[✓] 𝐶𝐼𝑁𝐷𝐸𝑅 | 𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐑 𝐑𝐄𝐈𝐃

𝟐 | 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃 | 𝟐/𝟐

— 𝒞 —

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐄 𝐒𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐄𝐃 𝐀𝐒 she walked down the alleyway, catching sight of the two bodies sprawled close to a dumpster with crime scene markers all around them.

The first woman was laid on her side in front of the dumpster, and a pool of blood had dried onto the cement underneath her. The second woman had fallen face-first into a pile of trash. And between them was the newspaper from that morning that had been about the Mill Creek Killer, weighed down by the first woman's arm.

"Two victims at once, that's a first for him," Spencer commented as they stepped past the CSI photographer, a cup of coffee in hand. "Do you think he went out looking to kill more than one woman or is it just happenstance?"

"Well, he chose a different hunting ground," replied Hotch, his hands tucked into his pockets. "Yes, we're in an alley, but we're behind an expensive hotel in a nice neighbourhood. You get a different class of prostitute; ones that don't walk the street alone."

"He was looking for a challenge," agreed Charlie.

"The question is: What gave him the confidence to stray out of his comfort zone?" Hotch turned toward one of the CSI officers as he grabbed the newspaper and called, "Make sure to run that for prints."

"Yes, sir."

"He displayed the newspaper between them," Charlie pointed out, folding her arms over her blue blouse. "He took the time when he could've just tossed it aside."

"It's deliberate," Hotch agreed; "he wants us to know he's angry."

"Angry enough to change his MO," Spencer realized.

— 𝒮 —

JJ sighed as she secured the newest crime scene photo onto the board. "Too bad we couldn't trace any prints from the newspaper."

Spencer continued to fiddle with the remote in his hand, though his attention turned to her as she asked:

"What have you got?"

Spencer pressed the button on the remote so that the Hollow Man's letter projected onto the projector screen.

"He only sent this to an individual, which shows he's not confident enough to initiate contact with the masses," Spencer began before glancing down at the remote and pressing another button to enlarge the letter. "Emotional indicators are analyzed through slants." He took a couple of steps forward and gestured to the writing. "The shooter maintains vertical, narrow-lettered writing, both signs of repression. And the pressure, if you look closely, is excessively heavy, which shows that he's uptight and can easily overreact."

JJ raised her eyebrows as she sat on the edge of the table, an amused smile on her face. "You got all that from his handwriting?"

"Graphology's an effective and reliable indicator of personality and behaviour."

JJ shrugged. "My writing's always different."

"That's because it symbolizes your emotions at that given time," Spencer clarified, taking a step toward her. "Just like your facial expressions parallel the way you're feeling when you're speaking."

JJ squinted her eyes. "I'm surprised this guy writes in cursive. His message is so clear, I would've thought he'd print everything."

"Actually," Spencer said, turning away from the screen and to JJ, "his connected writing shows that he deals with problems in a practical and direct manner."

"Like shooting someone."

He nodded. "Exactly."

His attention drew upwards as a knock came on the door, and Charlie poked her head in.