Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds.
A/N: Shout out to Natasha, Guest, and tannerose5 for reviewing chapter 5.
This chapter starts on 11-03-2007.
Let's just say that Spencer and Maeve had over than 10 dates because they consider getting together for dinner and watching movies every night a date despite Maeve always sleeping over since Spencer's getting a good night sleep because of her.
Spencer looked at Maeve as he sipped his wine at an Italian restaurant that they had dinner reservations at.
"Do you remember giving me permission to send a photo of us together to my mom?" asked Spencer.
"She finally got back to you?" asked Maeve as she took a sip of her own wine.
Spencer blushed a bit as he nodded.
"She said that you are pretty and she can't wait to meet you during Thanksgiving." said Spencer.
"I can't wait to meet her too since you already met my parents and they love you." said Maeve.
"I just hope we're not moving too fast." said Spencer.
"We decided that we need to spend nearly every minute of our free time together since we don't know when your going to be called away for work, and there's something that feels right about moving this fast." said Maeve.
"I think so too." said Spencer.
At that moment their food arrived, and when Spencer started eating he didn't realize that Rossi was sitting 20 feet away from them.
Two hours later Spencer and Maeve entered Spencer's apartment, and a few minutes later Maeve was pulling Spencer into a kiss.
A few minutes later Maeve broke out of their kiss before looking into Spencer's eyes while thinking about how they shared one bottle of wine.
"Do you want to take this to the bedroom if your ready?" asked Maeve.
Spencer thought about it as he thought about how many dates they had despite knowing each other for 23 days.
"Are you sure?" asked Spencer.
"I want to, and I'm clean and on the pill." said Maeve as she thought about her last check up.
"I'm clean too, but I've never done this before." said Spencer.
"Then I'll teach you." said Maeve.
A few minutes later Spencer and Maeve were undressing themselves in Spencer's bedroom before heading towards the bed.
Two days later Spencer has completed his paperwork and was sitting on the edge of Morgan's desk rambling about "Star Wars" while thinking about the marathon he had with Maeve.
"A popular theory among leading astrophysicists estimates that the hyper matter reactor would need about 10 to the 32nd jewels of energy To destroy a planet the size of earth. Now, Lucas said it took 19 years to build the first death star, right?" asked Spencer as Morgan noticed painters coming out of Rossi's office, "But if you look at the new essential chronology, There's a testbed prototype for a super laser that spans..." rambled Spencer while Morgan got up.
"Where are you goin'?" asked Spencer.
"Taking back the last 5 minutes of my life." said Morgan as he headed towards the stairs that led to Rossi's new office.
"You can't go in there." said Spencer as he followed Morgan.
"Don't you want to know about this guy?" asked Morgan.
"I do." said Emily as she got up.
"Got it all memorized... His books, his bio." said Spencer.
"Yeah, books have sold over a million copies." said Morgan as Emily followed him while Spencer stood at the bottom of the stairs.
"So?" asked Spencer.
"There's a million reasons not to come back, if you know what I'm sayin'." said Morgan as he made a gesture for money.
A few seconds later Spencer was standing outside Rossi's office while Morgan and Emily walked around the inside of Rossi's office while not realizing that Rossi was listening in from a short distance.
"Huh. Taupe walls. That's a negative color. Cold, distant. You know, emotionally, Taupe is linked to loneliness And the desire to escape from the world." said Emily.
"I just figured the guy's walls would be covered with plaques and commendations." said Morgan as Spencer checked his surroundings from the bullpen.
"Huh. Maybe he doesn't want to be reminded of past victories. It's a new chapter for him." said Emily.
Spencer took a few tentative steps into Rossi's office.
"What happened to the moratorium on inter-team profiling, guys?" asked a nervous Spencer as he thought about the team's rule about not profiling each other.
"Come on, Reid, team? I don't think this guy knows the meaning of the word." said Morgan as he found a piece of artwork, "Oh, I found something." said Morgan.
Spencer checked his surroundings before joining Morgan and Emily while not realizing that Rossi was coming towards his office.
"Looks like some type of religious art. Original, maybe? Definitely expensive." said Morgan as he handed Spencer the piece of artwork.
Spencer instantly thought about one of his mother's books.
"It's renaissance art. If that's original..." said Spencer.
"Is it?" asked Emily as she thought about Spencer telling her that his mom was a 15th century medieval literature professor.
