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Happy reading everyone! Xx
Chapter Nine.
"Emily, a word." Hotch asked, walking into the kitchen with Prentiss following shortly behind. "Is there something I should know about with Agent Davis?" His brown eyes glancing out the window in Clara's direction.
"No, I don't think so. Why do you ask?" Prentiss looked at him, yes there was something he should know about but she agreed to keep it quiet until Clara felt it was time to say something.
"I believe something is occupying her mind. I don't think she's fully focused on the case." He crossed his arms, his gaze looking across the rest of the team as they looked further round the house.
"Sir with all due respect, if you feel that way why don't you have a conversation with her yourself?"
Hotch nodded slowly, gazing back at Clara before turning his attention back to the agent in front of him. "Just keep an eye on her, let me know if you feel anything needs to be brought to my attention."
Prentiss nodded, "Yes Sir."
I stood there, listening to the hustle and bustle of the officers outside and the team inside. It's crazy to think such a dark and terrible thing can happen on a seemingly quiet, safe neighborhood.
"The place has been wiped clean." Rossi spoke as he emerged beside me.
"Still nothing?" I asked, my attention turning back to him.
"Not even a partial print. This guy knows exactly how to clean up his mess." He put his hands in his pockets and I raised my eyebrow, a thought growing in my mind.
"It's kind of like the killer knows exactly what he's doing." I added, my lips pursing.
"Like the Unsub does it for a living..." Rossi spoke, his eyes turning back to the house. "I swear I saw a business card in that draw with the letter." He walked back inside and I stood there for a moment before following him inside.
"Everything alright David?" Hotchner asked him as he watched Rossi open and rummage through the kitchen draw.
"Clara mentioned outside that the killer knows exactly what they are doing when they clean up. That made me think that..."
"The killer is employed to do just that." Morgan added and Rossi nodded.
"I remembered seeing a business card in here earlier..." He continued to rummage before he found the small blue and grey card. "Cooper Industries."
Morgan took out his phone and called Garcia, putting it on loudspeaker for the team who gathered to hear.
"Talk dirty to me." She answered and I almost blushed for her.
"Keep it PG baby girl." Morgan replied, a smirk on his face. Did she talk to him like that all the time or was that for everyone? I pulled off my hat and brushed my fingers through my hair before adjusting it back onto my head.
"Tell me what you need."
"I need you to see if any of the victims hired a cleaning company called Cooper Industries." We stood there, patiently waiting.
"Four out of the five victims hired this organization." She spoke and I smiled slightly, this girl is good. Wonder what she could find out about me, although my files were redacted so she'd have a fun time getting into those.
"I think we're ready to give a profile." Hotchner said as he looked at team. "Let's go."
We stood in front of most if not all of the LAPD, I currently found a good spot under the air-conditioning and I sighed happily as Hotchner started off the profile.
"We're looking for a white male, aged around twenty-five to fifty."
"We believe he works for the cleaning company Cooper Industries." I added before looking over to Reid who was preparing to speak next.
"He would have had a stressor a few days before the first victim disappeared. Possibly something to do with a friend or family member."
Prentiss stepped forward, addressing the crowd, "He believes he is saving the children by taking away the only parent they have around. So, we are looking for the Unsub to have little to no family left or is recently divorced or widowed."
"We've also got the kids of the victims coming in to see if we can get a description of the cleaner so we can give it over to the forensic artist to sketch something up." Morgan stated, looking over at Hotchner.
"JJ will be dealing with the press release and we will have a tip line set up. We need this man caught, the time between each victim gives us another nineteen hours before he will be set to kill again."
Everyone in the room disbanded and I saw Hotchner walking my way, I didn't have anything against the guy. Yes, he irritated me but that's because he's like a stone, nothing seemed to affect the guy! Me? I'm usually quite well composed but this case is just chipping away at me and at some point, I'm going to shatter completely. I wish I could be like him.
"Clara, the children of the victims are coming in – can you and Reid get a description. Only Jessie, Sarah and Henry will be providing one."
