Mágoa // Spencer Reid

Chapter 38

"I remember what you used to be like, I don't know who you are now." 

Samantha King

Maria stiffened slightly before turning to the man who had appeared by her side, he leaned down to her cheek and gently kissed it before whispering in her ear.

"Is this guy bothering you?" she shook her head slowly.

"Julio, this is Spencer Reid. Spencer Reid this is Julio Lopez." Maria began introducing the two, Julio quickly jumped in adding, "I'm Naomi's boyfriend." Maria rolled her eyes,

"Julio, Spencer was a friend of mine from school back in Virginia." Spencer's jaw tightened and Julio tightened his arm around you.

"So Naomi, I take it things have taken a bad turn since school, for you that is." Spencer started, Julio took a step forward, Naomi quickly grabbed his arm holding him back.

"What is that supposed to mean beanpole?" Julio said his jaw clenching, Maria stepped in between the two.

"Julio babe, why don't you go and get the car. I'll be out in a minute," She reached up to his ear and whispered, "as you can see someone needs putting in their place, I have wanted to do this since high school." Julio smirked before pecking Maria on the cheek, she winked at him as he walked away.

"So that's your type now huh?" Spencer mocked, Maria wanted to slap the smug look off his face but she didn't want to be charged for assault or anything like that.

"I don't know where this cocky asshole came from, but it sure as shit is helping me to stop missing you. Goodbye Reid." she said as she turned on her heel and walked away flipping him the bird for a few seconds as she left. 

Maria left Spencer stood gobsmacked in the middle of the corridor, he couldn't believe that she would date someone like Julio, the name seemed oddly familiar to him. And then it hit him, Julio Lopez is one of the most notorious violent criminals in Chicago. Spencer suddenly felt a wave of worry, Maria didn't look pleased to see him, maybe things have gone wrong while she was undercover. He called Garcia to see if she could hack the undercover branch in Chicago to find out more about Maria's situation.

Maria made her way outside to Julio, she felt sick. How long had he been following her? What if he heard her using her real name. What if he knows, and he is going to kill her right now as she gets into his car. Every single part of her was screaming 'run in the opposite direction' but she ignored it and went outside to the car, she slid in the passenger seat.

"Hey so when did we become official?" she joked at Julio, knowing full well he already has a girlfriend, he let out a low chuckle.

"So you're telling me you don't remember our anniversary, I'm hurt Naomi." She let out a laugh, "what was that guy's deal?" Maria shrugged her shoulders and picked at a loose thread on the bottom of her top.

"I dunno, I think in school he had a thing for me, but I'm not the same person as I was then. Too much has changed." He nodded accepting her answer and she let out a sigh of relief.

"Are we going back now?" she asked and he nodded, she sat back in her seat. Seeing Spencer again had her feeling a thousand different things, but she was just fine alone. She didn't need him, she was doing this alone, and she was perfectly fine with that. On the way to the airport Julio apologised for following her and told her she could always talk to him because his aunt had schizophrenia so he understands how she feels.

Maria and Julio were back in Chicago later that evening, they made their way back to the usual bar. As they walked in there was a weird feeling in the air, like some sort of tension. The two picked up on it immediately, they exchanged a look. As they got to the main room, they found everyone stood around in a cluster, Julio pushed his way to the front and Maria followed. On the floor laid face down was Eddie, there was a pool of blood around him. From the looks of it, he was stabbed multiple times in the back. 

Nobody said a word as Julio fell to the floor next to one of his closest friends. Maria offered him a hand and took him into another room to get him some sugary water for the shock, she sat down and stayed with him for a few moments before returning to the brutal crime scene.

"h-has anyone, touched him? Do we call the cops?" She asked quietly, the answer to both questions was no. "if we aren't calling the cops, may I look at the body?" no one answered her for a moment.

"You can." Julio answered as he shuffled back into the room, "I want to see what else these bastards did to him." Maria paused for a moment before reaching forward and gently rolling Eddie onto his back.Maria was drawn to his neck, there was a lot of bruising indicating that he was killed by strangulation, there was also a rag stuffed in his mouth. The MO seemed familiar to Maria, and then it hit her. John Wayne Gacy, stabbed his first victim to death and then after that he killed his victims by strangulation or asphyxiation, he also cuffed his victims or tied their arms behind their backs. Remembering this Maria looked at Eddie's wrists which were also bruised as if they had been tied up by something. Just from looking at this brutal crime Maria believed that Eddie was killed by a Gacy copycat.

That night she contacted her team and told them of the murder and how no one called it in, but that it looked like a copy cat from first glance. The only response she had from Mariano was "gang members are killed all of the time." which didn't particularly help Maria.