Read my Lips
Chapter 28
After Dr. Will's screaming fit, Spencer decided that he'd heard enough. He hurried back towards the treeline. He'd been part of the BAU for over a decade. In that time, he'd seen more than most people saw in their entire lifetimes. But as he joined Prentiss and Eliana's father in the woods near their suspect's cabin, he realized he just saw something he'd never seen before. He witnessed a serial killer preparing himself for the hunt. Spencer hated to admit it, but it was as intriguing as it was terrifying, almost like watching a predatory animal in its natural habitat.
"He was naked," Reid recounted, filling Prentiss in on what he saw when he peeked in the window. "He was screaming about Casanova."
"He didn't use his real name did he?," Prentiss asked. Spencer shook his head.
"No but I'm pretty sure he was talking to him on the phone."
Prentiss shifted her weight from one foot to the other. She was tempted to move in now, especially now that she knew their suspect was in communication with the unsub they were tracking in North Carolina. If they could get his phone, Penelope might be able to extract enough information from it, that they wouldn't need to catch him in the act. Plus, there was a chance they would find physical evidence in his cabin. Dr Will Reynolds might be meticulous, but there was no way he raped, killed, and dismembered almost a dozen women without leaving some trace of the act behind.
Prentiss almost made the call right then and there. But contrary to what her recent bout of extracurricular activities might suggest, she almost never made a decision without considering every angle first. And the other side of the coin in this instance was much less shiny than the first. The plastic surgeon to the stars was very likely in communication with the killer that called himself Casanova. But that didn't mean they would find evidence of it on his cell phone. Casanova took every counter measure possible to keep from being caught. He was almost certainly using a burned cell that he purchased with cash. And while the doctor might have committed the LA murders, there was no guarantee that he did it in his cabin. They might not find anything. All they really had was the drugs he ordered. Any lawyer could excuse that away with a clerical error. And if they brought the doctor in without cause, not only would they lose him, he would most certainly tell Casanova that they were onto him. If he got spooked enough, he might kill the women he was holding captive. Or even worse, he might skip town and leave them to starve and die in that dungeon. Emily couldn't risk that.
"Well…," Aleksander asked. "Are we going in?"
Prentiss shook her head. "We're sticking to the plan. What Reid heard through the window won't hold up in court. We've got to catch him in the act."
Thankfully, they were already on their way through the darkening woods towards their vehicle when the headlights to Dr. Reynolds' car lit up the treeline outside his cabin. He started his car from inside his cabin, exiting from the front door in a slick designer suit with a crisp white shirt underneath.
Spencer followed his companions, running the last few yards to their car and leaping into the backseat. He called Derek and JJ on the drive back into town, passing along the message that there was no need to keep surveying the Doctor's penthouse and medical practice. He was going into town to hunt. And he wasn't going to do that at his empty apartment or his workplace.
They followed Dr. Reynolds to a posh nightclub on the outskirts of Los Angeles. Spencer waited in the car for the rest of their team to arrive while Prentiss attempted to persuade the club manager to make some sort of accommodations for them. Not only did they need to get themselves and Aleksander's borrowed muscle inside, they needed permission to bring their weapons in and set up in strategic areas inside the club in order to observe their unsub without him knowing. Spencer was just glad he didn't have to be the one to convince the manager to let them inside. People skills of that sort weren't exactly his specialty.
About a half hour and a lot of negotiations later, Spencer was sitting at a high top table across from JJ, watching Dr. Reynolds sip his second cocktail made with top shelf bourbon. His body language made it obvious that he was on the prowl. But given the environment, he didn't stand out from the rest of the club crowd. Lots of men, and women for that matter, were searching the crowd for potential sexual partners. Spencer wondered if they worried about the germs they would exchange during such an encounter. But now those thoughts made him smile. He sure wasn't thinking about germs when he stripped off his clothes and climbed into bed with Eliana.
Spencer watched as a tall blonde woman in a dangerously short dress approached their suspect. She was gorgeous by Hollywood standards. But Dr. Reynolds only spoke to her for a few moments before he brushed off her advances.
"What is he doing?," JJ asked. Her nose was wrinkled up as she watched him from across the bar. "I thought he was hunting. She practically offered herself up on a platter."
"She was blonde. And probably too tall," Spencer replied. "All his kills lined up with kidnappings in the research triangle. The last one was Eliana. He's looking for a brunette."