"Of course, No problem." I forced a smile and saw the kids enter the station, they all looked tired – their eyes red still from the crying. "Actually... Do you think someone else could work alongside Reid?"
Hotchner looked down at me, his eyes narrowing before he moved his gaze onto the children. "I've asked you because they know you, they trust you."
"Yes, I understand that but..."
"Do you recall the conversation we had in my office?"
I nodded, my eyes dropping to my boots. "I do..."
Reid walked over and interrupted, thankfully. "They're ready for us."
"Right, shall we?"
Reid nodded, tucking his shaggy hair behind his ear before leading me into one of the interview rooms where the kids were sat.
"Clara!" Jessie called, getting off her seat and running to me – her arms gripping tightly round my waist.
"Hey sweetie, I know this isn't where any of you want to be but you will all be so much help." I smiled and looked at Reid. "Henry, Jessie, Sarah..." I paused, "This is Dr Spencer Reid, he's a good friend of mine and if you can, he would like you to answer some more questions."
Reid waved at the kids and smiled. "Hi everyone." He sat down in the seat and I patted Jessie's back to do the same. Reid sat on one side of the table and I sat on the side with the three kids.
"So, did you three have a cleaner?" He just jumped right in and kids shrank back slightly in their chairs – looking at me as I rolled my eyes, shaking my head at him.
"What Dr Reid here means is, if your mummy or daddy was really busy – did they invite someone into the house to help them tidy up?"
Reid just looked at me slightly confused and I rolled the pen across from my side of the table to him, my eyes glancing at the note-pad. He raised his eyebrows for a moment before he caught on to what I meant.
"Yes, my daddy had one come in every Friday when we were both at school." Sarah said and Reid smiled at her.
"And do you think you could tell me what this man looked like?" Reid had the pen ready as Jessie spoke.
"He had long brown hair."
"Long brown hair?" I looked down at her and she nodded, her thumb in her mouth as she sucked it nervously. Due to her age I would've thought she'd grown out of that by now but with the trauma she's gone through, I'd want to suck my thumb too.
"Yeah, he had it tied back in a pony tail." Henry added and I leaned forward to peer at him past the girls.
"How old do you think he looked?"
"Really Old!" Jessie shouted and Reid jumped a little at the sheer volume of her comment.
"Like me?" Reid added and she shook her head.
"No, like the grumpy man Clara was talking to before she came in."
My eyes widened and I pressed my lips together, trying not to laugh. "Sweetie that's my boss, he isn't that old."
Reid let out a small chuckle, his shoulders bouncing slightly as I watched him. "I'll be sure to let him know you think he's really old."
I snorted slightly and the kids giggled. "You are distracting us." I bopped Jessie's nose and she burrowed her face into my side and giggled. They seemed to be distracting themselves too which was good, they needed it after everything that's happened. "What colour was his eyes?"
"Blue." Henry added and Reid scribbled it down.
"Was he tall? Short?" I asked and Sarah answered this time.
"Tall, around your height." She pointed to Reid and he nodded.
"Was he American? Or did he sound different?" Reid asked and Jessie pulled her face out of hiding.
"He was American, he said to us once that he came from Galena."
"That's in Illinois." Reid said as he spoke. "They have a small population of three thousand, four hundred and twenty-nine, or there about."
"How do you know that?" I asked, amazed at his knowledge.
"I read it in an article."
I nodded slowly and as I turned to them again. "Do you know his name?"
The kids went quiet a moment, trying to think and I looked at Reid for a moment who was miming words to someone behind me. I turned and saw Agent Hotchner standing just outside the door way, all I gave him was a nod before Jessie poked me.
"I think he was called Noah, he even had a tiny whale drawing on his wrist." I nodded to Reid who stood, looking down at the kids.
"Well you three have been fantastic, I'm just going to go and give this information to my colleagues and I'll send in the people you arrived with to take you home." Reid took off and left me there, I could hear him muttering something to Hotchner in the hallway but I couldn't quite make it out. This is the first bit of real evidence we have and with him being from such a small town, Garcia will be able to locate him in no time. I hope.