A/N: I don't own any of the "Criminal Minds" characters and I am not making any money from writing this.
Please forgive any minor spelling or grammar mistakes, English is not my native language.
Spencer Reid: "Never complete with someone who has nothing to lose. Baltasar Gracian."
The jet was nearing its destination. Emily and Luke were sitting to the left, opposite to David and Tara. Spencer and JJ were sitting to the right, opposite to Matt. They were all busy studying the case materials on their tablets, and discussing their first theories and ideas.
"They set up a police patrol near the field, in case the unsub goes there to relive his crimes, or tries to dump another victim there," Emily informed them. "But I doubt he'll do that. The story is all over the news. I wouldn't get my hopes up."
"Even if Sharona was living on the streets, she must have owned some kind of cellphone around the time of her death," JJ concluded. "Probably a burner."
David sighed. "It is probably broken or turned off by now."
"They tried tracking Chuck Winters' cellphone," Luke read, sighing. "No reception. It last bounced in the neighborhood where he lived. He was probably abducted near his home or workplace."
"Nothing on the envelope," Tara read, frowning. "No return address, no fingerprints, DNA... mailing address written with a very common kind of blue pen ink... capital letters, really neat, conclusive handwriting analysis impossible... a postage stamp shows that it was mailed from the same neighborhood that field is located in... but that was probably a forensic countermeasure."
"Chuck Winters' body was found in a field, almost all valuables in his home appeared to be intact, and there were no traces of breaking and entering, but when the detectives from missing persons unit searched his home, they noted that his laptop was missing," Spencer pointed out. "They took photographs. You can see the empty space in the middle of the writing desk in his bedroom. Printer, laptop charger, but no laptop. Odd."
"Maybe Chuck had it with him when he was abducted, and the unsub disposed of it, together with the rest of the personal items," JJ suggested.
"The ground on that field was pretty hard," Tara noted, flipping through forensic reports. "No usable shoe prints or tire tracks were recovered. There was a traffic camera five miles away, by the road, but it didn't record anything important. The unsub probably avoided it, took a different route, or a shortcut."
"They should probably check older footages though," Matt said. "The first victim was murdered a month ago."
"All three bodies found in the field appear to be posed in a demeaning position," JJ noted, examining the crime scene photographs. "Legs spread, arms pulled up over their head..."
"Clear example of a sociopath and a sexual sadist," Emily pointed out, looking up from her tablet. "Victims are his toys, his outlet, and when he's had enough, or his sadistic needs reach a peak, he brutally murders them. But even after murdering them, even in death, he wants to demean them, humiliate them. And he makes sure that the discovery will be as gruesome and shocking as possible, to whoever finds them."
"Not to mention memorable," David added, letting out a heavy sigh.
"Nothing useful on the bodies either," Spencer read. "Judging by the residue found on their skin, all three victims had been scrubbed clean with medical gauze and alcohol."
"This guy sure is careful," David commented. "And methodical."
Spencer frowned, observing one of the autopsy photographs. "This is interesting. The second victim, Shermain Jones, had an old scar just above his navel. It looks like he had been stabbed a few years prior."
"He was a career criminal, who knows from whom he might have gotten it," David replied. "But still, it may be related to his murder. And, by an extension, the other two."
"Police records show that he had plenty of... associates," Matt said, reading the list on his tablet. "Drug dealers, prostitutes, several girlfriends, former cellmates... local detectives still work on tracking them down and bringing them in for questioning. Not much luck so far. It isn't easy. Lots of them don't even have a documented current address. And they definitely aren't cooperative."
"Police reports indicate that Sharona Jenkins was a good friend with a woman named Kendra Barlow, also a prostitute," Tara read. "A couple of times, they were even arrested together. Police picked Kendra up for solicitation yesterday, but she hasn't been cooperative. But judging by little information that she has revealed, neither she nor Sharona had anything to do with Chuck Winters or Shermain Jones."
"Maybe we can get her to open up," JJ said, hopefully.
"Kendra did have a burner phone on her possession," Spencer noted. "Multiple calls to the number 245-456, listed as "Sharona"."
The near by monitor suddenly lightened up. In the next moment, Garcia's face appeared on the screen. " 'Sup? OK, I've looked into Chuck Winters, Shermain Jones and Sharona Jenkins, trying to find any possible connection, and there is absolutely none," Penelope informed them. "Nothing in their phone and email record, nor bank accounts, no proof of contact of any kind. Heck, Sharona Jenkins hasn't had an active phone number, email account or a bank account in the last two years." Penelope smiled, looking up at the monitor. "However, I discovered something interesting about the second victim, Shermain Jones. Back in 2012, during one of his numerous prison stays, he was shanked by a fellow prisoner named Carl Taylor. Carl believed that Shermain "ratted him out" to the guards, about the drugs he had hidden in his cell."
"That explains that scar on Shermain's abdomen," Spencer concluded.
Matt frowned. "No mention of that incident in police reports."
"The bodies were discovered two days ago, he was identified a day later. They haven't had the time to look that deep into his background," Emily explained.
"Carl has a long criminal record for drug possession, aggravated rape and armed robbery," Penelope read. "He was released from prison five months ago. He lives and works five miles away from the field where the bodies were found. I just emailed you his home and work address."
"We should definitely interrogate him," Emily decided. "He could be the "first" unsub."
"Penelope, try tracking the cellphone signal," Spencer asked. "The number is 245-456. It is probably a burner, but maybe you can locate it."
"And look into Shermain Jones' known criminal associates and former cellmates," Emily ordered. "Pull up as much info as you can find."
