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chapter three - "That is the million-dollar question Spence,"
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Juniper sat at her desk her head throbbing staring at the paperwork in front of her. Rubbing her eye's before keeping them shut and laying her head down on her desk. Groaning as the harsh fluorescent lights only made it worse.
"Still have that headache?" Spencer asked quietly knowing it would probably just make it worse.
Groaning in response, slowly nodding her head. "Did you know that more than 90% of people that get effected with migraines it interferes with education, career or ─" She quickly placed her finger to his mouth, cutting him off. "Finish that statistic and I will beat you over the head with your board." He nodded his head before turning back to the board. Just as Gideon jogged down the small set of stairs making his way over to the two geniuses. Moving a piece on the board, "Check. Checkmate in three moves." He informed before walking off again.
"What..." He muttered looking down as a small chuckle came from the bawl of a human next to him.
"You know you'll beat him when you start learning." Morgan said suddenly, throwing his paper to the side.
"Learning what?"
"To think outside the box." He replied, turning back to his computer.
"Question for you." Elle stated walking down the same steps.
"Shoot."
"The Footpath Killer, why did he stutter?"
"Come on, Elle, we've all asked him, and he won't say. He wants us to figure it out." Morgan asked as she walked up to her desk which was next to Juniper's. "Okay. I'm up for a challenge."
"Good, because these go to you. Special Agent Jennifer Jareau, JJ if you like." JJ introduced as Juniper's head popped up after waiting on her for what seemed like hours. "Please tell me you have them," The blonde chuckled before reaching into her pocket and placing and small extra strength Tylenol bottle. "I better not get a call from Hotch saying you had to get your stomach pumped."
"You won't," She said, throwing the two pills into her mouth, grabbing the large cold coffee to chase them down.
"Better?" Spencer asked, leaning towards her. "Ask me in-"She grabbed the bottle but gave up reading it, "-you'll know once I stop threatening you."
"BAU Team, can you meet me in the conference room, please? I need to show you something." Hotchner ordered as everyone quickly stood up and filled into the conference room. The video was from the Phoenix office, Bradshaw College in Tempe. Six fires in seven months with the last few fires being recorded. The most recent being recorded showing the two most recent victims being burned alive as they were stuck in their dorm room.
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"There are two common stressors for a serial arsonist." Reid started on while setting up a chess board. "Loss of job," Elle stated as Juniper finished the other stressor, "Loss of love." She raised a brow at the irony that just came from her.
"When was the first fire set?" Morgan asked looking up from his laptop.
"March. Uh, the next one was in May. And the third one wasn't till September, then two weeks later there were three in one night." Hotch explained flipping through the file in hand.
"He's speeding up. Fires are closer together."
"Hey, Reid, you got a statistic on arsonists?"
"82% are white males between 17 and 27." Reid stated looking towards Juniper who laid her head on the table. "Female arsonists are far less likely, their motive typically being revenge."
"Sounds like our boy's a student." Morgan pointed out while Hotch looked back from the two.
"Don't be so sure." Gideon protested from the corner. "You rely too much on precedent, you never allow for the unexpected. If he went from setting one fire to three in two weeks' time..." He trailed off waiting for someone to finish his sentence. "Rapid escalation." Which Hotch did so. "He's gone from the power to damage a building to something far more satisfying. The power over life and death. Who we talking to first?"
"Dean of students, Ellen Turner."
Reid tapped lightly on Hall's hand, she looked up as he gestured to the chessboard. "It might help take your mind off the pain?" She smiled at the suggestion, pulling her hair up in a messy ponytail before crossing her legs and sitting upright. "I think you might be right"
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"No badges." Gideon declared as everyone pilled out of the black SUV. "I don't want to satisfy the unsub's need for attention by letting him know he got the FBI here. Try not to look official." Looking back to see Hotch, Morgan, and Elle looking exactly how FBI agents do. "Try to look less official. Like Juniper," Gideon stated before walking off. The young doctor looked down at herself. "Yeah, dress like me, if you want the unsub to think he's in an 80's coming of age film."
Hotch shook his head as they walked to meet with the Dean. "Obviously, I'd rather be meeting you under different circumstances. This is fire inspector Zhang." She introduced pointing towards a man in a blue shirt besides them. "This morning the chemistry department reported several bottles of highly flammable chemicals missing." He explained as everyone followed behind him.
