"Good, everybody's already here," Detective Wade said as he and Sheriff Gardner walked into the conference room.
"And, if you'll excuse me, I had better go check on your breakfast sandwiches," Mrs. Jenkins told the group.
"What exactly is her status around here?" Rossi questioned after Mrs. Jenkins had bustled out of the room.
"She is one of the volunteers who keep this place running," Sheriff Gardner explained. "In a small area like this, with a small budget, people like her are worth their weight in gold!"
"I see," Rossi nodded thoughtfully. "She has lived around here for a number of years?"
"Yeah!" Detective Wade grinned widely. "She knows just about everybody hereabouts, and you would be surprised at how many people confide in her. She probably knows where half the bodies in the county are buried, and has the common sense to keep her mouth shut."
"So, what can you tell us about the latest victim?" Hotch asked.
"What about Em – m - , Dr. Porter?" Morgan looked around. "Shouldn't we wait for her?"
"Dr. Porter has several counseling sessions this morning," Detective Wade told him. "She'll be joining us when she is through with them."
"Okay, I assume the latest victim is the same as the others?" Blake asked.
"Basically the same MO," Detective Wade told her. "However, - " He paused as he handed the team pictures of the victim.
"This is the first African American victim," JJ observed.
"Jasmine Williams," Sheriff Gardner explained. "She is – was - twenty years old and single. Her father owns a farm about 12 miles northwest of here." He walked over and pointed on the map.
"That's a little further out than any of our previous locations," Reid put a push pin into point indicated. "It appears to be outside the unsub's comfort zone. Either that or his zone is expanding. Where was the body found?"
"Right about here, at the edge of her father's property," the sheriff pointed to a spot slightly to the right.
"Whoever this is, he is devolving with only three days between the last two victims," Hotch observed. "I assume the wound pattern is still the same?"
"It is," Detective Wade confirmed.
"What else can you tell us about the victim?" Rossi questioned.
"Jasmine is the youngest of three children," the sheriff began. "After graduating from high school she spent several semesters at the local community college but couldn't settle on a career. So, she dropped out and began working full time on her father's dairy farm. When she didn't show up for the morning milking, her mother went to check on her and found her bed empty."
"Had her bed been slept in?" Blake questioned
"According to her mother, yes," was the reply. "And, she has been instructed to leave everything in Jasmine's room as is."
"So, someone lured her out in the middle of the night," Morgan observed.
"It would seem that way," the sheriff confirmed.
"Sheriff, we need to look at the spot where the body was found," Hotch told him.
"I have a deputy standing by to take you," the sheriff told him. "The exact spot isn't exactly on any of the main roads, so I thought it would be quicker if you had someone to show you the way."
"Who found the body?" JJ asked.
"The milk tanker driver, making his morning pick-up run," was the reply. "Mr. Williams has a sizeable dairy herd and the dairy he sells to sends a tanker truck around to make pick-ups on a regular basis."
"Okay, here you go," Mrs. Jenkins walked into the room carrying an oversized serving platter piled high with breakfast sandwiches and pastries.
"Here, let me help you with that," Detective Wade walked over, took the platter from her, and placed it on the table next to the coffee maker.
"Thanks, Dan," the retired teacher smiled at him.
"Napkins and plates are already laid out," she pointed as she spoke. "So, if necessary, you can take something with you for the road. Don't pay any attention to the sheriff here when he tells you about not eating in official vehicles."
"Thank you, Mrs. Jenkins," JJ told her gratefully as she helped herself to a sandwich.
"It's Jasmine Williams, isn't it?" Mrs. Jenkins asked quietly. "Several people have already called to ask," she added by way of explanation.
"Unfortunately," Sheriff Gardner told her. "Her body was found early this morning by the milk tanker driver."
"Poor Dr. Chase," Mrs. Jenkins said sadly. "He just gets one body off his autopsy table and on its way to the mortuary when he gets another. He's not used to this, poor man."
Shaking her head sadly, she left the room.
"The mortuary," Blake repeated. "All of these girls' bodies would have gone to a mortuary, wouldn't they?"
"Where someone would have seen them and their wounds," Rossi continued the thought. "Sheriff, how many funeral homes are there around here?"
"Three that I can think of," was the reply.
"Okay," Hotch spoke up. "Rossi, you and Blake get in touch Garcia and have her determine which funeral home handled each of the previous two bodies. Then, go interview the staff. That may be where the information was leaked."
"Morgan, you and JJ go with the sheriff's deputy out to the most recent crime scene. I assume the body hasn't been moved?" Hotch looked over at the sheriff.
"No, it hasn't," was the reply. "My people's instructions were to take pictures but not to touch anything until your people arrived."
"Good," Hotch affirmed. "And, when you two are done examining the scene, you can go talk with the parents. Reid, you and I are going to go back over the files of the first two cases. Somehow, I have a feeling there is something in there. We just need to find it."