Penelope nodded her head. "All right. Your word is my command, my nerds. I'll contact you as soon as I discover something," she said before disconnecting.
"Thank you," Emily managed to say before the monitor turned black.
"I am more concerned over the second unsub," David said. "The child killer. He abducted the third victim from her bedroom. Pretty risky. He could be escalating."
"Well, we don't know for sure if he abducted Jane Daniels," JJ pointed out. "Her parents are in the middle of a custody battle. Her father has a criminal record for assault and drug possession."
"He has an alibi though"," Matt read. "He was at work that night. He let the cops search his house and car. They did, and didn't find anything suspicious."
"Tox screens show that the first two victims were chloroformed," Spencer read. "Forensics recovered traces of that same chloroform on Jane Daniels' bed sheets and bedroom closet."
"Maybe this unsub has some sort of medical or pharmaceutical background," Tara suggested.
"Local police compiled a list of registered sex offenders in the neighborhoods where victims had been abducted from, as well as the neighborhoods where the bodies had been dumped in," Emily noted. "The ones convicted of sex crimes against prepubescent children. Twenty people. They all denied any involvement, and most of them had alibies, but few of them still remain possible suspects."
"Once we develop the profile, we should look into their background and prior crimes, see who fits," Luke said.
"We should also compile a list of registered sex offenders who live and/or work near the field where adult victims were left, the ones convicted of sex crimes against adults, and look into those guys as well," Spencer said. "I doubt Carl Taylor is the only viable suspect."
"Good idea," Emily agreed. "Looks like we are about to land. So... Luke and I will go to the field where the adult victims were found, and interrogate Carl Taylor. Spencer, JJ, talk to the M.E., take a look at the bodies, then interrogate Kendra. David, Tara, examine the abduction sights, talk to the parents. Matt, talk to the second M.E., who performed autopsies on child victims, and talk to the first two victims' families. We will meet up at the station a few hours later, discuss our findings and look into the registered sex offenders in the area."
They all nodded their head and continued studying the case files on their tablets, trying to learn as much about the cases before the jet landed. But everyone already had a feeling that neither investigation would be easy.
#
As soon as Emily and the rest of her team entered the precinct and made their way down the hallway, they were greeted by detective John Caal. "I'm SSA Emily Prentiss", Emily introduced herself, shaking hands with the detective.
"Detective John Caal," John introduced himself, shaking a hand with Emily, then with the others. "Thank you for arriving on such a short notice. The whole city's on the edge."
"Understandable," Spencer commented, looking around.
"We made you enough space up in the main workroom, just down the hallway," John explained, leading them to their work space.
"Thank you," Emily said. "We'll set everything up, then we'll split up. Four of us will examine the crime scenes, three will go to the morgue, talk to the M.E. and take a look at the bodies. We'll meet up back here in a few hours."
Halfway to the workroom, John was approached by a young blonde police officer. He stopped for a moment, together with the BAU team, as she spoke up.
"Detective Caal, we set up two police patrols near Sharona Jenkins' known trick sites, and one more near local playgrounds," she informed him. "And our techs just finished setting up a tipline."
"Thank you, Aubrey," John replied. nodded her head and walked away. John continued leading the BAU team to the workroom.
"Kendra Barlow is in a holding cell downstairs, by the way," John informed them. "She's still not cooperating."
"Hopefully, we can get her to open up," JJ said.
"Our technical analysis ran a background check on three adult victims and identified a possible suspect, an ex con," Luke said.
John Caal nodded his head as he led the team into the workroom. "We will take him in for questioning."
#
Emily and Luke slowly walked down the path that led to the field, latex gloves over their hands and booties over their shoe bottoms. They looked around, noticing the wide road near by, and a forest a short distance away.
"Pretty rough terrain," Luke noted, looking around as he and Emily stopped in the middle of the field. "The unsub must have driven up to this field using this road. He was smart enough to avoid a traffic camera. Police interrogated people living near this area. Nobody remembers seeing anything suspicious."
Emily frowned. "So, the unsub would need a vehicle big enough to transport the bodies, and the kind that would fit in this area well, and could be driven on this terrain," she concluded. "That means that he most likely owns, or has an access to, an SUV or a minivan." She stopped and took a long look across the field. "The crime scene is pretty clean, neat, just like the bodies. No blood anywhere, not a single personal item belonging to the victims was found, he took the bindings, the ligature and the knife with him. Probably even murdered the victims somewhere else and later dumped the bodies here. Secondary crime scene. Still pretty clean and neat though. "
"Yeah, the ground here is pretty rough," Luke noticed, looking around. "No wonder the forensics haven't found any usable shoe prints or tire tracks." He frowned and took a look across the field, before opening the file on his tablet and taking another look at the crime scene photographs and forensic reports. "But still, if the victims were dragged to here, the drag marks would likely be made on the grass and on the dust covering this ground. And yet, the forensics haven't found any drag marks, and all the bodies appear pretty clean, head to toe, except for some dirt on their back."
"That would mean that the unsub must have carried the bodies to this location," Emily concluded. "Two of his victims being grown men. He is either pretty strong, well built, or he has an accomplice. We may be looking for two unsubs."
Luke nodded his head. "It is possible." He frowned, turning to face Emily. "Something doesn't seem to fit. He avoided the traffic camera, and he used a car that fits in the area, which all points to him being a local. But why leave the victims here? The plans to turn this field into a jogging path were all over the news. He could have easily chosen a more secluded location. There is a forest near by, a lake a mile away..."
