Chapter Two:

Capstone was a relatively small town mainly known for the college residing in its borders. With a population of fifteen thousand, the other source of work was a windmill manufacturing plant. Sherriff Derik Brenner liked his small college town just fine. He knew his senator wife had higher aspirations and that was just fine with him too. But what he couldn't stand was a serial killer on the loose in his community.

Brenner looked at the latest set autopsy photos. They made his stomach churn. He had been on the force for twenty years and this was the worst he'd seen. He then read the lab report. He recognized a few of the drugs and none of them were sedatives. This UNSUB wanted the women to suffer before they died.

Just then his cell phone rang. It was his wife Sophie.

"Hey honey is this a bad time?" she asked quickly.

"No dear," he said in response. "In fact it's nice to hear your voice after what I just read."

"I'm sorry I can't be there for you," she said.

"It's okay Sohp, I'll manage."

"I know it would be a media circus if I came but I still hate the fact that there is a killer on the loose in my home town."

"Everything will be fine," he said assuredly. "The feds are coming."

"I hope you don't mind that. I have friends in the lower house who hate it when the feds come and turn everything upside down."

Brenner looked at the photos again. "I really don't mind the idea of the feds changing things up if it means the killer is caught sooner."

"I agree."

"Have fun in Iowa."

He could almost hear his wife glaring through the phone.

"I miss you," she said.

"I love you," he said and then looked through the window of his office to see FBI agents approaching.

"I've got to go, the feds are here."

"Get him fast dear."

"I plan to."

"Thank you for coming," Sheriff Brenner said politely. "I have the conference room set up as you requested."

"We're here to help Sheriff Brenner," Hotch said. "These are agents Rossi, J.J., Morgan, and Dr. Reid."

They all shook hands except Reid who waved.

"So how would you like to divide up the work?" Brenner asked.

"J.J. and I would like to re-interview the families and some the witnesses while Morgan and Rossi will visit crimes scene. Dr. Reid will be working on a geographic profile."

"There isn't much to map," Brenner said, "the campus is small and the town isn't much bigger."

"I'm looking more for common interests and routines to see how the UNSUB chooses his victims. Like Tara White likes to run. I want to see if she runs the same path Karen Twan likes to hike. Things like that,"

"Okay then," the Brenner said "I'll leave Dr. Reid to his map while I bring up the suspects."

"Different ages, different ethnicities, and different sororities," Rossi said. "The only other thing in common is the fact that he likes to drop them in the same park."

They picked through the path to the dump site. "This area is about a mile from Sorority Row. The victims were all found by runners early in the morning. So what does that suggest?"

"This is possibly a message for a runner or the park work crew?" Rossi said.

"Or the site has a special meaning to him."

Rossi noticed a bench with a plaque on it that read "In memory of Joseph Brenner 1922-2006."

"Why does the name Brenner keep popping up around here?"

"Reid said a Brenner was running for president."

"Is the sheriff related to the guy?"

"It is a she and I think Reid said that the Sheriff is her husband."

Rossi rolled his eyes. "Shows how much I pay attention to politics. Anyway I'm the UNSUB, wait a minute what if the statement is political?"

Morgan looked skeptical. "Because of a bench?"

"How much you want to bet the presidential candidate was in one of the sororities our UNSUB targeted?"

"How does that affect her though aside from the husband calling us in?"

"There might be a link in here. Let's call Garcia to see what she comes up with."

Brenner grabbed a fresh cup of coffee while the agents looked over their notes before the next interview. His first impression was that they knew what they were doing. Nothing scared them and they asked direct questions that made some of their interview subjects uncomfortable. It felt good having the extra help around.

He wandered into the conference room where Dr. Reid was coloring the map of Gapstone.

"That is some impressive work," he said.

Dr. Reid jumped and turned red as he turned around. "It's nothing. I'm just trying to find triangulate the location of where the UNSUB might have found his victims and I think I found it."

Brenner looked closely at the map. "The library?"

"No the café in the library. It is only place with a Starbucks in it and all three of the girl's schedules cross it several times, and once possibly at the same time."

Suddenly the map reminded him of the ones Sophie had the front room covered in.

"That is definitely something to work with," Brenner said.