Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds and no copyright infringement is intended.
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The harsh autumn wind lashed the rain and fallen leaves against the windows. Loud claps of thunder followed closely by sheet lightning briefly lit up the sky and the ground below. He hurried from the building, his briefcase over his head. Why hadn't he brought his umbrella this morning, he chastised himself as the wind blew the rain into his face and eyes, blinding him. It wasn't like the weather report hadn't forecasted this deluge. Not that his umbrella would have held up in this wind he thought as he ran for his car that sat alone in the farthest reaches of the parking lot. Served him right for being late, he reprimanded himself again as the rain soaked through his clothes. He could feel it squishing in his shoes as he ran through puddles that seemed to be everywhere. He finally reached his tan Lexus and fumbled in his pocket for the keys. He heard another deafening crack of thunder and the sky again lit up. In the brief flash of lightness he saw a figure in a soaked hoodie standing in the darkness; likely one of the students late for curfew. "Are you late for curfew?" he yelled. "Hop in and I'll drive you to the doors." He clicked the remote to unlock the car doors. The figure approached the driver's side door. "What the…" was all he was able to get out before the thunder clapped again drowning out his scream as the lightning revealed the knife being wielded by the hooded figure. He fell to the ground while his attacker stabbed him repeatedly, then turned and walked away as Doug Hay's body lay on the wet pavement, the blood that drained from it washed away by the unrelenting downpour.
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Unit Chief Aaron Hotchner got off the elevator on the sixth floor in his usual black suit, white shirt and black tie, his hair neatly combed and his stern professional demeanor firmly in place and almost ran into Special Agent Jennifer Jareau. "Good," JJ said, "we need to talk."
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The BAU team drifted slowly into the conference room, blue coffee mugs adorned with the FBI logo in their hands. They sat around the round table waiting for JJ to begin the briefing but it was Hotch who spoke first. "We've been asked to consult on the murders of three teachers in Baltimore." He looked directly at the youngest member of the team. "Reid, one of the teachers taught at Fletcher's school."
"Which one?" Reid asked, holding his breath, praying that he wouldn't hear Trevor's name knowing that Phoebe would be devastated but also cognizant of the fact that it was tragic whoever it was.
"Douglas Hay," Hotch replied. "He was stabbed last night in the parking lot of the school."
"The parking lot of the school," Reid repeated.
"Reid, I don't know if you knew Doug Hay…" Hotch began.
"Yeah, I met him once at a parent/teacher night. He was a nice guy, seemed totally devoted to his students." Reid was quiet for a few moments.
"Do you think it will affect your handling of the case?" Hotch asked sternly.
"No, no, I want to catch this unsub. I was just thinking that this is the second time a serial killer has been so close to Fletcher. It's bound to bring back memories." He stood up heading for the conference room door. "Sorry, I have to make sure he's alright."
"Reid, none of the students has ever been har…" JJ began before Reid was out the door. She clicked the remote. "The body of Doug Hay was found this morning by the side of his Lexus in the Weinthorpe Academy faculty parking lot. He was stabbed numerous times but all the blood evidence was washed away by the storm that struck the area last night." JJ finished as Reid walked back into the room. "How's Fletcher doing?" she asked.
"He seems to be okay. The principal called an assembly and let all the students know what happened. Fletcher says there are counselors and child psychologists coming to help the kids work through it. He's upset of course. Mr. Hay was one of his favorite teachers. He's glad we're on the case."
JJ continued her briefing, "Doug Hay was the third teacher to die in Baltimore in the last three months. The first was Jeff Blaylock, forty years old, a teacher at Heritage Park Elementary School. He was killed three months ago walking home from school late one evening. He was stabbed three times, twice in the chest and once in the leg severing the femoral artery. He bled out." The profilers looked at the picture of a good looking middle aged man with dark eyes and hair smiling into the camera and then one of him lying on the ground, covered in blood.
"Two months later, the second victim," JJ clicked the remote and another dark haired man's picture appeared on the screen, "was Keith Fenmore, thirty-seven. He taught at Lincoln Middle School. He too was killed on his way home from school. He was riding his bike when he was most likely hit by a car. That wasn't the COD, however. He was found at the side of the road, his mangled bike a few yards away from him. He was also stabbed and bled out." She clicked the remote again and the dead man's body appeared on the screen in a pool of his own blood.
"Then last night," JJ clicked the remote again, "Doug Hay," the picture showed another dark haired man in a similar age range to the previous two. A second click showed his body but the blood had been washed away by the elements.
"They're the same type," Morgan noted, "all dark haired, same approximate age."
"All teachers," Prentiss added. "The unsub was probably abused once by a teacher who looked very much like these men."
"I can't find any connection between the men other than that they were all teachers and all single," Garcia, dressed this morning in a bright yellow suit, reported looking at her laptop.
"So are we to assume that that puts any fortyish dark haired male teachers in danger?" JJ asked.
"Yeah and the scary thing is he's lessening the time between kills," Reid said. "First it was two months, then one month. He could be devolving."
"Okay," Hotch ordered, "we'll drive to Baltimore since it's so close. Dave, I want you and Morgan to take the first two schools and talk to the staff about Blaylock and Fenmore. Prentiss, the coroner. I'll cover the Weinthorpe Academy. JJ, you and Reid set up at the precinct. Reid, start working on victimology and a geographic profile. We don't know what kind of timeline we're working with anymore. Alright everyone, let's move."