"I'm prepared to evacuate this campus."
"That brings with it its own problems."
"You might evacuate the arsonist as well." Gideon explained as Elle added how the case would go unsolved and when the campus reopens the fires will start back up.
"Wait, Hotch, Gideon, hold a second. You said the chemicals were missing today. It says here that one of the previous fires was set with diesel full that disappeared from the grounds keeping facility. How long after it disappeared was the fire set?" Morgan questioned as everyone turned to the dean, "One day." she said making the two doctor's look at each other knowing this was gunna be a stressful case.
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Both doctors walked into the burned crime scene while Hotch stood in the doorway. "Door was locked."
"Matthew Rowland and his roommate watched as the doorknob turned against the lock." Spencer said crossing his arms. "But the unsub couldn't get in. So pouring the accelerant into the room from the hallway would be the more likely how." Juniper thought a loud, "Which means he couldn't see the fire." Hotch said what she was thinking.
"But he could hear Matthew Rowland screaming."
"Yeah, but for like a few seconds then he would have to hall ass, to not be spotted." She said twisting her ring. "It doesn't make sense," Hotch said joining the two inside.
"Unless," She started, turning towards Reid, "Pyromania?" His brows frowned as she already knew what was about to say, "And yes I know it's a myth but just go with me on this."
"What's pyromania?"
"Pyromania as a mental disorder may just be a simple myth, but we do know from precedent that serial arsonists derive pleasure from pathological fire-setting." He explained looking between Hotch and Juniper as they nodded along, "Sex and power." Hotch added signaling that he understood it.
"Right, but a serial arsonist wouldn't just set a fire and walk away. He needs to experience it." She thought a loud swiping her thumb across her bottom lip.
"So why would he set a fire he couldn't watch?"
"That is the million-dollar question Spence,"
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"They turned the water off just before the fire. " The fire inspector informed while opening a box showing blacken charred objects. "The last three were set with these. Two devices, simultaneous ignition."
"There was no device used on Matthew Rowland. Unsub set that one manually?" Gideon asked standing up and walking to the table as he nodded. "He wanted to be there to enjoy the kid's death." Morgan added making a small shiver run down Juniper's spine at the thought.
"Not necessarily,"
"Well, if the target was Matthew Rowland, then why set the other two fires?" Elle asked staring down at the devices.
"Motives for arson are relatively simple. There's vandalism, crime concealment, political statement, profit..." Both doctors listed off giving each other the same look when they did that. "And revenge," Hotch added as they both nodded.
"We interviewed Matthew Rowland's roommate. He said Matthew was very well-liked. No reason for revenge."
"What about vandalism?"
"No, the fires are too sophisticated, and if he's trying to make a political statement, he's not being too clear about it." Elle dustproofed.
"There's an underlying strategy in this case. Matthew, firefighters, injured victims. To the unsub, they're not people. They're..." Gideon trailed off not knowing the right word, "They're objects." Hotch added, "More like, uh..."
"Chess pieces," Reid spoke as Gideon looked up knowing that was what he was talking about. "Exactly," He said tossing the devices back into the box.
Gideon had ordered Juniper, Elle, and Spencer to the main room trying to find anything else out about the piece. "The timer sets the road flare, which then lights the chemical mixture inside the canister. Simple." Elle said holding a coffee mug in one hand.
"Yet sophisticated in its simplicity." Juniper added in a confusion not liking the fact that every time she tried to think of an answer on what type of mental state this person could be in it only made her headache more.
"I mean, there's a meticulous construction to it." Spencer added studying the fried piece in the box.
"So chemical accelerant could mean chemistry student." Dr. Hall suggested leaning her elbows on the table. "Or chemistry professor." Reid added getting an annoyed look, "Not helping,"
"I say student." Elle spoke up getting the two's attention. "You need self-confidence to lecture in front of a classroom full of thirty college kids. Arsonists are socially incompetent. This guy, he doesn't go on dates. He doesn't go to parties. He doesn't feel comfortable in front of groups." The two doctors looked up at her as it could apply to both of them. "And of course, he's a total psychopath."
"Of course."
"Right," The pale brunette muttered turning back to piece that was now in Reid's hand. The two studied it as awkward silence filled the room. The fire alarm caught their attention it was faint. Dropping everything and running towards it. Arriving just as the first responders arrived, seeing Gideon and Morgan stumbling down from the stairs.
