This takes place during 5x15: Public Enemy. Some episodes may be out of order, or missing all together as I may reformat a bit to fit my storyline better.
On the jet...
"Why is he using a knife? Guns assure the highest number of fatalities. If all he's interested in is quantity, he could be doing this more efficiently." Emily pointed out as she walked back to her chair.
"He could be training." JJ suggested. "Spree killers often do dry-runs before they start their rampage."
"The knife could also be for its dehumanizing factor. He doesn't have to face his victims while slashing their throats. And it has a sense of finality; there's practically nothing to be done to save someone once his throat's been slit like that." Amalya suggested.
She saw Hotch nod his agreement. "They've usually lost control by the time they kill."
Morgan's voice filtered through her voice as she studied the crime scene pictures before her. It wasn't until she heard Hotch assign crime scenes did she look up.
"I'd like to take a look at the church if you don't mind," Rossi asked, and Hotch nodded. "Good. Take Amalya with you." He added, before she could request it herself.
Inside the church...
"It happened right here," the priest pointed to the pew where the captain was sitting.
"You told the police you weren't sure when the UNSUB walked in?" Rossi wondered.
The priest sighed in defeat as he shrugged his shoulders. "Yes."
They walked the length of the church with the priest as he walked them through the events.
"You know most of you parishioners on sight?" Rossi wondered.
"Yes." The priest confirmed.
"But not the UNSUB, right?" Rossi sought confirmation.
"No," he sighed sadly. "I don't know how I could've missed him."
Rossi realized that the priest carried the guilt of not seeing the UNSUB. So, he walked the priest through the Collins family's entrance all the way to the murder.
"Once they were settled, could you see them?" Rossi asked him.
The priest cocked his head to the side as he gave his tearful answer. "No."
"Then let yourself off the hook, Father. If you couldn't see the Collins family, you couldn't see the killer."
The priest left them both to their own accords, and they walked back to the designated pew.
"So, he blends into the crowd, doesn't stand out." Amalya thought out loud. "He's probably not someone the priest knew, doesn't have anything special about his appearance the priest might notice; a tattoo or a scar. And the bloodiness of his actions provides the perfect distraction for him to simply slip away unnoticed." She continued as Rossi acted out the scene with her.
"And he has to be quiet enough to get close to an Army captain, and that's no easy task." Rossi added.
"Could also be why he's using a knife. It's silent, easier to disguise, more efficient in close quarters. Especially if he wanted to slip out without anyone noticing him." She agreed.
"So, if the bloodiness of the situation is his priority, then he's not a spree killer. Spree killers are usually about the number rather than the singular," he stated thoughtfully.
"But the victimology is all over the place, they have nothing in common. So, it can't be about that." She concurred.
"Yes. But something else can be attacked," he realized, and she frowned at the gleam in his eyes.
"What do you have in mind?" she asked.
"Let's go meet Emily. If my suspicions are correct, I'll explain."
Back at the precinct, they stood around as they delivered the profile.
"But even how he kills tells us something. Slashing a throat is a messy, visual act. It's designed to create attention, just like a fire." Rossi stated.
"He doesn't have any distinctive marks on him, so when the chaos of the situation ensues, it provides the perfect distraction for him to slip away unnoticed. The knife he uses is his way of dehumanizing them. He doesn't see them as people." She added.
"Arsonists are often mission based. They need to make sure their first fire has burnt out before they set another one. They're also highly disciplined and focused. If conditions aren't right to set a fire or, in this case, slash a throat, they'll move on." Reid continued.
"In addition to his need to kill, he has self-control. He has a short cooling off period because he's enjoying what he's doing. This in turn feeds his ego and keeps him covering his tracks." Came Hotch's voice from her right.
"This makes him even more dangerous. If he gets frustrated, encounters too many obstacles, or suffers a blow to his narcissistic ego, he could go on an all-out rampage." Rossi stated just as Detective Moreland's phone started vibrating, and Hotch's piercing ringtone sounded.
