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A Killer's Motivation
"Hey, pretty boy," Morgan greeted as the team entered the small room in the precinct that the Richmond PD had leant them. He dropped into one chair and smiled, but it was a tight smile. "Thanks for dragging us out on a Sunday morning."
"It's not my fault, Morgan."
"It's never your fault," Rossi pointed out. "Can't you stay out of trouble for five minutes?"
Reid, busy with the original copy of the letter addressed to him, didn't look up at his team, so he missed the look that passed between Messerly and Wo.
Hotch entered last after JJ and introduced the rest of the team to the two detectives. "I'm SSA Hotchner; these are SSAs Jareau, Morgan, and Rossi."
"I'm pleased to meet you," Messerly shook Hotch's offered hand. "I'm Detective Messerly and this is my partner Detective Wo. Your agent has been an invaluable help so far. I'm sorry for the necessity of calling you here on your weekend, but due to the circumstances…"
"It comes with the job," Hotch remarked.
"What've you got so far, Spence?"
He finally lifted his eyes from the file to meet JJ's gaze. "I scanned the note and the envelope into the computer, but they don't tell us very much. We should look at the crime scene photos first."
"Go ahead," Hotch, said as the rest of the team and detectives took seats around the table.
Reid put the pictures up on the white board one by one. "The victim is a Jane Doe for now. She was found in the back parking lot at the Wal-Mart on Sheila Lane. No personal items or clothing were found with the body."
"The un-sub disposed of them or he took souvenirs," JJ observed.
"The ME took her prints and Garcia is running them. She'll call us back if she finds anything."
"He really did a number on her, total overkill." Rossi observed. "Do we have any idea what kind of weapon was used?"
"I just talked to Dr. Rainy. She determined the blades used were smooth. They aren't kitchen blades," Wo answered.
"What are they?"
Wo addressed Hotch, with an awe in his eyes that made Reid smile just a little. "Dr. Rainy said the knives are comparable to the kind she uses."
"Are we thinking he has medical training?" Morgan wondered.
"We can't rule it out, but I think it's just another forensic countermeasure, like taking her personal items, cleaning the body, and typing the note," Reid said.
"Let's take a look at the note," Hotch said.
Reid activated the small projector on the table and the document appeared on a blank section of the white board.
"The fact that it was typed rather than written is telling. He does not want us to analyze it or possibly identify him some way. Maybe he's in the system," Rossi postulated.
"But, he wanted Reid here personally," JJ said, concern darkening her cobalt blue eyes.
"That's what's bothering me," Hotch admitted.
"I think we can use that to our advantage," Detective Messerly said. "If this 'un-sub' as you call him, is a fan, we can manipulate him."
"No way man," Morgan interjected angrily. "You're not -"
"You can't use Reid as bait," JJ agreed.
"Settle down everyone," Hotch interrupted.
"You can't let the locals use an agent," Morgan tried again.
"The un-sub wants him involved," Rossi cut in smoothly and calmly as though talking to an audience about his latest book. "Why else leave the note?"
"Reid knows who he is," Hotch said and everyone stopped arguing as though someone had turned the volume off in the room.
"That's what I figured," Messerly said.
"Which is why you called him first," JJ added after a long minute. "You thought he was involved."
"Reid isn't involved with some crazy un-sub," Morgan exploded. "What's wrong with you?"
"Morgan, sit down," Hotch commanded, his eyes blazing.
"Look, I don't know your agent, and I have to take into account every possibility," Messerly said. Hotch burned Morgan to the ground with a withering stare when he tried to speak again. Morgan sat back in his chair, folded his arms across his chest and glared at the white board.
"The detective's right to be suspicious," Reid said so quietly, it was as though he spoke in the middle of a library.
"You can't be serious, man," Morgan was clenching and unclenching his jaw and his hands. He looked mad enough to murder a small kitten.
"It's a logical assumption, albeit a low probability. This un-sub wants my attention and here we are."
Morgan hissed out a breath and rubbed one hand over his baldhead. "You're right," he admitted. "You're always right."
Everyone exchanged tense smiles, except for Hotch.
"Maybe Dr. Reid shouldn't be here if this guy wants him here. What if he tries to go after him?"
