia, you have me, Emily and Rossi."

"Right, my doves, I did more digging into our latest victims and unearthed what the paper trail failed to. According to Mindy Cartwright's GPS on her car, she drove to St Martin's park they day she disappeared after leaving work at 6pm."

"Garcia, did she have any children?"

"Nope, and here is where it gets weirder, boy genius. Her navigator reads like a straight line, work then back home again and again, she had her groceries and dry cleaning delivered. So, I went and looked back through all our victim's car GPS's and found all of them made the same trip to the same park the day they disappeared!"

Emily's nodded as she listened.

"Secluded, little security, it's the perfect place to abduct someone."

Rossi stopped pacing and turned to face the others.

"Wait…this guy's been using dating apps to target his victims, all of them had alcohol in their system, the same stomach contents. He's playing out a fantasy – wine, a picnic under the stars. And when he gets them home, he takes advantage and the beast comes out."

"Garcia, cross check our original suspect list against anyone who lives within five miles of St Martin's park, he wouldn't drive to far to avoid getting noticed."

"Got him, Ronald Jackson, 32, lives at 22 Woodland way…right behind St Martin's park where his girlfriend rejected his proposal six months ago…"

Emily sprung to action.

"Call Todd and the others, we'll meet them at the address. Thanks Garcia!"

"Be safe, my pretties."

End of Flashback

Eying down the unsub, Spencer's blood boiled at the sight a terrified woman chained to the floor, her skin peppered with fresh wounds and burns.

"Ronald Jackson, drop the knife!"

"She made a fool of me…She's going to pay for making a fool of me!"

"Ronald, that's not your wife, she is five states away in the hospital suffering from cancer!"

His demeanour faltered for mere seconds.

"You lying!"

"Terminal pancreatic cancer that will kill her within the next two months! She couldn't bare for you to watch her slowly fade away, so she left to spare you the heartbreak."

Ronald's hand trembled, sweat was running down his forehead, and his breathing spiked. Spencer, lowering his gun, wrapped his hand around Ronald's wrist.

"You have a chance to say goodbye, tell her how you feel, but you need to drop the knife, OK?"

As tears rolled down his cheeks, the knife clattered loudly against the concrete floor of the basement. A moment later, Alvez had him cuffed and was dragging him out of the room and JJ and Emily were working to get the woman freed. Rossi came up to stand beside him.

"Well done, Spencer."

"Lets get out of here."

Turning to walk out of the room, Spencer halted as a small thumping sound caught his ears.

"Did you guys hear that?"

The room fell silent as the thumping got louder. When he spotted the rattling lock in the corner, he rushed over.

"I need bolt cutters now!"

Matt ran out, returning in seconds and throwing the bolt cutters to Spencer. Once the chains snapped, he threw the lid open and was shocked at the sight before him: another young woman, restrained and gagged.

"Get the paramedics now!"