Spencer examined the artwork more.
"I don't know, it's kinda hard to tell. Means he's into the classics." said Spencer.
"What else?" Morgan.
"Uh, Italian, strict Catholic upbringing. Probably believes in redemption." said Spencer.
A smirking Rossi stood in the doorway as he thought about how Spencer was correct on most of his guesses unlike Morgan and Emily.
"Well, I believe in a lot of things. Catholic, yes. Italian-American, 52 years. Strict upbringing, not so much. Now, the artwork, That's 15th century, original. Cost more than my first house. And as for the wall color, it's just a base coat. Painters will come in and finish tomorrow. Now, if you're all finished, I think JJ and Hotch are ready for us." said Rossi before looking at Morgan, "Isn't that how a team works?" asked Rossi.
Spencer quickly left the office causing Morgan and Emily to follow him as a smiling Rossi set his artwork down.
A minute later Rossi entered the conference room.
"Great Falls, Montana. Over the past 14 months, 3 women have been reported missing. Michelle Lawford, Jennifer Hillbridge, and Darcy Cranwell. All young Caucasian brunettes. After an extensive search, all were presumed dead by local authorities." said JJ.
"So at least we know he has a type." said Emily.
"And now there's a fourth woman, Angela Miller. This morning, she and her car went missing from a small grocery store while her husband and son were inside." said JJ as she showed a picture of Angela.
"This morning?" asked a surprised Spencer.
"Montana's requesting our help?" asked Rossi.
"40 minutes later, state troopers spotted Angela Miller's car on the highway." said JJ as she sat down.
"And when troopers tried to apprehend the driver, he blew himself up with a grenade, putting one of the troopers in the ICU." said Hotch.
"Are they sure that she wasn't in the car with him?" asked Spencer.
"They went through the wreckage, and it appears she's still missing." said JJ.
"Troopers get a look at the guy?" asked Morgan.
"Caucasian, stocky, brown hair, mustache. Early forties. He has a scar on the left side of his face." said JJ while Morgan sat down.
"Do you think Angela Miller's still alive?" asked Morgan.
"Since the other missings were never found, we don't know, but he only had her for 40 minutes, So we have to assume she is." said Hotch before telling his teammates that he would see them the next morning while knowing that Spencer would appreciate another evening with Maeve before heading to Montana.
The next morning Spencer was getting an early start on a topographical map as a way to pass time during the long flight while Emily watched him.
"You know, I could have gotten you a coloring book at the airport." teased Emily.
"I'm creating a topographical map, Weighing down and geocoding all key locations looking for algorithms." said Spencer.
"Yeah. That's exactly what I thought you were doing." said Emily as Rossi watched the intense focus that Spencer was showing.
Hotch who was dipping his tea bag into his tea decided to explain about the map he asked Spencer to do.
"It's called a jeopardy surface. It's a way of narrowing down where the unsub could reside." said Hotch.
As Spencer drew a line on his topographical map with a red sharpie he continued to explain.
"And by default, where he may be stashing Angela Miller." said Spencer.
"You know, it says here the guy had a fully loaded gun, so we know he had options. Why the grenade?" asked Morgan while Hotch sat down.
"He wants to be remembered. And he wanted to be sure To take as many cops with him as possible. He knows he's out gunned. So he waits. Times it to the last second. Boom! There are some very committed people in those parts." said Rossi.
"Who love their fire power." said Hotch before exchanging glances with Rossi.
"Almost as much as they hate us." said Rossi.
"Militia." said Morgan.
"And they're heavily armed." said Spencer as he continued to work on his map.
"Yeah, but hand grenades?" asked Emily.
"It's not uncommon for militia members to have military experience. Oftentimes, they resent the structure and they get discharged, And they form their own paramilitary governments." said Spencer.
"Dental records are on their way to Garcia. I'll tell her to check the military first." said JJ.
"Prentiss and I will go meet the husband." said Hotch.
"I can walk the other abduction sights." said Morgan.
"Everybody else, set up base, work on geographical profiles. Establish contact with the locals, and tread carefully. They'll be watching us." said Hotch.
Spencer was getting the bulletin board they were given to use set up when JJ came into their work area on the phone.
"Hi, this is Agent Jareau with the FBI, and..." said JJ as she clicked the end call, "That's the third time I've been hung up on." said JJ.
"Try not saying FBI." suggested Rossi.