Rossi cut himself off when he saw Hotch answer his phone. "The press is leaving." JJ's grave voice came through the phone.
"He's killed again." Hotch announced darkly.
"Yeah. Farmer's market." Detective Moreland's voice provided the information.
"The press is already on their way." Hotch stated.
"We could use that, feed his ego." Rossi suggested. "He'll want to stay and watch."
Back at the precinct after Officer Liddy's death...
"We profiled that he was mission oriented, and this kill doesn't fit that pattern." Hotch spoke calmly to the upset officer.
"The murder of officer Liddy is a significant departure, even for someone as unpredictable as this UNSUB." Reid added.
"This was a murder of self-preservation; just to get away." Emily commented.
"This location is not his M.O; secluded with no audience, stabbing not cutting," Rossi listed.
"So?" Officer Gardella snapped.
"So, he's out there prowling the streets looking for another victim so the city would pay attention to him." Rossi explained, and the officer finally realized that the gravity of the situation went beyond him killing a cop.
"He's getting bolder; shorter cooling off periods. And if he managed to get this close to a cop; then forget about simply looking mundane. He looks unassuming; like someone you wouldn't spare a second glance in a situation like this." Amalya stated.
"Think of it as if Dr. Reid or Agent Dawoud were the UNSUB, especially Agent Dawoud. She's a force to be reckoned with, but you wouldn't guess she is at first glance." Morgan elaborated, and Officer Gardella scoffed in disbelief. "Trust me you wouldn't want to underestimate her. And that's exactly our point; if she looks this deceptive to you, then so will he. So, you shouldn't let your guard down around anyone just because they don't look it."
"You've been handed a list of locations that we think might be of particular interest to the UNSUB." Hotch intervened. "We're asking you to double, even triple your surveillance in these areas," he continued, and Detective Moreland nodded his approval, before he turned towards his men. "Keep your wits about you guys." He instructed.
"Detective, we'd like to speak to you." Hotch requested, the underlying request evident in his tone.
"Sure." Moreland said, before he dismissed his men.
"Hotch." Amalya called as they all left for the pretend vigil at the hospital. Hotch lingered back to put some distance between them and the team. Hailey was right about her; she was a lot like him. And it helped him understand her, and establish a rapport with her quicker than he did with previous members of the team. So, he knew that if she wasn't presenting a theory to the team, that it may not have much ground to stand on, and she didn't want to throw them off the track until she had enough evidence.
"What if his mission is not just retaliation against the city?" she started.
"Go on." He encouraged.
"His anger against his father has been boiling over for decades, and he snapped when parole became an option. What if he's trying to get as many kills under his belt before that happens?" she wondered.
"You think he wants to go to jail?" he sought confirmation.
"Not necessarily. I think he wants to get close to him. Like you said; somebody has to pay." She elaborated.
"He wants to kill his father, and his best option at doing that is inside." He realized, and she nodded.
"I'll warn the DA when we catch him, but beyond that there isn't much we can do." He told her, and she nodded.
"I know. But what I'm worried is, if he sees us coming, realizes we're about to get in the way of his mastermind, and slips from our grasp…." She trailed off.
"He'll be more unpredictable than before." He finished for her, and she nodded grimly.
"I need you on higher grounds. Like Morgan said, you look unassuming enough that I'm hoping you'll fool him. If it gets too hairy, deal with the situation as you see fit." He instructed her, and she nodded.
When they got to the hospital, they realized that 'higher grounds' were easier said than done. The only thing that could qualify was the roof, and she still wouldn't be in total control. She gave her surroundings a quick look around, and saw a tree. The leaves on its branches were heavy and would provide enough cover for her, and its branches were thick enough for her to sit upon without breaking under her weight. She touched Hotch's arm gently, as she signaled with her head towards the tree. He frowned at it for a moment, but she'd already jogged over to it. He watched in amazement as she scaled it in seconds, and disappeared behind its bushes.
