❛ 𝑪𝑶𝑳𝑫 𝑨𝑺 𝑰𝑪𝑬 ❜
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•☽.⭒✻❙ 𝐀 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐋 𝐑𝐀𝐈𝐍 ❙✻⭒.☾•
𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒎 𝒊𝒏𝒗𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒈𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒔 𝒂 𝒔𝒖𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒅 "𝒗𝒊𝒈𝒊𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒆" 𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝒌𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒓
❝ 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐚 𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐞, 𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐝, 𝐧𝐨 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐢𝐭. ❞
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𝑨𝑳𝑳 𝑻𝑯𝑰𝑺 𝑻𝑰𝑴𝑬
𝒍𝒐𝒖𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒐𝒎𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒐𝒏
❛ but the friends we make, the love it takes, it's worth the pain ❜
𝑆𝑃𝐸𝑁𝐶𝐸𝑅 𝐴𝑁𝐷 𝑉𝐴𝐿𝐸𝑁𝑇𝐼𝑁𝐴 𝑊𝐸𝑅𝐸 at the coffee maker like they are every day, although today, Valentina had tea. They always meet for coffee so they can talk to each other and just listen to one another. They both found the other's voice and company comforting. They wouldn't leave these small meets for anything.
Valentina was telling Spencer about a time when she and her brothers, Marco and Maxwell, had taken all of her eldest brother, Maverick's, furniture from his room and put it in the pool. It was after he had destroyed Valentina's school project and broke his brothers' favourite toys, so they felt he deserved it.
Just as Spencer went to respond to her, he had spotted someone significant walk into the BAU. Spencer heard that major crimes might be involved with a case they'd be getting, which meant Lance. "Um, Val."
Spencer pointed behind her, which made Valentina turn around. She saw her ex-boyfriend walking through the BAU and towards Hotch's office. Valentina scrunched her nose as she turned back to Spencer. "Oh, god. So we are doing that case."
"Are you gonna be okay?" Spencer asked before he took a sip of his coffee. Valentina let out a breath as she leaned one hand on the counter. "Yeah, I think so. I just don't want it to be awkward."
"Well, you don't like him anymore, so it should just be professional." Spencer comforted, which shockingly worked. "You're right. Besides there's...'cause I...you know...never mind actually."
"No, what is it?" Spencer pushed, now curious by the hesitation.
"It's nothing."
"It's clearly something. Come on." Spencer encouraged as he nudged her arm slightly. Spencer had been getting a lot less strict with his 'no touching' rule. He never even shakes people's hands when he meets them, but when it came to Valentina, Spencer was fine to nudge her arm, hold her hand, hugging wasn't as common, but he'd done it; Spencer would do it again. Valentina gave in to the encouragement pretty quickly, "Fine. There's this guy-"
"You're already dating another guy?!" Spencer questioned with disbelief, not shocked that another man would already be interested in Valentina, but Spencer wanted some sort of chance. Luckily, that wasn't the case. "No, I'm not dating another guy! I just like another guy."
"Is it Morgan?" Spencer immediately questioned, which made Valentina's eyebrows furrowed, "Why would it be Morgan?"
"'Cause it's Morgan." Valentina's gaze shifted for a second, considering that point. "Okay, good point. But it's not Morgan."
"Well, do I know him?"
"I'm not telling you anything about this guy because you and your beautiful brain will figure it out in two seconds flat." Valentina pointed out before she took a sip of her tea. For some reason now, Valentina couldn't seem to make the green tea she likes anymore, only Spencer could. "I'd actually figure it out it one second flat."
"Oh, shut up, Spence." Valentina laughed before she took another sip of tea.
"Make me." Valentina immediately choked on her tea. She wasn't expecting that kind of answer for Spencer and it made her incredibly nervous. Spencer knew that it affected her that way and he found it quite amusing. "You okay?"
"I need five to ten business days to recover." Spencer laughed at her comment just as Hotch and Lance had emerged from his office. Hotch called out to them and asked them to get to the conference room. Spencer and Valentina made their way up there and sat down next to each other as the rest of the BAU filtered in. Hotch got the meeting started, "Everyone, you all remember Agent Lance Callahan. He's going to be consulting on this case."
"It's nice to see you all again." Lance greeted everyone, his eyes landing on Valentina, which made her look away. Since he knew this case well, him and JJ were the ones that were introducing it, Lance starting it off, "Walter Derbin, age fifty-two. His body was found in his cab in East Harlem. He was blindfolded and shot once in the chest. Death was caused by a knife stabbed through his ear. The unsub broke off the handle with the blade lodged in his brain."
"It's the same signature as two other murders. Rachel Holman, twenty-four, found in her apartment three weeks ago on the Lower East Side. And Kaveh Surrani, thirty. Police found him two weeks later inside his painting studio in Hell's Kitchen."
"Different locations, different victimology. It's possible we're looking for someone who will hunt indiscriminately." Lance finished off the rundown of the case, but Hotch did have an important question, "NYPD have any leads?"
"The guy's a ghost. He kills at night. There's no witnesses." JJ explained before Gideon asked, "Is the NYPD feeling the strain?"
