The BAU team sat in their conference room, Gideon passing out case files, the others flipping through their copies and making mental notes. "You've got an extra," Elle nodded towards the two files he was holding, Gideon nodding along.
As he opened his mouth to explain, there was a knock on the door, a young, red-headed women sticking her head into the conference room. "Hi, sorry I'm late," she smiled, taking the open seat between Reid and Morgan. "I had to find my way up here from another SSA's office." She accepted the file that Gideon handed her, looking around the room. "I guess I should explain. I'm Dr. Piper Marston, and I'm joining your team. I have my law degree and my psych degree from Columbia, and I've been doing work in prisons, researching sociopaths. I was always a true crime fan as a teenager, and I always wanted to know how the minds of serial killers worked. Like how Ted bundy was a brilliant law student who evaded the police so many times, and then got tripped up almost… easily. But long story short, I'm here to help profile people and catch them before they kill again."
The others went around the room, making introductions, telling her a bit about themselves. When they had gotten back to Gideon, he told them about the case, laying out the facts. "We've got a missing persons case in Alaska, one that's turned into a murder investigation. Three women go missing in a small town outside of Anchorage, and their bodies turn up on the welcome sign outside of the city."
"All of them look similar," Piper observed, flipping through the file. "That means our unsub has a connection to a woman like that - an ex-lover, a sister, someone important to him looked or looks like her. My bet is it's a mirror of an ex, someone he's holding a grudge against. We've got to get to him before he finds her, or another woman who looks like her. And we can't just warn every woman who looks like her in that town."
"They were all killed in the same way too," Reid observed from the seat next to her. "Ice pick suggests someone strong. It looks like it was only a blow or two to the back of the head, so he snuck up on them. He was quiet, or someone they trusted. Bodies exhibited outside the town means he wants attention."
"They all went missing from different areas," Morgan said, laying out a printout of a map that had been included in their files. "See, one went missing from a grocery store parking lot, one from outside of a library, and one outside of the movie theater. That points to someone who seems trustworthy - who would get into a car with someone like that unless they trusted him? The woman from the store took all of her groceries, and the one at the library didn't leave any books behind. That means they took the time to put their things in his car. They trusted this guy."
"He's a Ted Bundy," Piper smiled a bit, the rest of the room turning to her. "We're looking for a young, charismatic man. Someone who could smile and make small talk, charm these women into his car, get them to trust him. None of the women operated in the same social circles, so it wouldn't have been a friend. Lover, maybe, but three in that span of time? It's hard to juggle relationships like that, even if he's had practice. That means they met him there, maybe struck up a conversation in the store or at the movies. Or he took an interest in the books she was looking at, said they were his favorite author's or something. They trusted him, and they didn't know otherwise until it was too late. Just like the women did with Bundy."
"Let's move," Hotchner nodded to them all. "Flight's in an hour. Pack your bags for Alaska. It's going to be a cold few nights in the one motel in town."
The meeting broke up, everyone heading to their cubicles in the bullpen to send out a few emails and take a couple of phone calls. Piper took her file, sitting down at a relatively bare spot across from Reid's which had been papered in clippings from old case files, maps, and all sorts of other details that made up his career. "So I guess we're neighbors too," Piper smiled, logging into her computer. Reid gave her a strange look, Piper not understanding until she laughed a bit. "I mean cubicles, silly."
"Oh, of course," he nodded. "Did you know that even now it can get down around freezing in Alaska? It snows on the Fourth of July, sometimes."
"Cool. You're the one everyone wants on their trivia teams, right? Sorry, that sounds bad… I just mean you're the one with the great memory, right?"
"Yep."
Piper smiled devilishly, asking, "Okay, Mr. Memory, want to know what else I can tell you about yourself?"
"That's Dr. Memory to you." Reid leaned back in his chair, folding his hands across his stomach. "But sure. You're in the BAU now, so show me what you can do."
