Once again, thanks for the reviews. You guys make me continue.
Another -probably pretty boring- chapter, but I assure you, it is necessary. Besides, only talking about JJ would make it even less realistic than it already is...
And I own nothing - if I did, I wouldn't be living here. I just combined two TV shows and used my own words to describe them...
On the plane, the team went over some details. JJ, not being able to contribute much since she wasn't a profiler, listened, but didn't say much.
When the plane landed, she knew that the unsub was likely a male in his forties, judging by his first murder – Rosa Denzel had been 42. He was highly organized, because he left no evidence. He was also intelligent, because he had managed to avoid getting caught in seven cases.
His MO suggested he felt powerless, for he first suffocated before killing: his victims were already still, thus making it easier for him to end their lives. He wanted to avoid panic because it could make people hear him, but also because, the team suspected, he physically wasn't strong enough to fight and win. By suffocating, he made sure he still had control over his victims.
What they didn't know, was how he lured his victims: the lack of defensive wounds suggested the victims hadn't expected him to do anything. They were overtaken by surprise and suffocated before they had the time to react.
It was a hot day in Detroit. JJ was glad she had put on a t-shirt: she saw Reid struggle with the heat under his jumper.
No one had been available to pick them up from the airport, and it wasn't needed: the police station was quite close to the airport. They decided to take the bus. JJ was seated next to Rossi: being used to his taciturn behaviour, she kept silent. She stared out of the window and when Rossi started talking, she assumed it was to someone else. Rossi had never had a good conversation with her, so she was quite surprised when he mentioned her name.
"JJ, are you even listening?"
She quickly turned around and felt her face growing red. "Yes, I'm sorry sir, I thought you were talking to someone else."
He chuckled, something JJ hadn't seen before: it was a new, but altogether not a bad sight. "You were far away: what were you thinking of?"
"The… the case, sir," she lied. In truth, she had been thinking about the coming night: how was she going to sleep well? Maybe she could take some sleeping pills…
"Hmm. Well, I was saying that I still don't really know what your function within this team is."
JJ blinked. This wasn't what she had expected: she thought he had wanted to say something about the case.
"I am the team's liaison between the media and the local police departments," she answered smoothly, a sentence she'd said many times before.
"So you decide which cases we take?"
JJ cringed. This was a less happy side of her job: every day, she wondered whether she had picked the right case.
"I do," she said, trying not to show that insecurity. "The police calls me for help, and I decide whether we will provide them with that help or not."
"What happens with the cases we don't take?" Rossi asked, watching her closely. JJ noticed he said 'we' rather than 'you'. He didn't want her to feel responsible. That was sweet of him, and she appreciated him for it.
"I send them through to another unit of profilers or psychologically skilled agents, and they usually take the case," she said.
Rossi nodded, and looked out of the window. She assumed this meant the conversation was over, and let her mind drift off again.
Just as they were about to enter the police station, a man in his late thirties walked up to them. "You the BAU?" he asked hurriedly. When Hotch confirmed this, he relaxed visibly and said: "I'm Alejandro Milano, the lead detective on the case."
JJ stepped forward. "I'm Jennifer Jareau, we spoke on the phone." Then she presented the other team members to him, like she always did: "These are agents Hotchner, Rossi, Morgan, Reid and Prentiss."
Detective Milano nodded and pointed at the office. "Let's go inside, I've got everything set up there."
Inside, an entire room was devoted to the case: pictures and personal details of the seven victims hung on boards and a large screen hung on the other side. In the middle stood a table, on which Milano sat.
"I don't have much time now, because I've got a meeting soon. All I can say is that I am glad you could come. We honestly don't know what to do anymore."
He stood up and paced up down, while continuing to talk: "All the physical evidence, though it's not much, you can see on the board here, as well as the victim's personal details. Hannah will come down soon and tell you what she has gathered about him emotionally. She's kind of our own profiler," he chuckled, and for a moment his features softened, "but she's got her hands full." With that he left, leaving the door open.
Reid moved closer to the board to watch the victims, as did Hotch and Prentiss. JJ went to get some water and was accompanied by Morgan, who said softly: "Strange man, isn't he?" JJ knew what he was talking about. Detective Milano looked like he worked on a movie set, but had lost the way to it: sunglasses, short, black hair, gun clearly visible in its holster. He seemed trustworthy and capable of the job, though, and that was what really mattered.
'Psychologically skilled agents', lol. I was thinking of Megan of Numb3rs when I made up that word :)
My analysis of the unsub - any good? I made it up, combining some things I've heard before, but I have no idea whether it's anywhere close to the truth...