"What can you tell us?" Reid asked the deputy in charge of the cordoned off area around the victim's car.
"The car is registered to a Niki Bedford," the woman replied. "We already have officers heading over to the address on her driver's license to see what they can find out about her."
"So, she pulled into this parking lot," Blake was looking around. "And, presumably her attacker was already here. Do we know if she parked next to him or if he walked over to her?"
"If this is similar to the other attacks, he first immobilized her with a blow to the back of the head," Reid observed. "In order to get that close to her while she was still near her vehicle, he must have been parked fairly close."
"There is fresh oil in the parking space over there," Blake pointed to an area behind the car and one space over. "That would be close enough for him to make his move."
"He had her before she even knew he was there," Reid commented.
"The time of day is consistent with the previous abductions," Morgan observed. "That suggests that this is the same unsub."
His phone rang and he checked the screen before answering. "Hotch?"
"Okay, thanks. Now we know who we are looking for," he commented. "Rossi and I will be heading over to where he got the parking ticket."
"It's Steadman," he told the others. "And, he turned left when he drove out of the lot."
"Well, let's get going!" Rossi declared. "If he is sticking to his same pattern, Niki Bedford is still alive and we need to find her!"
"This should be the right place," Morgan looked around as he pulled into a parking spot on the street. "It matches the coordinates Garcia sent."
Rossi unfastened his seatbelt and climbed out of the SUV. "Where do you want to start?" he asked looking around at the narrow, two story brick buildings lining both sides of the street. He noted that the building's first stories were all occupied by small specialty shops, while the second stories appeared to be apartments.
"According to the address on the parking ticket, it appears the car was parked right about here," Morgan walked to the parking space behind their SUV. "So, let's try the store with the window looking right out at it."
"It is a – What?" Rossi looked at the sign on the window.
"Educational toys," Morgan wrinkled up his nose.
"You're not a fan," Rossi guessed as he led the way to the door.
"It's just too much, Rossi," Morgan told him. "Kids need a chance to be kids. They need to take a break from 'learning' occasionally."
"Oh, I don't know," was the response as they walked into the store. "I think that with enough imagination a kid can cause chaos with just about anything."
Morgan looked at him thoughtfully.
"Can I help you gentlemen with something?" the question came from a young woman walking towards them from the back of the store.
"FBI," Rossi held up his badge.
"FBI?" the woman questioned as she looked over his credentials.
"We have some questions about a car that was parked here several days ago," Morgan explained. "It received a ticket."
"The FBI is now checking on parking tickets?" the woman asked incredulously.
"Actually, we are trying to track the owner of the vehicle," Rossi told her. "Maybe you remember it, an older brown sedan. It would have been illegally parked in front of this building."
"I not only remember it, I know it quite well," the woman replied. "It makes a horrible squeaking noise and I have to listen to it every time it goes up or down the alleyway."
"It goes up and down the alley?" Morgan asked. "How often?"
"At least once a day, and most days twice," was the reply. "I think the owner lives in an apartment two buildings over, and the parking for those apartments is in the alley."
"The car's owner lives in the area?" Rossi questioned.
"I think so," the woman told him. "Would you like to see?"
"Please," Morgan told her.
"This way, then," the woman led the way towards the back of her store.
"As you may have noticed, the second floors of most of these buildings are apartments," she told them as they walked. "And, from what I have seen, I strongly suspect the owner of that particular building rents on a 'by the week, cash only, no questions asked' basis."
She opened the back door. "You can see from out here."
"Just a minute," Morgan held out his arm and stopped her from going out the door.
"Let me take a look first," Rossi suggested as he leaned forward and looked out into the alley. "All clear," he declared.
"Okay," Morgan followed Rossi out into the alley and then turned around to speak with their guide. "What are we looking at?"
"Down there," the woman pointed. "See those cars parked in the marked spaces? Those are for the store owner and the people living in the apartments above it. I have seen the car you are looking for parked there off and on for the past two months – Maybe more. As you can see, it's there right now."
'Well, that does make sense," Rossi thought aloud. "He would have to have a place to take his victims, and the store would be empty at night."
"How many units are there?" Morgan questioned.
"Two, one in front and one in back," was the reply. "Although I don't think they are both occupied at the moment. The car you are asking about seems to be the only one that parks there overnight."
"You just said victims?" she continued, obviously upset. "What are you looking for?"
"A very unpleasant individual," Rossi told her. "Now, you just go back inside and let us handle everything."
"And, Ma'am," Morgan added. "We would appreciate it if you wouldn't let anyone know we are here. You can text your friends later and tell them all about it."