Coworkers || Aaron Hotchner

Chapter 50

"We are looking for a male, mid 30s to late 40s, who has suffered a big loss for which he blames this department. We are not just looking for an angry kid that just doesn't like cops. That loss doesn't necessarily mean that an officer killed someone he knew. It could just be that he received the news from an officer. He is really angry but a perfectionist. He is organized, he does his research and is very careful not get caught. Most people in his place would let the anger and the grief take over them and they wouldn't care if they get caught, most of those cases end with suicide by cop. But he isn't which means that even after that huge loss, he has something else to live for like kids or other people he feels obligated to protect and take care of" I say and I let JJ continue

"Our technical analyst was able to locate a man only a block away from the dinner a few minutes before the next batch of first responders came. Chances are he triggered the bomb, watched the explosion and left before he could be caught. His face wasn't caught by any camera and he disappeared a few blocks away. That means that he is organized, he knows the response time of the police, the place of every camera on his way. However, we were able to identify some characteristics of his. He is 6 feet tall, in good shape and very confident. He is the kind of guy you wouldn't suspect of being able to do this. He blends in easily and appears really nice and polite to strangers. All though, the people close to him would describe him as angry and distant especially the last days or even weeks" JJ says and then Derek continues.

"We advise everyone to stay alert and vigilant. But in no way we incourage you to shoot first, ask questions later. The person we are looking for won't approach you individually. He targets groups because he likes quantity. He already gave up one excuse, the dead bodies so next time he'll call to report something, he'll use another one like a break in or even disturbance but whatever that is, it will be in an almost isolated location because he is too organized to risk having witnesses. Our technical analyst will be helping to monitor the 911 calls that the dispatchers will flag as suspicious tonight and we will be notified if they match the criteria. Thank you".

The next day as soon as we went to the station, we noticed the panic. "There has been another one. Same explosion, two more officers and one old lady are the losses we know for now" the detective says
"How long ago?" I ask
"A couple of hours" he says
"And why weren't we notified earlier?" I ask
"We didn't think it was connected" he says
"Really? How often do explosions happen around here?" I ask
"I don't like your tone agent" he says
"And I don't care detective. How many people?" I ask
"Three that we know of. Two officers" he says
"Reid and Blake keep working on the geographic profile, the rest of us let's go to the crime scene" I say and we leave the station. The firefighters where still allover the place and press was all around.

"The call came from Daisy Portland, 72, reporting a break in at her house. She has been living alone in this house since she lost her husband 2 years ago. She talked herself on the call and that's why it wasn't flagged as suspicious from the 911 dispatcher" the detective says as we get out of the car and I nod. JJ and Rossi go to the house escorted by firemen. I walk a few steps further, back to the car and bury my face in my hands.
"You ok Grey?" Morgan asks
"He knew that it would be suspicious if he dropped an anonymous tip again. He is smart and I underestimated him. Now three more people are dead. Three more families are gonna have two officers at their doors in a few hours to tell them that their mother or grandmother died. That their husband, their dad or their son died on duty. And it's on me" I say
"No, it's not. None of us predicted that. No one is blaming you" he says
"Well, I do. Maybe I should let Hotch in. Maybe he would have predict that" I say
"Hey, no, you can't do that. I know exactly how you feel, I was in your shoes for a while just before you came to the BAU. If you keep blaming yourself for every loss, it's going to destroy you" he says
"Then maybe I shouldn't be in this place" I say
"You really believe that?" he asks surprised
"I don't know. How does Aaron do this?" I ask
"He tries to focus on the people he will save and the ones who he lost. Because you didn't kill them. The unsub did. Your job is to take the decisions to stop him and honestly I would have taken the same decisions as you today" he says
"Maybe I need to build a thicker skin" I say
"You don't need to do anything you don't want to" he says and I nod.
"Thank you" I say trying to blink away the tears I had in my eyes
"Anytime" he says rubbing my back. 

"Everything ok here?" David asks as they come back
"Yeah. Just the fumes" I say "We should have Garcia look the cameras around the area. The unsub had to come and leave from somewhere" I say 
"I'm on it" Morgan says and walkes a little further
"The diner was abandoned so the unsub had easy access and plenty of time to stage what he wanted. But this house... By going into a stranger's house he risks getting caught by the owner while he placed the bomb" I say
"So maybe he knew that she lived alone here" JJ says 
"Maybe" I say.

"Garcia located the unsub walking away from the scene a few minutes before the first responders came but after that he disappeared again" Morgan says as he comes back 
"Anything on revisiting his crime scenes?" David asks
"Nothing yet" he answers. I take a look around and my eyes fall on the reporters.
"Detective? Around what time did the press got here?" I ask
"A few minutes after the first responders arrived" he answers
"And that happened in the first crime scene too?" I ask
"Yes" he says
"Thank you" I say and I turn to the others again.

"You think it might be one of them?" JJ asks
"This could be why he disappears. He waits a few blocks away and then catches up and blends in with his crew and comes back to cover the story. And that's how he is revisiting the crime scenes" I say as I call Penelope
"Give me something to do!" she sings
"I need you to find who was the first reporter that came in the scene" I say
"The first... The first one who covered the story was Melina Sharon" she says
"You have the names of her crew?" I ask
"Yes, but I'll need a little more time in order to dig" she says
"Ok. Do you have a picture of Melina?" I ask
"Yes, I'm sending it to your phones right now" she says
"Thanks. Get back to me when you find out something" I say and I hung up.

We look at the picture and then we try to find her on the surrounded by the press area. "That's her" JJ says pointing at her with her eyes
"It must be one of her crew guys" Morgan says
"But there are too many people here. He could get away" David says
"JJ, you know more about press than any of us. Can you somehow convince her to talk to us privately at the station later?" I ask
"I'm on it" she says and walks to her.

She came to the station around midday and JJ went to talk to her. "Michael Allen" she says as she comes back in the conference room and I call Penelope
"Oh my God, I was just about to call you" she says
"Let me guess, Michael Allen?" JJ says
"Yes. He lost his wife a year ago in a car crash. She was driving over the speed limit in order to get to their daughter who had been admitted to the hospital because she fell off her bike. The injuries of the little girl turned out to be minor but while Mrs Allen was driving to the hospital, she crashed with a police car that was responding to a robbery downtown. Both officers survived and where conscious long enough to get out of their vehicle but Katherine Allen was still unconscious in her car and before they could help her, the car exploded due to gas leak" she says
"Address?" I ask
"Already sent" she says
"Let's go" I say and we leave immediately.