After returning from lunch, Reid and Riley joined the everyone in the conference, getting right to work. They explained everything they learned from Sarah Neilson, however little it was. Reid explained how her injuries varied from those of the previous victims. The others had clean, efficient cuts. But Sarah's was sloppy, indicating he had a bit of a problem when it came time to kill her. Why, though, was still a mystery.
Time got away from them. The sun eventually disappeared and evening had set in. Just after 8 o'clock, a lose, unofficial profile had been formed. Disorganized, just like the number of files littering the desk, mixed in with the crumpled balls of paper and empty coffee cups.
"Something's not right." Rossi shook his head, standing up to look over the notes written on the white board. "This evidence doesn't make any sense... it's almost like a second person is killing the inferior victims."
"But there's nothing else to indicate it's a killing team." Hotch added. "It has to be one person. Now, according to Garcia's research, every single couple had a run in with the Grislow. But they weren't all negative."
"The first couple was just considering the hotel for their wedding reception." Garcia said, indicating her notes. She stifled a yawn as she continued. "The Abignales were intending to stay there when their friends lent their apartment out to them, canceling their reservation. The others had a few complaints about service in the restaurant, which is opened to the public."
"So everything goes back to your hotel." Morgan noted, looking to Reid. "That would suggest the unsub works there, or perhaps has a job that's connected to the hotel."
"Like a delivery man?" Eden wondered. "How would an outside job get into the hotel?"
"That could be our two person theory. Perhaps an accomplice drugs the female while the male is away, lets the unsub in and he does the job. We need to look into the entire staff, find anyone related or involved with someone who does a job for the hotel."
All Garcia wanted to do was drift into a bed and sleep. "In the morning, sir?"
Hotch looked to the entire group, "I know we're all tired, but the unsub could strike another couple tonight. We need to figure this out now. Garcia will run the searches on the Grislow staff, Bradbury and I have a conference call with a few of Mr. Neilson's colleagues in Dublin, we're hoping they can give us a clue about him and his wife that matches the other couples. Eden and Paul are working with a few other officers to watch the hotels. If another attack happens, they'll be close enough to maybe catch our killer before he gets away. The rest of you, stay on the profile."
"Hotch, we've been working on this for hours." JJ grumbled. "And Garcia was up all night, we all need a break."
"Yeah, maybe we should start over at first light." Morgan agreed.
Hotch let out a sigh. "I know we're all tired, but we have to get ahead of this guy. We're better than this. He shouldn't be eluding us, we are missing something. And we need to work until we find it." He saw all the tired, frustrated people around him. Forcing them to work until they solved the puzzle wasn't going to get any results. A relenting sigh, he changed his mind. "Okay, just... work for a few more hours. If you're not done by midnight, we can regroup in the morning."
They could handle that, silently agreeing. JJ moved to stand up. "I'll order dinner while we take a 30 minute break. It might help if we step away from this for awhile."
"Good idea," Hotch said, getting out of his chair. He looked across the table, "Reid," he called, interrupting him as he was about to say something to Riley. He looked up, startled. "Can I speak to you for a moment?"
Giving a nod, Reid followed Hotch out of the room. Everyone else was starting to stand, grateful to at last stretch their legs. Garcia stepped out with JJ, a coffee cup in hand. Bradbury was speaking with Paul as they left, but Eden didn't leave straight away. Her eyes landed on Morgan, unable to ignore his form as his arms reached over his head, loosening his muscles. She casually made her way over to him.
"It's going to be a long night," She mentioned. Emily pretended to rearrange her notes as she listened, just two seats away. "Are you sure you're up for it?"
"Yeah, we've pulled long nights before." He grinned. Morgan leaned down, lowering his voice a bit, giving their conversation an intimate feel. "I'm kind of expert on long nights."
Eden emitted a playful giggle. "Is that a fact? I hope I get to experience that first hand before you leave."
"I'd say your odds are pretty good." He lightly brushed a finger down her cheek.
She bit her lip in anticipating way, "Brilliant. You have a good night, Agent Morgan."
"You, too, Inspector." He spoke so melodically, watching as she stepped away. Eden took a quick glance at him before she reached the door, stepping out.
By the time she left, Emily wasn't even trying to pretend she wasn't listening. Her eyes were fierce with passion and jealousy. So enrapted, she hadn't realized someone else was focused on her.
"Are you alright?" Riley asked, her hand resting on her arm to get her attention.
Emily practically jumped out of her skin, turning with shock towards Riley. "Yeah..." she finally muttered. "Why, do I look like something's wrong?"
