Chapter 3
Dave hooked up his laptop as Garcia appeared on the jet's screens in the front and back. "My crime fighters, I have bigger news and it's not good. The second set of kids that were abducted; the ME report just came across my screens. The kids died from hypothermia; but the ME also noted they were malnourished. They hadn't been fed the entire time they were captive."
Cait pulled her iPad out and looked at the ME's report. Alex noticed a hint of recognition on the medical doctor side of her; yet marveled that she said nothing. She's only going to observe, Alex noted in her head.
"Plus, I have more," Garcia said. "While I'm still downloading all the info I'm getting from the Wisconsin BCA, I can give you all this. But it hurts." They all looked at the screens or their personal devices. "Your first two victims were Ben and Abbey Johnson; ages nine and seven." The school pictures of the children showed up on their screens. "The second were Jonas and Michaela Morrison; ages eight and six." Everyone could hear the sadness in Garcia's voice. "And your current victims are Jake and Jenny Miller; ages nine and seven." Their pictures appeared as well.
"Well, our unsub obviously has a type," Blake noted.
"Yup," Emily added. "All of them are Caucasian."
"Which means our unsub is as well," Morgan added. Rossi and Hotch nodded their agreement.
"So this is obviously a preferential pedophile," JJ commented. "He wants a brother and sister. But why?"
"He plays out his sexual fantasies by forcing the brother and sister to perform a sex act," Dave said. "That's what gets him off, which he makes the kids witness as well." Alex eyed Cait who was just typing notes into her laptop.
"And with the first set of siblings," Morgan said, "they wouldn't do that so the unsub took them out quickly. They didn't work in his world and they were a bust to him."
"And we know for sure our unsub is male," Hotch said. Cait just listened intently.
"Could that be a pattern," Prentiss questioned. "The ones he kept longer 'played along'?"
"And the unsub could use that as a reward for food and/or warmth," Morgan added.
"Yet children of this age, even realizing they are in danger, would bore of this kind of game; sick as it is," Hotch added. Cait shook her head at the perverse nature.
Dave eyed her. Cait looked at him. "Why I'm along Dave," she sadly said.
For the rest of the flight, the team was heads down in examining the details of the cases. Dave and Alex kept eyeing Cait, typing notes into her laptop and doing a lot of reading as the team did their discussion. After an hour Morgan said, "Break time."
"Hallelujah," Emily said.
"Well get in there before I do," Morgan smiled, pointing to the jet's bathroom.
"Oh gee, thanks for that," Emily snarked back, getting up.
"Then I'm in before you as well," Alex added.
Morgan smiled. "Get rid of all that coffee you drink in a hurry." Cait noticed that Alex filled her coffee cup twice during the briefing.
Cait looked at Aaron. "Why does this sound like home with the boys?"
Hotch just shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Can I refill your coffee?"
"Please," she smiled and looked at Dave. Aaron took her coffee cup and got out of his seat. "Are you going to be eyeing me the entire flight?"
"What the hell is so interesting about all this that you are typing constantly? Cait, I know we've never touched on these cases with my books, but you should know all this by now?"
"I do Dave; I'm making notes for research studies to check while I'm listening to all of you discuss the case. It's set off for me a realm of things to check and then research on my own." Dave looked at her. "That's how this all works in my world Dave," Cait smiled.
Alex stood by her seat with a full cup of coffee, waiting for Emily to vacate the bathroom. She looked at Cait. "Mind if I ask you a highly personal question?" Cait shook her head with a smile as Aaron handed Cait her refilled coffee cup and sat down.
"You want to write a research paper on the possible criminal psychology of pedophilia? Why? You've got to know that others will immediately try to shoot holes in your research and findings."
"That's exactly why Alex." Blake just stared at her, stunned. "It isn't about ego Alex; it's maybe finding a key that I deduce is worthy and letting the rest of my learned colleagues discuss and debate. That opens the door for more research and maybe, just maybe, somewhere down the line, we all, whether it being all of you working in the field or those of us in academia, finding a link. It's a long shot; I know that. Dave and I have discussed it at length and we agree; we will never find clear cut markers that say this person is going to be a serial killer or that person is going to be a pedophile. Yet, through all the research and discussion, we all just might be able to understand it better and catch the 'marker'," she said using quote marks in the air, "to more quickly identifying those that do these heinous crimes. Bottom line: if that happens, maybe a few more lives get saved a little sooner. That's worth the risk to me," she smiled. "And I learned long ago writing a research paper means checking your ego at the keyboard." She smiled and went to follow Emily into the restroom.
"That's why I write papers about exact sciences," Reid intoned.
"Cait, you could have told me," Hotch said.
"Aaron that was the hardest thing for me; I didn't want to put either of us in a spot that would look bad. When I had my face to face meeting with Assistant Director Musgrave and I knew he was finally buying in, I asked him point blank about it. He advised me not to."
Cait thought back to that part of their conversation.
Musgrave smiled at her. "I can see your predicament Dr. Barkley. I have to tell you that you and Aaron's marriage is a marvel in this building. The divorce rate around here is high; yet you both make it work with your family and the family that is that team." He shook his head. "But I'm sure Aaron has filled you in on the politics of this company and how it can operate. My advice to you is not tell him; and I know that goes against the very grain of your marriage. But Dr. Barkley, Cait," he smiled, "you can't play around with that. Someone gets a whiff of nepotism; they'll blow you and Aaron out of the water. If you can promise me you won't tell Aaron, I'll write the letter in a forward to your research paper outlining how straight up this whole process has been."
Aaron smiled at her. "You're off the hook Doc." Cait rubbed his arm with a smile.
"Atta boy," Dave smiled. The rest of the team beamed.
"You are damn good Mother Goose," Emily smiled. Alex re-appeared as Morgan made his exit.
Thirty minutes later Angie came over the intercom. "Buckle up everyone; we're about to make our descent into Duluth. Current ground temperature is 18 degrees."
The entire team moaned.
Aaron and Cait smiled at each other.
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A/N: I can't send a PM, so a thank you to pmp1208 for the favorite alert. Thanks for reading!