"Well, they've withheld details so the press hasn't sniffed out a link between the murders." Lance informed, which got Valentina thinking, "With no discernible victim patters, a killer is basically impossible to stop."
"Did you know the original Zodiac Killer actually continually changed his victims? Young, old, men, women, white, black." Spencer pointed out, to which Valentina added the rough truth, "And he killed for thirty years without ever being caught."
"Everyone, wheels up in fifteen." Everyone got up from the table and went to go get their go-bags. Yet another case far away, it was tiring for their personal lives, but some were fine with it. Spencer and Valentina's social life is work, so they didn't mind the commute.
On the plane, they had some time before they had to debrief, so JJ and Morgan were on one side while Valentina and Spencer on the other and they were all playing poker. Elle was sitting across from them all on the couch while Lance, Gideon, and Hotch were looking things over. Elle complained, "This is not how I planned to spend a few days home in New York."
"I miss having dinner in the city. Eleven Madison Park was my favourite restaurant as a kid." Valentina reminisced, but she opened herself to ridicule from JJ. "You mean one of the most expensive restaurants in New York City?"
"Me and my family didn't go because we could afford it, we ate there because my mom knew the chef...The fact that my mom owns that restaurant and hired the chef is another story." Valentina beat around the bush, which made Morgan laugh and shake his head. "You're such a rich kid."
"I haven't taken a penny from my parents since I was sixteen years old, thank you very much." Valentina defended herself before looking to the man next to her, "What about you, Spence?"
"I'm looking forward to seeing New York."
"Wait, you've never been?" JJ questioned, a little shocked by that since New York is pretty close to where they live, but Spencer had a reason he saw as valid and not insane. "We've never had an unsub there."
"You are in desperate need of vacation time." Valentina pointed out with a small laugh. Although, Morgan was in complete disbelief. "Reid, it's a one hour flight."
"Look, if we have some time, I'll show you around, Spence. If I just say the name 'Barnes', we can get into any restaurant, any hotel, no charge." Valentina offered, which was a small contradiction that JJ pointed out, "I thought you didn't take money from your parents?"
"I don't...However, my last name is my own and I'm allowed to use it to my advantage." Valentina defended herself just before Lance, Gideon, and Hotch had moved over to the group, who put their cards down so Hotch could start the briefing, "Okay, here's what we know. Blitz attackers are almost always male."
"And he got picked up in the pouring rain by a New York cabbie, so we definitely know he's not a brother." They laughed at Derek's joke just before Spencer jumped in with genuine information, "The fact that he kills in a major urban setting without detection indicates he's highly intelligent."
"How intelligent can he be? I mean, blitz attackers are textbook disorganized killers." Elle pointed out, to which Valentina responded, "Yeah, but he's bringing along a murder kit. Blindfold, knife. He can't really be disorganized."
"We'll split up. Lance, Valentina, and Reid, you guys take the cabbie crime scene, the rest of us will get the rest. In the meantime, let's talk about what we can agree on." Valentina wanted to hide under the table. She knew Gideon didn't mean anything by this, but she was going to be stuck working with her ex-boyfriend and the new guy she likes. What could go wrong?
"The blindfold could have been used if the unsub was unsure of killing them and wanted to avoid detection." Valentina suggested before Lance added on, "Well, since we know the cab driver couldn't have been blindfolded when he drove the unsub, we'll probably be looking at the fact that the blindfold represents remorse."
"He doesn't want his victims looking at him when he kills them." Gideon added on. Whatever it was that they were dealing with, they knew that it needed to be solved fast. If this was a case where the MO would change, catching this unsub would prove to be insanely difficult.
Once they had arrived in the city, Lance, Valentina, and Spencer had all gone down to the crime scene with the dead cab driver. They had the lead detective, Bennett there with them, but they wanted to get a lay of land first. Valentina was looking at the cab and trying to see the blood patterns while Lance was looking across the street which might have been a vantage point, "What's in that building?"
"Nothing. It's been vacant for a couple of months." Bennett responded before Spencer, who had the case file in his hands, noticed, "This train goes express after midnight, it doesn't even stop here."
"So he picked the spot beforehand." Valentina deduced as she got out of the cab car. Spencer nodded his head, "His last fare was logged at an address on Church Street. Do you have any idea what's there?"
"Church is an entry point from Brooklyn. There's a dive there where the cabbies stop for coffee before the overnight shift." The detective explained, which got Lance to a conclusion, "Explains how he got a cab. So this guy's definitely not disorganized."
"Definitely not. You know, Lawrence Bittaker and Roy Norris stabbed their victims in the head with ice picks and broke off the handle. It's a possibility that this unsub is a kind of serial killer groupie." Valentina suggested. There were about half a dozen beat cops around them, who were taking in the preliminary profile, one of them trying to get clarification. "So is this guy an ex-con or some nut job with an Amazon account?"
"This particular unsub presents a mixed profile." Spencer explained, but that even got Lance asking questions, slightly passive aggressively, "Well, what good is the profile then?"
"The profile is just a starting point."
