Chapter 2
The BAU jet had just levelled out, and the group gathered in the middle to discuss things about the case. Garcia appeared on the wall-mounted plasma
"Bad news, the local tv station received copies of all five executions. They didn't broadcast them for obvious reasons, but it's gotten out about the killings, and they named him 'the modern witchfinder general' sorry, guys. Wizard of Quantico out." Garcia ended
Hotch just sighed in resignation, knowing their job had just become a lot more complicated. "What do we think so far?" he asked the group
"He has to have somewhere out of the way. There has to be a lot of noise and burning human bodies stink to high heaven." Rossi announced
"It has to be large enough to keep the victims before he kills them," Morgan announces
"He must have had a stressor to start on his witch killing spree, a divorce or breakup of some kind. But to be thorough, we should get Garcia searching for like crimes in surrounding areas to be safe." JJ announces
"Good idea JJ, Morgan and Emily look at the dumpsite with the two detectives on the case. JJ, you and Dave go to the M.E and check out the bodies, Reid you with me, you can start the geographic profile." Hotch finished his tasking. They all broke up and took their seats to get some rest before landing
Emily sat down next to JJ and snuggled into her side on the settee. JJ nudged Emily's side and nodded towards Morgan, concentrating on his phone screen with a massive grin on his face.
"Do you think he's sexting with Strauss over there?" JJ asked
"Oh my god, woman, you are so not getting any tonight for putting that picture in my head." Emily grimaced
"As if you could resist this, you don't have that much willpower." Smiles JJ
Emily just smirked and closed her eyes.
EJ
Detectives Mark Winston and Emily Trent introduced themselves to Hotch as he descended the plane stairs
"This is SSA Morgan, Prentiss, Rossi, Jareau and Dr Reid." Hotch introduced the team to the detectives.
They all shake hands and get into their vehicles for the short ride to the police station. It doesn't go unnoticed by JJ that detective Trent is undressing her wife with her eyes and has a predatory look on her face. JJ thinks to herself 'hands of bitch', but unfortunately, she uttered it out aloud
"Down JJ, your claws are showing she's married to you." Rossi smiled as he watched JJ's face redden
"Whoops, did I say that aloud?" She sheepishly asked Rossi
He nodded to her, gently patting he on her shoulder as they reached their SUV.
JJ sat down next to Emily and broke their standard rule during work and kissed her on the cheek, and gave her the Jareau patented smile.
"Everything all right, sweetheart," Emily asked with a worried look
"Yeah, I'm great. I'll tell you later tonight." JJ smiled
EJ
Ron sat watching his monitor watching two new black SUV's park outside the police station. He followed the six occupants follow the detectives into the station, smiling to himself, knowing FBI agents when he saw them. He didn't feel like he was in any danger, but h would keep them under surveillance as he couldn't allow them to interfere with his kings' quest.
'Who are you?' He asked the monitor, zooming in on the females in view. "Satan's Whore!" He screamed at the screen.
He calmed down, thinking he had found his next witch, but he put that to the back of his mind he had to question Elizabeth Ceron and obtain her confession.
He entered the barn and walked over to the chair Elizabeth was strapped in. She had her head tightly secured to the headrest with GoPro camera's attached. Ron sat down opposite Elizabeth and just slapped her across her cheek to wake her up.
"WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME!" She screamed at him
"CONFESS, WITCH, THAT YOU USED WITCHCRAFT!" He yelled at her
"WHAT? This must be a joke; let me go. I won't tell anyone." Elizabeth begged
He pulled out his smartphone and opened his witch app, and pressed the open button. Electric motors started and opened a hatch in the floor, covering a pool of water. He pressed a further button, and Elizabeth's chair started moving backwards until her head was submerged in the pool of water. He watched her struggle underwater through these GoPro cameras. He was getting a thrill from her panic. He raised the chair after a minute. Her head cleared the water, and she coughed and spluttered, drawing in the air like it was going out of fashion.
"CONFESS, WITCH, STOP YOUR SUFFERING. YOU HAVE TO TELL ME!" He yelled at Elizabeth
"No, let me go. I haven't done anything." She pleaded
He dropped her back into the water, leaving her under longer. He loved them with a bit of grit in them; the better thrill he got breaking them. He pulled a coughing and spluttering Elizabeth back up. He let her catch her breath. "Are you ready to confess, the bride of Satan?" Ron asked. Conserving her air, she was shaking her head, indicating NO.
