Reid was seated on the BAU jet and looked across to see Morgan's eyes were closed as he listened to his music then glanced to the side to see Hotch reviewing case files. He looked at his phone and made the call.
Alex was laid out across the sofa asleep when she was awakened by her phone ringing. She glanced at the screen then answered with a groggy, "hey."
"Were you sleeping?" Reid asked.
"Yeah, I thought I would take advantage while I could. It's a long flight back."
"How did everything go with Hugh?"
"Well, let's just say that he believes me." Alex sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes.
"That's good. So, what's the plan?" Reid asked.
"We are going to San Francisco. We want to check out that Chinese restaurant that we used to go to on the off chance that it leads us to a clue."
"Us?"
"Well, I have a couple of tagalongs."
"Who?"
"Hugh, naturally. And also, a young little punk kid we used to know. Not sure if you remember him. He was always getting into trouble. He's taller now. Still has that sandy brown hair and a big nose, though. Might even be bigger than you remember."
Roman lowered his book. "I'm sitting right here."
Alex chuckled then turned back to her phone call. "You remember Paul Roman, don't you?"
"You mean the one you always called The Centurion?"
"That's the guy," she said stifling a yawn.
Reid let out a bellowed laugh, which caused the team to look up at him. "It certainly sounds like you're getting the gang back together."
"It feels that way. Any updates on your case?" she asked.
"We decided that we needed a look at things first-hand. So, we are splitting up and going to the different locations where the bodies were found across the Mexican border. Hopefully, we can discover something we have been missing."
"Well, depending on what we find, let's plan to meet up where your team is."
"That sounds good. Let me know what you find."
"You, too." Alex ended the call and placed the phone back down on the table. Just then the jet bounced as it hit some light turbulence. Alex planted her hands down on the table, and placed her feet flat on the ground then closed her eyes. "This is not happening."
"What's wrong?" Hugh asked.
Alex got up with her hand over her mouth and ran to the bathroom.
"That damn bug has been going around," Roman said.
"I had it myself last week," Hugh said. "She's been going non stop for days, no wonder why she got sick."
Hotch and Reid walked down the long corridor. They passed the Seal of Arizona mounted on the wall then turned into the coroner's office. Hotch pulled out his badge. "SSA Hotchner and this is Doctor Reid. I believe you were expecting us."
"Yes," the coroner said as he got up from his chair. He picked up the folder from his desk and moved toward a body covered with a sheet on the far table. "This is Susan Ward, twenty-five, cause of death was exsanguination due to a severed carotid artery. Her throat was slashed; she would have bled out in minutes."
"What can you tell us about the weapon that was used?" Hotch asked as he looked at the neck wound.
"It was most likely a large hunting or military knife."
"How does this victim differ from the other one?" Hotch asked.
The coroner moved to the next body. "This is Jim Martino, thirty-two. He was stabbed through the heart."
Hotch looked down at the report then back to the body. "Same knife?"
"It could be. We do have a casting of the knife used for Mr. Martino, but since the knife didn't fully penetrate Ms. Ward, I don't have enough to compare."
"Let's get all the information you have on the knife, including the casting to compare to the other cases.
Reid walked to the other end of the room, where several bags were on the table. "Are these her personal effects?"
"Yes, you should have been sent a list of them."
Reid opened the bag and dropped the contents onto the table. He looked through her wallet and purse. Lastly, he picked up her keys. "Hmm."
"What is it?" Hotch asked.
"There's a brand-new key on here, it wasn't cut."
"Let's get with her family and see if they can give us a list of the keys that she carried."
Reid went to the bag for Mr. Martino and dumped that out and grabbed the keys. He fiddled through the metal pieces then turned around, holding a brand-new gold key in each hand, one for each victim.
Hotch pulled out his phone and dialed.
"Command me, sire."
"Garcia, please get all of the team on the line."
"Quick as lightning," she said as she typed.
"What's up, Aaron?" Rossi asked as he answered.
"Go through the victim's personal effects and locate their keys. Let me know if something stands out," Hotch said.
A few moments went by as they searched through the articles in the evidence bags. JJ was first back on the line. "Uh, I have a car fob, looks like a small key to a mailbox or lock, and wait, there's a new, uncut key on this ring."
"Same here," Prentiss said. "A gold key just mixed in between the others."
"That's it, that's what's linking them," Reid said.
Hotch took one of the keys from Reid to inspect it. "Okay, let's wait a second. We need to check the rest of the victims to see if all of them have the key. Everyone send a picture of the key to Garcia. We need to know if there is anything special about that key."
"Done and done," Garcia said.
Reid put the keys back down on the table. "We found what appears to be the connection, but there's still another problem… why leave a key?"
A taxi pulled up in front of the Chinese restaurant, and Alex, Hugh, and Roman jumped out. She stood on the street and looked up to the top of the building then back to the entrance.
"Are we waiting for a personal invitation?" Hugh asked.
Alex let out a quick sigh. "No, I guess I just half expected something. Let's go in."
The three entered the quaint establishment and seated themselves at a table.
Roman picked up a menu. "We might as well eat as long as we're here. Does that sound okay, Alex?"
"Yes, my stomach finally calmed down. I should eat something," she said.
A waiter came by moments later and greeted them. Hugh glanced up to see that the waiter was staring at Alex. "We aren't ready yet," Hugh said in a dismissive tone. "Did you see that?"
"Yup," Roman said without raising his eyes from the menu.
"What?" Alex asked.
"Something's up. Just be on your guard," Hugh said.
The waiter went to the kitchen and went directly to an older woman who was chopping vegetables. "It's her. She's here."
"Who? Oh, her," the lady said. She put the knife down on the counter then wiped her hands on the towel hanging at her waist. She walked to the partition and looked through the opening and saw Alex. "That's her, all right."
"What do you want me to do?" the waiter asked.
"Nothing. I will take care of it." She put her hand on his chest and softly pushed him out of her way. She moved through the seating area directly to Alex. "Hello, ma'am."
Alex looked up to see the older lady looking down at her with a grin on her face. "Uh, hello."
"I have a message for you."
Roman moved his hand to his hip and then cocked his head toward Hugh, who nodded in return.
Alex adjusted herself in her seat. "Okay, what kind of message?"
The lady reached into her pocket, and the trio at the table grew tense. The lady pulled out an envelope and handed it to her. "You will find what you are looking for in the apartment upstairs. The details are in the envelope." The lady gave a small bow and went back to the kitchen.
The three of them huddled around the table as she examined the envelope. There was no writing on it. She slid her finger under the flap and ripped it open. She pulled out a folded paper. When she opened it, a key fell onto the table. She then read it.
"The information you seek is in the apartment upstairs."
They got up from the table and made their way out of the building. They turned around the side and opened the door. Alex went first up the stairs. She stopped at the landing and looked back to the key with a label of the room number written on it. She looked up at the door to find a match. "Well, here goes nothing." She opened the door and they all stepped into the apartment.
Roman removed his black-rimmed glasses. "I don't know what I was expecting but it sure wasn't that."