Heurism | Spencer Reid¹

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT: THE AFTERMATH

TW// Discussions of r*pe

—

"Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of overcoming it."

     — Helen Keller.

—

It's dark out. In a bid to get our paperwork done, we hang back in the office, gathered around the table in the kitchen. Elle has started on a new pot of coffee and I'm idly chewing on some Skittles. Having given me what can only be described as puppy-dog eyes when I first opened the pack, Reid now has his own little bowl poured out for him. He picks out all of the yellow ones with surgical precision and leaves them in a pile in front of me. Just as he finishes purging his bowl of the offending flavour, Gideon appears in the doorway. "Doesn't anybody ever go home?"

"You're here," Elle points out, glancing over her shoulder at him as she pours out the coffees.

"Exactly," he says as he opens the fridge to retrieve a water bottle. "Trust me, you don't want to model your social life on mine."

"Because that was something we were at risk of doing." I return his sharp look with a wink. He steals a handful of Skittles from my bowl.

Arriving with a file tucked in one arm, JJ chuckles when she sees my affronted expression. "If it makes you feel any better, Hotch and Morgan took off."

Reid removes the last yellow Skittle from his stash and tosses a purple one into his mouth, speaking as he chews, "Hotch is married and Morgan's... you know, Morgan."

Gideon sees the file JJ sets down on the table. Frowning, he picks it up. "What's this?"

"Police in Dayton, Ohio need our help with a serial rapist."

This immediately catches Elle's attention and she joins us. "What's the story?"

"Three months ago he raped five students at a small Bible college. Roughly an attack a week, then suddenly, nothing. Until nine days ago when he suddenly reappeared with a whole new victim pattern." Having set out photos of each victim, he now hands two others to Gideon. By the look on his face, it's a drastic change. She continues, "Both those women are in their 30s. They were raped about five days apart."

"Where have the new attacks taken place?"

"Opposite ends of the city. He was waiting for them when they got home."

As I happen to glance up, I catch sight of a strange look on Elle's face. It's gone just as quickly. She clears her throat and takes a sip of coffee. "How do we know it's the same guy?"

JJ's lips purse together in distaste before she says, "He leaves voicemails for them."

"Freezing them with fear before they even see him," Reid notes.

I consider the unusual signature. "So he does his homework on them, has some kind of records. If he does that, he must have some kind of criteria, a reason why he picks them."

"They don't recognise the voice?"

At Gideon's question, she shrugs. "No. Cops even have DNA, but it's just not in the system."

"Why does someone attacking college students suddenly widen his net?"

"Serial rapists hardly ever change victimology once it's established," says Reid. "It's based on a fantasy that's very specific."

"Maybe he's telling these women that no one's safe." Seeing Elle's distant expression, I look to Reid. He has noticed too. A slight crease forms between his brows but he says nothing.