"He might be here watching." Hotch said coming up from behind the two doctors. "Elle. Take pictures -- as many as you can."
"You got it." She replied pulling out her camera from her pocket.
Juniper looked over at Morgan and Gideon both nodding their heads before she started to look around. Pushing her sunglasses up her nose bridge, she had them on previously as the lights started to mess with her head. Looking at ever and anybody she could, girl, guy, everyone in between it didn't matter. She just wanted this case to be with over with, so she could go home and shove her head under a pillow in a dark room. But getting no such luck.
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The professor in the fire died and now the dean was talking about closing the school. Sat around a table looking at the different photos that Elle had took. The pale doctors' eyes started to burn and itch as she had been starring at the same group of photos. It was like everything she knew about behavior had left her head and instead replaced with a heavy pounding.
"We've been at this all night, and we've got nothin'. Look at these expressions." Morgan declared holding up a photo to a very tried Hotch and Hall. "Show me another photo and I will shove it down your throat." She quickly threated, opening her eyes as she realized what she just said. "Sorry, I get mean when I'm tried."
He nodded giving her a small smile before going on, "We got fear, a touch of horror, even a little bit of panic. Where's the guy gettn' off?"
"When asked about his motives, Peter Dinsdale said, I am devoted to fire. Fire is my master."
Morgan sighed walking across the room, "Okay, so who was our boy's master? 10,000 plus students..." He trailed off lighting a lighter before turning back to everyone. "And one has a serious fascination with fire."
"Fire starting is one third of the homicidal triad... and early predictor of adult disassociative criminal behavior. If we looked in his childhood, we'd probably find all three." Elle started to list off all three as Juniper's head poked up glancing around before Hotch nudged her coffee closer to her. Giving a small thanks before drinking it.
"Absent or abusive father, trouble with the opposite sex, chronic low self-esteem-M.O. would be dynamic. Evolving. As the fire setting escalates they thrive on panic, fear. It's just the standard profile of a serial arsonist." Gideon rambled off, pacing lightly around the room.
"Based on hundreds of interviews."
"Based on precedent."
"Everything the unsub should be, according to research."
"According to research." Juniper repeated keeping her head down on the table as everyone looked at her. "Profiles are just rough drafts they aren't going to be right to the finally detail. Because humans are ever evolving creatures that are constantly changing." It was clear just how tired she was by her rambling. "We're off the mark." Hotch clarified someone understanding what she was getting at. Juni's hand came up and pointing at him as if agreeing that's what she meant.
"Because of two missing elements."
"Sex and power--the two motives that drive a serial arsonist." Morgan added to Gideons sentence.
"And without 'em, we do not have a profile." Gideon as everyone in the room silently agreed. That was infact the missing puzzle pieces.
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It was now much later in the night and Hotch took the two doctors down the chemistry lab. Ried was memorized by all the toys he could look at and fidget with. While Juniper was chugging her third coffee of the day, "After this you can go to sleep." Hotch told her as she smiled at the thought of sleeping the pounding headache.
"Reid," Hotch said moving closer towards him, "Since you're more their age, why don't you do the talking?"
Reid nervously looked at him, glancing back at the small class, looking back seeing that Hotch was already walking towards the front of the room. "You got this." She reassured him giving his forearm a small squeeze before stepping over towards Hotch.
He nodded, clearing his throat before speaking. "Hi-Hi, guys. Uh, my name's, uh, Dr. Spencer Reid. I'm a, uh, agent with the--the bau, the behavioral analysis unit of the FBI, which, um, it used to be called the BSU, the behavioral science unit, but not anymore. They changed it to the BAU."
"He's rambling," She whispered towards Hotch, who nodded slightly. Everyone knew that Spencer rambled statics are facts when he was nevours.
"Um, it's part of the NCAVC, the national center for the analysis of violent crime. Which is also part of this thing called the CTRG, the critical incident response group, and--"
"What he's trying to say is we'd love to know how you can help us." Hotch informed cutting Reid's rumbling.
A boy closed his notebook before standing up, "May I, please?" He asked gusting towards the light bulb in Reid's hands. He handing to him, 'Thank you. See this?" He told the holding the bulb up to Hotch, the fire inspector, and the two doctors. "Drill a hole in the side, fill it with gasoline or whatever's good and flammable. Turn the light on. Boom." Both Doctors raised their brows at each other while Hotch never took his eyes off the student. "That is what went down, didn't it?"
