According to the FF words count, this chapter is almost 5 000 words long. I know, I can't quite believe it myself!
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EDIT: I fixed a few glitches. Let me know if I missed some
= Pittsburgh PA, JJ & Emily's room, 05.45 GMT-5 =
JJ groaned and buried her head in her pillow. "Emily Prentiss, you better turn off this damn alarm clock or I swear to God I will pull out my gun!"
Emily was laughing silently at her girlfriend's reaction.
- "And if you don't stop laughing, I will shoot you too and make you sleep on the floor tonight!"
Sobering right away at the threat, Emily dropped a kiss on JJ's head and let her right hand roam on the blonde's naked back.
- "I'm sorry, I know you wish you could sleep longer."
- "Evil never sleeps... And we both love our jobs way too much." JJ muttered into Emily's left shoulder.
- "That we do, baby, that we do." was Emily's whispered answer.
- "Do you think we'll ever be able to retire?" JJ mumbled into Emily's neck before kissing it and tightening her grip on the other woman's waist.
- "We eventually will have to. I am fairly certain that having agents in need of walkers chasing serial-killers is against regulations." Emily was smirking at the image forming in her head.
- "Strauss would have a fit. I'd pay good money to see it." JJ had raised her head and was looking at the older woman with eyes sparkling with mischief.
- "You, agent Jareau, are evil." Emily couldn't help but chuckle. "Come on grumpy, race ya to the shower!"
Emily didn't have to repeat her request twice.
= Pittsburgh PA, precinct, conference room, 07.00 GMT-5 =
6 FBI agents piled out of the 2 SUVs, coffees in hands and ready to face another long day. Det. Beauchamps welcomed them with a curt nod and a quiet 'Morning'. He stepped out of the room for a few seconds before coming back in carrying a pile of files.
- "We received the autopsies reports 5 minutes ago. I was just done making copies for ya all."
Jeff passed the files around and the agents started to scan them even before they had finished to sit down. For several minutes, the room was quiet, all were busy absorbing the new informations they had been provided with. Being the resident genius and fastest reader, Reid spoke first.
- "The tox screens came back clean, he isn't drugging them. He is non-threatening, or the victims know him."
- "CSU didn't find any sign of breaking and entering in Becker's flat." Jeff precised.
Hotch looked at Prentiss "Did Magdalena Delgado said something about Robert Becker having a meeting yesterday afternoon?"
- "No, but I can ask her." She reached for the phone on her belt at the same time as she was perusing through her notepad for Magdalena's number. She easily switched to spanish when the woman answered her call.
- "Señora Delgado? Buenos dias. Esta Agente Prentiss. Can I ask you a question about Mr Becker's schedule?"
- "Yes of course, ask away and I'll try to answer."
- "Thank you. Do you know if Mr Becker was receiving someone yesterday afternoon around 2?"
The line went dead and Prentiss could tell Magdalena was thinking.
- "It's not a client, he never received them at home, even in case of emergency. Roberto doesn't have many close friends, and they all are on a cruise in the Caribbean right now. Roberto was supposed to go with them but one of his trials was moved and he had to stay in Pittsburgh. I'm sorry agent Prentiss but I really don't know who it could be."
The guilt, disappointment and pain were obvious in the Mexican's voice, Emily knew nothing she could say would make the woman feel better. Instead, she simply thanked her softly and hung up before focusing her attention back to the detective and her team.
- "She has no idea. She did say that Becker wasn't supposed to be in Pittsburgh though." This new piece of information peaked everybody's interest. "He had to cancel his participation to a cruise with his friends because of a trial. Do we have his phone records? If he isn't the one who contacted the unsub to let him know about his change of plans"
- "The unsub stalked him." JJ finished for her girlfriend. "How do you explain how he gained access to the inside of the flat if he is a stalker?"
- "He could have copied the key." Reid chimed in.
Morgan was ruffling through crime scene pictures until he found what he was looking for.
- "The door is high security, there's no way he could have copied it. Do we know if the super loaned the key to someone?"
- "I'm contacting him" Jeff exited the room to go to his desk.
- "Morgan, call Garcia, we need phone records."
Morgan nodded to Rossi and took his phone.
- "You're talking to the all-knowing oracle of Quantico. Speak and be heard!"
- "Hello hot mama, can you pull out Robert Becker's phone records and see if he received or made a call which stands out in the past days?"
- "Piece of cake, my hunk of burning love. Anything else?"
- "Can you see if an order for an extra key to his front door has been placed?"
- "Your wish has been granted, boss man. I'll share my findings with you as soon as anything pops on the screens of my babies. The oracle has spoken!"