"Yeah, it helps us narrow down suspects. For instance, the fact that the unsub is shooting the victims first suggests that he wants a quick and effective means of controlling the situation." Valentina explained to the officers without the targeted undertone of passive aggression that Spencer and Lance were sending to each other.
"It's possible that he feels he can't overpower his victims. It could be some physical problem or he may be insecure simply because he's small." Spencer added onto the profile, Valentina continuing on. Lance didn't really have much to add since he's not a profiler. "Based on this crime scene alone, we know that he has a high degree of organisation. Coupled with the fact that this unsub hunts at night, he most likely has a steady job."
"So, we're looking for a small, angry, white guy with a day job?" One of the officers asked with a small attitude, seeing as how this wasn't a lot to go on, which Valentina acknowledged, "There's a lot we don't know, but we do know that these cannot be blitz attacks. They're far too controlled. These are executions."
"An unsub's signature is his own extremely rare combination of MO and ritual. An unsub kills to satisfy an inner need and will continue killing until that inner need, which is based on a ritual, is lived out perfectly. Because reality never lives up to fantasy, this becomes an impossibility." Spencer explained, Valentina adding one last note, "In other words, this guy's not gonna stop killing until we catch him."
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The entire BAU and Lance was called down to a church where another killing had occurred. One of the officers who was already there was briefing them when they were all walking in. "The night janitor found him. He didn't see anything, but he remembered a parishioner who was here earlier. This woman's our potential witness."
"You two want to handle that?" Gideon pointed to Lance and Valentina. They both only nodded. Truthfully, Valentina really didn't want to spend all that much time with Lance considering they used to date, but it was quite the opposite with Lance. He wouldn't mind seeing her. Lance has begun getting over Valentina, but a few feelings still linger.
Valentina and Lance went over to the older woman who was sitting the pews, Valentina introducing the two. "Ma'am? My name's Dr. Barnes and this is Agent Callahan. Would you mind telling us what you saw?"
"Of course. You know, as soon as the other police asked me if I'd seen anything, I had a sickly feeling." She expressed, which made Lance question, "So you saw him?"
"Not his face. He had a hood on, and he kept his head down. I-I'm sorry, I should have known." The woman apologized, but Valentina shook her head. "There is no possible way that you could have known something like this. Now, did you speak to him?"
"I just asked if he was okay. But it was almost like he couldn't hear me. Like he was in his own world, you know? He didn't even look up. I couldn't stop watching his hands. They were moving like he was playing a piano or fingering a rosary maybe...He could have killed me..." The woman's voice went quieter, reflecting on what had happened, but she didn't need this grief, which was why Valentina reassured, "But he didn't. What's important is that you're okay."
Lance and Valentina stepped away from the witness a moment so they could discuss the case just while the rest of the team was checking the body. Valentina suggested, "You know, maybe this guy's not killing at random."
"So something these people all had in common was what got them killed." Lance added on. Valentina began to pull her phone out of her pocket and dial Garcia just as she remembered, "I know my brother, Marco, had a case here a year ago. The Father was indicted for paedophilia, but he was found innocent."
"That's bloody disgusting." Lance muttered under his breath just before Garcia picked up the phone, "Font of all knowledge. Check my flow."
"Can you check all the victims and see if any of them were charged for a crime?" Valentina asked, Garcia, of course, with her own flare, "Okay. You want to time me or should I just dazzle you off the clock?"
Lance looked up at Valentina with furrowed eyebrows, confused by the jokes she was making at a time like this. Valentina simply waved him off, indicating that it was alright. This was just how Garcia is. "Okay, Kaveh Surrani. Vehicular manslaughter. Tried and found not guilty, July 2002. Rachel Holman, convicted of cocaine possession, 2004. Oh, baby girl, just say no."
"No acquittals?" Lance asked. "No, wait. Hold on. Same case. She was also up on charges for administering a fatal dose of heroin to her boyfriend. Jury found her not guilty. Can we go three for three? Yahtzee. Our cabbie, Walter Derbin. Spousal battery. Asshole."
"Let me guess, he was innocent?" Lance guessed, which Garcia spoke bitterly, "If you want to call it that. Charges were dropped mid-trial, four months ago."
"You're a genius, Garcia." Valentina complimented as Garcia had one more comment before she hung up, "You're just saying that 'cause it's true."
Valentina and Lance walked over to the rest of the BAU, who was surrounded by the body. They heard the last of Gideon's statement, "The victim was blindfolded first, the blood would have flowed over the blindfold. He puts it on after he kills them."
"All three victims were charged with a felony, but they were all found innocent." Lance informed to the group, which made Elle scoff and look at Bennett, "And that didn't show up on your man's radar?"
"Acquittals? No. Why is it important?"
"Because we now have a new profile."
The BAU and Lance had returned to the police station where the sheriff had gathered all the police officers so that they could deliver yet another profile, one far more detailed than the last. Gideon got them started, "We now believe these killings aren't random. We might be dealing with a vigilante."
