Resident Genius 2.0 (Spencer Reid)

8. Paired together

AJ
Shit had been tense since Hotch was basically suspended from not only being the Unit Chief of the BAU, but suspended from the FBI all together.

It made our trip to California very difficult. We were all stressed with this new case, and Hotch not being with us to basically be the dad of the group was stressful. I could tell that JJ wasn't enjoying her first trip as a temporary Unit Chief.

"Okay. So, from my initial dive into the lives of our victims, we know that the Millers, the Scotts, and the Websters seemed to lead very normal lives. All three men worked in schools, Miller being the Science teacher, Scott being the History teacher, and Webster being the Math teacher. As for their wives, Caitlin Miller is a therapist, Aria Scott is a renowned chef, and Sharon Webster is a nurse." Garcia explained as she kept typing away.

"Garcia, I want you to find any and all payments from Andrew, Calvin and Michael. Also, can you please hack into their car's GPS systems and track where they have been within the last - say - 12 months." JJ instructed as Garcia nodded and hung up the phone.

"Prentiss, I want you and Rossi at the M.E.'s office to inspect the victims." JJ smiled at Prentiss and Rossi.

"Reid, I want you and AJ to go and visit each wife. Find out any and all information about their respective husbands." JJ smiled at me and Reid before turning to Morgan.

"Morgan, you and I will head to the station and get set up." JJ instructed as the plane landed, allowing us to go our separate ways.

Reid and I jumped into the nearest SUV, feeling my hands tap against my leg.

"Everything okay, AJ? You've been tapping your leg ever since we started driving, which suggests that either something is bothering you, or you're hiding something. Or possibly both." Reid focused on the road, but his concern sounded genuine.

"One of the victims seemed familiar...like I had seen him or met him before." I explained, pulling out a novel from my bag.

"A true crime novel? That seems a little ironic, considering what we're currently doing." Reid laughed, keeping his eyes on the road.

"It weirdly calms me down. I can usually pinpoint who the killer is within the first 30 minutes to an hour." I smiled, going back to my page, halfway through the book.

"Do you know who the killer is?" Reid questioned.

"Yes, I know who the killer is." I laughed, continuing to read.

"I don't understand how you could possibly know who the killer is before the end of the story?" Reid laughed.

"It's simple, Spe- Reid." I nearly slipped up, knowing that Reid would have realised since he was listening to me explain.

"I'm a professional profiler who works for the BAU in the FBI. Not only that, but I like the idea of identifying the killer, so that as I read along, I can look at specific details and examine them, like I would a real case." I explained, my finger gently moving down the 5th page that I had read since starting the conversation.

"Wait, if it's true crime, then you should already know the killer, considering true crime stories are often based off real life famous serial killers and murderers." Reid looked at the road confused.

"This specific book was written by a woman who was right in the middle of a true crime story. Her case was never released to the public, considering the killer only killed 3 people. Because her story was never public, she wrote this book." I explained before the rest of the car ride fell silent.

———

I was nearly at the end of the novel before I heard Reid removing the keys from the ignition.

"We're here." He smiled.

"Time to get some information." I exhaled, getting out of the car.

We flashed our badges to the local police, being let inside Caitlin Miller's house.

"Hi, Caitlin Miller?" Reid looked at the woman, who had clearly been crying for the past few hours.

"I'm Agent Parker, and this is my colleague, Dr. Reid. We're with the FBI's Behavioural Analysis Unit." I explained, briefly flashing my badge again.

"He didn't do anything! He had no enemies!" Mrs Miller exclaimed, clearly overwhelmed.

"Woah, woah. Calm down." I smiled, sitting the woman down on the couch.

"Andrew and I have been married for 30 years, and we've been living here for the last 15." She cried out. This was good. Maybe Andrew's killer was someone they knew from their old neighbourhood.

"Where did you and Andrew move from?" Reid asked, interested.

"Sun City Summerlin. We loved it there. But when Andrew got his job promotion, we moved here, to California" Mrs Miller explained.

My face dropped, and so did Reid's. I grew up in Sun City Summerlin. Andrew Miller must have been one of my teachers. It explains why he looked so familiar.

As for why Reid's face dropped, I didn't question him, knowing that he shouldn't pry into my private life, and neither should I.

"That's lovely. Had you noticed anything different about Andrew's behaviour in the past few weeks, maybe even months?" I questioned, watching as she shook her head.

"Nothing. He's been the same old Andrew. He went to work, came home and spent the night grading papers, the same thing he does every night." Mrs Miller explained, trying to hold back tears.

"Have any strangers come around the house? People that he may know, but you may not?" Reid looked at me and then at Mrs Miller, trying to get a solid answer.

"Yes. A woman. Maybe mid 30s. She'd come over maybe 2-3 times a week. He introduced her to me as his Science technician. I don't remember her name." Mrs Miller's revelation didn't shock me, but I wasn't surprised. There was a possibility, a possibility that I needed to tell JJ before I investigated further.

Standing up, I smiled, saying goodbye to Mrs Miller. She let Reid and I go. I headed back to the SUV.

"You have a theory, don't you?" Reid questioned, intrigued.

"I do. But I'm gonna tell JJ before I investigate." I admitted, driving Reid and I to the police station.

"I think you should go and interview Mrs Scott and Mrs Webster. I'll stay here and talk to JJ, see what she thinks." I explained as we pulled into the parking lot of the police station.

The moment the car was parked, I ran into the police station, flashing my badge to the police so that I could go and talk to JJ.

"Is everything okay? Where's Reid?" JJ asked as she let one of the police officers walk away.

"Reid has gone to interview Mrs Scott and Mrs Webster. But, I have a theory. It's a long shot, but it could be something." I smiled.

"Go ahead." She sat down, letting me talk.

"When Reid asked Mrs Miller if any strangers had come around, someone that Andrew may have known, but she didn't, and she gave us a solid answer." I started.

"She said that Andrew had introduced a lady to her, a lady in her mid 30s. She'd come over maybe 2-3 times a week. He introduced her to Mrs Miller as his Science technician. She didn't remember her name. There's a chance that Andrew was cheating on his wife." I looked at JJ and stopped talking, watching as she nodded.

"Call Garcia and get all records of any and all staff from any of the schools that the three victims worked at. If we can get a photo of the lady that Mrs Miller was introduced to, we can possibly get a positive ID, and hopefully get in contact with this woman." JJ instructed, smiling.

"Good job AJ. Hotch would be proud." JJ gave me a small hug before getting back to her work.

As requested, I called Penelope and gave her the instructions from JJ, which she was happy to oblige. I secretly hoped that Penelope would give me some good news.