The call ended and Jeff, who had been back long enough to catch the tail end of the conversation looked befuddled.
- "Is she always like this?"
Rossi let a smile break free "That was quite behaved for her."
Jeff's face clearly reflected a 'you've gotta be kiddin' me' expression.
- "It's always surprising at first but you get used to it. The BAU without Garcia's antics wouldn't be the same" Reid piped in.
Hotch tried to put the conversation back on tracks.
- "What did the super say?"
- "No one asked for the key. As far as he knows, there are only 3 exemplars: Becker has 1, the housekeeper has the 2nd and he has the 3rd one."
Someone knocked at the door and a uni poked his head into the room.
- "The parents of Juliette Maier are here. Where do I put them?"
- "Use the captain's office."
- "Yes, Det. Beauchamps."
- "Interrogating grieving parents never gets easier..." Jeff sighed.
- "JJ can do it, if you'd like." Hotch offered.
- "Are you sure?" the detective asked, looking at his old friend. She simply gave him a smile and a nod before going out in search of the parents.
- "Speaking of the 3rd victim, CSU combed her room and nothing indicates she'd been murdered here. That said, knowing how careful our guy is, it doesn't mean he didn't simply clean after himself. My guts tell me he killed her there and then transported her body to the diner."
- "I tend to agree with Det. Beauchamps, the dorm would have given him the privacy he needed, and no one really looks twice at people going in and out of the building. Strangulation is a clean and silent way to kill someone. All he had to do was change the bedding and take the soiled sheets with him. It'd kill 2 birds with 1 stone: no fluids from the rape and no evidence of murder either."
- "We need to find them, Dave. What do you think he did with the sheets?"
- "If it was me, I'd have burned them, Aaron. And you know it's exactly what he did."
Hotch furrowed his brow in a mixture of annoyance and helplessness. "Morgan, Prentiss, I want you to go look at the first 2 crime scenes. Dave and I take Juliette Maier's room. Reid, you stay here in case Garcia finds something."
= Pittsburgh PA, precinct, captain's office, 07.30 GMT-5 =
- "Mr and Mrs Maier? I'm FBI Agent Jennifer Jareau."
- "FBI?"
- "Yes Ma'am, we're helping the Pittsburgh PD with solving your daughter's murder. I am very sorry for your loss. We are doing all we can to find the person who is responsible." Pausing for a second, she let her words sink in. "I would like to ask you a few questions, if it's ok with you."
The parents remained silent but the mother nodded.
- "When was the last time you spoke to your daughter?"
- "2 days ago. She called her mother and I before starting her night shift."
- "How did she sounded? Happy? Worried?"
- "She... She was tired." The mother answered. "When she wasn't studying, she was working. She didn't have much time left to have a social life."
- "Did she talk about a boyfriend or a girlfriend?"
Both parents fell silent.
- "Juliette mentioned a boy a few times. What was his name? He is a 1st year law student, they met at the library one night." The father was pinching the bridge of his nose in concentration. "Levi! His name was Levi!"
- "She didn't give you a last name?"
- "No, I'm certain she only called him by his first name."
JJ could see the parents couldn't deal with much more. "I have one last question. Did Juliette had anything to do with white supremacists or neo-nazis? Maybe as researches for her studies?"
JJ could read shock, anger, and something else in the parents' eyes. Was it fear?
- "No!" The mother all but shouted. "Juliette never would have wanted to have anything to do with these monsters! Now if you excuse us, I want to see my daughter!"
They stormed out of the office and JJ let her head fell into her hands. It was barely 8 in the morning and she already couldn't wait for this day to end. A gentle knock against the door frame shook her up from her dark thoughts.
- "Tough interview?" Jeff asked, handing her a mug of coffee.
She nodded and gratefully reached for the warm beverage. She inhaled it before taking a sip.
- "Lemme guess. You're the one in charge of the coffee in this fine establishment." The blonde stated.
- "Busted. I may be a boy in blue but there's no way I can live on the awful juice cops wrongfully call coffee."
- "Your years spent working at Red's diner left some traces I see. Have you learn to cook since?" JJ asked him with a glint in her eyes.
- "Nah, I stick to waitressing. Less risky." He winked at her and JJ laughed.
- "Thank you Jeff, I really needed this."
- "No problem. Did you learn something?"
- "In fact I did. They said Juliette talked a few times about a student named Levi. I'm gonna call Garcia and see what she can dig out."
The detective and FBI agent made their way to the conference room. Seeing only Reid, JJ asked "Where's everyone, Spence?"
