Chapter two

"Have you found out anything about our victims?" Hotch questioned Garcia,

"Nothing too unusual; most of them have been in trouble for bad behaviour but no one I spoke to accused the girls of being bullies and no action has ever been taken against any of them." Garcia slid her eyes to Reid knowing how he felt about that. She noted Morgan was sending Reid concerned looks.

"Anything on the people who made the complaints?" Reid said keeping his cool. He was thirty – time to put his school years well and truly behind him. Garcia's fingers raced over her keyboard searching for official records of her rather long list.

"Lets see nine have speeding tickets, four have arrest records for criminal damage, drunk and disorderly and vandalism. Several have hospital records for bruise injuries constant with punches, kicks all during school hours. Oh my one here is for an attempted suicide. Only sixteen that's so sad . . ."

"Focus Garcia,"

"Sorry sir, I've just emailed you the records."

"Thanks Garcia. Anything on gun owners?"

"No sir. I'm still trying to get the records." Garcia paused and then asked,

"Did you want me to ask Detective Roche to talk to the schools again?" Hotch looked at the table where a picture of the first crime scene was,

"I suspect he's busy Garcia," Hotch said quietly.

"I'll go through the records of the teachers, parents and wider student body," Garcia said needing to help as much as possible,

"Check nearby schools as well," Garcia nodded and disappeared.

"Is there a specific target?" Hotch asked again breaking up the silence,

"You mean more than anyone in a cheerleader's uniform?" Rossi clarified,

"Maybe, the unsub going to Laura's house makes her the most obvious target." Emily pointed out,

"You think the first five were an opportunistic attack and when they were dead the unsub had given themselves the … incentive to go after the person they really wanted dead?" Rossi said thoughtfully,

"It's possible," Emily considered this carefully and then asked,

"But who would come across five teenage girls in a deserted road and think that was an opportunity to kill them?"

"And who would have enough skill to kill seven people with seven shots?" Morgan asked with a rather pointed stare at Reid.

"There aren't any definitive statistics on gun ownership but given the level of gun crime in Oakland the availability of guns is likely to be high and there are twenty-three shooting ranges in California State." Hotch, Rossi and Emily suddenly became aware of the tension between Morgan and Reid. Usually the two were close friends but something about this case was pulling them apart.

"Plus you don't need any great skill to kill someone with a magnum bullet of that calibre." Reid added with an unusually snobbish tone.

The light plane shuddered slightly as Garcia appeared again,

"Sir!" she said urgently,

"What happened?" Garcia answered quickly,

"The unsub is a girl!"

"A … girl?"

"She attacked a group but ran out of bullets – there are witnesses this time sir,"

"Do the police have a name?"

"No she's about their age but doesn't go to their school."

"Was it the same school . . ."

"No sir the Julius Caesar High School."

"Where?"

"Right outside the back gates. Police indicate at least five dead and more injured."

"Injured?"

"I don't have any more details but witnesses' say she shot until her gun ran out of bullets,"

"Go back to focusing on the first two schools."

"Yes sir," Garcia disappeared again leaving the team stunned at her pronouncement.

"A girl?" Rossi repeated,

"Looks like you were right Reid," Morgan conceded sharing intently at his friend,

"I wish I wasn't," Reid said evenly,

"Under eighteen and twelve dead," Emily tried to take it in,

"What could make someone so young so angry?"

"Sixteen and bullied non-stop, with no one to help, graduation seems a long way off," Reid said speaking from experience.

"Doesn't excuse this!" Morgan said motioning the photos. Reid followed his hand and gazed at them for a long minute. Then he suddenly pulled the laptop close to him and opened the report on the attempted suicide. He tapped it with his finger and connected to Garcia.

"Hey Garcia,"

"Yea sweetness,"

"Do you have any more information on Phoebe Bradley she's . . .?"

"The kid that tried to kill herself," everyone heard frantic typing as Garcia followed Reid's thinking,

"Released from hospital four days ago,"

"Reid?" Hotch stopped Penelope before she rushed ahead.

"Sir … I … the person … the girl who did this …" Reid often babbled; when he was nervous, scared or more commonly when his brain worked faster than his mouth. It frustrated the team but they were all grateful for his quick thinking.

"Reid!" Despite being grateful they weren't above hurrying him along.

"She doesn't care about living anymore … she wants to die,"

"And take as many of her tormenters with her." Morgan agreed. Hotch looked between them as Rossi said,

"Makes sense."

