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Avery was looking through the case files on her desk, trying to find something that she could lead her next article with.
Reid was off on a case for the past few days and Avery was left with her thoughts. She needed an article and she was struggling finding anything. Crime had been down in the DC area lately and being crime writer, this month wasn't looking good.
She looked through some new case files that another local police station brought to her. A new deputy she was taking underneath her wing had brought it to her. She was flipping through them when she furrowed her eyebrows at an accident report.
Found beaten and tortured, strangled and asphyxiated
She pulled a few other files back, looking for the same thing. Four other cases had the same MO.
Seven fingernails were torn off, deep slashes on chest, water found in lungs, plastic found in their teeth
They were strangled and then suffocated with a bag? Avery furrowed her brows and finished looking through the rest of the cases, leaving those aside. She called the captain of the same police station and offered to help with the case. They tried to turn her down but mentioning the cases, she could practically hear his hesitation.
"I know that I don't carry a badge, but my resources are useful and I'm more than willing to help."
"I don't think we need any help."
"Sir, with all due respect, you have five cases with the same COD and MO, you have a serial killer."
"We don't have a serial killer."
"I think you do, all the evidence-"
"I know the evidence, Mrs. Walsh, it's just coincidences."
"There are no coincidences."
"We don't need your help." He said and hung up on her.
She scoffed and placed the phone on top of the file, thinking. She could go to Reid but it would have to go through their new liaison, then to Hotch, by then they'll have at least two more victims. Avery sighed, this was something she was going to have to do herself.
Thank god she kept her sidepiece. Even though you're technically not supposed to, she did anyways.
She made a phone call for her source at the same police station, requesting full ME reports, and to be notified if another victims like this is found.
When she got the files, she started thinking like her favorite FBI agent. What would Spencer Reid do?
Start with Victimology. Why these victims?
He chose prostitutes, he dumps them in the alleyways where he lured them. He could have pretended to be a client, offered a large sum of money. This means he has decent social skills because the girls are smart, they don't follow just anyone into an alleyway.
The girls on the streets are low-risk victims, they're easy to kill. Where they work, it's usually places that aren't heavily patrolled by police.
He strangles them before he kills them by suffocation by a plastic bag. He wants them to think they're going to die before he actually kills them. They don't have any defensive wounds, they have restraint marks. That means that he takes them to a secondary location where he tortures and beats them. He's organized and smart, his kills are planned.
She starting writing down what she knew and what her plans were next. This helped when writing the article at the end. She was scribbling the theories she had down.
He only killed women so that's a telltale sign that they're the object of his rage. Maybe he's building up to the origin of his rage.
Her phone rang and she picked it up, placing it between her shoulder and ear, finishing scribbling in her notebook. "Walsh."
There was a chuckle on the other end. "That's not the usual greeting I receive."
She smiled at the sound of his voice, setting the pen down so all the focus would be on him. "Hey, Spence. Sorry I was writing."
"I don't mean to bother you, babe, I can call back-"
She smiled at the nickname, ignoring the pang in her heart that he was hundreds of miles away. "No, no. Keep talking, I miss you."
"I've only been gone for four days," he chuckled. "This case is tough. I'll be home before the weekend."
She frowned. "It's only Tuesday."
"I know," he replied. "Tell me about this article."
"Oh, it's nothing interesting," she lied. "Just another cop biography. How's the case?"
"We keep finding leads but the cops here aren't letting us help," he said to her. "They're hiding things from us. Hotch thinks they're apart of it."
"Corrupted cops?" Avery furrowed her eyebrows, glancing down at her case file. "Be careful."
"You know I will," he replied. "Just...missing you."
"Doctor Spencer Reid, the king of not expressing feelings is missing me?"
"Hey, I have feelings!"
"I know that, you just suck at talking about them."
"Well, so do you." He retorted and she nodded.
"You're right, I know that."
There was some shuffling as Hotch called Reid back into the room. "Avery, I gotta go. I'll call you tonight, okay?"