"The unsub shoots his victims first so he can subdue them. The flint knife helps with the efficiency of the kill and is symbolic retribution. Finally, the victim is blindfolded, just like the statue of Lady Justice. This unsub displays a heightened and poetic sense of right and wrong." Valentina explained more in depth, Spencer having more to add as well, "Serial vigilantes are extremely rare. The exaggerated drama of these killings suggests that they're somehow personal. He or someone close to him was likely the victim of a violent crime. His first killing was possibly against his original attacker. And since then, he's developed an overblown sense of justice in order to justify that killing to himself."
"Because he chooses the imagery of Lady Justice, it's possible we're dealing with someone who works in or around the criminal justice system. Lawyer, paralegal, bailiff, even a judge." Gideon brought more of an idea of who specifically they could be talking about before Lance ordered, "You need to crosscheck unsolved murders against suspects in assault cases wand victims who work in the system."
"Whatever the unsub's job, he's someone who's a cog in the machine. He's overworked, undervalued. He's used to not being noticed. His sense of theatrics is a way to enhance his own self esteem. Convince himself he has a higher purpose, but he also knows that people look right through him. Being faceless is his best defence against detection. He's everyone." Gideon finished off before Valentina had one last thing to remember, "And remember that you need to close ranks. The more details that slip out, the more he'll feed off it. We don't want this guy thinking he's captured the public's fear or imagination."
"Too late." JJ informed just as she walked into the room. "The afternoon edition's leading with the vigilante story."
"How did they get it?" Gideon questioned as JJ handed him the newspaper. "I don't know."
"Well, you were worried about this guy becoming another Son of Sam. Now we might be dealing with a vigilante folk hero like Bernhard Goetz." Whoever this murderer was, they knew he was never going to stop killing, not unless he's stopped. Killing people is never the right thing to do in any situation, but many people, like this unsub, have a warped vision of that ideal.
The BAU, not including Lance this time, had gone out for dinner since they were off the clock. Lance was invited, but he chose not to go. He found that seeing Valentina and Spencer together, even if they're only friends, was a little painful. Lance could see there was something between the two, but they couldn't.
The BAU went to a small Asian restaurant so they could just have a nice time. It's rare that the BAU actually get to talk and hang out with each other rather than chasing the worst people on the planet. Although, they still found a way to bring work into this, "So you know there was a big hole in the profile you presented back there."
"Yup. I left out the possibility that our unsub might be a cop." Gideon responded, knowing full well what he didn't specifically say. Valentina and Spencer never bothered since Gideon had covered that part of the profile already. Morgan did find some validity in the unsub being a cop, "Well, they do know the system. They're definitely overworked and underpaid."
"I mean, they see so much injustice on a daily basis. It'd be easy for them to take matters into their own hands." Valentina pointed out as Spencer added on, simultaneously struggling to use his chopsticks, "When someone like our victim is killed, police refer to the murder as a public service murder."
"You know how many rapists I saw walk during my Sex Crime days? And either the victims, they didn't want to press charges, or the juries they said that she was asking for it. It was enough to make you explode." Elle expressed her annoyance, to which JJ refuted, "Well, it's a long way from feeling like that and actually committing murder. Don't you think?"
"Oh, not really."
"Excuse me, could I get a fork perhaps?" Spencer asked one of the waitresses. Everyone looked over to him, confused by why he wouldn't use the chopsticks, but Valentina's smile was only growing. Spencer felt he had to defend himself, "Did you know that experts credit Confucius with the advent of the chopstick? He equated knives with acts of aggression."
"You don't know how to use them, do you?" Morgan teased, which he gave away when he expressed, "It's like trying to forage for dinner with a pair of number two pencils."
"You're so hopeless, Spence." Valentina laughed as she took his chopsticks and used the hair elastic on her wrist to tie them around the chopsticks. A small trick she learned from her dad. She handed him back his chopsticks, which he could now use, as Morgan got back to the original topic, "Well, New York City cops do have a lot of pressure on them. Every move they make gets scrutinised."
"One of the first cases of criminal profiling happened when a New York City cop asked a criminal psychiatrist friend to help with the Mad Bomber case." Gideon pointed out before Spencer added more specifics, "The Mad Bomber was a major inspiration for the Unabomber. He eluded cops in New York for sixteen years, starting in 1940, but he kept his promise and never set off a single bomb during the Second World War."
"Psychiatrist James Brussels, he developed a profile so accurate, he predicted that when they caught the Bomber, he'd be wearing a double-breasted suit and it would be buttoned." Gideon continued on, but Valentina found this so incredibly boring. "Guys, we're in one of the most famous cities in the world and when we're not talking about work, we're talking about another profiler. There's got to be something else we can talk about."
"You're right. So, Valentina, are you seeing anyone?" Morgan immediately laughed at the question, knowing far more about that topic than anyone else. Valentina, who really didn't want to elaborate on this when the guy she likes was sitting directly next to her. So, she changed the topic. "Um, Gideon, why didn't you tell the cops that it might be one of their own?"
"If we're gonna catch the guy, we need all the cops can give us. Last thing I wanna do is accuse one of them of murder." Gideon elaborated, which earned a nod from Valentina.
"How's it going, boy genius?" Morgan teased Spencer, who could actually use the chopsticks now thanks to Valentina. Spencer responded just as Gideon had answered his phone, which had rang, "Awesome. It's absolutely incredibly, 1.3 billion people stay nourished using these things."
