You guys aren't preparing the pitch forks and torches since you had to wait so long for an update are you? I apologize... real life managed to track me down, despite how well of a job I thought I was doing hiding from it. Things are quazi back to normal now... so hopefully we'll finally be able to get back in to a routine with the updates.
I don't own Criminal Minds...
Happy reading and enjoy :D
"An' dis one is a 'tegotaurus." Henry said as he held up one of his dinosaurs so that Joshua could see it. "Dada make da best rawrs." Henry said imparting his big brother wisdom on Joshua.
Joshua gurgled and cooed as he swiped his hand in the general direction of the stuffed stegosaurus that Henry was holding in front of him. His head turned slightly from side to side as he was watched Chloe, Henry, and Rebecca who sat together on the floor seated in a semi-circle in front of him.
"Becbec?" Chloe said getting Rebecca's attention
"Yeah Chloe?" Rebecca replied.
"What's Joshie saying?" Chloe asked as she looked at her baby brother and tipped her head as she listened to him gurgle and coo while he kicked his legs and swatted and swiped his arms just in front of himself.
Rebecca smiled as she looked back and forth between Joshua in his baby seat and Chloe's interested expression as she studied her little brother. It was like a childhood development class in action.
"I don't know Chloe; what do you think he's saying?" Rebecca asked curiously.
Chloe's face scrunched up in thought. "I think he's saying that he's happy and he likes playin' with us."
Rebecca smiled. "You know what, I think you're right." She said as she watched Henry continue to parade stuffed dinosaurs in front of Joshua.
JJ and Spence smiled, as they walked down the stairs hand in hand for their night out with most of the team, at the sight of their children all huddled together with Rebecca.
"What are you guys doing?" JJ asked as they walked over to where the kids and Rebecca were grouped on the living room floor.
"I 'towing Doshiea my dinotaurs." Henry replied as turned to look at Mommy.
"Mommy, you look pretty!" Chloe said as she looked up at Mommy and admired Mommy's pretty dress and shoes.
"Thank you sweetie." JJ smiled as she knelt down between Chloe and Henry and kissed Chloe on the top of the head.
"Where are you going?" Chloe asked.
"Daddy and I are going out for dinner with friends." JJ replied as she ran her fingers through Chloe's hair. She could see the wheels turning as Chloe thought about what she'd said.
"Is Aunt Emily and Uncle Hotch gonna be there?" Chloe asked.
"Mm hm" JJ murmured.
"What 'bout Jack?" Chloe asked.
"Not tonight sweetie. It's just adults tonight. But maybe Jack, Avery, and Seth can come over and play this weekend." JJ replied.
"Hey big guy are you showing Joshua you're dinosaurs?" Spence asked as he crouched behind Henry.
"Uh huh" Henry nodded.
"Does he like them?" Spence asked.
"Uh huh" Henry nodded again as he held a dinosaur out in front of Joshua.
Joshua chose that moment to smile as he gurgled happily at his big brother.
"Dada, Doshiea 'miled at me!" Henry said as he tipped his head back to look at Daddy.
Spence looked at Joshua who was happily sitting in his baby seat enjoying the attention from his big brother. "I see that buddy. He must be enjoying learning about dinosaurs from you."
JJ smiled as she watched father and son together, then she realized that they needed to get going. "Okay guys, hugs and kisses. Mommy and Daddy have to go."
Chloe stood up and leaned over to kiss Mommy on the cheek as Mommy wrapped her arms around Chloe and hugged her tight. "Be good for Rebecca and I'll see you in the morning okay?"
Chloe nodded her head against Mommy's shoulder.
Henry popped up to his feet as he realized that Mommy and Daddy were getting ready to leave. "You go bye bye?"
"We are bud, but you get to stay here and play with Chloe and Joshua and Rebecca." Spence said as Henry's fingers picked at the fabric of his pants where it covered his knee. "You're going to have fun tonight, right?"
Henry nodded his head and held out his arms for a hug, which Daddy was more than happy to give. "I love you Henry. Give Mommy a hug and kiss." Spence said as he squeezed his eldest son tight.
Chloe and Henry switched and then JJ and Spence took turns kissing Joshua on the forehead to say goodbye. At five weeks old he was completely content to let his parents go out for a few hours without so much as a fuss.
The Reids, Hotchners, Morgans, and LaMontagnes sat around a table together tucked into the corner of one of their favorite restaurants in DC, chatting and laughing as they their server poured glasses of wine for them from the bottles he's just delivered to the table.
"None for me; thank you." Penelope said quietly as she covered the mouth of the wine glass in front of her with her hand.
"Pen are you…" JJ leaned in and whispered, having noticed how quietly Penelope had told the waiter.
Penelope turned to glance at JJ who had also shaken her head at the waiter's questioning glance and covered the mouth of her own wine glass with her hand. "D and I are working on baby number 2, but I don't want to jinx anything or add any pressure. We agreed we wouldn't say anything until it actually happens."
JJ smiled. "I'll keep my fingers crossed and my lips sealed." She whispered back.
Spence nodded at Morgan over the top of their wives bent together heads, in silent agreement that he too would keep their secret. Sitting as they were on either side of their wives, they'd heard JJ and Penelope's whispered conversation. No one else had however.
