VIII

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  ══ Chapter 8 ══

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They decided their best bet would be to head to the lake and start searching for him there, since they weren't making leeway on his actual identity. Being onsite would be more productive. Besides, an SUV that belonged to a woman was found near Ridge Canyon Lake, so they knew he had to be close to there.

Lydia sat in the back of the SUV, with Hotch driving and Rossi in the passenger seat. JJ sat in the back with her. Lydia was sliding on her vest and adjusting the Velcro straps while they began to discuss everything with the other car on the phone.

"He's abducted two at once. He needs a spot on the lake where he can control them. Somewhere isolated that gives him the time he needs for his resuscitation ritual," Hotch began, as he gripped the steering wheel. His white button down shirt was rolled up to his elbows.

"How would he keep them dead longer, Reid?" Rossi asked over the line.

"There's a saying in the medical community that you're not dead until you're warm and dead. Colder water temperatures could lead to hypothermia, which would offer the best chance for successful reanimation," Reid replied with an even tone. He hadn't expressed any remorse since his outbursts toward the brunette earlier in the day. Not a even a placid gesture that made her feel like a human to him. He simply ignored her. She clenched her jaw as she put the wired earpiece into her right ear.

"Conferencing Garcia," Emily replied, hitting a button from her side of the call.

"Give it to me, baby," Lydia's favorite whimsical blonde replied.

"Garcia, our unsub's got two more victims and he's most likely taking them to the coldest part of Ridge Canyon Lake. We need to intercept him. What do you got?" Morgan queried with a stern tone seeping through the air.

"Ok, checking water temperatures. Now we have several cold spots—" she was cut off briefly by a sound. It was faint, but they could all hear a noise coming through the call.

"What's with the pinging, Penelope?"

"The colder spots just matched the most recent victims' diatom levels. The unsub's been getting colder and colder the whole time," she replied, sounding overwhelmed.

"Cross-reference water temperatures with your list of prior deaths in the area. This lake means something to him other than cold water," Emily requested the tech analyst.

"If he died once before, there should be a report about it or another trauma that keeps him rooted here," Reid's voice theorized. Lydia looked out the window and noticed they were getting closer to their location. The trees were thinning and the suns beams reflecting off the water were seeping through the pauses. She couldn't believe she was admiring it's beauty in a time like this, but she couldn't help it. It was rare for her to see sights like the one on the other side of the glass. Morgan's voice carried through the car's speakers again and brought her mind back to the task at hand .

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