Disclaimer: The usual disclaimer applies.
A/N: Thanks again to all who continue to stick with the story. You're great!
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"There you are," Allie said, coming up to Reid just as he was getting off the phone with Garcia. "Who were you talking to?"
"We have to talk," he said, pulling her to an unoccupied corner table and sitting down.
"Don't you dare tell me that was Hotch and there's a case. You're on vacation, remember."
"No, it wasn't Hotch." Reid looked at her, unable to hide the concern on his face.
"What's wrong; did something happen to someone on the team?" Allie was starting to get concerned as well.
"Okay, listen closely; you're probably not going to like what I have to tell you." Allie nodded and Reid carried on. "I was looking at the pictures of your classmates who died and something's not right. The statistics don't support this many deaths in this age range from such a small body as your graduating class. The CODs, it's strange they would die in such a varied manner. Botulism, the chance of your friend dying from botulism is 1 in 2,000,000. This Pam McPhee, did everybody know she was allergic to mushrooms?"
"Oh yeah, everybody knew," Allie told him. "Her parents thought it was a safety precaution if everyone knew. Then we would be extra vigilant for anything with mushrooms. She had an Epi pen. We all knew how to use it if we had to."
"That's what I'm saying. She was extremely vigilant so as not to ingest anything that might harm her." His mind flashed back to Ozona Texas and the duct taped milk and creamed spinach containers. "But somehow she ate something that she wouldn't expect to contain mushrooms. Where was her Epi pen? People with these types of allergies always have them within easy reach. Why couldn't she get to hers?"
"Spencer, what are you saying?"
"I'm saying that I don't think these deaths are accidents, at least not all of them. I was on the phone with Garcia. I've got her researching autopsy reports and any investigations."
"Oh come on Honey, you can't really believe that someone is killing these people. Laurel wasn't even in Ohio when she was mugged, she was in New York. Brian was in Florida." Allie looked at Reid skeptically.
"You probably think I'm nuts," Reid said, looking nervously at Allie.
"No, don't ever say that. It seems just too bizarre that this could happen. I mean, why?" Allie was still hesitant in supporting Reid's suspicions.
"That's what I have to find out. If there's a reason that someone's killing the people in your class, you do realize we've got a serial killer on our hands. I'll have to call the team."
"Okay, wait, hold on just a minute." Allie demanded, raising her palm in the stop position. "I can hardly believe what you're saying but I know you and I know you don't think like the rest of the population, so although I don't really agree, you got me on pure faith but the Lancaster Police Department, how are you going to convince them?"
"I don't have to convince them," Reid said emphatically.
"Why not," Allie was confused, "I thought the police had to request your services?"
"Normally that's true," Reid explained. "However in this case, since two of the deaths occurred outside Ohio, the killer, if there is one, crossed state lines and it's automatically a federal case." Reid's cell rang, "Reid, hi Garcia, what have you got for me?"
"Well, my junior G man, you might be on to something. Okay your girl Pam with the mushrooms, autopsy report COD anaphylactic shock. Died in the park. Mushroom extract or powder in her stomach but no actual mushrooms. Stomach contents, ham sandwich and coffee. They were unable to get any fast food containers. There were a lot of people in the park and then the paramedics and everything so no evidence of foul play. They found her purse but no Epi pen."
"Your girl, Marla, with botulism, I checked like you asked to see if they went over all the foodstuffs in her house looking for clostridium botulinum and they did. All negative."
Garcia continued, "Lorne Kemp, your heart attack victim, not a high risk candidate. Not overweight, no hypertension, not a smoker, grandfather died of a heart attack though."
"Garcia, did they test for potassium chloride," Reid asked?
"Negative, Sweetcheeks. Carrying on, Brian Dalton, your drowning victim had a gash on his head. It was assumed he had hit his head on the side of the pool and knocked himself out, causing him to drown. There was no reason to suspect foul play."
"Your car accident, Darcy Kullman, was high as a kite on cocaine. She lost control of her vehicle; hit a huge tree head on. No seat belt and her airbag failed to deploy. At least she only killed herself and didn't take any innocent people with her. No sign of foul play there either."
"Laurel, your mugging victim in New York was just that, a mugging victim in New York, it's so commonplace. They wrote it up, of course, and went through the motions but now it's at the bottom of a pile of unsolved homicides."
"Your hunter was part of a party of four. None of their weapons killed your man. They figure it was a stray bullet from another hunter who didn't even realize he'd hit someone. They did a cursory investigation but that led nowhere and they classified it as an accidental shooting."
"There you have it Sweetie, let me know if you need anything else."
"Thanks Garcia, great work as usual." He ended the call and turned to Allie. "Well, I gotta call Hotch. I think we're dealing with a serial killer who's after the Mount Pleasant Class of 2002 and I'm in a room full of them. He might be with us as we speak."
He punched speed dial on his cell and waited. "Hotchner."
"Hi Hotch, it's Reid."
"Yes Reid, what is this call in aid of? You're on vacation, remember." Hotch spoke impatiently.
"Sorry Hotch," Reid said, "I know you're probably busy but I've come across a situation here that I think could use our attention. He went on to explain about the seven fatalities from Allie's class and his suspicions. Hotch told Reid he'd get the team together and he'd let him know.
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"These cases all look totally unconnected. The only thing they have in common is they were all students in Allie's class. The CODs are all different. Two even occurred in different states. There's no real hard evidence of foul play except in the mugging. Do you really think we've got a serial killer here Hotch," Morgan asked skeptically.
"I don't know but Reid thinks so and nobody is better at seeing patterns than Reid. Look at Tony and Amber Carnado in Florida. Reid figured out that she'd had another partner before her husband. That's what turned the case around." Hotch said, looking expectantly at the group.
"So what you're saying is," Rossi summed it up for the team, "Do we go with the facts that say these deaths are unconnected accidents or do we go with Reid's gut?"
Garcia was the first to speak. "I'm not a profiler and I don't know if I get a vote on this but I'd go with Reid's gut."
"Your opinion is always considered, Garcia," Hotch replied.
"Okay, well, I'm not sure about the connection but the one thing I am sure about is Reid, I'm in," JJ stated.
"Count me in," Morgan added. "If Reid sees a pattern, that's good enough for me."
"This might be one of those situations where you need a genius to connect the dots and if that's the case, we have a genius, we should have faith in his judgment," Emily said. "I say we go."
Hotch turned to Rossi, "This could be a lot of work for nothing if they're unconnected accidents but Reid is very perceptive and there's almost nothing statistical he doesn't know. You all know your man a lot better than I do and if you feel it's prudent to go on his hunch, I'll go along."
"That leaves you Hotch," Morgan said and the team turned to look at the unit chief.
"Wheels up in one hour." Hotch turned and left the room to call Reid.