Chapter Fifty-Four-Connecting the Dots
"The real voyage of discovey consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes."~ Marcel Proust
It was later that evening and Spencer and the rest of the BAU family was at the police station, going over the details of the case, including the latest murder. The remains of George and Jennifer Maxwell were found along the river's edge, along with those of their children Seth, age nine, Kaitlyn, age five, Hannah age two, and their dogs, Ambros, a Yorkie and Lucky, a Cocker Spaniel. Kaitlyn and Hannah succumbed to blunt force trauma to the back of their heads with an unknown object and the dogs were hung from a nearby tree by their leashes. Jennifer also fell prey to blunt force trauma, but the blows to her head differed to those found on her daughters. Seth was found several yards away in the bushes with bruises and scratchmarks all over his body.
He appeared to be beaten and received several intense kicks to the lower back, abdomen, and forehead. George was face down in the river with several stab wounds throughout his body. His throat was slashed, his head beaten against the rocks on the riverbed, and someone also cut away his genitalia. It didn't take long for law enforcement to find said genitalia, however, and that was just the cherry on top of this grisly, frightening sundae. George's genitals were found shoved into Seth's mouth and the coroner stated George's blood and tissue matter were found in the boy's stomach contents, suggesting he ingested some of it just prior to his death.
As if that wasn't bad enough, more was to come. Just past the bushes were the remains of another family. Gregory and Catherine Andrews were found in a bloody heap and it was obvious that their bodies were placed that way by the Unsub. Catherine's throat had been slashed, but the cause of death was multiple stab wounds to her chest and abdomen. Catherine's death was heart breaking in and of itself, but what made it even worse was the fact that she was seven months pregnant with a baby girl.
The remains of the unborn baby were found in the river weighed down by some rocks. The little girl was three pounds and about fifteen inches long. She had a wisp of blonde hair and blue eyes and reminded Spencer of a mini Lila. The sight of that limp, lifeless baby would haunt Spencer forever and didn't take an eideic memory to remember something like that.
Gregory was stabbed as well, but his wounds were much more extensive. The Unsub also used an object to repeatedly bash his skull and just as the previous men before him, his genitals had been removed. It didn't take long for law enforcement to find Mr. Andrews' genitals. They were found in the mouth of his fourteen year old son Kirk, who was found in the family tent with multiple stab wounds. His genitals were removed as well and were found in his father's mouth.
The body of Roslyn Andrews was in the tent as well, only her fate was less bloody then that of her brother and parents. The Unsub decided to show their gentler side by merely suffocating her with the same large teddy bear given to all children who stay at the campground. The family's French Bulldogs, Patches and Rollie, were found in the tent as well, having been bludgeoned. The BAU was looking at photographs of the deceased victims and discussing victimology. Despite the fact that they had been doing this job for many years, it was exceedingly difficult for them to look at the photos for any length of time. Hotch was solomn as always as he spoke.
"What the time of death?" he asked.
"It's still early, but the ME is putting the time of death between four and six o'clock," JJ replied. She was standing at the bulletin board, where copies of the photos were displayed.
"Mrs. Andrews had her throat slit, but cause of death was multiple stab wounds to the chest and abdomen. The fetus..."
"Amy," Spencer interrupted.
"Excuse me?" JJ asked, surprised by the interruption.
"The unborn child's name is Amy," Spencer said coldly. "a onsie with the campground's logo was purchased at the giftshop with her name on it. "it was found in a shopping bag in the family's tent."
"Amy was found in the river buried under a pile of rocks," JJ continued, not missing a beat. "her cause of death was asphyxia from drowning."
"Amy and Roslyn's deaths were tame in comparison to their parents and brother's," Prentiss said, trying not to grimace as she stared at the crime scene photos. "genital mutilation is one thing, but this is the first time I have scene an unsub stuff a father and son's genitals into each other's mouths."
"Typically penis removal is done by a sexual partner for revenge purposes," Rossi replied. "Lorena Bobbitt cut off her husband's penis, enraged because he allegedly raped her. In 1936, Sada Abe strangled her lover, cut off his penis, placed it in her kimono, and carried it around with her for a few days before turning it over to the police. His penis was last scene in a department store exhibition in 1949 and this incident was the basis of the film 'In the Realm of the Senses'."
"Okay, I so did not need to know that last part," Morgan replied, shuddering slightly and giving thanks for the safety and well being of his manhood.