"The stuff's all over the net." One of the girls near the back stated getting all the attention turned to her. Her hand never leaving her other hand, twisting her ring three times before waiting and then twisting it again. "Wanna know how to make a molotov cocktail that sets itself on fire? Potassium, sulfur...and normal sugar. Sugar--sugar, which is--"
"Not exactly plutonium." The male student finished off. From what Juniper noted their body langue told that this was a normal occurrents. Her naming off things in three's and making sure she did it with her fingers was normal. Writing it off as her having some type of OCD but making sure to keep a note of it. "You could get the stuff anywhere."
"Sugar from the supermarket."
"But you don't need to be a chem major to know that." Hotch stated.
"Do you think it's a chem student?" The fire marshal questioned. "You wanna know what I think?" The male student asked pushing off one of the table. "I think..." He held the light blub up to his head, "It would be a good time to take the semester off." He said handing the blub back to Reid.
The three agents said the 'goodbyes' and 'call us if you know anything' routine before ending up in the elevators. One of the students hurried in behind them, standing in one of the corners. Hotch pushed one of the buttons but it didn't light up, the male student reached around and placed a key into the slot and turned it. Pushing the same button making it light. "You need a key to get it movin' after ten."
"You would think they would've told the FBI that." Juniper remarked leaning her head against the back wall of the elevator as Reid stood next to her.
"So what are you still doin' here?" Hotch questioned making the guy chuckle, "I can't leave, we've all got projects. You know how to solve the three body problem?" Both Doctor's nodded their heads going through the problem in their heads. "Computing the mutual gravitational interaction between the earth, sun and moon?"
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"Who the hell is Karen?" Juniper thought a loud after Garic played the message that was sent through the hotline. "Play it again." Gideon asked. "The call came from the office right next to Wallace's five minutes before the fire was started." Morgan explained as Gideon shut his eyes, "Play it again."
'Karen. I do this for Karen.'
"Again, louder."
'Karen. I do this for Karen.'
"What is it?" Hotch asked seeing Gideon was hearing something no one else was. "I'm not sure. Somethin' about it." He asked while his tone matched his words. "Is this tape clean?" Hotch questioned as Juniper shrugged, "Doesn't sound like it, but we know someone that can." She said looking over at Morgan who nodded.
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"What if the unsub is one of the students leaving?" Spencer asked sitting at the base of a large tree. Gideon paced to the side of them while Juniper sat next to him with her sunglasses on. "No, he's not done yet. He's not goin' anywhere. Keep thinkin'."
"You mean, out--outside the box?" He asked making Gideon stop pacing and Juniper pushing her sunglass to the top of her head. "That's what Morgan's always telling me. He says that's why I can never beat you at chess."
"Well, he's probably right."
"Please, Meg can beat Morgan at chess, and she only knows the basics so she could ask out a girl. Once you take his knights out he's a deer in headlights. But what I love to do is winning in three moves that leaves him confused. Makes me all warm and fuzzy on the inside." She remarked glancing over at Reid, making the two scoff.
"But, I mean, in this situation, What exactly is the box?"
"The limit that people think to." She answered, remembering a conversation she had with Meghan once about 'the box'. "The standard profile of a serial arsonist." Gideon corrected trying to make her answer clearer. "If everything you know goes in the box, what's left?"
"What you don't know. The unknown."
"Sometimes you have to get creative. Even if you think it's utterly unlikely, you have to think of things nobody else thought of." He explained further as Spencer's head snapped towards him. "Like a stutter." He suggested referring the Footpath Killer case. "Yeah, exactly." He muttered before continued to pace.
Juniper sighed pulling her sunglasses back down. "You were wrong, sunlight is just making it worse." She stated glancing towards Gideon, the one who suggested she needed some air. Standing up rubbing the side of her head. "I'm getting some coffee and then taking a painkiller."
"When was the last time you--"
"Last night, right before bed." She said cutting Reid off smiling lightly at him. "Thanks for the concern, Spence." She said before walking off leaving him smiling softly to himself.
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"Charown."
"Charown?"
"Who the fuck is Charown?" Juniper muttered walking in after seeing Gideon rushing in. "Charown. I do it because of Charown." He repeated what voice said on the message they had. "It's Hebrew." Both doctors said as Spencer knew what he was talking about while Juniper only knew it had Hebrew origins.