"He probably wants attention, he wants the bodies to be found, despite being otherwise careful and organized," Emily theorized. "That would also explain why he, or they, posed the bodies this way, and why the third victim's fist was cut off and mailed to the local news agency."
Luke sighed. "Well, he, or they, murdered the third victim about nine days ago from today. I don't enjoy saying this, but the fourth body will probably turn up soon."
"Yeah..." Emily agreed, then frowned, turning to face Luke. "But don't forget, the need for attention doesn't happen overnight. Especially when it comes to actually committing the murders. First murders are often pretty difficult and stressful for the unsub. Such... posing, taunting, is usually a sign of a progression, or even escalation."
"Well, Garcia checked," Luke remembered. "No hits in ViCAP."
They both took one more look around, and their gaze soon stopped at the sky, focused on several crows that had been flying above the forest, quite some distance away, but still visible.
"Crows are scavangers, right?" Emily wondered.
"Right..." Luke confirmed.
Emily opened the case file and checked police and forensic reports. "Local police and forensic techs searched the near by woods in a two mile radius, didn't find anything suspicious. Definitely no other bodies."
"They should probably broaden the search," Luke suggested, observing the woods. "There could be more bodies in there."
#
In the morgue, Spencer and JJ were standing in front of the last autopsy table in the line, observing Sharona Jenkins' body. The M.E. walked over to them, autopsy reports in her hands.
"All three victims died due to a combination of blood loss and asphyxiation," she said. "They were all viciously beaten prior to the death too. But none of the major arteries were injured. No serious skull injury nor broken ribs. Still, I'd suggest looking for someone with nasty bruises on his knuckles. I wouldn't be surprised if he even broke a few bones. Maybe you should ask around local hospitals. Sadly, the bruises are too severe and "scattered" for me to determine is the killer left-handed or right-handed, let alone his approximate height. And none of the bruises are clear enough for a distinctive shape of fist and knuckles to be determined. Plus, plenty of bruises are overlapping. Anyway, the killer scrubbed the bodies clean with sterile gauze and medical alcohol, so no evidence remained on them. Still, rape kit recovered traces of Vaseline, commonly used as a lubricant, and spermicide, commonly applied to condoms. We also found some white polyester fibers on ligature marks around their neck, and bind marks on their wrists. Embedded deep into the skin. He didn't manage to clean them all."
"So, he knew where to hit the victims to cause pain, but without causing a potentially fatal injury," Spencer noted. "He also scrubbed the bodies clean with a medical gauze and a medical alcohol. That indicates a medical background."
"He also used Vaseline as a lubricant while raping them," JJ pointed out. "And he used a condom during the rape too. That indicates a prior criminal record."
"The victims were stabbed multiple times, over the face and chest, but they were also strangled, from behind," M.E. explained. "Like I said, the cause of death, in all three cases, is a combination of blood loss and asphyxiation."
"Also, some bruises are clearly smaller and less severe than the others," Spencer noted, observing the corpses closely. "Some also appear to be overlapping. That means we could be looking for two unsubs."
"The best I could determine is that the eldest pre mortem bruises were approximately three days old," the M.E. said. "That applies to all three victims."
"So that's how long they keep the victims captive before murdering them," Spencer concluded. "Three days. That time frame must mean something to the unsub. And to ensure that all three victim would stay alive for three days, despite the brutal torture, he would have to provide them with food, water, maybe even vitamins and antibiotics."
"Sadly, in the digestive system, it all gets... degrated after thirty six hours, even in a dead body," the M.E. informed them. "I did found some fresh... crumbs in the victim's mouths. Though that didn't reveal much. It was things like beef, letuce, cheese, tomato, white bread... that could mean a number of different foods and cuisines. And all tox screens came back clean, except for small traces of heroine in Shermain Jones' system."
"The unsub burned the first victim's hands", JJ noted, walking over to Chuck Winters' body. "He also mutilated his face and genitals with a knife. All prior to killing him. He didn't do that to the next two victims. Maybe he tried to conceal the first victim's identity."
"But why only do that to him, and not the next two?" Spencer wondered. "And why mutilate his genitals as well? And he didn't even try removing the tattoo on his right shoulder. No damage there."
"That was his first murder," JJ pointed out. "He might have been experimenting with torture."
"But such level of torture could also indicate that the first murder was personal," Spencer pointed out. "Maybe the unsub knew the victim. Or maybe the victim reminded the unsub of someone from his past, somebody that he hates. One of the unsubs, anyway."
JJ pulled out her tablet, and took another look at the autopsy report. "According to this autopsy reports, the unsub used a ceramic knife to stab all three victims," she read.
"Yes," the M.E. confirmed, nodding her head. "Marks left on the victim's bones, and the residue recovered inside their wounds, are both consistent with the ceramic knife. Sharona Jenkins' hand was cut off with something else, likely a cleaver. Probably the only injury that had been inflicted post mortem."
"Marks on their wrists show that all three victims were bind as well," Spencer pointed out.
"That's right," the M.E. agreed. "Judging by the diameter of the bruises on their wrists, and the forensic analysis of the flesh samples I have colected, all three victims were most likely bind with apron strings. The same items were used to strangle them. The bodies were cleaned up pretty well, but some fibers were embedded deep into the skin, and bruises are clearly visible."
"Yes, that is mentioned in the forensic reports..." JJ said, before looking up from her tablet. "The use of a ceramic knife, a cleaver, and apron ties, could mean that the unsub works as a cook or a chef."
Spencer frowned. "A cook or a chef with a medical expertise and a prior criminal record?"
