I fall onto the couch in the jet. This case really took a lot out of everyone on the team. The unsub is a 55 year old man who was suffering from a trauma induced psychotic break. Turns out that a year ago he was forced to watch as a masked robber raped and killed his wife. He was left for dead but somehow survived it. He had been going to therapy to help cope with the loss but he snapped when his therapist and him started doing hypnotherapy to relive the night his wife was killed. He started killing men who were people of interest in his wife's case, convinced one of them had to be the man who committed the crime.
I rub my eyes and try to get the images of what he did to his victims out of my head. It always makes it harder when the unsub isn't an evil person but their mind betrays them and causes them to do evil things. I feel my phone buzz in my pocket. I pull it out and see a text from Sloane.
Hey Spencie! I'm in New York City this week, maybe if you're free you can come see me? It's only a three hour train ride, if you're interested ;)
I clear my throat and start typing a response.
Maybe. We just got off a case but I'll let you know.
I know I shouldn't be doing this. I promised Hotch when I got back that I was going to limit my communication with Sloane while we exhaust other leads. But I find myself unable to stop. Even though most of our texts are mundane at best, we've also had really deep, meaningful talks. I've opened up to her about my addiction and my mom and she's told me more about getting through the trauma of her assault. She sends me funny gifs and book suggestions. She even enjoys my random facts that I send her and I've started looking forward to our daily interactions.
I have to constantly remind myself that she's a possible serial killer and the reason we met is because we're accusing her of potentially killing four or more men. But even with those reminders, I can't help but wonder if we had met in a different way, and she wasn't being accused of these awful crimes, would we have been something more?
I mean, if our day together in Arizona taught me anything it's that I do have a good time with her. She pushed me outside of my comfort zone and I genuinely had fun that day. She was different that day. She wasn't cold or calculated in her words or actions. She made jokes and laughed at mine, let me talk about Ansel Adams for hours, and even got me to dance. She gave me a glimpse into her world and I got to say, I liked the view.
My phone buzzes again, causing me to shift my focus back to the present.
Well let me know! I'm a very busy woman, you know. But I'll make the time for you... Maybe
I shake my head but I can't help but smile. If I can get this weekend off, I might just go. I mean, a weekend in New York City with Sloane could actually be a lot of fun...
No, no I can't go! Even if I wanted to she's somehow tied to a string of missing persons cases and possibly murder. I can't be with her, not in that way at least. I shake the thoughts out of my head and look up to see the rest of the team boarding the jet. Hotch is the last to get on and I can tell by his facial expression that we're not going home just yet.
He sighs and quickly glances at the team, "there was a body discovered in Florida that has been identified as Bently Turner."
"Bently Turner?" Tara asks, "isn't that..."
"One of the missing men in the Williams case," Hotch finishes Tara's sentence and nods, "We're going to do a quick stop in Florida, just long enough for Reid and Morgan to go to the ME office and go over the findings with them. I've already called the locals and they're going to send over all the files to Quantico. Garcia is also going to be looking into our new suspect, Nathan Graham, to see if he's connected in any way."
I told Hotch about Nathan when I returned from Arizona two months ago. Since then, we've been looking into his background and he might be our unsub. He fits the profile and he has a history of violence against other men. Garcia found that he was abused as a child, according to hospital records, and he served a prison sentence five years ago for nearly beating a man to death. But since his release, he hasn't had a single run in with the law. He went to his court mandated anger management course and according to his bank records, he also sought help from a therapist outside of anger management.
That's why it's hard for me to see him as a viable suspect. Yeah, this guy clearly has issues with men abusing their power, but he also has taken steps to better himself and not be so prone to anger. It's rare that we see an unsub, who's been violent in the past, be dormant for half a decade to just start killing again seemingly out of nowhere. But apparently I'm the only one who feels that way, because Hotch and the rest of the team seem to believe that he's the one responsible.
The flight from Louisiana to Miami, Florida is fast and before I know it, I'm standing over the partial remains of Bently Turner.
"What was the C.O.D?" Morgan asks the medical examiner.
"It was hard to tell initially because of how much of the body was missing, but I was able to determine that he had been strangled due to the hyoid being broken premortem. There's also some bruising around the neck that suggests that the killer used some sort of belt or rope to kill them as opposed to their bare hands." He shows us the bruising pattern that wraps around the victim's neck.
