New Hope

Chapter Four

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Morge
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Reid and Zoraida stand on one side of the currently occupied autopsy table while the M.E. and Emily observe from the other.

"The eyeball is held in the socket by six different muscles, fatty tissue, and the optic nerves. These are pictures of John O'Heron's eye sockets." The M.E. -a surprisingly beautiful lady for someone with such a creepy job- holds up extremely close up pictures of his empty eye sockets. "See the optic nerves protruding?"

Zoraida's nose scrunches at the gross pictures.

"Trauma." Reid observes, fascinated. "They were ripped out. Maybe with fingers."

M.E. uncovers the body on the metal table for Emily to pull open an eyelid with her gloved hand. At the sight of any empty, bloody, and close up very graffic socket a gagging noise escaped Zoraida as she leaned back.

Prentiss glanced up at her with a smirk "What our big, bad CIA bodyguard nauseous at a cold body?" She mocked slightly.

Zoraida fought the urge punch the smirk off her face and settled for a glare. "I usually make a hasty exit when body's start appearing. Sticking around to see what happens to em wasn't ever in my job description." She looked back down at the empty socket. "And thank goodness cause that's just nasty."

The doctor chuckled before continuing, "Now compare this to my body on the table. Smooth inside, no bruising, no sign of trauma. Optic nerves retracted into the muscle and they have a clean edge."

Emily pulled back her hand, "So you're saying these were cut out."

"With a sharp-edged tool. He managed to avoid cutting the sockets or the eyelids. This was precise work."

Emily asked the obvious question, "The kind of work only a doctor could do?"

"All I'm saying is that with both of these girls, it was a clean excision."

Reid glances at jars filled with funky items floating in fluids on the wall behind him, thinking.

"Ok, so he was crude with the first victim, surgical with the others." Says Emily while taking off her gloves.

"The amount of effort he's going through to remove the eyes now, he wouldn't destroy them." Reid looks back at creepy organ jars, "He's keeping them."

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Running trail
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Walking up a running trail Zoraida took in all the beautiful thick greenery around her. Not getting out much for the last eight months, this was practically heaven for her. She took in a deep breath, and listened to the sounds of nature. Even with the cops, morticians, and CSI workers running around her, she took a moment to take in this feeling. Feeling of life. Feeling of freedom.

"It's secluded, but he chose a public spot again." The deep, serious voice of SSA Hotchner broke her out of her peaceful moment. Zoraida jogged to catch up with them as they approached a cart with a body bag.

Morgan "He's not afraid to get caught."

Hotch "This is far from the other crime scenes. What brought him here?"

Emily "Well, he only killed one person this time. It could have been more."

As Morgan opens the bag Zoraida notices they all have blue, latex gloves on.

Detective Phil walks up from group of cops at a van, "Hey, we found a car parked nearby. I.d.'d her from a DMV photo." Pulls out small spiral notepad from his pocket, "Tracy Copper, thirty-two. Husband said she was an avid jogger."