Son of a sinner

15 - Normal

"You were born a child of light's wonderful secret- you return to the beauty you have always been."
― Aberjhani

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"This is Orange County, California." Jordan spoke, "10 days ago, Judy Hannity, a real estate broker, and a mother, Was shotgunned on the 91 freeway."

"She survived this?" Emily questioned looking at a picture of the highly damaged car.

"Barely." Jordan confirmed "She's paralyzed from the waist down. The second and third victims were both d.o.a.m. There were different vehicles for each shooting. A small black SUV, a black sedan, a white sedan, no makes, no plates."

"No solid witnesses?" Derek asked her.

"The first victim described the shooter as a normal, middle-aged white guy in an SUV."

"She gave that description but she couldn't remember anything else?" Hotch questioned.

"Isn't that consistent with trauma?" Jordan asked.

"Uh, actually, no." Emily denied "Trauma victims either remember everything or nothing." She explained.

"So wait--the third victim was shot last week, we just got the phone call today?" Spencer asked.

"Until the third shooting, the locals weren't convinced it was a serial shooter." Jordan explained, "There were different cars, and in the first shooting there was a different weapon."

"It's the same weapon," Rossi said setting the photos down.

"The shot pattern on the second and third one are much wider, though," Spencer noted.

"He sawed off the shotgun." Rossi stated, "It's the same shooter He's evolving, and quickly."

"The media has already dubbed him the road warrior," Jordan informed the team.

"That explains why they wanted us there so quickly," Emily said.

"What do you mean?"

"This type of unsub is the hardest to catch." Derek spoke "Totally impersonal victims. A third of the crime scene flees with him and his vehicle. The victim's car's a wreck. And the last third, the road, is contaminated by all the other cars that drive over it."

"So how do we get him?" Jordan asked.

"We build a solid profile." Hotch stated "We release it to the public with an appeal for help. Somebody knows this guy."

"And it's my job to make them realize."

˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗

"Thea Salinas, sheriff's county homicide." The dark-haired woman introduced herself "I'm running the task force."

"I'm special agent Jordan Todd, special agents Rossi, Hotchner, Prentiss... Volk Morgan... And that's Dr. Spencer Reid." She introduced the team.

"Are these the vehicles from the shooting?" Hotch asked.

"Yes."

"Did you set up the hotline?" Jordan inquired.

"Like you asked." Thea affirmed "We have the local stations putting the number out there. We're getting about a dozen calls an hour."

"I'll alert the media to stand by for our press conference." Jordan said, "Excuse me."

"The sheriff's department and the CHP are on tac alert." Thea said "We've got choppers on round-the-clock freeway patrol. The victims' vehicles, with maps, csps, and bullet points.
Everything we got on the case is in this room." She explained.

"Anything solid on the tip line?" Rossi questioned.

"Usual nutjobs, crime buffs, bored senior citizens," They told him.

"You might have got everything squared away."

"It's not me. It's the shooter." Thea said "The o.c.has an endless supply of 3 things-- Freeways, news coverage, and blond female luxury car owners."

"People are pretty scared?" Spencer said.

They looked at him "I could ask for a submarine and get it." she remarked.

˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗

"The first m.o.in the first shooting differs dramatically from the other two." Hotch commented looking at the pictures of the victims "Daylight on a crowded freeway. That's dozens of potential witnesses."

"It's high-risk. He got lucky."

"Well, he's a fast study then." Soren remarked "Sawed off the shotgun and lowered his risk by switching to nights and changing vehicles." he said.

"What if he wasn't planning on murder the first time?" Emily suggested.

"You think the first shooting was spontaneous?" Derek asked.

"Well, we know what he's capable of when he plans," Emily said.

"If I'm not planning to commit a crime, why not drive my vehicle?" Hotch spoke.

"So the SUV is his actual car."

"But then, why did he have a gun in the SUV if he wasn't planning to commit murder?" Emily pondered.

"And what happened to make him pull that first trigger?" Derek added.

"We need to re-interview the first victim," Hotch instructed.