"We've already established this guy's clearly organized. He knows we could figure out his size by his handprints so he mutilated the bruises." Morgan said, analyzing the unsub's behavior on the plane.
"He's also got a reliable source of transportation. The furthest victim was abducted from Washita County, a 4 hour and 39-minute drive from Cimarron, with light traffic and a cut through Texas." Reid chimed in.
"That means he must have a way to subdue them for a long period of time and is confident they won't draw any attention to him." Hotch added.
"Maybe his job causes him to travel all over the state. That'd explain the diverse victim pool." Emily called from her seat beside JJ, holding her girlfriend's hand reassuringly.
"There's only a 2,294 person population in Cimarron. Maybe they live somewhere closer to Washita but dispose of the victims in Cimarron to keep them hidden," Reid suggested.
"But they're each within 3 miles of Boise City. The unsub can't have tried that hard to delay their discovery." JJ whispered.
"What was that, JJ?" Rossi asked.
"The victims were only 3 miles from the city. And based on decomposition, they'd been dead less than a day when they were found." JJ repeated, stronger this time.
"Okay, so he's confident that he won't get caught. He thinks that no matter when or how we discover the bodies, it won't be traced back to him." Morgan said.
"That over-confidence might be good for us." Rossi added.
"It might be the mistake which lets us catch him." Emily finished.
"But if he's not trying to hide them and he's so confident he won't be caught, why go all the way to Cimarron?" Reid added.
"Maybe he's trying to send a message?" JJ suggested, unsure.
"Okay, but what kind of message?" Morgan asked.
"He clearly has a type, so maybe he has a grudge against a woman that fits the description of our victims?" Emily suggested.
"Maybe an ex-girlfriend, or his mother. Someone close to him." Rossi said.
"It could always be a stranger he's fixated on." Emily mentioned.
"I don't think so," Hotch corrected, "he's too organized to get stuck on someone so insignificant. Anyway, we'll be landing in 10. We'd better be ready to go the moment we touch down."
As soon as Hotch said that, they all scattered, heading to their original seats to pack up their bags and prepare for landing.
Emily saw JJ heading to the back of the plane alone, so she decided to check up on her.
"Hey, baby." Emily said with a smile as she sat down next to JJ.
JJ looked at Emily and smiled back. "Hi, babe" she replied.
"Are you okay?" Emily asked, concerned.
"Yeah." JJ replied with a soft smile, but her eyes gave the lie away.
"You know I know when you're lying, right?" Emily asked with a smile.
"Yeah, but a girl can try." JJ said with a chuckle.
"True, but you will never succeed." Emily said in a playful way.
JJ shook her head and chuckled. "I love you, you know that?"
"I love you too, JJ. So much, and I'm here if you want to talk about anything, you know that, right?" Emily asked as she took a hold of JJ's hand, resting their intertwined hands in her lap, gently moving her thumb over JJ's skin.
"I know, I just need some time. Right now, everything's just so confusing and with the case and everything... it's just really not a good time." JJ replied.
"Okay, angel. That's okay." Emily smiled, gently moving to place a soft kiss on JJ's cheek before pulling back, only to see a beautiful smile on her girlfriend's face, which in return, made her smile even more.
"Thank you, Emily. Really." JJ said, her eyes looking into Emily's.
"For what, beautiful?" Emily asked, tucking a piece of hair behind JJ's ear.
"For being so patient and kind and loving and just... for being you." JJ said, the smile never leaving her lips as she spoke.
"It's what you deserve, my angel." Emily replied softly.
JJ leaned into Emily's chest as the plane touched down in Oklahoma.
"Alright, we're in two cars. Morgan, Emily, and Rossi head to the disposal sites. Reid, come with me to start looking more into the geographic profile back at the precinct. JJ you're with me, too. We've asked the victim's families to come in so we can speak with them. Everyone report back to Boise City PD when you can. Remember, we're just waiting until another girl gets taken. We have 6 days left so we better hurry." Hotch said once the plane had come to a complete stop. The team headed out to their assigned cars, Emily and Morgan bickering over who would drive until Hotch handed Rossi the keys.
Emily whined playfully at this but quickly retook the upper hand by hopping into the front seat before Morgan could notice, eliciting a groan from him and a chuckle from Rossi.
"You kids play nice," Rossi warned, jokingly.
"Oh, come on, man," Morgan complained, "I never have to sit in the back."
"Well, now's as good a time to start as any," Emily teased from her passenger side window.
Morgan scoffed and shook his head as he got into the back seat.
Rossi started the car and began driving.
"Everything okay with you and JJ?" Morgan asked gently.