"But why the two schools?" Emily questioned,

"She went to both of them, changed just last year." Garcia said looking at a screen in front of her,

"To avoid bullies," Emily concluded.

"Garcia call detective Roche and give him all the details." Hotch instructed hoping now they had identified her they could catch her.

"Way to go Reid," Garcia praised and disappeared again. Reid blushed at her words and the team smiled at him. Then the laptop pinged and they had the reports on Phoebe to concentrate on.

Despite the new wealth of information to examine to try and find their target, each team member spent a large proportion of their time watching Reid. He pretended to be oblivious although when Morgan gestured him over to the back of the jet he sighed and glared at his friend but followed him,

"What Morgan!"

"Easy kid I just want to see how you are?"

"I'm fine!" he answered loudly in contrast to Morgan's soft query.

"I wish everyone would stop looking at me like I'm going to flip," he continued this time quietly.

"We're worried about you,"

"I'm thirty, Morgan; high school was a long, long time ago,"

"Some scars last a lifetime," Morgan also spoke from experience and Reid's hard expression softened.

"You told Garcia about what I told you, didn't you?" he questioned tonelessly,

"Not exactly but I mentioned you had a really bad experience with cheerleaders and jocks."

"The way you've been looking at me I thought you'd think I was planning on helping," Morgan heard the hurt in his voice but didn't understand,

"Help who?"

"The unsub." he said his big eyes staring forlornly at Morgan (who at that point really missed the flop of hair that used to cover them).

"I know you better than that,"

"What's with all the looks?"

"Last time you emphasised with the unsub you could have been killed – I just don't want the same thing to happen again,"

"I can take care of myself,"

"Sure you can but I'm allowed to worry." Reid frowned at his friend who just smiled back easily. They moved back to the others who were discussing where the sixteen year old Phoebe might go next.

"She's got a sister, two half sisters and four step siblings all older. She's also got a dozen younger family members." Emily grumbled,

"That's a lot of possibilities," Rossi agreed.

"Her mum has married four times and presumably dated in between. Her third husband has a hunting and gun permit," Reid said reading the full report.

"He might have taken an interest in her; taught her how to shoot."

"Detective Roche probably has the family covered," Morgan pointed out.

"You're right we should focus on where she might find more victims," Hotch looked at Reid, who got out a map,

"The three schools are all in the east district heading in a westward direction,"

"Could she be planning to kill herself on the coast?" Rossi asked looking at Reid.

"It's more likely she will die in a shoot out with the cops – she's not trying to hide anymore." Reid looked down and away wishing he was there on the ground to help.

"Alright I'll tell Garcia, which is the more likely school?" Hotch asked,

"That one," Emily answered and those that could easily see the map nodded. After relaying the information to Garcia the plane was silent for a long pause.

"I hate long flights," Emily said out the blue and everyone agreed frustrated with the long delay in being able to help. They were about to list everything they hated most when the plan shuddered a second time,

"THAT!" Emily exclaimed and elaborated,

"I hate the way small planes shake so easily," as she finished speaking the plane dipped and then bounced up again. Another shudder and the co-pilot appeared to ask everyone to seat down and buckle up.

"Could we move to the middle of the country?" she asked Hotch as everyone moved to sit down.

"I'll ask Strauss," he answered with a rare grin as the plane wobbled again. The team laughed releasing some pent-up stress and worry.

Suddenly a teary eyed Garcia appeared on the laptop (that Hotch now had to hold to stop it vibrating off the juddering table).

"Garcia?" Hotch exclaimed and everyone leaned over to try and see her,

"Sir …" she started to talk as the plane dipped again and something on board fell over,

"Sir is everything ok?"

"Just turbulence what happened?"

"She's dead." Garcia paused as the table shook violently enough the laptop flickered,

"What happened?" Hotch seemed determined to ignore the struggling plane as it battled through the air.

"Detective Roche was on his way to the school but one of the parents was a cop and already there. When Phoebe appeared he fired shot her," Garcia paused again but this time to breathe deeply (to not cry the team knew),

"I didn't get a clear report but it looks like he stopped her from killing anyone else," Garcia smiled faintly and slid worried eyes towards Reid. The team followed her stare and Reid bit his lip to avoid shouting at them,

"He's a hero," he said almost bitterly and looked out the window at the passing dark clouds; he wondered if high schools would ever be safe from bullies.

Fin