Blood on Magnolias
"A mountain is composed of tiny grains of earth. The ocean is made up of tiny drops of water. Even so, life is but an endless series of little details, actions, speeches, and thoughts. And the consequences whether good or bad of even the least of them are far-reaching." ~Sivananda
It was that time of year - hitting some of the area colleges on a recruiting drive before summer hit. Rossi and Reid had been picked to double team this particular campus and everything had gone very well so far. All that remained was the standard question and answer period. Rossi was looking forward to the end of the program, already thinking of inviting Reid to stop for a meal with him on their way home.
The questions were pretty much run of the mill - how much do agents make? What was the FBI Academy like? One question came up then that got both of their attentions.
"Shouldn't someone intending the FBI as a career stick to criminology related courses? I mean, what good would a liberal arts degree do?"
Reid moved forward a little, then leaned back on the desk they were giving their presentation from.
"You would be surprised. I would always suggest a well-rounded education because of what that lets you bring to the field. We have had Unsubs that have fixated on paintings, books, movies, television and so forth. Being able to zero in on what it is that is motivating or compelling them is often a huge step towards finding that person."
Rossi nodded in agreement.
"To give you more specific examples, we had one case where the Unsub was following Arthurian legend. We had another case where they were not only using a book, but a specific edition of that book. The broader your base of knowledge, the better chance you have of spotting something like that. Which is another reason the BAU acts as a team. Each of the team brings a different set of experiences and knowledge to the table, so we cover an even wider array of subjects."
Reid had obviously warmed to the topic and continued.
"There are other ways a broad spectrum of knowledge helps as well. Once when I was in a bad situation, I deliberately misquoted a biblical verse because I knew my team leader would catch it."
There was some general murmuring, then another voice piped up.
"Have there been cases where more general knowledge than book references came into play?"
Both agents nodded in unison, but Reid grinned and sat back, letting Rossi retake the floor.
"As a matter of fact, one of our most recent cases broke open when one of our team recognized something was wrong with a flower."
"What difference could a flower make?"
Reid moved for the laptop.
"I think I have a picture of the tree. Hang on."
The scene put up for viewing was a Magnolia and the room was perfectly silent as Rossi continued.
"The oddity our agent spotted was that even though the petals of the large blossom were all red with blood, the central golden area - the carpels - was totally blood free. That drew us to look closer and notice that the nearby leaves were also blood-free. Then a hair was spotted on one of the petals - it turned out to be from a sable paintbrush. The unsub had taken some of the victim's blood, mixed it with linseed oil and then literally painted the blossom petals with it. While I can't go into further detail than that, all of those clues mixed in with the ones that we already had narrowed the field of suspects to where we were finally able to locate the killer."
"The tree hadn't been considered a clue, just a piece of scenery that some of the victim's blood ended up on during the struggle. Sometimes it can be more about seeing something that doesn't quite fit that will lead that way to solving a crime."
"Like the old Sesame Street 'one of these things is not like the other'?"
Rossi laughed at that as he nodded.
"Never underestimate the power of Big Bird or the power of observation. It's what all Sherlock Holmes books were based on, after all. It really is all in the details."
The session broke up soon after that and Rossi gave Reid a look as they got back into the SUV.
"I need a drink and dinner - in that order. You with me?"
"Sure. Think we got through to them?"
"Maybe not all, but the ones we didn't probably wouldn't have what it takes to be part of a BAU unit any way. I think we got them thinking at least."
Nodding, Reid just leaned back and closed his eyes against the sun coming through the windshield as Rossi pulled out onto the highway. He recalled one of his mother's favorite sayings from Harvey Firestone - 'Success is the sum of details'. A smile formed as the sun warmed his face. He knew what he'd be writing to his mother about tonight.