It took a week.
Only a week for Mitchell Diaz's life to go down the drain.
It started out with the murders of two strangers in a city miles away. But once the BAU show up after the third murder occurs in her city, everything gets put together.
She...
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CHAPTER 82: DISMEMBERED
LATER IN THE AFTERNOON, ONCE THEY LANDED IN CALIFORNIA, ROSSI, MITCHELL, AND KATE GOT INTO AN SUV AND WENT TOWARDS THE LATEST DISPOSAL SIGHT.
"You led the Ludwig investigation in upstate New York." Dave commented as they got out of the car,
"Nasty piece of work, that guy." Kate replied, "You know the story?"
"Well, it was all over the news. I saw the arrest. He was all busted up, broken nose and everything." Dave answered,
"Yeah, well, that's what happens when they trip over their feet, right?" She smirked,
"Oh, yeah, I've seen that happen before." The paused by the worn down house that the evidence was in, "I know that case couldn't have been easy."
"When you find one that is, let me know."
"All the dump sites are pretty isolated, but this one takes the cake." Dave announced as they walked inside,
"Yeah, he could have buried the torso, but look." Kate opened the file to look at the crime scene photos to find where the torso was originally placed, "He laid her right here." She motioned to a pile of trash in the middle of the run down home,"Maybe it's remorse?"
Mitchell shook her head, "He tortures them for 48 hours, feels bad afterward, and then lays them to rest. It doesn't sound much like a sadist, does it?"
"Mm-mmm." Kate hummed, "It's not just that. This guy is compulsive. He can't shut it off. He's counting down the hours until his next kill. So... What does he do to pass the time?"
Mitchell thought about that question. What do killers do to pass the time between kills? Methodical killers find new targets, stalks them, learns their every move. Some killers who place their victims in certain places go back to the burial site to relive the murder.
Perhaps the unsub chose these dumpsites to revisit? They're in isolated places that would be hard to get to.
Dave nodded, "It's part of his fantasy. We need to set up surveillance at all the other sites." He said as he reached for his phone,
"He's revisiting." Kate said,
Mitchell bit her lip, "He could be watching us right now."
"Hotch is sending over some units here now." Dave told them and the three walked out of the building, "He's got two addresses for us to check out."
"Let's go." Mitchell said and the three left the crime scene.
They pulled up into a nice home and Mitchell stared at the front door. She hated it when such... normal people were suspects. She hated it more when they were the unsub. It made you think about your neighbours or the people you pass while walking down the street. If someone like this could be a killer, anyone could be.
The trio walked up to the front door and rang the doorbell. A middle aged white man answered the door, "What can I do for you, officers?" He smiled,
"Agents." Kate corrected, "Callahan, Diaz, and Rossi, FBI." The three of them held up their badges,
"Oh. My apologies." His eyes flickered between Kate and Mitchell, "You must have worked extra hard to get that badge."
Mitchell narrowed her eyes at him, "We all did."
"You buy large quantities of preservatives." Dave stated, changing the subject,
"Um..Is that a question?" Mr. Cowles replied,
"May we take a look at your supply?" Dave asked,
"Uh, why? Is there something that's tainted?" Frank questioned,
"No, sir."
"Is it a threat to me and my family?"
"No." Dave answered,
"Well, then I'm sorry, no. That is my private property, and for you to come into my home, you're gonna need a search warrant." Frank replied,
"Shoot, I knew we forgot something." Kate mumbled,
"Well, I have to help my son with his homework." Frank backed away,
"Afternoon." He nodded before closing the door in their face,
"When we arrest that guy, do you mind if I do the honors?" Kate asked as they made their way back to the car,
"We might have to flip for it." Mitchell muttered,
They knew they had scared him, so they waited in their car around the corner. Once they saw him pass them in his car, they followed Frank. Not too closely to spook him, but close enough to figure out where he was going.
He had parked in a field and they waited a moment, calling for back up. Once Hotch and JJ showed up, they approached the car with their guns aimed,
Kate knocked on the car window to get Frank's attention, "You're on private property, so we have probable cause to search your vehicle."
"Get out of the car." Hotch ordered,
"We got one." Kate stated,
"Let's pop the trunk."
Kate opened the passenger side door while Frank got out, "Turn around and put your hands on your head."
While Hotch handcuffed him, JJ and Mitchell opened the trunk, "Hey, you can't go back there! Get away from there!" Frank struggled,
"Just keep quiet." Hotch ordered him,
"You have no right!"
Mitchell stared wide eyed at the two dismembered legs that laid in the trunk. Kate and Dave came to look and sighed, "Hotch."
Mitchell didn't know what was worse. Having one leg or three.