"It's God's burning anger." He explained getting Elle, Hotch, and Morgan's attention. "The motive is now religious?" She questioned.
"Well, you know, in a lot of religions, God is related to fire." Reid informed while Gideon started to write something on the free-standing white board. "Well, Agni is fire in Hinduism, and Jewish people saw God as a pillar of fire, and Christians worship God as a consuming fire." Hotch listed off.
"Ok, so we're lookin' for a theology major. Maybe he's punishing the other students for their sins." Morgan suggested.
"What--What's the most sinful place on campus?" Elle stuttered out as both Morgan and Jun gave her an 'come on' type look. "Come on, Elle. When I was in college, that was everywhere." Morgan told her.
"A fraternity?"
"A campus bar?"
Juniper huffed placing to fingers to the bridge of her nose closing her eyes, "No, cause that's not consistent with the previous victims."
"What about the idea of baptism by fire?" Morgan suggested, "Aren't we all supposed to be tested through fire in revelations?"
Gideon finally stopped franticly writing on the board holding up his hands, clearly overwhelmed with everyone's suggestions. "Look, it's good, it's good, but let's please do not jump to conclusions. Religion might be a part of it. But it's not necessarily the prime compulsion."
"Gideon, rush to conclusions, jump to conclusions. Who cares?" Morgan told him with a frustrated tone. "We are running out of time." Elle added matching his stressed tone.
Juniper eyes shoot open, lighting up with more energy then had ever saw her have during this case. Her hands spread out, each finger slightly waving with excitement. "Compulsion!" Everyone turned towards the brunette, who turned towards Spencer who was looking at the ground before everything started clicking for him. Looking up and meeting her look, her eyebrow raised with excitement as she could tell he was thinking the same thing as her. "Compulsion."
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That night the two doctors were the only ones in the room, the two-sitting side by side both eyes glued to the black and white camcorder video on the first two victims. Having to lean closer and closer with each watch, looking for anything to help their theory.... to actually help them form a theory technically. This was something that they normally did, both picking up on something then spending hours on end to make sure they had enough events to help aid the theory. Not to mention it also helped people think that neither of them were as insane as they would've come off as.
The moment right before the main man on the screen lit on fire, they started talking about seeing someone in the hallway from under their door. And some noise could be heard from the outside of the door.
"There's something in the video. My brain says it's there and it's like punching me in the face and yet, nothing." She huffed out before rubbing her hands over her face, her elbows propped up on the table. Spencer scoffed, leaning back in her chair. Sitting upright and reaching over and handing her, her coffee. "Any of this making sense to you?" She asked.
Not getting an out-right answer, but watching as he stood up and wandered towards the white board. "Outside the box..." He muttered whipping everything off the board besides the word fire, and drawing a large circle around it.
The two looking over at the door hearing it open, seeing Gideon leaned into the room but never leaving the door frame. "Keep thinkin'. It's like chess. Don't look at just the next move. Try to look three moves ahead." He told Spencer before turning towards Juniper, "Stick with everything you know, don't start overthinking everything." And with that he shut the door and left.
Spencer stared at the board for a bit longer before giving in to his tired eyes. Sitting back in the chair and looking up at ceiling.
Juniper pressed her lips together, standing up and pulling his rolling chair towards an empty table. Quicky jumping up on it and crossing her legs as he let out a string of confusion. "Juniper what are you doing?" She sat the two coffee's down besides her, "Sound boarding."
He sighed lightly, the tiniest smile appearing in the corner of his lips. "We aren't college anymore Jun,"
"Obviously! But I know your 'I'm about to throw my brain out the window' look." He chuckled lightly, "So..." She trailed off giving him lead way to ask whatever he wanted. Sound boarding was something that only the two did, a space that either one could say anything without judgement or reason for thinking this way. Rarely Meghan would join them but being Juniper's roommate, she would chime in with her own thoughts. But it helped. It was something that pulled them closer and in result making their friendship stronger.
"What's with the headaches?"
She sighed lightly looking down at her nails and picking them softly. Pressing her lips together before looking back up at him. "My dad is coming to town and wants to have dinner." He let out a small 'ah' nodding his head knowing the whole story about her relationship with her dad. Almost everything about them is a better way to put it. "And I'm going to guess that he left all this in a voicemail?"