"He might have fallen from grace," JJ suggested. "That could have been his trigger." She sighed before looking down at Chuck Winters' body again. "But these behavioral evidence also seem to confirm our theory about two unsubs."
Spencer frowned. "All three victims were bind. That is obvious. But there is no evidence that any of the victims were gagged. No residue inside their mouth, no injury to their tongue..."
"They probably like to hear them cry, scream," JJ concluded. "They may be making the victims beg for their life."
"I also recovered some tearing on the victims' throats and larynx," the M.E. added, looking at JJ and then back at Spencer. "Some of it was definitely caused by strangulation, but there are older tearings too. They must have been screaming from the top of their lungs."
"I'd bet they did," JJ commented, feeling herself shiver.
"That means that the unsubs likely live on a secluded location, or they have an access to an isolated location where they can hold their victims captive and torture them," Spencer profiled, before turning to face the M.E. again. "I noticed something odd. Although lividity is consistent with Chuck Winters being murdered a month ago, Shermain Jones being murdered two weeks later and Sharona Jenkins being murdered a week before her body was found, all three bodies barely display any signs of decomposition," he pointed out, a questioning look on his face.
"Yes," the M.E. confirmed, nodding her head. "But the decomposition of their inner organs is consistent with the lividity. I didn't put it in the report because I still need to run some tests, but that is usually consistent with bodies being kept in a freezer until recently."
"So, he only dumped the bodies in a field a few days ago," JJ concluded. "If he was a local, he must have known that that field was about to be turned into a jogging path. Why dump the bodies on a location where they were likely to get discovered?"
"Maybe he-they-wanted that," Spencer said. "They got bored, they wanted attention, to shock the public. That is also why they mailed Sharona Jenkins' hand to the news agency." He sighed, looking down at Sharona's body. "Now that they have gotten a taste of that, they will probably need another rush soon."
#
In a different neighborhood, Emily and Luke talked to Chuck Winters' neighbor, Jack Teeger. He was standing in his yard, dressed in white T-shirt and black pants.
"I was shocked when Chuck went missing," Jack exclaimed. "Even more so after I learned that somebody killed him."
"Do you know if he had any enemies?" Emily asked.
"Like I said to the detectives who interrogated me yesterday, no, I don't think so," Jack answered. "I mean, I didn't know him really well, but he seemed like a normal, ordinary guy. He would even help around to some neighbors. Help them organize garage sales, babysit their children when he had the time... But he didn't seem really close to everyone. Not that I noticed. He was just polite, liked helping people."
"What was the last time you had a closer interaction with him?" Emiky asked.
"Well, we weren't really close... about three months ago. His mother died. I attended the funeral and the wake, said my condolances. That's all."
"Was he seeing anyone around the time of his disappearance?" Luke asked.
Jack shook his head. "Not that I noticed."
"Have you noticed anything suspicious? Somebody lurking around the neighborhood, around Chuck's house?" Emily inquired.
Jack frowned, running his hand through his hair. "No, I don't think so. But I noticed Chuck would go out late over about a month or two before he... you know... went missing. In his car. He hadn't been doing that before."
"Where was he going?" Luke asked.
Jack shrugged. "I don't know."
#
Emily and Luke walked around Chuck Winters' house, now with latex gloves over their hands and booties over their shoe bottoms. They carefully examined every corner, every personal item in the house, looking for any possible clue. After taking a closer look at some of the windows, Luke stopped and looked around, a conclusion slowly forming in his mind.
"Chuck Winters was a single guy, living in a relatively safe neighborhood," Luke noted. "Lower middle class. Yet, I see six penal lock on both front and back door. Home alarm. Dead bolts on the windows. Light sensor in the front yard as well as the back yard."
"Maybe he was just careful," Emily said.
"Or he was afraid of someone," Luke suggested.
"Almost all the walls in the house are painted white," Emily noted, looking around. "Not many family photographs or personal items on display. Seems like a very private, not really social person." She took some time to study the bookcase in the living room. "Spent most of his times reading cheap mystery novels and books about computer science and electronics." She sighed. "Still, there could be something in Chuck's home that could point us to the unsub."
"Maybe," Luke commented. "We can't solve all cases." He sighed. "No matter how hard we try, I guess."
"We will get Peter Lewis," she said, trying to sound as convincing and supporting as possible. "Eventually."
"And how many people will he kill before that happens?" Luke couldn't help but comment. He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I... I've lost some good people while I was in the military. Fellow soldiers. But... being in a team... after having worked with the guy for months... it is different."
Emily nodded her head. "This is the first time somebody died under my command," she admitted. "I keep thinking, if I had been more careful... or, if I had returned earlier, helped others search for him right away..." She sighed, looking away. "I am worried about Spencer. First he gets framed, spends months in federal prison, his mother is abducted and almost killed... and then, he loses a fellow team member."
"You talked to him, right?"
Emily gulped, feeling herself shiver. "Of course. I broke the news. We talked before the funeral, after the funeral, after the wake... but some events simply leave... scars. No matter how much support you get from others." "It frikkein sucks."
"Still, he knows that we are always there for him," Luke reminded her. "That's gotta mean something." He groaned. "Still... how can somebody elude justice for so long?"
Emily turned to face him, a determined look on her face. "Long, yes. But it won't be forever. Peter murdered Stepen Walker to hurt us, and he did. But, in the end, he gave us amplitude of reasons to work even harder to catch him. They never count on that."
