Here's Chapters 27 & 28. I hope you enjoy them.
Chapter 27: Chicago Bound
The next morning Reid and Morgan made it into work the same time as Prentiss.
"Morning. How was your three day weekend?" Prentiss asked.
Both Reid and Morgan smiled at her, "It was good," Morgan said.
"Yeah? What did you all do?" Prentiss asked as they headed to their desks.
"Nothing much. We went down to Virginia Beach and just did some sightseeing," Morgan explained.
"That's nice."
Prentiss noticed that Reid hadn't said a word. She inwardly chuckled when she saw him sit down with a wince. She suspected as much. Morgan and Reid used their time off for sex. She remembered how, with everything that went on with Gideon she learned that Morgan and Reid were together.
"Reid, you alright?" she asked.
Reid nodded, "Yeah, sorry was kinda daydreaming."
"Not a problem," Prentiss smiled.
The three started to work on their files with each of them in their own thoughts. About an hour in, Morgan was pulled out of his thoughts by his phone ringing.
"Morgan," He said picking up the phone.
"Derek, its Sarah."
"Sarah, what is it? I'm working."
"Derek, please. I need your team's help."
"With what?" Morgan frowned.
"It seems like everyone I worked for on a case is turning up dead."
Morgan switched the phone, "Are you sure?"
"Yes. I always do a follow up visit and almost everyone I checked up on is dead."
Morgan sighed, "Have you talked to Gordinski?"
Morgan heard his sister sigh, "I tried he doesn't believe me."
"Sarah, convince him to check it out."
"Can't your team just come and check it out?"
Morgan shook his head, "We don't work like that. We need a formal invitation from the local PD. Listen, you need to have Gordinski or whomever check it out and if they feel that we're needed have him call our liaison and send her the file."
"Alright," Sarah said.
"I'm sorry Sarah."
"It's alright Derek. I'll talk to you later."
Morgan sighed as he hung up the phone.
"Everything okay?" Reid asked.
Morgan nodded, "Yeah, I just feel bad telling my sister we can't help her."
Morgan sighed again before standing up and grabbing his coffee mug and headed to the break room. Reid stood and followed him, mug in hand.
"Hey," he said touching Morgan on the shoulder.
Morgan turned and smiled, "Hey."
Reid closed the distance between them and kissed him, "Its okay, you know."
Morgan nodded, "Yeah I know. I just feel bad."
Reid nodded, "I know."
Morgan placed his hand on the back of Reid's head crushing their lips together. Reid moaned and parted his lips letting Morgan slip his tongue inside. Morgan moaned when he felt Reid rub against him and he could tell he was hard. A throat was being cleared and the two broke apart. Morgan looked up and saw Garcia standing there with a grin on her face.
"Emily wasn't kidding. But be glad it was me and not Hotch finding you like this," she smiled.
Reid buried his face in Morgan's neck, "Emily knows?"
Morgan nodded, "Yeah. She found it out during all that mess with Gideon."
Reid groaned before heading over to the coffee pot and began refilling his mug.
Garcia chuckled, "Don't worry buttercup. We won't tell anyone, especially if you allow me to watch."
"No way, Garcia," Morgan said shaking his head.
"Pictures then? Come on hot stuff, you gotta give me something."
"No," Morgan said as they walked out of the break room.
{~CM~}
When Garcia, Prentiss, Morgan and Reid came back from lunch JJ called them into the conference room. The four headed into the room and took their seats around the table.
"Chicago, Illinois, boys and girls," JJ said looking at Morgan briefly before pulling up the pictures.
"Dale Rhodes, 45; Emilia Javier, 23; Jackson Myrtle, 30; Moren Tran 54; Cassie Hart, 72," JJ said putting each picture on screen. "Each of them all dead within a week."
"Five dead in a week?!" Prentiss exclaimed. "This unsub is bold."
JJ nodded, "Yeah."
Hotch shook his head and frowned, "This unsub is all over the map, different genders, race and age. What's the connection?"
