Two chapters in one go!
The team arrives at the police station to little fanfare. They receive the usual stares and whispers, but the captain is welcoming enough and directs them to an area that will become their base of operations.
Not wasting any time, Morgan takes the first chance he gets to corner Spencer.
"Alright, Reid, out with it," he says, closing the door of an empty office behind them. "Something's up with you, I can tell. Are you still having those dreams?"
Irritated, Spencer adopts a defensive stance and turns away. "No – I mean, yes, but that's not the point. I can handle those now, I told you. It's getting better."
Disbelieving, Morgan scoffs. "Yeah, sure. Look, man, you know I'm always here if you want to talk, and I don't mind the late-night calls, you know that. But I just think things might be easier if you told Rossi what's going on. He's got to suspect something; you haven't exactly been looking your best lately. We're worried, Reid, the whole team."
"You haven't said anything, have you?" Spencer asks sharply, shoulders bunching.
"Of course not," Morgan says firmly. "I wouldn't do that. But don't you think Rossi deserves to know? He's spent the last several months thinking you don't remember anything, and I get it, but he should know – "
"Know what?" Spencer interrupts. "That I'm having stupid nightmares about Michaels? That I might be dreaming about my time there, but that it also might just be my imagination? What is he going to think, Morgan? How can it possibly help either of us? I, we, have been trying to build something, okay, some kind of relationship out of this mess, and it has been hard enough as it is without adding this – this crap!"
Knowing when to stop pushing, Morgan pauses. "Okay," he says slowly. "I still don't agree, but that's your choice. But if it isn't the dreams that's bothering you, what is it? Don't tell me nothing, I can tell when you're lying."
But it's too late. Spencer is angry more than anything, and Morgan can see him shutting down in front of him. He isn't surprised when Spencer refuses to answer and instead pushes past him for the door, but he still reaches to catch the younger man's elbow.
"I mean it, Reid," he says seriously. "You can talk to me. Or someone. Anyone."
A conflicted look crosses Spencer's face and he turns towards Morgan, body language a little less defensive. But any chance of him sharing goes out the window at a timid knock on the door, immediately followed by a police officer ducking his head inside the room.
"Hi, sorry to bother you," he says quickly, looking between them nervously. "It's just, I follow the BAU's cases and I just want to meet – Oh. Uh, is this a bad time?"
"No," Spencer says firmly, brushing past Morgan. "Excuse me," he says, ducking past the officer out into the hall. The officer, however, follows him.
"You're Special Agent Reid, right?" he says, eagerly dogging Spencer's steps. "I'm a huge fan. Not that I – I mean – Well, I know all about your career and your team's cases and I just have to say, I really admire you. And the rest of the BAU, of course, but I've met everyone else – well, kind of – and I just wanted to make sure I met you since the captain told us you were here but you weren't with the others and – "
Spencer spins on his heel to face the man, startling him into losing his footing. Sheepishly, the man stops two steps away and scratches his neck.
"Listen, officer…?" Spencer prods, trying very hard to remain polite.
"Paulsen," the man provides.
"Officer Paulsen," Spencer repeats. "I'm flattered that you think so highly of myself and my team. In fact, if you'd like, I can give you my email address and we can discuss things further after my team has finished this case, if you'd be interested in that. Right now, I'm afraid we're very busy," he says pointedly.
Paulsen flushes but straightens his back. "That would be great," he says. "Thank you so much. It's just, after that whole thing last year, I've been really fascinated by you and Agent Rossi. To have the chance to speak to you about it – "
"Wait, what?" Spencer interrupts, suddenly off kilter. "No, that's not what I - "
"Reid, inside," Hotch says, beckoning him from the doorway of the office where the team has set up.
Feeling untethered and a little lost, Spencer nods to his boss and turns back to Paulsen with a guarded expression.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to keep you," the officer says. "We can talk later though, yeah? You'll have to tell me all about getting to know your dad!" Before Spencer can do anything other than gape, Officer Paulsen slips away, leaving Spencer with no choice but to join his team.
"All four victims were from different areas of the city, worked in completely different fields, had no intersecting interests other than Bugle and Haynes' mediocre golfing passions – which, by the way, is a dead end, as they didn't even buy their clubs from the same places," Garcia tells them, twirling a pen between her fingers. "I'm digging, my sweets, but other than some shared bus routes I'm not coming up with much."
"Keep trying," Hotch says. "There has to be something that connects the four men. The UnSub felt strongly enough about them to exert effort into carving love symbols into their chests, so they must have known each other. No one noticed anything suspicious the night the men were taken and killed, which suggests the UnSub knew their routines well enough to predict their movements."