Luke nodded his head, looking around, trying to focus on slovima the case. "I know that there are no signs of breaking and entering, and no valuables appear to be missing, except for the laptop... But this house appears pretty messy," he noticed. "Yet, the yard is pretty well preserved. It was, according to the photographs taken a month ago. And all the books in the bookcase seem to be positioned in alphabetical order. Something doesn't fit."
"You think that the unsub went to Chuck's house?" Emily asked.
"None of Chuck's personal items have been recovered, including the house key," Luke pointed out.
"Why would he do that?" Emily asked. "And how come the alarm didn't go off?"
"Not sure about the motive", Luke admitted. " But maybe the unsub, or the unsubs, tortured the alarm code out of Chuck. That could explain the severity of the torture inflicted upon him. Or they could be experienced burglars. They disabled the home alarm, but managed to spare themselves some effort with a stolen key."
"These floor boards appear a bit loose," Emily noted, stepping on the floor carefully.
Almost as soon as Emily said that, she and Luke bent over, pulled at the floor boards, and easily removed them, revealing a metal box that had been hidden underneath. Emily made sure to take a photograph before removing the box from the hiding place and opening it. It was filled with hard drives and various other pieces of electronics.
"Multiple hard drives, electrical cabels..." Emily noted. "And money," she exclaimed, pulling out a set of bills hidden underneath. There was about thousand dollars there, mostly in twenty and fifty dollar bills.
Luke frowned. "You think Chuck had been stealing from his workplace?"
"If he had been working with someone, or he discovered something he shouldn't have... that could be a motive behind his death," Emily reasoned.
"What about the other victims?" Luke wondered.
"A forensic countermeasure, a way to set the police off the track," Emily suggested. "Or maybe they were somehow linked to that classified information. Or the first murder unlocked the unsub's sadistic tendencies and he turned into a serial killer. Maybe the unsub went to Chuck's house looking for this, but never found it." She straightened herself up, pulling her phone out of her pocket. "We better get this to forensics," she decided. "And send them to process this house."
#
Having left the morgue, Spencer and JJ were walking down the hallway together, heading towards the jail.
"Wanna bet Kendra will talk if we promise that she won't be going to prison?," Spencer commented.
JJ frowned, choosing her words carefully. "Spencer, are you OK?"
Spencer stopped and looked at her like she wasn't making any sense. "I'm back to work," he said. "I'm doing fine."
"That's not what I meant", JJ elaborated.
Spencer sighed, looking down at the floor for a moment. "This is a dangerous job. Our lives are always on the line, and lots of people would like to hurt us, one way or the other. That's just the way it is. There is no point to dwell on it," he concluded before continuing his way down the hallway.
JJ stared at him for some time, a solemn look on her face, before following him.
#
Kendra was lying face up on the bunk in her jail cell, staring up at the ceiling. Once she heard the footsteps approaching, she briefly glanced at the hallway, noticing Spencer and JJ approaching her. Noticing their badges and service weapons, she scoffed and looked away.
"Hi, Kendra," JJ said softly. Kendra briefly glared at her and Spencer, then looked away. JJ continued. "We are special agents Jennifer Jeraeu and Spencer Reid, from Behavioral Analysis Unit. We are investigating the murder of your friend, Sharona Jenkins. We'd like to ask you a few questions."
Kendra remained silent, staring at the near by wall.
"If you talk to us, tell us what you know, that could help us solve your friend's murder," Spencer said.
"And, if you cooperate, we could talk to DA, get him to drop the solicitation charge," JJ added.
Kendra scoffed and sat up on the bed, finally looking at them. "Save your breath. Police has screwed me over more times than I can count. I know that you don't care about a dead hooker. Why should I trust you? Why should I help you?"
"Kendra, we assure you that we care about all the victims equally, and that we will keep our promise," Spencer said gently, looking her in the eyes. "That is why we are in the job. We analyze the criminal's behavior, we catch serial killers, serial rapists... we don't get to pick and choose. We want to get this guy, as much as you do."
"We also studied the autopsy reports," JJ mentioned. "Sharona's tox screen was clean. She was doing her best to stay clean. She was a good person, who wanted to escape that life, someday. But somebody robbed her off that chance. Help us find that person, and we will help you."
Kendra remained silent for some time, weighing options in her head. "What do you want to know?" she finally asked.
"When was the last time you saw Sharona?" JJ asked.
Kendra sighed, looking away. "About ten days ago. We were... doing tricks. I left at around ten pm. Sharona wanted to stay, tried to find one more customer, or two. I agreed." She gulped, feeling herself shuddered. "If I hadn't left..." she whispered, guilt evident in her voice.
"You couldn't have known what would happen to her," JJ said, assuredly. "Don't blame yourself."
Kendra sighed, wiping tears that sparkled in her eyes. "After that night, I couldn't find her anywhere. I knew something bad must have taken place. But I was too afraid to contact the police. I knew they'd probably pick me up for tricking, or even try to pin it on me, had something happened to Sharona... or they simply wouldn't take me seriously. Sure thing, yesterday, they arrested me, told me that Sharona was dead... when I wouldn't talk to them, they put me in here."
"Did you notice anything strange that night, at or near your corner?" Spencer asked. "A car parked near by, that you had not seen before? A suspicious person lurking around?"
Kendra shook her head. "No. I'm sorry."
"Did Sharona have any enemies?" JJ asked.
Kendra groaned. "You name it. Other hookers, junkies moving around our trick sites... but nobody aggressive or angry enough to kill her."
"Did she mention any clients that were especially... aggressive? Perverse?" Spencer asked.
