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The case moves on and Rossi is getting impatient waiting for Hotch. The UnSub is slowly unearthed, but complications arise.
There is mention of rape and torture in this chapter but there are no details.
The small, over-crowded police precinct is hot and the air stale; 'Perfect!' Hotch thinks wryly to himself; he feels as though he should have expected something to go and make the day that bit more unpleasant given the way it started out.
The team follow their well-rehearsed schedule and introduce themselves to the case detective, Robert Swanson, before Hotch quickly assigns everyone their tasks.
He gives himself and Prentiss the job of slowly working their way through everything that Swanson and his team have managed to find so far and to pick out the most likely leads before setting the FBI's technical analyst bloodhound, Penelope Garcia, on the case.
Reid is immediately set to work on mapping out a geographical profile, it being one of many areas in which the young man excels; he immediately settles down at a table and seemingly drowns out the surrounding noises without any real effort as he pours over maps of the dump sites and cross-references them with what intel the team have already managed to pull from the case file.
JJ is given the unenviable task of dealing with the media and to try and calm the journalists that have quickly set up camp outside the precinct. Hotch is always thankful at times like this that he has JJ on his team; she can balance the press with a practiced ease and stop them from interfering with their on-going cases while, at the same time, keeping them on the FBI's side.
He sends Morgan and Rossi to visit the latest body dump-site with Detective Swanson; the desire to get away from Rossi, his watchful eyes and probing questions having absolutely no bearing on that decision whatsoever…of course not!
By the time everyone reconvenes later in the afternoon to pool their gathered intel, minds are tired and stomachs desperately growling for food; however, the team know they are working against the clock and want to get a preliminary profile worked up before another child is taken.
Temporarily ignoring hunger pangs, fraying tempers and Rossi's very obvious observations of their boss, the team settle down with Swanson around a large table in a small conference room, papers spread out in an ordered way. They discuss their findings, comparing and contrasting theories before finally agreeing on a preliminary profile.
Satisfied that they have got all they can for now, the team head back to the bullpen and ask for everyone's attention.
Hotch heads to the front of the room and everyone falls silent, eager to hear something that might stop the monster currently trawling their streets and hurting young children.
"Ok, we have a preliminary profile, this means that we may well be able to deduce a more concise profile from his future crimes, but we really don't want to see any more children in the morgue for that to happen.
"We're are most likely looking for a white male, mid-twenties to late thirties. His IQ is probably below average, but make no mistake about it, he has a complete understanding of his actions and the possible consequences.
"He finds it difficult to relate to people his own age, but the children he feels he can be open with are afraid of him, this avoidance of him likely causes an undue amount of aggression at the slightest perceived transgression against him. His social personality disorders will make him conspicuous meaning he will stand out in his community; people, and especially young, easily scared children, will try to avoid him and his rather intrusive, overbearing manner. Those who know him will not be surprised to learn that this man is our suspect."
Morgan takes over; "There is an obvious sexual component to the crime," he states, referring to the rape mentioned in the autopsy reports. "However, judging by the extensive scarring the UnSub seems to takes greater pleasure in the torture rather than in the actual rape, that is where he seems to take his time. This most likely serves as an outlet for his aggression and that amount of anger will most likely leak into his everyday life; torturing animals, talking maliciously to his neighbours and work colleagues, demeaning them for his own amusement, or it may even exhibit itself in a physical confrontation.
"The autopsy reports document the attacks and clearly show that there was no hesitation on his part; this suggests that we're either missing at least one other victim or that he's simply well versed in this type of behaviour. He may well have faced previous accusations of sexual deviancy and assault, and you can certainly expect to find plenty of child pornography in his home; this man is not shy about his preferences."
"The geographical profile indicates that our UnSub lives in one of the poorer districts of the city; his dump-sites have all been around this major industrial area," Reid points to a specific location on the map, "these areas have been heavily canvassed but nothing out of the ordinary has been noticed, so it's safe to assume that he has a commercial vehicle, most likely a van that blends in with his surroundings.
"He also appears to be very familiar with the area, knowing where to avoid and what time to go; we believe he works or has worked in this area before, therefore giving him all the necessary knowledge to leave the bodies without being noticed by anyone."
Prentiss stands up, fluently taking the lead from Reid, "There is no effort to hide evidence; the CSU's have managed to find semen, fingerprints, fabric fibres, tace elements of various chemicals, even a couple of drops of blood that don't match the victims…however, there are no matches which means that while this man may well have been accused of previous crimes, this is someone who has not been processed through the criminal system.
"His intelligence seems high enough to make him aware of being cautious while he dumps the bodies, however, his apathy concerning the evidence left behind suggests that he is either unaware of even the most basic of forensic countermeasures or, more likely, that he is overly arrogant; with no record of his DNA in our system, he does not believe we are capable of catching him."
Rossi finishes up, "This is a man who has most likely grown up in an abusive environment. When he wasn't being physically abused, he was neglected; in the absence of any real structure in his life he drew up his own rules governing the way he lived and found unhealthy ways to vent his anger and frustration. His peers at school likely avoided him, furthering his isolation.
"He is angry, he is twisted and he does not follow a conventional set of laws, having long ago created his own. The decreasing days between bodies shows us he is devolving towards a frenzy. He will not stop until he is caught."
