To Solve

Chapter 42: A higher Power

"Three months ago, a fire in the Shadyside Rec Center killed 14 children."

Parker and the others hadn't even sat down when JJ had already put the newspaper article from that time on the table and started.

"I remember that."

"What does that have to do with us?"

"Well, over the past three months, there's been five suicides. All of them lost a child in the fire," reported JJ. "The last one was Paul Baleman. He was found electrocuted in his bathtub yesterday. I received a request for our help."

JJ put her notes on the table and Spencer pushed the notepad closer to her.

"Why do they need our help?" Derek wanted to know. "They're suicides."

"All of the suicides were within two weeks of each other. "It could be some kind of pattern," Spencer pointed out.

"Detective Ronnie Baleman, Pittsburgh P.D., thinks that something's going on."

"Well, of course he does," Derek commented and Parker rolled his eyes.

"Why do you say that?"

"He's related to that man, right?" asked Rossi.

"His brother," JJ confirmed.

"A cop who doesn't believe his brother committed suicide. Come on, next case," said Derek.

The profiler turned to leave the room, but Emily stopped him.

"Well, now wait a second. Five suicides in the same neighborhood within months? That's a serious spike."

"Suicides don't spike after a tragedy."

"Quite the opposite, actually," Spencer confirmed. "Following World War I and II, right after Kennedy was shot, and following 9/11, suicides plummeted. Within a society, external threats usually create group integrations."

"People come together."

"So, if there's reason for doubt, which there obviously is, don't those families left behind have a right to know?"

"Yes, they do."

"Okay, sure they deserve to know, but let someone else tell them. Like Social Services."

Parker put her thumb and forefinger on her nose and exhaled in annoyance.

"So, you want Social Services to catch the killer?"

Before Derek could reply, Rossi turned away from the window.

"Contact Detective Baleman. Let him know we're coming."

~~

"There is no refuge from confession but suicide, and suicide is confession."

Daniel Webster.

"Hotch would never have taken this case. And I say 'case' in the loosest sense," said Derek.

Parker opened his mouth to say something but decided against it.

They already made their opinion about Derek's comments clear.

And besides, Parker was sure that Hotch would think the same way as most of the others on the team.

But he was happy about today. Rossi hadn't said why, but you could guess that Hotch wanted to talk to Jack.