It was noon. Reid walked up to the building with Prentiss at his side. "Damn this weather," Prentiss complained, taking off her jacket. "It's worse that Florida!"
"Actually, Florida was more of a humid place up north, but I suppose if you meant south Florida, then yes, Houston is worse," Reid replied, matter-of-factly. Prentiss snorted and they walked in the cool police department. They were the last to arrive. JJ was talking to a couple of reporters, who looked disappointed at the information she had disclosed. Morgan, Rossi, and Hotch were speaking with the detective and a few police officers. Mattie was sitting on a table, her trenchcoat thrown over a chair and her eyes focused on the see-through board.
Reid approached her. Mattie glanced at him, then smiled kindly. "Oh, hey Reid." "Hey, Mattie. Set up the board all by yourself?" She nodded. "Mhm. I'm actually pretty quick at these kind of things. We found out there were two victims, one last year, and one the year before that. We think it's the same unsub, since the victims' ages range around ten and all three victims were sexually assaulted."
"But he didn't burn these…" Reid touched the photographs of two smiling innocent little girls. Mattie pursed her lips. "Yeah, he didn't. We think he's alternating ways to kill. To throw us off. He must have some knowledge on victimology." Reid felt his heart squeeze as he inspected the horribly beaten up girls. "A baseball bat and one was shot…Any connections between the families?" "Garcia's working on it," responded Mattie, letting her chin rest in her hand. "Do you think he might kill again?" he asked her.
"Well, something changed." Mattie bit her lip. "He's giving exactly a year long gap in between the killings, but with this recent one being one month ahead of a year, I get the feeling something's changed him, he's going to kill soon again."
They were soon joined by the rest of the unit, as well as the detective. As Mattie explained her theory, she was met with skeptical eyes from Hotch and the detective, but the rest of the team nodded in understanding. "He's precise, but not OCD level," reasoned Prentiss. "Right," Morgan replied.
"Guys! Garcia's on line one." Rossi ran into the room, a water bottle in his hand. Hotch nodded and took the phone, pressing a button. "Garcia, you're on speaker."
"Hello, my furry friends and friends of my furry friends!" Mattie smiled. Reid leaned over. "Garcia, what did you find? Any connections at all?"
"To start, this sicko apparently targets high class children from successful families."
Mattie nodded. "Maybe he wants media attention."
"Makes sense. An attention seeking child predator. He probably was never noticed as a kid, maybe bullied," Morgan said thoughtfully. "Right, my peach, but I'm not finished. All victims were little girls with blonde hair and blue eyes. And all live around Houston, Texas," Garcia explained, the tone of her voice low. "God, these child predator cases make me shiver."
"Thanks, baby girl." Morgan hung up. Hotch gathered a file, laying it out on a table. "Morgan and Prentiss, why don't you two go talk to the parents of the first victim. Rossi, take the second parents. We have to start a profile immediately. Reid and Mattie, start working on it. I also want to know exactly how the interview went with Sara's parents, Mattie." He motioned for her to follow him. Reid watched her leave, her shoulders were tensed and the look on her face made him think she had quite a lot to say about the Logan's.
He turned back to the boards, trying to find a geographical pattern. The phone rang. He picked up. "Garcia?"
"Hello again! Anyways, forgot to mention this, the Logan's were married earlier as a result of being pregnant. Mrs. Logan suffers from an alcohol addiction and goes every Thursday to those alcoholic group meetings. They have a babysitter to look after Sara every weekday. She picks her up from school and leaves at two in the morning when Mrs. Logan returns from her CIO duties for a Cruise-wear line. The Grayson's, the parents of the first victim are divorced because Mr. Grayson was having two affairs with different women. Mrs. Grayson gained full custody and every year, out of guilt I presume, Mr. Grayson sends in a check for $100,000. The victim, Ashley Grayson, was about to turn eleven after she was murdered. I'm working on the Carlisle's now, I'll phone you later, my sweet." Garcia hung up, leaving Reid to process this information carefully. He needed to speak with the forensics.