- "Oh, they went looking at the crime scenes. Did the parents talk to you?"
- "Yeah, but I need Garcia's help to fill in some holes." she said to him, waving her phone. "Hi Pen."
- "Kitten, how can my awesome self be of service?"
- "Could you find a student at Pitt? 1st year law, his name is Levi. Sorry, no last name."
- "It will suffice, I am a miracle worker. Give me a second, young grasshopper. By the way, is boy genius with you?"
- "Hold on, I'm putting you on speaker. Ok, hit us with it."
- "I checked Robert Becker's phone records. He received a call from a burner phone last week. He called back the number Friday, and someone made a call from the same phone at 13.00 yesterday. It could be our creep. I'm trying to find which towers relayed the calls. Oh and I could find 3 keys only, none ordered recently though."
- "3, are you sure?"
- "Boy genius, do you remember who you're talking to?"
- "Sorry Garcia" a sheepish Reid mumbled.
- "Apologies accepted, my delightful geek. Oh look at this, we have a name for the hottest half of my favourite lesbian couple. Levi Abrahamovitz, 19, Pittsburgh born and raised. All the informations are sailing through cyberspace to your tablet as we speak."
- "Penelope Garcia, you do know I love you, don't you?"
- "Of course I do know it, sweetness, but let's keep this between us. I don't want Butch McSexy, aka Miss I-am-former-CIA-and-Interpol, all over my business."
- "Pen, you are insane" JJ said between laughs.
- "Whatever you say, my gorgeous pennsylvanian girl. I'm outta here!"
Det. Beauchamps was laughing so hard from the exchange he witnessed he could barely breathe and tears were rolling down his cheeks.
- "Oh my God" he panted "I have to meet this Penelope Garcia. She is hilarious."
JJ rolled her eyes in mock annoyance but her grin gave her away. She was glad to see her friend so relaxed.
- "JJ?" Reid effectively stopped the blonde's musing "who is Levi Abrahamovitz?"
- "Ah, erm, it's a boy Juliette Maier talked about a few times."
- "Boyfriend?"
- "Her parents didn't know. Eh, Jeff? Do you think we could go talk to the kid?"
- "Whenever you're ready."
- "Spence, are you coming with us?"
- "I'd rather stay here, if you don't mind. I'll let the team know what you've found."
- "Sure. Shall we, detective?"
= Pittsburgh PA, 2nd crime scene, 08.00 GMT-5 =
- "Do you feel it?"
- "Uh, what are you talking about Prentiss?"
- "The feeling that we won't learn anything? The scene was cleared days ago, the garage is open and running and the colleagues couldn't say anything more than 'we found him and called 911'. Being here is a colossal waste of time. There are so many access points, the unsub could have come from anywhere and gone in any directions he pleased. There's not even a single traffic cam or ATM in the vicinity."
- "Wow, you are a real ray of sunshine today, princess."
- "Sarcasm doesn't suit you, Derek Morgan. Besides, you know I'm right!"
- "Yeah, you are... campus?"
- "You're the one who's got the car keys, partner."
Morgan rolled his eyes and slid into the driver's seat. "We'll maybe even catch Hotch and Rossi there if we're lucky."
= Pittsburgh PA, campus, Juliette Maier's room, 08.15 GMT-5 =
- "CSU wasn't lying when they said the room was clean. It's so clean it could as well be considered sterile environment, there's not a grain of dust. Hell, this room may be cleaner than some ORs. Our unsub is so meticulous it borders on OCD."
A knock at the door interrupted Rossi's rant.
- "Excuse me, can I help you?"
- "I'm SSA Hotchner and this is SSA Rossi, we're from the FBI. Did you know Juliette, …?"
- "Alicia. Alicia Martinez. No, not really. Juliette was discreet, she didn't have a lot of friends."
- "Was she shy?" Hotch asked.
- "No, only busy. I know she was waitressing somewhere and when she was on campus, she was either in class, at the library or studying in her room. She was a top-grade student. She tutored me a few times."
- "Was her room always this perfect?"
Alicia looked around before answering Rossi's question.
- "It was always clean and organised, but never this spotless. She liked having a little mess, it made her feel human. Her words, not mine. You're gonna catch the sick bastard who did this to her, right?"
- "We're doing our best. Alicia, do you know if Juliette had a boyfriend or a girlfriend?"
- "Yeah, boyfriend. They got together 2 weeks ago. Levi. He is a law student too. Kind of a nerd but he is a sweet guy, he would never hurt a fly, there's no way he is the one who would have done this to her. They loved each other, everyone with eyes could see it."