"So JJ," Elle asked from across the table. "How are Chloe and Henry settling in with having a new baby brother?"
JJ smiled. "They love him. They've both been Mommy and Daddy's little helpers. Henry is anxious for the day when Joshua is big enough to be able to play with him, and Chloe is absolutely mesmerized by there being a real live baby in the house. Although…" JJ trailed off, contemplating if she really wanted to share the frustration of last week with the team, their friends… their family she reminded herself at the quizzical expressions on everyone's faces at her lengthy pause. Spence's hand rubbing her bare shoulder where his hand rested, gave her the courage to share.
JJ took a breath. "Last week Chloe and Henry had a major meltdown at the same time. Then Joshua started crying… I thought I was going to lose my mind."
"Oh thank god" Emily sighed in relief and then laughed at JJ's confused facial expression. "I thought it was just me who had a child who is… well I love my children, but sometimes they can be very trying."
JJ nodded. "Chloe and Henry's meltdown was over what movie to watch until naptime." JJ shared with a smile.
Emily shook her head. "I have you beat. Avery pushed Seth because he was using her walking toy. She kept insisting 'mine' and wouldn't apologize to Seth. There was glaring, stomping, and an escape from timeout…" Emily trailed off as she thought back to the incident last week.
"Ooooh" Penelope exclaimed. "She is your mini-me in more than just the looks department I see."
Hotch grinned. "That's what I said."
Emily raised an eyebrow at her husband. "If I am not mistaken there was definitely a hint of a junior unit chief glare in the way your daughter was looking at me last week."
"My daughter? Why is she your daughter when she's a well behaved angel, but my daughter when she's a heathen?" Hotch asked jokingly.
Emily grinned. "Because all the angelic qualities came from me?" she asked in a light joking manner that caused everyone around the table to laugh.
The lighthearted good humor continued as the four sets of parents continued to share stories about their children's best and worst moments.
They laughed over Jake deciding to remove his own diaper because it was 'ucky'; him proceeding to lead Daddy on a diaperless chase scene through house; and his decision that training pants worked well as a hat. If Fran Morgan had been there, she would have told them that it appeared her cheeky little grandson appeared to be destined to follow in his father's footsteps.
The story of Billy's first steps on his own prompted more than a few 'awws'. All of the mothers sympathized with Elle as she talked about how much she was sad that he wasn't a baby anymore but at the same time, was enjoying watching him hit all of his milestones.
They smiled as Emily and Hotch talked about how Seth had developed a sense of security over the last few months as he settled into a normal routine. Despite Avery's occasional possessiveness with her things, she and Seth really did get along well. Jack was of course ecstatically happy to have both a brother and a sister, and thoroughly enjoying spending time with them both.
That of course brought the childhood update back to JJ and Spence, who filled the team in on the fact that Joshua was now able to hold his head up for a bit and had smiled his first real smile just before they left for the evening. Henry was excelling at being a big brother as he adjusted to not being the baby anymore. Chloe was taking it all in stride.
Eventually talk turned to other things besides their children. After all, while they were parents, that's not all they were. Just as it was nice to leave the mantle of work behind when they could get away from it, so too it was nice to leave the mantle of parenthood behind for a few hours while they enjoyed an adult evening out in the company of good friends.
"It's a nice night tonight. Anyone up for a lil' stroll?" Will asked as he signed the receipt for his and Elle's part of the bill.
Morgan shrugged as he looked across the table at Hotch and nodded, knowing that all of their wives would definitely enjoy spending more time together. "So Sex God, are you and JJ in for a walk?" he asked with a grin as he turned to look at Reid.
Reid just shook his head. "You're just jealous that with all the nicknames Penelope has for you that wasn't one she was already using." He replied good-naturedly, deciding that were Morgan was concerned that it was easier to just roll with the teasing than it was to fight back or deny it. Then he glanced down to look at JJ who was grinning as she rested her head on his shoulder.
JJ tipped her head back to meet Spence's gaze. "A walk sounds great."
"Oooooo we can window shop!" Penelope squealed, her eyes lighting up at the thought.
All of the males at the table groaned at the thought of being dragged from store to store and carrying shopping bags for the rest of the night.
"Oooo ladies!" Penelope exclaimed as she pulled her arm free from her husband's. "Look at the shoes and purses!" she cried gleefully as she led the way over to the window display of a shop to take in the colorful, yet coordinated display of peep toes, boots, stilettoes, sling-backs, wedges, pumps… and then there were the purse.
The men smiled ruefully at each other as they huddled together to talk while their wives took in the vivid display of fashion.
"What is about shoes and purses that has them all so… I don't even know the word… I just don't get it." Reid said as he glanced over at where their wives stood closely together looking at the window.
"If a genius can't figure it out, I don't suppose there's much hope for the rest of us." Morgan quipped with a shrug.
"I think after a while you just learn to accept that it's a fact of nature." Hotch replied.
"Yeah… but what is about the shoes… I mean they're shoes." Reid reiterated. "They go on your feet… you walk in them… they protect your feet." He said shaking his head. He'd learned to accept that JJ had a diverse collection of clothes, shoes, and purses… but he'd never been able to understand why. He just couldn't seem to wrap his brain around it.
"Ah, but ours ain't to question why. Our place is to sit back and enjoy. You can't tell me that you never noticed how sexy some of the stuff they buy is." Will smirked.
