𝐇𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐎𝐖 ━━ 𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐤 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧

『26』

"Coffee for one Ms. Hotchner. Just the way you like it." Derek handed me my coffee mug, which was filled with the dark, delicious liquid.

"That's so sweet of you, Derek." I took a sip and hummed in content.

"And I happened to pick up a croissant." He held up a packet sealed with the Starbucks logo.

"You're spoiling me, Derek." I sneaked a kiss. You know, just in case someone suspecting something caught us. We headed up to the conference room for our newest case.

"St. Louis is in trouble." JJ crossed her arms over her chest.

"They've got two serial killers." I handed the file over to Aaron so he could glance through it.

"This killer abducts his victims from public places and dumps them in the woods." Gideon went over to the first board. "They consulted us months ago after the third murder." He announced.

"Well, now it might be up to six." JJ pulled up the woman's image on the monitor.

"Ellen Carrol. She's been missing since yesterday." I informed them.

"The first two victims were found near Mill Creek in Mark Twain National Forest." She clicked a button on the remote to show the newspaper article from The Missouri Herald.

"No wonder it takes days to find the bodies. The forest is 1.5 million acres and 78,000 of that is wilderness." Spencer examined the map.

"What's the story with these women?" Aaron questioned.

"Eight victims, all prostitutes. Latest is Mari Mitchell." JJ and I moved to the second board."She was killed last night with a .44 magnum." I had to away from the picture of her body. "All are tied to a serial killer claiming responsibility. He's contacted Jim Meyers, a reporter at The Missouri Herald." She added.

"So he's not getting the attention he thinks he deserves." Aaron guessed. "He signs it the Hollow Man, naming himself for the press." Aaron pointed out on the picture of the handwritten notes.

"Why Hollow Man? What, he feel empty on the inside or something?" Derek asked.

"Uses hollow point bullets, actually. But no one even knew this guy existed until he sent in this letter to the reporter." I corrected him..

"Well, he's killed more victims, but look who he's chosen." Aaron motioned towards the pictures. "Hundreds of victims go unnoticed because they're social outcasts and never make the front page." He answered.

"When Mill Creek kills, the Hollow Man shoots another prostitute." Spencer linked the two.

"One doesn't want to be outdone by the other. Sounds like sibling rivalry to me." Derek leaned against the table.

"They've been killing independently of each other for a year now." Aaron mentioned.

"With each kill, they're learning something...from the other." Gideon spoke up. Once we landed in St. Louis, I headed straight to the Carrolls' house.

"I'll feel much better when you find Ellen." Tom Carroll pulled me away from the rest of the people in his house.

"Mr. Carroll, believe me, we are really trying our hardest to found your wife." I assured him.

"You know, when you have kids, you become so fixated on where they are and what they're doing, you don't think you need to worry about your spouse." He said shakily.

"So, I understand that your wife is a lawyer." I changed the subject to what we know about his wife. "Aside from work and taking care of the family, does she ever make time for herself?" I posed to him.