Hey guys, I've been really disappointed in the lack of reviews. I know you're reading this based on traffic stats but for all I know you think it's awful. Shout out to who has been very supportive through all my writing drama. If you don't like this let me know because I have three other casefic ideas so if this one is bad i'd rather save myself the time and just start one of those. Let me know. *C.E.L
Brooksville, Ohio Police Station October 6, 5:00 a.m
Mornings for the BAU were rarely a good time. This morning was no better than most and in fact, it might be worse. The team had been working on the profile, trying to make it ready to be presented today, all night. At around three a.m. they had all fallen asleep at the conference table they were working at. Two hours later, they had been woken by Hotch's phone screaming for attention. "Hotchner," Hotch's response gave no indication that he had woken up seconds before from a veritable nap with his head on a shabby wooden table. After a moment of nodding Hotch closed his phone with a snap. "Everyone, there's been another kidnapping, Reid stay here and finalize the profile, everybody else, we're going to the crime scene." Doggedly everybody stood up and prepared for a day that had started very badly.
()()()
Reid stared at what they had of the profile; the poem still bothered him a little. The UnSub was clearly meticulous enough to have planned out his method of kidnapping and selected victims that would be reported missing quickly, but that weren't very difficult to take, and yet he put so little effort into his notes. Most UnSubs who bother with poetic notes take time and make sure they're perfect, but these are just simple couplets that are obvious in their meaning. Why not make an effort? Reid wondered to himself. It hit him moments later, the UnSub was doing what he thought was the dramatic thing, the thing that would give him some sort of status. That gave them a hint as to the type of job the UnSub might have/ have had. Reid called Garcia.
"Expert in all concerning knowledge, what do you wish to know?" Garcia said using one of her signature greetings.
"Garcia, what are the main jobs for the town, from what I can tell the UnSub thinks the town and its people have wronged him or ignored him. I think he most likely works or worked in a position that benefited the town but wasn't really recognized, this doesn't have to be an official job, it could be just an important business." Feeling like he might've moved the case forward a little Reid's spirits lifted some.
"Well, handsome, most people who live here either work at Lowell Publishing or Lowell Printing. Both were started by the same guy, the publishing company is all office work and Lowell Printing is a factory that actually prints the Lowell books, magazines, and periodicals. From what I can tell this creates a pretty big gap between the educated and the uneducated. Those that went to college work at the business end of things, and those that didn't work in the factory." Garcia rattled off the information she was getting off her computer, waiting for her next task.
"How many of our victims worked in either the Publishing or the Printing?" Reid asked.
"Let's see, Sean Garret went to a community college for a year, then dropped out and works in an overseeing position at the factory. The second victim works for the publishing company, she reviews the work that might get published. Reagan is a teacher and the other two victims have unrelated jobs, one owns a car dealership and the other helps run a therapy center for women who were involved in domestic violence. Wow, no significant connections for any of our vics. Anything else you need?"
"Not right now, thanks Garcia." Reid snapped his phone shut and added the new information to the board.
()()()
At the newest victim's home, the team looked around for anything unusual. Daniel Franklin's house was modest, but neat. His wife was hysterical and it was obvious they weren't going to get any useful information from her at this time, so they looked for something- anything- that could help them. As with the other victims a poem was left on the front door.
One day closer to all hallows eve
And yet you do not have a guess
The poem was as badly written as the others, but the message was clear. Hotch took out his phone and called Reid. "Reid, we have a date. The UnSub intends to kill all his hostages on 'all hallows eve' mean anything to you? Not now, Reid, I have a crime scene to go over. Yes, tell me when we get back. Good work, the job lead is a good break through. Bye." Hotch hung up on Reid and turned back to Morgan and the others. "As it so happens, Reid does know a thing or two about 'all hallows eve'; so we have something to work with. I'm going to talk with the wife; I think she's pulled herself together enough." Morgan didn't miss the sarcasm in Hotch's comment about Reid, and smiled a little. Hotch almost never smiled, but when he made jokes, randomly and out of left field, they were very funny.
The case had Morgan feeling very off. The kidnapper acted every night, taking a single person from their home; personally he would have taken a different approach to the investigation. If he were in charge, he would focus on the UnSub's list of victims and potential victims. Morgan wasn't comfortable with the idea of letting more people get kidnapped while they tried to catch whoever was doing this. As usual, Morgan was more inclined towards immediate action than waiting and watching. Morgan kept telling himself to stop thoughts like that, once he had led the team, and everyone- himself included- had been glad when Hotch returned. Now it felt like every time Hotch chose to do something differently then he would, Morgan wished he was leader. He told himself it was his pride speaking, but still, he couldn't help but wish his opinion was asked for just a little more.
Morgan scanned the lawn, trying to think like the UnSub. If he wanted to kidnap someone in the middle of the night, without breaking and entering, how would he do it? He had to make the victim come to the door. He rang the doorbell three times, and then he waited. Morgan glanced up at the house. There was a large window that overlooked the front yard; any logical person would look through that before opening the door. Morgan walked into the house and over to the window, which was in the kitchen. The bush next to the front porch was an optimal place to hide; no one could be seen through the window, but when a person stepped out the door, they were an easy target. "Prentiss, I think that bush is where the UnSub hid, waiting for his victim to come out of the house."
