Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds or any of Edgar Allan Poe's stuff. I'm just an insane (and poor) fan. Please don't sue me. You wouldn't get much anyway seeing as I dropped my most valuable posession in the toilet today rendering it both valueless and useless.
Reid sighed as he walked into the bullpen late again. The only problem with insomnia is when you do start to doze of you forget you need to wake up. His anxiety and dread grew as he noticed that his entire team was in the conference room waiting to be briefed on their latest case. They were waiting for him.
"Sorry I'm late guys." Reid apologized as he sat down between Morgan and Prentiss.
"You feeling okay Pretty Boy?" asked Morgan concerned taking note of the prominent dark circles surrounding his eyes and the larger than normal cup of coffee in his right hand.
"Yeah, I'm just tired. I had a long night." Reid explained. Morgan nodded in understanding. He knew that among insomnia, nightmares, and headaches the youngest member of his team just never seemed able to catch a break at night. He couldn't help but worry when it would finally break the young genius. Or worse yet, if he'll ever know for certain if it was a sign that Reid was succumbing to his mother's disease.
"Okay fellow fighters of evil I think we have our work cut out for us in this case." Garcia, the team's tech analyst, said as she passed out the case files.
"What're we dealing with today baby girl?" asked Morgan.
"Well, so far we have three victims all of different races, genders and ages killed all in different ways in a small town in Western Maryland."
"Different victimology and MO's? How do they know it's all being done by the same UnSub?" asked Prentiss.
"All the victims did have one thing in common." piped in Hotch, "They were all found with what appear to be verse or quotes written on parchment with blood. The local police have someone deciphering the handwriting now. It appears to be written in old almost calligraphy-like handwriting. Reid when we touch down I want you to see if you can connect each excerpt. If anyone can do it, it's you."
"They can't get it to us sooner?" asked Reid as he began to question the legitimacy of this police department.
"It's only about a 30 minute flight." explained Hotch.
"To where exactly?" inquired JJ.
"Smithsburg, Maryland."
"Where the hell is that?" asked Rossi.
"That's what I said." stated Hotch as he got up from the conference table. "Wheels up in fifteen."
Reid: "Edgar Allan Poe wrote 'Science has not yet taught us if madness is or is not the sublimity of the intelligence."
"Seventeen year old Miranda Getz was found dead in the athletic field behind the school four days ago. The ME said the cause of death was an overdose of a painkiller she had been taking to help her cope with a recent bout of migraines that were believed to be caused by a tumor the size of a lemon that doctors found in her brain about a month ago. The doctors didn't think she was going to survive much longer." JJ paraphrased as she read.
"And they ruled out suicide because of the piece of parchment left on the corpse." said Rossi.
"Precisely," JJ continued, "Forty-seven year old Mrs. Maria Poma was found buried alive in the cemetery by the public library two days ago. She was the school's Spanish teacher."
"That's clearly not suicide." dismissed Morgan.
"The cemetery is right next to the library?" asked Reid in disbelief. "Parchment was found at this seen too?" he asked regaining his focus.
"Yes. It was placed in a plastic page protector and placed on top of the coffin." Explained Hotch.
"This UnSub had access to a coffin?" It was Morgan's turn to be in disbelief.
"Not quite. It looks as though the coffin is of rudimentary design. It was probably just a few pieces of ply-wood nailed together." Reid had finally given the current conversation his full attention.
"How did the police find her?" asked Prentiss
"They noticed a fresh grave and dug it up. No one had been buried there in a few years" said Hotch. "The ME said she had only been dead for a few hours."
"How did they know she was actually buried alive?" asked Reid sensing something odd.
"There were scratches all over the lid of the coffin and Mrs. Poma was missing all of her fingernails indicating that she tried to claw herself out." Prentiss explained.
"How did she die so fast?" questioned Reid as he continued reading the report.
"Mrs. Poma was epileptic. She had a seizure and was unable to get to her medication." explained Hotch.
"So the first two victims where dependent on medication? Do you think that's just a coincidence?" asked Rossi
"I didn't until I read about the third victim." said Hotch. "Eighteen year old Nathaniel Burgee was found hanging by a rope in his bedroom last night. His parents thought it was suicide until the police found a piece of parchment that resembled those found at the other two crime scenes."
"What kind of parents just assumes their kid committed suicide?" Derek asked almost appalled.
"The kind whose son had just lost his girlfriend four days prior." explained JJ
"Nathaniel and Miranda were dating?" asked Reid surprised.
"According to almost everyone in the town they were." said JJ.
"It's not the victimology or MO that ties these cases together." began Reid. "It's those pieces of parchment. I think it will all make more sense as soon as we find out what they say and how they're connected. However, until then I don't think there is much we can really do."
"I agree with Reid. Everyone just relax for now. We'll be landing in Hagerstown in about ten minutes then we'll be driving to Smithsburg." Hotch said with an authoritative tone. Reid laid back and tried to recline in his seat; JJ had already taken the "couch." There's no time like the present for a quick power nap. He knew he wouldn't be getting much sleep on this case and that it was sure to be a long, grueling experience.
A/N: Hello dear readers. This is my first fic in a while so please bear with me. Sorry for all the dialogue in this chapter…there isn't much you can describe while discussing a case on a plane. Please review! It'll make me happy :D