Sorry for how long this took, Calculus is really kicking my butt this semester. Thank you every one who has reviewed, and to DmC VergilNaia, because you reviewed as a guest, I couldn't reply to you directly so I will do so here: I cannot do as you requested, as I am unfamiliar with both sides of the crossover you requested. I do not know what Demonbane is, and I have not played the DmC reboot. Also, I have never written romance before and am unfamiliar with the desired characters. I am sorry, but you should either write it yourself, or find another writer.
Now that that's out of the way, here's the chapter:
Profile of a Devil
As David Rossi and Emily Prentiss entered the CCPD conference room, they were greeted by the sight of the rest of the team going through the crime scene photos and a box of case files.
"Dare I ask," Rossi dryly snarked.
"Hey, you're back," Morgan said, pushing off the wall head been leaning against, reading a file. "Got anything for us?"
"Thomas Malloy gave us quite a bit of interesting information," Rossi answered. "And Mrs. Malloy sends her regards and a plate of lemon scones." He set the plate down.
Reid perked up from his seat at the table. He was quick to snag the plate and unwrap it, popping a scone into his mouth. "Zese er goo'," he muttered through a mouthful of crumbs. The rest of the team just smiled at the antics of their resident genius.
Reid blushed and swallowed his mouthful. "We've been taking another look at the case files to make sure nothing was overlooked," he explained. "So far, we've decided that there were multiple Unsubs at the crime scenes, based on foot impressions and bloody handprints that did not match any of the victims."
"Spencer also heard one of the officers at the last crime scene remark that the victim 'managed to get at least one of the bastards before they tore his throat out,'" JJ said. "Daniel Cook was found with a GLOCK 30 pistol, registered in his name. No other bodies but the victims were found at the scene, but the officer seemed certain that there were multiple Unsubs and that Mr. Cook managed to shoot at least one of them."
Reid got up and put a few more photos on the room's whiteboard. "There were no bullet holes in the walls, but the CSUs found this pile of sand at the scene," he pointed at one photo, "and they dug out two bullets that matched the caliber of Mr. Cook's weapon. A similar pile of sand was found at one other crime scene," Reid pointed out another photo.
He whirled around with frenzied energy, grabbing a file before turning back to the whiteboard. "The department seems to use a non-standard notation in their files. They note that the piles are made up of a silicate sand 'of a volume equivalent to one hell dmn.'" Reid copied the notation on the whiteboard. "Non-human blood was found at multiple scenes and is identified with the same 'dmn' notation." Reid stepped back, staring at the board, his brow furrowed in thought. "One of the officers at the Cook house mentioned that huge amounts of sand are often found after Dante has been at a scene."
"Do you think that Dante actually did commit these crimes?" Prentiss asked.
Reid shook his head. "She was adamant that there would have been more if Dante had been involved. No, Dante didn't do this, but he is connected in some way."
"I've talked to some of the relatives of the victims," JJ said. "None of them remembered seeing or hearing about anything unusual in the days leading up to the attacks, and most of them had never heard of Dante when I asked. I did get a few unusual responses from some of them, however," she remarked. "They got… cagey… when Dante's name came up, and were reluctant to talk about him. One of them, Amelia Jones, Leslie Johnson's aunt, refused to talk at all when I asked her about Dante."
"Is anyone else getting the feeling that the officers in this department are hiding something?" Morgan demanded. "Their case files are practically written in code, nobody is willing to talk, and they're all acting like they have a secret to keep. A secret that Dante Spardason seems to be right in the middle of."
"Dave," Hotch began, "what did Malloy give you on Dante?"
"First off, I found out why Chief Killian doesn't like Dante," Rossi said, taking a seat on the table edge. "Dante has a thing against authority figures, and Killian has a thing against being disrespected. Apparently, this isn't the first time Chief Killian has tried to pin a crime on Dante."
"Anything else?"
"Dante has at least two business partners, a manager, and an unknown number of enemies. He also was once the bodyguard of a young girl named Patty Lowell, who I've been told greatly resembles the missing girls. Malloy believes that our Unsubs are trying to get to Dante through Patty."
"So why not go after Patty from the beginning?" Prentiss wondered. "Why go after the other girls first?"