"Guys." Everyone looked over to Gideon, who said, "The unsub just took out a cop killer."
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With this job, getting breaks seems to be an incredibly rare thing. Even if it's something as simple as a dinner with friends; the people they work with, the BAU cannot catch a break. There will always be a new criminal and another and another and another.
With Lance and the BAU back at the station, they were in the conference room with the new information that Bennett was giving them, the information on the new victim, "His name's Shawn Cooley. One year ago, he killed two Port Authority cops and he walked, because the only witness against him was shot six times outside his apartment."
"This might be worth having your officers re-canvass this morning. A lot of people are more likely to talk during the day, it helps them feel safer." Lance suggested, earning a nod from Bennett.
"More bad news. It's the same reporter every time. Donald Wagner. He's practically deifying him." JJ informed, having seen more articles in the paper about this guy. Gideon mumbled, "I'm not even happy with the results when God plays God."
"You know, a few of the men were talking about making him a wish list of other dirtbags." Bennett pointed out, which earned a disgusted sound from Valentina and a quote that Hotch read from the paper, "Someday a real rain will come and wash all the scum off the streets."
"Taxi Driver." Spencer quoted before Valentina pointed out, "This town loves psychopaths."
"Why hasn't he contacted the press yet? I mean, he's got the symbolism and an inflated sense of duty. Shouldn't he be seeking out acclaim?" Lance asked, not being a profiler, but feeling as though he could read something about this guy. Gideon did suggest, "Maybe it's not about acclaim with him. He's on a mission. Maybe it's about the work."
"But the last two cases were a cop killer and a paedophile priest, those cases were very high profile." Valentina pointed out, seeing as how this unsub should have known about the publicity he'd get. "He's getting more confident. He's growing into his role as the city's judge and executioner."
"I'll check the press archives for controversial acquittals. Maybe we can target the victim before the unsub. Have the police waiting on him." JJ offered just before Elle had walked in with her phone. She had recorded some stuff and informed, "Guys, listen to what came off the tip hotline, it goes on for half an hour."
"I got a tip. Let the guy be."
"How come the NYPD wants to catch this guy? Are you jealous he's doing the job better than you?"
Elle stopped it since they could all get the gist of what the public thought of this guy. Valentina let out a breath before pointing out the horrid truth, "This guy's a hero. This is the exact same thing that happened with the Goetz New York subway shooting in the early 80s."
"How do you know that?" Gideon spoke with disbelief. All Valentina did was point at Spencer, which only shocked Gideon more. "You weren't even born."
"I read a lot." Spencer defended himself just as Morgan had gotten back to the station. He had gone out on a coffee run for everyone, but he had also gotten a call from Garcia with some pretty important news. When he got to the conference room, he not only handed everyone their coffee, but informed, "Garcia called me. She ran the names of the five victims and there's no overlap in arresting officers, public defenders, or district attorney, but they were all processed at the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse."
"Do you have any idea how many cases-" Hotch began with disbelief, but Morgan had already gone through this, "A hundred and twenty-two thousand nine hundred and ninety-eight cases a year."
"We'll check it out. Maybe there's someone with a history of erratic behavior who worked in the building. Crime groupies. Security guard that fits the profile. Get with JJ. See what you can make of her case list." Gideon spoke to Morgan, Lance, and Elle, who were right on it.
The remaining members, Spencer, Valentina, Hotch, and Gideon had gone down to the courthouse to see if anyone around may have noticed the unsub's behavior in anyone they work with.
As they were walking up to the courthouse, Hotch had asked Gideon, "Has it ever crossed your mind to take justice in your own hands?"
"What's this about? The boys in Iowa?" Gideon questioned. Both Spencer and Valentina shared a look of confusion, unaware of what this was about. In all fairness, they haven't known their superiors as long as Gideon and Hotch have known each other, but they were curious about this. "It's just a question."
"I guess I think if I ever let my mind go there, then the unsubs would be getting into my head instead of me getting into theirs. That wouldn't be a good idea, now would it?"
Hotch had split the team up. Valentina and Spencer were going to talk with an attorney while Hotch and Gideon were about to speak with another. This attorney that Valentina and Spencer were talking to, however, had already gone through this. "The cops have already been down here asking their questions."
"We just want to give you a description, he might sound familiar to you. He's quiet, his body language would give the impression that he's seen too much." Valentina began, but there was a contradiction to that that the attorney pointed out, "Work in this building long enough, we all get that way."
"He's small and meticulous. You probably wouldn't notice him at first, but when you do, you'd realize he's heard everything around him." Valentina elaborated, Spencer doing the same, "He might have had a personal brush with crime. When it happened, he talked about it all the time, but now you realize he hasn't mentioned it in quite a while and when the subject of the vigilante comes up, he expresses his support, but it's not something he would bring up in conversation himself."
"Well, if people are being honest with you, that's most of the people in this building. How old are you two, by the way?" The topic changed quite quickly, but it wasn't too big of a deal, so they answered, "I'm twenty-three. He's twenty-four."