"What's the matter, Morgan? Are you afraid one of the members of the Derek Morgan Heram might rebel?" Prentiss teased.
"I guess I'll just need to keep you close by to protect the boys and I," Morgan joked back, giving her a wink.
Everyone in the room shared a chuckle except for Spencer, who continued study the photos intently. The pain of the victims always got to him, especially since he knew a bit about how they felt, but they were getting to him even more. When he looked at the remains of Catherine and Amy Andrews, he automatically thought of his wife and daughter. The thought of anything happening to either one of them was more than he could bear and made him sick to his stomach. Hearing his colleagues making light of the victims' plight angered him and he had to excuse himself.
He stood quickly, pushing his chair to the side as he stormed out of the room. The team exchanged glances and Hotch followed after him. Spencer's long legs effortlessly carried him across the police station and before long, he was outside. The sun was starting to set and he stood on the steps, his hands in his pockets, trying to compose himself. It took Spencer all of one milisecond to realize he wasn't alone and he didn't need to be a certified genius to know the one who followed him was his solomn faced supervisor. The two men were silent until Hotch began speaking.
"When Jack was born, an array of contradicting emotions flowed through me. I felt powerful yet helpless, overjoyed yet terrified, at peace yet uncertain and full of panic. I was never more in love in my entire life and yet the evils of the world became all the more apparent. I wanted nothing more than to lock Jack in the attic to protect him from the world and yet I knew I couldn't. I knew that even though I couldn't protect him from all the dangers in the world, I could do my part to make this world safer for him and all children."
"Does it get any easier, Hotch-seeing images of hurt and killed children?" Spencer asked, unable to imagine a time in which such images would not affect him.
"It will never be easy, but in time you will be able to channel those feelings of disgust and fear into a determination to bring the people who do this to justice so they can't hurt anyone else," Hotch said, his intense gaze boring into his subordinent. Spencer finally turned around and allowed his gaze to meet Hotch's.
"Spencer, I know this is hard for you and if you want to sit this one out I'll understand," Hotch said, resting his hand on Spencer's shoulder.
"Thank you, Hotch, but I'm fine now," Spencer said.
"Are you sure? No one will think less of you if you choose to go back to Quantico."
"I know, but really, I'm much better now. Besides, I noticed a pattern," Spencer said, moving past his boss and hurrying back into the conference room.
The others were conversing amongst themselves when Hotch and Spencer returned to the room. The conversation immediately came to a halt and they looked at Spencer with interest as he approached the bulletin board and picked up a black marker.
"The Jones family has no bearing on this case. They were just used as a red herring," Spencer replied.
"What about the grudge Bill and Sharon had against Gloria for kicking them out of their house and defaming them to perspective renters?" Prentiss asked.
"And is the situation as clear cut as Bill is making it seem?" Morgan asked. "take it from me, every evicted tenent thinks their landlord is Satan."
"Well, in this case it's true because Gloria had no basis for eviction," Spencer replied. "Bill and Sharon paid their rent on time every month, law enforcement was never called except for the day they were evicted, and they got along with their neighbors. Gloria kicked them out of the house so her son and his family could move in."
"Bob and his family did move in a week after the eviction," Prentiss pointed out.
"If Gloria was so against 'outsiders' living in the house, why rent it out in the first place?" JJ asked.
"Bob's younger brother, Oliver, lived in the house with his wife and daughter five years ago but moved out when he and his wife had quintuplets," Spencer replied. "after they vacated the premesis, their sister Gloria, or Gigi as she is known, and her husband took possession of the residence. After the birth of their second child, they moved into a bigger place. The house then remained vacant until it was rented to the Joneses."
"And based on the financial records Garcia dug up on the family business, they need all the money they can get," Rossi replied. "the economy has really taken its toll on the family business. They were forced to close their location in Holly and this one isn't far behind. They already have a $50,000 loss so far and the year isn't even over."
"Do Bill and Sharon's alibis check out for the times of the murder?" Morgan asked.
"Garcia checked hospital records and Liam Jones was at William Beaumont Hospital for two weeks and witnesses say Bill never left his son's side," Spencer replied. "and he was talking to me during time frame in which the other two families were murdered."
"What about Sharon?" JJ asked. "was she at the hospital as well?"
"No. The past two nights she has had meetings with her boss Nathan Rogers, a local businessman," Spencer said.