"Where did you find her?" Detective Moreland commented in awe.
"Egypt!" Hotch deadpanned, and the detective whipped around in disbelief. But at the lack of humorous expression on Hotch's face, he said. "Worth every penny I bet."
Hotch simply looked ahead and watched the people of the community gather around the hospital entrance. If only Moreland knew!
"You think this will work?" Detective Moreland wondered.
"It should. We shifted the public's focus from Conner to his victim; it should make him angry enough to show up and try to do something about it." Hotch answered.
Just then, both Gardella's and Amalya's voices rang in Hotch's earpiece announcing they have a visual on the suspect. She quickly pulled her gun, before she took her aim. Though she wasn't aiming it at O'Brian…. or at least not yet.
Once he took off running after Morgan called out his name, she kept the gun aimed at a certain spot. After all, that's exactly what she calculated for. And as soon as his foot hit that spot, she fired. The shot startled O'Brian, and he fell. Allowing Morgan to catch up with him, and pin him to the ground.
"She missed!" Officer Gardella growled – almost in frustration – when she jumped down from the tree. Hotch – who easily noticed the snide undertone in his comment as a retort for Morgan's earlier statement about her – threw the comment over his shoulder as he walked by him. "She doesn't miss."
Back on the jet, the team huddled around the First Communion card as they took turns signing it, and talking about the older O'Brian.
"There are lots of ways that sons defeat their fathers." Hotch pointed out, as he gave a fleeting sideway glance at Rossi, before he averted his eyes all together.
Amalya frowned slightly at the almost imperceptible undertone, at the look in his eyes that she was only able to get a fleeting glimpse of. Clearly there was more to the story than he let on. But judging by how he completely avoided looking anyone in the eye as he spoke, she guessed that no one knew. Maybe Rossi did, since he looked at him briefly. And she wasn't fooled by Rossi's nonchalant demeanor, she saw the slight shift in his eyes towards Hotch when he spoke. But no one else seemed to notice. On the contrary, Reid immediately jumped in with how he kept getting PhDs to prove his father wrong.
She snapped out of her reverie at JJ's comment.
"Aren't we all descendants of the good guys though?" she countered, and JJ frowned at her. "What do you mean?"
"We're all descendants of those who survived on Noah's ark; good people who believed in God and worshiped him. And yet, somehow humanity has managed to descend into this skuzzy hellhole of morality." She elaborated.
"That's a fair point." Rossi agreed.
"You know O'Brian committed his crimes in the same jurisdiction as his father," Morgan stated. "It's only a matter of time before he's put in the same prison." He added, and Amalya looked over at Hotch. They hadn't told the team about her theory.
A couple of days later; Hotch received the phone call that taught him to never again doubt any theory Amalya had.
"Thank you, Detective Moreland. I appreciate the call." He said into the phone, before he hung up, and looked over at the bullpen. He saw Amalya getting up to make some coffee, and decided to make use of the empty kitchenet. He left his office and walked over to her. He found her humming something softly to herself as she stood over the small Bunsen flame she brought over to make coffee on; the same kind she made in his apartment when they were working Foyet's case together. Albeit it being begrudgingly on his part. But he did remember how good the coffee was.
She looked up when she felt movement beside her, the smile she had disappearing at the sight of the grave look he had. "Everything okay?" she asked.
"I just got off the phone with Detective Moreland," he said.
She nodded in understanding. "Ah. He got to his father, didn't he?" it wasn't really a question, but Hotch nodded nonetheless. "Well, I can't say I'm surprised, nor am I too upset about it. At least now we're sure that he'll never be paroled." She commented, and he nodded.
"Want a cup?" she asked, as she poured the warm liquid into a cup.
Hotch was about to deny, when the aroma filled his nostrils, and he found himself nodding. There was something enticing about the coffee that he simply couldn't deny…. or so he thought.