Many thanks for the feedback so far. I know as a writer I was glad to see Reid back to work. Please continue to let me know how I am doing with this.
Back at the police station, Reid is pondering the evidence board. Morgan approaches.
Morgan: Hey kid, what have you figured out so far?
Reid: Not a lot as yet. As much as this is obviously OCD ritual, I am beginning to think this is a message to us.
Morgan: You think he wants us to stop him?
Reid: I think that most people with OCD know, at least on some level, that their obsessions aren't rational.
Morgan: Did you get anything on the map?
Reid: Still working on that too.
Morgan: Can we acknowledge the elephant in the room now?
Reid: I'm fine. Mostly.
Morgan: I know you are. You're a lot tougher than any of us give you credit for. What I want to know is can you forgive me?
Reid looks at Morgan with a very perplexed expression.
Morgan: I should have kept you safe.
Reid: There's nothing to forgive. You can drive yourself crazy thinking about everything you think you should have done differently. So can I. But when it comes right down to it, there is really only blame to be had for one person and that is Stanley Karsten. I don't blame you for anything. You need to forgive yourself.
Morgan: Good to have you back, Reid.
Rossi and Prentiss are driving back.
Rossi: Did Garcia find anything on Chloe's computer?
Prentiss: Term papers, resume…no harassing e-mails, no one blocked on facebook.
A phone rings and Rossi answers.
Rossi: Yeah.
Hotch: What did you find out?
Rossi: Don't tell the kid but I really wanted him to be wrong.
Hotch: He's not. Chloe Seymour's body was just found. I'm sending you the location. We'll meet you there.
Rossi: Damn!
The agents converge on a scrubby patch of bushes at the side of a moderately traveled road. There is yellow police tape surrounding the site.
Hotch: How long has she been here?
Morgan: M.E. says she's been dead less than three hours.
Reid is crouching beside the body along with Rossi.
Rossi: Mutilation looks the same.
Reid: Not quite.
Prentiss: What's that "2" there next to the "X"?
Reid: Squared. For some reason he feels a need to exponentially increase the body count.
Prentiss: Ten squared? That's 100. One hell of an escalation.
Reid: I'm not sure the "X" still represents ten. Mathematically an "X" can symbolize multiplication and often it is used as a variable to represent an unknown in an equation.
Morgan: So how exactly do we solve for "X" on this one, Mr. Math PhD?
Reid: I don't know yet.