Mo Grá| Derek Morgan

chapter two

"Welcome, crime fighters!" Garcia exclaimed with her usual enthusiasm, immediately distributing the case files as I stepped into the conference room. I smiled warmly, "Thank you!"

"You are heading to rainy Seattle," Garcia continued, her fingers dancing over the remote control something she had named, though I couldn't remember it at this moment.

"Two families were killed within two days of each other—both brutally murdered." Her voice turned serious as horrific images flickered onto the screen, revealing the grim reality of the situation. She wasn't exaggerating.

"First was the Santiago family: Father Bill, Mother Lorraine, and their children, Sally and Michael," Garcia said, placing the remote down and taking her seat.

"The children were wrapped in their blankets," Reid noted, lifting his gaze to meet ours, his expression grave.

"Could this be a sign of remorse?" I inquired, flipping through the pictures on the tablet Garcia had provided. "Or perhaps the children symbolize something more?" I continued, my mind racing.

"The second family was the Ricos," Garcia added, and as she clicked through, the images that appeared were even more disturbing than the last.

"He seems more confident in this one. The children are still wrapped in their blankets, but the blankets are looser than in the first case," Rossi observed, and we all nodded in acknowledgment.

"He must know the first family," Emily interjected, her voice steady and analytical.

"He is escalating, and another family could be in danger," Hotch stated firmly, rising from his seat and closing his tablet case. "Wheels up in thirty." With that, he strode out of the room.

I remained frozen, the gravity of the murders weighing heavily on my mind. "Are you okay?" Derek asked, concern etching his features.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine—just a little shocked," I replied, pushing myself up from the chair and making my way to the coffee maker, in desperate need of caffeine.

"You know there's coffee on the jet," Reid reminded me as I turned around.

"I know, but this is just better," I replied with a smile before stepping out. We piled into two sleek black SUVs—Rossi at the helm of one with Hotch, while Reid, Morgan, Emily, and I shared the other.

As we drove toward the jet, anticipation coursed through me. Once aboard, we scattered across the cabin, Emily and I choosing seats toward the back while Reid, Hotch, Rossi, and Morgan settled in the middle.

"Alright, everyone. Let's talk about the first family," Hotch directed as Emily and I approached, tablets in hand.

"Bill was 45, Lorraine was 42, and the twins were only 10," I read from the information Garcia had sent us.

"Family means something to this unsub," Reid added, glancing around at the group.

"It's more about the children that drive him," Emily observed thoughtfully. "Why wrap the children but not the parents? Children symbolize innocence in life," she concluded.

"He didn't bring the murder weapon with him; he used a knife he found in the kitchen," I noted, showing them the picture on my screen before looking back up.

"This indicates he's smart enough not to bring something that could leave a print," Rossi commented, rubbing his head in contemplation. "The same goes for the Rico family too," I continued.

"He used a belt from the father's closet. It shows he isn't afraid to deviate from a specific weapon," Morgan remarked.

"When we land, Rossi will head to the first crime scene. Reid and Prentiss will go to the second, Morgan and Sloan, you'll go to the ME, and I'll set up at the station," Hotch assigned us, his voice authoritative.