LIKE A GIRL ｡ CRIMINAL MINDS

THIRTY SIX

unedited

and it's a bit of a lengthy one sorry lads

THIRTY SIX. THE SECOND LETTER

"HE LEFT ANOTHER NOTE," HOTCH THREW AN ENVELOPE ONTO THE ROUND TABLE THE NEXT MORNING, HIS FACE FLUSHED WITH ANGER. The first one to pick up the evidence was Spencer, whose eyes moved back and forth as he tried to figure out what the words meant.

"I did this all for you, my love. When we are finally together, we will return to His embrace with our hands intertwined," he recited, his brows knitted together in thought. "This could allude to a possible plan for a murder-suicide, one of the most common outcomes for obsessive stalkers."

"What does he mean by 'I did this for you'?" Derek asked, taking a seat while on high alert for Daisy's entrance. He had been furious when he found out what had been happening, and somewhat hurt he hadn't been notified sooner. To him, keeping his family safe was the most important thing, and the idea that someone he loved was in danger hurt him more than anything.

To be fair, it was just Spencer that had been told from the beginning, otherwise Daisy had  only told Hotch herself. The others had found out from one another, and it all led full circle back to the newest member of the BAU.

She and Hotch had stopped by her apartment earlier in the day for a change of clothes, and when she'd seen that here was more post in her letterbox, she'd wanted to leave as soon as she could. Hotch didn't complain once - he just made sure she knew he was there for her.

Currently, she was changing in the restroom, not exactly feeling comfortable wandering around in the sweater she'd borrowed from her boss.

"That's where it gets weird," JJ piped up, gesturing the files in front of everyone. "Garcia ran a check through all of Harrison's travels since Liberty Church - every single city has had a murder around the time he visited, all with the same victimology and M.O. We were never called in because there was no evidence to tie them together."

"How can we be sure it was him?" Hotch's question was answered as soon as he opened the file, his stomach churning at the images of dead women with a single gunshot wound to the heart. They were positioned and placed in river reeds, a clear sign of remorse. His jaw clenched. The resemblance to Daisy was uncanny. "He's been practising for the real thing."

The room fell silent as Daisy stepped inside, her cheeks rather pale and her lips downturned. She ignored the stares of her coworkers and took a seat beside Hotch, giving him the opportunity to shift his leg so that it touched hers. He knew she appreciated physical comfort, it was something she'd never shied away from.

It seemed to be rubbing off on him, too. When they'd woken up that morning, it appeared that the man hadn't let go of her all night, and she hadn't tried to move away. It was the best sleep both of them had gotten in a while, especially considering the circumstances.