Hotch takes centre stage again. "So far, no one on your interview list matches this profile, which means he's still out there and he's looking for another victim. We feel the best place to start is with employers and employees in the industrial areas where the bodies have turned up. You need to pay particular attention to the area around the first dump site, as he would most likely not have strayed too far outside of his comfort zone in the early days; that is one of our best bets at finding our UnSub at this time."
There are quiet mutterings between the officers while they gather together their affects and pair off, ready to dig through mounds of paperwork and canvass local businesses close to the dump sites.
"Hotch," JJ stands slowly with some notes in her hand, "shall I get this profile out to the press?"
"Yes, as soon as possible; someone out there knows our UnSub. Get ready, we're in for a busy afternoon." Hotch turns and catches Rossi's calculating look directed his way once again; Aaron tries hard not to roll his eyes and leaves to get some more coffee before discovering what Garcia has unearthed.
After the profile had been released to the press the day did indeed become very long , but the team is all too well aware that they cannot afford to do anything but follow every possible lead; so far it has been nothing more than a colossal waste of time, unless a wheelchair bound ninety-seven year old woman with partial paralysis down her left side really is their UnSub, right alongside Elvis Presley and Lord Lucan!
The team is tired, hungry and despondent after chasing down several false leads and they are about to order in some food when a likely looking report comes in over the net.
They all want to catch the sick son of a bitch alive so the UnSub can spend the rest of his days suffering behind bars; with that in mind Hotch orders all cars to keep their lights and sirens off, and for all squad cars to remain out of sight of the UnSub's residence.
Marshall Keating's apartment is in a run-down tenement building; the railings outside are crooked and missing in places, the lock on the main door is broken and the electrics in the hallway faulty so that every ten seconds or so, the lights flickers on and off, before tentatively lighting the way again.
Hotch, gun drawn, is in point position, with Rossi slightly behind and to the left, and Morgan directly behind, covering their rear. JJ, Prentiss and Reid are covering the back alley way and searching for the van that will likely be crucial in making sure they have the necessary evidence to put the UnSub behind bars for a long, long time, while the local LEO's corden off the surrounding area.
The stairwell is dark, and the floor sticky; the acrid smell of urine and the stale smell of cigarette smoke burns the nose-hairs and Rossi is forced to kick a used syringe out of his way, wrinkling his nose in disgust as he does so. This is by no means the filthiest place the team have ever visited, but it is certainly one of the more depressing ones out there.
Progress to the second floor is quick, no-one eager to hang about in the hallway any longer than needed. Through the open window at the end of the hall, the shrieks of young children playing on the playground of a nearby elementary school can barely be heard above the heavy industrial traffic on the busy road below. A siren can be heard in the distance, growing fainter as it heads towards it destination.
Suddenly, a door at the other end of the hall opens, and Marshall Keating walks out.
He is not much to look at; he has a medium height and build, slightly over-weight; it is probably that extra weight which enables him to dominate others rather than any brute strength on his part. His hair is short and messy, a dark mahogany colour, with a little patch of white behind his left ear. His eyes are a dusty blue, small and too close together.
His clothes are shaggy and torn, and his posture is slightly hunched. Marshall Keating is walking with purpose…until he catches sight of three FBI agents with guns down his hallway. He quickly turns tail and runs back into his apartment.
"Mr. Keating? Mr. Keating, I'm Agent Hotchner, I'm with the FBI. We just want to talk to you; nothing more!" The agents inch carefully towards apartment number 211. Hotch takes position on one side of the door, Rossi on the other. Morgan is on the comm. link with the others, up-dating them on the situation and warning them to keep an eye open in case Keating tries to make a desperate run for it out of the window.
"Garcia couldn't find any evidence of gun possession?" Dave quietly asks.
"No records she could find, but you and I have both seen how easy it is to get a gun without leaving a paper trail, and we know he executed the children with a small calibre handgun," Hotch warns quietly, before he tries once more to get Keating to come out willingly. "Mr. Keating, we just need to ask you a few questions that's all; you answer those and then we can all go home."
There is no answer.
Morgan is getting impatient, "On three?"
Hotch nods, and gestures for Morgan to ready to kick in the door as he and Rossi ready themselves to cover him.
"One, Two, Three!" With a quick kick, the wood splinters and the agents rush into the small, untidy apartment. Three doors lead off the small entrance corridor and an open entry into the living area and kitchen; they methodically open the first two doors, finding an empty bedroom and a rancid bathroom - no Keating.
Morgan takes point on the last door only to discover yet another empty bedroom, closets bare, under the bed nothing but dust bunnies and dirty clothes. The three agents line up once more as they head towards the living area, Morgan once again on point, with Rossi bringing up the rear.
Just as Morgan clears the kitchen area where the cabinets offer a potential hiding area, there is a loud crash to their right and before anyone can react, Keating fires his gun.
What did you think? As always, I'd love to hear your feedback as well as any potential errors I may have made.
Lord Lucan - he was a British Peer accused of murdering his children's nanny in 1974, but he disappeared before he could be arrested. There are all sorts of conspiracy theories surrounding him, each more ridiculous than the last; some believe he is still alive - he would be almost 80 years old now.
LEO - Law Enforcement Officer.