Into the Inferno: Season Twelve of Criminal Minds
By: Inferno19900828
Written on Sunday, May 15, 2016 at 21:16:46 Central Daylight Time
Chapter One: Welcome to New York
…New York City…Wednesday, September 28, 2015…9:00 PM…
A lone man walks alone in Times Square late this night. In his right hand, he carries a gun. He walks around a bit, watching the throngs of people that usually inhabit this square on a typical Wednesday night. After a bit, he walks into a subway platform, watching the fifty or so people that have just gotten off the train. He sees a middle-eastern male, about fifty years old, get off of the train. He decides to follow him up the stairs and into Times Square. Just as the man enters the square, the gun-wielding man walks up behind him, aims his gun at the back of his head, and fires twice, killing the unsuspecting victim instantly. He then walks a few blocks to his car and drives off. About fifteen minutes later, a woman walking to her car finds the body. She calls 9-1-1, informing them about the body in the square. The police are on scene relatively quickly. They don't seem shocked at all. They've seen this before. Just three weeks earlier, as one officer said to his partner, another middle-eastern male had been killed five blocks away; and three weeks before that, a third. As the fifteen officers process this scene, their bosses call in the Federal Bureau of Investigation to help them.
…FBI Headquarters… Sixth Floor… Behavioral Analysis Unit…10:00 PM…
It was just another Wednesday night at the BAU. Seven agents were sitting at their desks, completing paperwork from previous cases. Agents Jennifer Jareau (JJ), Kate Callahan, Benedict Arnold (Experiment 2-8-0), and Dr. Spencer Reid were then called into the conference room by their team leader, Supervisory Special Agent Aaron Hotchner. Once there, they each took their seats, and were joined by Technical Analyst Penelope Garcia. The round table began when Garcia said, "An hour and a half ago in New York City, fifty-year-old Omar Abdul-Rahman was killed with two shots to the back of the head."
"An hour and a half?," Agent Hotchner began, "What makes that a BAU case."
"I'm not finished…," Garcia began, "…anyways…the police have connected it to two other murders. Three weeks ago, twenty-four-year-old Jamal Abdul-Rahim was found murdered five block away. Same M.O., two shots to the back of the head with a twenty-five caliber pistol. Finally, three weeks before that, eighteen-year-old Harun al-Masri was found in Central Park, shot the exact same way. All three men were killed as they were on their way to or from work."
"Well," Benedict Arnold began, "it certainly looks like this unsub's got a type; middle-eastern males with jobs"
"Yeah," Garcia said, "Omar worked at the recently-rebuilt One World Trade Center, Jamal worked in a mid-tier firm downtown, and Harun was a pizza-delivery boy. All three were out late and all three lived in the city. Omar lived in Brooklyn, Jamal in Staten Island, and Harun in Queens."
"No signs of sexual abuse," Reid said, "in fact, the only trauma seems to be the two bullet holes in the backs of their heads."
"We've got a problem," JJ said, "did anyone actually see any of these crimes occur?"
"No," Garcia said.
"We've worked with a lot less," Kate said.
"We've got a madman with a gun loose in New York and he's just getting started," Hotch began, "Wheels up in thirty."
…End of Second Scene...Third Scene Begins…
…Aboard the plane…Forty minutes later…
The six profilers are now on their jet, bound for New York City. They're going over the victimology, when Garcia interrupts with, "Hey, crime fighters, there's just been another murder, this time in front of the New York Stock Exchange building."
"Alright, Hotch begins, "When we land; Kate and Rossi, go to the NYSE; Reid and JJ to Times Square; and Benedict and I will set up at the precinct."
…End Third Scene…Begin Fourth Scene…
…Times Square…Two hours later…
Dr. Spencer Reid and Supervisory Special Agent Jennifer Jareau are standing over the third victim's body. The police refused to remove it from the scene on orders of the FBI. Reid looks over the body and says, "JJ, look at this. The bullets not only entered through the back of the head, but they were also evenly spaced."
"Okay," JJ said, "What does that tell you about our unsub?"
"Well," Reid replied, "It doesn't say much right now."
"Hey," JJ says to one of the various officers still on the scene, "Can we get the video feed," pointing to a traffic camera at the intersection, "from this camera sent to our other agents at the precinct?"
"Right away ma'am," the officer replies.
"Thank you," JJ says, "Now, we find out why the unsub chose this victim."
JJ then dials some numbers on her cellphone. The phone rings three times, followed by, "JJ, I feared you all had forgotten about me."
"Well, JJ said, "We need you now."
"What can I do for you, today?"
"I need to know everything you can tell me about this victim, Omar Abdul-Rahman."
"Okay, I'll hit ya' back when I got something."