"Who was that?" asked Spencer.
"Contact for a local militia newsletter." said JJ.
"Yeah, drop the FBI part." said Spencer as he hung up his topographical map.
"A woman is missing. You'd think these people would want to help us." said JJ.
"They do want to help. The missing woman, not us." said Rossi.
JJ's cellphone rang and she answered it while putting her phone on speaker.
"Go ahead, Garcia." answered Garcia.
"You were spot on, crime fighters. Military records match. Francis Goehring, 42 years old. Did a year in the army but for a bad conduct discharge. Highlight of which was an arrest during a bar brawl in which three other people were hospitalized. He also appears in the federal database For... get this, aggressive militia groups." said Garcia.
"Aggressive militia groups. Is there any other type?" asked JJ.
"Uh-Huh. That's your federal government at work. We specialize in redundancy." said Garcia.
"You see a last known address?" asked Rossi.
"A compound just outside of town it's coming your way. Oh, he also has a wife that doesn't appear to live with him. Diane Marie Goehring, Lives in Shelby a few hours away." said Garcia.
"Have the state police bring in the wife. Reid and I will go make friends with his neighbors." said Rossi as he thought about using the drive to get to know Spencer a bit better.
"Thanks, Garcia." said JJ before hanging up.
A few minutes later Spencer was in the front passenger seat of an SUV when Rossi looked at Spencer who was smiling at a text message.
"I take it that you have a secret girlfriend that your not talking to our teammates about?" asked Rossi.
Spencer looked at Rossi through his sunglasses in shock.
"How do you know?" asked Spencer.
"The phone calls and text messages." said Rossi before chuckling a bit, "Aaron was the same way when I started working with him, and over the weekend I was at one of my favorite Italian restaurants where I saw you with your girlfriend." said Rossi.
"I've only known Dr. Maeve Donovan for 26 days." said Spencer as he blushed a bit.
"Does anyone on the team know about your girlfriend?" asked Rossi.
"Hotch knows since I ended up confessing to him that I had a date when he was giving me a ride home on the 12th, and if we're back in DC on Friday, Hotch is going to meet Maeve." said Spencer.
"When I saw her with you, I have to say that you did catch a good one." said Rossi.
Spencer smiled softly as he thought about Maeve's twinkling blue eyes and her laughter.
"My mom once told me that I would know it when I meet the right girl, and I already met her parents since they reside in DC." said Spencer.
Rossi thought back to Spencer mentioning to Morgan that he's going to Las Vegas for Thanksgiving.
"What about introducing her to your parents during Thanksgiving?" asked Rossi.
"I take it that Hotch didn't tell you that my parents is an extremely sensitive topic?" asked Spencer.
"He didn't." said Rossi.
"My mom was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia long before I was born, and when I was 10 my father walked out on my mom and me and I haven't seen or heard from him ever since." said Spencer.
"He left you with a paranoid schizophrenic?" asked Rossi as he thought about how a man could do that to a 10 year old boy while thinking about that if James was alive and in Spencer's situation he wouldn't have done what Spencer's father did.
"He did, so I had to juggle finishing high school so I can graduate at 12 before starting at Cal-tech a month before my 13th birthday so it was hard to tell people about my home life since I didn't want to be taken away from my mom." said Spencer.
"Who took care of your mom when you left for Cal-tech?" asked Rossi.
"My aunt Ethel and uncle Gordon helped take care of my mom while they worked together on bringing me back and forth from Las Vegas, Nevada to Pasadena until I could get a drivers license." said Spencer before taking a deep breath, "Shortly after my 18th birthday I ended up committing my mom to Bennington Sanitarium in Las Vegas since she wasn't taking care of herself and how abusive she got when she didn't recognize me."
"You did the right thing for your mom." said Rossi.
"I know, but can we please talk about something else?" asked Spencer.
"Is there allergies I should know about?" asked Rossi.
"I'm deathly allergic to beta lactams, so I can't be given any Penicillin or any other beta lactams." said Spencer as he listed a few medications that he can't be given.
When Spencer was done listing the medication, Rossi looked at him.
"Any other allergies that I should know about?" asked Rossi.
"Last year I ended up developing an onset allergy to latex so everyone on the team switched to latex free gloves for my benefit." said Spencer.
"So do you have any medication on you just in case of accidental exposure?" asked Rossi as he thought about dealing with agents who developed an allergy to latex on the job before he retired.