The team exchanged glances and Rossi spoke. "I suppose the second job could explain why the family is able to pay $10,000 a year for their youngest child's special school, despite the fact they are struggling to make end's meat," he said.
"Tuition for the next year was paid in full from an account in Mr. Rogers' name and a bank teller can confirm he is the one who authorized the transaction," said Spencer. His heart went out to the Jones family and he couldn't imagine the pain Bill and Sharon must feel for being unable to support their family. He didn't know what he would do if he was in that situation.
"It also looks as though Mr. Rogers is paying the hefty medical bills for Liam and Melanie as well," Prentiss said, looking at the paperwork.
"Is Mr. Jones aware of this situation?" Morgan asked Spencer.
"He mentioned his wife was in a late night meeting, but he didn't appear to know about the affair. All he could think about was his children and legal dilemmas," Spencer said.
"You said you saw a pattern with the victims?" Hotch asked Spencer.
"Yes, right," Spencer said, taking the lid off of a black marker. "I have actually noticed more than one, but we'll start at the beginning."
Spencer began writing on the board and the team watched with interest as the names of the victims began to emerge: Maggie, Grayson, Colby, Shannon, Theresa, Dolton, Fifi, Jennifer, George, Seth, Kaitlyn, Hannah, Ambros, Lucky, Catherine, Gregory, Kirk, Roslyn, Amy, Patches, Rollie.
"Is anyone seeing what I'm seeing?" Spencer asked the team, excitement flowing through his veins as it all became so obvious.
"Some of the names begin the with the name letters," Prentiss said.
"Precisely," Spencer said, matching the names in common. "in all of the murders, the victims were linked by a name starting with the name letter. For example, Shannon and Seth both begin with an "S" and Catherine and Colby began with a "C"."
"Grayson, George, and Gregory begin with "G"," JJ added. Spencer nodded and continued writing.
"There's Amy and Ambros, Kaitlyn and Kirk," Hotch replied.
"The families also have the same make up: a mother, father, three children, and two dogs," Rossi added. "this could mirror the Unsub's own family, which could have been taken from them somehow."
"There are two girls and one boy in each family as well," Morgan added.
"How did the Unsub manage to subdue two families at once?" Rossi asked. "are we sure we are only looking for one person?"
"The Maxwell family was murdered while taking a walk along the river's edge," Spencer said. "the ME places the time of death between four and six o'clock, which is when we were gone from the site and the campground was having its usual wagon ride for the children. The horses were towards the front of the campsite and the river is in the far back, so that explains why no one heard the families's screams."
"Why weren't the Maxwells and Andrews at the Wagon ride?" Prentiss asked.
"Kaitlyn is allergic to horses and Roslyn had a cold," Hotch replied. "the clerk at the gift shop remembers selling Mrs. Andrews a bottle of over the counter cold medicine about half an hour before the murders."
"But how could one person subdue all of these people?" Rossi repeated.
"Well, we know only one Unsub was present at the murder site since there is only one set of footprints unaccounted for at all of the crime scenes," Spencer began. "besides, looking at the causes of death, it was rather simple for the Unsub to subdue the families. Kaitlyn and Hannah's cause of death was blunt force trauma to the back of their head. The Unsub could attack them without alerting the parents if the object was attached to a long handle..."
"Like a golf club," Prentiss said, thinking of the put put course located on the campground.
"Exactly," Spencer said. "the unsub could have hidden in the bushes, waiting for the opportunity to strike. Kaitlyn is allergic to horses, so the Unsub knew the family wasn't going to be at the wagon ride. The Harrisons keep track of all the activities the campers participate in, so it would have been documented that the Maxwells were going for a walk along the river."
"Well, that explains the girls, but what about the rest of the family?" JJ asked.
"The footprints indicate that Seth was walking a few feet ahead of Kaitlyn and Hannah when the attack occured, so by the time they heard their daughters cry out, it would have been too late. It wouldn't take a great deal of strength to kill two little girls. The dogs were also struck with the golf club, even though their cause of death was from hanging from the trees. George then confronts the Unsub, who then pulls out of a knife and stabs him. With George immobilized, that just leaves Jennifer and Seth. The Unsub then strikes Jennifer with another object, my guess is one of the larger tree branches or a rock. Seth had several defensive wounds on his body, so it's clear he fought back and our Unsub would have wounds on their body as well."