…End Fourth Scene…Begin Fifth Scene…
…Seventy-ninth Precinct…An hour later…
JJ and Reid joined Hotch and Benedict Arnold at the seventy-ninth precinct. A couple of minutes later, JJ's phone rings. "It's Garcia," she says.
She answers the phone with, "Hey, Garcia, I'm gonna put you on speaker."
Through the speakerphone, Garcia says, "I've got the 4-1-1 on the third victim."
"What do you got?" Benedict Arnold asks.
"Omar Abdul-Rahman, age fifty, no criminal record," Garcia began, "I even checked him against the database of suspected terrorists and nada. From his paper trail, I can't tell you why someone would want him dead."
"Well," Benedict Arnold said, "Maybe this is a hate crime. From what I've read, they've been on an uptick in recent months and years."
"Yeah," Reid said, "Ever since 9/11, hate crimes against Muslims have increased two hundred-fold."
"Well," Hotch said, "I don't actually know. Benedict, you may actually be onto something there. Garcia, check into all of our other three victims. Enemies, terrorist connections, everything."
"Will do," Garcia said, before she hung up.
Another hour later, a police officer approached Hotch. He said, "There's just been a fifth murder."
"The unsub's cooling-off period is shrinking," Benedict Arnold said, "From three in nine weeks to three in less than six hours."
"That's a rapid escalation," Reid said, "This may be turning into a spree."
"Reid," Hotch began, "Take Benedict to the new scene in Times Square."
"Okay," Reid said.
…End Fifth Scene…Begin Sixth Scene…
…New York Stock Exchange…Three hours later…
Supervisory Special Agent David Rossi and Special Agent Kate Callahan were standing outside in front of the New York Stock Exchange building. They had a body, another middle-eastern male, this one significantly older than any of the previous three victims. Like the others, he'd also been shot twice in the back of the head with a twenty-five caliber pistol. This time, however, there was something written in chalk next to the body that pointed to this being a hate crime. The unsub had written the words "Go back to the Middle East, you motherfucking sand (n-word)." Rossi and Kate had seen enough. This unsub had pissed them both off when he'd wrote that. (For those of you who don't know, the word that the unsub had wrote is a racial slur directed at people of middle-eastern descent.) A few seconds later, Kate dialed a few numbers into her cellphone. The phone rang three times, followed by, "Garcia's Lair of Omniscience, How may I be of assistance to you?"
"Garcia," Kate began, "I need to know about every hate crime that has been committed against a Muslim in New York City since the first of the year."
"Me thinks me can do that," Garcia said, "It'll take me some time, though."
"Thanks," Kate said, before she hung up.
"I think we have all that we need from here," Rossi said.
"Yeah, Let's go tell Hotch."
…End Sixth Scene…Begin Seventh Scene…
…Times Square…Twenty minutes later…
Agent Benedict Arnold and Dr. Spencer Reid arrived at Times Square. The fifth murder had been committed on the opposite end of the square from the third. The two agents looked over the scene before them. The victim, a seventy-four-year-old middle-eastern male, just like the other four victims, had been shot twice in the back of the head with a twenty-five caliber pistol. This time, however, something new had been written at the scene. This time, the unsub had written "Fuck you, sand (n-word)." Benedict looked at this and said, "I was right, this is a hate crime spree."
"Okay," Reid said, "I think it's time to deliver the profile."
…End Seventh Scene…Begin Eighth Scene…
…Seventy-ninth precinct…Five minutes later…
Back at the precinct, cops were gathered all around the room. A large case board with a small table in front of it were situated at the front of the room. The five human members of the BAU were standing behind the table, with Benedict Arnold standing on top of it, so the cops could see him as he spoke. The nearest two humans to him were Hotch and JJ. Kate stood to JJ's right. Reid stood to Hotch's left. Rossi stood at the far left, to the left of Reid. Benedict Arnold, standing front and center, began the profile briefing, saying, "We believe our unsub is a white male between the ages of twenty-five and thirty, who is on a spree and motivated by hate."
"He is confident," Hotch took over, "killing five people on busy New York streets."
"He is also arrogant," JJ began, "leaving racist words in plain sight."
"He's killed five people, all in Manhattan," Reid began, "but we don't think he lives in Manhattan. He could be from outside the city altogether, possibly even from the suburbs."
"He's armed with a twenty-five caliber pistol," Rossi began, "But we think he also has other firearms."
"What we do know," Kate began, "is he will not hesitate to shoot further Muslims, so increase patrols in those areas where they congregate; mosques, schools, community centers, etc."
"Thank you," Hotch ended.
A few seconds later, JJ's phone rang. When she answered it, she discovered that it was Garcia on the other end. "Hello," she said.
