Hiding in Plain Sight

(based upon the TV Series Criminal Minds)

(I do not own Criminal Minds, all characters are from Criminal Minds or based on character already created on Criminal Minds, I own only my imagination)

J.J. and Spencer arrived in Grand Rapids around 1:30 am. Spencer had a map on his lap. He quickly folds the map and follows J.J. into the Police Station. They enter the station to find it is nearly deserted. There were few cops around, two detectives, Morrison, and Clark, and both are talking to David. J.J. moved towards the Chief's office just as Aaron exits it. "J.J. you have impeccable timing. We are going to get together and talk about this case with Morrison and Clark. We need to set up a profile, and see what we can do about finding this guy." Aaron says as he moves away from the office. We are in this conference room over there." Aaron says and leads J.J. and Spencer over to a room on the far end of the station. David was just a few steps behind.

Aaron turned to face the group once David had entered. "We have a problem." Aaron says as the group settles comfortable about the room. "I have talked to Chief Gray and he has it in his head that Parker killed the jogger, and a cop got a good shot in."

"But—" Spencer starts but is cut off by Aaron.

"No, we now need to prove that Parker didn't and couldn't kill the jogger, we still need to work the case to keep Parker safe, but we must prove she is not the guilty party. I want you all to find her an alibi for the last two days, and I want you to make sure it is rock hard before we go in. It may come down that the real killer is the only one who can prove that she is innocent. From here on out when we are talking to the cops, we call her Elizabeth Parks. Things are touchy here at the station and they are seriously undermanned." Aaron says. "We have to find a way to protect her without them knowing we are interfering. As of right now we are being allowed to help, we have not been asked. That said, what have you found out?"

"Two things," Spencer says, "First, she said she knew him, she told us that she knew his voice and that she has trusted him before. That led us to our second theory which seems to be panning out. We believe that she has known him for many years, and Garcia is gathering a list of names, while I am putting together a comfort zone. I have mapped out all the crimes in comparison to where Parks lived at the time. Every killing is outside the thirty miles. So this leads me to think that she is thirty miles away from his house, or they were neighbors." Spencer says looking around the group.

"If they were neighbors then we should be able to find some information of him." Aaron says.

"Garcia is working on getting all the real estate information she can on moves that correspond with Parks—" he broke off remembering to change her last name.

"Good, keep me informed." Aaron says and heads over to talk to David.

"You have a bad feeling about this don't you?" David asks.

"It seems too planned. He could have taken her at anytime why would he wait till now. I don't think he wants to kill her." Aaron says.

"He's playing with her." David says, "He is playing with us too, he's playing the part of the Ghost, but in Hamlet the Ghost is just a small part. He wants the Ghost to have a larger part, and he is doing that. He can't see himself as Hamlet, so he projects himself as the Ghost and sees Parks as his Ophelia. If you look at it like that he is trying to give her a larger part too. Aaron, I'm more afraid we won't find him until he wants us to. If that happens…"

"Parks is dead."

"He's telling us something," Spencer says as he walks over. "The lines from the play, they are not in order. He's rearranged them, and I think he is telling us something, or rather Parks something." Spencer says as he starts writing the lines of the white board. "If you look at each line, compare it with its meaning, and then location, it tells us a story.

"First, when Trinity drowned a note was found on a table that read, 'Taint not thy mind, nor let thy soul contrive, against thy mother aught. Leave her to heaven.' This will tell a lot of the story once I reveal the rest. First as itself it means little to us, but from the point of view of the mother, and from the daughter's point of view, it says even more. Basically it says, 'don't poison your mind or let your soul plan against your mother, die in peace'. Basically don't blame your mother for something she cannot control. The event being, Trinity's drowning in a local pool.