Nodding, Garcia wiggles her fingers and signs off. "Will do, boss man."
Rossi sighs and flicks through his tablet, bringing up a cropped image of the bloody symbol carved into the third victim's chest. "Reid, tell me again about this symbol. It's supposed to be for love, right? So are we looking for a romantic partner, a crime of passion?"
"Possibly," Spencer says slowly. We know there must have been something to inspire the kind of rage this would take. But the UnSub isn't disorganized, which suggests it isn't passion-fuelled, which I would think rules out a personal relationship between victim and UnSub."
"It's a route to explore," Hotch says. "I'll get Garcia to look into past relationships of the victims and see if there's any correlation. JJ, Morgan, I want you to check out the latest crime scene and see why there weren't any witnesses. Blake, talk to the officers, see if they have anything we don't. Reid – "
"Actually, Hotch," Spencer interrupts, suddenly tense. Everyone turns to look at him, but he studiously ignores them. "Can I talk to you about something quickly?"
After a moment's pause, Hotch nods. "JJ, Morgan, head out. Rossi, call Garcia and explore the romantic angle. Reid, with me." He inclines his head towards the door and Spencer dutifully follows him into the hall. Thankfully, it is quiet and empty, and Spencer feels some of the tension leave his shoulders.
Spencer waits until JJ and Morgan pass by, Morgan giving him a raised eyebrow – to which Spencer turns away with a tight jaw – and Hotch looks on with silent question.
"There's an Officer Paulsen who approached me earlier," Spencer says, voice low. "He seems nice but – he says he followed everything last year, with Dave and I. It's just, everything was supposed to be kept quiet and mostly out of the media, and I know there was some stuff that we couldn't silence completely, but I'd prefer if neither Dave or I were left alone with him. He's very… excitable."
Hotch thinks for a minute, eyes dark and searching, but Spencer isn't overly worried. "Alright," Hotch finally says. "I agree, I don't want this Officer Paulsen interfering with the case or distracting my agents. It isn't appropriate for him to accost either you or Rossi about your relationship, and I'll make sure to keep you two away from him. I'll mention it to the chief, as well."
Spencer nods. "Thank you."
"That being said, Reid, is there anything else you want to tell me?"
Spencer stills, carefully averting his eyes from his boss. He hopes his annoyance isn't blatantly clear, but he doesn't hold out much hope. "About?" he asks carefully.
Hotch gives him a pointed look. "The phone call on the plane," he reminds. "You've been distant, on edge lately. We've all noticed. I respect your privacy, but you know we don't want our personal lives to interfere with cases. If there is something, you can tell me. Or Dave, if you prefer."
Spencer's instinctual reaction is to argue, but he knows that won't help his case. "It's nothing," he says evenly instead. "Trust me. If it gets to the point where I can't handle it, I'll mention it. I promise."
Hotch nods. "Good. I was going to get you to go help Blake, but I want to keep you away from the officers until I speak to the chief about Paulsen. Instead, go talk to Rossi and Garcia about the symbol, tell them everything you know and build a theory."
He doesn't give Spencer a chance to argue, though he doesn't try. Hotch leaves to find the chief, and Spencer hovers outside the door to the office, reluctant to go in and face Rossi. He trusts the other man and genuinely likes the way their relationship has been building since last year, but he really doesn't want to have to lie to three people in one afternoon. If he's very lucky, Rossi may take the hint and leave him alone.
Steeling himself, Spencer pushes the door to the office open and slinks inside, noting the way David looks up and runs a searching gaze over him before turning back to the phone. Garcia is on speaker, and the clacking of her keyboard keys is audible.
Relieved, Spencer idles over to the table beside David and tunes in.
"All four of our victims were married men, two of them with children," Garcia's saying. "I don't see anything to suggest the wives knew each other or the other victims, but I can keep looking."
"Do that, Garcia," David says. "Send us the information for Charles Mighten's wife and we'll pay her a visit. There has to be something to this romantic angle. Reid, you want to come talk to her? I can take Hotch."
Grateful for the out anyway, Spencer shakes his head. "I'll come," he says. "I want to see if she knows anything about the Claddagh symbol, and Hotch is busy talking to the chief."
Raising a curious eyebrow, David refrains from asking, though Spencer is sure there is a conversation awaiting Hotch when the man is free.
Both their phones buzz with a message from Garcia.
"Let's head out," David says, grabbing the keys to the car offered to them by the station and gesturing for Spencer to lead the way. "See what Mrs. Mighten has to say."