Everyone exchanged looks, except for Reid who was studying the photos. Wo had put into words what they all were thinking. "No," Hotch broke the silence like a hammer through a plate glass window. "We're distracted, which is what this man wants. He wants Reid involved in this; he won't try to hurt him."
"Then what does he want," Messerly demanded of them.
"We need to go back to the victim," Rossi said. "Find out everything we can about her and she'll lead us to him.
"Morgan, I want you and Reid to go back to the crime scene. We'll stay here and go through missing person's reports. We need to ID the victim as soon as possible and we need to know if there are other missing women that fit her profile."
CMCMCMCM
The rear parking lot at Wal-mart was almost completely deserted. Reid took a second look around wondering where all the press was on that Sunday morning. Maybe just one murder isn't enough to interest them.
There was a black and white there, along with the yellow crime scene tape marking off the area where the victim had lain. The privacy screens were gone, and so were the CSIs, but the scene still had the feel that something evil had taken place when whoever was in charge of the cosmos wasn't looking.
They parked several feet from the black and white and had exited when the two officers got out of the car. The first man was stocky, walked with a military bearing, and had a round face with grey eyes that reminded Reid of the sea during a storm, slate and hard as a rock. He didn't smile, and his brush cut brown hair bristled from his head as if in sincere annoyance. His partner had a square face that was open and friendly with dark brown eyes, and skin that was a few shades darker than Morgan's. He was about Morgan's build with very short black hair that was just beginning to recede. He grinned at them with blinding white teeth.
"You must be the feds," said the stocky build. "I'm Officer Tripp and this is Officer McCall. Detective Messerly asked us to hang with you two while you look over the scene. He hates the press and civilians mucking things up."
Reid and Morgan looked at them and then at each other. Reid nearly grinned at Morgan's lifted eyebrows.
"Thanks for the help. This is Dr. Reid and I'm SSA Morgan."
"Take all the time you need. We'll be here."
They stepped under the tape and walked to the edge of the parking area. "I've got one question," Morgan said. "Why Wal-mart? What's he thinking?"
"Well, this building runs right up on a residential area," Reid pointed at the block privacy wall fronted with a strip of grass and some flowerbeds. "The parking lot's between it and the wall. There's one entrance over there," he pointed left. "And another building to the right. The risk is minimal if you get here at the right time of night. Detective Messerly said the ME figured the time of death at about three pm and she was in the parking lot for about an hour before the patrol found her. That means he was here around midnight on a Saturday night. This store closes at 10 pm on Saturday, so he'd be pretty safe."
"Yeah…" Morgan paced back and forth. "Okay, she was left nude, and posed spread eagle, an extremely vulnerable position. She didn't mean anything to him except an attempt at the ultimate high every serial killer looks for."
Reid nodded, "No, this isn't his fist time, and yes she was worthless to him. He's not feeling any remorse for his actions."
"He blitzed her, why?"
"Perhaps he's not confident enough to approach her directly. He probably stalked her and then knocked her out when the right opportunity presented itself."
Morgan rubbed his head. "I think he left her where he found her. We should have Garcia look into missing persons in this area specifically. If she's from around here then maybe he saw her here."
Reid nodded, but his eyes were far away. "Maybe he didn't stalk her; she could just be a victim of opportunity."
"No," Morgan disagreed. "He's too careful in the aftermath. Why just pick someone at random and then clean up after yourself so carefully."
He realized that Reid was still staring off into space. "Hey, pretty boy, what's bothering you?"
"I was just wondering how many of my 'fans,' he made quotations with his fingers, "are going to contact me."
"Reid, don't freak out on me, man."
"I'm not freaking out. You have to admit that the odds are high. Look at Henry Grace."
Now Reid was pacing back and forth along the curb dividing the grass and flowers from the parking lot.
"He wanted revenge on Rossi, it wasn't about you," Morgan reminded him.
"Yeah, but next time -"
Morgan held up both hands. "You are freaking out on me. There isn't going to be a next time. This is just a sick mind playing with you. If you let him interrupt your famous concentration, then he wins. Is that what you want?"
Reid shook his head. "No, you're right of course. I'll try not to let it get to me."
"That's all I ask."
Morgan's phone beeped. "Morgan."
"Hey stud."
"Baby girl, what ya got for me?"
"I don't think you can handle what I've got."
"Did you call me just to get my blood up?" Morgan demanded cheerfully.
"No, but I've got an ID on your victim."