Her gaze quickly trailed to table she sat on, feeling a bit shameful for not answering and hating a small bit that he knows her to well. "I've been busy." She prolonged holding out the 'I' for a bit to long. Thinking it through and giving up on the excuse that she had been so use to saying. "I just... I guess theirs still a part of me that wants to have that daughter-father relationship. I mean he's the only family I have left. At the same time theirs still a larger part of myself that wants to just shut him out for no reason. Like everything will magical be better?" She sighed heavily running her hands through her hair. All the while he stayed silent knowing she needed to get everything out. "I don't know, it's like this compulsion or something..."
Her eyes shot up to him, his head tilting slightly seeing her eyes bright knowing that meant she was figuring something out. "Please tell me you're going to fill me in on what's going through your head."
"This entire time we've been thinking strictly that the fire was the compulsion. The only compulsion." She suggested making him think about it for a moment. Seeing his eyes trail the corner moving side to side as he was thinking it through. Resulting in his eyes widening as well and the two crowding around the laptop screen with the paused video.
Letting the video play until they got to the door where the mysterious sound was coming from. Watching it over a few times before Spencer saw it. Zooming it in on the doorknob watching in silences as the knob jerked back and forth three times. With each rewatch to fully understand it was only three times. Heading down towards the professor's office, Juniper wiped some of the soot that was on the plaque revealing it had a large '3' on it. Exchanging the same look before moving to the dorm room from the first fire. Searching through each drawer and flipping through notebooks.
"Professor Wallace." He read aloud making the Hall quickly turn and hurry to his side, leaning over his shoulder seeing the school schedule on the front of a binder in his hands. "Tuesday, three o'clock."
It was now early morning as the two doctors rushed into the small room they were in. Seeing Hotch and Gideon on either desk going through some paperwork. "We know why the profiles never fit." Reid stated earing both agents attentions, closing the door after Juniper walked through it. "You were right the tell Morgan not to rely on precedent. The fires thus far have been completely task oriented."
"So, once they're set, the unsub is done?" Hotch asked looking between the two.
"Yup!" Juniper beamed at their breakthrough, "The unsub isn't our classic serial arsonist. No, no, no, they're someone who uses fire because of a completely different disorder!" Gideon glanced over at Hotch knowing that all this energy was from all the caffeine she had consumed over the case. "Which is?" He asked making both doctors' not miss a beat, "An extreme manifestation of OCD."
"He does everything in threes. And if I'm right, he'll have to kill again." Spencer added.
The two agents silently agreed that they were right and onto something. Praising the two for their good work before going to finishing whatever they needed to. Both exchanging gleeful smiles as Juniper leaned in a bit, "Sound boarding does wonder huh?" She whispered before scrunching up her nose at him and then fully turning away. Missing the small amount of red that flashed his cheeks.
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"There's a form of OCD called scrupulosity." Reid started to explain, "Religious obsession and compulsion." Hotch added simplify it a bit. "An obsessive fear of committing sin, which creates so much anxiety that he's compelled to do something to ease that anxiety. That he's compelled to do something to ease that anxiety."
"Like setting fires."
"Where's the behavioral evidence?" Gideon asked rubbing his eyes before letting them rest on the bridge of his nose.
Juniper smiled turning back to the laptop, "All right here. So, the night of the three fires the doorknob was turning against the lock." She reminded pressing play on the close-up video of the doorknob. "But they aren't trying to get in. I mean it's not frantic enough, plus it's far too slow for anything to happen well the fire is lit. It's a compulsion, they are compelled to turn the knob three times." Sh explained holding up three of her fingers.
'Well, what about the fires?" Gideon asked earning the two doctors' attention. "The first ones were single fires. If the unsub was OCD, shouldn't they have all been in threes?"
"That's the thing Gideon, they were." She told him before letting Spencer take the led since he was the one that found it. "They were in threes. A trinity of threes. The first fire occurred on March third."
"3 p.m., third day, third month." Gideon added resting his hand on his face.
"It's that convergence of threes that causes the overwhelming anxiety. Obsessive compulsives ease the anxiety by performing the compulsion." He finished explaining.
"What about the other fires? Professor Wallage?" Hotch questioned.
"Office number three. I checked for more patterns of threes. His class was on Tuesday."
"Third day of the week."
"Matthew Rowland was in that class. It was his third class of the day. If we looked into each of the fires, we'd find a lot of patterns having to do with threes. Because our minds are incredibly adept at seeking out patterns. But to the unsub, once that pattern hits, BAM--he sets a fire." He explained snapping his fingers at the 'bam' part.
