Chapter 53
Lucky
Freya's POV
Garcia was very happy when she came in. She met a guy! She didn't even tell me I just knew. Morgan said good morning and she said good morning right back. My eyes widened.
"Hold your brakes!" Morgan said.
I walked closer and he motioned for her to come back.
"Every day I say good morning to you and every day you say 'I'll show you a good morning hot stuff'. Everyday, but not today?"
"I hate profilers." she said.
I bit my lip to keep from laughing.
"Spit it out."
"Fine I met a guy."
"You did what? Where?"
"Coffee shop. Smoking hot, I fixed his computer and then he asked for my number."
Morgan was rather silent.
"And you just….."
"Gave it to him. Can you believe that? Complete stranger. Did I mention he was smoking hot?"
"Yeah, yeah you did. Okay, it happens."
"No, no it doesn't, not to me. Not like this."
"What are you talking about?"
"I'm not the kind of girl men see across the smoky bar and write songs about. That's Reid when he met Freya. Oh god…don't tell him I told you."
"Sweetheart…."
"It's okay I do fine. But it takes a minute."
"Okay so what's the problem? You think it's all happening a little too fast or something?"
"Yes, I don't know, maybe? What do you think?"
"I think you should always trust your gut so sure if he seems a little too smooth or maybe a little too smoking hot you should walk away."
JJ walked in then with a disturbed look on her face.
"Hey we got a bad one."
I walked up.
"How bad?"
"Florida."
I grimaced. We went to the round table and I sat beside Spencer as always.
"Bridgewater, Florida. Local girl Abbey Kelton, 19 left her parents' home to go to local junior college. She never came home. Three days later joggers found her, part of her, in a nearby park."
I covered my mouth with my hand and closed my eyes.
"What did that to her?" Emily asked.
"Bridgewater is off of I-75, which is often referred to as alligator alley, for reasons that are now apparent. Everything below the waist has been eaten." JJ said.
"Ah the circle of life." Rossi said.
"Suddenly I don't feel so bad about my alligator wallet." Emily said.
"Alligators didn't cut off her fingers, slit her throat or carve this into her chest."
I saw the picture and stopped breathing. Literally I stopped breathing.
"Hey Freya are you okay?!" JJ asked.
Spencer took my hand and put his other hand on my face.
"Freya, look at me. It's alright."
I started to breath and I looked at Spencer. Hotch looked very concerned and he felt it too.
"Freya if you need to sit this one out….."
"No. No I can do it I promise. I just haven't seen that is a while."
"An inverted pentagram?" Morgan asked.
I nodded.
"There was a bad group in Mexico when I was 17 and they killed a few of my cousins." I said.
They all nodded and I kept a tight hold on Spencer's hand.
"Locals believe the killing was committed by a satanic cult." JJ said.
"Some things never change." Rossi said.
"Killer satanic cults don't exist. They were debunked as a suburban myth." Emily told him.
Rossi was nodding and I smiled.
"What?"
"Rossi's the one who debunked them." Spencer said.
"Oh right, thanks."
I laughed and he shook his head.
"Cult or not, the killing was ritualized. This will turn serial if it hasn't already." said Rossi.
"So killer satanic cults don't exist, but satanic serial killers do?" JJ asked.
"Lasciate ogni speranza ch'entrate." Rossi said.
I agreed, but everyone else looked at him funny.
"Oh, well thanks for clearing that up." JJ said.
"Uh it's from Dante's Inferno." Spencer said.
"Abandon all hope ye who enter here." I finished.
He nodded and stroked my hand with his thumb.
"So that was a yes?" JJ asked.
"A big yes." Hotch answered.
We got on the jet and took off for Florida.
"We never found any evidence of a killer satanic cult. And in reality there are only two types of violent satanic criminals." Rossi told us.
"Uh type one is teen Satanists, assume the satanic identity to rebel. Minor crimes, theft, vandalism to churches and schools, symbols of authority. When combined with drugs and alcohol they may turn violent." I said.
"Yes in extreme cases." Rossi agreed. "Deadly. That was out of my book word for word." he said.
Freya smiled and took my hand.
"Oh trust us, we know." said Morgan.
"Killings are accidental, usually resulting from their hobby getting out of control. Killings don't turn serial…."
"Hey Reid."
I looked at Morgan and he looked at Rossi before passing his and across his neck. I looked at Rossi.
"Sorry."
"Okay so that's one type. What's type two?" Emily asked.
I kept my mouth shut on this one.
"The adaptive Satanist is the one you have to worry about. The typical serial killer rationalizing his fantasies, blaming them on outside forces."
"Like el Diablo." Freya said.
"Yes. He adapt satanic beliefs to fit his specific homicidal drives. He doesn't kill because he believes in satan. He believes in satan because he kills." said Rossi.
I was worried about Freya on this one.
Freya's POV
I felt it! I felt that little sliver of worry and concern.
"Well let's hope it's the teenagers. Whether you're religious or not the presence of satanic elements can effect even the most experienced investigators. Freya I want you to be careful and try not to use your ability too much, only when you have to. And we're not immune, so keep an eye on the locals and keep an eye on each other."
I nodded and squeezed Spencer's hand. He looked at me and I pushed my concern onto him.
"I hear you. Believe me I saw the Exorcist." said JJ.
"My mother took us to church every Sunday until I moved out. This whole devil thing doesn't spook me at all." Morgan said.
I could sense Spencer was going to sat something but he spoke before I could stop him.
"Maybe it's because you never truly bought the whole god part either."
I slowly looked at Morgan.
"No offense kid but you don't know what I believe in."
And he spoke again!
"Well I mean, logic dictates that if you believe in the one, you have to reconcile the existence of the other."
I slapped my hand to my face.
I NEED to start bringing duct tape with me in my purse or something.
"What?"
"When will you learn to keep your mouth shut mi amor?"
Rossi chuckled.
"People's reaction to Satan is what gives it appeal to these offenders. It has power and it would be a mistake to underestimate it."
When we landed in Florida Hotch, Spencer and Emily and I went to the medical examiner. The sight of the inverted pentacle so close made me shudder.
"We found Abbey's car at a gas station near her home. No sign of foul play. Dr. Fulton…."
We looked to the doctor.
"The gators got to her sometime during the night, her nose was broke at leas 48 hours prior."
"That's about the time of the abduction." I said.
Emily nodded.
"Blitz attack." Hotch said.
"What was the cause of death?" Spencer asked.
"Her throat, it was cut approximately eight hours prior to her death."
Spencer made a face.
"Sexual assault?" Emily asked.
"State of the body makes that impossible to determine." said the doctor.
"And the pentagram?" I asked.
"That was done post mortem." he answered.
I put my hand all over my chest, thankful this was not me but also feeling the pain of the poor girl in front of me.
"And the fingers?" Hotch inquired.
"All severed at the first knuckle."
Now I was playing with my fingers.
"When?" Hotch asked.
"I was unsure when the fingers were removed until I found this…"
He put a Petri dish in front of us.
"The contents of her stomach. The condition indicates that they were fed to her, just prior to her death."
"All 10 fingers." Spencer said.
I swallowed and looked away from the dish. I would hate to know what her parents were feeling right about now.
