I don't own CM or any of its characters although I wish I did!

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Chapter 12

BAU, FBI HEADQUARTERS, QUANTICO, VA.

Rossi put down the phone and leaning his elbows on the desk put his head in his hands. Twenty minutes ago, he had waited impatiently for Garcia to answer her cell phone as had been pre-arranged. He was about to hang up when she had answered, obviously badly shaken. Gradually, Dave had been able to piece together enough of her half sentences to understand that Hotch had narrowly escaped death for a second time. He remained in the coma unaware of the infection in his brain that was still threatening his life. There had been great concern amongst his medical team overnight, but the fallen agent had stabilized by morning as the antibiotics began to take effect. It was now hoped no further action would be necessary.

Rarely did Rossi begrudge the dedication and long hours required of BAU personnel; today was different. Dave wanted nothing more than to be on a plane to Kansas to sit at his friend's bedside, leaving the team to help Gideon. He knew they could find the unsub without him. However, he also understood that they cared about Hotch as much as he did; they needed Rossi to set an example and to provide stability in the face of all the uncertainty with Hotch's condition. Besides, thought Dave, Aaron would never allow anything to get in the way of a case and would be furious to discover Rossi had come to see him when acting as Unit Chief. The older man sighed heavily and attempted to pull himself together. Morgan, JJ and Gideon were on their way back to Quantico. Prentiss and Reid had been sent to the latest crime scene and were also due back imminently. Dave would need to update them all on Hotch and then somehow return their minds immediately back to the case.

There was a knock on Rossi's door and Emily's head appeared around the corner.

"We're all back."

"Good. I'll meet you in the BAU room in 10 minutes."

Prentiss nodded and was about to shut the door when she saw something in Dave's eyes that made her pause.

"What is it? What's wrong?"

Rossi smiled slightly. It was almost impossible to hide anything from this group.

"I'll meet you in 10 minutes Emily." He said softly.

She hesitated but then nodded again and left him alone to his thoughts.

Fifteen minutes later, the conference room was completely silent. Rossi had described Hotch's medical emergency, including Garcia's spotting of the CSF leaking from the injured man's ear and alerting of the ICU staff.

"Still think sending Garcia to Kansas was a bad idea?" Morgan turned to Gideon and glared at him. "She probably saved his life."

Jason said nothing. It was apparent that any discussion between Derek and himself would be on a professional level only. Morgan had barely spoken to him on the journey to Cootes Store or on the return, save to talk about the case.

Rossi sighed. This was tough. To a man, the team was distracted, all wanting to be in Kansas. They were worried about Hotch. Worried and scared. Every day that he remained in a coma, unresponsive, was a day he would never have with his son or his BAU family. The euphoria of finding out he was alive was slowly being replaced with doubt over his ultimate survival and recovery. Dave understood the team members grappling with feelings of helplessness and frustration but he needed them to focus on the matter at hand.

Morgan seemed to be taking things the hardest and was directing his irritation at Gideon. Rossi knew that Derek still respected Jason's profiling instincts but his constant outbursts were making the working atmosphere tense and difficult. Reid, on the other hand, was quietly avoiding Gideon. Dave didn't like this anymore than Morgan's temper tantrums. Perhaps it was time for a change.

"Morgan, Prentiss, when we're done here I'd like you two to interview the latest victim's wife.

"JJ, I'll need you here. Our unsub will have read the press release so I will need you to monitor the media. If he decides to make contact, we need to know about it. It is also more critical than ever to make sure all the jurisdictions are on the same page... understood?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Reid, Jason and I will continue to work on the profile."

Everyone nodded but their heads were down. Rossi knew he still didn't have their full attention.

"Look, I realize we're all worried about Hotch and wish we were in Kansas. But you all know as well as I do how pissed he would be to wake up and find us all by his bed when we had an open case and a killer on the loose. We can't lose focus. Let's get this guy!"

Prentiss was the first to break the ensuing silence.

"I still think we're missing something in the victimology." she volunteered.

Gideon looked at her with interest. "How so?"

"I'm not sure." she admitted. "But this guy is too intelligent, too organized, and too meticulous in his planning to be picking just anyone and leaving it to chance."

"But Emily, we've ruled out age, gender, occupation, socio-economic and with this latest killing, geography..." Morgan pointed out.

"And Garcia couldn't find any common denominators in any of their backgrounds..." added JJ.

They all stared at the board detailing the victims, willing a connection to surface.