"Yeah, I think this case is gonna be rough on her but there's not a whole lot any of us can do until it's over. I'll keep an eye on her and do what I can but, honestly, I think It's mainly a matter of waiting out the storm." Emily sighed. She desperately wanted to drop everything and focus on making sure JJ was okay but she knew she couldn't; they had cases to solve, lives to save. She'd have to wait until they got back to return her attention to helping her girlfriend.
Emily was pulled out of her thoughts by the sudden stopping of the car as they arrived at the first disposal sight.
"We're here," Rossi said, killing the engine. Emily hopped out of the car and surveyed the scene.
Surrounding them was a large plain studded with dry bushes. She could see the outline of Boise City through the heat and dust a few miles away. Other than the crime scene tape surrounding it and the road running right besides, this section of grass looked no different than any other.
"Doesn't seem like much of a place to hide a body," Morgan voiced Emily's thoughts.
"The population out here is next to none. He wouldn't have been that concerned about traffic on this road." Rossi pointed out.
"True," Emily admitted. "Hey guys, look at this," she said, kneeling down.
"Whatcha got there, Prentiss?" Morgan asked.
"Looks like some sort of engagement ring," Emily said, holding up a dusty band and handing it to Morgan who was pulling out an evidence bag.
"This may have come from our victim, it doesn't look like it's been here long." Morgan added, examining it.
"Rings don't usually just fall off," Rossi pointed out, "if it is hers, he probably removed it himself."
"Why would he leave it on during the three weeks he held her only to take it off when he disposes of her body?" Emily wondered.
"Maybe we'll get more from the other disposal sites. The next one is on the other side of Boise just a few miles. Let's go," Morgan suggested, jumping into the passenger seat before Emily had a chance to notice and earning him a glare from the other profiler and a chuckle from Rossi. The other two got into the car as well and they moved on to the next crime scene.
Once they got there, Rossi stopped the car and they walked towards the scene.
"So, Lauren Whittaker was disposed of here." Morgan said, looking at a patch of grass almost identical to the last one.
"Are you sure we even moved from the last scene?" Emily said, looking around at more dust and grass.
"There's really not a whole lot to distinguish these dump sites so what's so special about them?" Rossi wondered.
"The only notable feature is that they're close to the city." Emily stated.
"Hold on a sec," Morgan muttered, kneeling down in the dust. "It looks like another piece of jewelry," he explained, gently prying back a clump of grass. "It's another engagement ring," he said in confusion, "this can't be a coincidence."
"Let's go check the last site and head back to the precinct," Emily said, jumping into the passenger seat.
"So it seems that this guy keeps engaged women for three weeks, kills them, and then puts their ring beside them when they're disposed of," Rossi summed up to the rest of the team. True to their suspicions, they'd found another ring at the final disposal site.
"That's an odd signature," Hotch pointed out, "it must have something to do with his trigger."
"If he's motivated by revenge maybe an ex-girlfriend broke off an engagement." Morgan suggested.
"Based on where he's placed the bodies, it's pretty clear he's trying to send a message to someone in Boise City," Reid pointed out. "Maybe she lives there."
"I just finished talking to the fiancés. They're all pretty cut up about it," JJ said, walking in from the interview room. "Apparently, the women all went missing the date of their wedding. One didn't even find out until he was on the alter." She explained.
"Okay, clearly the wedding is important to him." Prentiss theorized, "we also found engagement rings at the disposal sites." She mentioned to JJ.
"We think his ex broke off an engagement." Rossi added.
"That makes sense," JJ replied, "since these women were all taken on their wedding day, maybe he was even left at the altar."
"Garcia, look for engagements that didn't pan out in the past 5 years," Hotch said, following JJ's train of thought. "Since his victims are around 27, it goes to reason that he's about the same age, or at least his fiancée was. Look for women in the relationship fitting the description."
"Sorry, boss man, I've got zilch." Garcia responded through the computer screen.
"You know, what if we're looking at this all wrong?" Morgan said, his eyes widening in realization. "A lot of people will search for anyone to blame other than the person they love, if something happens to the relationship."
"That's true!" JJ said, catching on, "if the killer was left at the altar, maybe their partner went to someone else."
"The trigger may have been something with the other relationship. Maybe they just got engaged." Emily joined in. "Garcia, check instead for recent engagements with women who fit the description. Probably about 4 months ago."
"I've got 7," Garcia said, typing away quickly.
"The couple probably lives in Boise City," Reid pointed out.
"Right!" Garcia exclaimed, "okay that's only one and…oh you have been one naughty boy…the groom has been using a fake name, Patrick Wells. I'll let you know when I find his real one. For now, the work and home addresses of the bride, one Clarise Jones, have been sent to your phones."
"Thanks, Garcia!" Emily said.
"Okay, JJ and Morgan check her home. Emily and Rossi go to her work. Reid and I will stay here in case Garcia finds his real name." Hotch commanded and the team moved out.