JJ and Morgan were almost at the woman's house when they got a call.
"Jareau," JJ answered, pressing speakerphone.
"JJ, it's Emily. We just finished up at her workplace. Her boss says Clarise took a week off for wedding planning. We also found out that she lives with her fiancé so they'll both be there when you arrive."
"Got it. Thanks, we'll see you at the station." JJ said, hanging up.
"Here we are," Morgan said, pulling up to a quaint house in a small neighborhood and killing the engine.
"Two cars out front. They're definitely here." JJ noticed as she stepped out of the car.
The agents walked up the front porch steps and knocked on the door.
"Hello, I'm SSA Jennifer Jareau and this is SSA Morgan. You're Clarise, right?" JJ introduced to the lady who answered the door who nodded in response. She bore a striking resemblance to the victims as she peered out at the agents through the screen door, "we'd like to ask you and your fiancé a few questions. Would it be alright if we came in?" JJ asked, politely.
"Yes, yes of course." The woman said, opening the screen door and stepping aside. "Darling, the FBI is here to speak with us," she called through the home.
"FBI?" a bewildered voice called back as a man appeared in the entrance hall.
"You must be Patrick," Morgan said to the man.
"Yes. May I ask what this is about?" Patrick inquired as he stepped up beside his fiancée.
Yeah we're looking into some homicides in the area and we think you may know the culprit." Morgan stated bluntly.
"Homicides?" Clarise exclaimed, falling onto the couch and clutching Patrick's hand. "You mean murders?"
"Yes," JJ said, kneeling in front of the woman and shooting an exasperated look at Morgan. "Unfortunately, three women have been killed in the last four months and we believe the perpetrator is planning to kidnap another woman shortly."
"I don't see what this has to do with us," Patrick said.
"Well, we think the killer is someone you used to go out with, Patrick." Morgan explained, "As a matter of fact, we think you were engaged to them."
"What are they talking about, Pat?" Clarise asked her fiancé.
"I have no idea." Patrick said, glaring at Morgan.
"Maybe we should talk privately," JJ said as she stared at her phone, which had just chimed.
"I think it's better if you just left." Wells said with his arms folded.
"Sir, there are women dying," Morgan responded, bewildered at the hostility they were facing.
"Come on, Pat," Clarise cooed. "Just go answer their questions and we can put this behind us. Maybe you can even help save people!"
"Fine," Patrick said, defeated. "We can talk in my study," he finished, leading the agents to a small room and closing the door. "Now I don't know what you want, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't stir up any trouble." He said, turning to them with frustration in his voice, "I'm only doing this because Clarise – "
"Sir, we're looking for your ex-boyfriend." JJ interrupted, receiving a shocked look from Morgan and a horrified one from Wells.
"Excuse me? Who do you think you – " Wells began, but JJ cut him off.
"Look, we don't care that you're gay or bisexual or whatever. We won't tell your fiancé, though I'd advise you to do so rather than start off your marriage so poorly. What matters is that this man is hunting and killing women. Women that look a lot like Clarise. He's trying to get back at you both for hurting him. It won't be long before he gets the courage to come after her. Now, if you want to protect her, you'll swallow your pride and help us." JJ demanded.
"I," Patrick started after a long pause, "I don't know what to say. I mean, I knew he was upset but…killing?"
"Sir, we need his name," JJ said, having no patience to allow this man to delay the investigation further.
"Yes, of course. Damion. Damion Wilson. We met at a gay bar in town. We got engaged. We were even planning our wedding. But I got cold feet. My family kept telling me how much of an abomination it was. They weren't even going to come to the wedding. I'm bisexual so I figured…maybe it'd just be better if I went and found a girl to marry. And I met Clarise, and we started going out and we really hit it off. So, then the wedding came around and…I hadn't told Damion. I didn't know how to tell him. But my family wasn't gonna be at the wedding anyway so…neither was I. I'm not proud of it, but I didn't know what else to do." Patrick confessed.
"Did you get that Garcia? Damion Wilson," Morgan was saying into his phone before looking up at JJ. "We got him. We're closest to his home address so that's where we're headed," he explained.
"I'll be right behind you," JJ said as Morgan stepped out of the study. "Patrick," she said turning back to him, "you've gotta tell Clarise. She'll find out one way or another. It's best to get it out now, before the wedding so you both can have a clean, happy marriage, and so you can be sure she's the person you want to be with. Otherwise, you'll both end up taunted by what could have been or what might be."
"I know. I will. I just hope she doesn't think what I did was as bad as I do," Patrick said, nodding. JJ gave a small grimace and headed out, following Morgan.
"Looks deserted," Morgan commented as they pulled up to a dark house. "You take the front, I'll head around back, see if we can surround him as best as possible."
"Got it. Let's go," JJ responded, hopping out of the car. She held her gun and flashlight in front of her, creeping toward the front door and giving a nod to Morgan as he dashed around the back.
"FBI!" JJ shouted as she knocked on the door. There was no answer, but JJ heard a commotion inside. She threw her shoulder into the door and it burst open. Moving the flashlight beam from side to side she found herself in a small, dark hallway with doors on either side. She heard Morgan announce himself on the other side of the house as she opened each door and peered into the endless, empty rooms.
"Clear!" Morgan called from the other end of the house.
"Cle-" JJ started to respond as she checked the last room, but she didn't even finish the word when she felt a blinding pain and the world went black.
"JJ?" Morgan called when he heard her response get cut off. He heard a noise from down a dark hallway and ran toward it.
"Don't come any closer or I'll blast her head off!" A man said as Morgan turned the corner. He had an unconscious JJ in his arms and a gun to her head. "Now drop the gun and kick it over here," the unsub commanded.
"You don't wanna do this, man." Morgan said, holding up his hands in surrender. "We know what happened, Damion. Patrick left you. He cheated on you. It wasn't fair. But this isn't the way to get back at him." Morgan tried to reason, slowly lowering his gun to the ground.
"Shut up! You don't know shit!" Damion spat, carefully picking up Morgan's gun while maintaining his control over JJ. "Now I'm gonna take this pretty lady and we're gonna go somewhere far away. She'll be in the passenger seat as I drive away and I will have a gun aimed at her head. If anyone tries anything funny, I will kill her, understood?"
Morgan nodded his head slowly, resigned to his helpless situation. Wilson slowly backed away, dragging JJ along with him. Morgan waited until he heard a car door slam before exiting the house. He saw Damion get into the driver's side of a red pickup and began trying to memorize the license plate. He was already dialing Garcia when Damion pulled away.
"Hey, hunk of chocolate, when do I get to take a bite out of you?" Garcia answered in a sultry tone.
"Hey, pretty momma," Morgan answered, returning only a small smile to Garcia's playful words. "I can't joke around right now, baby girl. He's got JJ."
"Where." Garcia demanded, suddenly all business, "I'm patching in the others."
"I don't know but he's in a red pickup, heading north. License plate EIA-406. She's in the passenger seat and last I saw he had a gun to her head." Morgan said as he got into his own car, ready to head to the station.
"Who's got whom?" Emily's panicked voice came through the line.
"Wilson. He's got JJ." Garcia answered for Morgan.
"Wilson's got JJ?" Reid chimed in.
"Alright, no time for chatting." Hotch commanded. "Emily, you and Rossi head back from his office. Morgan, come back as soon as possible. He's probably got her wherever he kept the other women. Garcia, look for any abandoned buildings in his comfort zone or any other properties he or Patrick Wells owned or still own. Reid and I will keep studying the geographic profile and see if we can figure something out. Stay focused. We're no use to JJ if we let our emotions take control."