The bullpen is empty. The only light on the floor is coming from my office. I notice that as I refill my coffee for the second time this evening. The truth is that I don't have a ton of work to do, but I prefer to get whatever it is done now, rather than leave it for last minute and rush it; This job is stressful enough already for me to be rushing through reports while working on a new case.
I place the cup on my desk and take my jacket off before sitting in my chair. I loosen my tie and undo the first couple of buttons of my shirt to help myself relax a bit. I pick up the first file from the pile and grab a pen.
But, before I can get into the first report, my phone starts ringing.
"Hotchner" I answer
"Hello, Agent Hotchner. This is Chief Glynn from Louisiana PD. You contacted us a few years ago abou a series of similar murders in Louisiana, but the bodies stopped after the third victim..." he reminds me
"The Black Widow case, I remember" I reply
"There has been another one" he sighs
"It's been 10 years since the initial murders, Chief Glynn. Are you certain this is connected?" I wonder
"Positive. Male victim, early 30's, he was stabbed repeatedly -37 times to be exact-, his genitals were mutilated, and he was found in a bath of bleach in his own bathroom" he informs me, pointing out the MO that matches the previous killings.
"And the signature?" I ask
"The knife was found plunged into the victims forehead" he confirms
"I see. Could you send over all the details of the new victim so me and my team can have a look?"
"Yes, of course"
"Thank you. And I'll send a couple of Agents there to take a closer look tomorrow"
"That would be great. Thank you, Agent. I'm sending you the files right now".
I put the file I originally grabbed back to the pile and open my laptop. I bring up the original case files about the Louisiana's Black Widow and print them out, along with the new ones the Detective just forwarded to me. It doesn't take me long to confirm that the MO matches perfectly, especially the details that were never published.
•••
Early in the morning, I walk in the conference room, joining the rest of the team so we can start the briefing.
"Good morning. Thank you for coming in earlier than usual" I say as I make my way to the screen, besides Garcia.
Each person grabs a tablet from the center of the table while Garcia starts the presentation.
"Jeremy Dale, 32, was found dead in a bathtub two nights ago in his home in Louisiana. He was stabbed 37 times, and was then put in the bath that was filled with a mix of water and bleach. Additionally, the murder weapon was found stabbed into his forehead. According to Louisiana PD, the victim died three nights before he was found. A friend with keys to his place found hum, after Jeremy didn't contact him the days prior" she explains.
"Only one victim?" Prentiss questions
"The knife in the head reminds me of something..." Dave mentions
"That's right" I speak up, "10 years ago, a series of similar murders accord in Louisiana. 3 men, ages 25 to 42, were found dead in baths of bleach after being stabbed repeatedly in the abdominal and genital area. 1 was in his house, 2 of them were in hotels. In all three cases, the murder weapon was left in each victim's head -into their forehead to be exact" I explain as I pull up the old files
"Louisiana's Black Widow" Morgan remembers, "Could this be a copy cat?" he assumes
"The bleach bath detail was never published. Additionally, it was known that the victims had a single wound on the head, but it wasn't mentioned that the murder weapon was left there" I inform them.
"One thing is for sure; this lady hates men..." JJ mentions as she takes a closer look at the crime scene photos
"Someone wronged her, disappointed her, or hurt her" Dave adds.
"Stabbing someone over 30 times takes time, and penetrating a knife through the skull requires strength and probably rage. It is also messy. How weren't there any witnesses, especially in the hotels?" Reid asks
"There were witnesses but no statements were consistent. And cameras from the first hotel show a redhead coming out of one victims room, but in the second hotel it was a blonde. Her face was never caught by any of them and her clothing makes it hard to identify a body type" I answer
"That, in addition to the bleach baths, I'd say she knows how to cover her tracks well" JJ points out, "Could she be law enforcement?"
"It's unlikely. Only a handful of people worked on this case, and everyone's whereabouts were known during the initial case. The three murders took place within the span of two weeks and then stopped. It case has been 9 years since the case went cold".
"10 years is a long cooling off period for such an angry unsub" Dave mentions
"If it is the same unsub, something provoked her to start killing again. She could be starting another spree" Prentiss suggests
"That's what I'm afraid of" I reply, "But we should cover all our bases either way. Garcia, search VICAP for homicides with similar MO outside in New Orleans. JJ, track down relatives of the first three victims and call them for an interview at the local station. Reid, go through the old case files and see if there's anything we missed. Morgan, start from scratch on victimology. Prentiss and Dave, visit the most recent crime scene. Me and JJ will interview the family members when we land in Louisiana" I assign everyone before we end the briefing.
"Wheels up in 30".
YOU ARE READING
Mastermind || Aaron Hotchner
FanfictionA homicide in Louisiana makes the BAU revisit a series of old murders in the area that follow the same MO. And soon they discover that the case is much bigger than they originally thought. During the investigation, Agent Hotchner comes in contact wi...