"They might not be able to get to her," Morgan answered. "Dante has to know that he has enemies, and that Patty would be a target to them. He probably has her too well guarded, so they've been going after surrogates."
"Do we have enough to give a profile?" Hotch asked.
"Without more information on Dante or on how the Unsubs are finding their victims, this is probably as good as it's going to get," Rossi said.
"Then let's go."
A few minutes later, they were in front of most of the CCPD. Non-essential personnel moved in and out of the room as dozens of officers focused their attention on the BAU.
"What you are going to be looking for is a group of Unsubs, maybe numbering between four to ten members, male, likely in their mid-twenties to late thirties," Rossi began.
"For unknown reasons, they seem to hold a grudge against Dante Spardason," Morgan added. "However, they are currently incapable of going after him directly, and so have focused their efforts on someone under his protection: Patty Lowell."
Prentiss spoke next. "Unfortunately for them, Patty is also out of their reach, so they have captured girls with a physical resemblance to Patty as surrogates."
"Their comfort zone is unusually large," Reid noted, pointing out this fact with the marked map behind him. "The victims are from all over the city, from both urban and suburban areas."
"At the moment, the only connection between the families is the girls," Hotch stated. "Until we know where our Unsubs are finding their victims, we have to assume that their next target could be anywhere in the city."
"Is this some sort of satanic cult?" Chief Killian asked. "All the crime scenes had occult symbols all over them."
"The myth of the satanic cult is just that: a myth," Rossi explained. "There have never been any recorded killings by a satanic cult."
"Then what the hell are we dealing with!" Killian demanded. "Maybe this, likely that! Do you even know what you're doing? Instead of wasting our time with this guessing game, you should be going after that punk, Dante!"
"As we have already stated, Chief Killian, we do not currently believe that Mr. Spardason is a suspect," Hotchner said. "The evidence at this point paints Dante and Patty Lowell as targets to our Unsubs. Your apparent bias against Dante does not change the facts of this case. We will not be bringing Dante into custody at this time."
"Are there any more questions?" Rossi asked. No one spoke up, so he continued with, "We will let you know when we have any more information for you, so if you'll excuse us…?"
The team filed back into the conference room as the officers broke off into small groups to discuss what they had just heard. Prentiss closed the door as Hotchner dialed his phone, putting it on speaker as it rang.
"Penelope Garcia, hunter of knowledge! Speak and be enlightened."
"Garcia, have you found anything on Dante Spardason?" Hotch asked.
"You must be clairvoyant, Boss Man, because I was just about to call you." Back in Quantico, Garcia spun around in her chair to face her monitors, fingers flying as she brought up information on Dante. "The tale of the Devil Hunter Dante Spardason is a sad, confusing mess that only could have been straightened out by yours truly."
"'Devil Hunter?' Seriously?" Prentiss asked.
"That's what all the demon hunting sites claim, among other things. I'll be getting to that in just a second, but first, birth records." A tap of a key brought up a digital copy of a birth certificate. "Dante Spardason was born to Eva Redgrave and one Sparda, no last name given."
"His father's name was really 'Sparda'?" Morgan was incredulous. "There's no way that's real."
"Well, hunkalicious, I have no way to guarantee that the man in question was the genuine article, but the birth certificates are definitely real. Dante Spardason: son of Eva and Sparda, younger brother by ten minutes to his twin, Vergil Spardason." Another keystroke brought up the birth certificate for the elder twin.
"There's nothing unusual in the records for the next four years, then suddenly there's a series of address changes every few years like clockwork, but there's no record of Sparda beyond the boys' tenth birthday. I can't find a death certificate and he was never reported missing. It's like he just disappeared one day."
"They were moving around a lot?" Reid asked. "Like they were running from something?"
"And unfortunately, it eventually caught up to them. I found a death certificate for their mother, Eva. The police report says that she was torn apart by wild animals, in her home!" A typed command brought up the bloody crime scene photos. "The clips of both her handguns had been emptied and mass amounts of sand were found throughout the house. I'm sending the pictures to your tablets now."
"Baby Girl, tell me I'm not seeing what I think I'm seeing," Morgan demanded, swiping through the photos.
"If you think that you're seeing similarities to your case, then you're not the only one, hun. I tried digging deeper, but the case was closed as soon as the coroner ruled cause of death as an animal mauling."