JJ shrugged, "None that the police could find other than them being murdered in their own homes and strangled to death."
Morgan frowned, "They're all connected to my sister Sarah. Sarah's a defense attorney and she represented all of them."
"How do you know this?" Hotch asked.
"Sarah called me this morning asking for our help. I told her it didn't work like that."
Hotch nodded, "Wheels up in fifteen. Garcia?"
"Already on it sir," Garcia said standing.
The team dispersed and everyone left the build while Garcia headed for her office. Once everyone was on the plane Hotch gave the okay to take off.
"So we know that there was no sexual assault on any of the victims," Reid started.
"Which means this unsub gets off on the torture or the kill alone," Prentiss continued.
Morgan noticed how Reid hadn't been ordered to stay behind again and figured that Hotch felt he was okay enough to be in the field.
"We know all these victims were strangled to death," JJ mused.
"Howdy cowboys and cowgirls," Garcia said popping on screen.
"What you got for us baby girl?" Morgan asked.
"Well unfortunately there were no open cases like this. However what I did find out was that all of our present victims were all represented by your sister and won."
"So someone's killing all the people who not only were represented by Morgan's sister, but won as well? JJ asked.
Garcia nodded.
{~CM~}
The team entered the Chicago Police Department and was greeted by a detective.
"I'm Emmett Shea, the lead detective on this case."
JJ nodded and proceeded to introduce the rest of the team. Detective Shea showed them where they could set up. Morgan noticed that Gordinski was nowhere in sight.
"Where's Gordinski?" he asked.
"He retired last month."
Hotch turned to his team, "Morgan, you and JJ go talk to your sister. Prentiss, you and Reid check out the latest crime scene. I'm going to check in with the ME."
The team nodded and dispersed.
{~CM~}
"Derek, oh my goodness! This is a pleasant surprise," Fran exclaimed opening the door.
Morgan shook his head, "Mama, this isn't a social call, sorry. Is Sarah home?"
Fran nodded and let Morgan and JJ inside.
{~CM~}
"It's true that they were killed due to strangulation, but they suffered severe amounts of torture beforehand," The ME explained.
The ME removed the sheet from the latest victim Cassie Hart.
"Severe blunt force trauma to the head as well as several defensive wounds on the wrist and arm as if she was trying to stave off her attacker. Multiple stab wounds to the arms and torso as well as several Taser marks on the arms, legs, and torso."
Hotch shook his head, "Damn."
{~CM~}
"I think it's safe to say this unsub clearly likes to torture his victims and gets off on it," Prentiss said.
Reid nodded, "I'm inclined to agree. Okay, so there's no forced entry which means the victims had to have let them into the house."
"Either he's using a ruse or the victims knew him."
{~CM~}
"Sarah, let me ask you this," JJ started. "How many cases do you handle in a month?"
Sarah frowned, "Me personally or my entire law firm?"
"You personally."
"Oh, um, well I'd say about one hundred cases a month that I deal with."
JJ nodded, "And of those hundred, what's the percentage of wins?"
"I'd say about forty-five percent."
Morgan whistled, "That's impressive."
Sarah smiled, "Thanks. I'm trying to raise it though."
Morgan nodded, "Sarah is there anyone who has been acting strangely toward you or maybe someone who holds a grudge against you?"
Fran frowned, "You think this person is after Sarah?"
"We're not sure, but it's possible," JJ explained.
Sarah shook her head, "Not really. I mean coworkers are usually jealous when you have a higher win record than them."
{~CM~}
The team reconvened at the station. They started going over everything everyone learned in order to build the preliminary profile. They didn't really have much to go on and nothing really seemed to make sense.
"So this unsub uses blunt force to the head to what, knock them out? Then he Tasers them and strangles them to death and once they're dead knives them?" Prentiss asked.
It was clear that the team was becoming frustrated.
"Let's give the cops what we know for now," Hotch said.
The rest of the team sighed but agreed.
TBC...