A.N. - I made up the idea of the traffic pattern stuff that Reid mentions, and I also made up the idea of the Secondary Alpha Male. So, please, do NOT take what I say as being actual fact. It is my author's liberty at play here, trying to create a profile to suit my needs. Please enjoy!


Part VII

Reid came back into their room and began to stare at the board, but was interrupted by Morgan, Hotch and JJ as they walked in.

"Hey, Reid," Morgan said. "We've got some more information for you to work with."

Hotch then picked it up from there. "Our unsub isn't killing them before taking them to the dump site; in fact, they're more like date sites. He's most likely proposing to them at the sites, so they're going to have significance to him."

Reid finished his thought.

"Like some place that he'd been before on a significant date…like the woman that he originally proposed to." His face lit up and he began to speak rapidly. "This also explains the Tarot card at each of the crime scenes. The moment is meant to be one of significant change in his life, the death of singlehood to the new beginning of marriage. The fact that they're denying him, forces him, in his mind, to kill them, because they have to fulfill some aspect of the meaning of the card. If not the transition to marriage…then death."

He quickly pulled out his phone and hit one of his speed dials.

"You are now in the presence of the goddess Garcia, how may I help you?"

Reid cut straight to the chase. "Hey, Garcia, I need you to cross-reference our victims' locations with common dating sites within the city."

The other three agents gave him an odd look, so he quickly explained what he was doing. "It's actually fairly easy to find where the most common dating sites are simply by analyzing data on directional car traffic patterns on Friday and Saturday nights in small towns, between the hours of seven and eleven pm. There are more limited resources in smaller towns, so fewer places for congregational and recreational areas for large amounts of people. By finding common sites with our victims-"

He was cut off by Garcia.

"Boy genius, you are truly a genius. Every single dump site is right in the middle of a couply-cetnral. Bravo, my book-man!"

Immediately, Hotch jumped in.

"Garcia, are there any sites that he hasn't been to?"

They waited a moment, and she answered. "And you, Agent Awesome, are right as well! There is only one place that he hasn't been to, yet. Perkins Cove."

"You truly are a goddess, baby girl," Morgan said.

"Awww, you're making me blush. Now, go, do your thing. Garcia gone!"

With that they both hung up, and all of them exchanged glances, still not quite believing how quickly they'd put together their profile. Now, all they had to do was deliver it to the police and pray that they could find him.


Prentiss and Rossi had returned, making their team complete and ready to deliver the profile.

Hotch had his right hand hovering over JJ's lower back in silent reassurance that everything would be okay.

Rossi began.

"The man that you're looking for is a white male between the ages of twenty-seven and thirty-five. He's physically strong, obviously so, and incredibly charismatic. He manages to lure these women with his charm, and seems like the last person who might hurt you…"

Prentiss picked up from there.

"These women that he's taking are a representation of the woman who denied him. He is trying to recreate that moment the way that he believes that it should have happened. He takes the time to court them, to charm them, trying to make sure that they will say yes to him when he proposes…but when they don't, or if he feels that they are insincere, he is forced to take drastic measures. His first kill was most likely not planned. This is the one we need to focus on the most, as this is most likely the one that he is linked to in some personal way..."

Reid then continued.

"Our unsub is also most likely incredibly superstitious, with a firm belief in some sort of pagan religion. The Tarot card that he leaves behind, Death, in the definition of a transitory state, is an aspect of that belief that is driving him to kill these women. He doesn't want to, but he feels that he has no choice…"

Then Hotch began to talk.

"He knows the area, and is most certainly a local. He'll have grown up here or around here, and, with his personality, have made many friends, very easily. But he also knows how to blend into the background when he has to, which means that he probably has a fairly unnoticeable position in the community. Most likely a janitorial or heavy labor focused job…"

And Morgan finished up the profile, making sure that everyone was paying close attention to what he was saying, as it was the most important to getting the Chief's wife back alive.

"Where he is keeping these women, we don't know. But we do know this. There is no physical abuse of any kind, and not a single mark on them, not even by accident, which means he most likely has a well-kept home. This home will be kept under lock and key at all times, by him. Only he will have the keys, and he will never let anyone inside his house except for himself and his victims. He is what is called a Secondary Alpha Male. He is strong, but does not focus on the aggression…instead, he focuses on using that strength as protection. It is his number one priority. His actions will be incongruous for what he looks like. He will be physically strong, but he will act hesitant at times, unsure."

And then Hotch added the warning. "If you come across him, do not provoke him. Though his instinct is protection, if provoked he will act out of preservation. We do not want this, for he might change his plans and hurt the woman before he intends to."

Everyone in the room nodded, and they all split up, several of the officers being sent over to Perkins Cove to keep an eye out for their suspect.

Hotch glanced towards JJ once more, a soft look crossing his features, a look that did not go unnoticed by Morgan.

Out of the corner of his eye, Hotch watched as Jason Wright approached them from the back of the room.

"Agents, I just want to thank you for being so quick and…" He paused. "And adept. I don't think I can really thank you-"

Hotch cut him off. "Thank us once your wife is home."

Jason nodded, and then walked back to the back of the room, where they watched as he pulled out a small MP3 player and began to listen to it. Morgan, Reid, Rossi, Prentiss and Hotch all looked slightly confused, but then JJ clarified.

"He's listening to his wife."

With that, she walked out of the room and back into their conference room, Morgan once again noticing his boss's eyes following JJ's retreating form.

Rossi then spoke up.

"I think we should go ahead and start talking to the families, see if they knew anything about the victim's previous bad relationships and if they might be connected to who our unsub is."

Hotch nodded. "Good idea." He glanced back in the Chief's direction, where the man was still pacing. "JJ and I will interview the husband again, see if he remembers anything else. She's the one that doesn't fit, so she could also be the key to finding this unsub."

At that statement, they all nodded, agreeing with their leader's assessment.

JJ followed Hotch once more, this time with a particular question in mind for the husband. She had a hunch.


Part 7/?