Spencer had already drained three cups of coffee and was onto his fourth by the time the rest of the team met him in the hotel lobby. He clasped a disposable cup in both hands between his parted knees. He stared numbly at the parquet flooring. He had been unable to return to sleep after his nightmare, so opted to go back through the case file to see if he had missed something. He stood by his initial theory. He just hoped they could find their unsub before anyone else had to be killed. David was the first to snap Spencer out of his daze with a clap on the shoulder. Spencer twisted his head around to look up at the older agent. David's greying hair glinted in the fluorescent lights.
"You okay, kiddo?" Spencer's mouth gaped as he tried to find an acceptable answer. David's brow furrowed as he noted the dark circles around the younger agent's eyes, "Did you get any sleep last night, Spencer?" Spencer pursed his lips and diverted his gaze back to the floor.
"No," sighed Spencer. JJ perched on the burgundy sofa next to the genius and gently rested her hand on his right knee that had begun to bounce with frustration. He glanced past his shaggy hair at her.
"Spence. What's going on?"
"Nightmares, JJ. I can't sleep. Every time I close my eyes, I'm catapulted back to prison. I need to be on top form to help you solve this case. I'm afraid." JJ felt her heart sink.
"What are you afraid of, Reid?" asked Tara, concern written into her features. Spencer raised his head and squinted against the assault of the fluorescent lights on his vision.
"This case. Prison..." Spencer thought hard for a moment, "Of me. I'm afraid of me." Silence befell the team.
"Let's get to the precinct and we can deliver a preliminary profile. Spence? Why don't you and Tara visit the ME and see if you can find out anything from the victims? We'll meet you back at the station," offered Emily. Spencer nodded and pushed against his knees to force himself to his feet.
Spencer silently slumped into a chair at the table where the others had gathered to go over their information. A headache thrummed steadily in the confines of his skull. A cup was thrust under Spencer's nose, the scent of roasted coffee beans tickling his senses. JJ offered him a small smile as she brushed some golden locks behind her ear. Spencer returned her smile and tugged the plastic lid from the cup. Emily turned the group.
"So what have we got so far?" she asked.
"The victims that were killed execution style had ligature marks on their wrists and ankles and there was adhesive residue on their mouths suggesting that they had been bound and gagged at the time. The shot was a clean through and through on each victim with a nine millimetre. Casings left behind suggest a Smith and Wesson was used," responded Tara who stole a glance at Spencer who mindlessly ran the tip of his finger around the rim of the cup.
"There was nothing much left of the torched victims. All of them had to be identified by dental records," answered Matt.
"I don't get it. There's two different MO's here. It's like there's two unsubs," exclaimed Luke in frustration. Spencer's knee started to bounce again.
"He's putting them out of their misery after he's forced them to watch their loved ones burn to death," responded Spencer darkly. The shrill sound of the phone ringing cut through the intense silence.
"Hey, Garcia," greeted Emily.
"Greetings, my doves! So I've done some cyber sleuthing and manage to whittle the parameters down to this guy. Callum Eldridge. He's thirty seven and from Tennessee. In 1989, little Callum was out on a hike with his parents, Sheila and Arthur Eldridge, and his big brother Tommy, when a storm hit. They took refuge in an abandoned warehouse. Callum decided to sneak out and splash in some puddles when lightning struck a gas canister. Poor little mite had to watch as the warehouse burst into flames, taking his parents and his brother with it. Callum got away with smoke inhalation. He got divorced a month ago." Spencer's hand was pressed to his mouth, pushing on the tip of his nose as he considered the information. He was right.
"That's the trigger. He's going to an abandoned warehouse. He must be approaching his end game. Where is Callum now?" asked Spencer. The sound of tapping followed.
"He's... Oh..."
"What is it, Garcia?" asked JJ.
"He's an officer for the Tennessee PD." Spencer's features hardened. He recalled seeing a man with messy blonde hair studying him from behind the captain on arrival. Emily darted to the door and threw it open.
"Captain? Where's Officer Eldridge?" asked Emily, her voice shaking with urgency.
"He didn't show today. Why?" answered Captain Mitchell.
"He's our unsub." Emily returned to the table, "Let's check out his home address. Garcia? I need you to look for abandoned warehouses in the area. It might be just outside of the comfort zone."
"Sent the address to your phones. Be safe. PG out!" The line went dead with a click.
"Let's go."
Spencer rolled the sleeves of his navy button down shirt to his elbows and ensured the straps of his Kevlar vest were firmly secured. The straps pinched into his shoulders and waist and rumpled his black silk tie. His heart beat a steady rhythm into his ribcage. He reached for his revolver at his hip and joined the team in front of what appeared to be an apartment block.
"Reid and JJ are to take the rear fire exit. Matt and Dave take the side. Me, Tara and Luke will take the front." Everyone nodded and separated to their tasks. Spencer and JJ and silently edged around to the rear of the older looking building. With his revolver in his right hand, Spencer gripped the door handle with the other and tugged the door open. A square of orange light shone into the dark abyss of the stairwell. With a tilt of his head, Spencer and JJ quietly made their way up the metal stairs, taking care to make as little sound as possible. They had made it as far as the third floor when Emily's voice sounded through their earpieces.
"Clear. Eldridge isn't here." Spencer's shoulders slumped. He knew they were coming, "Garcia just called. She has a location for us." Spencer glanced at JJ, his features hidden by the shadows across his face. JJ holstered her glock. Spencer still gripped his revolver in fear. JJ rested her hand on his wrist and gave it a reassuring squeeze.
Present...
Spencer groaned as he came to. His shoulders were aching and felt as though they were close to dislocation. As he slowly peeled open his eyes, he noticed that his bound feet dangled a short distance from a cement floor. He carefully lifted his head. His arms were wrenched above his head. His wrists had been bound again with a plastic tie and several layers of tape. A heavy duty chain was coiled around his bound wrists and padlocked around a steel pipe across the roof. He coughed and was suddenly reminded of the material that had been stuffed into his mouth. Tape dug tightly into his cheeks and irritated his nose. Spencer glanced around with bleary eyes to try and make sense of his surroundings. He appeared to be in a storage unit of sorts. A few boxes were stacked against a wall. Callum was fiddling with something on a stand. As Spencer's vision cleared, he noticed that it was a laptop on a music stand. Callum twisted around and smiled as he noted that his captive was awake.
"Dr Reid! So glad you could join us." Spencer could only give a muffled curse in response, "So touchy. You had better turn that frown upside down, Dr Reid. The party's about to begin." Spencer struggled against his many bonds as the laptop powered to life. He could see his team gathered around schematics in the warehouse they had been searching. Callum had a sinister grin across his face. Spencer's brow crinkled. He knew what was coming but felt powerless to stop it.
"Mmmpph!" he tried to yell through the tape. Callum's smile widened.
"It's time." The laptop screen filled with hues of orange, red and yellow as an explosion ripped throughout the room that the team had just occupied. Spencer's eyes widened as his breath caught in his throat. He shook his pounding head and struggled further but his bonds held strong. The chain scuffed against the pipe. Callum stepped up to him and grasped the agent's jaw so that he could stare into his eyes. He was unable to stop the tears that tracked down his face and over the suffocating tape that was keeping him silent.
"That was fun, wasn't it? I know I usually kill people straight after, but I think I'm going to let you absorb this one for a little while longer." Callum patted Spencer lovingly on the side of the face before he exited the room, leaving Spencer alone with a screen of flames. Spencer's breath hitched and he bowed his head as sobs wracked his entire body. He needed to profile the change in behaviour but his mind was too overcome with grief and rage to do so. A muffled wail tore through Spencer's throat.