Flagstaff, Arizona.
Seeing all these young girls pile into the room with distressed and fearful expressions broke Vanessa's heart. She couldn't begin to imagine how they must be feeling from all these deaths, how scared it has to be having worry if you're going to make out alive to see the next day.
Fiddling with the bottom button of her small white cardigan, she sat down next to Spencer as JJ was standing, waiting for everyone to settle in.
"I spoke to Amy's parents," JJ started. "Funeral services will be held on Sunday in Chicago. They're arriving later today to bring her home. They asked me to let you know that they will be staying downtown at the Mainline Hotel. If any of you would like to visit or pay your respects, they'd like you to feel free to do so."
"How did you all let this happen?" said a girl in the front, wearing a blue t-shirt.
JJ, Spencer, and Vanessa stared at the girl from disbelief at her question, along with everyone else in the room.
"What? Everybody is thinking it," she continued. "You are the FBI, the campus is crawling with police, and she gets murdered waiting for the security shuttle."
"That's not helpful, Katie," said the woman in charge.
"Actually, it is," Spencer spoke up. "The fact that your friend was killed in such a well-lit area with a police presence indicates that the killer is most likely part of this campus. He's not an outsider. He's someone who wouldn't raise alarm with the police or potential victims."
"You should also be aware that the three victims were brunette," said JJ.
Those in the room with brunette hair looked even more fearful than they were before. And those with lighter hair seemed to be more relaxed, but still scared for their own friends.
"At this point, we do consider it an intentional pattern."
...
After speaking to the students on campus about the murders, Vanessa, JJ, and Spencer sat down in silence thinking over it. It was especially weird for Vanessa, who wondered how one was able to take a girl with no struggle. No one had shout complaints, nothing.
"So, the unsub was able to get a girl to give in with absolutely no struggle?" said Vanessa. "None at all. It's someone who the campus trusts, right?"
Spencer and JJ both nodded.
"What occupation should be the most trusted on a campus that's had murders?" she asked them. "One who should be protecting them, protecting them from harm..."
"A police officer," said JJ.
Vanessa nodded and leaned back in her seat. "A lot of trust is put into police officers, security guards, etc... and these girls aren't going to raise alarm over a security guard working for the college... so what if it's one of them?"
"That's a possibility," said Spencer.
"That's a very strong possibility," said JJ. "I'm gonna call Hotch."
After JJ left, Spencer and Vanessa were sitting alone in the campus cafeteria together. Vanessa would sip on her coffee from time to time as he either watched her or fidgeted with his fingers. The silence between them was something incredibly awkward that one could see from a mile away. She wouldn't even glance at him even though he was clearly "glancing" at her.
JJ eventually came back with some snacks for them while they waited for something new to come up. She had her usual bag of Cheetos, Spencer some almonds, and Vanessa a bag of mini Keebler's rainbow cookies.
"How's the new apartment coming along?" said JJ, breaking the silence between the three of them.
Vanessa looked stunned at her question, not knowing how she knew about that.
"Garcia told me," JJ continued.
"Right... It's going okay, I guess," said Vanessa, shoving a cookie into her mouth and hoping to avoid further discussion about it.
JJ nodded, but then Spencer decided to speak on it, as well.
"You moved?" he said. "I didn't know that... when was this?"
"Recently," Vanessa spoke after swallowing the cookie, "it wasn't too long ago."
"Oh— Why?"
At this moment, Vanessa wanted nothing more than to leave this conversation... Because the honest truth, she left because of her abusive ex-boyfriend, but she could never say that out loud. So she lied.
"I need some new scenery," she said in a playful tone, bringing a smile to JJ's face.
"How does Nathan feel about that?" asked Spencer.
Vanessa went white and felt her whole body tense up at the mention of Nathan. Not knowing how to lie about this one, she decided to tell the truth by saying, "We actually just broke up." Spencer's eyes went wide, as if he was glad to hear this news.
"Really?" said JJ with a shocked and high-pitched voice. Vanessa nodded and popped another cookie into her mouth.
The conversation ended when JJ's phone rang again, and Vanessa silently thanked God for letting that happen.
"There's a possible," JJ said when she came back. "Nathan Tubbs."
Even the name 'Nathan' set Vanessa on edge. But either way, they had to take down whoever this guy was that's killing these college girls.
Arriving at the security locker room, Emily and a CSI agent led Vanessa, JJ, and Spencer to the lockers to search through Nathan's belongings. Spencer put on a pair of non-latex gloves and started to rummage through, finding nude magazines to Bourbon whiskey.
"Bag these and get them to a lab," said Reid, handing the agent clothes from the locker.
...
Back at the hotel, Vanessa had settled into her room but was still unable to fall asleep peacefully. Sure, someone was in custody, but the real unsub could still be out there. She found it baffling how the students could just go off and have a party without any real evidence of the guy being caught.
Laying down under the sheets, bare legs and all, she stared at the ceiling pondering on her life. She was out of her toxic relationship with her boyfriend. Things were going good, or so she thought.
When her phone rang, she hesitated to reach over and grab it. Today was an exhausting day and she didn't feel like moving, but it could've been something important with the case.
"Hello?" she said through the phone with a groggy voice.
"Hello, Vanessa..." said an unfamiliar voice.
"Who's this?"
"That will be said later... What you do need to know, is that I'm watching your mother through her window."
Vanessa shot up from the bed and wrapped her coat around her, heading for the door. Her heart was racing.
"She looks so beautiful; reading peacefully and not worrying about any single harm in the world."
Opening the hotel door, Vanessa peaked her head around to see if someone was messing with her and to see if the team was anywhere around.
"What do you want," she whispered, trying to keep a tough front.
"I want her dead, and I want you dead... well— not me specifically," he said. "I'm just waiting for the orders. Goodbye—"
Before Vanessa could say anything, the call ended leaving her shocked and scared. Someone was outside of her mothers house wanting to kill her. She couldn't care less about her own being, but it was her mother she was worried about. The only person she had left.
Vanessa headed for Hotch's door but didn't knock. They were on a case, right now. She couldn't interrupt it with this. It was super important to her, though. Still, she walked back to her room and shut the door. And the minute her door closed, Spencer's opened.
He heard her speaking in the hall, noticing her shaky voice. Wanting to see what was happening, he opened his door in hopes to see her. Then he figured it was nothing and went back inside if she was already gone.
"Mom?" she sighed out when he mother picked up the phone.
"Well, hello to you too, Nessa," her mom laughed.
"Not now. Mom, I need you to turn out all the lights and go to bed right now."
"What are you— what's this about?"
"Mom, please... Just do what I say? I'll see you, either tomorrow or in a couple days, okay?"
"Um— okay, good night then?"
"Goodnight, I love you."
"I love you too."
Vanessa hung up the phone and sat down at the round table by the window, resting her forehead in her palms with pushed back hair. Taking a deep breath, she figured her mom would be okay for the night since 'I'm just waiting for the order.' She figured that meant they were coming for her before her mom. Still, she wasn't able to sleep peacefully, and she couldn't focus on the case as well the next day.
—