𝐒𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐳𝐞 ➸ 𝗌.𝗋𝖾𝗂𝖽

chapter two

chapter two.

SPENCER LOOKED up from his desk, furrowing his brows at his coworker, Derek Morgan, who stood in front of him, "Hotch said we have a new case." Spencer silently nodded and hesitantly got up from his desk, causing Morgan to raise a brow at him, "Hey, what's with you?"

Spencer glanced at him, brushing the strands of his hair behind his ear as they walked to the conference room, "What are you talking about?"

"You've been 'off' these past few days- more than usual," Morgan acknowledged, "Are you okay?"

Spencer nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine. Just not enough sleep."

And it was true, Spencer wasn't getting his usual sleep because a lot was on his mind like always. Though, this time it was taking a toll on him. He was getting ready to leave for work the other night for a late case when he noticed something out of the odd and that was his neighbor didn't come in for work. He didn't know what she did for a living, but he knew that every time he would leave at night, she would be coming home. He only acknowledged this because she would always give him a short wave before hurrying into her house.

He forced himself to brush it off until he realized didn't see her for the next couple days after that. He didn't want to stress on it because like he remembered, he never spoke to her and he doesn't know her at all to be concerned. But then he realized her mailbox was overflowing with mail when he went to get his. She never let her mail pile up, he told himself because in the back of his head, he noticed that about her without trying. He knows it for a fact, too because he even sees a women get her mail when she doesn't, but that women didn't come by either.

Spencer sat down next to Morgan in the conference room, noticing that everyone was already sitting down and waiting for Spencer and Morgan to join. Hotch hummed at their presence before looking at Jennifer Jareau, their communications liaison, "Go ahead."

"So recently, there has been multiple women kidnapped and soon murdered in Virgina in the past month," She began, clicking through slides, "So far, six women have been murdered."

"Why are we just hearing about this?" Elle Greenway asked, taking a folder from the middle of the table.

"Because the local police didn't think they were connected," JJ responded, "They only discovered the connection when the last girl, Teresa Monroe, was brutally beaten like the rest and had distinct cuts on her arms."

"He doesn't have a type, the women are all between 20 to 29," Reid spoke up, "But there's a pattern- seven cuts on each women."

"The lacerations are clean, professional," Morgan said after taking the file, "Says there was no sign of rape, but they were all missing for six days before being found dead on the seventh day. That means this person is not looking for sexual pleasure, more just the gratification of torturing these women."

"Well, it seems like this unsub wants them to be found on the seventh day," Jason Gideon added, "It's not like people found these girls days after being murdered. He kills them the same day they're found."

"He might have an obsession with the number seven," Hotch stated, but Elle shook her head.

"But only six girls were murdered."

"That's the thing," JJ sighed, "Another woman was kidnapped a few days ago." She then clicked the next slide and Reid froze as he saw the picture of his next door neighbor pop up. "Her assistant  says she hasn't shown up for work or answered her call in-"

"Five days?" Reid asked and everyone looked at him quizzically.

"Yeah," JJ nodded, "How do you know-"

"That's my neighbor," Reid instantly answered, "Her name's Anna-Jane."

The room grew quiet until Gideon looked around, "Elle, Morgan, you guys go to the crime scene and we'll go to the station. Wheels up in ten."

Everyone hesitantly got up and left the room besides Hotch and Reid, who was stuck in his seat, staring at the picture of his neighbor on the big screen. "Reid, if you want to sit this one out, I understand."

"No, no," He quickly shook his head, standing up to meet Hotch's eyes, "I'm fine. I promise." Hotch only nodded before Reid left the conference room to grab his bag. His head was spinning. How could I not know, he questioned, how could I not think something was wrong?

Reid was awfully quiet on the drive to the station and Hotch and Gideon noticed, yet refrained from saying anything, even as they got set up in a room at the station and we caught up on things that could have been left out about the case.

Soon they sat at a table, silently going through the files based on the victims to gather up as much information as possible until Gideon spoke up, "Reid."

Spencer looked up from his manila folder and at Gideon, "Yeah?"

"Are you okay?"

"Mhm, why do you ask?" Spencer wondered, and Gideon glanced down at his lap before placing his folder on the table.

"Because you've been staring at the same page for five minutes when it would usually take you five seconds," Gideon mentioned, "What's on your mind?"

"It's just.."He paused, causing Hotch to even look up, "I never really had a conversation with her and I've lived across the hall from her for three years. I didn't know what she did for a living before today and I- I still felt that something was off the other day when I didn't see her, but I didn't do anything about it."

"Spencer, you didn't know." Hotch told him and he nodded, pushing his strands of hair behind his ears.

"Yeah, but I can't help but feel like I'm the reason she's been missing these past five days," He admitted, "If I had just taken some time out of my day to know her, maybe she would be home right now."

"Reid-"

"Guys, look at this," Morgan suddenly said, walking into the room with Elle and a tape in his hands. "One of the officers just gave this to us when we came in, he said it's the night Anna-Jane went missing."

He puts the tape in and starts it for it to display surveillance of Anna-Jane coming out of work. They watched as she stood in front of the building briefly before checking her phone and walking to towards the parking lot, only to get into the passenger of a vehicle and drive off down the street.

Hotch looked at Morgan and Elle, "Did they get a license plate?"

"Yeah," Elle responded and Reid turned his head to listen to her continued, "Says it belongs to a Parker Mitchell. He's her ex-fiancé." Spencer then grew more confused and guilty. She was engaged?