Chapter 2

"Isn't JJ supposed to be here?" Emily questioned when she noticed that JJ wasn't present in the conference room.

"She'll be joining us on the flight,"Hotch replied dismissively. "Wheel's up in thirty."

JJ read through the file and her eyes widened as she realised what the case was about. She swallowed hard as she tried to maintain her composure. Glancing up from the file, she tried not to make eye contact with the rest of the team.

"Morgan, Prentice, you two go down to see the victim's families, David and I would go down to the crime scene."

"The body was found in the ravine," Reid pointed out. "You'd need to hike up the mountain."

"The sheriff has a chopper waiting to take us there," Hotch replied.

JJ shifted uncomfortably in her seat. That was supposed to be her job but she wasn't the one doing it. She kept reading the file over and over again until she was sure there was nothing more she had to know.

Hotch looked over at JJ. He tried to read he expression but she was calm, just like her own self. The case was from her hometown and he just wanted to be sure that she was okay working the case.

Rossi watched as Reid and JJ sat at the desk trying to work out a profile. The two of them had been working silently for over two hours and neither of them had said a word to another. He shook his head and headed over to where Hotch had been standing.

"We have another thirty six hours before another women dies," Hotch said.

"Hotch, I think that the unsub had been hurt by someone significant to him," Reid said. "The victims suggests that he probably had a girlfriend, similar to the victims. Probably the girl had left him and then he started to kill."

"They were not his first kill," the sheriff said coming into the room. "I got calls from other state sheriff's saying that they had other victims with similar markings," he continued.

"But the markings on these victims start with one on the victims found here," Rossi said.

"Sir, a call justcame in," one of the deputy officer's came into the room. "A woman just went missing. Sarah James. The family is on their way in."

Hotch and Rossi exchanged a glance as they took in the pieces of information. "Sheriff, can you get the files on these other cases in immediately?" Hotch asked.

"They are faxing the details as we speak," the sheriff said.

Rossi walked to the board and stared at he board and tried to make sense of what was going on here. Reid and JJ came to join them. "It doesn't make sense," he muttered to himself.

One of the officers brought in the details of the rest of the cases. "Sir, details."

"Leave them on the table."

JJ immediately moved to the table to study the files. She noted the markings on each victim and then looked back to see Hotch staring at her. "He eliminates each markings after a combination of three," JJ told them her theory.

"That would mean that there are probably others and we don't know about it," Rossi said. "Sheriff, can you get me the list of other deaths that occured in these ravines recently. The markings probably may have gone unnoticed."

"We had an incident last week," the sheriff said. "A fifty two year old woman was found dead in the ravines. Cause of death was broken neck. But the M.E also pointed out there was blunt injury to the back of the head. However, if I think about it clear, there was a triangular cut on the woman's wrist. At that time we didn't think much about it because she had cuts and bruises."

"Can you get in touch with the family?" Reid questioned.

"I will get in touch with them immdiately."