"I'll give you both six years. That point, a tiny part of your brain will be asking if what this guy's doing isn't the right way to go." Since they hadn't really gotten much from this guy, they only thanked him and went back out to the lobby. It was where they were going to meet Gideon and Hotch. Gideon was already out with a newspaper in his hands, but Hotch wasn't quite yet. Upon seeing the two doctors, Gideon asked, "Anything?"
"Nothing. You?"
"No." There was some silence between the three of them, Gideon still looking through the newspaper. Since they were still curious, Valentina nudged Spencer's arm and motioned to Gideon. Spencer simply shook his head and nodded to Gideon. This went on for a few more seconds before Spencer blurted out, "What happened in Iowa?"
Gideon finally looked up from his newspaper. "It was one of the first cases Hotch and I worked together. Small town, two boys had been murdered, same signature. Profile led us to the local 4-H leader. We went to interview him, the guy, he was suicidal. He had a shotgun, our guns were drawn, and at some point, he turns the shotgun on Hotch, but instead of firing, Hotch talks him down. The guy surrenders."
"Sounds like pretty good work."
"At the trial, the guy's wife gave him an alibi for both murders. Small town, they all knew each other, jurors believed her. Eventually they got him when he killed another boy." Valentina's eyebrows raised, not expecting that kind of hurtful outcome, but that was also when Hotch had joined the rest of them, so they kept it quiet. "Any luck?"
Gideon only handed him the newspaper that was in his hand. The headline read 'Street Justice.' That's not what this unsub was doing. "This guy's not doing us any favours."
"His access is unbelievable. He's practically scooping us."
Just like a reporter.
•☽.⭒✻════◅∘≼↜.◦◦.↝≽∘▻════✻⭒.☾•
Turns out the BAU had actually brought in a reporter, a crime reporter. They had the notion that this particular unsub would want to go to the press to get his fame, but he hadn't yet, which would make sense if he is the press.
Gideon and Hotch had conducted an interview with him to determine whether he was the unsub or not. Their conclusion was that he was innocent. All this reporter was doing was spreading the ideals that killing is perfectly fine as long as the victim is a bad person. This is not the case. Killing is never the right answer.
Momentarily after that interview, a man, Will Skyes, a security guard, had walked right into the police station, having killed an undercover officer, and turned himself in. This was incredibly uncharacteristic for the unsub.
Lance and Valentina were conducting the questioning and he had already admitted to all of the murders and he fit the profile well. Valentina wanted to know, "What were you doing in the park"
"It's full of animals. Muggers, scum, drug dealers. I knew one of them would try to prey on me." Will expressed, but Lance wasn't having it. "That's not your usual method. You target them, you don't let them target you."
"I made that point. Now I'm making this one. If you hunt us on the street, you will die the way you lived." Will was spreading this disgusting propaganda which made Valentina quite literally roll her eyes. She crossed her arms in front of her chest as she asked, "So, why are you turning yourself in?"
"I can't change this city without help. People need to be inspired. They need to see me. They need to hear my voice." Will explained. Lance and Valentina shared a look between the two. They knew this man was lying, he didn't commit these murders. They just needed to confirm it. "Can you tell us about the cab driver?"
"He was a thug and a wife beater."
"And the priest?" Valentina questioned, him responding, "What's to know? He preyed on young boys. He got what he deserved."
"Thank you for your time." Lance spoke just as him and Valentina went to leave. They joined Spencer, Morgan, Elle, and JJ out in the other room where they could still see Will behind the two-way glass. As soon as they got out there, JJ asked them, "Why is he confessing to murders he didn't commit?"
"He has narcissistic delusions. He wants his fifteen minutes of fame." Valentina explained before Elle jumped in, "He went to the park hoping that somebody would mess with him."
"Well, he definitely killed the undercover cop, but no one else." Lance confirmed, which left more than a few questions, "So where does that leave us?"
"We know our unsub has a heightened sense of right and wrong. If he knew that he inspired a would-be vigilante to murder an undercover cop, he might feel remorse." Spencer pointed out, which made Lance wonder, "JJ, do you think you could mend fences with that reporter?"
"If I play to his ego, yeah."
"Then we might be able to draw the unsub out." Valentina agreed, having the exact same idea as Lance.
This branch of the BAU went back out into the bullpen where their superior officers were and Bennett. They all gathered around a television where the funeral of the undercover cop was being broadcasted. JJ had taken a few moments so she could call the reporter. "Wagner said this morning that the cop's blood is all over the vigilante's hands."
"Well, I called him and explained that the unsub might feel a need to be there, physically mourn for what he caused." JJ began as she joined the rest. "If that articles lures him, Wagner gets to claim he caught a murderer, it's the ultimate scoop."
"Will they even know how to spot him?" Bennett asked, but Gideon reassured, "I briefed your men. If the unsub's there, he'll be alone, out of place, not speaking to anyone else, probably not even making eye contact. Hopefully, he'll panic, draw attention to himself."
"You know, I can never get that sound out of my head, those bagpipes. It wakes me in the middle of the night. If there was any justice, cop killers would have to hear it for an eternity." Bennett expressed.
