" Okay team I think you all have met Eva" Aaron said gesturing to Eva, as she and Reid entered the room. "Now it's time to get down to work" a serious look coming across his face. Eva and Reid sat side by side in the only two empty chairs.
"For the past five weeks Hidalgo police in Texas have encountered a number of murders" Jennifer Jareau, the teams liaison, said " there is no apparent connection with any of the victims just the fact that they are all shot in the head, execution style". JJ passed around pictures. When the picture came to Eva she cleared her throat and flipped it up sit down.
" Their latest victim is 30 year old Dana Cade, she was found in the woods just outside the country club that her and husband went to." Again Reid notice Eva barely looked at the picture up on the screen.
" So where do we start?" Eva asked glancing at the picture then around the room.
"Well first we have to do victimology. Figuring out why this certain person, at this certain time, in this certain place" Reid said looking Eva in the eyes as he spoke.
" Good Reid, you and Eva will work on that" Hotch said " meanwhile, Morgan and I will visit the crime scene, Garcia and Emily will nail down the geographical profile, and Gideon and JJ will talk to the family of this, Dana Cade, understood?" Hotch asked. Everyone nodded.
"Where is Gideon anyways, he hasn't met Eva" Emily said.
"Actually he has, he was my tutor" Eva said quietly.
Her tutor? Reid thought maybe that's why she got in the bureau so quickly, Gideon must have recommended her.
"Right, he'll meet use there he's got something's tying him up, okay " Hotch said "car leaves in five minutes!"
On the jet, everyone went over the case one more time.
"So how many victims have been found?" Reid asked JJ.
"Five, They found Mandy Shepherd on June 8th, then Samantha Daniels on July 8th, but then they seem to speed up, they found Wendy Johnson on July 16th, Amy Peterson on the 24th, and Dana Cade on August 8th" JJ said looking up from the case file.
" Okay so we got four dead women in less then three months, how do we know these victims are connected?" Derek asked looking at the pictures.
" Well" JJ said " Seeing as the where all shot in the head and that this" she said putting a picture on the table " Was left at all the dump sites".
In the picture there was a crumpled piece of bloody paper, with writing on it.
"Natures first green is gold
Her hardest hue to hold
Her early leafs a flower
But only for an hour
Then leaf subsides to leaf
So Eden sank to grief
So dawn goes down to day
Nothing gold can stay."
"Hummm…" Eva said picking up the picture.
"What?" Reid asked.
" No I think I know what this is, if I'm not mistaken this poem is called 'Nothing gold can stay' by Robert Frost, I learned it in ninth grade… What?" she said noticing that more then one agent was staring at her. "I have a good memory, it was my favourite poem, my favourite teacher too!" she said blushing.
"told you she was smart" Derek said. Reid hit the call button on the speaker phone and hit 1, Garcia.
"Talk to me baby" Garcia said as she answered the phone.
"Garcia I need you to look something up for us. Could you type this into a search engine for me please 'Nothing gold can stay' by Robert Frost."
" No problem Honey…Okay one second…okay it says it was written in 1923 by Mr. Robert Frost, and it was used in the novel The Outsiders" Garcia said.
"That's where I have heard it! It was my favourite novel we did that year!" Eva said examining the poem.
"So this unsub has either read the book, or read the poem, that helps" Derek said sarcastically.
"maybe if we figure out what the poem means then we might figure out what these women have in common" Reid said looking at the poem in Eva's hands.
"Well when we did it in ninth grade it was about how nothing can stay innocent, like how when we are kids everything is seen through innocent eyes. But when we grow up and get used to things that's when 'dawn goes down to day', or things just lose how special they are" Eva said " or at least that's what we learned" she said blushing again.
"She's right" Garcia said " it says exactly what Eva said on the web page."
" Okay so these people aren't innocent?" Emily asked
"The question is what these women aren't innocent of" Reid said.
"wait guys" Eva said holding up her hand " that's what I learned! Maybe this guy takes it differently, or I don't know, just please lets not speculate."
"You sound like Gideon!" Derek laughed.
" Ha, thanks, thanks Derek" Eva said.
"Eva's right, we don't want to jump to a conclusion when we have no evidence to back it up' Hotch said, then he turned to Eva "You have a very good memory, and you do sound like Gideon". Everyone laughs and Eva blushes again.
When the team arrives at the Hidalgo airport two black SUV's were waiting for them outside. Eva and Reid got to the Hidalgo police station to set up and get settled, and start working.
" You guys must the BAU agents…..How old are you guys? You look to young to be agents….oops sorry I'm detective Miller" A short dark haired man said shaking each of their hands.
"Yeah I'm 24, I'm SSA Reyes " Eva said as she shook his hand.
" And I'm 25, I'm Dr. Spencer Reid" Reid said shaking his hand also.
"Wow, so young" Detective Miller said "Well let me show you to where you can set up."
Leading them down the hall he pushed open the door of a small conference room.
"Thanks, we'll get started" Eva said setting the lap top and binder down on one of the small desk. "Yeah, just holler if you need anything" Detective Miller said.
"Thanks again" Reid said closing the door after the detective.
"So…" Eva said running her hand across the wood of the desk " Where do we start?"
"So, lets begins by looking into these victims lives as far back as we can go" Reid said pulling out his copy of the case file.
"Okay let's start" Eva said, pulling a chair over to where Reid was sitting.
" Thanks, by the way" Eva said looking Reid in the eyes.
"For what?" Reid asked.
"For not being all bummed that you has to work with the newbie" Eva said with a smile.
"Don't worry I've been the newbie lots of times, I know how it feel" He said smiling back at her. Their eyes locked just for a second, before Eva cleared her throat and looked away.