Spencer reached into the pocket of his pants and showed Rossi an EpiPen.
"I carry an EpiPen on me at all times." said Spencer.
A few minutes later Rossi was pulling up in a trailer park, and a minute later Spencer was knocking on the door causing the manager to open the door.
"What the hell do you want? Can't you read?" asked the manager.
"I'm not a salesman, I'm with the FBI." said Spencer as he pulled out his badge and showed it to the manager.
"FBI? You're not serious. You look like a pipe cleaner with eyes. I could snap you like a twig." said the manager just as Rossi came over.
Rossi who was impressed at how Spencer reacted looked at the manager as he stood in front of Spencer.
"But then, he isn't alone." said Rossi as he showed his badge, "We're here because this was the address listed for Francis Goehring." said Rossi.
"I haven't seen him in months." said the manager.
"We'd like to see his residence." said Rossi as he opened the door, "Francis Goehring abducted 3 women. We're looking for a fourth." said Rossi as he held up a picture of Angela.
The manager looked at the picture.
"He took her while her husband and son were in a store. This isn't about us, it's about a woman from your community." said Rossi.
"I'll show you his place." said the manager before looking at Spencer, "Piece of advice, pipe cleaner, Way you're wearing' that gun... Begging' someone to take it off you." said the manager as he led Spencer and Rossi to Francis's residence.
10 minutes later Spencer and Rossi were entering Francis's house, and as Rossi walked further into the house, Spencer looked at the mail.
"Mostly just junk mail. Catalogs for firearms... Survival preparedness." said Spencer as he thought about how he was taught how to survive in the desert.
"He doesn't sleep here." said Rossi.
Spencer looked at the mail that was on top of the fridge.
"Postmarks are new. He probably just uses this address for mail." said Spencer.
Rossi looked at the books that were in the house.
"Odd choice of reading material." said Rossi.
"Uh, speaking of reading material, I've, uh, read all your books.
"Thanks." said Rossi as he thought about how he spent part of the weekend looking up some of Spencer's published work while he broke a lock.
"Um... One thing that always kind of struck me as odd Is that you really just sort of glance over Ruby Ridge." said Spencer as he noticed a look on Rossi's face, "I mean, you don't... You don't have to tell me, I..." said Spencer.
Rossi opened up the trunk and found a picture.
"This picture seems old. It's part of a past life. We need to find where his new life is." said Rossi before thinking about how Spencer spent the flight, "How's that map of yours coming along?" asked Rossi as he thought back to Hotch telling him that Spencer's their best geographical profiler.
"I've got it narrowed down to about a 30 mile radius." said Spencer.
"Well, Hotch seems to think he was on foot. That's a long walk." said Rossi as he lifted something out of the trunk.
"I'm still refining it." said Spencer.
"Good." said Rossi before looking at tapes, "Hello. Home movies." said Rossi.
After getting the tapes out of the house, Rossi looked at Spencer.
"So do you want to tell Aaron about your new nickname or should I?" asked Rossi.
"You can, and since meeting Maeve, I noticed that I actually put on a couple of pounds since I'm eating more regularly despite having a fast metabolism." said Spencer.
"So do you know how to cook?" asked Rossi.
"I had to learn as a child to survive, and cooking is basically chemistry for me since I have to follow the instructions and make sure I don't burn the food to get edible results." said Spencer.
"Good analogy." said Rossi.
A short while later Spencer was sitting on the edge of a desk while watching the videos with Emily and Rossi.
"An earthly kingdom... Cannot exist without the inequality of persons. Martin Luther understood the weak will always serve the strong. Like me. He had dreams. And ideas." said Francis as he got up and walked away.
"It's funny, he uses the chair like it's a throne and he's framing himself intentionally with a low angle to give him power and dominance in the frame." said Spencer before they listened to Francis again.
"In feudal times, the lord lived on high ground to spot the invader. He had serfs to serve his kingdom. The lord never had to leave his castle. The serfs would bring him everything. They were the appendages of his will." said Francis.
"There's 11 more tapes of this?" asked Emily.
"It's his manifesto." said Spencer.
"First, I will build a compound, a kingdom. Second, I will arm, protect and fortify my kingdom. Third, I will keep women as serfs to serve my every need. This is my right. As a man with free will in America, I will make my kingdom a reality." said Francis.