Kendra frowned. "There was that one guy. "Malcolm", she told me. He picked her up a few times. Last time being a week before she disappeared. She told me that he liked to tie her up, have rough sex, threaten her with a knife... all part of the "play". I tried to convince her to start going to him, but she said that she could handle herself, that he paid well, and that he didn't seem capable of actually hurting someone. Maybe she was wrong."
"Do you know any other details about him?" Spencer asked.
Kendra bit her lower lip. "Sharona didn't reveal anything else. And I never got a good look at him. But I know that he drives a black Volvo. Didn't get the licence plates though."
JJ nodded her head. "Thank you. We'll look into that. We'll ket you know about any new developments. And we'll talk to the DA."
"Thank you," Kendra whispered as Spencer and JJ walked away, leaving her alone in her cell.
#
The male unsub leaned back in his couch, watching the news on TV. He scoffed as he listened to the anchor report about the recent developments. "FBI arrived to Detroit this morning, in order to assist local detectives in a pursuit of two different serial killers currently active in the area..."
The unsub spotted his wife pacing around, a worried look on her face. "Hey," he spoke up. "Come over."
She approached him, without saying a word. Once she was close enough, he leaned over and embraced her, pulling her on to his lap. She gasped, then chuckled, leaning her body into his. "Relax," he whispered, placing a kiss on her lips. "They've got nothing on us," he said. "No evidence, no witnesses, nothing."
His wife pulled away, her cheeks blushed, and looked him in the eyes. "When do you think they'll find the latest one?" she whispered, lust sparkling in her eyes.
The male unsub grinned, resting his head against the woman's chest. "Hopefully, soon enough."
"And that other guy? The kiddie diddler?"
"Don't worry about that," her man assured her, before placing another kiss on her lips. "Remember our plan."
His wife moaned, pressing her forehead against his. "Now that FBI is in town, we should probably lie low for a while."
Her husband smirked, pulling her closer. "Or simply change neighborhood."
#
David and Tara stood in front of the playground where Heather Jensen was last seen alive, looking around. They had latex gloves over their hands and booties over their shoe bottoms, each with a tablet in hand.
"Forensics didn't find any signs of a struggle here," Tara noted, looking around. "No defense wounds found on the body either. And none of the neighbors remember seeing or hearing anything suspicious. The unsub would need a vehicle that would fit into this neighborhood, the kind that wouldn't raise an alarm. So, he probably drives a Volvo or a Sedan, white or black in color."
"The unsub is probably at least somewhat socially skilled, he appears non-threatening, fits in. He is able to lure children into his vehicle, or at least get a drop on them and chloroform them, without them putting up a fight," David concluded. "Meaning that he is probably between the ages of twenty and forty. Since all of his victims have been Caucasian so far, he is probably Caucasian also." He sighed, replaying the scene in his mind. "The unsub probably stalks the children and their parents for some time. Gets to know their habits. Once he is prepared, and he finds children alone, he strikes. He lures them into his car, or to his car. Maybe he tells them that he knows their parents, or that he needs some sort of help. Once they approach him, let their guard down, he chloroforms them, binds them, gags them, takes them to his place... and we both know what happens next."
"He might have experienced some sort of a stressor recently," Tara said. "A death of a family member or a friend, a loss of a job, a broken relationship... something that pushed him over the edge."
David sighed. "And now, we have two monsters on the loose."
#
Carl Taylor, a buff African American man in his thirties, shifted in his seat in the interrogation room, before glaring at Luke, who was sitting at the table, opposite to him, and Emily, who was standing near by. "I didn't kill that bitch!" Carl exclaimed.
Luke frowned. "And you are referring to...?"
"Shermain," Carl spat out, before pushing the crime scene photographs away. "And those other two victims-I had nothing to do with that either."
"You shanked Shermain Jones," Emily pointed out.
"Five years ago," Carl said. "He deserved it for snitching on me. But that was it. I've gotten my revenge. I marked him. That was enough."
"Where were you on this date, about a month ago?" Emily asked.
"I don't really remember," Carl said. "But probably at work, and at home."
"I assume that you were at home at night?" Luke suggested.
Carl smirked, taking a look at the crime scene photographs before looking up at Luke. "Probably."
"Alone?" Emily asked.
Carl grinned. "Most likely."
"What about two weeks later?" Emily asked. "And what about nine days ago?"
"Probably the same," Carl answered, before looking at the crime scene photographs again, smirking.
"But you don't remember clearly?" Luke asked.
Carl shook his head. "No."
"What about those bruises on your knuckles?" Emily asked.
Carl shrugged. "Hurt myself at work."
"Would you mind us searching your house and a car?" Emily asked.
"Do you have a warrant?" Carl inquired.
"Not yet," Emily admitted.
"Then obtain it, or leave me alone," Carl said, leaning back into his seat. "And if I'm not under arrest, I'd like to leave now."
#
Emily and Luke sighed as they exited the interrogation room, closing the door behind. They started walking down the hallway, replaying Carl's words in their mind.
"He definitely seemed arrogant", Luke pointed out. "And he seemed to enjoy looking at the crime scene photographs."
"The guy's got some serious issues", Emily agreed. She frowned. "But still... I'm not so sure."
Luke nodded his head. "Me either. For once, he definitely had beef with Shermain. But the murder of Shermain Jones wasn't anymore personal, or brutal, than the first or the third murder. One can argue that the first murder was the most brutal, since the victim's hands were burned, and his face and genitals mutilated. I know that Carl already shanked Shermain, but still."