Apparently, his body was discovered by alligator hunters in a swamp about fifteen miles from the hotel he was staying at. They think the gators got to him, because while his face and torso are relatively untouched, he's missing both his arms and his right leg. But luckily, there wasn't too much damage so they were able to ID him relatively quickly.
"It looks like a rope pattern," I tell them, crouching down so I'm eye level with the victim's neck. "See here, the bruises are almost cylinder and have slight gaps between them which indicates rope. Also the rash could be from rope burn." The ME nods, agreeing with me.
We get a copy of the report before getting back in the SUV to drive back to the jet.
"My only question is," I start after Morgan's backed out of the spot and starts driving, "if it is Nathan Graham, he's a strong man based on the photos we've seen and we know he has the strength to beat a man half to death. So why use a rope to strangle the victim? Wouldn't he get more satisfaction from doing it with his hands? Physically feeling the life leave the body?"
"It could just be convenient," Morgan suggests, "I mean he might have some with him for his 'work' and it could also be a forensic countermeasure, no hand prints left on the body."
I shrug, I'm not entirely convinced, but then again I'm not completely sold on pinning this all on Nathan when Sloane is still out there. I have to look at the facts and the fact is, Sloane could be responsible for this, no matter how I'm starting to feel about her.
--
I open the door to Garcia's office to find her furiously typing on her keyboard. It's only been a day since we got back from Florida and she texted me that she has a new development for the Dr. Bently Turner murder and to come to her office right away.
I close the door and she turns to face me, "how much do you love me?"
I furrow my brows, "a lot." My voice is hesitant, "why?"
A smile breaks on her face and she motions for me to look at her main screen. On it, there are travel histories for both Sloane and Nathan as well as where they were staying in each city for the past two years. As I scan both documents, I quickly realize that they are nearly identical with the exception of two or three trips when Sloane took vacations. They also were either at the same hotel or at a hotel within walking distance from the other in each destination.
"Not only did he arrange his travel schedule around Sloane," Garcia states, bringing my attention back to her, "but there is evidence that he scheduled his business around hers to make sure he was always available."
I'm about to ask how she knows that but she pulls up his google calendar and my eyes go wide. He not only kept track of his meetings, but of Sloane's as well, with the names of both of their clients.
"He also kept notes of her dates," Penelope tells me, pulling up another poorly hidden document. This one has detailed notes about every client Sloane has, whether Nathan felt she was safe with them or not, how long they have been her client and any complaints she made about them.
"He's been editing this document on and off since he met Sloane," Garcia points out and is quickly scrolling through when something catches her eye, "Reid..."
I see it too, there are a few names that are labeled in red. Each of them state the same thing: 'Not safe, cut them off'. I quickly recognize a few of the names, Bently Turner, Gregory Baker, Richard Banks, and Maxwell Huntington were all there.
"Hold on," Garcia says, "Didn't Richard Banks commit suicide?"
I shrug, "maybe he did, but this makes it seem a lot more likely that he didn't." I glance over the document, there are 21 more names that are marked in this way, "this is how he tracked his kills. Garcia, do you still have that list of possible connections?"
Penelope nods and quickly pulls it up. Before I even ask, she begins cross checking the red names with the names on the list; they're all there.
"Holy shit," she whispers, "he did this."
"Where is he now?" I ask her, I can feel my stomach turning and my chest is tightening. This just shows how obsessed he is with Sloane and his need to protect her, at any cost.
"He's in New York," Penelope states after pulling up his travel records and bank statements, "and it looks like he's staying at the Marriott downtown."
My heart starts to race, Sloane is in New York City. My anxiety involuntarily rises at the thought of him being in the same city as her. If it's true and he his killing for her, it won't take long for him to turn on her. After all, she's the one putting her life at risk meeting with these questionable men. At some point, Nathan will decide that the best way to keep her safe, is for her to not be alive to make these dangerous decisions.
"Penelope, check to see where Sloane is staying."
"Um, let's see. Hers' might be a little harder to track since she doesn't pay for her hotel rooms," she warns as she works her magic on the computers. A series of algorithms flash across the screen before it suddenly stops. "According to guest logs, she's staying at the Plaza. Reid," she pauses and points to the map, "He's literally staying across the street from her."
"Let's tell the team and get ready to go because we're going to New York," I state as I walk out of the room.
I know I'm letting my emotions get the best of me right now. But in the slight chance that I'm wrong and Nathan is truly our unsub, I'm not going to let Sloane get hurt because I was too stubborn to admit that she was innocent.