Reid replied. "Of course I have. I'd have to be blind not to notice."
"Look at that Hotch, our genius is a real live boy." Morgan said with a grin.
"I'm a genius, not dead." Reid said with a roll of his eyes in Morgan's direction which caused all of the men to laugh.
JJ smiled as she watched Spence say something to Morgan and the all of the guys laughed. She couldn't help but wonder what he'd said.
"Peaches…. peaches….JAYJE!" Penelope finally yelled after several moments of attempting to get JJ's attention.
"Hm?" JJ murmured, turning her head as her attention was pulled back the ladies' conversation.
"Wow Reid must really put the special in special agent." Penelope teased with a wiggle of her eyebrows and a giggle as she finally pulled her blonde friend's attention away from watching her husband.
"We're debating shoe shopping. Tell me those stilettoes aren't just to die for." Emily said as she pointed at a sexy pair of black strappy stilettoes in the window.
"So what's the skinny on you and our good Dr.? Should we be shopping for post-maternity, passed my physical, seduction clothes? Those stilettoes would stop gorgeous gray matter right in his tracks peaches… especially if paired with the right lingerie." Penelope continued as she turned to glance at JJ.
"Penelope Garcia Morgan!" JJ replied and then cast a worried glance over her shoulder. She knew if Morgan overheard their discussion, Spence would never hear the end of it.
Penelope rolled her eyes. "I thought you would all have delicious dish to share. I was thinking I'd hear all about Elle and her spicy Cajun husband…"
Elle smirked and glanced over at her husband, enjoying the view as he loosened his tie and rolled up the cuffs of his shirt sleeves. She caught his eye and blew him a kiss. She smiled as he winked and grinned at her.
"Emily would tell us about how deep the still waters of SSA Aaron Hotchner really run… and you guys are giving me nothing new here. The role of stone wall is being played by Elle LaMontagne and Emily the strange and great is performing her own rendition of a Mexican stand-off. Although…." Penelope trailed off for a moment.
"PG?" Emily asked cautiously at the thoughtful look on Penelope's face, the she glanced over at Aaron, taking a moment to appreciate the impressive figure he cut in his flawlessly composed in his suit. PG was right, still waters did run deep.
A sly grin crossed Penelope's face as she noticed Elle and Emily both peek at their husbands. "I was just thinking about how those who don't learn their history are doomed to repeat it."
At the puzzled looks on her friends' faces, Penelope continued. "Remember the Alamo my friends. Eventually it fell and so will all of you." She grinned. "We haven't had any girl time in forever. I need some details… you guys are killing me here. Tell me something deliciously naughty." Penelope said eagerly.
"Like what?" JJ asked slowly and cautiously.
"Just how special is Supervisory Special Agent Dr. Reid?" Penelope asked wiggling her eyebrows again.
"What?" JJ replied with a laugh.
"Come on Jayje… just what type of pistol is he packing? Is he armed and dangerous?"
JJ grinned at Pen and shook her head at her friend's antics. Then she decided to play along and winked. "Don't worry Pen; Spence is licensed to carry a concealed weapon."
Penelope pouted. "Come on peaches…. tell me. I told you!"
JJ shuddered as she remembered some of Pen's overly descriptive moments on girls' nights. "Yeah Pen you did, but I didn't need to know….that was just TMI. In fact I could have gone my entire life without needing to know some of the details you've told me over the years."
"Aww… you guys are no fun tonight." Penelope pouted as she caught Elle and Emily's sympathetic glances at JJ.
"I have to agree with JJ on this one PG," Emily said "sometimes less is more."
Elle laughed. "Except for when it's not."
All of the girls laughed and nodded in agreement as they snickered like school girls. As their laughter slowed, Emily cast a glance over at where the guys stood chatting. "So, shoe store?"
Elle followed Emily's line of vision over to the guys. "If we make it quick, we should have some time before the natives get restless." She said tipping her head towards their husbands as she turned to look at the other ladies hopefully.
"You know I don't need convincing to go shoe shopping." Penelope said with a smile as she turned to look at JJ.
"You don't need convincing to go shopping in general Penelope." Elle replied with a smile and then she along with Emily all turned their gazes on the lone holdout.
JJ sighed as she felt the weight of three stares on her. "Alright, alright, let's go buy some shoes." She said as she turned and led the way into the shoe store followed by her three best female friends. She glanced back over her shoulder with a mischievous gleam in her eye. "Do you suppose those sexy black strappy stilettoes only come in black? I'd kind of like to have a pair that matches what I plan on wearing for Spence once Dr. Green gives me the all clear."
The husbands all stood up straight as their wives walked out of the shoe store laughing and giggling with each other, each with their own bag in hand. The wives made their way across the short distance between the door of the shoe store and where their husbands stood waiting. As their wives drew near, each husband held out his hand to take her bag from her.
JJ wrapped her arms around Spence's arm and leaned her head against his shoulder as they walked with the rest of the group in the mid-spring air. The cherry blossoms were in full bloom and could be seen just off in the distance. The moonlit cherry blossoms were a beautiful sight and the couples spread out as they walked, enjoying a bit of time with just each other as they meandered on their walk. Soon however, it was time to head home and they turned back the way they'd come.