"Yes. And though Carl seemed relatively confident and intelligent, his pants and shoes were dirty and disheveled, and his shoe laces were tied in a pretty sloppy way, almost loose. He doesn't seem to display organization and intelligence that would match to the organized nature of the murders and the cleaniness of the crime scene." She sighed. "We should probably still have the police follow him for some time, and obtain a search warrant for his house and car, just in case. I'll have Penelope look into his background too, see who could his accomplice possibly be. But still, I doubt he's our unsub. We should look into other suspects and clues."
#
In a different morgue, in the other part of the station, Matt Simmons felt nauseaus as he observed the dead bodies of two children, laying on two autopsy tables. The M.E. was standing near by, autopsy reports in his hands.
"All two victims were killed by ligature strangulation", M.E. said. "There are also bruises on their wrists and tearing inside their mouth, consistent with them being bind and gagged. They were all beaten and raped, repeatedly, before being murdered. Judging by the bruises and tearing, he didn't hold them captive for more than twenty four hours. Nothing under their fingernails. No much forensic evidence on the bodies either. They were left in a dumpster, covered with trash... contamination. Rape kit recovered traces of K-Y jelly, commonly used as a lubricant, and traces of spermicide, commonly applied to condoms."
"He used a lube and condom while raping the victims, left the bodies in a dumpster", Matt reasoned. "A high level of forensic sophistication. He probably has a prior criminal record."
"Judging by the analysis of the flesh samples taken from their wrists, and fibers recovered inside their mouth, both victims were bind with electric cables and gagged with microfiber cloths", M.E. said. "Despite the contamination, enough residue remained for a full analysis."
"So, he most likely works as an IT technician, or an electrician", Matt concluded.
M.E. sighed, before taking a sad look at the bodies. "I sure hope you catch this guy soon. He's a monster."
Matt nodded his head. "We'll do our best", he promised.
#
In the third different suburban neighborhood that day (but inside a house, for a change), David and Tara were sitting on the living room sofa, opposite to Jane Daniels' mother, Jennifer Daniels, who was sitting on the couch. eyes were reddish and watery, her skin pale.
"As every next day goes by... I... I keep losing hope," she whispered. "I... I keep thinking about... about what he's doing to her."
"We'll do our best to find your daughter," Tara said softly. "Do you remember anything suspicious shortly prior to her disappearance? Strange people moving around site neighborhood, cars parked near your house...?"
After a short thinking, Jennifer shook her head, shivering. "No, nothing like that." She gulped, looking down at the floor.
"Do you have any enemies? Do you remember anyone showing a special interest in you or your daughter in the last few weeks?"
"No," Jennifer answered. She groaned. "I... I heard about those other children. Every time the phone rings..."
"We will do our best to find your daughter," David said assuredly. "Nothing is lost yet."
Jennifer sighed, tears rolling down her face. "I was asleep in the next room. How could I have let that happen?" she cried.
#
David and Tara looked around Jane Daniels' room, carefully studying every detail, paying special attention to personal items. Tara observed the bed, while David concentrated on a damaged bedroom window.
"So, the unsub breaks in through the bedroom window, sneaks in, chloroforms the victim, carries her outside..." David reasoned.
"Even though he had chloroform, that was still prretty risky," Tara noted. "The mother was sleeping just ten feet away." She walked over to the window and examined it closely. "Plus, he obviously isn't an experienced burglar. This must have been pretty messy. And loud."
"But he took his chances," David concluded. "He wanted another victim. And he didn't hesitate breaking into her room to get her." He groaned. "He is probably escalating."
Tara frowned, walking over to the bedroom closet. "Forensics also found smeared traces of chloroform on the bedroom closet..." she noted, opening the closet door and examining the content. "All this toys are pretty well organized... but a few appear to be missing. Lots of empty space on this shelf, a ripped label..." She examined it further, bending over. "I don't see her school backpack anywhere either."
"So, he took some of her toys, and a backpack," David concluded. "The mother was probably too distraught to notice."
"Probably trophies," Tara said.
"Or his means of controlling her," David suggested.
"He didn't do that with other victims", Tara noted.
"Maybe he realized that the police was closing in, so he decided to keep his next victim alive longer," David suggested. "Satisfy his urges without committing another murder so soon."
"So, Jane may still have some time left," Tara said, hopefully.
David frowned. "Maybe. But who knows what this sick bastard is doing to her. And he won't be able to resist his murderous urges for long. I saw the crime scene photographs, read the autopsy reports. Those children were viciously beaten, raped multiple times, strangled so hard that the skin on their neck broke, then left in a dumpster and covered with trash. He didn't just kill them to eliminate witnesses. He enjoyed the act of murder as much as beating and raping them. He is a sexual sadist and a pedophile. The murder is a final act that satisfies his sick urges."
#
An hour later, everyone was back in the workroom, sitting around the desk, going over the clues, and their deductions. They had plenty of profile details regarding both unsubs, but little of actual clues.
"No luck with tracking Sharona Jenkin's cellphone," David exclaimed, having just gotten off the phone with Garcia. "The signal last pinned nine days ago, near that trick site Kendra mentioned. The unsubs must have picked her up, tasered her, and broke her cellphone right away, as a forensic countermeasure."
Emily sighed. "Police and forensics searched that area. Nothing. If there was any useful evidence there, it is long gone by now. And, of course, everyone living and "working" near by denies seeing anything suspicious, and there are no security cameras anywhere."
"Garcia is checking her phone records now," JJ mentioned. "That could help us track down some of her clients."
