Chapter 1: A New Case

"Several victims of different genders and backgrounds are showing up all over the county," Garcia glanced down at the file in front of her before clicking the remote and moving to the next slide. "Cause of death was asphyxiation, and each had other signs of torture and abuse. The local police department has called asking for our help, so keep your bags at home, because we've got a local lunatic." She finished her introduction and firmly turned her back to the screen showing several maimed bodies.

"How do they know they're connected, besides the strangulation, baby girl?" Derek asked, twirling his pen between his fingers and resting it against his lips.

"I'm glad you asked, my chocolate Adonis," Garcia hit the remote again and a series of small images popped up. "If you look at the next page in your files, you'll see that each victim had a single typed word found in their pocket."

"That's unique," Rossi muttered under his breath while turning to the next page in the file to examine the pictures up close. The scraps of paper each had a different word typed in all caps. He read some of the words as his eyes skimmed the manilla page.

JADED.

REMOVE.

NOTICE.

And more.

"Why is he leaving the words? Is it a description of his victims or himself?" JJ mused.

"That is up to you to find out, crime fighters. I'm going back to my cave where I can look at pictures of smiling cats. Ta-ta!" Garcia grabbed her multi-colored folders and feathered pens then departed from the room with a light bounce to her step.

"Clearly he is trying to communicate with someone. Otherwise, he wouldn't feel the need to leave messages unless this is how he takes credit for the murders." Reid piped in. He peered around the circular table as he continued with the train of thought moving through his mind. "The words could mean a number of things, but it seems compulsive and necessary to the ritual."

"He's been getting away with this for a while. There are at least eight other victims that we know about," Emily pointed out. "He's crossed race, gender, and state lines. If it's taken this long to even connect the crimes, this screams organized killer."

"All the victims have been severely beaten and tortured- that could mean he needs something from them before he can kill them," JJ added, scanning the M.E. report from one of the victims.

"Or maybe he just gets off on the fear," Morgan countered.

Rossi closed his file and sat up in his chair. "We need to figure out what his end game is and what the words mean, otherwise more people are going to die."

Hotch nodded his head in agreement and closed his own file; he stood up and began to dole out assignments, his brow evenly furrowed.

"Reid, I want you to analyze the words and see if you can find anything that stands out or connects them. JJ and Morgan, I want you two to go to the latest dumpsite, see what you can get from there. Prentiss and Rossi, go to the M.E. and see if you can get any more information about the victims after their autopsies. I'll start going through victim backgrounds with Garcia to see if any of our victims are connected." Hotch ordered. The team started to gather the files in front of them, but before they could leave Hotch added, "I want to have the profile ready to present by the end of the day."

Morgan and JJ stepped through the woods and over obstructing barriers. JJ carefully concentrated on each step she took towards the taped-off crime scene. They weren't alone in the woods, other professionals trooped around, scattered and looking for any other evidence. But JJ didn't register their presence. It was as if the noise they made traveled between the trees and the gusty wind blew it away before it could ever reach her ears.

Morgan looked behind to see JJ stepping with trepidation and her eyes shellaced over. He tried to catch her attention and inadvertently questioned the one thing aimlessly running through her mind.

"You're not still scared of the woods are you?" He teased lightly.

The question caught JJ off guard and she sucked in deeply.

It was something about the woods, something in the vast and silent trees that exuded both peace and danger. A dissonance that didn't sit with JJ very well.

JJ's face flushed as she tried to ignore the truth behind his joke and play it off. She forced a smile and a witty response.

"Oh, and this year when Halloween rolls around you're not going to be hiding at home because it 'creeps you out', right?"

Morgan shook his head with a pearly white smile.

"Well played, Miss Pennsylvania Petite," He casually responded as they approached the taped-off area.

The body laid in the middle of a pasture between varying heights of towering trees, while also surrounded by uniformed police officers. The skin was already taking on a gray tint from the continued decomposition, resulting in a truly horrific smell. Something JJ wished she could say she hadn't gotten used to.

As she stepped closer and squatted next to the body, she brushed the hair blowing in her face behind her ears before getting a better look at their victim. She immediately lost her balance and fell back on the heels of her hands, her throat choking on the fresh air.

"What? What is it?" Morgan asked, reaching down and wrapping his arm around her bicep in support.

JJ shook her head and allowed Morgan to help her back to a standing position.

"I just- I guess I lost my balance," JJ stammered, not meeting Morgan's eyes.

Her eyes connected with the glazed lifeless ones below her. The man sported a well-sized pot belly, his face rounded out the white-guy-summer aesthetic and his hair looked a lot greyer than she remembered. If she hadn't seen the tattoo on his chest beneath his slightly unbuttoned shirt, she might not have recognized him at all.

If Morgan noticed the tightness behind her words, he didn't say anything, and for that JJ was grateful.

"Oh, okay," Morgan deadpanned, not sounding convinced.

She shot her eyes back at Morgan with a brief glance that said "leave it alone."

He gently nodded his head and pursed his lips, fighting the internal battle to get to the bottom of JJ's new and weird behavior. He moved his gaze back to the victim, running through his mental checklist of things to look for that he had learned over the years.

He pulled the gloves that had been dangling out of his back pocket and placed his hand in the left pocket of the victim. He slowly pulled out the scrap of paper that resembled the ones that had accompanied the other victims. He pulled at the flaps and flipped it over for JJ to see the newest word their unsub had left them.

The word seemed to stare straight at JJ.

JUSTICE

She pretended not to notice Morgan's look of concern as her complexion paled and she tensed like she was scared the word was going to jump off the paper and bite her.

"I'll text Reid the new word," JJ deflected, turning away from Morgan's prying eyes and pulled out her phone with trembling fingers.

Maybe she was overthinking it, or maybe somebody knew about the justice he had painfully received because of her actions. Or quite possibly, it meant something entirely different. Regardless, JJ couldn't stop the racing thoughts in her head. She tried to rationalize the situation. After all, if her brain could understand it and come to a conclusion, then there was nothing to fear.

Right?

Unfortunately, JJ recognized the victim. Knew him from a personal part of her past. He was somebody she hoped to never see again. And his death reminded her of how anxious she'd been to keep this part of her past, in her past. It wasn't in her file, not even Hotch knew. Evidently, she did not want to share this knowledge with the rest of the team. But something pesky inside her reminded her of her responsibility as an agent and even more so that she needed to say something, but JJ didn't entertain the thought for long. She was more concerned about how this man from states away could have ended up a victim in one of their cases.

Jennifer Jareau prided herself on her ability to remain in control, but right now it felt like the rug had been pulled out from under her. Her breath hitched like she'd been punched in the gut, and she still couldn't put her finger on the nagging anomaly this situation created.

And for that reason, she made the snap decision to pretend like she didn't know the dead man two feet from her. A decision she would likely regret later, but a decision she had already made, nonetheless.

JJ told herself she could mull over the unease later.

She slipped her phone back into her pocket, racking her brain to try and figure out who could have done this. Or, if she was even connected at all. Her heartbeat wildly as she hoped for the latter.

As her suspicion rose and a wave of anxiety slightly pinched her heart, the words kept repeating in her mind.

Was it a coincidence or did somebody know her secret?