Juniper had been looking down at her hands, her eyes darting back and forth with her brows knitted with confusion. It was the three pattern that was bothering her. For some reason her mind like the answer was right in front of her. Her mind was screaming the answer, but she didn't understand what it was saying. Maybe this is what it's like hearing her and Spencer rambles. Her eyes stopped and were now glued on her three fingers.
And it clicked.
The blonde girl from the chemistery class they had talked to earlier. The one that had to repeat 'sugar' three times and had to count it off on her fingers. Only three of her fingers.
Her wide eyes looked up at Hotch, matching his. Seeing he had already made the same conclusion as she had just done. He had stood up pace ever so lightly as neither Spencer nor Gideon had noticed their interaction.
"But if the target was always people, why did no one die in the first few fires?" Gideon questioned.
"They were failures. Until Matthew Rowland." He answered.
Gideon glanced at Juniper who eyes were wide looking between him and Hotch. Looking over at Hotch, who was now standing up and looking just as concerned, "What is it?"
"I think we know who it might be." He stated looking over at Juniper as Reid quickly looked at her with confusion trying to figure out what the two knew. "And it's not a he. It's a she."
The blonde girls name was Clara Hayes. Gideon was getting the Dean to send her file to them while campus security was sent to look for her. Morgan and Elle were off with a few officers to her apartment which was off the campus.
"When I was talking to her and her classmates, I noticed something--a ring on her finger, And she kept turning it." Hotch explained as Juniper nodded along as she had noticed the same behavior. "At intervals?" Reid asked, "Of three." He answered.
"When she was listed off the ingredients of the light bulb bomb, not only did she have to count off each of the ingredients, which where three, but also sugar." She added as they were all sititng back down in their seats. "The word 'sugar'." Reid muttered. "Exactly, now you're catching up." She teased before taking a drink of her coffee. "She had to repeat it like her body wasn't going to let her stop until she said all three."
"Yeah, it's palilia. It's the involuntary repetition of words. Howard Hughes had it when his OCD worsened." He explained to her as she raised her brows, "I know, I was in the same class." She remarked.
"Clara and her classmates were working on a project about gravitational pull." Hotch informed pulling the two back to the topic. "The three-body problem." Gideon clarified.
+°✮*. · ∘ .
"Moloch was the demon sun god of the Canaanites. In order to keep from incurring his wrath, the people would sacrifice their children to them by burning them alive." Spencer explained to Morgan and Elle over the phone.
"Happy fifth birthday little Timmy, and for your big day Mamma's gunna sacrifice you to a demon sun god, yay!" Juniper joked trying to relieve the heavy tension, getting a look from Hotch that said, 'not the time'.
The faux printed out a paper as Hotch quickly grabbed it reading it a loud, "Sixteen-year-old survives inferno. The mother Ellen Hayes called it a miracle. "My daughter was tested by God. He tested my child and she came through blessed." Look at the house number." Handing the paper to Gideon who had already put his reading glasses on, "333."
She scoffed leaning back in her chair, "The angel number that means you are receiving an angel message of encouragement. This keeps getting better and better, huh?"
The Dean shortly joined the group just getting off the phone, "Security's checking the science building." She told the group looking at Gideon and Reid while Hotch and Hall were on the other side of the table. "Well, where else would she be?" He remarked.
"We need to find the next pattern of threes." Reid stated filling through all different papers from Clara's file.
"Hey, Hotch, we're lookin', man. I don't think she would have left behind a day planner taht says 'set next fire here' written in it." Morgan remarked clearing sounding stressed out. "Keep looking there has to be something there." He told him as Juniper glanced over at him before going back to the file. "I under-- Wait till you see this place... I'll call you back." He said before hanging up. "Welp, Elle found something." She remarked hearing the phone shutting. "How do you think that?" He questioned.
"Because from the sounds of it Morgan is completely freaked out by whatever is there he has to take a break. Usually, after he gets stressed out and he becomes a grumpy toddler." She stated with a stone face seeing a small smile appear on the corner of his lips. "You have thought far to much about this." He shook his head before his phone started to ring again and he answered it.
Going back to paper after paper, printed word after printed word. Normally having to reread something once or twice because the black block words blend together. But her attention quickly got stolen after hearing Hotch order Morgan to get everyone out of the apartment and to steel it off. Which normally meant there was explosive stuff inside.