She mirrored him, pushing her glasses up on the bridge of her nose as she talked. "Okay, let's go. You've got so many degrees because what else were you going to do with your time before you turned 18? You're good at geographic things, spatial relationships, stuff like that. You're not to good at social situations, but you pick up on other clues much more easily than the more socially adept people can. You have parental issues - you love your mother, but you rarely see her. Probably because she lives far away, but also because she reminds you of the failings you fear so much - probably losing your mind. You place so much store in that brain of yours, that's the only thing that makes sense, the thing you'd really be afraid of losing. So that means she's got something that can be passed down genetically, and you're probably nearing the prime age for it. depression , maybe, but that can't be it. Something unmanageable if it's major enough. Schizophrenia usually develops in men between 18 and 25, so there we go. You're a bit of a germaphobe, and not the best with technology. But you can manage if you have to. You were bullied a lot as a kid and you've got some sort of unresolved trauma issues. A combination of natural skill and intellectualization got you to be as smart as you are, but you're not afraid of hiding it at all. You're thinking about going to the gym more but your commitment is lacking. You wear glasses sometimes, and you had a sandwich for lunch."
Reid blinked a few times, looking surprised. "I guess you earned your spot… What did you do, walk in and tell Gideon his life story?"
"Do you mean 'How do you know?'?" She dropped a few files into her bag as she stood, beckoning for Reid to follow her as she signed out and said goodbye to JJ, who would be staying in DC. "Well, I got lots of it from the decorations in your cubicle and a lot more from how you talk and little clues like that. It's pretty simple, really." As she got to her car, she smiled a pleasant, "See you in an hour. Make sure you pack a sweater. I hear Alaska still gets close to freezing in the summer."
"Another woman's gone missing," Hotchner told them on the plane. "She was picked up outside of a local diner. Erin Costanzo, 19 years old. She looks just like the rest. Her body hasn't turned up yet, though. There's a five-day delay between when the bodies show up and when the women go missing. By the time we get there, we'll have two days, tops. We're going to need someone to talk to any potential witnesses - the diner was open when she went missing. It was still early, 10 o'clock. I'm also going to need people at all of the other scenes, and at the sign where the bodies all end up. We'll split into teams when we get there. For now, though, get some rest. There's a 4 hour time difference, but it's also summer, so the days are extremely long there."
While some of them went to sleep, Piper, Morgan, and Reid sat up playing poker and swapping stories about their adventures in the FBI. Morgan finally gave up and went to the back of the plane to sleep, since he was losing terribly. Piper had been holding her own against Reid, but had started on a losing streak that only ended when Morgan left. They set their cards aside, Reid yawning, kicking off his shoes, and trying to curl up in his chair. Piper set her glasses aside, leaning on the window and using a jacket for a pillow. She tried to close her eyes, but found herself awake long after Morgan had started snoring in the back of the plane. She looked at the slightly blurry outline of Reid, who was fast asleep already. He was an odd one, but nice enough. Probably because he knew what it felt like to be the new kid, and the one who was trying to figure out how to socialize with the others without seeming like an arrogant smartass.
Reid's phone buzzed, but Piper grabbed it before he woke up. She stood, walking towards the plane's bathroom, where she could talk in a normal voice. "Hey there, newbie, it's Penelope, calling from the basement."
"What have you got for us?" Piper asked, trying to be quiet enough not to wake the others.
"I've got a possible lead. A waitress at the diner where Erin Costanzo went missing said she saw her getting into an old Volkswagen. She got a partial plate, and we came up with a few matches. One's an old lady, one's a car that's been locked in an impound yard for three months, and the other belongs to our unsub. I'm sending you the information now. I think you're looking for a Mr. Isaac Brady."
"Penelope, you're a miracle worker."
"Wait, it was reported stolen a few weeks ago… when the first murder happened."
"Still good to know. We'll have a team talk to him and a team talk to the people at the diner. I mean, if Gideon wants us to."
"There's my future FBI Director. Get some rest, kiddo. I'll talk to you all later."
When they landed, it had gotten cold out, the team pulling on sweaters and jackets as soon as they could reach their suitcases. "This man is probably a hunter. He goes out looking for women he can take easily and who look like they would trust him," Gideon told them, splitting the team. "Morgan, take Elle to talk to the people at the diner. Hotch, Reid, you're on the diner. Marston - Piper - you're with me. We have a few details of this case to go over."
While the others were out collecting information, Gideon laid out a plan for a trap. "He's taking women who have lighter hair and are built like you," he told Piper. "He's speeding up, kidnapping one woman before he drops the last one. He should be picking up a new one tonight. He always finds them alone in a public location, trying to find a ride or in need of help. I'd say our best bet is the closest shopping mall."
