For several hours the team had been pouring over the papers, both those relating to the previous investigation and everything that they had on Detective Johnson. They took it in turns to constantly refill coffees, but couldn't help the feeling that they were getting nowhere. When Sergeant Adams entered the room, they were all so preoccupied that he had to clear his throat to get their attention.
"Umm...I just thought you should all know...we found a torso"
While Emily glared at him, the rest of the team looked to Hotch for their assignments.
"Morgan, Prentiss, you go check out the scene" he ordered "Reid, Rossi, I want you both to speak to the person who found the torso. JJ, I think it's time we speak to the media"
Everyone indicated their agreement and set about their tasks. Emily locked eyes with JJ as she left the room, trying to reassure her that it was going to be ok. The distant look in those blue eyes told her she hadn't succeeded.
Emily and Morgan reached the scene out by Lake Michigan. The torso had been washed up on shore and spotted by a local fisherman. As they approached, the damage to the torso was immediately apparent.
"Look at that, there's slash marks all over the chest" Morgan observed.
"Delaney never mutilated any of the bodies. He bound them and burned their hands and feet, but he never cut them"
Morgan knelt down in the sand next to the torso "It looks like the deepest wounds are concentrated around the heart"
Their eyes met, and Emily said what they were both thinking "This is personal"
Meanwhile, Reid and Rossi were speaking to the fisherman who'd discovered the torso.
"So, is that your usual spot for fishing?" Rossi asked.
"No, here's the funny thing. I usually fish further up the coast, but the weather weren't looking too good today so I moved to a more sheltered spot"
"Do you know if anyone else uses that spot regularly?" asked Reid.
"Not as far as I know. The catch ain't so good, you see. The water's shallower. And I wouldn't wanna go crossing into some other guy's patch, you know?"
"We understand" Reid nodded.
"I guess it was just real bad luck" the fisherman continued.
"Not for us" came Rossi's reply.
JJ stood before the sea of reporters, the flashes of cameras making it difficult to make out any faces in the crowd. She had her game face on. Stoic, yet warm and empathetic with the victim.
"So we're appealing for anyone who has any information on the movements of Detective Johnson after Saturday night to come forward. If you have any information at all, however insignificant you may think it is, then please call the station"
A wave of voices responded, but one stood out above them all, a young male reporter stood near the front.
"Agent Jareau, is it true that the Chicago Chopper has returned?"
She grimaced. They all hated it when the press attached stupid names to killers. And even more, she resented any talk of the previous unsub.
"No" she said firmly "I can categorically assure you that Richard Delaney is deceased and remains so"
"But what about the similarities between the killings?" the young reporter persisted "I mean, just how much of Detective Johnson have you found?"
JJ took a deep breath "Whilst there may be similarities, there is no reason at this time to link the death of Detective Johnson to the murders committed by Richard Delaney"
"Are you just saying that 'cause you killed him?"
JJ's head snapped up at the last comment, but the camera flashes meant she couldn't make out the face of the man who had spoken. She quickly pulled herself together, conscious of what this could look like if televised.
"At this point in time we have no further information, and we continue to appeal to members of the public for their help in bringing Detective Alison Johnson's killer to justice. Thank you"
She practically ran back inside the station, her cheeks flushed. She passed straight by Hotch without saying a word and headed for the bathroom.
Her safe haven was only temporary, as Emily appeared in the bathroom a few minutes later.
"Jayje?" she called.
JJ considered not responding, but she figured it was fairly evident that she was the one in the stall.
"Yeah?"
"You wanna let me in?"
The blonde hesitated, not really feeling like seeing anyone in this moment. But then again, Emily wasn't just anyone. She stood up and slid open the latch before sitting back down on the closed toilet lid. The brunette stepped in and locked the door behind her, turning back to JJ awkwardly in the enclosed dimensions of the cubicle.
"Jayje, you did great out there" she said soothingly, reaching out a hand to squeeze the blonde's shoulder.
"You saw?"
"Yeah, me and Morgan got back right before you started"
"Em, it was a train wreck"
"Honestly, there was one tiny moment when your face changed...but I only noticed that because of how well I know you. I know that inwardly you must have felt like shit, but you didn't show it"
"You're just trying to get in my pants" JJ replied with half a smile.
Emily raised an eyebrow "I have to try?"
In that moment the air around them felt as though it was thickening and JJ got to her feet. She barely had to move to be pressed up against the brunette, their foreheads touching as she took hold of the collar of Emily's jacket.
"You promise I didn't screw everything up?" JJ asked quietly.
"I promise" Emily whispered back.
