Shadow Of Hearts (Emily Prentiss X OC)

Chapter 29: In The Abyss

The drive back to the BAU was filled with quiet contemplation. Morgan focused on the road while Emily turned the silver pendant over in her hands, lost in thought. The small piece of evidence might be their first real break in the case, but there were still too many unanswered questions.

As they pulled into the underground parking lot, Emily's phone buzzed. It was a text from Echo: *How's it going?*

A small smile tugged at Emily's lips as she quickly typed a reply. *Found something interesting. We'll debrief soon.*

Morgan noticed the smile and shot her a knowing look. "Echo checking in?"

Emily gave a noncommittal shrug. "Just team coordination," she replied, though the warmth in her voice betrayed a bit more.

Morgan chuckled as they stepped out of the SUV. "You know, if there's anything going on, you can talk to me, right?"

Emily paused, considering her words carefully. "It's... new," she finally admitted. "I'm still figuring it out."

"Hey, no pressure," Morgan said, his tone supportive. "Just know I've got your back, no matter what."

Emily appreciated his words, and with a nod, they headed inside, ready to share their findings with the rest of the team.

---

The briefing room was filled with the low hum of conversation as the team reconvened. Reid and JJ were at the board, having updated it with new information about the victims, while Rossi and Echo discussed possible motives in hushed tones. Hotch stood by the window, deep in thought, but looked up as Emily and Morgan entered.

"Everyone, let's get started," Hotch said, bringing the room to order. "What did you find?"

Emily placed the pendant on the table. "We found this near the first crime scene. It wasn't logged by the original investigators, so it might have been missed. It's a small silver pendant, tarnished and slightly damaged. We're thinking it could belong to either the unsub or one of the victims."

Reid leaned in for a closer look. "Interesting. If it belongs to the unsub, it could be a clue to their identity. If it belongs to a victim, it could mean the unsub is taking trophies, which might help us understand his psychology."

Echo's eyes flickered to Emily, their brief exchange of glances filled with unspoken communication. "If he's taking trophies, it means he's reliving the kill, which makes him more dangerous," Echo said, her voice steady. "It also means he's likely to strike again soon. We're running out of time."

"Agreed," Hotch said, his tone grim. "Garcia, can you cross-check the pendant against missing persons reports, or any similar items found in other cases?"

Garcia nodded enthusiastically. "On it, boss. I'll have something for you ASAP."

"Good. Morgan, Prentiss, go back to the other crime scenes and see if anything else was missed. Rossi, Echo, keep working on the profile. Reid, JJ, dig deeper into the victims' backgrounds. There's got to be something connecting them."

The team dispersed with a renewed sense of urgency, each of them diving into their tasks. Emily felt a familiar rush of determination as she and Morgan headed back out. The clock was ticking, and they needed to find something-anything-that would lead them to the killer before he could claim another life.

---

By the time evening rolled around, the team was exhausted but no closer to a breakthrough. The pendant had yielded no immediate connections, and the crime scenes remained frustratingly devoid of new evidence. Emily's frustration was mirrored by the others as they gathered once again to regroup.