"No, you look like you want to slap the smile off that British chippy's face." Riley smirked as she muttered. Morgan was far enough away by now, he hadn't heard a word. Within a moment, he stepped out the door and the girls were alone. "What's going on with you and Morgan?"
"You know, you and your husband are already so alike." She mumbled. "I'm going to say this only one more time. There is nothing going on between me and Morgan anymore."
"Anymore?" Riley muttered, confused.
"At all." She corrected. "Since our..." she checked around her, just to be certain they were completely alone, "little indiscretion over a year ago, nothing has happened between us. Morgan and I are just friends... if even that."
"Okay," Riley answered, not in the least bit convinced. "You know if you need to talk about it... you can trust me. I kept your secret before, and, if I knew what was going on-"
"Sweetie, nothing is going on." She urged. Her rough exterior seemed to have lifted. Emily let out a sigh. "I have things on my mind right now but... I need to sort them out myself. I'm so grateful for your help, but... I don't think anyone can help me. At least right now."
Riley nodded, patting her arm warmly. "Alright, if you're sure."
Emily gave a smile, trying to reassure Riley as well as herself. "Besides, I think you've got problems of your own to focus on."
"You think I have problems?" Riley sarcastically asked. "Just because I've been married six days and haven't been with my husband since my wedding night, you think I have problems?"
She couldn't help but laugh. "I'm sorry, I haven't even asked how you're doing. I know you were worried about this trip. Do you want to talk about it?"
"Uh... not right now." She shrugged. "I'm doing okay... for better or for worse, right?"
"I guess you're right. I'm going to clear my head and get some coffee. Can I get you a cup?"
"Oh, I'd love one, thanks." Riley smiled. Emily gave her arm a friendly, comforting brush and headed to the door.
Meanwhile, Hotch had taken Reid to the lobby. He didn't want to risk Riley overhearing; she was already distressed enough. The reception area was dark, giving them plenty of privacy. Hotch turned to him with concern.
"Reid," He began slowly. "I know you said you don't want to, but... I'm going to make a call and have you and Riley brought to our hotel. I think you should reconsider moving."
"Hotch, no," Reid whined. "I told you, we're fine."
He was amazed the young genius was objecting this. "Our unsub is directly connected to your hotel, one who's been striking vacationing couples. That doesn't disturb you at all."
"It's not a comforting thought, but... I don't think we're in any danger." Reid stated.
"You?" He needed clarified. "Reid, you keep Riley under a very close watch. Anyone who doesn't know you're past may consider it abuse, it's so intense. You won't do anything to hurt her, yet you're intentionally keeping her in harms way. That's not you, what's going on?"
Sighing, Reid ran a hand through his hair. "I can't do that to her... I hate being in that hotel. As soon as I found out there was a murder there, I wanted to take Riley as far away as possible. But I already knew she was scared about this trip... every day I disappoint her more. I can't do it again."
There was a long pause as Hotch considered his words. He wanted to force Reid and Riley to move, but they were staying at the Grislow on their money. He didn't have a say.
"Talk it over with her tomorrow." He said. "You might find out she's interested, she may feel safer."
He nodded. "I will."
Hotch was satisfied, "Alright, I'll call you guys after Leo and I have our conference call. Let us know if you figure anything out."
Reid agreed, and Hotch went off to meet Inspector Bradbury. He did have an uneasy feeling about going back to the Grislow, knowing how each of the victims was connected to it. If a potential victim were in his place, he'd be advising both him and his wife to get out.
But Reid could never seem to learn, he pushed away his intuition. He'd speak it over with Riley tomorrow. He could at least give her one night of a perfect honeymoon.
He hurried back through the halls and the bull pen, making it to the conference room just as Emily was stepping out. She gave him a strained smile, like she were trying to be calm and happy when really she was tormented inside. Over what, he didn't know and was too preoccupied to guess.
Inside, he found Riley alone. He walked around the table. "Hey."
He always sounded so relieved to see her. She really loved that. "Hey," Riley replied, a little sad. "I guess this is yet another night that's ruined."
"You know... midnight is only a few hours away." Reid pointed out as he made it over to her. "Our night doesn't have to be ruined."
"Oh, Sweetheart, don't worry about it. We'll just do it another night." She tried to wave it aside, like the disappointment was nothing.
"No," He cried, sternly. "Tonight. It's going to be tonight. I want to be with you, I'm tired of putting us second. It's not going to be ruined just because we have to put it off for a few hours."
She cocked her head, skeptical. "Are you sure you won't be too tired?"