- "We're not suspecting anyone" Hotch said reassuringly. "Do you know where we can find him?"
- "He lives outside the campus, it's all I know. Sorry."
Hotch thanked her for her help before turning to Rossi.
- "What are you thinking about Dave?"
- "I'm thinking I would love to be at home in my favourite chair, with a pre-embargo Cuban cigar and a bottle of excellent single malt whisky. If you meant about the case, we have to talk to this Levi kid."
Hotch was reaching for his phone when Prentiss and Morgan materialised in front of the door.
- "What are you 2 doing here?"
- "The garage was an epic fail, Hotch. Michael Werner's room was reattributed last week. We haven't learn a damn thing."
- "Thank you Morgan. You good Prentiss?"
- "I'm fine Hotch. Frustrated that's all."
Hotch could very well understand Prentiss' state of mind. They all were on edge.
- "Rossi and I learned that Juliette had a boyfriend, Levi. I was going to call Garcia when you showed up."
Hotch hit the 'call' button and Garcia answered almost immediately.
- "FBI office of all things known or yet to be discovered."
Morgan fought to refrain a laugh at Hotch's face.
- "Can't you for once pick up the phone like a normal person, Garcia?"
- "Normality is boring, boss man. Is this a social call or do you need help from my supreme genius and my beloved computary wonders?"
This time, even Hotch was smiling.
- "Can you run a name for me? Levi."
- "You mean Levi Abrahamovitz? JJ and Det. Beauchamps already went to see him."
Hotch was at a loss for words for a handful of seconds. He found his voice long enough to thank Garcia and the 4 agents headed back to the precinct.
= Pittsburgh PA, Levi Abrahamovitz's house, 08.30 GMT-5 =
- "Nice house" Jeff whistled. JJ couldn't help but agree with him. A newly renovated brownstone like this one costed a small fortune.
- "Do you wanna lead the interrogation JJ?"
- "It's your case, the FBI is only here to consult and as extra resource."
- "You've always been smooth, Jareau." Jeff grinned and she replied with a wink of her own.
Det. Beauchamps had barely rang the doorbell that the door was already open.
- "Good morning. Welcome to the Abrahamovitz's residence. How can I help you?"
The 2 visitors flashed their badges "I'm Detective Jeffrey Beauchamps from the Pittsburgh PD and this SSA Jennifer Jareau, FBI. Could we talk to Levi Abrahamovitz, please?"
- "That's impossible, he is in Europe with Mr. & Mrs. Abrahamovitz. Can I ask what is it about?"
- "We wanted to talk to him about Juliette Maier."
- "Miss Juliette? Has something happen to her?"
- "Do you know her?" Neither Jeff nor JJ could completely hide their surprise.
- "She is Mr. Levi's girlfriend. Can you tell me what is going on?" The worry in the maid's voice was unmistakable.
- "I'm sorry to be the one announcing this to you, Juliette Maier was killed yesterday."
The detective and agent could thank their quick reflexes when it came to catch the poor woman when she fainted after hearing the news. She woke up laying on the sofa, with 2 concerned law enforcement personnel looking at her.
- "Welcome back" JJ said softly. "Do you want me to get you some water?"
- "Please." The maid was still reeling from the news. Jeff helped her sitting up.
- "Are you ok?"
- "I'll be fine. The shock... Miss Juliette was such a nice girl."
- "Here you go."
- "Thank you agent Jareau." She took the glass of water handed to her and gratefully downed half of it.
- "Mr. Levi and Miss Juliette are a couple for the past 2 weeks, they've know each other for some months. They met at the library, if I recall. They share the same interest for the law, they love the same music... They often go to concerts or operas. I've never seen Mr. Levi so happy before."
- "When was the last time you saw her?"
- "Friday night. She had dinner with the family before they left for Europe saturday morning. She was going to introduce Mr. Levi to her parents after his return. Such a tragedy."
Jeff and JJ exchanged a look. The maid was in shock, they won't learn anything more from her.
- "Do you have any way to contact the Abrahamovitz?"
- "No, they are the ones contacting me. They will call tomorrow night."
Jeff extracted a card from his wallet "When they do, can you tell them to get in touch with me?"
She took the card into trembling hands. "We'll let ourselves out." JJ told her.
= Cleveland OH, 18.30 GMT-5 =
- "David? What are you doing here? Oh my God, we had a class, hadn't we? I am sorry, I completely forgot. My son and granddaughter surprised me with an impromptu visit."
