Spencer walked quickly through the doors to the police station where his fellow BAU members waited for him. Aaron 'Hotch' Hotchner wore a look of professionalism, but his teammates could easily read that the case at hand was stressing him out. As he downed the last bit of his coffee from Java Reid noticed that a new picture had been added to the victim board. That explains the stress, he thought grimly to himself. Jennifer 'JJ' Jareau was about to begin briefing the team as he sat beside Derek Morgan.
"Police discovered a third victim this morning. Her name is Jenna Fouts, a senior at NYU majoring in studio art…" She clicked through the brutal crime scene photos, depicting a beautiful redhead with deep stab wounds all over her naked chest and abdomen. The unsub had branded her, as he had the previous two victims, on her inner right thigh, and then raped her before cracking her skull against a wall multiple times until she died. As JJ described the brutality of the crime Reid's mind was running a million miles an hour trying to connect the dots on the case. So far all they had was that the girls were all between the ages of 19 and 22, students at NYU, majoring in an art related field. Other than that, the victimology was all over the place. The girls were from different home states (New York, California, Wyoming), had different hair color (black, brunette, red), and came from different social circles (sorority, pot smoker, athletics).
Hotch broke through the silence as he began giving assignments to his team. "Reid, Morgan, I want you to go to campus and interview the staff for any prominent art majors. It seems the unsub targets big names on campus, girls who have showcases around the time of their murder, so note any upcoming shows. Rossi and I will check out the most recent crime scene while JJ does media control. Is everybody clear on their assignment?"
The team nodded and voiced their acknowledgment and split up. Morgan noted that Reid was particularly quiet on the short walk to campus, so he broke the silence. "You looked chipper this morning when you walked into the station."
"It's a beautiful day, Morgan. The sun is shining, the coffee was fresh…"
Morgan laughed. "Alright, whatever you say, Pretty Boy. How about we start at the student union building and search the upcoming shows?"
Reid nodded in agreement. "That sounds good to me." As they made their way into the building the first thing they noticed was how busy it was. It felt as if at least half of the student population was gathered, sipping coffee, checking email, scarfing down lunch, catching up with friends. Morgan called his attention to a large bulletin board in the middle of the floor containing vibrant posters of upcoming shows on and around campus. As they approached Reid's breath hitched in his chest as he saw Emmy's show advertised front and center. She looked radiant, smoky eyes closed as she silently crooned. Morgan couldn't help but notice his friend's reaction, and he let out a laugh. "Whoa there, Pretty Boy. Are you…blushing?"
Reid shook his head. "No…I mean, she's an attractive girl…it's a natural reaction…"
"You are totally into her! And you've never even met her…" The look Reid gave him stopped him in his tracks. "Oh…"
"This morning when I got my coffee. She was there, and I honestly didn't know who she was at first, but then we started talking…"
"I didn't know you had it in you, kid…"
"She invited us to her show tomorrow night. Well, she invited me but then I asked if I could bring you guys…"
"Really? That's incredible. You guys should spend some alone time together though, especially with how you feel. Ask her to go to dinner after the show."
Reid looked skeptical. "I don't know…"
Morgan stopped him in his tracks. "You have to take chances, man. Live a little. Just see where it goes." Reid nodded in agreement. "You know, you're right. I'll text her later and ask if she wants to go somewhere. But for now, we have a job to do." He grabbed the poster as he spoke those words and began to search the board for any more show posters. He found one other, a dance showcase for a Mary Grace DuMont, but no others. Feeling like the board had been completely searched, they began to talk to faculty and staff in the theatre, music, art, and dance departments, and all of those interviewed listed Mary Grace and Emmy as standout students at the university. Spencer and Derek thanked them all before making their way back to the station.
"I think it's a good lead," Morgan stated simply as the two sat down in the conference room. Reid had grabbed his fourth cup of coffee for the day and was staring at the two posters in front of him. Both of the shows were for the following night. Every time he glanced at Emmy's poster his stomach knotted up, only now it had turned from a pleasant experience to one of impending doom. She was just the unsub's type…and Spencer would do whatever it took to make sure she was okay.
"Reid? Reid!" The younger man jumped as he realized Morgan had been trying to get his attention. "You okay, Pretty Boy?"
Reid nodded. "Yeah. Just trying to figure out how to go about catching this unsub…" He rubbed his head absentmindedly and Morgan placed a hand on his shoulder. "Reid, we're gonna catch this guy. Don't you worry about it. We won't let anything happen to her, okay?"
Before Reid could say anything in response Penelope Garcia, the BAU's bubbly technical analyst burst into the room. "Hello my Boy Genius…and hello my Chocolate Adonis." She gave Morgan a quick peck on the lips before starting. "As much as I would love to say this visit was just that, I come bearing information."
"What you got, Baby Girl?"
"Well, I ran the prints from the crime scenes through our system, and unfortunately there were no matches. However, when I was viewing surveillance footage from the victims' showcases there were only three men that were at all three showcases."
"Good work, Garcia," Reid quipped. "Who are they?"
"Joseph Donelly, a substantial donor to the arts at NYU; Francisco Martin, a local florist; and Billy Shipley, a voice professor at NYU."
"Start running background checks on them, Garcia," Hotch ordered as he and Rossi entered the room. She looked up, not phased. "On it already, sir. I'll be back when I get results." With a wink to Morgan she left in the same manner she had entered, heading back to her traveling technology lair.
"What did you two find?" Hotch addressed the two younger agents.
"There are only two showcases coming up, both tomorrow night. The first is for a Mary Grace DuMont, a senior majoring in dance, and the other is for Emmy James…" Morgan began filling in, only to be interrupted by JJ as she filed into the room.
"The Emmy James? As in, YouTube sensation Emmy James?" She asked in wonder.
"The very same…and it seems like we might have a personal connection to this show…" As Morgan answered JJ Reid glared at him. "Reid met her at a coffee shop this morning, and she invited him to the show."
"You have got to be kidding me! Reid, that's incredible! Please tell me you said yes…you did say yes, right?"
"I asked her if it would be okay if we all came…"
"But you're gonna do something with her, just the two of you, right?"
"Morgan suggested it, but…"
"We can discuss this later," Hotch interjected. Reid shot him a look of gratitude before asking, "Did you guys find anything at the crime scene?"
"Nothing out of the ordinary," Rossi answered. "I'm just ready to catch this guy."
"I think we all are," Hotch stated bluntly. "Unless the unsub changes pattern, his next strike shouldn't be until tomorrow night, so you guys head back to the motel and get some rest. We are gonna have a long day tomorrow." The others nodded in agreement and began to gather their things. Hotch looked toward his youngest team member, not missing the way he kept glancing toward Emmy's picture.
"Reid, may I speak with you?" The look on Reid's face almost caused a chuckle to escape Hotch's lips, but he maintained a professional air as the young genius made his way over. "Yes sir?"
"I know you have a bit of a, um, personal connection with Ms. James…"
"Really, Hotch, it's not gonna be a problem…"
"Reid, I was just going to tell you that I'm happy for you." A smile flickered on his lips as Reid's face went from defensiveness to relief. "Thanks, Hotch." He asked permission to leave which Hotch granted, and the young genius followed Morgan and JJ to the car. Rossi made his way over to Hotch and chuckled under his breath. "Young love."
"It's about time Reid found someone to captivate his interest," Hotch smiled.
"Let's just hope we can catch this unsub soon. I have a feeling Reid may not be the only guy with his eye on Emmy James right now." Rossi's words hung like a thick, oppressive curtain in the air. He had vocalized what their team leader feared the most.