UNDER REVISION Silence in the Scars (A Criminal Minds Story)

Chapter 5: A New Body, A New Victim

Outside the sheriff station the sun was slowly sinking below the horizon. The brick walls were soaked in the orange glow. Inside the station, the officers were gathered in front of the FBI profilers.

"This UNSUB, or unknown subject, we are looking for is going to be a white male in his early twenties," Hotch said.

"And while he is going to be highly intelligent and methodical, he's not going to stand out in a crowd or be memorable," Morgan said. "He'll fit in with the type of people these girls hand out with and it's possible that they knew and interacted with him before they were killed."

"This UNSUB stalks his victims, probably for a couple of days before he abducts them," Rossi said. "Which means that he has a job with flexible work hours."

"And the victimology has been consistent," Reid said.

"Victim- what?" An officer with the name tag Vasquez asked.

"Victimology. It's the study of the victims that the UNSUB murders in orders to profile the personality of the UNSUB," Reid rattled off. "To understand why the he chose these girls we need to look at what they have in common."

"And so far the victims have all been blonde haired, blue eyed young women," Prentiss said.

"This UNSUB is not going to be caught by accident," Rossi said. "We profiled him as having a narcissistic personality. That's part of what is giving him the confidence to keep killing and to feel like he is going to get away with it."

"This type of serial killer doesn't stop killing and the decrease in between the abductions and murder suggest that he is devolving," Reid said.

"Which means that the UNSUB is going to keep killing until we catch him," Hotch said.

~

After giving the police the profile and going over the evidence until they had talked themselves in circles, the BAU team headed back to their hotel. Their hotel, The Hill Lake Pleasant Inn, was a few blocks from the police station and it was anything but pleasant. Outside, the brown paint was peeling and flaking off. The handful of shutters that were still on the building were broken and one was hanging off the window frame. Inside, it wasn't much better. The sight of moth eaten green curtains and thick dusty carpet greeted the BAU team as they stepped inside. The smell of garlic and onions mixed with the musty odor that every old rundown building seemed to acquire.

Trying hard not to look outwardly disgusted, Hotch lead the team up to the front desk. A teen with acne and a bored expression sat at the desk listening to an iPod. His nametag read Tom Maynard and he didn't seem to realize that there were people waiting to check in.

Hotch cleared his throat loudly. "Excuse me," he said. Tom didn't hear them. The music was blaring loud enough for the entire team to make out the lyrics. Morgan, who was tired and wanted to go to bed, leaned over the counted and yanked the earbuds out of Tom's ears.

"What the hell?" Tom said, He glared at them.

"We'd like to go to our room now." Morgan said with a tight smile.

Tom's glare quelled under the fierce stare from Morgan. "I.D's?" He asked. They showed him their badges and Tom dug out three keys from under the desk, handing them to Hotch.

"Three?" Reid asked. He shifted on the balls of his feet, adjusting the strap on his messenger bag.

"Some of the rooms are being fumigated," Tom said with a shrug before jamming his earbuds back in his ear.

"Wonderful." Prentiss said in a tone that suggested in quite the opposite.

"Looks like we're going to have to share," Hotch said. He handed one of the keys to JJ, the second key to Morgan, and kept the third for himself. "Everyone get a some sleep and be ready early tomorrow." He ordered before he and Rossi headed off to their room and the two girls went off to their room, leaving Reid and Morgan standing awkwardly in the dingy lobby with Tom.