Hotch had suddenly gotten a call from Morgan, but kept it to himself. It wasn't until a few seconds in that he purposefully caught the attention of the two doctors and motioned for them to follow him. The trio just stepped outside of the station where they followed Hotch out to one of the cars and got inside. He put Morgan on speaker as he informed to really everyone, "Morgan, I got Reid and Valentina with me. We're heading down to the courthouse, what is it?"
"There's something weird going on. I'm here trying to get transcripts from the victims' original trials. I thought maybe there could have been a disturbance at the courthouse, or maybe the unsub even made himself known. You know what I mean? But here's the thing. There are no records available yet from the cabbie's trial. The clerk told me that your average court reporter is three to six months behind in transcribing his notes. Look, I want to let you guys get to it, I'm gonna see if I can find anything else. Just get to the courthouse."
With that, Morgan had hung up the phone and let the three of them brainstorm. Hotch trusted Valentina and Spencer with figuring things out and wasn't too sure what this could lead to, so he was hoping their brilliant minds could get there before they all got to the courthouse. "So, this means that anyone who knows the details of the case had to have been in the courtroom."
"Well, court reporters take their work home with them. They get paid overtime to take their notes in court and finish transcribing them at night." Valentina threw out the idea before Spencer had realized something as well, "You know what Bennett said about not being able to get the sound of bagpipes out of her head? Maybe that's why the unsub is stabbing ears. Killers often harm their victims in ways that they themselves have been harmed."
"A court reporter quite literally just sits there day in, day out, transcribing. They're the definition of faceless cog in the machine. What if the voices didn't stop when he left the courtroom?" Valentina and Spencer's minds were really going, which was exactly why Hotch brought them. They can feed off each others' ideas very well.
"The witness at the church said that the unsub was doing a piano-like motion. He could have been transcribing." Spencer pointed out, which got them quite far. Hotch was pretty impressed that they were able to come to that conclusion so quickly, so he complimented, "Nice work, you two."
"Nice work, nicer ass is what people say about us." Valentina joked, but Spencer disagreed. "No one says that."
"I do. You got a nice caboose, Reid, no need to be ashamed of it."
"Please just call Garcia." Hotch ordered. He really didn't mind the fact that Spencer and Valentina joke around since they get work done well and quickly. However, he could see well that there was something more between these two. Truth be told, every single member of the BAU could see it and they didn't even need to use their profiling talents.
Valentina dialled Garcia and put her on speaker. "Garcia, we need the name of the court stenographer in each of the victim's original trials."
"Same one every time. Marvin Doyle." Garcia responded as they heard clicking from the other side of the phone. Hotch then ordered, "Crosscheck him against crime records. See if he was ever the victim of a violent crime."
"No, not him. His parents were killed in an attempted robbery, '04."
"That's his stressor. Is he still working?" Hotch questioned, Garcia immediately getting the address, "100 Centre, Courtroom 103."
They were quite lucky that they were able to get to the courtroom shortly after. They rushed right in and went straight to the room Garcia told them to. They marched right through the doors, ignoring the fact that there was a hearing going on, but they did stay discreet. Hotch had asked one of the security guards if the court reporter was Marvin Doyle, but he had apparently called in sick. Doyle had seen them yesterday, so he got out while he still could.
The BAU had then gone over to Marvin Doyle's home in hopes that that's where he would be. They couldn't be certain, but they were right on his tail. With the BAU and Lance standing outside of Doyle's apartment, Gideon banged on the door. He yelled out to the man, but there was no answer. With that, they got Morgan to kick down the door. They all quickly moved into the apartment with their guns ready, but it was all clear. Now that they were safe, they were able to look around. Valentina took note of the foam and tinfoil on the windows. "Doyle soundproofed the entire place. He's trying to keep the voices out."
"He ripped the speakers out of the television and the radio. And here is a life insurance check for two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. It's two years old. He didn't cash it." Elle found, which Gideon pointed out, "Won't accept blood money."
They were all looking around and finding proof quite quickly, which wasn't shocking because Doyle wasn't trying to hide it. Hotch pointed out, "Here's a box full of flint knives. There's got to be a hundred of them."
"Guys, come take a look at this." Lance called out from another room. They all followed his voice and gathered where him and Morgan were. There were boxes and boxes stacked on top of each other. Morgan handed Gideon the machine they found as Lance explained, "It's a stenography machine, but look at the keys. They're all worn out."
"It's like he was trying to transcribe the voices in his head, but couldn't keep up." Valentina observed, Elle quickly making another observation, "It looks like hieroglyphics."
"It's called steno. It's basically a phonetic series of syllables. No court reporter takes notes the same way, so no one can translate them but the reporter himself." Spencer explained before Lance added, "So he's getting paid overtime to study potential victims."
"He knows we're on to him. He's racing us now."
"Someone in these boxes is targeted to die. We need to get inside his head and figure out who, so we can stop him. Let's go. Start fishing." Hotch ordered as he grabbed one of the boxes. Everyone else did the same thing and got cozy. Morgan did have a concern, "You know, this is a lot of boxes, how are we supposed to narrow it down?"