"I wonder if Seth was trying to protect his parents," Rossi said.
The team looked over at him, so he continued. "It would explain the extensive amount of defensive wounds on his body, as well as the genital mutilation. The Unsub might have placed the genitals into the victims' mouths because they were trying to defend each other. The Unsub didn't do that with Colby Smith, so the Unsub must have thought of Seth as a man. Mutilation of the penis has symbolic significance. Since that part of the body is a symbol of masculinity, among other things, removal is a way of emasculating the victims. The Unsub might feel emasculated in their own life, or know a man they think isn't masculine."
"The Andrews family was in a campsite not far from the river," Rossi added, "so Catherine and Gregory must have heard the family's cries for help, so they must have gone to the river to help them."
"That seems irresponsible for a heavily pregnant woman to place herself and her unborn baby in danger," JJ said.
"There's no way she and her husband could have known what was happening. For all they knew someone was drowning and needed help," Spencer said.
"The multiple stab wounds to Catherine's stomach could be a way for the Unsub of displaying his disgust at her lack of judgement," Morgan said. "and Catherine's death was the most brutal of all the mothers, so the Unsub must feel the most rage at her for this reason."
"The genital swap also occured with this family as well," Spencer pointed out. "Kirk was only fourteen, but the Unsub still thought of him as a man and was angry over him trying to protect his sister. I'm guessing Gregory was hit in the head with rocks from the river, due to their proximity to the crime scene and the easiness at which to dispose of the evidence."
"The Unsub has killed three families in a twenty-four hour time span and shows no signs of slowing down," Morgan said. "we have to narrow the list of potential victims and put surveilence on their campsites so we can catch this person."
"I already know the Unsub's next victims," Spencer replied.
"Of course you do. Would you like to share with the rest of the class?" Rossi asked.
Spencer ignored Rossi's comment and continued. "There is also a common link to these families. What did Grayson Smith do for a living?"
"He was an accountant," Prentiss said, pausing before continuing. "for a sale's company."
"George Maxwell was a successful insurance salesmen," JJ added.
"And Gregory Andrews was a pharmeceutical rep," Morgan said.
"As was Bill Jones," Prentiss said. "and some of the names of his family members tie in as well."
"And the Jones family and the Smith family both resided in Clawson," Hotch said.
"The Unsub must then be someone who has access to campground records," Spencer said, "since the campground tries to place families with common demoninators: family size, occupation, place of residency, etc, next to each other in hopes of creating a more comfortable and pleasant vacationing experience. Only someone with access to the records and the campground would know that the Maxwells and the Andrews were not at the wagon ride."
"And only that person would have known the Smith family had left the festivities on the night of the murder," Rossi concluded.
"So the person we're looking for is obviously a member of the Harrison family," Morgan replied.
"So who are the next victims?" Prentiss asked Spencer.
"They are a family that socialized with the Smiths prior to their murder and have the same family make up: mother, father, three children, and two dogs," Spencer said.
The team exchanged glances before Prentiss said it out loud. "The Churchills," she said, referring to the fmaily who found the Smith's family remains.
"But the Churchills have two boys and a girl, not one girl and two boys," JJ said.
"True, but Trever has long hair, so at first glance he could pass as a little girl," Spencer pointed out. "besides everything else fits. Franklin pairs with Fifi, Lily with Lucky, Michael with Maggie and Maxwell, and Trever with Theresa. Lily even pairs with Roslyn, since they are both named after a type of flower. The dogs names are Glacier and Gigi..."
"Gigi is the nickname for Gloria Harrison's daughter," Prentiss said.
"And those are more "G" names," Hotch pointed out. "and her brothers-in-law were named Geoffrey, Gregory, and Gilbert."
"Bob's middle name is Grayson," Rossi said.
"And Kirk's name in English and Scandinavian means church," Spencer added.
"Which also ties in with the Churchills," Prentiss added.
"Spencer, excellent work," Hotch said, rising to his feet. The other team members followed suit and they hurried out of the conference room.
"Rossi and Reid, you're with me. JJ, I want you to continue handling the media coverage, and I want the rest of you at the Churchills' campsite. If Reid is correct I'm afraid we don't have much time."
Everyone went their separate ways and Spencer followed Rossi and Hotch towards Hotch's black SUV. As Spencer climbed into the backseat, he prayed that he was correct and that he had made the discovery in time.