"What was the Latin phrase found on the CEO?" asked Reid suddenly. His eyes were alert and he jumped up ready to write.

"Non est mea culpa. It's not my fault." Emily read from the notes.

Reid's face fell. "Oh."

Jason regarded the young genius.

"Tell us what you were thinking anyway, Dr. Reid."

"Um, okay, well all of the victims were in positions of authority. Up until the CEO, the unsub had written about power. It would have made sense that he's going after people he perceives to be 'strong' so that he can demonstrate his superiority..."

"Despite the CEO, that's good Reid!" Rossi sat up attentively. "And if true, why the shift in his scriptures? Does he mean it's not his fault or not the victim's fault?"

"His." Gideon supplied. "The unsub feels superior to everyone else. To him, being more powerful is his right. It is not his fault this was ordained. He has no remorse at killing. It is not his fault his victims were not strong enough to survive."

"You're not saying he blames the victims for their own deaths?" asked JJ incredulously.

"Not necessarily." Morgan said. "It's all about power. It's obvious the unsub is a narcissist."

Something tugged at the back of Gideon's mind; something sounded vaguely familiar but he couldn't put his finger on it. He frowned in frustration but dismissed the inkling when Prentiss spoke again.

"Why strip the bodies? The killing itself should have relieved his sexual need. If it didn't, he would have been more selective in his choice of victim. Furthermore, there wasn't any evidence of sexual assault..."

"It feeds his fantasy of power, perhaps?" suggested Rossi. "Seems like overkill, but it is certainly part of his signature."

JJ's phone buzzed and she excused herself.

Gideon shrugged. "Regardless, we're dealing with an unsub with an antisocial personality disorder. We need Garcia. Let's start with professions. Get her to see if there is anyone in a law-related or academic positions who matches our profile and who is working in the West Virginia, Maryland, and Virginia geographic area. Cootes Store is only accessible by car and since some of the killings took place during the week, the unsub's base cannot be too far away. And don't forget to tell her that he may have a juvenile record of petty crime or possible aggression towards animals."

Morgan had pulled out his phone and had Garcia on the line by the time Gideon had finished speaking.

"Hello sweetness. We could do with some of your magic..."

Derek was only halfway through his conversation when JJ re-entered the room.

"There's been another murder and it is getting even closer. This one was only two blocks from here."

***

Rossi and Gideon were admitted into the small professional building by a police officer who led them to the second floor. The gold lettering on the main door read:

'Offices of Fran Stall, Republican, area #224'

"Politician... another position of authority." muttered Rossi.

The crime scene was similar to the five previous: no obvious signs of entry, struggle by the victim, or blood. The agents knew there was little hope in finding any DNA evidence although the crime lab investigators were still dusting for prints.

The body of a young woman in her 30's lay naked on her back in the middle of the largest inner office. Donning a pair of gloves, Gideon bent down next to the corpse.

"Salva veritate." he read aloud before translating, "With truth preserved."

"His messages are getting more cryptic and his time between kills is decreasing." said Rossi who was looking at the titles of the books sitting on the large oak desk.

Gideon stood up and began a careful circuit of the room. "We angered him with our press release yesterday, calling him a coward and a weakling. Now that he's angry, we need him to get careless."

"I think we may be in luck." Rossi's sharp eyes had spotted a small shiny object buried deep in the plush carpet, partially hidden by the body. Using a glove, Dave plucked it out. A cuff-link with 'UMD' lay in his palm.

"We need to contact Garcia and regroup."

***

BAU, FBI HEADQUARTERS, QUANTICO, VA.

Back at the BAU, the team discussed the latest developments and potential repercussions on the profile. Prentiss and Morgan's interviews with the fifth victim's family and colleagues had yielded nothing particularly new. David Brewer had seemingly kept his nose clean while moving up the business ranks. He had had a reputation for being a hard worker and a fair man with an extraordinary talent for surrounding himself with excellent staff. He had won awards for his management and treatment of personnel.

"So he fits our unsub's attraction to authority figures." Prentiss finished.

"Which still seems to be the only thing that the victims have in common." Garcia's head appeared on the screen of the laptop via a video link. "I've tried mutual friends, hobbies, education, family... ZILTCH! Why the sudden change to our creep's location anyway?"

"The press think he's trying to rub our noses in it." sighed JJ who had spent much of her time fending off a large group of journalists who had parked themselves at the entranceway to the FBI building.