"Well, we know he's moved out of his house. My guess is that kingdom is the reality now." said Rossi.
"Hey, he talks about keeping women to serve him. It's possible all these women are still alive." said Emily just as JJ entered the room.
"Excuse me. Goehring's wife is here." said JJ.
A few minutes later Spencer was sitting at a nearby desk with his topographical profile on hand Emily took the lead on interviewing Diane.
"Thank you for coming to speak with us, Mrs. Goehring." said Emily.
"Did I have a choice?" asked Diane.
"We need your help." said Emily.
"If I don't have to be here, good bye." said Diane as she started to get up.
Emily grabbed the picture that Spencer and Rossi brought with them.
"Um, is this you? That is you, isn't it?" asked Emily.
Diane looked at the picture.
"Where did you get this?" asked Diane.
"Um, have you seen this woman?" asked Emily as she showed Diane a picture of Angela.
"Today on the news." said Diane.
Emily laid out pictures of the other missing women.
"Well, you probably saw these three women on the news as well and we think they all share one thing in common." said Emily.
"What?" asked Diane.
"They all look like you. A pattern, a type. You and all of these women fit a type. When was the last time you saw your husband?" asked Emily.
"I... I haven't seen him since we threw him out." said Diane.
"We?" asked Emily.
"The militia. They saw what... What he did to me, and threw him out." said Diane.
"What he did to you?" asked Emily.
Diane was starting to cry.
"Francis killed himself yesterday." said Hotch.
"He's... He's dead?" asked Diane.
"After being caught driving Angela Miller's car." said Rossi.
"Can you think of anywhere that he would have taken these women?" asked Emily.
Diane shook her head.
"Your husband was sadistic. He hurt you, made you do horrible things. He treated you like a slave. Did what he wanted, whenever he wanted. He did the same thing to those other women, Except they didn't have the militia to save them." said Rossi.
"Francis said that his dream started with 9 acres. What's he talking about?" asked Hotch gently.
"My parents' land. When... When... When they died, he made me give it to him." cried Diane.
Hotch gave Spencer a look causing Spencer to pick up his map and join Hotch, Emily, Rossi, and Diane.
"Where is it?" asked Hotch.
Diane pointed out the area that Spencer had colored in on his map.
Spencer, JJ, and Emily approached Hotch, Morgan, Rossi, and Sheriff Williams.
"Angela's been dead for no more than half an hour. The partner was just here." said Hotch.
"He can't have gotten far. We set up road blocks within a 40 mile radius." said Sheriff Williams.
"Sheriff, somebody around here must know who Goehring's partner is." said Hotch as Spencer removed his sunglasses and slipped them onto the front of his shirt.
"We should try Goehring's pals, the militia. Maybe they can help." said Rossi.
"Militia leader is Harris Townsend. He owns a bar called the Horse Post." said Sheriff Williams.
"I'd suggest sending Morgan." said Rossi.
"What? All due respect, Rossi, But you've got an entire team to pick from. You're choosing me? Are you serious?" asked Morgan.
"No offense, but do you really want to do that?" asked Sheriff Williams.
"Take JJ with you." said Hotch.
"They know we're here. But you're the last face they expect." said Rossi.
Morgan nodded.
"Let's do it, JJ." said Morgan before he and JJ walked away.
"Sheriff, we need to get into the house." said Hotch.
"Not until I get the all clear. Goehring blew himself up. God knows what else he's got in there." said Sheriff Williams.
Hotch looked at Spencer, Emily, and Rossi.
"Search what you can until we get in. Anything to build a workable profile." said Hotch.
A minute later Spencer and Rossi were entering a work shed.
"Keeps everything neat." said Rossi.
"Obsessively so. His trailer was organized, but this is different." said Spencer just as Rossi opened up a safe.
"Uh-Oh." said Rossi as he and Spencer took in the sight of no guns while cartridges and casings were in the safe.
A few minutes later Spencer and Rossi were approaching Sheriff Williams.
"We found some cartridges and different casings." said Spencer as he held up a box to the sheriff.
"The gun racks were empty. He took his entire arsenal with him." said Rossi.
Sheriff Williams looked at the box that Spencer was holding.
"7.62 millimeter. He's got an assault rifle." said Sheriff Williams just as Hotch approached them.
"And I found 2 sets of men's shoes of different sizes." said Hotch.