- "It's fine Laura, I understand." I said with my most charming smile. 'Son and granddaughter uh? Unexpected but not necessarily disagreeable.' "I won't bother you any longer. Do you mind if I use the bathroom before I leave though? I got stuck in a traffic jam on my out of work and didn't have time to stop by at home."
- "Of course, go ahead, you know where it is. I'll pack a slice of cake my son brought with him."
- "Thanks Laura, you're spoiling me."
- "It's the least I can do after setting you up like I did."
'Don't you worry, you'll do plenty'
- "Well look at this, you're back! If it isn't the wonderful Laura and her son! Sorry mate, we haven't been introduced. My name's David and I'm gonna kill you and you dearly beloved mother in a little while. If you're wondering, the rugrat is sleeping in his crib. I briefly considered killing him too but I am not as heartless as your late Walter was. By the way, you were right, the cake was delicious."
I take one last long drag from my cigarette and throw it away in the glass on the table. I take hold of my little pocket knife. "Let's proceed, shall we?"
= Pittsburgh PA, precinct, conference room, 19.30 GMT-5 =
- "Agents, detective. Am I interrupting?"
- "Not at all Dr Warner, please come on in."
- "Thank you agent Hotchner. I made impressions of Robert Becker's stab wounds, I thought that maybe it would help narrowing what type of knife was used. And here's the catch, I can't find a correspondence. Here, have a look."
The impressions were passed around, the M.E. was still talking. "The blade is approximately 12cm long, double-edged and curved at the end. I also found particles of leather in the wounds."
- "Leather? Could it come from the unsub's gloves?"
- "I don't think so. The leather used is too rough, the fibres correspond more with the type of leather used to make belts. Or bags."
- "Dr Warner, were there bruises around the perforations?"
- "How do you know agent Prentiss? Yes, yes, there is a presence of bruises. They don't look like a hilt, they're too large. If I didn't know better, I would say they are almost perfect matches to..."
- "The side of closed fists."
All heads turned as one to look at her "Emily?" Hotch asked.
- "This is first and foremost an agricultural knife, but it gained the name of 'Srbosjek' or 'Serb-cutter' during World War 2 when the Croatian Ustashe used it to kill Serbs, Gypsies and Jews in Jasenovac. The knife has no hilt nor handle, the blade is attached to the external side of the hand by some kind of leather glove."
Utter bewilderment was clearly visible on the faces of the people present in the room.
- "How do you know this, Em?" JJ was in awe of her girlfriend.
- "When the ambassador was in Rome, we made a diplomatic visit to what was the former-Yugoslavia. The concentration camp of Jasenovac was on the program." Prentiss shrugged, like it was no big deal.
- "It's a very specific weapon, maybe Garcia can find if someone bought one online." Hotch made the call while the other profilers and the detective pondered this new piece of information, trying to see how it could fit into the jigsaw this case was.
= Pittsburgh PA, precinct, conference room, 20.00 GMT-5 =
Hotch looked at his agents before coming to a decision. "We're getting nowhere and it has been a long day. Go to the hotel and rest. We meet here again at 8 tomorrow."
All but Emily started to gather their stuffs. The profiler was looking intently at the white boards. At the victims and all the informations they had collected so far. Looking at her girlfriend, JJ was certain Emily hadn't heard Hotch dismissing them for the day. She walked to her and lightly rested her hand on the other woman's shoulder, mindful of not scaring her. Sensing the weight and the heat of another person behind her, Emily turned her head and met the most beautiful blue eyes she'd ever seen. "Hey" she said tiredly. "You ok?"
- "Exhausted. We're done for tonight. Morgan and Reid are waiting for us outside. Come on, we're going at the hotel."
- "I can't JJ, there's something I'm missing. I'm certain it's so obvious, it's right there, staring at me in the face, I'm just not seeing it."
- "Em, you haven't had a break in hours, nor ate. That's why you can't figure it out, you need to rest."
- "The answer is right there, Jen" Prentiss pointed at the boards. "I am so close I can feel it. And when I'll find out, I know I will want to kick myself all the way across the Atlantic and back for not having made the link sooner." Emily's voice had trailed and her last words were barely above a whisper.
If you'd later ask JJ about Emily's epiphany, the blonde agent would have swore up and down she could have heard and seen the cogs turning into her girlfriend's mind.
- "Of course! That's it! Jayj, you need to call back the team." Emily couldn't believe she hadn't seen it earlier and couldn't refrain a 'palmface' motion. 'Jeez, what a profiler you are, Prentiss!' she thought. She took her phone which was on the table and made a call. "PG, I need you to check something for me."
Ta-dah! (insert drum rolls here) Soooooooo, what is Emily's eureka moment about?