At 11 o'clock, Piper was positioned in front of the mall, holding a bunch of bags and waiting for what was supposed to be the last bus around the city. While half of their team was tracking down the stolen car, the other half was positioned around the mall in unmarked vehicles. They would be trailing the kidnapper and hopefully finding where he was hiding Erin Costanzo, if she was still alive. If he was sticking to his pattern, he would be. Piper sat patiently, checking her watch and looking out around the road, supposedly trying to find the bus. Half of her hoped their unsub would come by, but half of her doubted it - this was just an experiment to see if he was hunting that night. He might not even be out, nevermind in the area. "Just relax, you'll be fine," Hotchner coached into her earpiece as a car pulled up. A Volkswagen. Just like Bundy.
"Hey there, you need a lift?" the man asked from inside. "It's gonna be a cold one, and I'd hate to wait for the bus on a night like this."
"Oh, I don't want to make you drive out of your way," Piper smiled at him, getting up to talk into the window of the car. This had to be him. He smiles a lot, trying to be nice, definitely the charming type. Good-looking guy. The plates match the car we're looking for. Here goes. "I don't want to be any trouble."
"No, it wouldn't be a problem," the man smiled again, reaching across the car and opening the passenger door. She jumped in eagerly, setting her shopping bags in the back seat. When she heard the faint click of the doors locking, she knew for sure it was him. As they began to move, she glanced into the rearview mirror. One of the unmarked cars was following a bit behind them. Good, she had backup. "I'm Andy, by the way."
"Piper. Thank you so much, again. I hate waiting for the bus, but my car broke down and I can't afford a new transmission right now. So here I am, stuck waiting for the bus in the cold."
"I've been there," Andy laughed. Glancing over at her. "I spent a few months walking to work in the snow just to pay for new tires. The broke college student life was real."
"Well, I'll have the money saved up in a month or so," she told him, looking out of the window. "Wait, that was the turn back there. I think you're headed the wrong -" She felt an intense pain in the side of her head, and then saw nothing,
When she came to, Piper was laying on a cot in a freezing room, her jacket gone. There was a commotion outside, lots of people yelling. "Where did he get you?" Piper looked over to see a young woman who slightly resembled her on another cot, wrapped in a thin blanket. "I'm Erin. He took you too, didn't he?"
Piper felt for her earpiece - it was gone. But they had been followed. The rest of the team would be there soon. "I'm Piper. I'm an FBI agent. We're going to get you out of here."
"Lot of good that's doing right now," Erin sighed, sitting up. She looked exhausted. There was a lot of yelling outside, followed by a round of gunfire.
"That's gotta be them."
Sure enough, someone tried to turn the door handle, with no success. There was a loud bang, someone ramming their shoulder into the door. A few more tried and Morgan burst through, holding his gun up. He turned to the others, calling back, "They're both in here!"
The team poured in as the rest of the house was cleared. Most of them went to check on Erin, who had been starved and kept awake for a few days now. Gideon nodded to Piper, who nodded back. "Take care of her, go," she waved the rest of them off, telling them to focus on the poor girl who had been held in the basement room.
As the rest of the team helped Erin out of the basement, Reid ran down the stairs a few at a time. He had been late to the party, having gone to check the back yard and the woodshed. "Hey, are you okay?"
"A bit worse for wear, but I'll be fine," she promised, rubbing her arms. "I've got a killer headache, and I'm freezing my ass off, but I'll be okay."
"Here." He holstered his gun, handing her his jacket as they made their way upstairs after the big group.
Piper accepted it gratefully, happy that it was already warm. "Thanks. How long was I out?"
"Only a little while," he promised, Piper checking her watch.
It was only when they were on the plane back to DC that she noticed she was still wearing his jacket. Popping a couple of painkillers, she shrugged it off, since he had grabbed another one from his suitcase. Elle had fallen asleep across from her, taking up two seats in an attempt to curl up under a blanket. Piper would have loved to do the same, but Reid had taken up the window seat next to her. Shrugging it off, she leaned her head on the sleeping agent's shoulder, falling asleep within minutes.