Then we get the quote 'A serpent stung me so the whole, with witchcraft of his wit,'(1) and this one is more, 'I was destroyed by wicked craftiness, so entirely killed'. she is stabbed 36 times in 2003." He franticly wrote upon the board, then grabbed photos and placed them as he went. "then came 'holds such an enmity with blood of man,' or 'hold so much hostility to me', and the scene," Spencer grabs the photo of the crime scene, ", he is trying to get the point across that he is not to be tangled with she is stabbed 36 times. Then in 2006 he abducts her, she has no memory of this, she was found in the back yard stabbed 23 times, all shallow meant to harm not kill, and the words 'I find thee apt, and duller should thou be' or to mean, 'I find you suitable though you should be uninterested,' he then moves to get more violent, and in 2007 he connects her to a crime six states away in Boston he writes 'pity me not, but lend thy serious hearing to what I shall unfold so art though to revenge what thou shall hear' in her blood saying 'do not pity me, but listen carefully to what I have to say so you can have reason to seek revenge for what you are about to hear.'. He is warning her of his next act," Spencer grabs the next photo, " he kills all those she loves and stabs her 57 times, he knows she won't die and he stabs her according to a way that won't kill her. Then while she is watching writes, 'I am forbit to tell the secret of my prison house,' or modern English, 'I cannot tell you of my residence or of my home'. From there he kills the Stevenson family, and leaves 'I am thy father's spirit, doomed for a certain term to walk the night, till foul crimes done in my day are burnt and purged away,' or rather, 'I am my father's ghost, and must walk the night until crimes done to my father are avenged and thought no more.' That crime scene is almost exactly the same as Talbot's family's, Then he comes to her house in Virginia and leaves 'Do not forget this visitation is but to whet thy almost blurred purpose,' or as one would say, 'don't forget this visitation is to focus your forgotten purpose' no death…I find that strange. Anyways, then the one today, with 'Taint not the mind nor let thy soul continue,' or 'don't poison your mind or let your soul carry on.' He leaves a jogger on her poach and shoots her in the shoulder. So take all of that and put it together, fill in a few blanks, and it is telling us something like…" Spencer fills in the blanks writes a few lines and reads.

" 'Don't poison your mind or let your soul plan against your mother, die in peace; I was destroyed by wicked craftiness, so entirely killed. Hold so much hostility to me? I find you suitable though you should be uninterested. Do not pity me, but listen carefully to what I have to say so you can have reason to seek revenge for what you are about to hear. I cannot tell you of my residence or of my home. I am my father's ghost, and must walk the night until crimes done to my father are avenged and thought no more. Don't forget this visitation is to focus your forgotten purpose! Don't poison your mind or let your soul carry on…' I however fear he is not done, and still has more to tell."

"But where is he going to tell us the next line?" David asks.

"I'm working on that." Spencer says, "I'm more worried about what Temperance knows but can't remember."

"Can he get to Temperance?" Aaron asks then calls Penelope, "Garcia, I need to know everything you know about Temperance Parker."

"On it sir," she says, "Anything else?"

"No, just whatever you can get me on her." Aaron says and hangs up. "Rossi, we need to check into the hotel and get some space from the police, then we can discuss things a little more."

"You're worried about something." David says.

"Not here." Aaron says and they all head out to check into a hotel."

Once checked in, they all meet in Aarons room, "Hotch why did we leave the station, why aren't we working the profile?" Emily asks.

"Because," Aaron says, "The only way for him to know where she was, and to follow her would be if he has high access in the FBI. He is someone we know."

"You mean," Emily started, "He's above you?"

"It's the only thing that makes sense." Aaron says, "He has gotten to her no matter where we have put her in protective custody. She said she knew him, that tells me that we all know him, or know of him. He has access to files on her. She has only lived here in Grand Rapids since September 19th, if he's not burrow how did he find her?"

"If that's true, how do we stop him?" Emily asks.

"I don't know," Aaron says.

"Do you have someone in mind?" David asks.

Aaron nods then shakes his head, "And if I'm right, he's been following the investigation all along.

"Not…" J.J. starts then falls silent. Disbelief, was setting in, this was getting to be a much more dangerous case than any of them could have thought. "Hotch, really?"