"I'm telling you, Sara and her mother had no strong mother-daughter bond. In fact, her relationship with her father was probably stronger, since the father refused to come out of Sara's room. Mrs. Logan didn't even say 'Sara' she said 'her.' She was distancing herself from Sara. Plus, if she did have a bond with her daughter, she wouldn't have let us in her room, seeing as parents usually feel the need to preserve the room the way it was for long periods of time." Mattie was on a roll. She felt proud she had managed to gather this much information from the mother in one interview.
Hotch took in this information. "Good. Not bad for your first case, Mattie. I'm impressed." He didn't look impressed. I think 'stressed' is the word, Uncle Aaron.
"Why, thank you." Mattie managed a small smile. "Also, she's an alcoholic, I'm assuming. There were bottles of champagne and Vodka everywhere. She told me it was to relieve stress. I doubt it. Anyway, I also doubt Sara suffered from any other child trauma besides having a weak relationship with her mother. She was last seen walking out of school."
"Oddly enough, all the victims attend the same school, don't they?" Hotch inquired, glancing at his niece. Mattie nodded. "The next victim will probably be from the same school." Reid burst into the room. "I'm going to see the forensics, Hotch, the ones that treated the first and second victims." Hotch nodded. "Alright, be back by six, we need to start a profile. This guy is going to strike soon."
"Yes, sir." He strode out of the door. Mattie followed. "Hey, Reid, wait!" Reid stopped and glanced back. "Wanna tag along?" Mattie smiled. "You got me." She slid into the black SUV passenger seat, slipping on her aviator sunglasses. Reid started the car and drove off into the heat. "So…" Mattie said, breaking the awkward silence. "What's your IQ?" Reid chuckled slightly. "Strange question. 187. And you?"
"192." Mattie smiled proudly. "Even though, technically, you can still be an absolute genius with a low IQ." Reid laughed. "Or a total idiot with a high IQ."
She nodded, still smiling broadly. "So tell me more about yourself, Dr. Reid."
"Spence, is fine, really," he told her, his eyes on the road. "What would you like to know?"
"Hm…favorite pastime?"
"Chess."
"Ah, I'm more of a Scrabble player, actually." Mattie smiled dorkishly. "I'm also a proud Trekkie."
Reid laughed slightly. A Star Trek fan? "Beam me up, Scotty!"
"You know, that phrase was never even said in any Star Trek episodes." Mattie smirked. Reid nodded his approval. "Good, good."
Mattie bit her lip, thinking. "Green Day?"
"More of a Led Zeppelin fan."
"Ah, my respect for you has sky rocketed, Dr—I mean, Spence." They exchanged small smiles. "So, is Mattie your real name?" Reid asked, glancing at her. Mattie shook her head. "Honestly, my real name sucks. I changed my name because Matilda sounded too...grown-up." She stuck out her tongue in disgust. Reid laughed lightly. "It's a pretty name. Don't be ashamed of it." Mattie rolled her eyes. "You sound just like my mother."
Reid feigned offense. "How incredibly rude of you, Agent Jones!"
Mattie smirked and played along. "The truth hurts, I'm afraid."
It was 6:00 p.m. The unit members all regrouped back at the police station, where they exchanged information involving the parents of the other two victims. Reid explained the information the forensics managed to disclose. They gathered with officers and detectives to deliver the profile. "The two girls were also raped. We're probably dealing with a sexual sadist here. There girls have been somewhat tortured before or during the rape, and then killed. He probably has a past with being invisible and when he was around ten, the only friend he had was a girl with blue eyes and blonde hair. Something tragic, most probably murder, has killed her, and he's reliving the kill," explained Hotch.
"Our profile indicates that something has changed in our unsub's life, which is why he resumed killing before a year had passed. Most likely a strong emotion that brought back his feelings towards his deceased friend," proclaimed Mattie, not making direct eye contact with any of the officers or detectives in the room.
"Such as, someone doing something to anger him then?" an officer asked.
"Right."
The head detective was staring at Mattie, who was slightly proud. Reid couldn't help but smile. She was doing well for her first case. "So, do you have your technical analyst on the job?"
"She's searching Houston's list of murders of young girls from rich families dating back maximum twenty years ago who attended the elementary school," replied Prentiss.
"We have another victim." JJ's grave voice resonated throughout the room.
"Layla Anderson. Burned. Ten years old. Same elementary school." Rossi frowned.