"We found fresh tire tracks. Small pick-up truck." said Sheriff Williams.
"I know it doesn't narrow it down much, but let the troopers know they're looking for a man in a pick-up." said Hotch.
"If he's as prepared as Goehring, he'll have a police scanner and a 2-way radio." said Rossi.
"We can tune into the state geological survey frequency. Nobody ever listens to that." said Sheriff Williams.
Emily who was by the garden looked over at Spencer, Hotch, Rossi, and Sheriff Williams.
"Hey, guys?" asked Emily.
Less than a minute later Spencer was at the garden with Hotch, Rossi, Emily, and Sheriff Williams.
"There are 3 sections of roses, different heights, different levels of maturity." said Emily.
"Three different women." said Hotch.
Emily crouched down causing Spencer to follow suit.
"These appear to be the most recently planted. The tags are still on them. Guys..." said Emily as she noticed beetles crawling in the dirt.
Spencer looked at the beetles that were in the dirt as he quickly recognized them.
"Carrion beetles." said Spencer.
"Like in a cemetery." said Emily.
"Sheriff, let's get some shovels. We need to start digging." said Hotch as they realized that the three other missing women were dead.
Spencer followed Sheriff Williams, Hotch, Rossi, and Emily into Francis's house.
"Didn't find any explosives, nothing rigged, but be careful." said Sheriff Williams.
"Odd. Goehring kept his house almost cozy." said Rossi while Spencer followed Emily towards the kitchen while they donned their gloves while they noticed what was on a cupboard.
"One, all actions must serve to please the master. 2, insubordination will result in punishment... This is his new manifesto." said Emily.
"Notice the "master" is singular and capitalized, emphasizing there's only one dominant partner." said Spencer as he removed a photo from the fridge.
"So his partner is more of a servant." said Emily.
"Or a serf. Watching the house, minding the lawn, Helping him abduct women..." said Spencer as he handed Emily the photo.
"OK, so if his partner is a serf, What are the female slaves for?" asked Emily as Rossi joined them.
"Oh, I think I can answer that." said Rossi.
A few minutes later Spencer was in a room where the victims were being tortured.
"Now we know why the victims were taken so far apart. They tortured them. It took time for them to die." said Spencer as he looked at the chair.
Hotch who was crouching down by the closet noticed something.
"This is where he kept them. The blood's fresh." said Hotch.
Emily found a metal contraption and held it up.
"What the hell is this?" asked Emily.
Spencer had a disgusted look on his face.
"The pear of anguish." said Spencer.
Emily quickly put it down while Rossi saw something under the bed.
"I've got something here." said Rossi just as he lifted up the bed to show an array of tools causing Spencer and Hotch to have shocked looks on their faces, "Homemade torture tools. They covered the floor in something. The bodies are probably wrapped in whatever it was. They must have kept these women in that box for months, Judging by these tools, There will be a considerable amount of mutilation. We need to do what we can to help their families give a proper burial." said Rossi.
A short while later Spencer was back at the station with his teammates.
"Goehring's partner is early to mid-Twenties. 5'8". Slight build. Shy and retiring, But groomed by a separatist armed with assault weaponry. Like Goehring, he's unlikely to surrender if he's cornered. His obsession with cleanliness and order is deeply ingrained." started Hotch.
"This will be reflected in his home and his vehicle." said Emily.
"We've located hair samples in the cabin. We believe are his, medium-Short length and blonde." said Spencer.
"He's the submissive partner, but having just lost Goehring... The man he was dedicated to and heavily dependent upon... He's in crisis." finished Rossi.
Spencer and Emily were talking to Garcia through the laptop that they always brought along on cases.
"That's it. The whole tamale. Every horrific frame. I'm done." said a tired Garcia.
"No luck seeing the partner?" asked Emily.
"No." said Garcia.
"He... I scanned every frame. He's holding the camera." said Garcia.
"You OK?" asked Emily.
"No." said Garcia.
"I'm sorry." said Emily before looking at Spencer, "This is Jennifer Hillbridge, The second woman abducted." said Emily.
After watching the video for a minute Spencer noticed something.
"The cameraman frames Goehring, but never her. Watch. He never stays on her that long." said Spencer.
Emily realized that Spencer was telling her.
"He's more interested in Goehring than the torture. He's lingering on his biceps Like he's caressing Goehring's body." said Emily.