"We need to send our people into every building and have them start pulling fire alarms. Please, go." He told one of the security officers, but not moving fast enough for him, he ushered them out. "Mead, a map of the campus. We need to find anything and everything having to do with the number three. Where's the blueprint?" She handed him the rolled up tube before going back to the file.
Giving in to her to the returning pounding in her head as her eyes started to fill dry and itchy. Leaning back in her chair and rubbing them sighing as hearing the faint sound of the fire alarms, more and more joined them like a echo ringing throughout the campus. Spencer looked up at her, thinking of anything he could say or do to help her even if it was the smallest thing. "Forty says she suggested the three-body problem."
She smirked, leaning forwards resting her elbows on the table, "I wouldn't doubt it."
"Jason, wait. Wait, wait, wait." Hotch repeated know standing in front of Gideon. "Clara Hayes is very likely a good person. Someone who never wanted to do anyone any harm, like any other rational person. But there's nothing rational about obsessive compulsive disorder."
"Research suggests OCD involves problems in communication. Between the frontal of the brain and the orbital cortex." Reid infromed as the two stood nearby them. "Plus, the deeper structures i,e, the Basal Ganglia." She added standing next to him.
"You can't reason with her because you can't reason with a physiological problem. She's not setting these fires because she wants to, but because she has to."
"What are you trying to say?" Gideon questioned Hotch, with his brows frown and his head tilted.
"Don't try to convince her to stop, because you won't be able to." He stated as Gideon nodded glancing at the two doctors who nodded ever so slightly. Agreeing with Hotch that he wouldn't be able to stop her.
Ten minutes had gone by and still nobody had nothing. Nothing on any fire. Nothing on Clara Hayes. Gideon and Hotch went out to join Morgan and Elle on the search. "I'm still looking." Juniper told Spencer who asked if she had found anything. Juniper was on her laptop searching anything and everything to help them. With Spencer right over her shoulder on the phone with Gideon. "Focus on the girl."
She stretched her neck from side to side before focusing back on the screen. "Okay, I found the stressor. She was flunking out, this was going to be her last semester."
"What else?"
"She was a researcher in the science building." She read aloud. "We know that. They've already cleared the science building." Her eyes widened quickly looking over at Reid who held the phone in his palm. "The third floor is under construction."
"I'm on my way." Gideon told them before hanging up.
+°✮*. · ∘ .
Clara Hayes had shut the elevator off once it hit the third floor, after seeing three of her classmates taking the elevator. Dosing them in gasoline and right before she was about to set them on fire Hotch and Gideon had found her. Not being able to stop her, Hotch shot her in the thigh. Completely stopping her from setting another fire and saving the group in the elevator.
"Yes, yes, yes," Juniper repeated holding her phone between her ear and elbow while her hands held both her bags. "Look, I'm on the plane now and when I get back you can pick me up and we go get some dinner and you can tell me all about her."
"Fine. That actually sounds nice. As long as I get to pick the wine this time!"
She rolled her eyes, setting her bags in the seat next to her before sitting down. "Deal. I'll see you soon."
"Love you, Juni!"
"Love you too," She smiled lightly before hanging up.
Spencer sat in the seat in front of her, "Meg?" She shook her, "When is it not?" She joked making him smile while nodding his head.
"You know, I figured it out. The stutter." Elle announced earning everyone's attention. "You are still on this?" Juniper groaned out before see Gideon looking intrigued, "You know why the footpath killer stuttered?" He asked.
"When you and Hotch were talking earlier, that's when I got it. He said he was just trying to stall Clara." She explained as Gideon just nodded his head muttering a 'right'. "Well, that's it, isn't it? The Footpath killer. You were just trying to stall him. You said, 'I know why you stutter' because you were buying time. You were stalling. But you don't really know why he stuttered."
"I don't?" Gideon proposed.
"I looked it up. No one does." She stated smirking ever so slightly proud of herself.
Both doctors slummed back into their seats, silently looking back at one another before breaking out into a soft laugh. They had gone through the whole stuttered debate, lasting days going back and forth with theories or suggestions on what really happened. Before giving into the thought that Meghan had suggested. The two should just work together, share the same brain. They did, and ending on the same conclusion that was Elle's. It was the first time they had ever done sound boarding. Bring them closer and making a bond that would last.