"Hey, JJ," Garcia began, "Is Kate there?"
"Yeah, let me put on speaker."
"Well," Garcia began, "I checked all hate-motivated crimes in the Greater New York area over the past nine months, and I found nothing matching this unsub's MO anywhere in the Tri-State area. I also checked out all the victims…"
"And," Benedict Arnold asked.
"None of them have any criminal records, terrorist connections, or enemies. I can't find any reason for anyone to hate any of them."
"Okay," Hotch said, "Check for any twenty-five-to-thirty-year-old white males arrested for hate-motivated vandalism in the same time-frame. Look specifically at vandalism toward mosques and Muslim cemeteries."
"Okay, will-do," Garcia replied, "Garcia out."
Once they hung up, Hotch was approached by yet another policeman. He was informed that there had been a massacre at a mosque in Little Egypt. Hotch sent Rossi, JJ, and Benedict Arnold to the scene.
…End Eighth Scene…Begin Ninth Scene…
…Al-Sham Mosque…Little Egypt…Manhattan…
When Rossi, JJ, and Benedict Arnold arrived on the scene, they discovered that six people had been murdered while performing prayers in the mosque. What had once been a place of worship and remembrance had now become the scene of a sextuple murder. The victims were three John Does and three Jane Does. They ranged in age from near eighteen to near seventy-five. They had each been killed by two shots to the back of the head with a twenty-five caliber pistol. Written on the eastern wall, in the victims' blood, were the words, "Sand (n-word)s not welcome in our country." Immediately repulsed by the God-awful language that the unsub was using, the three profilers went about examining each of the six bodies. Looking at the bodies, then back at the words scrawled on the wall, Benedict Arnold said, "Wait a minute…the unsub misspelled (n-word)!"
"Yeah," JJ said, "Why is the n capitalized?"
"And," Rossi continued, "there should be two g's.
Looking back to the victims, Benedict Arnold noticed that one of the female victims' hijab had been removed. Rossi found it in the garbage can to the left of the entrance to the mosque. It had been torn in half, and the words "Fuck you" had been written on it. He placed it in an evidence bag, then returned to the six bodies. Then, JJ noticed that one of the victims' prayer mat was off-center from the rest. She lifted the victim off of it, to find the same inscription written from left-to-right across the length of the prayer mat. Rossi noticed that one of the victims had her Qur'an opened to Surah al-Baqarah, (the second chapter of the Qur'an.) On top of the Arabic text, the unsub had written "LIES" on the left-hand page and "BULLSHIT" on the right-hand page. Once they saw this, they all knew that the unsub's hatefulness had dramatically increased. Once they had collected all of the evidence from the mosque, they returned to the precinct with it.
…End Ninth Scene…Begin Tenth Scene…
…Al-Sham Mosque…Little Egypt…Manhattan…
Meanwhile, outside the mosque, two NYPD officers are interrogating a witness who claims to have seen the shooter exit the mosque. He tells them that the suspect was white, around thirty years old, and wearing a striped jacket. The officer thinks to himself, Why in the hell would anyone wear a jacket when it's eighty-five degrees outside? The witness then tells him that the man walked calmly out of the mosque, then began walking toward the east. When the officer returns to the precinct, he informs the feds of the witness's statement.
…Tenth Scene Ends…Begin Eleventh Scene…
…Seventy-ninth precinct…An hour later…
Once they were back at the precinct, JJ, Rossi, and Benedict Arnold rejoined Hotch, Kate, and Reid at the table. Showing them everything that they had collected from the mosque scene, they told them that the unsub's hate was growing. Then Benedict Arnold's cellphone began to ring. When he answered it, he immediately put it on speakerphone, and said, "Go ahead, Garcia."
"Hey," she began, "I checked out every vandalism complaint over the last nine months."
"And," Benedict Arnold asked, "What did you come up with?"
"On Monday, February 29, 2016, there were twenty-five windows smashed at the al-Sham Mosque in Little Egypt."
"We were just there. There was just a massacre with six more victims. Was anyone arrested for that crime?"
"Yes," Garcia began, "One twenty-seven-year-old Daniel Shane Reddick. It says here that he was sentenced to two months in jail for the attack, was released on Monday, May 16, 2016, and subsequently disappeared."
"This sounds like our unsub. Garcia, do you have a picture of Reddick?"
"Yes," she replied, "Sending it…now."
"Garcia, this looks like the kid an eyewitness near the mosque saw running from it about three hours ago," Benedict Arnold said, looking at the picture on his phone, "Do you have an address?"
"Yeah," she began, "He lives at two-zero-one-six East Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn."
"Thanks," Hotch said, then he hung up.