Even in the noisy club, it was easy for JJ to hear the way Spencer's voice changed inflections when he mentioned Eliana's name. It made her smile. Their current situation wasn't ideal by any means. But she was still glad Spencer seemed to have found someone. All the stress this early in their relationship would either make them or break them. And for his sake, JJ hoped it wasn't the latter.
"You really like her don't you?," JJ asked.
Spencer answered her question in his typical abrupt way, his attention still focused on the other side of the club where Dr. Reynolds was sitting. "I'm in love with her." The total conviction behind his words left her momentarily speechless. JJ wasn't sure if she'd ever been that certain about her feelings for anyone. Not even Will. And he was the father of her child. They'd been together for years.
When it came to his personal life, Spencer had the absolute worst luck of anyone she knew. JJ felt a lot of sympathy for him. And she always hoped that he'd find some to care for that cared for him. But now that it was actually happening, she wasn't sure how she felt about it. She was happy for him. But she was also worried about how her friend might be affected if the relationship didn't work out. And maybe she was just the tiniest bit jealous, though she would never admit it.
"Look," Reid urged. His focus was still on Dr. Reynolds. And he subtly gestured towards the man. JJ put aside her concerns about Spencer's love life for the moment as she followed his gaze. Another woman was approaching the bar near their target. It creeped JJ out how quick these young women were to put their lives in potential danger. And she tried to remember if she'd been that cavalier when she was young and single. She'd like to think the answer was no. But honestly, she could remember a few instances that, thinking back on them with the perspective she had now, frightened her.
It was immediately clear from the Doctor's body language that he was much more interested in this new young woman than he was in the last few. Like Reid theorized, the woman that caught their unsub's eye was slender. Her dark hair was cut into a trendy textured bob. She appeared to be one of the only young women in the place that hadn't bothered with a boob job yet. JJ knew that either meant that she either wasn't looking for a career in the entertainment business, or she was new in town. Based on the way the young woman was dressed, JJ guessed the latter.
"I think this might be the one," JJ said. "She looks like Eliana."
For a moment, Reid broke his focus on their suspect as he turned to favor JJ with a sour look. "They might have the same hair color and bear some surface resemblance," he corrected. "But Eliana is much better looking."
JJ bit back a laugh, covering her amused smile with the back of her hand. She took a sip of her water and swallowed her commentary down with it. JJ was half tempted to tease Spencer by asking him if he thought his new girlfriend was prettier than her. But she wasn't sure if she wanted to hear the answer.
As JJ sipped her water, Spencer could feel his body tensing up. He'd willingly placed himself in a lot of uncomfortable situations over the years in the line of duty. But watching a human predator stalk and choose his prey was something new. Spencer didn't like it. And though he'd been quick to argue she didn't, the woman Dr. Reynolds was ushering onto his barstool resembled Eliana more than he wanted to admit.
The nightclub was clearly a trendy spot, leaving no open chairs for the young woman. Dr. Will gave her his seat, choosing to stand at the bar next to her. Watching them laugh and flirt made Spencer want to vomit.
"He's fiddling with something in his pocket," Spencer observed. He didn't turn to make sure JJ was seeing what he was seeing. He kept his focus on their suspect. Without attracting the notice of the young woman at his side, the doctor did, in fact, pull something from his pocket. Spencer couldn't tell what it was but Dr. Reynolds had it clenched in his fist. He already ordered the young woman a drink, something pink that came in a martini glass with a cherry and an orange on a toothpick. The doctor pointed, directing her attention to something further down the bar. His movements were so smooth and practiced that even Spencer might have missed it if he wasn't watching the man like a hawk. He swung his hand over her martini glass, emptying a small vial of powder into it before he quickly lowered his hand back down.
"He just put something in her drink," Spencer hissed. "Did you see that?"
Spencer was already half out of his seat when he felt JJ's hand on his jacket. "What are you doing?," she asked, anchoring him in place.
"He just drugged her," Spencer countered. "That's enough for an arrest."
"You know it's not. A drug possession charge won't mean anything to a guy like him. You know what Emily said. We've got to catch him in the act."