"I'm starting to think the unsub attended this school as well…" Prentiss knelt down next to the body. Mattie examined her wounds. "This was sloppy work…sloppy work means hurried work. Why was he in a rush?"
"Guys." The agents turned to face Morgan and a skinny redhead little girl next to him, probably ten years old as well. She was trembling. Mattie sighed and shook her head. She wasn't good with little kids. Deciding not to say anything, she turned back to the body, listening to the redheaded girl talk.
"Layla wandered off, because she saw tall man with black hair, he…he was calling for help because his puppy was dieing…I didn't wanna go…my mom always said not to talk to strangers, because they hurt you." The girl took a breath. "But Layla wanted to help. So she went with him. And I heard a scream. I told my teacher to call 911…" Tears spilled from the girl's green eyes onto her freckled cheeks. JJ soothed her by stroking her hair. "Can you describe the man to one of our professional artists?" The girl thought for a moment, then nodded. JJ led her away.
"Is it safe to say he might be sticking with fire for now?" asked Prentiss.
"Why fire though…?" Mattie thought aloud. "The first two murders were different M.O. Like he was deciding how to kill them…he wasn't following how his friend was actually killed…why?"
Reid thought for a moment. "Maybe he didn't mean to kill them…maybe it wasn't his intention for the first, and the second, he was inclined to kill, but didn't know how…"
Mattie's eyes suddenly widened. "Wait…Sara had open wounds, correct? We said it was scissors and the forensics confirmed it…scissors…no one just carries around scissors. What if it was a school teacher?"
Hotch turned his head towards his niece. "It would give him access to the students, and why Layla might have recognized him."
Prentiss nodded, smiling in approval. "Good work, Mattie. I'll call Garcia to check every single teacher in the school."
Garcia typed furiously into her computer, eyes focused on the screen. Her pale hands were blurs hovering over the black keyboard. So many teachers…so many male teachers…let's narrow it down to middle aged men like Morgan said to…okay, now to middle aged men who attended grief sessions in their childhood.
Two names of men popped up on the screen. She immediately eliminated the other with the description the redhead had given the agents. Garcia stared at a man with sad eyes, a small smile, and black hair. He doesn't look like a murderer at all…
Garcia shook her head. She should know better. Picking up the phone, she dialed Reid's number. "Garcia?"
"Got him, my love. Phineas Stark. Age 34. He took grief counseling for two years and was recently fired from his job as a victimologist's intern. The girl's name that died was Madeline Amritt. She died at a house fire fifteen years ago. The arsonist was never caught."
"We need an address, Garcia."
"Already sent it to your phones, dear. Good luck!"
"We have an address!" Reid called out, startling Mattie from a state of deep thought. "What?" She took a second to process this. "Garcia found him already?" The young genius' mouth curved into a little smile. "I'm telling you, she's the queen of all computers."
"And the goddess of technology," Morgan pointed out, slipping on his vest. Mattie grabbed a gun the detective was handing her. Hotch cleared his throat, looking directly at Mattie. "What? I haven't proved myself yet?" She pouted stubbornly, taking the bulletproof vest Reid was reaching out to give to her. Rossi grabbed Mattie gently but firmly by the arm and pulled her along. "We don't have time for this, Hotch. She's coming with me." Hotch sighed resignedly, following them.
The agents, police, and the detective piled into police cars and black shining SUVs. It was night and dark, Mattie held her gun, thinking. I wonder if I'm actually going to have to shoot someone today…
Oddly enough, the thought didn't bother her.
The SUV parked swiftly into the lawn, and Rossi, Prentiss, and Mattie leapt towards the one story house. The windows were veiled with shades and Mattie looked around. Morgan took the lead, maneuvering through trees that were piled across the lawn, some were knocked over because the branches had grown too much. Prentiss and Mattie followed behind, JJ and Reid coming in from the backyard.
Morgan knocked on the door roughly. "FBI! Open up!"
They waited. Nothing. Mattie frowned. Something was wrong. He was supposed to be submissive…
Her eyes widened. "Morgan…"
There was a scream. It wasn't very loud, only Morgan heard it. He backed up and kicked open the door easily. "Phineas Stark? Phineas Stark?" Prentiss called out. Mattie held her gun up at eye level. She kicked open a bathroom door in a hallway rapidly. Nothing. She stepped back and looked down. Something dark had left a trail.
