It was late Sunday afternoon when the FBI jet landed at a small airport west of Miami. Garcia had called the team while they were in route and given them the information they needed concerning hunting and hunting licenses in the State of Florida and, when they disembarked, they found the requisite two black government SUVs parked on the tarmac waiting for them. A short drive down some quiet side streets brought them to the local police station where several officers were busy setting up a conference room for their use.
"Thanks for coming," the detective in charge told Hotch once the introductions has been completed. "I always knew something like this would happen sooner or later. Those gators are just too convenient a scapegoat."
"They'll eat just about anything," another detective added. "And nobody's the wiser."
"Have you found any more body parts?" Morgan asked.
"Not yet, but we're still looking," was the response. "Gators store food in underwater caches and then come back to it later after it has aged a while. That means we need to search a very large area of the swamp looking for their storage spots."
"It also means we have to use spotters as well as divers for the search," the second detective supplied. "We don't want the gators getting a second meal."
"Have you identified the victims?" Rossi questioned.
"We have been pulling missing persons reports for the past eight to ten weeks trying to narrow it down," was the reply. "And, we are still waiting on the DNA test results."
"What about suspects?" JJ asked. "You know the people around here. Is there anyone who stands out in your minds?"
"Several," the detective in charge told her. "But we don't have any real evidence against any of them and, as we don't have a time of death, we can't even check alibis."
"Okay," Hotch made his decision. "Blake and Rossi, why don't you go to the – " He looked detectives. "Where are the remains – the human remains?" he clarified.
"We turned them over to the county coroner," the detective in charge told him. "If you like, I can have one of my officers give your guys a ride over to the morgue."
"Thanks, we would appreciate that," Hotch told him.
"And, Morgan, you need to take a look at the reptile remains," Hotch continued. "See what the wildlife biologists can tell you. There might be something there."
"No problem," Morgan replied with a grin. "For a boy from the south side of Chicago, coming face to face with a full grown alligator will definitely be an experience."
"Even if the creature is already dead," Blake added with a grimace.
"JJ, you and I will start going over the missing persons files," Hotch concluded. "Maybe we can get the victim pool narrowed down some more before the DNA results come back."
"Garcia also sent us some names she came up with," JJ added. "If they aren't already on the local police's radar, we can add them to the list and take a look at them too."
"As for me," Cruz spoke up for the first time since they had landed. "I think I'll head out to talk with some people I know. Who knows what I'll find out?" He had his cell phone out and was busy pushing buttons as he walked out of the conference room.