Heurism | Spencer Reid¹

CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX: TALENT

"The life of the dead is placed in the memory of the living."

     — Cicero.

—

With the information we need, we meet up in the bullpen again to discuss the case. "So we dug up everything on the first two victims," Hotch begins, pacing at the head of the room, "and basically, these girls were good students who stayed out of trouble."

"Just like Sandra Davis."

"And we found something else. They both liked to sing — one in church and one in a band. Their parents said that this was their passion."

"Just like Sandra Davis," Morgan repeats.

Prentiss is stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows that allow sunlight to flood into the dull space. At the revelation, her eyes light up. "African-American girls between the ages of 15 and 17 who like to sing? That's a pretty specific type. Sounds like the same UnSub to me. And the fact that they all sing, that could be part of his MO. Maybe part of a ruse."

The door is thrown open and Officer Cale comes striding in, a look of growing worry on his face. "We found another girl missing. Naomi Date, 16 years old."

I wince. "Damnit. When?"

"Last night."

"And we're just finding out about it now."

Seeing the frustration start to build, Hotch jumps in, "The first victims weren't found for a couple of days. There's a chance she's still alive."

"Let's get to the profile before it's too late."

—

So, the officers and detectives gather, and we begin. "The suspect we're looking for is a Black male," Hotch starts us off, "statistically between the ages of 20 and 35. We know he's Black because of his victims. Sexually motivated killers almost always kill within their own race."

"The victims he's chosen are good girls. They're good students, no behavioural problems. They're what we call low-risk," Morgan says.

"And the lower the risk of the victim, the higher the intelligence of the UnSub."

At Prentiss's words, Gideon paces further into the middle of the room, his gaze set on our audience. "This guy's a smooth talker. Makes people feel at ease, gains their confidence. You'd be amazed what these guys can talk people into."

I take a sip of coffee before I begin. "Sandra Davis was a sweet, soft-spoken, intelligent girl. When she found out her younger sister had chipped away the paint so she could sneak out of the bedroom window, she chastised her and repeatedly told her to stop. But on the night she went missing, she herself used that window to get out."

Now it's Reid's turn. As he speaks, my mind goes back to the night before, to what could've been if I just built up the courage. I practically have to pinch myself just to stay focused. "Jeffrey Dahmer was once pulled over by police officers for driving over the centre line. He had a garbage bag full of body parts in the back seat of his car. But he was so calm and so self-assured that he convinced the officers not to look in the bag. He then went on to kill at least 15 more people."

"This guy's a hustler. He may not have a lot of education, but he knows how to trick impressionable young girls. Victor Paleologus used to trawl shopping malls pretending to be a movie producer. He told Kristi Johnson he could get her an audition for a James Bond movie, and that was the last time she was ever seen alive. We think because all these girls are singers, that the UnSub may be connected in some way to the recording industry."