Spencer took another sip of his coffee. "According to Garcia's research, none of the parents had an IT technician or an electrian come to their home a few weeks or even months prior to the abduction. And neither did their close neighbors."
Emily rubbed her forehead. "Nothing suspicious on hard drives found in Chuck Winters' possession. And if he was selling those items to someone, there are no records of that in his phone or email records. Forensics are still processing those items and the house though."
David sighed, picked up the first file on the desk near by, and opened it. "So... there are five registered sex offenders that could be responsible for child murders. Convicted of sex crimes against prepubescent children, no alibies, live relatively close to the neighborhoods from where the victims were abducted."
"Robert Grey and Alan Daniels both live in an apartment building, and neither owns a car," Emily read. "I think we can rule them out."
JJ read. "Henry Keller. Convicted of voyerism in 2004 and for molesting two underage boys in 2008. Owns a Sedan, works as a cashier at a pharmacy. But his IQ is 90. I doubt he is intelligent or organized enough to commit such complex and brutal abductions and murders."
Spencer shifted in his seat. "Then we have Kyle Willson. Convicted of molesting his cousin in 2009. Owns a white Sedan. But before committing the sex crime, he was convicted multiple times of voyerism and, later, burglary. He currently works as a locksmith. I doubt he'd do such a sloppy job breaking into Jane Daniels' bedroom."
"I'm reading reports written by his probation officer", Matt said. "In 2015, he was diagnosed with angina pectoris. Six months ago, Kyle was involved in a serious car accident. Broke his left leg and right arm, suffered a concussion. He has mostly recovered by now, but still, I doubt he is currently strong and fast enough to carry out abductions and murders like these."
"Harry Johnson has a criminal record for molesting both boys and girls, ages five to ten," Tara read. "He used to work as an orderly, he now works as an IT technician and owns a white Volvo. However, he is African American, and all of his prior victims were also African American. Also, he used a knife to threaten his victims. So, he'd probably murder his victims by stabbing them to death or cutting their throats, not by strangling them."
They all sighed and leaned back in their seats, putting the files down. Out of leads again.
Spencer stared at the near by board, slowly studying crime scene photographs and forensics reports plastered on it. Suddenly, his eyes widened. He straightened himself up and took a closer look at some of the photographs, then turned to face his team mates. "Matt, you said that this unsub probably works as an IT technician or a computer repair guy, right?" Spencer asked.
"Yes, judging by the wires and cloths that he used to bind and gag the victims," Matt confirmed. "But we know that none of the parents, nor their closest neighbors, used those services recently."
"I just noticed something," Spencee began his explanation. "Both abduction sights, though very different when compared to each other, are both located close to a big Internet cafe. And IT companies often offer services in different neighborhoods or even cities." He took a step closer to the desk, his tone of voice almost dramatic. "So, maybe the unsub is an IT technician from a different neighborhoods, or even a different city, who sometimes does his job in Detroit, so he murders here as a forensic countermeasure."
Luke immediately took his phone and called Garcia. She answered almost immediately. "Speak to be recognized by your empress, mortal."
"Garcia, look into the internet cafe in between two abduction sights," Luke asked her. "Its finances. Have they done business with any IT company from a different neighborhood or even a different city?"
For a few seconds, they heard nothing but the sound of fingertips hitting against the keyboard. Then, a response. "Yes, with one company."
"Is one of their employees, presumably the one assigned to those tasks, a registered sex offender?" Spencer asked. "Does he own or have an access to a Volvo or Sedan?"
Once again, typing. And, soon enough, the answer. "Yes. There is one creep. Jake Adams. He was convicted of possesion of child pornography in 2007, and of molesting a five year old girl in 2011. He was released a year ago. He owns a white Volvo."
"Look into the probation records, and his work and family history," Spencer suggested. "Did he suffer any kind of stressor recently? A loss of a family member, a broken relationship, an argument...?"
"Yes. His parents died from a heart attack, a day apart from each other, in July this year. He took two weeks off work. The first child murder happened a week after he returned to work."
"Any medical background?" Emily asked.
"Well, his mother was a nurse, and during his incarceration, he volunteered at a prison hospital."
"Does he live in an isolated house, or has an access to an isolated location?" Emily asked.
"No... he lives in a suburban neighborhood... yikes. He inherited the parents' house after their death, but the bank soon reposessed it because he couldn't keep up with the morgage... but he also inherited the summer house in woods near the lake. He still owns it."
"He could very well be our guy," Spencer concluded.
"Garcia, send us his home and work address," Emily ordered.
She received a response in a few seconds. "Done!"
#
Emily and Luke walked towards front door, followed by Spencer and JJ. Emily rang the doorbell.
"Jake Adams, FBI. We'd like to ask you some questions."
No answer. Emily rang the doorbell again.
"Jake Adams, open the door."
In the next moment, they heard a well known commotion inside the house. It took Luke about as long to draw his weapon, followed by the others, then kick the door in.
They got to the living room just in time to see Jake escape through the window. They all rushed through the near by back door, chasing him.
Jake was running fast enough, looking behind his shoulder every now and then. At first, it looked like he might escape. Until he ran into a dead end alley on the other side of the neighborhood. He stopped in his tracks and looked around, his face sweaty, his eyes widened and filled with fear.
"Get down on the ground!" Emily commanded. "Keep your hands where I can see them!"
"Don't shoot!" Jake cried as Luke walked over to him, pulled his arms behind his back, and handcuffed him.
Jake Adams was easy. Capturing him, at least. But every member of the BAU couldn't help but wonder: was he too easy?