"They're right." Gideon shrugged. "He gets off on power and control. What better way to feel superior than to think you're getting one over on the FBI in their own backyard."

"And we know organized killers will move around to avoid detection." Morgan reminded the group.

"So what should I tell the media?" JJ asked.

"Nothing for now." replied Rossi. "Any further coverage will just fuel his ego."

Gideon was staring at the victim board. "JJ, anything back on that cuff link yet?"

"The forensics lab didn't find any hairs or prints. I did some digging and apparently the links are only given to staff that have completed fifteen years of service for the University or have won a prestigious award."

"Garcia, search..." began Rossi.

"Already on it, Sir."

"Something is still bothering me..." Prentiss was looking at the crime scene photos and frowning.

"What is it?" Dave asked her.

As the newest member of the team, Emily hadn't always felt confident about voicing her concerns to the rest. However, over the past months, she had proven to have an uncanny knack to see things the others didn't. Hotch had noticed this and subtly encouraged her to speak her mind. Dave felt a pang of sadness. What would Hotch be saying if he were here now to make the most of Prentiss' skill?

"The unsub's signature. Here we have an extremely intelligent, organized man. He is meticulous in ensuring a clean crime scene. The victims are found face up, naked and with a Latin phrase on their chest..."

"Keep going Emily." Dave couldn't yet see where this was leading but he trusted the dark-haired agent.

"Why deface the bodies? Why not write the Latin on paper and leave at the scene? It just seems to run against his controlled, neat personality. It's... it's messy."

Gideon rested a hand on his forehead, thinking hard. Prentiss was right. But...

"Actually, it isn't messy." He said at length. "The unsub could have used blood or paint. He could have splashed the Latin on the walls or floor of the crime scenes. But he did not. Look at his writing too... or printing, to be precise. He was in no hurry. He took great care with each and every letter."

Prentiss nodded in understanding. "Okay. So by writing on the body, he had more direct contact with the victim, fuelling his fantasy."

"Yes."

Garcia appeared on the webcam once again.

"So crime fighters, my unearthly powers have yielded a potential scumbag list of 8... 5 if you go with the idea that the cuff link belongs to our jerk-du-jour. I'm sending through the info now."

"Thanks Baby Doll." Morgan grinned at her before quickly printing off copies.

"Let's assume the cuff link was the unsub's first mistake." Gideon pushed the sheets detailing three lawyers off to one side and picked up the remaining documentation.

"Looks like we have 2 Law professors and 3 in Criminology." remarked Reid, as usual speed-reading through the details. "One of the law professors, a Dr. Kendell, was fostered from the time he was a baby and had numerous run-ins with the local police."

Prentiss flipped to the same page. "He was obviously bright since he won a scholarship to Harvard and graduated summa cum laude... Huh, guess you can learn something from petty theft."

"We'll need to interview him." Rossi said. "Who's next?"

"Cross off the other law professor." said Morgan. "He's out of the country on sabbatical."

"Okay, that takes us to the criminologists:" stated Gideon, "Doctors Hall, Frenz and Jacobs."

"Hall doesn't fit the profile." Dave discarded the page and began reading the next.

"Dr. Erik Frenz sounds like he could be interesting..." said Gideon. "No sign of the mother; was raised by his father, who was arrested for drug possession on numerous occasions. William had poor attendance at school and also has a juvenile record for illicit drug possession."

"Aw, how cute. Like father like son." Prentiss said dryly.

There were smiles round the table.

"That's good enough to earn him an interview." grunted Rossi. "Alright, what does our Dr. Ian Jacobs have to offer..?"

"He appears to be brilliant." remarked Reid. "He too comes from a single parent family, but he has no police record."

"No, but his school files report truancy, ADHD and describe him as 'a self-centred boy who thinks that he is above the rules.'" observed JJ.

"We could say that about a lot of kids." Gideon stated. "But it is worth following up on."

Rossi shut his folder of information and rose from his chair.

"Okay, let's get moving; seems like we have a road trip to Maryland. Prentiss, you and Jason take Frenz, Morgan and Reid can question Jacobs and I'll pay Dr. Kendell a visit. JJ, please continue to monitor all the media outlets. Garcia, go and sit with Hotch. We'll get word to the hospital when we need you again."

He surveyed the team as they gathered up their things. Each looked determined and focussed but he thought a last pep talk would do no harm.

"Let's get this guy so that no more people die and we can get out to Hotch."

***