Aaron Hotchner sighed as he opened the letter the detective had just delivered him. The case wasn't going well. The unsub was a male rapist whose sole goal appeared to be rape, and killed just to cover his tracks. He didn't torture, didn't keep his victims for a long time, he broke the victim's necks cleanly and effectively, which was quite a humane way to die. On the other hand, he didn't show remorse: the bodies were not posed, just dumped. There were no signs of narcotics or restraints, so the victims were most likely scared into compliance. There had been no contact between the unsub and the media or police.
But there was no apparent connection between the victims either, other than them all being from the general vicinity of Wisconsin. Garcia had been flown in to check out every possible lead on their computers and smartphones, but she hadn't found anyone. It had been two weeks since the murders started, six days since the BAU had come in, and there were ten victims.
That was a lot.
Sighing once more, Hotch turned his attention to the letter. The stamp on the envelope showed it came from North Carolina. The letter was addressed to SSA Aaron Hotchner, with as address the Appleton Police Station, where the BAU had set up. Both the address and the letter were printed.
To SSA Aaron Hotchner:
My name is Caryl Stone and I might have a lead for you on the case of the rapist in Wisconsin. If you come and converse with me in person, I will present you with the information I have.
Feel free to bring any members of your team along, but I will not talk without yourself being present.
Caryl Stone
Hotch's eyebrows rose. This was interesting. The demand to talk with him in person or not at all was curious, to say the least, but what was even more interesting was that she referred to the unsub as a rapist.
As far as Hotch was aware, the media referred to him as a murderer who raped, and not a rapist who killed. He'd have to check that..
"JJ, Garcia," Hotch said loud enough to be heard clearly. Both looked at him.
"JJ, have the media referenced to this unsub as anything other than a murderer? Focused attention on the fact that he also is a rapist, perhaps?"
JJ looked puzzled by the question, but answered nevertheless. "No, they are mostly focused on him being a murderer. Why?"
Hotch ignored the question and instead told her to assemble a team meeting in an hour. Then he turned to Garcia. "Give me everything you can on Caryl Stone," he told her.
Garcia searched for a minute. "Dr. Caryl Stone, thirty-two.. She teaches Forensics Linguistics at the University of North Carolina, lives alone and has no criminal record, not even a single fine. Oh! She changed her name when she was eighteen, formerly she was Corin Jones. Corin Jones has two sisters and a foster brother, she's the youngest. Oh! Born in Wisconsin, lived there until she was eighteen."
Hotch nodded. "Alright, has she ever had contact with police as a victim of a violent crime?"
Garcia shook her head, "No. But she has consulted with PD all over North Carolina a number of times, mainly about written threats."
Hotch frowned. "Ok. JJ, I want the plane ready in two hours. I want to talk to her."
JJ raised her eyebrows. "Okay, what's this about?"
Hotch ignored the question again and instead started to clear the desk where he had been working.
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"Alright. This letter was sent to me by mail," Hotch started, projecting the letter at the wall. "What sticks out is that she demands to see me specifically; that she refers to the unsub as a rapist, and not, as the media has been projecting him, as a murderer; and lastly that she does not use her title. Dr. Caryl Stone, thirty-two, was born as Corin Jones in Wisconsin. I want to know what kind of information she has and whether or not she is a victim of this same unsub. She has a doctorate in Linguistics and is a Forensic Linguistics professor."
"So she knows what the effect of her words will be on us," Reid said. "I mean, Forensic Linguistics is all about assessing the value of words in death threats and other such messages."
The team discussed some other particulars and possibilities about this letter and Dr. Stone. After an hour, Hotch concluded, "Prentiss, I want you to come with me, we're going to North Carolina. The plane leaves in an hour. The rest of you, call me when you find something. If there's no time for that, Rossi is in charge."
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Once in North Carolina, Prentiss and Hotch made their way to the house of Dr. Stone. They hoped she would be home – it was one o'clock on Saturday, so everything was possible. If it had been a weekday they would have gone to the University, but as it was, they would just have to hope she would be home.
They knocked on the door of a home on the outskirts of the town she lived in. The home had the style of a farm from the ninety-thirties that had been converted in a home. It had modern security, though – there was a camera above the door and a speaker system. "Who is requesting entrance?" a voice suddenly said through the speakers. It was a soft voice, and not at all demanding. However it also made it quite plain that they would not get in without answering.
"SSA Aaron Hotchner and SSA Emily Prentiss," Hotch replied.
"Please present your credentials to the camera above the door," the woman – most likely Dr. Stone – answered.
Hotch and Prentiss shared a glance.
This was.. interesting.
Nevertheless, they complied, and a minute after the woman had thanked them, they heard a voice behind them.
"Good day, agents. I'm Caryl Stone. Please follow me," she said. The woman was a blonde with shoulder-length hair that fell loosely around her face. She looked all business, but not formal. In her hand was a cane. She didn't appear to be armed otherwise. She looked.. in control . That was about the only way to describe it. Of course, seeing as Hotch himself had just travelled to the other side of the country and followed all her instructions so far, she was quite in control. It made Hotch wary, but not nervous.