"Dude when you see the slicer's brother in the closet… that was just awesome!" Nicholas said wrapping his arm around Zoe as they walked out of the theater.
"I know," Nicholas' best friend Marc replied as he offered his arm to his date for the evening, Ashley Seaver, "talk about being consumed by betrayal."
Zoe shook her head as wrapped her arm around her boyfriend Nicholas' waist. "There was so much blood and gore."
Ashley chuckled. "After everything we do and see on a daily basis; that got to you?"
Zoe laughed. "No, not really… but I'm just stating the fact."
"Speaking of what you do on a daily basis," Nicholas said, "any word on where your first assignment is going to be?"
"No, we're still waiting to hear. Why?" Zoe asked.
"Well it makes it kind of hard to know where I should start looking for a job when you don't know where you're going to be assigned." Nicholas said teasing his girlfriend.
Ashley and Marc smiled as they watched the couple walking next to them.
"So are you anxious to find out where you're going to be assigned?" Marc asked as he turned to look at Ashley.
Ashley shrugged. "I'm really fine with almost anywhere." She paused in thought. She really hoped that they listened to her two requests. She didn't want to be assigned to the Minneapolis Division if at all possible, but by no means did she want to be assigned to a resident agency in North Dakota. There were just far too many bad memories there for her. She turned back to her blind date for evening in an attempt to lighten her mood. "Worried I'll have you moving to somewhere you don't want to?" Ashley smiled.
Marc laughed loudly. "I don't know that I'm quite ready to follow you to wherever you get assigned to, but I can say that I am glad I let Nick talk me into tagging along when he came to visit Zoe. I had fun tonight. Hopefully we can get together again?" he asked hopefully.
Ashley smiled. "I wasn't too sure about the whole blind double date thing… but I'm glad I let Zoe talk me into it. I had fun tonight too."
Zoe and Nicholas grinned at each other as they listened to the friends they'd set up on a blind date walked along beside them after dinner and a movie.
"What do you suppose it is about horror movies that makes them so appealing?" Zoe asked as they continued to walk along.
"I don't know," Ashley replied, "but you know who could totally have told us if he would have been here?"
"Reid" Ashley and Zoe in unison with each other.
"Reid?" both Nicholas and Marc asked as they looked at the girls in confusion.
"He is this scary brilliant guy that we work with." Zoe explained "He has three PHDs and it seems like he knows everything about everything."
"Oh… so he's the guy that's sort of taken you under his wing, right?" Nicholas asked curiously.
Zoe shook her head. "No that's Dave Rossi."
"Wait," Marc said as he looked back and forth between Ashley and Zoe. "You guys get to work with Dave Rossi the famous author?"
"You've read Dave's books?" Ashley asked curiously.
"Hell yeah! They're awesome!" Marc replied. "What you guys do… getting inside the bad guys' heads… it's so cool and so fascinating." Marc paused and cleared his throat. "Sorry… I took some criminology classes in college. Even though I decided it wasn't what I wanted to do, I still find it fascinating."
"Having a good time this evening Bella?" Dave whispered in his wife's ear as he led her around the dance floor.
"I'm having a wonderful time David. Having dinner with Jason and Sarah was a lovely idea." Erin replied as she followed Dave's dancing feet around the floor of the wonderful Italian restaurant they'd dined at this evening.
Dave nodded. "I'm glad." He said softly as he leaned down to kiss her briefly. Then he turned to watch his longtime friend Jason Gideon as he and Sarah danced. Then he turned back to Erin and a grin crossed his face just before he dipped his wife.
"David!" Erin exclaimed in surprise her arms tightening their hold on her husband's shoulders. She moaned as he leaned in close, his warm breath ghosting over her neck and raising goose bumps on her skin.
"Like that did you?" Dave murmured in his wife's ear as he righted them.
"Hmm?" Erin responded dreamily, swept away in the moment by her husband's charm.
Dave chuckled. "Just wait until you see what I have in store for you at home as an encore Cara Mia." His husky voice pushed the words past the shell of Erin's ear while his hands slid dangerously low on her back, causing her to groan low in her throat.
"David, take me home. Now." Erin managed to speak as her fingers tightened their grip on his shoulder and the nape of his neck.
A deep chuckle left Dave's lips as he led his wife off the dance floor and back to their table to pay the bill and leave.
"Good morning" Penelope said as the team sat around the round table together. "I hope you've all had time to re-pack your go bags because you'll be jetting off to San Diego."
"Ah, the land of sun, sand, and surf." Elle mused.
"Oh if only you were going there for the sun, sand, and surf." Penelope replied as she turned the monitor on. "Monica Shandley, Natalie Wallace, Amber Lasko" she said as three girls photos pulled up on the monitor. "Three college students killed in their off campus apartments in the last five days. Two were going to San Diego Coastal University; one was going to San Diego Tech."
"Well the unsub definitely has a type." Morgan said as he looked up at the photos of the three brunettes on the monitor. "They could all be related."
"Yeah, what he said." Garcia said as she prepared to give more details. "They're all in their early 20s, brunette, majoring in education and or child development."
"They all had similar majors focused on children?" Elle asked.
Penelope nodded.
"What are you thinking?" Hotch asked as her turned to look at Elle.
