Copycat//Criminal Minds FanFic

Effect

"If you guys hadn't called, we probably wouldn't have found this guy for days," the officer said as she led the BAU up to the house. "Mr Blake was a hermit. He didn't have any friends or family that we know of. No one would have checked on him, and the only reason we did is because you gave us his name. When we came to check in, the door was ajar and we found him in the bedroom. We called a doctor and he said it looked like he had died of a heart attack. It's a good thing you gave us the details of the killer, or we would have just written it off." She opened the door and made way for the team.

Reid removed his sunglasses and surveyed the room. Unlike the Silvano killings, there appeared to have been a struggle. Furniture was overturned and objects were laying on the floor as if they had been thrown in defence. The TV was still on and blaring some game show. A TV dinner sat on the coffee table.

"The dinner was still warm when we arrived. We must have just missed the guy," the officer sighed as she shook her head.

She led them back to the bedroom. Roger Blake lay on his bed. A trickle of blood ran from his nose, like the Silvano victims. Reid bent down and looked under the bed. The scuff marks were there.

"I've got to go take care of some paperwork. Take as much time as you need." The officer nodded her head in a farewell and left.

"It's the same as one of Silvano's murders besides the struggle. I'm guessing this guy doesn't have a helping hand," Morgan commented.

"But he was strong enough to subdue Roger Blake." Hotch motioned to the sixty-two-year-old man lying on the bed. He may have been old, but he didn't look weak.

"Let's find the next clue and get out of here. Who knows how much time we have until the next victim appears," Rossi said as he began his search.

Reid looked over and saw Prentiss still standing in the doorway. She was looking a little sick. "Emily, would you and JJ mind looking in the living room? If there was a struggle, the unsub might have left something there," he said.

She nodded, sending him a thank you with her eyes.

Reid turned back to the task at hand. He started looking near the door. He hadn't been looking long when Rossi said he found something. He held up a book with a baseball hat attached to it.

"It's my book," Rossi said with a pained look on his face. "I don't think we need to worry about it. He's already copying killers."

"What about the hat?" Hotch asked.

"It's a kid's baseball cap." Rossi detached it from the book and showed them.

"Oh, man," Morgan said as he crossed his arms and looked at the ceiling. "Jeffery Charles."

Rossi looked at Morgan questioningly.

"He was a twelve year old kid on one of our cases," Morgan said.

"Was he killed?"

"Actually, he was the killer. He would lead elementary school kids into the woods then bludgeon them to death with a baseball bat," Reid answered.

"I'll tell the police to call the local schools," Hotch said as he exited the room.

"This unsub is copying all of the killers that have affected us personally in some way. Gideon, if he was here, with Frank. Prentiss with Silvano."

"Me with Jeffery," Morgan admitted.

"He's doing fine just being a copycat for me." Rossi looked back at his book, probably remembering Zoe.

"We need to find this guy before he can hurt a kid," Morgan asserted.

"Unfortunately, we have no idea which school district he's going to strike in. It could be in a different town," Reid mentioned.

Morgan looked at his watch. "Most schools around here are getting off in twenty minutes. If this guy is going to copy Jeffery, he needs to pick a school near some woods, and he's going to need to get a kid right after school."

"We could split up," Rossi offered. "I'm sure Hotch and the girls would be up for that if we had a chance of saving a kid."

Reid agreed and it didn't take much to convince the others. They found three elementary schools within a reasonable distance and in close proximity to woods, and quickly went on their ways. JJ and Prentiss to the closest, Reid and Hotch to the farthest, and Morgan and Rossi to the last one.

____________________________________

Now?

No, you have to wait for the most opportune moments.

Why kids?

You need to get into their heads. If you can control them, you can make them leave you alone. You can escape from them.

I don't know about thi-

There! That one. She's perfect.

____________________________________

Reid watched intently as the children poured out of the building. None of them were going off by themselves. There were a couple of small walking groups, but the majority were picked up by parents or school buses.

"Do you see anything?" Hotch asked.

"No, you?"

"No. I think we're in the wrong place."

They waited until the last child had left, then called Morgan.

"Did you guys see anything?" Hotch questioned.

"No," Morgan said through the speaker phone. "Have you guys heard from JJ and Prentiss?"

"Not yet," Hotch said just as his phone beeped with an incoming call. "I'll call you back in a minute. I have another call."

"Okay." Morgan disconnected his line and Hotch pressed a button on his phone, revealing JJ's voice.

"-ep trying, Prentiss. I called the paramedics. They're on their way."

"JJ? What's wrong?" Hotch was already starting the car.

"He got one. A little girl. Prentiss and I heard screaming from the woods and we followed it. It's just like the Jeffery case. He used a baseball bat. I think we're too late." JJ's voice cracked at the end of the sentence.

"We're on our way, JJ. I'll call Morgan. Be careful. If it just happened the unsub could still be nearby." Hotch didn't wait for a reply before hanging up and speed dialling Morgan. "Reid, could you handle this call? I don't feel like driving and talking."

Reid gladly took the phone, flipping off the speaker. He didn't like Hotch driving like this with one hand, either. "Morgan, JJ and Prentiss found a girl... yeah... We'll meet you there." Reid shut the phone and clutched his bag as Hotch careened around another corner. I hope we get there in time.

What's going to happen?!?! Is the girl going to die? Will JJ and Prentiss be attacked? Who is this copycat killer going to copy next? And who will it effect? I can't wait to find out!

Believe me, I'll probably be as surprised as you're going to be! ;)