"Are you sure you are not going to confess your sins? It will end your suffering Elizabeth." He asked the bound woman
He pressed his button, and Elizabeth moved backwards, submerging her head completely underwater again. She held her breath and waited to surface again, her chest was beginning to burn, and she was fighting the urge to breathe. Struggling against her bonds, trying to weaken them, in one last frantic bid for freedom, she lost the fight against breathing. She breathed in deeply, taking in a large breath. She took a deep breath only to inhale a lung full of pool water. Her fight for life was over. Her heart stopped, and she passed away submerged tied to the chair.
Ron had been sidetracked from watching Elizabeth on the monitor by the two brunette females walking up the police station steps with coffee. He glanced at the GoPro monitor to see the motionless body of Elizabeth in the dunking chair
"No!, No!" he raised the chair and felt for a pulse. Finding nothing, she was dead. That brunette bewitched him. She was the next guest to confess her sins. He was annoyed Elizabeth drowning made her innocent. He felt unfulfilled. She had bewitched him.
EJ
The team enter the Salem police station and are guided to a conference room.
"I hope this is suitable for your needs? All case files are in the boxes and whiteboards as requested. Anything else you need, just let me know." Detective Emily Trent told Emily, handing over her business card to Emily giving her a long sweet smile.
She leaves the BAU team to set up the murder boards. Her partner smiled at her "you have noticed she is wearing a wedding ring on her finger, partner?" Mark Winston smiled at her partner
"That makes it more fun, Mark, you know me. The challenge makes the sex better." She smirked, turning around to face Emily
"Emily, can you help me with the coffee? I will treat us all to Salem's finest if you bring your team's requests." Smiles Emily Trent
"Of course, that's very kind of you." Smiled Emily
JJ was glaring at the detective at the apparent flirting. Emily was oblivious of the detective flirting. Of course, Emily was unaware she had missed that gene. JJ had been so openly flirting with Emily, but she had been oblivious. It had taken a two by 4 to the head to kick start their relationship.
EJ
Emily and JJ are busy setting up the murder board. JJ is blanking out Emily and ignoring her attempts at talking to her.
"Jennifer, what's wrong?" Emily asked her wife
"You cannot be that oblivious to her flirting since she met you? She has done everything, bar taking all her clothes off in front of you." JJ told her wife
"Jennifer, I honestly hadn't noticed. It doesn't matter; I love you and only you. You do not have to worry. It's flattering, really, but I am your body and soul." Smiled Emily "you can be a scary blue-eyed monster sometimes, Jennifer. I'm amazed you haven't ripped her throat out yet." Smirks Emily
"Oh, as if your Mrs pacifist." Smiled JJ
Emily smiled at her wife but knew she needed to keep her eye on her and have a word with detective Emily Trent. They continued on the murder boards. Once finished, they started at the opposite end and worked their way down the board, concentrating on each victim in detail. After three hours, both girls had finished their review of each victim.
"I can't find anything in common with the victims. I don't know how he is selecting them at the moment. It does seem completely random. It must be some insignificant thing he sees them doing that makes them a witch in his mind. It's a good job Strauss is still in Quantico." Emily reviews her thoughts with JJ
"I agree, sweetheart; we are no closer to the UnSub; I'm afraid more women are going to die unless he makes a mistake." JJ agreed with her wife's thoughts
They tell the rest of the team while sitting around the table. Everyone agrees with Emily's and JJ's thoughts after reading through the case files.
"JJ, you and Emily go with detective Trent to the morgue. Morgan and Rossi take a tour of the dumpsites with detective Winston. Reid, you continue with your geographic profile. I will speak to the press and try and make all the females in Salem aware of this UnSub." Hotch detailed everyone off
"You could hold a picture of the green witch from Wicked up and say if you look like this, don't go out." Laughed Rossi
"Funny Dave, off you all go." Hotch smiled
EJ
Emily and JJ stand in the morgue with Detective Emily Trent looking at the bodies. The stench of burnt flesh is still surprisingly pungent with a hint of burnt human fat. The three experienced law enforcement officers were all struggling with keeping breakfast within their stomachs.
"Are these depressions from the fire?" JJ points out a skull depression at the back of Mary Greens skull
"No! She was hit hard enough to knock her out or at least subdue her most probably. The other bodies all have some indication of blunt force trauma." The coroner tells them
"Blitz attacks. At least we know how he gains control over them before he removes them." Emily announced.
