Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds. Obviously.
"We think a shapeshifter is killing people in Oklahoma." Everyone just blinked in surprise at Hotch's blunt introduction. He handed the remote to JJ, who continued to tell the team about their case.
"Four weeks ago, Celia Wake called 911 at approximately 9:00 P.M., telling the dispatcher that her husband was trying to kill her." JJ pressed a button and the recording began playing.
"911 what's your emergency?" The dispatcher asked professionally.
"M-my husband, he has a knife. He's trying to kill me!" She said in a panicked whisper.
"Where are you now, mam?"
"I'm hiding in the bathroom. I don't-" She was cut off by a sudden banging on the door.
"You can't hide from me, Celia!" A man yelled in the background as she sobbed. There was a sudden crack and she screamed.
"Hello? Can you hear me?" The dispatcher continued to ask questions, that could barely be heard over pained screams. JJ stopped the audio before her screaming ended, not needing to hear any more.
"The voice on the recording has been matched to Hal Wake, her husband," JJ said.
"So, what makes you think this is a shapeshifter?" Morgan asked. He was disturbed by what he had just heard but was still playing the devil's advocate.
"Because her husband has an airtight alibi. And it happened more than once." She clicked another button and the picture of Celia and her husband were replaced by the picture of another woman.
"Mary Jones was stabbed to death in her home exactly a week after Celia. There is surveillance footage of her husband, Mark, leaving the house covered in blood." she played the short video. A man walked out the front door, his white shirt drenched in red. He then walks down the empty street calmly, rounding a corner and out of view.
"He also had an alibi, correct?" Rossi asked, and JJ nodded.
"He was on a business trip in New York City." She told him. "This has happened twice since then."
"We can debrief more on the plane. Wheels up in 30." Hotch said, standing.
…
The team had briefed more thoroughly on the jet. Four women all killed by their husbands, all blonde and Caucasian, all husbands had solid alibis.
No one said anything, but they were all curious as to why Gideon was joining them. Well, all except Hotch and Rossi, who both had a pretty good idea. It had been a while since the whole fiasco with the team being attacked, and this was by no means their first supernatural case. He didn't say why, and no one asked. Morgan and Prentiss were sent to the latest crime scene, Reid and Rossi went to the morgue, and Hotch, JJ, and Gideon left to set up at the police station.
Prentiss and Morgan parked along the curb next to Monica and Henry Bradshaw's house. There was police tape covering the perimeter of the house and two uniforms standing near the front door. They stepped out of the SUV and looked around. The neighborhood was nice, but not what most people would describe as spectacular. Flashing their badges at the two officers, they entered the house. It was only one story and quaint. Blood marred the off-white carpet and walls, making Prentiss grimace. They made their way to the master bedroom, which was where the worst of the blood was.
"Well, he definitely wasn't worried about making a mess," Prentiss muttered. Morgan nodded absentmindedly.
"Or leaving behind evidence." He added, looking at the full fingerprint imprinted in the blood on the wall and the shoe tread on the floor. There was no way that wasn't intentional.
"You know, everything about this scene suggests an unorganized killer, using a knife from the kitchen, not cleaning up after himself, getting caught on camera, but…" Prentiss let her sentence trail off.
"But the less obvious things show organization." He finished for her. "He knows when the husbands won't be there, so he stocks them first. He doesn't leave his own fingerprints or boot treads behind. He knows the layout of the house." Morgan shook his head. "He goes in with a plan, and he executes it with precision."
Reid and Rossi stood in the morgue as the M.E. pulled the sheet away from Monica Bradshaw's face. The blood had been cleaned off of her, but the stab wounds were still horrific.
"She was stabbed twenty-two times. Definitely overkill." Reid murmured. The M.E., an older lady with skin slightly darker than Morgan's, nodded.
"He kept stabbing, even after she was dead. Hit a major artery and she bled out quickly." She informed them. "It was the same with the other three. A different knife was used each time, but they were all similar enough to cause about the same damage." She shook her head mournfully.
"The overkill suggests that he knew them personally," Rossi said, his brow furrowed.
"Or that they are surrogates for someone he knows personally. A wife or girlfriend, maybe." Reid turned to examine the injuries closer. Rossi nodded.
"Whichever it is, this Unsub is carrying a serious amount of rage," Rossi said and Reid couldn't help but agree.
"Thank you for coming in today, Mr. Bradshaw," JJ said.
"I already talked to the police." He said but nodded regardless.
"I know, but we have some slightly different questions." She said gently.
"Okay, yeah, go ahead." He said, blinking furiously, trying to keep the tears at bay.
"Did your wife mention meeting anyone new recently? Or doing something she hadn't been before?"
"She didn't mention meeting anyone, but she was a receptionist. She met new people every day."
"Had she been branching out? Maybe taking classes or joining a gym?" JJ pushed. His eyes seemed to light up with realization.
"Yeah, wait, she-she joined a gym a few days before-" He cut himself off, taking a deep breath. JJ asked a few more questions before she ended the interview.
"Thank you, Mr. Bradshaw. This was very helpful." She said, standing from the couch they had been sitting at. He nodded, shaking her hand before leaving. She watched him go and mentally prepared herself to deal with another grief-stricken husband. Dealing with the loved ones their victims left behind was never as easy as she made it seem.
A/N: Hello again! Thank you to everyone who has faved, followed, or reviewed!