Title: Dead Popular
Author: DarkRose1902
Fandom: Criminal Minds
Genre: Angst
Rating: T
Warnings: None – I think
Spoilers: including season 6 and in particular episode S3E16
Summery: While in the air the BAU team consider their new case and a now thirty-year-old Reid tries to prove he is not still affected by his years at high school.
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters you recognise but do own the ones you don't. This is my way of loving them.
Story
Each member of the BAU had heard about the terrible mass murder before arriving at work. They had all evaluated whether the case would be handed to them and each felt an uneasy urgent feeling that it should be. It was something of a relief when they walked into the bullpen and Garcia motioned them into the meeting room.
On the screen were graphic images of five dead cheerleaders. On the table was a stack of folders.
"We have a lot of work to do quickly there's another crime scene to go over," Hotch said in his usual grim tone,
"So soon?" Morgan asked from the door,
"Cheerleader's again?" Reid questioned already reading through a report,
"One and her boyfriend. The police are trying to keep this one out the press until we can determine whether that would will help or just cause a panic."
"From the same school?" Derek Morgan asked staring at Reid while he sat and opened a folder,
"No the second . . ."
"From the top Garcia," Hotch interjected gently,
"Yes sir," she sent a tight smile out to the room as Emily, the last to arrive, took her seat.
"Five members of the Lily White Cheerleading squad were shot and killed last night." Garcia reeled off their names and ages without looking at where they were displayed on the screen. Each had a smiling photo of them alive and a gruesome image of them dead.
"They were walking down a road on their way to a local cinema,"
"Dressed in their uniforms?" Rossi asked,
"Cheerleaders and most school athletes actually wear their kits as often as possible." Reid answered with an unknown emotion none of his team recognised.
"I see," Rossi shared a look with Hotch and Reid looked away uncomfortably.
"The shooter murdered them quickly and efficiently – the last victim had barely turned to run," Garcia looked over at the screen then, an expression of sorrow dimming her naturally bubbly personality.
"Publically too," Emily added looking through the crime scene photo's and asked,
"Were there no witnesses?"
"The road was closed to traffic for works." Garcia answered and the photo on the screen changed to a wider view of the crime scene.
"Any cameras?" Emily asked,
"The electricity was down while the teams carried out their work," Garcia was clearly cursing that in her head.
"Luck or planning?" Morgan wondered out loud but no one could answer him yet.
"The police think they were killed about eight twenty. Another group of teenagers found them at eight forty."
"No one heard gun shots?" Emily asked sceptically,
"This is Oakland – if they did they didn't call it in." Rossi answered candidly,
"…" Emily sent him an inquisitive stare,
"Oakland, California has had one of the highest crime rates in the US for years. In 2003 the murder rate was 3.5 times higher than the national average and . . ."
"Not a safe place I got it," Emily smiled at Reid even as she cut him off,
"The second crime scene was by a car in the front garden of the victims' house." Garcia clicked her laptop and the photos changed to the latest victims and the second crime scene. The boy had tried to position himself in front of the girl who was wearing a bright cheerleading outfit.
"Different school and only one victim was a cheerleader this time." Morgan thought out loud.
"Matthew Williamson arrived about seven this morning to take his girlfriend Laura Finchley to school. Neighbours said he often ate breakfast at her place."
"Were her parents in?" Reid asked,
"No they left five minutes beforehand to take Laura's younger brothers to school."
"And this crime scene was reported much sooner?" It was only nine now.
"Yes a neighbour looked out his window when he heard the two shots saw the couple. He missed the shooter and called an ambulance but they were both already dead."
"Good marksman to kill seven people all with just one shot," Morgan commented,
"Large calibre bullets," Garcia corrected him,
"Smith and Weston Magnum .50 calibre," Reid said the only one to have finished the report.
"Wow that's overkill. Any idea what type of gun fired it?" Morgan flicked through the photos.
"No but ballistics will known by the time we arrive. Garcia as soon as we leave please call the lead detective and ask him to warn other schools in the area. It looks like this is person is not going to stop until caught and cheerleaders are clearly his target. We should arrive before the end of school but I want a heavy police presence at every school hopefully that will put this guy off."
Hotch paused to look at his team, waiting to see if anyone had anything to add or perhaps see if they wanted to disagree with him. No one said anything so he continued,
"Alright, wheels up in thirty minutes. The flight is nearly five hours so we'll have plenty of time to strategise. Garcia check into school and police reports of all the dead students. It's possible someone had a serious grudge against these kids and not just cheerleaders in general. Send them all to us. And a list of locals who own a gun capable of firing that type of bullet."
"Yes sir,"
The first hour of the flight was silent except for paper rustling as the team read through every report carefully and then again; each working through their ideas. Then Hotch called for a group discussion.
"Initial thoughts?" he asked,
"Targeting a group like this, he's angry at them so was probably bullied at school." Morgan spoke first,
"I think it's more than that – if he was angry about past grievances wouldn't he have gone after the perpetrators?" Reid asked confidently,
"Not necessarily they were all wearing an outfit that could easily just represent a group of people he is angry at,"
"Look at the crime scene though, look at where they died – in a half circle; classic predatory positioning."
"You think this unsub was bullied by these girls? That he is the same age as the victims?" Morgan questioned smoothly and then asked,
"They were all wearing cheerleading outfits he wouldn't have to have known them personally,"
"Yea but think about why would he have been in that closed road? It's not somewhere an adult would just be walking." Reid backed up his viewpoint.
"He could have been lying in wait for them – he must have planned this, what are the chances he would be carrying around a gun that size with no intention of using it even in Oakland?"
"How would an adult know they were going to be there at that time?" Reid countered,
"So you think what? A teen planned all this?" Morgan asked scornfully,
"Do mass murders usually plan their first attack?" Emily asked interrupting the current tennis match,
"Yes but the fact that this unsub killed again in twelve hours makes it more difficult. Spree killer by their very nature shoot randomly," Morgan pointed out in frustration.
"So we think our unsub is an organised spree mass murderer?" Hotch questioned with scepticism,
"When you put it like that," Emily sighed.
"Hotch what are you expecting Garcia to find?" Morgan asked suddenly, filling in the sudden depressive silence.
"I'm not sure. I agree with you the skill and organisation would suggest an adult but after the second scene I also agree with Reid; shooting five cheerleaders in the street is one thing but going to their house suggests a higher level of interaction."
"That doesn't mean it wasn't an adult. A teacher or guidance councillor or the parent of a kid being bullied would all know where Laura Finchley lived." Morgan said doggedly holding onto his point of view. Before anyone could say anything else Garcia popped up on Hotch's laptop,
"Hello lovely people. So I spoke to the lead guy, one Detective Roche, and he has spoken to the schools in the area. A few of the richer ones have hired private security firms and a couple have even closed for the day including the one the first victims went too."
"That's not good – they're going to make it easier for the unsub to find targets," Hotch said frowning.
"Detective Roche said he tried to stop them but they think telling all the cheerleaders to stay out their uniforms will keep them safe. By talking to the pupils there is no way to keep the second attack from the press."
"This unsub can probably spot a cheerleader even out of uniform," Reid interjected, thinking of the cheerleaders from his past – very distinctive look and attitude; easily identified especially to someone that had been bullied by them.