A/N: Since I've forgotten this before: Of course I don't own Criminal Minds...

Thank you so much for your great reviews, I loved them! Sorry, this chapter has nothing of JJ/Reid in it, but the next one will... Please review again!

It had been days since the team had gotten back from Nevada and Reid was still dealing with his grief when he received a letter. Nothing spectacular at that, but the content was intriguing.

"Dear Spencer,

Potomac Avenue 57

I hope you like my gift. Let it teach you not to ignore me!

A friend"

It had been sent in a normal white envelope with no return address, "Dr. Spencer Reid" was written neatly with a black ballpoint pen on it.

Since there was nothing to do for Reid today (of course he was caught up on his paperwork) Hotch allowed him to check it out. So he took one of the departmental SUVs und headed out, clueless at what he was about to find.

Nobody opened the door when he rang the bell, so he tried a second time and then a third. Just when he contemplated leaving a neighbor joined him, a woman in her 40s, apparently a housewife.

"Hello, Sir, I'm Mrs. Jewel. Are you looking for Mr. Lewis?"

"Hi, Ma'am. Yes, in fact I am. Do you know when he will be back?"

Reid flashed his FBI badge.

"Sorry, no. Come to think of it though, I haven't seen him since yesterday. That's pretty strange, we're usually pretty close and talk at least once a day."

"Do you have a key by any chance?"

She hesitated, but then she made a decision.

"Yes, I do have one. I suppose it's all right if I let you in…"

"Thank you very much."

She went inside her house to fetch it, then Reid persuaded her to give it to him and to wait here.

He silently opened the door drawing his gun (of course still pointed to the ground) out of an instinct he couldn't quite place. With as little noise as possible he checked the rooms, opening the doors only with his elbow to not leave or destroy any prints that might be needed.

First was a large living room, then the kitchen, a bathroom and a closet. Upstairs he found another bathroom and a study. All empty and pretty tidy. Only in the bedroom he discovered what he had feared: the body of a male in his early 30s, brutally stabbed in the chest. With a swift motion he pulled out his cell to inform the police and his team.

Sighing he went outside to inform Mrs. Jewel of the tragedy that had occurred. This was the one part of his job he hated. No matter how many times he had to do it, he just couldn't get used to it. Well, not that he had to do it that much, simply for the reason that the others weren't as awkward with people as he was. But this time he had no choice.

When he walked up to her, she had already comprehended what had happened.

"He's dead, isn't he?" She whispered.

Reid nodded unable to say something. Tears welled up in her eyes and he had no idea what he should to. Then a statistic popped up in his mind: 99 of all people felt comforted by touch, even if it was by a complete stranger… So he simply pulled the woman into a hug, a little shy at first until she clutched onto him.

It seemed like a long time until the police finally arrived, even if it was only just about 10 minutes. Since Reid had previously explained he was an FBI agent and had asked to be allowed to help, the officers were already instructed that the bureau would work on that case with them.

When Morgan and Gideon arrived soon after, Morgan immediately took over Mrs. Jewel. Reid was very relieved at that, he hadn't felt exactly comfortable. Derek got the woman to go back into her house while Reid briefed Gideon who then went to take a look at the crime scene himself. By now the house was full of police, CSIs and the coroner. The older profiler did not take long before he joined his college again. Together they went to Mrs. Jewel to talk to her about her murdered neighbor.

Morgan let them in and into the brightly decorated living room. Because he didn't know details yet he had settled for calming the woman down so she would now be able to answer their questions. They didn't get to know too much though, Stephen Lewis was an average guy with average interests, nothing stood out. So they said their good-byes and decided that Morgan and Gideon would stay going through Lewis' stuff while Reid would go back informing JJ and Emily.

When Morgan entered the bedroom he was struck by the resemblance of the vic with Reid: they had a different haircut and this man was a little taller and older but other than that they could've been twins. Quickly he had found Lewis' diary and skimmed through it. Again he turned up blank, there was just one thing he noticed: Lewis was gay. It might not be important, but he made a mental note to tell the team. Gideon had looked through the other things by now, he had found nothing.

The killer was content now. He had the attention of the team – more important: Spencer's attention. Finally! It really was about time, he had waited long enough.

And he had enjoyed the killing more than he had thought he would. The power it gave him, the feeling when the knife had pierced the soft flesh, the blood running down the body… It had been so easy, none of the troubles he'd imagined had occurred. The fact that he'd really killed gave him a buzz, alone the memory did. How Lewis had pleaded for his life and screamed in pain when he had used his knife on him… He almost wished Reid hadn't yet learned his lesson…

A/N: Now, what do you think? Did I live up to your expectations?