"Well I'm not sure, but doesn't it seem odd to anyone else that all three victims were studying child development and how to shape and mold children?" Elle said as she glanced around at the team. "Reid what are the odds that three randomly picked victims would just happen to all have similar majors?"
Reid's eyes widened as he mentally calculated the odds. "Well San Diego's essentially one big college town. Enrollment at SDCU of approximately 65,000 students, there are nine colleges and universities in San Diego County, five private, four public… and there are seven trade schools so the odds are one in…."
"Can we just say slim to none?" Elle asked as she looked at Reid.
Reid nodded as he realized that Elle was merely trying to make a point in regards to how odd if would be for all three victims to have been completely random. "He's picking them not only for their looks, but also for what they represent to him."
"Is there any indication that they knew one another?" Ashley asked.
"As of right now I'm coming up empty." Penelope explained as she played with the remote in her hands, "Their apartments are spread throughout the city, so …"
Emily shook her head as she took a sip of coffee. "If the victims didn't know each other, then there has to be something linking them, some way that the unsub is finding them. We'll want to figure that out as quickly as possible."
Reid perused the case file in front of him as the team looked for the different angles of the case that would need to be covered. "No finger prints at the crime scene. The unsub uses gloves."
"He's organized." Zoe replied with a nod of her head.
"Forced entry at all of the apartments," Hotch added, "back door, patio door, living room window."
"Homes were wrecked. Clear evidence of a struggle." Rossi said adding his thoughts as he glanced at the rest of the team.
"He's creating a scene. He wants to inflict fear not only in his victim, but in whoever finds the body." Ashley postulated.
Zoe shook her head. "What if it's not about creating fear for whoever finds the body, but for whoever his ultimate target is? What if this is all a buildup for whomever he's really going after? He wants the real target of his rage to be in fear. He wants them to figure out that he's coming for them."
"He's killed three women in under a week." Hotch said as he looked around at the team.
"In all likelihood, he's already hunting for his fourth victim now." Rossi added.
"And it's just a matter of time before he goes after the one he really wants." Elle shook her head as she looked up from the file in front of her.
Hotch nodded. "San Diego PD wants us on the scene as soon as possible." He said as he closed his file and stood up from the table. The rest of the team followed as they moved to grab their go bags from under their desks.
"Okay, so what do we know so far?" Hotch asked as they sat in the conference room at the precinct waiting for Ashley and Zoe to finish interviewing Amber Lasko's roommate.
"Well there's the fact that he didn't have a lot of confidence when he first started, but he's learned quickly and now he's enjoying it." Rossi said referring to his, Hotch, and Elle's visit to the medical examiner.
Emily nodded. "He could have grabbed Amber at any point, it would have been quicker and easier, but he went out of his way to wait until she was locked inside her apartment and feeling safe to jimmy the window."
"He wants them to feel safe before he takes that away from them." Morgan continued.
"It's about making them feel powerless in their own personal space." Reid added.
"So who does he ultimately want to make feel powerless, and what does it have to do with young brunettes studying child development and education?" Ell asked. "Hey Pen?" she said speaking into the speakerphone that Penelope was on the other end of.
"Yes my fiercely fabulous friend?" Penelope replied.
Elle shook her head and grinned. "Did you have any luck finding any connections between the first three victims?'
"Nada" Penelope replied with a sigh. "Other than what we already know that they have in common everything is different. Apartments in different parts of the city, one had a boyfriend the other two didn't, different jobs, I can't find anything."
"Except there has to be something these victims are too similar for it to be random." Emily replied. "With thousands of brunettes throughout the city, how does he find girls that look enough alike that they could have passed as relatives that all happen to share an interest in going into careers involving children? You'd think he was searching through a list of candidates online to find the victims that fit his criteria perfectly."
Reid's face scrunched up and then he looked up at Emily. "What if he is?"
"What?" Emily asked.
"What if he's able to shop for his victims online?" Reid asked.
"How would he do that?" Morgan asked.
"Can you see how the student data bases were maintained for SDCU and San Diego Tech?" Reid asked into the phone.
"Oh I see where you are going with this Reid and there is a reason that knowledge is power my friends." Penelope said with a smile at them finally having a break through. "Both schools outsource their data entry to the San Diego Register to process and maintain their student data base."
"So what all does the Register process?" Morgan asked.
"They enter in all of the student information, update student IDs, the general plethora of information that is kept on students."
"So if our unsub had access to this data base, he'd be free to literally shop for victims that fit his criteria." Rossi said as he leaned forward on his arms.
"Yes" Penelope replied.
"Garcia, we need to start taking a look at the employees of the San Diego Register." Hotch said.
"Yes sir, but what am I looking for? There are hundreds of employees that have access to the Register's systems."
Hotch sighed. Even when they had a breakthrough, sometimes they still needed more information. "Start by looking for employees with records and we'll get back to you when we have more information to narrow it down."
At that moment Ashley and Zoe entered the conference room.
"Hey, how'd it go?" Rossi asked.
"According to Michelle, Amber worked several odd jobs to make ends meet." Zoe replied as she and Ashley sat down with the team.
"It's worth checking out. We could be wrong, the odd jobs could be how she met the unsub. We have to keep an open mind at this point." Rossi said as he looked at Hotch.