They followed the woman around the house, which they noted had a curious amount of security, to a backyard that was visible from the road. Here there was a large table with eight seats. She gestured to two seats – she appeared to want them to sit in specific seats, for some reason – and then took another herself. Hotch noted that if they would take the seats she'd gestured to, there would be two seats between Prentiss and Dr. Stone, and three between Hotch and the woman.
The woman had walked slightly irregular, but not enough to be called limping, and didn't put all that much pressure on the cane. This, combined with the security around the building and the positions around the table, could all be called highly defensive. Just who was this woman?
Once Prentiss and Hotch had sat down, the woman spoke up. "Do you want something to drink?" she asked. Both declined, and she reached under that table for a bottle of water which she opened and took a sip from. Hotch really did not know what to make of this situation. The woman was confident and in control – like Hotch usually was, in fact, but more, somehow – and somehow made him feel uncomfortable. He wondered if this was how he made other people feel sometimes.
Prentiss was a little bolder and appeared to want to say something. Dr. Stone noticed, too. She nodded towards her. "What is it you want to ask, Agent Prentiss?"
The control this woman had over this situation was really becoming scary. Hotch had wanted to start the conversation himself, but now Prentiss had to do so. He hoped she wouldn't be too sarcastic, because he didn't know how this woman would react. Best to treat her like a bomb, for the time being.
"Why did you ask us here, Dr. Stone?" Prentiss asked – with a notorious lack of sarcasm, Hotch noted, but a hint of impatience.
Dr. Stone nodded. "I have composed a file of information on someone who I believe can be the rapist," she answered.
Hotch decided to say something. "May I ask why you refer to him as a rapist, as opposed as killer?"
Dr. Stone had apparently expected that question. "His motive appears to be rape and not killing, as I'm sure you have noticed." Hotch noticed she didn't really answer the question – he was sure there was more. She continued. "If you open the drawer to your right, Agent Hotchner, you will find the information I have on this man, including how he would fit into these crimes. There is a summary of the file on top," she said.
Hotch opened the drawer and it was indeed there. While he looked through the file, Prentiss, unable to restrain her curiosity, asked another question. "You keep all this stuff outside?"
Dr. Stone answered with an unreadable expression on her face, but her tone was sharp. "I'm not about to let strangers into my home, Agent Prentiss," she said. "Those files have only been sitting here since you drove through the gate about half an hour ago."
Hotch noticed something in the file. "Messrs. Bill and Cornelis Cellson raped you when you were eight?"
Dr. Stone nodded, smiling positively pleasantly. The smile was so fake it hurt to look at. "I have always suspected them of being sexually abused themselves, possibly by their stepfather, who had quite a reputation in town. I would not know why a ten-year-old and a twelve-year-old would consider raping someone otherwise," she answered. "And if that is not true, there is still an undeniable pattern between Mr. Bill Cellson's moving around and people being raped in the area with a similar MO."
"How do you know all this, Dr. Stone?" Hotch asked, glad that they appeared to be on more common ground as opposed to Dr. Stone having higher ground.
Dr. Stone's smile froze, but didn't disappear. In a sharp tone, she continued, "Agent Hotchner. A rapist who already has expressed his interest in me is out there, and I have the ability to keep tabs on him. Why wouldn't I?"
Hotch nodded, believing her.
"As for how I can spot the details, I have a degree in Criminology and I followed some classes in Criminal Justice. Understanding of those things is helpful in my field of work. Furthermore, all of this is public record."
Prentiss didn't appear to be satisfied. "Why did you never report this to the police? Or at least of your own assault?
Hotch was afraid Prentiss had gone too far, but he was curious himself. Dr. Stone did answer, though. "As for the first question, agent Prentiss, who would have believed me? For the second question there are multiple reasons, but one of those is that I wouldn't have been believed either."
"Why did you contact me, then?" Hotch asked.
Dr. Stone appeared to have anticipated that question, too. "You appear to do good work most of the time. And your willingness to come over ensures that you are also willing to at least consider the possibility of my story. Of course, I don't expect you to believe me on my word alone, but I don't expect you to dismiss me either. There are other reasons, but those are some of the main ones."
"Sounds like Megan Kane," Prentiss whispered under her breath. Hotch looked up sharply. Was this something similar? It could very well be true. Megan Kane was the prostitute and serial killer who apparently admired Hotch because he made an effort to stay in Jack's life after his divorce with Haley. It was possible Dr. Stone "admired" Hotch for a reason much like that. Hotch did have a tendency to listen to obscure testimonies and follow leads that came from them.. That could be it.
Dr. Stone continued. "The file is quite complete. I have separated information on Messrs. Cellson from information about the rapist and suspicions about the rapist, and there is a separate section on how things fit together."
Hotch nodded. He needed to look over this information and discuss things with Prentiss. He decided to wrap things up. "Dr. Stone, may we return tomorrow after we have read this file?"
Dr. Stone nodded. "What time would suit you?"
Hotch hesitated. "Would eleven o'clock be alright?" Nothing supported that this woman attended church.
"Yes, Agent Hotchner, that would be alright. Do not come before ten thirty, it's impolite to be too early."
Prentiss blanched. Who was this woman? But Hotch wasn't fazed in the slightest; if he was surprised, it was only because this woman had just said that outright. He had expected her to be