JJ and Emily continued to examine the bodies to help them with the profile. JJ can't help but notice detective Trent is daydreaming whilst gazing at Emily's chest. JJ's green-eyed monster has burst out of its cage and is now out wanting to rip the detectives head off.
"Detective Trent, far be it for me to tell you your job, but you are not going to get any information from my wife's chest about the case!" JJ smirked at the flustered detective
Detective Trent was horrified she had been caught looking at Emily's chest by no less than her wife. "Please forgive me, agent Jareau. I meant no disrespect." Emily Trent is contrite in her apology but is livid at her public dressing down. The detective is now determined to get into the gorgeous brunette's pants. Smiling to her self challenge accepted Blondie.
EJ
Ron Pearly looked on in disgust at the dead body of Elizabeth Ceron lying on the cement floor. He had been bewitched watching the television—the three cops entering the police station. One was a witch. He was now inevitable. He placed the dead body in his wheeled tool chest, ready for disposal with a letter confirming her innocence. He loaded the crate into his van, prepared for removal. He drove to his disposal site, thinking of the next move he required inflicting pain. He put his mind to clean body disposal, not wanting to leave the cops any clues. He slapped his face forcefully several times to get his wandering Mind back on task. His focus returned as he parked his van.
He laid Elizabeth out with respect crossing her arms over her chest and placing a silver crucifix in her hands. He gave her a quick blessing in Latin and then swabbed her forehead with alcohol removing any trace he might have left. He was satisfied with his work and returned to the van and returned home.
EJ
Morgan and Rossi had just finished viewing the disposal site for Viola Cann. Detective Mark Winston just followed them, observing how they worked each scene with professional admiration.
'Detective 35 William body dump kissing tree half-mile from your current location, please investigate.'
"Detective 35 William on route with FBI agents," Mark confirmed with dispatch
The group of three ducked under the yellow police tape at the new crime scene. 'We have not touched anything as requested, detective', the police officer told him
"Thanks. Who found the body?" The detective asked
"The detective pointed to the mother and young son, telling them the five-year-old boy had run into her while playing with his soccer ball.
The detective started questioning the distraught other and her son while Morgan and Rossi examined the dumpsite
"He has laid her out with respect even placed a crucifix in her hands. What's that?" Rossi pointed to the paper underneath her body
The crime scene technician removed the sheet of paper and placed it into an evidence bag, and passed it across to the two FBI agents. He checked and found nothing else underneath the body.
"How's your Latin Rossi?" Morgan asked
"We need Emily." Was Rossi's reply. He phoned Emily and asked her to come to the crime scene to translate the letter.
Morgan knelt beside her head and sniffed her face. "He's wiped her forehead down with alcohol. It's as a forensic countermeasure that means he must have touched her face." Rossi agreed and asked the crime scene tech to make sure her head was processed urgently.
Hotch had phoned telling them to return to the station with the letter as they needed to discuss their findings as he needed to brief the press as they had learnt of the latest body from a leak in the police department.
Morgan asked the crime scene technician to have the cross-checked to see if it was silver. He had a hunch it was a medieval design.
"Rossi! I think he has had this cross made it looks like a medieval design I saw at a fair I went to the other weekend." Morgan told Rossi
Rossi smiled "would that be with your lovely girl?"
Morgan remains tight-lipped and nods with a goofy grin on his face
EJ
Rebeca Nurse was stretched out on the rack in his interrogation room with a plate across her chest with a threaded metal shaft extending up into a box. This was Ron's 21st-century improvement on pressing the witch. In the 17th century, a heavy slab of stone would be placed across the witches chest, and heavyweights added, restricting their ability to breathe. Prolonged crushing would kill them. Ron used a motor pressing down on the plate he had strapped around Rebeca's chest. A press of a button could add more pressure on the plate, reducing the expansion of her chest reducing the volume of air in her lungs. Each breath would be painful
He admired the machine he had invented ready for use on the devil's children.
"CONFESS, WITCH. I SAW YOU BEWITCH THAT BOY. CONFESS!" He yelled at a petrified and exhausted Rebeca.
"No, he was my husband. Go, Fu..." Ron had stopped her tirade by starting his press mechanism. He watched her struggling to expand her chest. He lessened the pressure. She took several deep breath's gulping in the air. She had learnt her lesson and remained silent.
Pleased with his press, he activated a program on his witch app, intended to cause her excruciating crushing chest pain over the next five hours. He walked over to his computer, looking at the pictures of Emily, JJ and detective Trent. He pondered what to do next.