Just a note from me again. I hope this is helping everyone get over what happened to poor Spencer in the last story. I still feel bad about that but honestly, I start with the crime and have little control over where the story goes from there. Please let me know what you think.


The agents are in front of assembled local law enforcement to give a profile.

Morgan: Our unsub is what's known as an "Angel of Death." He sees these deaths as mercy killings.

Rossi: The women he targets are single mothers doing everything on their own. They are all holding down at least two jobs to support their children.

Prentiss: It looks as though he is putting them to bed so that they can rest. This person no doubt has a job that requires compassion. A therapist or medical professional perhaps.

Hotch: It is likely that he sees these women as a close family member. It might be his mother or even a sister or aunt. Whoever it is had or has a circumstance similar to the murder victims.

J.J.'s phone rings and she walks away to answer, returning quickly and interrupting the profile briefing.

J.J.: It's Garcia.

Morgan: Put her on speaker.

Garcia: A little more digging and I think I found the connection. One that I probably should have found earlier. My apologies for overlooking the fairly obvious. All of the murder victims were on some form of public assistance; food stamps, Medicaid, that sort of thing.

Prentiss: A caseworker would fit our profile for profession.

Hotch: Keep working on getting the records on each woman. See who might have had access to every file. Let us know when you have something.

Garcia: You got it.


Maggie and Reid are still cuddled up together on the sofa.

Reid: I'm never going to hear the end of this from Morgan.

Maggie: Do you remember the flight home?

Reid: Not really, why?

Maggie: Derek Morgan sat with you the whole way reading to you. I think all he could find was some Physics text. But he wanted you to know you weren't alone. It was Morgan who told me what happened. I'll never, as long as I live, forget the wounded look in his eyes. The guilt. He won't be teasing you at all over this.

Reid: Guilt? Why does Morgan feel guilt?

.

Maggie: You tell me. I wasn't there. All I know is that he had a very guilty look when he told me.

Reid: We were together. Do you think he feels it's his fault I was taken?

Maggie: Maybe.


While waiting for news from Garcia, the team is trying to work with what they already have. Prentiss is at a map with different colored markers looking puzzled.

Rossi: How are you coming with that geographic profile?

Prentiss: Reid makes this look so easy.

Rossi: Yeah, well Reid is…Reid.

Prentiss: When he comes back, remind me to apologize for every time I've teased him about this.

Rossi merely smiles. Morgan's phone rings and he answers.

Morgan: Yeah baby, what you got for us?

Garcia: The only person who had access to every file was a Patrick Whelan.

Rossi: Can you tell us anything about this Whelan?

Garcia: Sugar, would I have even called if I hadn't already dug into every crevice of his life? He's 34 years old and a social worker. His mother sounds a lot like these women. No father is listed on his birth certificate and records show that Susan Whelan was never married. I dug up her tax records and she regularly worked at least two jobs. None of those jobs over the years had medical coverage. She died of cancer about four months ago.

Morgan: Sounds like you found our guy. Thanks Garcia.

Hotch: Bring him in.