𝐏𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐊𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐑 [spencer reid]

7. pregame

          𝐎𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐘 𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐃 𝐀𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐋𝐎𝐓𝐓𝐄 𝐏𝐎𝐋𝐈𝐂𝐄 𝐃𝐄𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓, Spencer and Francesca rushed their ways to the the spare room that the department's chief designated for the FBI. The other team members were already inside the room, pinning items to a cork board and spreading files across the table. Spencer knocked on the door frame to announce his presence, gathering the attention of the others.

         "Reid," Hotch acknowledged. "What did you guys get?"

         "We found that the five victims are all very similar in their social status and quality of family life. This unsub was clearly jealous of their seemingly perfect lives, so the torture that the bodies endured confirms sadism," Spencer explained, approaching a whiteboard to write some notes down.

         "We were just telling everyone else that Hotch and I found out something interesting at the morgue," Rossi pointed to what looked like a DNA test hanging from the evidence board. "There was DNA found on some of the bodies, and the matches came back today. Couldn't get a name or anything, but it proved that our unsub is actually a female."

          Francesca, who was leaning against a wall, perked up, shooting a hopeful expression at Spencer. The boy lit up as well, a wide grin on his face. He waved the marker he held in Francesca's direction. "That's what Checka – I mean – Francesca, suggested." He blushed at his unprofessional slip up, but Francesca didn't bat an eye.

         The whole team turned to the girl, surprise defining their body language. "You did?" Hotch's eyebrows furrowed.

         Francesca nodded frantically. "Yeah, uh, I mentioned it to Reid, but I thought it was just a weird intuition." She glanced again at Spencer, who gave her a subtle thumbs up.

         "Wow. Impressive for an amateur," Emily remarked. "You sure you want to become a lawyer and not a profiler?"

          "Back to the case, everyone," Hotch stopped the friendly sidetrack. "Morgan and Prentiss – anything we can work with?"

         "The swamp is an eye sore, Hotch," Derek sighed. "People don't go down there for a good time."

         "But, we did ask around to see if anyone living relatively near the swamp happened to notice anything in the past few days, and we may have something," Emily stood up from her seat and approached the evidence board. She started pointing on a map. "One woman who lives before the entrance to the swamp told us about a black sedan that was parked at the end of her street for a few hours on the night before the bodies were found. She didn't see the owner leave the car, but she did see it drive off after the lights woke her up in the middle of the night."

         "Have Garcia check for registered black sedans within a twenty mile radius. See if we can get any names," Hotch ordered, Derek whipping out his cell phone and leaving the room to call the technical analyst.