"Primary home of Tom and Faye Krueger, our first victim." Derek said as he stood in the massive entryway and looked around the room. "They have a vacation home in the Keys."
"Look at this place." Spencer said, walking from the entryway into the adjacent dining room. "Nothing is out of place. It looks like a show house for real estate."
"Well, Tom makes his money in flipping houses and selling high end real estate." Derek said.
"No signs of a struggle were reported." Spencer thought out loud as he continued through the house. "So the unsub either knew Faye or was expected at the house."
"Makes paid staff look better and better." Derek said.
"She would have had to go willingly." Spencer said. "Faye Krueger was last seen at home Sunday night, but wasn't reported missing until Wednesday, meaning there had to be literally nothing out of place to suggest something was wrong."
"Something doesn't add up." Derek agreed.
Spencer continued through the house, taking in the details of the furnishings; All high end purchases, with a decidedly feminine aesthetic. Near the end of the living room, around the corner from the kitchen, a staircase led to the basement. Reid continued down the steps, the white carpeting silencing the sound of his shoes upon the stairs.
The basement was well finished, though markedly different than the main floor. A home office accounted for about one quarter of the room, sectioned off by glass walls. The rest of the room looked dedicated to sports and alcohol. A wet bar stood across from a pool table, and in an alcove a large sectional sprawled in front of an oversized flat-screen TV. A rumpled pillow and blanket suggested the sectional served a double purpose.
"Reid," Morgan called from the top of the steps.
"Down here." Spencer answered, studying the photographs on the wall. "This was not a happy couple. I mean, aside from the obvious fact that Tom Krueger was basically living down here, consider the artwork. Down here it's all photographs of Tom and his friends at various sporting events and social gatherings. Faye isn't anywhere. It's the same upstairs. Paintings on the walls, sculptures and candles on shelves and the mantel. There's not a single photograph of them together, anywhere."
He turned to face Derek to see him holding his cell phone, and instantly recognized the expression on Morgan's face.
"They found a body."
"Gao Andrews was found by winter campers off a trail in a park north of the Cities." J.J informed the team as she tacked the crime scene photographs beneath the initial driver's license photograph of Gao Andrews on the case board at the police department.
"That trail looks too narrow for a car." Rossi said as he scrolled through the photos on his tablet.
"It's not too far from a popular snow mobile trail." Chief Jorgenson informed the team. "It's likely that's how he got her out there."
"The M.E is still working on the autopsy, but initial evidence says Gao was tied up and beaten around the head. Likely COD is blunt force trauma." Hotch informed.
"This doesn't feel right." Rossi said. "Everything we've seen so far suggests he's highly organized, but this? This feels messy. Like he hasn't thought it out."
"Six women have been abducted so far, but Gao Andrews is the first victim we've found, that could be because she's his only kill." Spencer said.
"There's a chance these other women are alive." J.J said.
"What were you able to find out about the women?" Hotch asked Rossi.
"So far as anyone here has been able to tell me, they had nothing to do with each other." Rossi reported. "They all had their pet charities they supported, but nothing that overlaps. Though they all quit working once they got married."
"The Krueger's house suggests Faye put a lot of effort and strongly exerted her own style in the home." Spencer said. "That would suggest she spent the most time there – she wanted to feel comfortable."
"Yeah, but comfort apparently didn't include her husband." Derek replied sarcastically. "Tom Krueger practically lived in the basement. He was even sleeping on the couch. If he went from work straight to his man cave each night, it's not surprising he didn't realize Faye was gone until Wednesday."
"He didn't mention sleeping in the basement when I interviewed him." J.J said.
Hotchner's phone rang. He looked at the ID as he answered it.
"You're on speaker, Garcia." He said.
"I have got some weird news for you." Garcia reported. "So analysis got back with an assessment of the ATM footage, and get this – the hooded figure in each video is actually six different people. Once the footage had been cleaned up, the difference in height and build was apparent. And get this – the heights correspond with each of the victims, with the exception of the sixth, who was WAY taller than Gao Andrews. We're talking like 8 inches taller. Gao was 5'2," whoever took the money out is at least 5'10."
"So, except for Gao Andrews, the women withdrew the money themselves." Rossi frowned in disbelief.
"It would appear so." Garcia answered. "And get this, all of the withdrawals were for $1200, with the exception of Gao's which was a mere $200."
"$200 is the standard limit for daily withdrawals on bank cards." Chief Jorgenson said. "Anything over that has to be cleared with the bank, first. The limit has to be lifted before you attempt the withdrawal."
"Which means the women planned the withdrawals in advance." J.J sounded confused.
"What if this guy isn't kidnapping them at all?" Rossi asked.
"You mean he's helping them disappear?" Derek asked.
"Or they think he is." Rossi nodded. "That could be his ruse."
"But how does that explain Gao?" J.J shook her head.
"Maybe she didn't fall for it." Hotch suggested. "Let's look at this from another angle. Instead of focusing on the first disappearance, let's focus on the last. There was something different about Gao Andrews that caused him to change. She's where we're going to find our answers."
