The Fourth

"So… Oklahoma… anyone been there before?" Luke asked as the team sat in the jet going over their new case. They had a brief rundown before getting on the plane, but the local authorities were desperate to get them in so they hadn't had much time before leaving. It took four deaths to call in help but once they swallowed their pride, it was the utmost urgency to get the BAU team there as quickly as possible.

"We've had a few cases there over the years," Reid said, looking over the case file. "Though none in quite as small a town as Whitehall. Says here the population is about 2,000 and has been for the past few decades."

"And just why are we being called in?" Matt asked.

"Well, the town doesn't really have the resources for this sort of thing. In fact, there hasn't been a murder there in its over 100-year history," Reid replied. "They called in the state investigation bureau and they were the ones who called us in after the fourth body was found two days ago and they still had no leads."

"What are your thoughts so far?" Emily asked, looking around the group.

"Well, since the bodies were burned, there's a lack of DNA and other physical evidence. But the unsub is sticking to a pattern. He kills them within 24 hours of abducting them and always leaves them in fields," Reid rattled off. "There's obviously some sort of message he's trying to send - though the state investigators can't seem to figure it out. If the local authorities know, they haven't shared it."

"Connections between the victims?" Emily said.

"Too many," Rossi said. "Problem with a small town. Everyone knows everyone. They were all young women of the same age. All grew up there. All knew each other. All went to the same high school."

"But at the same time, that's where they end. They don't physically look the same. Two were married, one divorced. One had a kid. For all purposes, outside of living in the same town and running into each other at the store, they weren't connected," Reid said.

"So they all went to the same high school. Perhaps the unsub is selecting women in the area from that particular class," Luke said. "Are there others living in or near the town from that graduating year?"

"A few, but it looks like most of them cleared out after the second murder and have been staying with family or friends in other cities or states," JJ said.

"Don't blame them," Tara replied.

"What about the drop sites? Are they in the same location?" Matt asked.

"No. In fact, they are all on opposite sides of the town from each other," Reid said, frowning as he looked at a map. "North, south, east and west. And they were displayed near roads… hoisted up on posts and then burned, but they appeared to have been tortured before then… There's significance there. Historically, witches were burned at the stake. Possibly the unsub thought they were blasphemous? Or women of loose morals? It is a small town in the Bible Belt."

"Again, they don't all fit that description. At least not from what the reports we have say. As far as we know, victims 3 and 4 were happily married," Rossi said. "And three were regular churchgoers - one wasn't."

"The backgrounds on the victims is still a bit scant. Any reason for that?" Reid asked.

"The state investigators said the town is closing ranks. They struggled to get much out of them. Even the local authorities are running into roadblocks," JJ said.

"And they think we'll do better? We're all outsiders to them," Matt commented.

"Regardless, there is a town in panic and wondering who could be next. He's been killing every two weeks, so if he sticks to that pattern, we have a bit over a week and a half to find him," Emily said. "Let's nail this bastard as quickly as we can."

"If we weren't here for an investigation, I'd say this was pretty charming," Tara said, looking out the window as they drove down main street. "Seems they've kept a lot of the original structures."

"From what I've read, Whitehall was first settled in the late 1880s, but wasn't incorporated until Oklahoma became a state in 1907," Reid said, still going through files.

"The land run?" Tara asked, looking over at him.

"Around there," Reid said.

The car came to a stop outside of a small redbrick police station and the agents poured out from the two SUVs, walking up to a tall man in a tan uniform and cowboy hat. He had dark hair and looked to be in his late 30s or early 40s.

"Just want to thank y'all for coming," he said, walking up to Emily with his hand out. "Sheriff Randall Walker, but most everyone calls me Randy. We got y'all set up in the conference room inside. Don't got much space, but givin' ya as much as we can. Still working out your accommodations, unfortunately. With all the press and such comin' around, it's been tricky. Might end up having to put you up in another town."

"Thank you, Sheriff," Emily said as they began to follow him in. "And we'll be fine wherever you find room."

The police stations was small and one large room. Several desks were spread about, with cautious officers looking up at them while they continued with their work. At the back of the room were two offices separated from the rest of the room with glass.

"Right. Nearly forgot there's something I should mention," he said with a sigh as he stopped and looked over at Prentiss. Visible through the window in his office was a young woman, pacing as she chewed her thumb nail and sent furtive glances at the group.

"Who is she? A witness? Family member?" Emily asked.

"Actually, she's a reporter," Walker said.

"We're not talking to the press at this time. We just got here," JJ said immediately. "I thought we made that clear."

"It's not like that… she's not here to- well. She's been helping us. Got into town just after the first murder," Walker replied. The FBI agents all stared at him.

"What do you mean she's been helping?" Emily asked. "And why didn't you mention this earlier?"

"I wasn't sure how you'd take it," Walker admitted. "But I swear, she's not writin' stories. She's been working the investigation with us. She's got experience in this sort of thing."