"I'm sure," He stated, leaning closer. He pressed a kiss to her cheek. "You go back to the hotel and order room service. Anything you want. Get changed, get everything ready for us. I will be there by midnight, we'll have a late supper and spend the rest of the night together, until we have to be back in the morning.
Riley trusted him with her life, but she wasn't so certain she trusted his word now. She couldn't deny the urge to say no and remain here, helping with the profile. "You're sure we should do this tonight?"
"I will be there!" He said as his hands landed on her hips, bringing her middle against his. She gasped a bit at the sudden contact. "You can count on me, Riley. I will be there."
She had no choice. Riley had to give in, she wanted him too much. With a smile, she nodded, "Okay, I'll see you at midnight."
"I will see you then." He assured. "You can bet your life, I will there."
At that, Reid leaned down and gave her a full, warm kiss. He moaned slightly as her fingers ran up the side of his face and into his hair. There was nothing else he wanted more in the world than to take her back to the hotel and spend the night getting lost in each others arms. But the kiss ended and he met her eyes again. "I'll see you in a few hours." She said, smiling.
She pulled on her coat and gloves, pressing another kiss to her husband's lips. Reid watched her until she was gone. He looked from the empty door way to the messy papers littering the desk. Letting out a despondent sigh, he sat down to keep working, already beginning to doubt his word.
Once returning to the hotel, Riley wasted no time. She had less than four hours to get everything ready and she wanted it to be perfect. She wanted her husband to walk through the door and have every thought erased from his mind except the woman waiting for him.
Riley had arranged the room, with candles illuminating the bedroom in a gentle glow. She had on a bright red silk teddy, which she planned to tease him with while they ate dinner. Nothing increased the intensity of a romantic encounter than the long awaited anticipation. She'd drawn a bath for them to share after their late supper, spending a few hours in the relaxing water before finally retiring to the bed. They were sure to be exhausted in the morning, but it would be worth it. So worth it.
There were long stick candles on the table in the living room, lit with tiny little flames. It matched the linen cloth that covered the table, all set for a intimate dinner together. Taking her time to get everything ready made her feel like this was it. They were finally going to be together.
At 11:30 there was a knock on the door indicating room service had arrived. Quickly, Riley pulled on a long cotton robe, with the hotel's logo on the front. She fastened the sash tightly and hurried to answer the call.
"Good evening, Mrs. Reid." A young man said as she opened the door. "I have your room service order."
"Thank you, come in," Riley said, stepping aside.
He wheeled the linen covered cart into the suite and parked it next to the table. The young man read over Riley's order, just to make sure it was all here.
"Thank you, that's everything." Riley reached for her purse, pulling out a few pounds. "I hope this is enough of a tip, the money conversion is a little confusing for me."
"This is very generous, Mrs. Reid." He took the money with a smile. "Enjoy your meal."
"Thank you," She said again, leading him to the door. He stepped out without a second glance or word and Riley closed the door, locked inside.
Walking over, Riley took the lids off their meals for a moment, just to see. Looking at the delicious food, lunch seemed like a day ago. But she covered the plates again, wanting the food to be warm once Spencer got here. Instead, she looked to the coffee. It wouldn't hurt to have one cup.
She picked up one of the China cup and poured from the silver teapot. The smell was heavenly, much better than the coffee offered at the Yard. Riley grabbed the cream and searched for the sugar. Expecting cubes, she discovered another small pourable cup with a kind of clear, thick liquid. Riley dipped the tip of her finger in and took a taste. Liquid sugar.
"How clever, just like Starbucks." Riley noted, pouring a generous amount into her coffee. She stirred a moment and lifted it, taking a long, generous drink. She let out a hum of approval. It had been so long since she'd have a good cup of coffee and couldn't resist immediately taking another drink.
Unfortunately, the remaining team members were no closer to spotting their missing link in the profile. It was irritating to sit here, repeating the key notes over and over without being able to match them together. Reid looked down at his watch for the tenth time that hour, spotting it was just after 11:30. If he wanted to get to the hotel on time, he needed to leave now.
"Okay," Morgan grumbled pacing around the room. "Let's start again. The unsub has a grudge against alpha males. Unless he's an alpha himself, he's most likely in his early to mid twenties."
"The inferior victims represent a lost love stolen by an alpha." Rossi said. "He wants to kill her quickly, like he's sparing her pain."
"That doesn't make any sense." Emily interrupted. "Whenever a victim represents a lover, there's always rape involved. And if he can't rape, it's replaced by sexual sadism. But the women are clean, beside the neck wound."
"He's a coward with the women, because there's no chance she can see her killer." Reid spoke, "But he's got no problem letting the man see her."
