A Spencer Reid Story: Love and Loss

A Spencer Reid Story: Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Blood. So much blood. This is what is necessary. This is what must be done to accomplish the ultimate sacrifice. She had begged. She had pleaded. She had told him she was a good girl. HA. If only she knew that was exactly the reason he had picked her. She was bringing him that much closer to his ultimate goal. To the overall power bestowed on such a servant such as himself to the all mighty Lucifer. “Please! Please just let me go! I promise I won’t tell anyone!” She cried. He took the knife as he scratched her face over and over and over again. She cried out, tears streaming down her face as she struggled against the restraints. Blood mixed with sweat and tears, pouring into the soft ground, inside the triangle that he had carved out earlier. “Shhhhh, be a good girl now.” He took the knife and placed it delicately next to her neck. She whimpered as he began chanting some Latin phrases under his breath. With a sudden slice of movement it was all over. The blood poured from her neck and the color drained from her face. Her brightly colored eyes faded as her spirit left and the sacrifice was complete. He could feel the power and the rage consume him. He felt stronger, more powerful, omnipotent even. Nothing could stop him now. Four left. Four was all he needed to complete the ultimate sacrifice. And he knew exactly who his next sacrifice would be.

Reid sat in the coffee shop. The case was still on-going but he had promised to get the group some coffee and some lunch. He took a few minutes to himself to gather himself and just relax, take a minute to take it all in and breath, analyze over details that he had heard, read, seen. He sat at a two seat table, sipping on warm chamomile tea and looking over the case file of Cassandra. They were running out of time, if they were basing it off of the previous case and they still didn’t have any leads of what step to take next. Garcia had found a few groups that prominently listened to some intense choice of music and dressed in a certain fashion, but none had a criminal record. Reid let out an exasperated sigh as he re-read and read again the factual statements of the report.

“Dr. Reid…”

Spencer looked up upon hearing his name as he met face to face with a tired looking Catherine. She didn’t seem to have gotten much sleep last night. Her brown eyes were puffy and swollen, with dark bags under her eyes. She was clutching a tall hot chocolate that was steaming from the cup in her hand. “Do you mind if I sit?”

“Of course. Please.” He motioned to the empty chair, quickly closing the case record. No matter how close Catherine and Cassandra might be he had to keep the case as secret as he could. The less people knew the better.

“I know you can’t really give me details, but has there been any new updates on Cassandra? My mom is calling me just about every hour on the hour if I have heard anything, and I can’t sleep at night knowing that she’s out there.” She sniffled a bit, taking a sip of hot cocoa. It occurred to Reid that maybe she had a cold.

“We’re doing all we can. Trust me. You’ve got the very best searching for your best friend.”

Ring ring ring.

“Dr. Reid.” Spencer picked up his cell phone, listening in.

Shit.

Catherine studied him as his facial expression fell. They had found Cassandra’s body. He looked up into Catherine and then back into his tea as Hotch spoke to him on the other line about the area it was located.

“Do you need me on the scene?” Spencer asked, trying as much as possible to keep his answers vague so that Catherine wouldn’t catch on. Hotch explained that him and Rossi were scoping it out, but that there were more satanic symbols and that they believed that he was targeting the girls for their pure sense. They had one lead on a guy named Matt Tucket, but he had an air tight alibi. Garcia had dug into his records and he was once arrested on aggravated assault on a girlfriend for her not following in his odd rituals of worship. She left the state after that and he stayed. He also had a connection to the first victim, Sharleen. He had worked at a small diner where her and a group of her friends went to eat. However nothing else more was found. His air tight alibi was he was at his current job as a mechanic, and his coworkers covered that he was there during the time of death. Hotch explained that he needed Reid to come to the scene with him and Rossi, they needed more input on the symbols and perhaps more profiling on the way the body was positioned. Reid agreed and hung up.

“I have to go. I’m needed back on the case.” He spoke the words too soon before he realized what he had said. She caught on immedietly.

“So there’s a lead on Cassandra? What happened? Did they find her? Is she okay?” Catherine’s voice was hopeful, her eyes glimmering with slight light. Reid swallowed hard.

“Catherine…..I-“ he paused, searching for the right words. She was going to find out eventually, might as well find out from the main source. Her face dropped as he struggled to find the words. She knew. She knew right away that they had found her, but not alive. Tears sprung to her eyes.

“Catherine I am so sorry. I’m so sorry. Please, just head back home and lock your doors and stay safe. It will be alright. I promise. I’ll call you as soon as I find out all the details, okay. I’m so sorry.” He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. She surprised him by standing up and hugging him, sobbing into his shoulder. At first he wasn’t sure what to do, but then he could hear the pain in her sobs. He wrapped his arms around her tighter and held her close. He stroked her soft curly hair, noticing briefly how it smelled of strawberries. People were staring and he had to get back on the case. “I have to go now. I’m so sorry. Would you like me to drop you off back at your apartment?”

“No that’s alright. I rode my bike. I’ll have to go home now and tell my mom.” She wiped away tears from her eyes, taking a shaky sip of her hot cocoa. He nodded his understanding and made his way to the door. He waved his hand as he opened the door, the ding chiming. Thank heavens the rain had stopped and it finally seemed like the weakly rainy weather would finally let up. Night was beginning to fall though, and it was getting unusually cold.