"What experience?" Emily asked, feeling like she was starting to play 20 questions.

"She's been an investigative reporter with The New York Times for the past several years. Even wrote some books on the cases she worked. To be honest, she's got more experience with murders than any of us do," he said.

"Why would the Times be interested in this case?" Tara asked.

"They aren't at the moment. She's here on sabbatical because she is," Walker said. "She grew up around here." He looked at the group, taking in their skeptical looks. "Just… talk to her first. She's been getting further with the families than we could. The state investigators too."

"I'm still not completely comfortable with a member of the press being in on the investigation, Sheriff," Emily said. Walker sighed heavily and stopped, looking around the group.

"You ever heard of the book 'Highway Paved in Tears'?" he asked.

"The book about the murders along Highway 16 in Canada. It won a Pulitzer last year," Reid said immediately, not surprising anyone in the group.

"That was her," Walker said. The group all looked towards the office, watching the woman again. "If anyone is going to do this right, she will."

"And you're sure you trust her?" Rossi asked.

"More than some of the men on my force," Walker said bluntly. "And as I said, she grew up here. She's got insight on this case that even we don't and most of us have lived here our whole lives."

Emily looked at JJ, the two of them silently communicating with each other.

"I'm not saying you have to give her access to everything. I'm just saying… don't shut her down and don't dismiss her right away," Walker said. "You'll likely need her too." Emily sighed.

"We'll talk to her in the conference room," she said, leading the group over.

"Thanks," Walker said, walking to his office.

The group made their way to the room and settled around the table there.

"Are we sure this is a good idea? Having a reporter working with us?" Matt asked, looking at Emily.

"Let's just get a good read on her. We can make a decision as to how involved we're going to let her be after that," she replied.

Walker then walked in, leading the shorter woman behind him. She stopped and looked around the room, seeming neither intimidated nor impressed by being in a room full of FBI agents. She looked young, her dark blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail. She had dark framed glasses perched on her nose, and for all purposes could pass as a college student. She was pretty, but at the same time nondescript. She seemed non-threatening. The group could see why she would have an easy time speaking with victims based on her appearance alone.

"This is Daisy White," Walker said. "Daisy, this is the BAU from Quantico. Agents Prentiss, Jaraeu, Rossi, Lewis, Simmons, Alvez, and Dr. Reid." She nodded towards them, her gray eyes quietly studying them.

"So, they brought you guys in finally," she said, her voice even. "Suppose this is when you tell me that I'm not allowed to help anymore."

"There's no need to get defensive, Daiz," Walker said with a sigh. "I've explained everything to them and I think there is some sort of compromise we can come to."

"I'm not dropping it," she said, sticking her chin up slightly. "I've been working on this a lot longer than you guys have and I owe it to those families."

"We're not shutting you down," Emily said, standing. She kept her voice gentle, sensing that if they pushed the reporter too much, she'd run off and keep investigating on her own anyway. She'd rather keep her close and under their watchful eye. "We just need to… set some boundaries. For now. This is still an open case."

"I'm not publishing anything right now, if that's what you're worried about. If I publish, it'll be longform after the case is closed and this bastard is caught and tried," she said. "For now, I'm just here to offer my help."

"Good. If you don't mind, we'd like you to tell us everything you have so far," Emily said, motioning for Daisy to sit in the open chair. The reporter frowned. "This is a two-way street, Ms. White. You want to know what we know, then you have to share what you have."

Daisy pursed her lips slightly and then moved to sit down, sliding a messenger bag off her shoulder. She pulled out a few files, glancing back at Walker, who nodded encouragingly.

"Randy knows just about everything I do," she said, glancing around the table. "But I've spent the morning with the Reeds, so I guess I can fill you in on that."

"We have yet to question them," Rossi said. Daisy glanced at him.

"Everyone else has," she replied. "And well… Marley was an old school friend, so I thought I could get farther with them." She continued rummaging through the bag. Emily cast a worried glance towards the sheriff. "If you're worried about me being too close to this, I'm not. I'm a professional first."

"The Reeds were a bit more open to speaking with Daisy than with us. Becky's family as well," Walker added. Daisy pulled out a notebook and flipped through it, browsing through the shorthand.

"I hadn't really kept in touch with Marley since I left for college, but we had the occasional Facebook chat here and there," she said, stopping on a page.

"What can you tell us about her? From your perspective?" Rossi asked. Daisy looked up from her notebook, her eyebrows raised. She sighed and put the notebook on the table.

"She went to OSU, married a guy from high school a couple years older. They settled on a patch of land owned by her family. She's got a little girl - Addie. She's 7," Daisy said. "Went to church every Sunday and Wednesday and for all intents and purposes had a happy life. She was involved in the community as well as her church. She and Mike didn't have any problems in their marriage."

"Did you know the other women?" Emily asked.