"Garcia, get us a list of jobs that Amber worked the last few months and look for personal checks that she might have deposited as under the table payments. Elle and Zoe see if you can still reach anyone at the Register to get a list of employees with access to the system. If he keeps to his accelerated timetable, he'll strike tonight." Hotch said as he looked down at the file in front of him.
Morgan stood leaning against the crib in the nursery as he and Reid studied the scene where Laurie Burgin had been attacked and died. "You think the unsub fed the kid? I mean, he stabs Laurie, so the kid probably started crying. Maybe he gave the kid the bottle in order to keep him quiet."
"What kind of unsub stops murdering to care for an infant?" Reid asked as he paused to look at Morgan.
"One who identifies with a child." Morgan replied. "We might be looking for someone with deep rooted abandonment issues." He said as he turned to look at Reid.
"Or maybe the baby crying ruined his enjoyment of watching the baby sitter bleed out?" Reid said perplexed by the caring shown to the child while at the same time murdering the adult that had been watching said child. "What if this ties into the reason for the victims are education and child development majors?"
"Well no matter what, caring for the child would be psychological torture for Laurie." Morgan said shaking his head. Just as he turned his head to see if there was anything else that had been missed, a beeping noise in the crib drew his attention. "Reid, look at that…" Morgan said as he picked up Laurie's phone from the crib. Looking through the phone revealed several missed calls and a few text messages from social networking sites.
However the most enlightening piece of information was the fact that Laurie had managed to take a photo of the unsub before she died.
Minutes later, after asking Penelope to go through Laurie's accounts and find out who was following her and who was messaging back, Morgan and Reid headed back to the precinct with a photo and a profile.
Once the team returned to the precinct from Laurie Burgin's murder scene at the Jenkins' house, they delivered the profile to the San Diego PD and then broke up to continue working on uncovering more information that could lead them to the unsub.
Hotch and Ashley sat together on the phone with Penelope as she filtered down her list of criminal records and releases.
"Okay… I have the sexual assaults and lewd behavior filtered out." Penelope replied.
"What do you get if you bump that list up against the list of employees from the Register?" Ashley asked.
"I have 27 people that match to both lists. We'll narrow down to white males in their early 20s who work part time or from home….and we're down to lucky number 13. What else do you have?" Penelope asked.
In the meantime Hotch had stuck his head out of the conference room door to gather his team and the lead Detective on the case.
"Who was recently released?" Ashley asked as the rest of the team came in the room.
Penelope nodded as her fingers clicked away narrowing down their list. "Uh huh, uh huh, this is good… we're down to 9…. What else?"
"The unsub's always been troubled Penelope, so look for youthful offenders who would have fit into the sociopathic triad." Morgan added.
Penelope shook her head. "Okay here's a disturbing social phenomenon that does not help… we're still at 9 candidates for stalky mcstalkerson."
"Okay… what are the crimes that they served time for?" Rossi asked.
"Okay" Penelope said as she perused her list. "I've got an assault and battery, burglary…."
Reid shook his head. "Look for crimes that involved a care taker or happened when he was a child it's the only thing that fits with why these victims are substitutes for his real target."
"Okay... here's one, Greg Phinney, Chula Vista, he was put into juvie when he was 13 for threatening his step-mom with a knife."
"What do we know about the step-mother?" Morgan asked.
"Kate Jones aka the second Mrs. Phinney married Greg's father a year after Greg's father was killed in a car accident. Greg was 11 at the time…. Mr. Phinney died four weeks ago."
"Is there any evidence that Kate worked in the Phinney's home before the mother's death?" Hotch asked as the team and lead Detective huddled around the phone in the conference room.
"Oh the plot solidifies. Kate sited additional income as caregiver on her tax returns when she was a college student. Payments trace back to… the Phinneys. Kate filed numberous reports against Greg for violent behavior, experimentation on animals… Greg's father finally put the kibosh on things when he was 17, had him institutionalized, Greg was released two weeks ago."
"Just before the killings started." Elle replied.
"Penelope, where's Greg Phinney now?" Reid asked.
"Yeah, that's a good question." Penelope responded as she devolved a little deeper in order to find an address.
When they arrived at Greg Phinney's apartment, he wasn't there.
"Alright, Reid and Elle, work with Penelope and see if you can get into Greg's computer in case he has another victim picked out. The rest of us are going to head to Kate Phinney's house in case he's there."
Elle nodded as Reid reached in his pocket and pulled out his cell phone, pressing the speed dial for Penelope.
"Speak boy wonder, behold my mite." Penelope said as she answered the phone.
"Penelope, we need to log into Greg Phinney's computer to see if we can find who has picked as his next victim." Reid explained as he pulled a pair of latex gloves out of his pocket and pulled them on.
"Oh, that's touchy. Most company's IT security protocol is that three failed login attempts and you are locked out." Penelope winced. "I can do it, but given the way that he was able to hack into the Jenkins' Wi-Fi and use that to post Laurie's picture, I'm not sure exactly how tech savvy he is. He could have his own additional layer of security on the lap top in case anyone tries to hack in. Our best bet is going to be getting the username and password."
"Okay so what are our options?" Reid asked as he looked at Elle.
"I'll call the supervisor I spoke with at the Register yesterday to get the employee list. I'm sure they don't want to have to print a headline stating that they're lack of assistance aided a murderer in killing another victim." Elle said as she stepped away and dialed her phone.