"Not until after the first strike." Morgan argued. "Once the man is incapacitated, his rage takes over."
"But what about Harris Neilson." JJ spoke up. "The first strike barely hurt him, if he doesn't gain confidence until the man is weaker, why would he have the strength to fight him off?"
Rossi rubbed his tired eyes. "What time is it?"
"11:31," Garcia spoke up, still working feverishly on her laptop. The searches were turning up a lot of results. Without a profile, however, there was no way to narrow it down. "I guess being done by midnight is absolute fantasy."
"We can't just quit, though." Morgan moaned. "We're close on this, we just need to figure out what we're missing. It's right in front of us, I can feel it."
"Morgan's right, we can't stop now." Rossi agreed, "Does anyone have any objections to keep working?"
Reid did, he had a great objection to staying here. If for once he could think about himself, he'd grab his things and wish them the best of luck. But Reid cared too much about his job and his friends to abandon them now. He had no intention of saying a word.
Unbeknowst to Reid, JJ was watching him, waiting for him to protest. She couldn't help but smile a little as she announced. "I think we should keep working, it's important... but, you know what, guys.. I'm not so sure five people can figure this out any faster than four."
Reid looked up at once, stunned. Could he possibly be getting his wish?
The others didn't need a minute to concur. "I agree... if one of us wanted to go back to his hotel, I don't think that would be so bad." Emily looked just as kindly on him as JJ.
He could hardly believe he was getting a reprieve from this endless purgatory. "You guys mean it?"
"Yeah, we should have let you go hours ago." Rossi said, folding his hands over his lap as he admired the young man. "You've been here long enough. Go be with your wife, kid."
In a state of amazement, Reid slowly got to his feet. This seemed almost too good to be true, like at any minute they would say they were joking and make him sit back down.
"Guys..." He muttered, looking at all of them with gratitude. "I... I don't... I don't know how to thank you."
"Just get out of here before we change our minds." Morgan teased, nudging him in the back.
His senses coming back to him, Reid quickly gathered his things. He continued mutterings of thanks to his friends as he grabbed his bag, not even bothering to pull his coat on. "I'll see you guys in the morning."
"Just make sure it was worth it, Reid." Garcia called after his retreating back. The group glanced at each other, each one happy they could do something for their friends. But their happiness was short lived, and got back to work.
Feeling dizzy, Riley stumbled a little as she walked into the bathroom. Any minute now, something was going to happen. She'd been preparing for something for hours... but for some reason, it had slipped her mind.
Her senses were off, making the world around her hazy. It was the same sensation after taking a dose of cold medicine, having to work the entire day in a fog. Coming into the bathroom, she looked around for some kind of clue as to what she should be doing.
The lights were still on in here, but a dozen candles covered the sink and behind the toilet. Bubbles reached to the rim of the tub, filling the room with the scents of Honey Suckle and Tasmanian Lavender... it was just like a flower garden in here. Riley breathed in the scent, wondering if this bath was what she was planning for.
What she wanted to do was crawl into her bed and go to sleep, but her body felt extremely jittery. Like a force was trying to control her motionless body. This bath was probably here to help calm her nerves, and she found no reason why she shouldn't be taking advantage of it. If only Spencer were here...
Stripping off her clothes, Riley dropped them to the floor as she tried to think where he husband was at this hour... although, she wasn't exactly certain what the hour was. It felt late, that was all she knew. She could barely keep her eyes open as one slender leg stepped into the warm water. Her legs were trembling as she tried to ease herself into the water.
Barely able to control her body, she slipped on the porcelain. An impact struck the side of her head, and she waited for the sting of pain to hit her. But it never came. She must have been mistaken, not having injured herself at all. Odd.
Riley relaxed in the water, the bubbles and the bath oils warming her body. She wasn't sure how long she could stay here without falling asleep, she was so tired and dizzy... something warm and thick was falling on the side of her head. She wanted to reach a hand up to touch it, to examine it, but she couldn't get her arm to work.
What's wrong with me, she thought. Why can't I move?The sound of the door opening sounded... someone was here. Someone was in her room.
Riley tried to call out to the arrival, but all she managed was a soft whimper. Her body was betraying her as she slipped further into the bath, sliding under the water line. She begged her body to move, fighting with all the strength she had to stay alive. The soapy water was swirling with red all around her. She tried not to breathe before she could climb out, but it felt like weights were attached to her, dragging her body down... Riley knew she was losing the battle as she closed her eyes, liquid beginning to fill her lungs. The world at last faded away with her, under the red water.