A Long Way From The Playground

CHAPTER 29

The team and I finally made our way onto the jet and found our seats quickly, just as Aaron told the pilots that we were ready to go again. He returns from the cockpit and reaches into his briefcase, grabbing a file from inside and standing in front of the team, beginning the briefing.

"Guys, let's get started. The Reaper is driven by a need to dominate, control and manipulate." Aaron begins, glancing down at the file.

"So then why would he offer a deal then that would stop him from doing that?" Emily questions.

"Power. To him, it's all about asserting his dominance and control over the detective." I reply, looking around at the team.

"Right, Killing gave him power, but after so many, the payoff began to diminish so he decided to switch tactics." Aaron continued and I nodded, writing down what he was saying.

"Offering Shaunessey the deal gave him maximum power. If you stop hunting me and I'll stop hunting them. It gave The Reaper a sort of hold over the entire precinct and it was enough to hold him over. The deal lasted 10 years but.." I explain, adding onto what Aaron had said.

"The only other person who knew about the deal just died.." Derek murmured.

"Narcissistic killers need their people to recognize their power. Thats why so many of them often contact the media." Dave explains, eyes shifting back and forth between myself and the team.

"So how did he stop for 10 years?" Emily asks and Spencer leans forward, picking a book up off the table and handing it over.

"In Night of The Reaper , the author suggests he had been arrested for an unrelated crime or died. Perhaps he's trying to correct that misconception." Spencer explains.

"But that still doesn't explain what he's been doing all this time, a narcissistic killer like that who craves power and attention doesn't just stop killing and stay quiet. He has to have been doing something to keep him occupied for 10 years." I mention, glancing around the jet at the team.

"He's been planning what he would do if he were to start killing again." Aaron replies.

"So from 1995 to 1998, he shoots, stabs and bludgeons 21 victims. Men and women of all ages and types. There's no specific victimology or motive. How the hell did you build a profile from there?" Derek asks, flipping through the files and I sneak a glance over at Aaron, remembering that he said something about feeling off about the case. I had a sinking feeling in my gut that he went behind everyone's backs at the time and created a profile but held on to it in fear of letting everyone down.

"We didn't. Shaunessy sent us home before we had a chance." Aaron explains looking away from his team and catching my eyeline. I send him a puzzled look but he shakes his head subtly and turns back to the file in his hands.

"BTK, The Zodiac and The Reaper all have similarities. They're all highly intelligent, disciplined, sadistic killers who name themselves in the press." Aaron continues and I twirl my pen in my fingers waiting for a moment to interrupt.

"Well that's not entirely true. Yes they are highly intelligent but Zodiac and Reaper have never been caught and BTK was only arrested after 25 years, and only because he was trying to counter a book that had been published saying that he had either died, been locked up or moved away. He wanted to tell the world 'look at me, i'm still here' who's to say this guy isn't doing the same thing?" I argue and JJ, Derek and Emily give me a weird look.

"What?"

"Nothing, you just sounded like our resident genius." Derek teases and I kick him under the table, snickering as his face twists up in discomfort.