𝐂𝐎𝐋𝐃 𝐀𝐒 𝐈𝐂𝐄▬▬𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒓 𝒓𝒆𝒊𝒅 .1

𝟖. ❙𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫

"There was also evidence of torture with the husband. Burns, contusions, lacerations. You name it, this guy tried it." Morgan explained. Spencer did find something quite odd about this, however. "If torture is the unsub's signature, the methodology's usually unique. A person who burns someone doesn't normally use a knife."

"So maybe we have more than one killer, or we have one killer with more than one personality." Hotch made the possibility come to light, the unfortunate possibility. Gideon had something else that needed to be known. "We also have three victims. Blood on the vanity, wife's body was found there. The husband was in the shower. From the looks of the level of the ring in this tub, whoever was in it lost their entire blood volume."

"Approximately 10.6 pints." Valentina voiced. Everyone looked over at her with confused glances. Yes, Valentina is considering highly intelligent in human psychology and behavior, she was miles ahead anyone else in the BAU, but she wasn't the 'Spencer Reid' type genius. Valentina averted her gaze. "Oh my god, I've been hanging out with Spence too much."

"So that means the victim was dismembered." Elle explained, getting back on topic. "It looks like our guy took all the parts with him."

"Gideon, you, Elle and Morgan stay up here and go over the crime scene. Valentina, Spencer, come with me downstairs." Hotch ordered, everyone followed it. Spencer, Hotch and Valentina all went downstairs to the living room. They needed to brainstorm a little and just get some ideas and theories made. Hotch was noticing that Spencer had been working much better over these past two months or so, he figured that had something to do with Valentina. With someone challenging Spencer, he was forced and pleased to work harder. Hotch was trying to get their minds working together since they seemed to bounce ideas off each other fairly well.

"Okay, what do we know about the unsub based on the two bodies we do have?" Hotch asked, Spencer beginning the train of thought. "Typically, torture falls into two categories, sadistic and functional. Functional torture is used to extract information or to punish. It's measured, impersonal, completely disinterested."

"Like a military tactic." Hotch connected together with an analogy. This time, it was Valentina who continued the train of thought. "Exactly. There's also the sadistic torture which is used to extract some sort of emotional need, but sadists are sexually deviant, yet there's no evidence of sexual contact."

"That we know of." Hotch corrected, earning a confused glance from Spencer. "What do you mean?"

"Well, we don't have a third body yet."

The BAU team didn't have much left to do in Baltimore. They had all the clues they needed, but now they just had to put them together. It was taking a lot of work to think this up, but Hotch had a small plan. He's still been experimenting with where Valentina would work best so he could tell who's she's best to partner with. It would be beneficial for the entire BAU if Valentina was with the right people, but it was just figuring out where this incredibly unique personality could fit.

"Third victim was positively ID'd as a low-level mob guy, Frederick 'Freddy' Condore." Morgan informed. The BAU unit had gone back to Quantico to think everything over. "He was the nephew of the older couple. Body parts were found in seven different trash cans two blocks from the crime scene."

"Were they able to completely reassemble the body?" Spencer asked, Morgan having a response. "The killer didn't keep any trophies."

"Is there any evidence that he got off?" Elle questioned, but Morgan only shook his head. Valentina proceeded to point something out she had learned once they got back that she figured would be helpful. "Garcia found a bunch of unsolved murders in DC, Virginia and Maryland over the past fifteen years. A lot of them have ties to organized crime. All different MOs."