Chapter Three
Teamwork: Simply stated, it is less me and more we- Author Unknown
New York. It was…busy. As Spencer knew it would be. But he still was never really prepared for the crowds. Getting out of the taxi that had brought them from the airport the noise hit him instantly: people shouting, road works hammering and tourists gasping in amazement. And the smell was not to his liking either. It always smelt of sweat and car fumes in New York even more pungent after the recent rain. Not the most alluring smell for a city he thought.
"Don't worry, Dr Reid." The words startled him and he looked to Detective Lewis. "I'll protect you." She winked at him before moving past and leading the way to the building up ahead. He could hear Morgan laughing quietly behind him but ignored him and followed her.
Inside it was much calmer. The room was even quieter than the BAU's office. Uniformed policemen sat lazily looking at computers; a few were walking around or heading out.
"Lauren, you're back." A voice said. Detective Lewis smiled at the policeman who had addressed her.
"I am, and have returned with the famed BAU as promised." She turned to look at the team. "This is Sergeant Fortrye." Detective Lewis introduced.
"It's good to be of help to the NYPD, Sergeant." Hotch said, stepping forward and shaking Fortrye's hand.
"I'm just glad you could help." He said. "When Lauren said she had such a friend I was pretty eager to get you on board the case."
"Is there a room we could use for the duration of our stay?" Hotch asked. Fortrye nodded and gestured behind him.
"I'm afraid we are limited on resources, but Lauren has volunteered to let you commandeer her office for the time being."
"Of course." Hotch replied, nodded once and then headed to the room. Everyone followed his lead.
The office was small and quite stuffy. One desk sat in the far corner, it was decorated with a variety of plants, all were half dead. Another table sat in the middle cluttered with files, pens and screwed up paper. The board behind it was empty except for the three pictures of the victims and a piece of paper with a scribbled question mark.
"I'm sorry about the mess." Detective Lewis muttered. "I went to the BAU in such a rush I didn't have time to tidy before leaving."
"It's fine." Rossi said and the team instantly got to work setting up their equipment.
After settling in the team were quick to begin, each member focused on their job. Spencer had been tasked with finding any geographical similarities or patterns. He had spread out a map of New York on the board and was currently marking out where the murders had occurred.
"I can't find any person that's common within these women's lives." Morgan said.
"I can't find anything either." Detective Lewis said with a frustrated sigh.
"Ok." Hotch said. "Let's focus on other similarities in their lives. The unsub has to be there somewhere." Morgan nodded at his instructions.
"Any luck, Dr Reid?" Detective Lewis asked. He found it odd how she called him Dr Reid, it was unusual to hear. He'd become so accustomed to people calling him simply Reid.
"Geographical profiling works on the assumption that the unsub will work in a zone that is comfortable." He explained. "Usually far enough from their home not to seem suspicious but close enough to reach easily." He turned back to the board and looked at the red color headed pins dotted about the map. "But the locations seem…random." It was not a word he liked to use. 'Random'. It felt uncontrolled, something he couldn't figure out.
"Maybe the locations aren't important—" Morgan began but was interrupted by Detective Lewis.
"Where was the first victim found?" She asked Spencer.
"On a porch seat outside the Angel Orensanz Center." He said recalling the information from memory easily.
"And the second?" She continued glancing between her laptop and the file.
"Chelsea Piers." He said.
"Where specifically?"
"The Lighthouse." He replied quickly.
"And the third?"
"Outside the—"
"The Foundry in Long City Island." She said finishing his sentence. Everyone turned to her and she peered over her laptop excitedly. "They're wedding hotspots." She revealed.
"Were the victims married?" Hotch asked.
"Yes," Emily said, standing up with the file. "They were all newly weds, just returned from their honeymoons." The recent revelation made the room feel heavy with sorrow. Yet it was all slowly clicking into place.
"Ok, focus on the weddings of the victims: anyone who helped with the wedding or worked there. Catering companies, car drivers, wedding planners, everyone." Hotch's voice was commanding, as it usually was when he felt they were close to finding the killer.
Spencer looked at Detective Lewis as she typed furiously onto her laptop, obviously intent on finding something. He was so far impressed by her. It was as if she didn't need them. She had figured out the unsub was female and had now found the reason behind the locations the killer used. In her own office she seemed more relaxed, not as tense as she was when she first met them all. Usually the detectives who asked for help left the team alone and Spencer preferred it that way. He felt more comfortable working with the people he was used to. It was just easier. But for some reason having her help felt natural.
"Why is she helping us?" Spencer asked suddenly as Hotch went to walk by, voicing his curiosity. Hotch looked to Detective Lewis.
"She won't let go of a case once she's on it." He said still looking at her, Spencer almost thought he saw a smile from the stern head of the BAU. "But trust me, we will solve this quicker with her than without her. Be thankful she is here." He moved past Spencer and continued outside. Spencer shrugged, still confused about the relationship between Hotch and the young Detective.
This was it. Lauren could feel it. They were close to finding the killer. Her fingers typed quicker than they ever had, fuelled by a sense of resolution to the case. But her hopes of finishing the case came too soon.
"We have another victim." The one sentence made Lauren's heart drop. She turned to face Sergeant Fortrye as he gave the news. "She was just found outside the Central Park Boathouse." They all looked to each other.
"Another wedding hotspot." Lauren announced as she checked the list of top ten New York wedding hotspots she had come across.
"Morgan, Reid." Hotch said. "Go with Lauren to the scene. We still need to focus on finding the killer." She nodded at him and gathered her bag before standing and following Morgan and Spencer out the door.
The crime scene was already packed with spectators surrounding the yellow tape as they arrived.
"Get back please." The police repeated, trying to control the crowds. Lauren flashed her badge at the policemen.
"These two are with me." She said, indicating to Spencer and Morgan. They were all shuffled inside the tape before the crowds could pour through with them.
"Is it always like this?" Morgan asked.
"Crime is like theatre in New York." Lauren said. She hated the fact the public always wanted to see the murder scenes. Couldn't they just be content with leading normal lives that didn't involve such violence? But curiosity was part of human nature she always told herself.
"She was found by a wedding planner and a couple who were potentially going to use the venue for their wedding." One of the officers at the scene explained.
"I guess the wedding's on hold for a while." Morgan commented as they made their way to the body.
The woman was red headed with a hibiscus flower pinned into her intricate hairstyle, her eyes were open staring up at the sky as she was sat on the ground leaning against a tree.
"This dress is Vera Wang." Lauren said, recognizing it from a feature of Vogue. The two men looked to her. She shrugged at them. "Can't a Detective follow fashion?" Morgan smiled but Spencer simply looked confused and turned back to the body.
"The body can't have been here for long, a couple of hours at most I'd say." Morgan examined the body further.
"But that would mean she left the body here at near ten in the morning." Lauren said. "Surely someone would have seen something?"
"Lots of upcoming photographers come here with models." An officer near by explained. "A lot of witnesses said they wouldn't see anything wrong with someone posing a girl and taking pictures."
"There were witnesses?" Spencer said suddenly.
"Where are they?" Lauren asked sharply. The officer gestured to the large crowd of joggers, dog walkers and families behind them.
"You have got to be joking." Morgan said, also looking over the rabble.
"One of them has to have seen something." Spencer said whilst still looking at the body.
"I'm sure they all saw something," Lauren sighed. "It's if they saw anything useful." Another sigh left her. "I will get started on the statements."