"Check and see if it ended in acquittal. If it didn't, toss it aside. It has to be a capital case. He's escalating. The more brutal the better." Hotch informed as they all began to rifle through the hundreds of files. Elle did suggest, "Why not go by most recent?"
"Judging by his elaborate filing system, Doyle obviously has obsessive compulsive disorder. People with OCD often finish tasks and then go back to the beginning to start over." Spencer explained with somehow all the knowledge in the world. Valentina translated into a more case-relevant way, "He continually goes through the transcripts and the first one that triggers him would become his next victim."
"Here's one. This is a liquor store owner who was shot with his own gun." Lance explained, hoping that this could be a possibility, but Valentina knew one part of this for certain. "Did the defendant testify?"
"No."
"Try to stick with the ones where the accused took the stand. This is personal, he hears their voices." Hotch added on, him having the exact same thought process as Valentina, but Gideon did have more to say, "Doyle's victims all claimed to be a type of victim themselves. First two threw themselves on the mercy of the court, pleading alcohol and drug dependency. The priest said he was a victim, victim of recent hysteria."
"Look for key phrases. Victim, mercy, anything that signifies they thought their crime wasn't their fault." Hotch began just before Spencer had found a case that may actually work well, "I think I might have one, guys. Ted Elmore. He shot and killed both of his parents after claiming self defence for years of physical abuse."
"Doyle lost his parents, so hearing someone get away with killing their own would haunt him." Valentina solidified the guess, which gave Gideon all the ammunition he needed to get a hold of Ted. Turns out that his wife had answered instead. Whilst Gideon was talking to her, they had heard gunshots, which was not a good sign.
The BAU got a hold of Bennett and got her and the other officers down to the address of the Elmore's. It didn't take long for the BAU to join them, but once they got there, that entire section of the road had been closed off by police.
"He's in there. Fourth floor. I have snipers up high. If they get a clean shot, they have my order to take it." Detective Bennett informed as the agents all gathered. Gideon looked over to Valentina, who he believed was perfect for this. "Valentina, I think you can talk him out."
"What? I can't talk a killer out of killing somebody." Valentina doubted herself, feeling the pressure, but Gideon was confident in her. "Barnes, with your ability to read people and manipulate behavior, you could be the next Charles Manson or Marilyn Monroe. Believe me, you can talk him out of it."
"I'll go with her." Lance offered, to which Gideon nodded his head. The two of them were sent up into the building. They tried to get to the fourth floor as quickly as possible. They wasted no time in breaking down the door and rushing inside. They both had their guns pointed right at Doyle, who had Elmore with a gun to his head. "I'll kill him."
"Then you wouldn't get to hear the truth. If he tells the truth, the voices will stop, right?" Valentina spoke in a calm voice. Doyle was still fidgety and switching, but he was able to stutter out, "They always lie."
"If you let us interrogate him, we can get you the truth. We're with the FBI." Doyle still wasn't reacting, he still had the gun to Elmore's head. Valentina proceeded to slowly put her gun back in her holster as she reassured, "I'm putting my gun away, okay? We'll do this together. Now, Ted. Tell him the truth."
"They hurt me."
"If he dies, they'll go away." Doyle spoke with a shakey voice, preparing to shoot the man, but Valentina was quick to jump in. Lance was actually kind of shocked with how well she was handling this. "Doyle, do you really think they won't come back? Waverly, Iowa, 1999. A man kills two boys, only to walk away free and kill another one."
"Stop." Doyle begged, but Valentina kept going, "Haskins, Georgia. Last year. Three white guys kill a black teenager, just because. Four witnesses see it, the jury finds them not guilty, just because."
"Shut up!"
"You can't kill fast enough to keep up with injustice." Valentina explained as Doyle started breathing deeper. "I'm so tired."
"I know. Listen to me, just give me the gun, Doyle, and I promise you, I will give you a place to rest. I promise." Doyle was very hesitant, but Valentina expected that. She knelt down and held her hand out, which got Doyle to actually act. He moved forward to hand her the gun, but because of the way he was holding it, it appeared as if he was going to attack Valentina. One of the snipers shot right through the window and killed Doyle. Blood splattered on Valentina's clothes and face, which caught her off guard along with the two Elmore's.
Officers made their way up to that apartment so that they could get the Elmore's out and deal with Doyle's body. Lance and Valentina had gone back down to the ground floor where they regrouped with the BAU, but Valentina didn't say a word. She walked right past all of her co-workers, complete silence.
Valentina knows that she's good at this job and she gets to help people. Hotch has complimented her on her efforts multiple times. However, every time she tries to talk someone down, they end up dead. Valentina can be anybody she wants to be because she can change her natural and instinctive behavior. Valentina can tell exactly what type of person someone is simply by their blinking patterns, but coincidentally, every time she needs to talk someone down, they end up dead.
It's hard to not take that personally.
❝ 𝐢 𝐨𝐛𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐲. 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐥 𝐢𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐧𝐭. ❞
- 𝒈𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒉𝒊
❘ ❙ ❚ ❚ ❙ ❘
a/n
you guys have no idea how excited i am to write the next chapter