Spencer cursed under his breath as he lowered himself back down onto his stool. He knew JJ was right. But he would never forgive himself if he let anything happen to the girl at the bar. Watching them talk and flirt for the next twenty minutes was total agony. To the casual eye, it would have appeared that the young woman simply had too much to drink. But Spencer knew that her sudden change of demeanor was due to the drugs Dr. Reynolds slipped into her martini. He appeared to be acting as the perfect gentleman when he helped her up off her barstool and began walking her towards the bathroom with his arm around her waist.
This time, JJ didn't try to stop Spencer when he rose from his seat. He glanced across the crowded club, making brief eye contact with Derek before they both started heading towards the direction that Dr. Reynolds was taking his victim. The club had a long narrow hallway that led to their bathrooms. The doctor paused outside the entrance to the men's room, his hands roaming over the young woman's body as he kissed her. A man that was exiting the bathroom chuckled as he moved past them. And once he was gone, Dr. Reynolds headed into the bathroom. He pulled the young woman along with him, ignoring her slurred protest.
"Oh hell no," Derek huffed. "I know he's not trying to do this right here and now."
They were hoping Dr. Reynolds would take his intended victim back to his murder cabin. That way when they went in to save her, they would have probably cause to enter and search the whole place. That wasn't going to happen if they arrested him in the bathroom of a nightclub. Derek looked at Spencer. They worked together long enough that they were able to communicate without speaking. And from the look Derek gave him, Spencer knew they were on the same page. Neither of them were willing to let that young woman get raped in a bathroom stall, even if it meant they were about to blow the case.
Spencer hovered near the bathroom door as Derek entered. There were no further surveillance games to be played. Derek pounded on the locked stall door and identified himself as an FBI agent. Then he ordered Dr. Reynolds to come out with his hands up. Since all he'd done so far was drug his victim and makeout with her, Spencer wasn't expecting much of a fight from the doctor. He assumed the man would come with them willingly and simply call his lawyer once they arrived at the precinct. Derek must have assumed the same thing. Because he didn't even have his gun out. Unfortunately, they both seriously underestimated their suspect's level of desperation.
The stall door didn't just open. It flew open like someone power kicked it. The door slammed into Derek, sending him stumbling back into the wall behind him. Spencer was reaching for his gun when Dr. Reynolds came flying at him. The man hurled all his weight against the bathroom door. The door slammed into Spencer, sandwiching him between the door and the wall. The first hit wasn't that bad. But Derek was barrelling after their suspect. And he hit the door with twice the force. Spencer's head knocked against the corner of the door, slowing him as he attempted to chase after both Derek and their suspect. But even if he wasn't reeling from the hard blow to his body and head, it wouldn't have made a difference. The moment Dr. Reynolds spotted his escape route, he took it. There was a fire box alarm on the wall near the end of the bathroom hallway. He slammed his elbow through the glass and pulled it. Water began pouring down from the sprinkler system. And the entire club erupted into chaos. Spencer and the rest of his team did their best to push through the crowd. But it was hopeless. Dr. Reynolds was gone. Their suspect was gone. And so was their hope that he would lead them to the man that called himself Casanova.
The only positive in the embarrassing incident at the club, was that they had enough evidence to obtain an emergency search warrant for Dr. Reynolds' penthouse apartment and his medical practice. They were still waiting on permission to enter the man's cabin retreat. Spencer knew they would get it. But that wasn't doing anything to lessen his frustration over the way that their suspect escaped them.
Spencer's disappointment only increased as he glanced over the doctor's fancy penthouse apartment. The place wasn't just clean. It was pristine. If the technicians found one shred of evidence in the place, Spencer would be shocked. He stood in the doorway to the man's long narrow closet and stared at the thousands upon thousands of dollars of designer suits and shoes, cursing himself for not going straight after the man when he saw him dump that powder into that poor woman's drink. She was currently checked into the local hospital. And would wake after the drugs wore off with no recollection of how close she came to being the next footless dead body on the evening news. Spencer was glad she was safe. But even the knowledge that they saved her wasn't doing much to alleviate his frustration.
Spencer glanced around the place. He didn't just think, he knew he was missing something. There might not be evidence of murder. But there was a piece of the puzzle in this place. He just couldn't figure out what it was.
"Go," Emily said. Her tone implied that she was giving an order. But her body language spoke to her genuine concern for him. "With Reynolds in the wind, we're going to need Eliana's help to find him. And she needs you. We've got this."