"Makes sense, but he didn't leave any traces, and you can't pull fingerprints off a bush, at least not in real life." Prentiss said with sarcasm tingeing her words.
Their discussion was interrupted by Rossi coming over. "Reid has enough of a profile to present; we're going back to the precinct. Let's go." Piling into the van, they headed back to where Reid was waiting for them.
Rossi studied the faces of the officers in front of him. They were almost all young men, and Rossi was glad they weren't pursuing an officer in this case. Many of the killers he hunted were profiled as most likely holding an official position, he liked the familial feeling that surrounded these officers and really didn't want one of them to be a suicidal, murderous killer.
The profile Reid had finalized while they were looking at the crime scene was good. Or, as good as any profile could be, considering the subject matter. This was the type of case where a few things were very important: first, fast action on the part of the police department. They had been called in a little later than Rossi would have liked but not horribly so. Second, controlled media, JJ was very good at her job and knew how to warn the public without sending them into a panic. Third, noticing patterns so that when they change, it's immediately noticeable. With the group gathered the team began the presentation.
"Our UnSub is most likely a white male in his early thirties to late forties." Hotch began "He desperately craves attention."
Reid took over "He most likely believes that the town itself somehow wronged him. So instead of enacting his revenge on a specific type of person, he enacts it on average people. Because of the smoothness of the kidnappings, we can assume the UnSub has a list of victims, in a specific order. He will not intentionally deviate from that list."
Now Rossi took his turn in the presentation, "The UnSub is not working with another person, as he believes that no one else is good enough for this work, also, he's anti social, no one would want to help him. He is organized and likes to make plans; he has back-up plans for anything we do, so we need to be careful. For the time being we have decided to hold a press conference to warn people not to answer their doors after dark under any circumstances. We want to see if the UnSub's anger will be enough to bring him into the open. No matter what his plan B is, it will give us a lot of information about him, enough to identify him, we think." Rossi concluded.
()()()
An hour later, all the local media, a state news network, and several curious bystanders were gathered in front of the police department waiting for JJ to begin. "We have evidence that the recent kidnappings are all related and that the same man will strike again tonight, we advise the people of this town not to answer their doors after dark. No matter what, do not try to go to the door and we advise that you stay in your houses and do not go outside. If you take these precautions, there is no reason to believe that you won't be safe. I will not be taking questions at this time. Thank you." Amid the shouted questions of the reporters, JJ stepped off the podium and went back over to where the rest of the team was standing. "Do you think that'll stop him?" JJ asked.
"Actually, it's highly unlikely that that will stop the UnSub. Based on what he wrote in the poems, he's very driven towards his goal. He'll react strongly to not being able to get his victims, but it could just result in his crimes evolving into murder." Reid said, oblivious to the glares of his teammates. When he stopped talking and looked at them, he could see their disapproval. "Sorry." He said. Ignoring him, the team went back inside to continue the profile.
Once inside, Morgan called Garcia. "Hey Babygirl, what've you got on the layoffs from the factory and company in the past year or so?" He asked his spirits lifting some from her sunny personality.
"Well, about thirty-five people were laid off in the last year from the company, and twenty-six from the factory. Of those, forty-two were male. Is that all you need?" She said.
"That's it for now, but I'll call you when I have another challenge." Morgan teased.
"Please do, and make it a good one this time. Bye" Morgan snapped the phone shut and his smile faded as Garcia's cheering effect wore off. He rejoined the others who were staring at the board with the victim's photos on it. Reid had his face ridiculously close to the board as if there was some hidden writing there that would tell them who the UnSub was. Though Morgan would never say it out loud, the habit reminded his of Gideon who had done the same thing.
"Any updates from Garcia?" Prentiss asked breaking his train of thought.
"Not really she faxed over the list of people who were recently laid off, but none of them had any priors or anything that would make them stand out. Man, I can't figure this guy out." That bothered the whole team as much as it bothered Morgan himself. It was usually Morgan's job to "become the UnSub" because he was good at it; so if he couldn't figure him out where did that leave them?
Hotch surveyed his team. Identical shadows under all of their eyes, matching his own. He knew they would work tirelessly until they caught the UnSub and returned the victims to their families, but he also knew that they were only human, and they would need to sleep eventually. "I think we've done all we can for today. Go back to the hotel, grab something to eat and get some sleep, there's nothing we can do until we have his reaction to our interference." For a moment he thought they would argue, but seemingly at the same time they all realized how tired they were and filed out of the room.
Outside the Brooksville police Station 5:00 pm
He watched furiously as the FBI agents left the building. They thought they had ruined his plans, and they had complicated them, but they were far from ruined. Now he could make more of a statement. Now he could make them see him. After all the years he had worked, hoping they would notice his success, only to be thrust backwards. Now they would see, now they would be forced to look. And the FBI would see too. He laughed a little as he drove away; glad that his message would be sent. He had plans to make, and things to do before midnight.