Questions
Let me know what you think – is it worth completing this one. Tend to write one-shots so not sure if I'm boring people by being this long. Much appreciated.
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Hotch was becoming impatient. Not with the others but with himself. He couldn't ask more of his team yet he expected so much more of himself and at the moment he felt he was falling short. Once everyone had got back in the early hours of Tuesday morning he had ordered everyone back to the hotel to get some sleep. There was no good being physically and mentally exhausted. Over tired they could all deal with but exhausted was no good to anyone. They had reassembled at nine sharp to the news that the local agents staking out the fourth venue had found the body of Rebecca Henry at first light it was estimated she had been dead approximately twelve hours and placed down the alley just after dark. They had missed the UnSub by a few hours max. Hotch also now knew he and Morgan had been sat feet away from their latest victim for hours. They hadn't been down the alley to check it out in case the UnSub was watching. If only they had. Though would it have changed anything, they had missed him. The fourth murder matched the others almost identically; however with four bodies, a clear link between the victims and the best team he knew they were no further forward. The profile they had delivered that afternoon was the roughest profile they had ever given due to the fact that they all knew they were missing something vital, but what? He hated cases like this; the ones that didn't fit, that didn't work to the rules. They became long and drawn out. People got hurt. Tempers frayed.
At least all possible future victims were now safe. The women's response to being dragged in late on Monday night and having it explained to them that there was a serial killer hunting them ranged from shock, fury, tears and solidarity. The one thing that struck him was the lack of family any of them had. One was married; one had a grown son away at university. Other than that nothing. Like his team they were each other's family, all they needed was each other. Together they were strong.
As he sat alone in the conference room late on Friday afternoon he wondered where the week had gone. Over and over he reviewed the evidence. He didn't have and eidetic memory like Reid but by now he had memorised word for word everything they had so far. He sat looking round at the puzzle pieces but not knowing how to put them together. Hotch looked up as JJ entered the room.
"I can't hold them off any longer. I promised them a statement by the end of the week. It's Friday." JJ knew this was eating Hotch up but she needed to know what he wanted her to do.
"Run with it. We will have to hope it makes our UnSub make a mistake and not go to ground. Then we will meet before taking a night off. We need a break and come back to this fresh." Hotch sighed as JJ turned to leave and face the media pack.