"Why the hell?" asked Sheriff Williams.
"The unspooled tapes... That wasn't to destroy evidence. It was from jealousy." said Emily.
"What?" asked Sheriff Williams.
"He's in love with Goehring." said Emily.
Spencer watched the video for a bit.
"He's teaching him how to tie the perfect knot." said Spencer.
"So he can be the perfect serf." said Emily.
"It would be part of his servitude to clean his house, help abduct girls, bury the bodies, get supplies, plant the roses." said Spencer.
Emily looked at Spencer as she realized that Spencer named a place where they could find the partner.
"He had to buy roses, and a lot of them." said Emily.
"Someone must have seen him." said Sheriff Williams.
"Let's get to the nurseries." said Emily causing Spencer to get up.
Spencer looked at a female nursery employee.
"Avoids eye contact. Speaks very little, but when he does, he would sound meek, almost feminine." said Spencer.
The woman shook her head.
Spencer opened up the lid of a grill and saw a bunch of burned up pictures before heading into the trailer where Hotch and Emily were.
"He's destroyed everything he owns." said Hotch.
"He has no identity. He burned his face off his pictures." said Spencer as he showed a picture.
"Why?" asked Hotch.
"A submissive depends upon a dominant partner not only for instruction, but for purpose and meaning." said Spencer.
"So he's starting over, wiping the slate clean." said Hotch.
"Yeah, but as what?" asked Emily.
Spencer was going through books with Emily when Hotch entered the room with Sheriff Williams.
"Sheriff, he's taken on Goehring's persona. We have to assume he's going to behave the same way. He's heavily armed, and he's committed to his cause." said Hotch.
"If he's caught, he's not only willing to die, but to take as many of us with him as possible." said Rossi.
"He's got a hostage, which means I'm going to need the best sharp shooter you've got." said Hotch.
"That's fine. But we don't even know where this guy's headed." said Sheriff Williams.
"The team's been working the profile, and we think we've got something." said Hotch as he saw Spencer, Morgan, and Emily.
"In the tapes, Goehring makes several mentions of "ideal land"." said Emily.
He also said that "lords live on higher ground to better surveil the land and spot invaders"." said Spencer.
Morgan who was holding an open book looked at Hotch, Rossi, and Sheriff Williams.
"He studied medieval defense strategies, so he'll probably go to a place where he can protect himself." said Morgan as he held up the book.
"High ground, easily defendable." said Emily as she headed over to the bulletin board, "This picture was on Goehring's fridge. Do you know where that is?" asked Emily.
Sheriff Williams looked at the picture.
"That's Black Eagle Peak. Militia groups used to use it for training drills till the state stopped them." said Sheriff Williams while Spencer grabbed his map and passed it to Sheriff Williams.
Hotch noticed that it was in the comfort zone.
"Ideal land." said Hotch.
Later on that night Spencer smiled as he quickly entered his bedroom and saw Maeve sleeping in his bed causing him to quickly head into the bathroom where he took a quick shower before joining Maeve.
"Spencer?" asked Maeve.
"I'm home." said Spencer.
Maeve turned herself so she could face Spencer.
"Welcome home." said Maeve as she smelled her boyfriend's shampoo and body wash.
"I missed you Maeve." said Spencer.
"I missed you too." said Maeve as she kissed her boyfriend while knowing what was going to happen next.
Two days later Spencer was allowing Hotch into his apartment and a minute later Hotch was meeting Maeve before all three adults sat down for the dinner that Spencer and Maeve cooked together.
Over an hour and a half later Spencer was walking with Hotch to Hotch's car when Spencer looked at his boss.
"So what did you think about her?" asked Spencer.
"She can definitely keep up with you, and I hope that you don't let this job break you two apart since I noticed how happy you are with her." said Hotch.
"I already met her parents last week when we ran into them at Paddy's, and Maeve's going with me to Las Vegas for Thanksgiving since my mom wants to meet her." said Spencer.
"So after Maeve meets your mom, are you planning on telling the rest of the team about her?" asked Hotch.
"I'm planning on it since Rossi already knows about her." said Spencer.
"You should go enjoy the rest of our weekend off with Maeve, and I'll see you on Monday." said Hotch as he clapped his youngest agent on the shoulder before getting into his car.
A few minutes later Spencer and Maeve were watching a movie that ended up causing them to have a make out session that led them to Spencer's bedroom.