"It's a small town. Everyone knows everyone," Daisy replied. Walker cleared his throat behind her. Daisy rolled her eyes. "Yes. We were all in the same graduating class."

The team looked at each other and back at the journalist. Immediately they were all wondering if they had a potential victim sitting at their table.

"You do realize that the unsub appears to be going after women specifically from your class," Emily said carefully.

"Trust me, he's not after me," Daisy said ruefully. "I left town after graduation and hardly came back. He's been going after people with stronger roots here." Walker frowned at her.

"Been trying to convince her to at least keep a guard on her, but she refuses," he said to the group before directing his comments to Daisy. "Your roots here are just as deep as those others, probably deeper than some."

"Randy, I've been living in New York City since I was 18. I can take care of myself," she said, turning in her chair to frown at him.

"Still, I'd feel better. You're out at that big house outside of town by yourself," he said. He looked around the room, starting to smile slightly as an idea hit him. "How about this? Let the team stay there. You've got all that space and we only have the one small motel. It's mostly full of reporters coming and going. Makes sense for them to stay with you and away from the media circuit." Daisy glared at him as the team shared looks. What kind of house did she have that would fit all seven of them?

"Just what has gotten in that thick head of yours, Randy? Those rooms haven't been used in years," she said.

"I can get Mrs. Battle on the phone in a second and she'll have 'em ready before y'all even get there tonight," he said. "'Sides, what would your grandmother say? She was always hostin' folks before she passed." Daisy narrowed her eyes at him before huffing and turning back around, glancing around the table.

"Fine," she said, still frowning. Walker looked pleased as he looked around the room.

"We appreciate it," Emily said. "Really."

"Don't mention it," Daisy replied, though her thoughts were clearly written on her face.

"So… is there anything else you can tell us right now?" JJ asked, getting the conversation back on track and off less touchy subjects.

"Well, I've spent most of my time retracing their steps and figuring out their lives after high school - we didn't really keep in touch that much," she said. "I personally followed Becky and Marley through Facebook. But the others, even in school we didn't really run in the same crowd."

"Daisy here was the town rebel back in the day," Randall added, earning another scowl from the reporter.

"Really, Randy?" she said.

"I take it you have some ideas about the murders," Emily said, sitting up and leaning towards Daisy.

"Some. I mean, he is going after women from the same graduating class," Daisy said. "All of them were living in or near town. But outside that, not much. Two were married, two weren't. Marley is the only one with a kid. No one went to the same university - Becky didn't even go. Vanessa only moved back a year ago after her divorce was final."

"What about in high school?" Rossi asked. "Any overlap there besides the obvious? Anything we might not catch?"

"Vanessa and Toni were in the popular crowd - Vanessa was old blood. The rest… I wouldn't say they were nerds or unpopular, but they weren't in the same group," Daisy said. "Marley, Becky and I would hang out a lot then and they stayed close after school."

"What do you mean by old blood?" Tara asked.

"The founding families," Walker said. "There are five considered old blood - Carmichaels, Martens, Beauchamps, Fischers and Whites." Daisy kept her face down as she started flipping through the notepad. She could feel eyes studying her, causing her cheeks to heat up.

"Toni's family has been here a few generations, though not as long. Everyone was born and raised here save Marley. Her family moved in when she was about four," Daisy added. "They bought the old Beauchamp ranch west of town and turned it into a bed and breakfast and guest ranch."

"Did they spend a lot of time together recently? Some sort of community club?" Rossi asked. Daisy looked at Walker.

"Not that we've found," he said. "They didn't go to the same church. Marley was part of Junior Mothers' Club, but none of the rest were. Vanessa spent most of her weekends in the City."

"She liked to spend time in Bricktown - had some friends from college that lived there," Daisy said. "I've been up there and checked out her old haunts - none of the others frequented them. Becky and Marley went there for the occasional date night with their husbands, but not the same bars."

"What about the last one? Toni?" Tara asked.

"She had a boyfriend in Tulsa. Spent most of her free time there, but she was working in her father's law office in town most of the time," Daisy said.

"And there were no local bars they went to?" Rossi asked. Daisy snorted.

"We're a mostly dry county. The only place you can get alcohol is at the two liquor stores. Or the grocery store or gas station if all you're after is beer," she replied.

"There's a dive bar about a mile out of city limits, but we checked. None of the victims went there," Walker said.

"So that's obviously not an angle," Daisy said with a sigh. She looked across the table at Emily, automatically assuming that she was the one in charge. "What do you think?"

"We don't have enough just yet to make a complete profile," Emily said quickly. "We still need to look at the crime scenes and bodies, interview their families, check out the last places they were seen."

"Well, in that case, why don't y'all get settled in talking about that and I'll take care of Mrs. Battle for ya," Walker said with a smile. Daisy sighed as she reached for her bag and pulled out more files.

"Let's get started then."

Trying my hand at a murder mystery. Have this almost completed. Just need to finish up the last two chapters. It'll be short though...