"Mrs. Kate Phinney?" Hotch asked he knocked on the door.
"Yes, can I help you?" Kate Phinney replied in confusion as she stood in the front door of her house with the entry light turned on so that she could see the group of FBI agents assembled on her front steps.
"We need to speak with you about your step-son Greg." Hotch replied.
Kate's shoulders slumped. "What's Greg done now?"
Hotch stood watching as Emily, Ashley, and Zoe spoke with Kate Phinney when his phone rang. "What have you got?" He asked as he answered after glancing at his phone and seeing that it was Reid calling.
"We think his next victim is Lily Droubay. He student ID was up on his computer screen when we logged on." Reid explained. "We have an address and phone number. Penelope tracked the GPS on her phone."
Hotch nodded as he wrote the address down. "Okay… we're on our way there now, but have Elle call her number just in case. She needs to be warned."
"That last girl, I could be her sister." Lily said into the phone as she sat watching news about the co-ed killer that was still at large. Then there was a rattling noise outside the house. "What was that?" she asked as she turned to look out the front windows of the house, where it appeared the noise had come from.
"Kill, kill, kill" her boyfriend said over the phone in a creepy voice.
"Okay, so not funny." She replied as her boyfriend laughed on the other end of the line.
"Ah, come on, relax. You set the alarm, right?" he asked.
"Um…yeah, let's just see." Lily turned and headed towards to the wall where the security system control panel was mounted. "Alarm is…" She opened the control panel "set. Kid's asleep." She said as she stepped away from the wall. "Come over?"
"I can't I've got a paper due in the morning." He replied.
"Wait, hang on. My other line is ringing and I don't recognize the number." She said as she pulled her phone away from her ear and looked at the caller ID. "Hello?"
"Hello is this Lily Droubay?" Elle asked as she stood in the middle of Greg Phinney's nearly empty apartment.
"This is she." Lily replied confused about who would be calling her other than her friends and boyfriend at this time of night.
"Lilly, my name is Elle Greenaway. I'm an Agent with the FBI. Are you familiar with the killings that have happened in the last few days?"
"Yes…" Lilly replied
"I don't know how much time you have but I need you to barricade yourself in a room. Please don't ask me any questions. Just do it. Agents and Police are on the way." Elle said as calmly as she could. "Lilly, Lilly… are you still there?"
Lilly turned as she turned around at the sound of the alarm being triggered. "Something just triggered the alarm." Lilly whispered. "I'm in danger aren't I?" Then she screamed as a hand grabbed her shoulder.
"Lily, are you okay? Talk to me." Elle said in concern.
"No, no, I'm okay. The Ellison's just got home early." Lily replied.
"Lily what I said before, Do it, you all need to go barricade yourselves in a room. Agents are on the way, but we have every reason to believe that person who's been doing this is either there watching you now, or on his way." Elle's voice came over the speakerphone as Lily pulled the phone away from her ear.
"Who is this?" Amy Ellison asked in a concerned tone of voice at hearing what Elle had to say.
"I'm Agent Elle Greenaway with the FBI."
Jake Ellison, however had heard enough of what the Agent was saying and seen enough of what was happening in the news to know that they needed to listen to her and he pushed both Amy and Lily towards the stairs so that they could barricade themselves in the nursery with the baby until help arrived.
In the meantime Reid was in communication with Hotch and the rest of the team as they made their way to the Ellison's home. "Hotch, how close are you?" Reid asked with concern as he listened to Elle's end of the conversation.
Greg Phinney grew impatient as he watched the home owners and Lily go up the stairs. There wasn't a way for him to access the second level easily. He'd planned on waiting for his unsuspecting prey to open the door and then he'd just rush them and take control. He stood contemplating, knife in hand as he considered his options. Did he continue to patiently wait for Lily to leave and jump his prey then, or did he seek another means of entry into the house? He'd watched Lily check the alarm through the windows. When he'd tried to jimmy a window on the side of the house, it had triggered the alarm. At this point his best option was to wait them out; after all eventually Lily would be going home… well at least she thought she'd be going home. He sneered behind his mask… after this, he felt like he would finally be ready to face the woman who'd ruined his family.
As Greg Phinney stood in the shadows watching through the window for the Ellisons and Lily to return downstairs from what he assumed was checking on the baby, his thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the bright shining of a flashlight in his eyes, startling him. He blinked and realized that he was almost completely surrounded, but there was a gap… and he was going to take advantage of it.
Any thoughts Greg Phinney had of escaping through the line of police officers and FBI Agents surrounding him were violently disrupted as Morgan took advantage of another opportunity to use his former football skills and tackled Greg Phinney to the ground.
The knife was knocked out of Greg's hand and a loud oooomph left his lungs as the full weight of the law and FBI Agent Derek Morgan exerted their force on him.
Hotch breathed a sigh of relief as he turned from speaking with the lead Detective as they wrapped up processing the scene, and watched Emily lead Ashley and Zoe in taking Lily and the Ellisons' statements regarding the events that evening.
"Hey, welcome home." Rebecca said with a smile as she stood in the driveway. Spencer had pulled up in the driveway just after her and now she was waiting to walk in the house with her pseudo big brother.
"Thanks," Spence replied with a smile and a glance at the gym bag that was over Rebecca's shoulder. "self-defense class?" he asked with a nod of his head at her bag.
