lullabies through the window

Three: Witnesses

"JJ and Spencer, you go talk to the witnesses and neighbors. Emily and Morgan, you work on the geographical profile. Garcia, start searching for women who have been abused by men who resemble the victims. Rossi, you and I will start trying to piece together a profile." Hotch split the team, then stopped. "Actually, Morgan, you and Spencer do the interviews. JJ, you help Emily."

The team went their separate ways, feeling only slightly more confident now that Spencer was with Morgan. It was subtle; the team of profilers knew that these murderers wouldn't hurt Spencer in broad daylight, while he was with anyone or anywhere he couldn't feel trapped in, but the they couldn't help worrying. Caring for another is often the reason one is blinded from logic and the feeling of safety. Even if they weren't thinking specifically about Spencer or the murders, they were left with a dull, buzzing anxiety, hiding in the backs of their minds and the pits of their stomachs. 

The drive to the first victim's house was quiet. 

"You know we'll catch these people right?" Morgan asked Spencer, glancing at him from the driver's seat. 

Spencer was looking out the window, watching Quantico speed by. He knew why Morgan was saying this. Spencer turned his head to face the front, shrugging. "Yeah, that's our job." He said casually.

Morgan shook his head slightly, but didn't continue. They were at the first apartment, and they had to question the neighbors. They could continue this conversation after.

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"What could they possibly want?" Rossi asked himself, shaking his head. "The only two motivations that work are revenge plot and some kind of statement. We can't figure out what that statement is without knowing more about the unsub..."

Hotch nodded. "We have been working on this for hours. Thinking about it longer doesn't seem to be working... Maybe we should go see if Garcia has anything yet. We can't make a profile out of nothing."

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Garcia typed away at her computer. JJ and Emily were sitting by a table they had moved into her office, working on a geographical profile. They had told each other that it could be easier, just to work in the same place, but they all knew the real reason was that they felt less tense in a group.

"What do these people even want? I think Hotch was right that they might have been victimized by somebody who looks the same as their victims, but..." Emily paused for a moment as Morgan and Spencer walked in. "If they wanted revenge, why attack people who were innocent like them? It would make so much more sense if any of these men had a criminal record, but they're spotless."

"It's possible there's some Borderline Personality Disorder mixed with trauma. I don't really know, at this point all I have are guesses." Penelope said, her eyes never leaving the screen. After finding about a million women who had been abused by men with brown hair and eyes, she was having to narrow it down to the past thirty five years. "Did you two find anything?" 

Hotch and Rossi walked in, looking to Spencer and Morgan. "Did anybody see or hear anything?"

Morgan shrugged, and Spencer furrowed his eyebrows and shook his head. "All of the immediate neighbors who would have heard anything had gone somewhere that night. Everyone had gone to a different place, and some of them had been tricked into going places. False invites, fake invitations. It works too well for it to be a coincidence or mistake."

There was a pause.

"Well, they only target locals. Look at the victim's houses, they all connect almost into one big circle. I bet the next victim will be in this area" JJ pointed at the map. She began searching the area for apartments.

"There's one on 7th St NW" Garcia tapped away at her computer. "I'm searching for anyone who lives there that matches the description." Her fingers flew over the keyboard. A few seconds passed, and then, "Got it. There are seven possible matches. I'll send all of their information to you."

"Great. It's only 5 right now, maybe we can prevent another murder." The team left the room, leaving Garcia behind to continue sifting through pictures and reports of abused women.