JJ tilted her head and pressed her lips to the brunette's. The kiss was slow, and exploration of mouths, but the urgency remained emphasised by the grip that the blonde had on Emily's jacket. The brunette's hands started on the small of JJ's back, but as the kiss deepened, they instinctively moved down to caress her ass. The blonde moaned into her mouth, and Emily could rapidly feel herself losing control.
Their private moment was interrupted by the vibrating of Emily's cell in her pocket. She quickly stepped back as far as she could within the stall to answer.
"Hotch?...Yeah, I've got her...ok...on our way"
JJ stood there, looking at her with darkened eyes and kiss stained lips.
"Hotch needs us in the conference room. The others are back" Emily explained.
"How do I look?"
"Like you've been crying or fucking" the brunette told her honestly.
JJ groaned "I'm not sure which is worse"
The exited the stall and JJ splashed some cold water on her face before they returned to the team. Thankfully, although the men acknowledged their entrance, nobody seemed to dwell too long on her face.
"So" Hotch began "what do we know so far?"
"Hotch, we saw that body. Whoever did this...they had some real rage towards Detective Johnson. The depth of the cuts on her chest required some serious force. And the specific targeting of the heart area suggests a romantic connection, whether or not it was unrequited" Morgan stated.
"It's a definite change from Delaney's MO" Emily continued "for him, the victims were nameless, a toy that he used for sadistic pleasure. Their identity was inconsequential to him. I think we have to presume that Detective Johnson knew her killer, and he felt personally betrayed by her"
"That would sit with what we found" Rossi interjected.
Reid continued "We don't think the torso was meant to be found. It was dumped in Lake Michigan, and it was only the wind today that caused it to wash up on shore. And the area where it washed up wasn't commonly used by fisherman, it was pure chance that someone was there today"
"So where does that leave us?" Hotch asked them all.
"Two possibilities" Emily answered "Either this is someone who has been rejected or feels betrayed by Detective Johnson and they've used the Delaney MO to try and cover their tracks, or it's someone associated with Delaney who held Detective Johnson responsible for his death and thereby their heartbreak"
"Or she was the closest thing to the person responsible that he could get his hands on" JJ added quietly.
"I don't think we can rule that out" Hotch said matter of factly "and until we can, I want one of us with JJ at all times"
The rest of the team nodded in agreement.
"Prentiss" Hotch continued "I want you to share a room with JJ at the hotel until this is resolved"
"No problem"
On any other day, Emily would have been dancing with joy at the thought of sharing a room with JJ, but the circumstances weren't exactly joy inducing. Even before this whole thing between them had started, she'd felt protective over the blonde, and now...now she was aware that she'd do just about anything to keep her safe.
"Hotch" JJ spoke softly, but immediately gained everyone's attention "there was a guy at the press conference..."
"Go on" Hotch nodded.
"The one who asked if I was denying the link with Delaney because I killed him. He seemed...I don't know, more angry than a reporter should have been"
"Ok, this is good. What can you tell me about him?" Hotch encouraged.
"I don't know. I never saw his face, the camera flashes were so bright. I didn't hear an accent and he didn't sound particularly old or young. I'm sorry" JJ looked down.
"Don't apologise, this is all useful" Emily said, reaching out for JJ's arm.
"Ok, there's a chance this guy might have been captured on film. Reid, why don't you sit with JJ and go over the footage of the press conference and see if you can ID him"
"Sure" Reid nodded, and the two of them left the room.
Hotch took out his cell and dialled the number for Quantico.
"You've reached the oracle of all things naughty and not so much holy, how can I help?" came Garcia's voice from the other end of the line.
"Garcia, I need IDs on all the reporters present at the press conference today. Check who was issued a pass and see who you can ID from the footage. Then can you see if any of them have a link to Richard Delaney"
"Gotcha. I'll send them over as soon as I'm done"
"Thanks Garcia"
Half an hour later, Reid and JJ returned. As she had feared, the man had managed to avoid being captured on camera. Instead, she had had to relive the embarrassment of the press conference again.
Garcia sent a list of names to Hotch, but none had any known link to Delaney. She'd run background checks on all of them, but nothing untoward showed up.
"It's been a difficult day, and I'm not sure we're going to get any further tonight" Hotch announced "I suggest we all head to the hotel and reconvene tomorrow at 9am. Prentiss, a word?"
Emily nodded and stayed behind with Hotch as the others picked up their bags and left the room.
"You know JJ's not going to like being babysat" he told her.
"Oh believe me, I know"
"You think you can handle it?"
"Absolutely. Right now, she's my number one priority"
"Good" he nodded "shall we go?"