"Yeah" Rebecca replied as she fell in-step with him as they made their way towards the house.
"How's that going?" he asked, genuinely curious and grateful as well that she'd been taking the classes after this last case.
"Good." She said as he opened the door and held it open for her.
"Hey guys, what are you talking about?" JJ asked as she greeted them at the door.
"I was just asking Bec how self-defense class was going." Spence replied. "Hi" he paused in front of JJ as Rebecca walked past them, knowing that they'd want a few minutes to greet each other after a couple of days apart.
"Hi yourself" JJ replied as she stepped closer to Spence. She rested her hands on his waist as she stepped closer and then slid them up his sides and across his chest, wrapping her arms around his neck as she stood on her tip toes to kiss him hello.
Spence grinned into the kiss as he wrapped his arms around JJ. After a few moments he pulled his lips away from hers, but continued to hold her close as he rested his forehead against hers.
"Long case?" JJ asked as she ran her fingers soothingly though her husband's hair.
Spence nodded.
JJ gave him a quick peck on the lips. "Come on, the kids are all taking their naps, so why don't you go take a quick shower and I'll make us lunch."
"Sounds good." Spence spoke softly.
"Then maybe you should take a nap. You look exhausted baby. Did you sleep on the plane at all?" she asked as she took his go bag from his shoulder and then took his hand. She paused at the door to the laundry room to set his go bag inside. Then she led him towards the stairs.
Spence shook his head. "No. I tried to sleep, but…" then he shrugged. "I just couldn't."
JJ sighed as she squeezed Spence's hand. She'd really hoped that he'd start to see some relief now that they knew the cause of his headaches and he was taking the medication Dr. Green had prescribed. Of course, like they'd been warned, the brain was proving tricky to treat. She held out hope that it was just taking time and that the medication would still work before the next follow up appointment. "Okay, well maybe after lunch. I'll lay down with you too," She said as rubbed her thumb over the back of his hand. "but for now, go take a shower. That will help you feel a little better."
"So how are things going with Chad?" JJ asked as she turned to look at Rebecca while they cleaned-up from lunch.
"Who's Chad?" Spence asked as he stood up from the table and walked to the sink to rinse off his dishes.
"Anderson" JJ replied.
"Anderson who we work with Anderson?" Spence asked as he looked back and forth between JJ and Rebecca.
"Yes" JJ replied. "He and Bec are dating."
Spence's brow furrowed. "Did I know this?" he asked concerned that he hadn't been paying attention and had missed something.
"I don't think so baby." JJ replied, then, she turned to look at Rebecca. "So how did your date last night go?"
Rebecca grinned at JJ. "It was great. We had a really good time. He's so sweet. He even offered to help me with some things from my self-defense class."
JJ laughed. "Take down maneuvers I bet."
Spence's eyes went wide as he listened to JJ and Rebecca discussing Anderson and he tried to figure out where to look and something else that he could go do… and then to his relief Joshua's muffled cries came across the baby monitor. "I'm just going to go check on Joshua…" Spence trailed off as he walked out of the room.
JJ chuckled as Spence made his exit from the room. "I'll be up in a few minutes baby. He's probably hungry." She called out after him.
Spence just nodded his head as he took the stairs two at a time, anxious to spend some guy time with his infant son.
"Hey buddy; you have no idea what perfect timing you have." Spence said as he picked Joshua up from his crib, completely forgetting about the baby monitor that was currently turned on as he laid Joshua on his changing table. "Yeah, you saved Daddy from listening to girl talk. Yes you did big guy. So Daddy owes you… what do you to rocking in the rocking chair and Daddy singing to you as repayment huh?"
JJ and Rebecca giggled as they listened to Spence over the baby monitor where they stood talking in the kitchen.
"I'm going to go study. I have a paper that I need to write, but I'll see you later." Rebecca said as Spencer started to sing.
"Okay Bec. See you later." JJ said with a smile. Then she leaned against the counter for a moment, listening to the sound of her husband's voice over the baby monitor as he sang to Joshua. Then she headed upstairs.
She paused in the doorway and watched as Spence rocked Joshua while he sang. Then he stopped as he lifted his head to watch her in the doorway. "Sorry, I didn't want to interrupt your time with him… I just thought he might be hungry."
"I think you're probably right." Spence said as he glanced down at Joshua who was still fussing slightly in his arms. "Are you hungry Joshua? Mommy says she thinks it might be snack time. What do you think?"
JJ crossed the room and stopped in front of where Spence sat in the rocking chair.
"Here, why don't you…" Spence said as he started to stand up so that his wife could take his place in the rocking chair while she fed their son.
"Spence, stay baby." JJ said as she pressed her hand on his shoulder, stopping him from standing up. She reached down and took Joshua out of his arms.
Spence looked up at JJ in confusion as she took the baby out of his arms.
Once Joshua was settled in her arms, she sat in Spence's lap and reached out grabbing the arm that their son had previously rested in and placing it under Joshua to help support the baby. Then she reached up and unbuttoned her shirt so that Joshua could have his snack.
Spence watched in awe of his wife and son as JJ cuddled against his chest while they held their son together as he ate. Remembering that they were in fact in a rocking chair, he started to rock and softly sing to Joshua again as the three of them cuddled together and bonded.