…End of Eleventh Scene…Begin Twelfth Scene…
…2016 East Atlantic Avenue…Brooklyn…Twenty-five minutes later…
As multiple NYPD units converged on the address, the six members of the BAU went up to the door. Hotch knocked on the door, and when Daniel Shane Reddick answered the door, Benedict Arnold tackled him to the ground and handcuffed him. Predictably, Reddick resisted, but he was no match for Benedict Arnold. He was trapped, and he now had to face the possibility of the death sentence for his eleven crimes. Since it was a federal case, the BAU took him back to the precinct and interviewed him there.
…End of Twelfth Scene…Begin Thirteenth Scene…
…Seventy-ninth precinct…An hour later…
When everyone returned to the precinct, Benedict Arnold took Daniel Reddick into an interrogation room. He sat him down in a chair, cuffing him to the table so he couldn't get away. He then asked him, "Why do you hate Muslims so much?"
Reddick said, "They killed my father on 9/11."
"No, they didn't," Benedict Arnold said, "I checked with our technical analyst, who said that your father ran off with another woman. He actually lives in Illinois, now."
"WHAT?!"
"Yeah," Benedict Arnold said, "he said, 'I didn't wanna live with that fuckin' bitch no mo', so I got the fuck out of dodge.'"
"In that case," Reddick said, "I don't really know why I hate those fuckin' sand (n-word)s; I guess I just do."
"Vandalism is one thing," Benedict Arnold began, "But murdering six people, that's quite another."
When Benedict Arnold started to get really pissed off, Daniel Reddick noticed, asked for a lawyer, and terminated the interview. Benedict Arnold then exited the interrogation room, commenting that Reddick could lie better than he could tell the truth.
When Daniel Reddick's lawyer arrived, Benedict Arnold and Hotch entered the interrogation room together. The lawyer had indicated to Reddick that it was in his best interest to confess. Within twenty-five minutes, Reddick did just that, confessing that he was the unsub. A subsequent search of his home revealed the twenty-five caliber pistol that he'd used in each of the eleven murders. It had been proven in just four days that Daniel Shane Reddick had committed the worst hate crime spree in U.S. History. The BAU then returned home.
…End of Thirteenth Scene…Begin Fourteenth Scene…
…FBI Headquarters… Sixth Floor… Behavioral Analysis Unit…Five hours later…
When they got back to their sixth-floor offices, all six profilers were exhausted from their wild-goose chase in New York. Each of them was looking forward to returning home and getting some sleep before their next case. Rossi, Reid, JJ, and Kate returned to their homes, while Hotch and Benedict Arnold stayed in their offices, doing paperwork and organizing their materials from this case. When they were finished, they returned to their home. (Yes, Benedict Arnold lives with Hotch.)
…End of Fourteenth Scene…Begin Fifteenth Scene…
…Hotchner residence…Washington, D.C…Twenty minutes later…
When Hotch and Benedict Arnold returned home, Hotch's son, Jack, was already asleep in his bed. When he and Benedict Arnold entered their bedroom, his cellphone began to ring. When Hotch answered it, A young girl's voice replied, "Hello, Agent Hotchner; may I speak with Benedict Arnold?"
Recognizing the voice as Ambassador Lilo Pelekai, Hotch replied, "Here he is," before handing the cellphone to Benedict Arnold.
Benedict Arnold took the cellphone from him, put it on speakerphone, and asked, "Lilo, what's new?"
"Oh, nothing; we were just wondering how you two were doing. Do you know that you're two days late in reporting to us?"
"Oh, crud," Benedict Arnold began, "It is Sunday. Sorry about that, Lilo; we were all in New York, working on a major case."
"Yeah, I know," Lilo said, "We all saw it on the news."
"Yeah, it was pretty bad."
"The Council saw the reports and I think they know why you're late."
"Okay, Lilo."
"Did you at least catch the guy?"
"Yes, and we got a confession."
"Yeah, I also saw that on the news. What a total waste of space that Reddick kid is."
"That's what we thought."
"Okay, Lilo; we gotta go to bed. We've gotta be back in the office tomorrow. It's Paperwork Monday."
"Alright, I'll talk to you later."
"Bye."
When Benedict Arnold hung up the phone, Hotch asked him what was up. He told him that they were two days late filing their report with Ambassador Pelekai, and then they both went to sleep.
…End of Fifteenth Scene…End of Episode One…
Author's Note 1: Episode Two coming soon…
Author's Note 2: Benedict Arnold is Experiment 2-8-0 from Lilo & Stitch. For more information on him, see Chapter Twenty of my other story Lilo's Experiment Files. He and any other Lilo & Stitch characters in this story are the intellectual property of the Walt Disney Corporation. Criminal Minds and all associated characters are the intellectual property of CBS Network. No money is being made off of this story.