Elle recognized the red notebook on the news immediately. Jennifer Jareau was holding it up in the air. Elle could see the exhaustion in the features of all the profilers standing alongside the blonde media liaison.
The notebook had belonged to Jenny Atkins. Elle knew they'd find this trail eventually, but she had planned on that. Using a wig and a different name, even using different colored eye lenses made her almost impossible to recognize.
''We're looking for a woman in her mid 30's with short blonde hair and light blue eyes. She is known to go by the name Manny Winterbottom, but we assume that is an alias'' Jennifer Jareau said aloud.
So, Penelope Garcia had indeed not found anything on Manny Winterbottom, or perhaps she had merely found the elderly woman that had died and whose name she had taken during that time.
They were smart, but she was smarter.
She had moved a few cities further away than planned after her run in with her former coworker, and former friend, Spencer Reid two days ago.
Elle had put her long brown hair up in a long braid so that she could easily place her new wig. Red curls this time. She applied a light layer of makeup: that was what he liked, before reaching for the bag under her hotel bed.
The cold leather felt heavy in her hand once she stood outside the hotel building, she could hear her boots' loud thuds on the pavement as she walked along the busy street.
She had booked the hotel as near to Bill McHale's house as possible so that she could move in and out as swiftly and discretely as possible. Once the BAU had caught on to her trail she'd be long gone.
She made eye contact with an attractive young man, her eyes landed on his smile. He nodded curtly, and she returned the gesture. In another life she would've taken him to her hotel room. But she had a job to do.
Her fist landed on his front door with a thud, another thud when she lifted her hand again. The old man opened the door annoyed, but his features relaxed when his eyes landed on Elle's cleavage.
Elle fought the urge to roll her eyes as she followed the man into his apartment, she could see he had money when she eyed the furniture that was located in the living room. ''My wife picked it out'' he shrugged, and Elle's eyes wandered to the picture on the wall.
A blonde woman was leaned against the old man's arm in the picture, she must be at least twenty years younger than him.
''Where's your wife now?'' asked Elle as she graciously accepted the drink he offered her, pushing a red curl behind her ear as she did so. A gesture that made Bill's cheeks fluster.
''At some spa retreat with her friends'' Bill said before taking a seat in the chair next to the fire place, he groaned as he sank down in the chair. He let his whiskey glass rest on his stomach as he eyed Elle intently.
''Your name is Rosa, right?'' he inquired, ''yes'' smiled Elle sweetly, blinking a few times.
''You're very sexy Rosa, I like your tits'' he dryly said, as if he were talking about the furniture. But men like Bill usually see women as their property and like to treat them as their furniture.
''Oh, well thank you Bill'' laughed Elle, her laugh was a hollow, exhausted one. It was the laugh of someone that was tired, but not tired from lack of sleep. Tired of being a person on this earth, tired of living in the world we live in.
''I'm sure we'll be able to satisfy each other'' he hiccupped, ''my wife is always pleased with my actions''. Elle fought the urge to laugh at those words, she looked from a picture of his wife back to Bill. The wife was faking it for sure.
''I'm looking forward to it Bill'' smiled Elle as she rested the edge of the glass against her lips, she pretended to take a sip of her drink before allowing the glass to rest on her knee again.
The silence surrounded them for a while and Elle took that as an opportunity to look around the room, her eyes wandering from expensive piece of furniture to another expensive piece of furniture.
''Your wife has wonderful taste'' Elle nodded politely when she realized Bill was following her every move. ''Have you heard of those murders?'' he asked, not even attempting to reply to Elle's remark about his wife.
Elle felt as though someone dropped a bucket of ice water over her and she made sure to sit on her hands, so it wasn't obvious how much they were shaking when her eyes landed on Bill again ''murders?''.
''All these men getting killed, they think it's someone like you'' Bill said, Elle fought the urge to disagree. She had watched every segment of news regarding these murders and none had mentioned a call girl just yet.
''That's awful'' Elle whispered, her hand clasped in front of her mouth. ''Why would anyone do that….'' her eyebrow arched ''…murder someone''. She added the last two words as if they were words that weren't allowed to be spoken about.
''They said on the news she was a blonde, so we're in the clear'' shrugged Bill, seemingly satisfied with Elle's feigned shock. ''There's no pain tonight, only pleasure'' winked Elle, even though the opposite was true.
She felt it was time, Bill had entered dangerous territory with his question about the murders, so she needed to get out sooner, rather than later.
''Speaking of pleasure'' whispered Elle as she made her way over towards Bill, her lip caressed his ear as the smell of cigarettes and alcohol crawled up her nose.
Elle moved her finger along the buttons of his blouse as she felt his breath stall, his arousal noticeable at the first touch. He wrapped his hand around her wrist and led her hand down the zipper of his trousers.
Elle chuckled, even though she was extremely uncomfortable and did not trust Bill in the slightest. She never trusted any of the men she murdered, but a few stood out in their demeanor. Bill was one of them.
''Not so fast handsome, we have all night'' she said before freeing her hand from his grasp, she could see his hand print would leave a mark around her thin wrist.
''but I want you'' he growled, and Elle noticed the anger behind his arousal immediately. She had to work fast. This could get dangerous.
''How about I tie you up… and you watch as I undress…before I straddle you'' Elle smirked, her smile devious when she noticed the hesitant breaths that Bill let out as he let his mind go over Elle's suggestion.
''Fine…. But you're not tying me up'' he said before standing up, Elle realized he towered over her. He was twice her size ''I want to use my hands. I paid good money for this Rosa. I want my money's worth''.
Elle retreated another step until the hand behind her back landed on her heavy leather bag, she reached for some kind of weapon as her eyes were still Bill.
''Okay, as you wish. Unbutton my blouse'' urged Elle, knowing she'd be able to reach the vein in his neck if he leaned forward.
Bill, his eyes wide with arousal, leaned forward as planned. He had just unbuttoned the second button when Elle plunged the scalpel into the vein in his neck.
Bill yelped, he screamed and flailed his arms around. His hand hit Elle's face with full force and she could feel warm blood on her lips a few seconds later.
''You crazy fucking bitch'' he yelled, but Elle had overpowered him by stabbing him in the neck. What he made up in size, she just took down by stabbing him in the neck.
It would be at least five more minutes until he was unconscious noted Elle when she watched the blood flow alongside his body.
He was getting paler by the second and he was staggering as he tried to make his way to the hallway, yelling as loud as his body allowed him to.
But Elle had regained her strength, lifted her arms, turned and smiled satisfied when her foot hit Bill in the chest.
His head hid the edge of the fireplace first, knocking him unconscious before his head landed in the flames.
Elle just stood there and watched, she watched as the flames licked Bill's face. She was only partially aware of the pain in her body and the blood dripping from her nose down to her chin.
Once she was sure Bill was dead, she started cleaning up. First herself, she was covered in her own blood but also in Bill's blood. She filled the bag with the towels she used before wiping everything she touched.
Her head was screaming in pain when she walked back to the hotel, she had reached a new form of exhaustion. The one where she didn't necessarily want to die, but she didn't want to live either.
She had reached the point where she was too exhausted to do something about it herself, but if a car were to hit her right now; she wouldn't be sad about it.
Elle reached for her phone when she entered her hotel room, her hand shaky and bruised as she dialed Evelyn's number.
''I need you'' she stammered, ''I'm tired Eve.. I don't know if I can do this anymore''.