Mattie crouched down, touching the trail with her fingertips. It was sticky and fresh. She knew what it was.
Blood.
She looked back, signaling for an officer to come back her up. Silently, she paced her breathing, following the trail up to a basement. "Phineas Stark?" Mattie called out, her voice stronger than she felt. There was a sob, then a choking sound. A little girl. A little girl called out, "Help."
That's fucking it.
Mattie brought up her foot with so much force, the door flung wide open, revealing Phineas Stark and a young blonde and blue eyed girl. His hands were at her throat. The man looked nervous, not frightened, and impatient as he glared at Mattie, who was aiming the gun directly at his head.
"Leave us alone! Leave me and Maddy alone!" He was crouched over the girl, gripping her neck tighter. The little girl looked deathly close to passing out. She was gasping for breath and clawing at the man's hands. Mattie swallowed, trying to keep her own hands from trembling. "Let her go, Mr. Stark. She's not Madeline. She's not Maddy."
"Liar!" Phineas grabbed the girl, pulling her up harshly. Mattie tensed. "Mr. Stark we don't want to do this." Her voice cracked. What the hell should I do?
He sneered and grabbed at the nearest weapon he had. A small pocket knife. He held to the girl's neck. She wailed in fear and panic. "Please, don't do this..." whimpered the girl. Mattie cursed under her breath. "Madeline Amritt died fifteen years ago. She's gone, Mr. Stark. She's not who you're currently holding," Rossi said calmly, walking over with his gun lowered, taking his place in front of Mattie. She felt a bead of sweat go down her chin. "She wouldn't want this, Mr. Stark. Madeline befriended you because she saw you had a heart different from the others. This is how you repay her?" Rossi continued.
Phineas was shaking madly, the knife beginning to slightly cut into the girl's neck. She was already bleeding enough from her leg wound.
"You specifically murdered high class families with similar daughters to speak out to Madeline, to show her how much you missed her. You know she's dead, Phineas. You won't accept it."
Police surrounded him like wolves about to leap onto their prey. Mattie wasn't sure, but she thought she saw a small tear escape from his eye before grasping the knife firmer and lifting it, as it to drive it into the little girl's heart.
Everything was a blur. Mattie watched the scene play out like a slow motion movie. A police officer dived at the girl, swiftly rolling onto the floor with her as two shots were fired. Blood stained the cream colored carpet as the man fell towards the floor. The little girl screamed loudly. Mattie winced as he gathered his last breath to feel the name of his only friend on his lips for the last time.
Maddy.
Mattie bowed her head, lowering her gun as well. She knew he would have put the girl down. She knew he wouldn't have hurt her. But he found it his only way out. To die now meant to be with his friend.
She was walked out by Reid, since she stood there, staring at Phineas long after he had died. For a moment, she had seen herself in his position. Sprawled on the floor in a pool of her own crimson blood, dead to be with a loved one.
"Mattie…Mattie."
"Chase…?" It came out as a whisper.
Spencer Reid stood in front of her, looking a bit puzzled.
She shook her head quickly. "I mean, hey Spence." Mattie managed a slight smile. "Some ending, huh?"
"I'll say." Reid cocked his head to the side. "Are you alright? You seem a little dazed."
Mattie let out a hoarse, small laugh. "I'm fine, really." She pocketed her gun, turning away from the body. "How's the girl?"
"She's being rushed to the hospital because of a gash on her leg, but she'll be fine." Reid paused. Mattie was looking away, swimming in her deep thoughts again. The young genius looked down at his feet. This girl was definitely something interesting. She had concrete walls up at all times, didn't she?
But she had let them down with him. Not completely, but she wasn't that mysterious girl in Hotch's office anymore.
It dawned upon him that maybe Mattie needed someone to tear down her walls as much as Reid did.
"Want to go get something to eat?"
She was looking up at him, the lamppost's light reflecting in her penetrating eyes. Mattie was smiling at him. And it wasn't a smile to mask other emotions. Reid smiled back, a bit more comfortably than he ever had with a female. "Sure."