"What about Vergil and Dante," JJ asked. "What happened to them?"
"The house was a bloodbath, and at the time they were unable to positively identify any remains other than Eva. The twins were listed as missing, presumed dead." Garcia continued typing, bringing up more windows. "Now, most would stop looking right there, but since we know that Dante is still alive, I started looking for anybody matching the boys' description, and guess what I found?"
"What was it, Garcia?" Rossi obligingly asked.
"Well, first, unless Dante and Vergil were dyeing their hair since birth, the white hair is natural. Second, someone matching that description was working as a mercenary two years later under the name 'Tony Redgrave.'"
"'Redgrave.' That's the mother's maiden name," Prentiss noted.
"How can we be sure that the individual is Dante and not his brother," Hotchner questioned.
"His weapons and clothes are the biggest clue," Garcia answered. "Tony was known for his broadsword, twin pistols, and signature red coat. Dante is known for his broadsword, twin pistols, and a red coat. And if that's not enough for you, descriptions of Dante's guns include engravings reading, 'For Tony Redgrave, By .45 Art Warks.'
"Not only that, but about a year after 'Tony' becomes a mercenary, some guy showed up, asking around for Dante," Garcia added. "No one saw his face, because he kept it wrapped in bandages, but he introduced himself as 'Gilver.'"
"Gilver could be an anagram of Vergil," Spencer pointed out. "It was his brother?"
"Seems like," Garcia agreed. "After a few days, both Tony and Gilver disappeared, leaving behind thousands of dollars in property damage and dozens of people dead. A year later, an eighteen-year-old Dante is applying for a business permit in Capulet, where he's been ever since."
"What sort of business, Garcia," Hotch demanded.
"It's listed as a detective agency, called Devil May Cry, in a converted studio in Capulet's Business District, at 676 Devil's Way. According to certain websites, however, that's just a front for Dante's true business: demon hunting."
"You're joking," Prentiss deadpanned.
"I wish I was, sweetie," Garcia said, bringing up one of the sites in question on the monitor in front of her. "Some minor details vary, but most are in agreement that, along with his manager, Dante has two known partners and a possible third. Capulet is Dante's territory. Most other hunters stay away, though he doesn't seem to actively keep people out. He doesn't just stay in Capulet, either; Dante's been known to take jobs outside of the city.
"I've found some information on him in our systems," Garcia added. "Most of it is beyond my clearance level, but it looks like the government hired him for a job at some point."
"Were you able to find any of the details on the job, Garcia?" Hotch asked.
"Negative. Any non-classified details are extremely sparse. I did find a note saying that they ended up billing Dante for property damage instead of paying him. Something about a bridge being destroyed?"
"Mass property damage. Seems to fit with what we've learned of Dante so far," Prentiss commented dryly.
"Garcia, what about the victims? Have you found any connection between the families?" Hotchner asked.
"Prepare to be amazed, my lovelies, as I dazzle you with my fact finding abilities once more," Garcia replied. "I cross-referenced bank and credit card transactions for all seven families, and I found no commonalities. None. Zip. Zilch. Nada. So, I widened my search to include where in the city purchases were made, and I hit pay dirt. Every family had made purchases from stores in the Capulet Business District less then a month before they were killed."
"Our Unsubs are using the Business District as their hunting ground," Rossi said. "Because of Dante?"
"It's possible," Hotchner replied. "If Dante and Patty are their true targets, then the Unsubs have likely been watching them for a while. We'll ask the Capulet PD to increase patrols in the area. They've likely already found their next victims, but if they still have Dante under surveillance, increased police presence might cause them to reveal themselves."
"Is it possible that Dante knows these people?" JJ asked.
"It's likely," Hotch answered. "We're going to need to interview Mr. Spardason."
"The impression I got from Malloy was that Dante isn't too fond of Chief Killian," Rossi remarked. "He's not going to want to come into the station."
Hotchner nodded. "Dave, take Prentiss and Reid and head to Devil May Cry. If he's been investigating on his own, then he might have new information that we can use."
"It's not going to be easy, but we'll give it a try," Rossi said. He nodded to Prentiss and Reid. "Let's go." The trio left the station and got into one of the SUVs, leaving for Devil May Cry.