Lead the Way - Chapter 077 - 4x18 - Omnivore
Alright, I'm in a bit of a hurry today, so here's there new chapter. Hope you guys like it.
Lead the Way - 077 - 4x18 - Omnivore
It was early. Not early enough that she was the only one in the office, but still rather early. She had hardly slept at all. In fact she had hardly slept all weekend. Emily had stopped by, right after their last case. Emily had lost a dear friend and she had been alternating between sorrow and rage throughout the entire week.
When the Unsub was finally arrested and brought to justice - JJ hadn’t been there for that - Emily had come to her home. It had been late in the evening and she had never seen the profiler so vulnerable and sad. At first she’d thought that Prentiss wanted to talk about her friend, that she wanted them to move past their break up and back to being friends and able to talk to each other.
She was surprised and more than relieved to hear that she had different intentions. She had admitted to having made a mistake, letting JJ leave. The media liaison in turn told her that she was still wrong, that they could mend what had been broken.
All weekend long she wondered if she had made the right decision. It wasn’t so much a question of wanting Emily back; that - she was certain about. Rather the doubt that Emily could change enough to give her what she wanted and needed.
Emily would have to prove that she wanted her in her life, that she wouldn’t shy away from intimacy, that her feelings for JJ went beyond lust and that she understood that JJ knew what she wanted as well. That Emily wasn’t some kind of phase or experiment for her. Just because it took her a while to see the light, didn’t mean she wasn’t capable of appreciating it.
Above all she needed Emily to need her. She needed her to trust her with her secrets and pains. She needed her to trust her not to leave as soon as some guy smiled at her and she needed Emily to let her in.
It was a lot to ask. It was even more to ask of Emily. Was JJ really enough for her to make all these changes? Was she worth them or shouldn’t they both look for someone that didn’t have to change like she had told Will? If Emily couldn’t do all that and JJ had to let her down again it would forever alter their friendship and work situation.
It was selfish to put her through all of this only to break her heart again. Yet, she couldn’t let Emily back into her life without these promises. She had Henry to consider. Emily wouldn’t just break her heart again. All weekend long she had mulled the situation over.
Finally, she reached a conclusion. SSA Prentiss was a grown woman and she deserved the chance to try. Everyone made mistakes and Emily was certainly smart enough not to make the same one twice. Right?
When she’d come into the office that morning she had found a little note on her desk telling her to inform Hotch as soon as she found any unusual homicides in Boston. Since there had to be a reason for his asking, which was in itself unusual she checked with the Boston PD before starting her usual routine. Seconds later she walked into Hotch’s office.
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Monday morning Emily walked into the office with a new found confidence. It had taken a while but she finally saw that she had been wrong and that everyone else had been right. JJ was the one and she was an imbecile.
She would right this wrong, she had made up the perfect plan with Rocky before she flew back to France last night. Matthew didn’t sacrifice himself for nothing, she’d sworn to herself. She would make something of the life he gave her and she would prove to JJ that she was worthy of a second chance.
JJ was already in her office when she came into the bullpen area, but that didn’t bother her. She had time. All the time in the world actually. This time she wouldn’t rush anything, she would take her time to sweep JJ off her feet and she would never let her down again. She could wait to start her plan for a little while longer.
Suddenly the blonde hurried out of her office into Hotch’s. Literally seconds later he ran out and she followed him closely.
“…the official request? We haven’t been invited.”
“We will be.”
He left her standing there. Reid and Morgan witnessed the exchange and even Rossi came out of his office. Before anyone could ask JJ said to Hotch’s back:
“Well looks like we’re going to Boston.”
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On the plane to Boston Hotch finally explained what was going on. As soon as he’d started talking his urgency became more and more comprehensible.
“The Reaper is driven by a need to dominate, control and manipulate.” Those were the constants he always came back to, when revisiting the profile.
“So why would he offer a deal that would stop him from doing that?” Serial killers weren’t exactly fickle in their gruesome fantasies.
“Well, killing gave him power, but after so many the pay off began to diminish. So he decided to switch tactics. Offering the deal gave him the ultimate power. Better even than killing. He manipulated the police into voluntarily surrendering.”
“He even got it in writing.” Reid added.
“He won. Why start killing again?” JJ was already thinking about what to tell the media.
“Well, because the only person who knew he’d won, the person he made the deal with just died.” Morgan said.
“Narcisstic killers need other people to recognize their power. It’s why they contact the media.” Rossi wondered how long it would be before the Reaper did the same, now that he had resurfaced.
“So how did he stop for ten years?”
“In “Night Of The Reaper” the author suggests he’d been arrested for an unrelated crime or died. Perhaps he’s trying to correct that misconception” Reid offered as an answer to Prentiss’ question.
“What has he been doing all this time?”
“Planning what he would do if he started killing again.” Hotch said to the media liaison.
“So from 95’ to 98 he shoots, stabs and bludgeons 21 victims. Men, women, all ages, all types. No specific victimology or MO. How did you build a profile from that?” Morgan wouldn’t even know where to start.
“We didn’t. Shaunessy sent us home before we had a chance.” Hotch neglected to mention that that didn’t stop him from pursuing the case on his time. Instead he said: “BTK, the Zodiac and the Reaper all have similarities. They’re all highly intelligent, disciplined, sadistic killers who name themselves in the press.”
“Highly intelligent may be a bit of an understatement. The Reaper and the Zodiac killer have never been arrested and the BTK killer was only caught after 25 years because he went to the press to counter a book that said he died, moved away or been locked up, just like this one.” Reid summed up the similarities.
“Speaking of the media; when this gets out it’s going to be a frenzy. If they get a wind of this, they’re going to be all over the Boston police.”
JJ held up the original letter sent to Shaunessy by the Boston Reaper in which he offered to stop killing if the detective surrendered by placing a personal add in a local paper. Shaunessy had agreed to the Reaper’s terms and the killings had stopped for ten years. Now Shaunessy had died and the killing started again.
“The longer we can float the copycat story the better chance we’ll have of catching him. Rossi, Prentiss and Morgan go to the field office. Set up shop, go through everything there. JJ and Reid, we’ll go to the crime scene.” Round two had just begun.
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At the scene Reid and JJ waited in the car until Hotch signed them that the team had been invited in on the investigation. He introduced the lead detective Michael O’Mara to them who told his men that they should provide the FBI with everything they needed.
JJ followed him to the reporters behind the yellow crime scene tape and listened closely as he introduced her to all of them. Since she was about to lie to them and wanted them to believe her as long as possible she went the extra mile, trying to remember everyone’s name and the name of their papers.
She gave them the headline of the day, confirming that the BAU was now helping the BPD. When asked why the FBI was interested in a copycat she answered, that the BAU had valuable intel on the Reaper and would help catching the copycat by focusing on the differences. The reporter wanted to know what those differences were, but she merely smiled and said that she couldn’t release that information just yet.
O’Mara was surprised to see that the reporters who had been ready to lunge at him for more information left the scene content that they’d gotten what they came for even though she hadn’t said anything more than him.
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As ordered Morgan, Prentiss and Rossi went straight to the police department. Unfortunately there was no secluded room they could use, but the PD had a large area on the second floor that would do.
There was a round table in front of a screen they could use for briefings and brain storming and the other desks were far enough away so they wouldn’t bother them. Prentiss asked a uniform to make sure that they were checked into their hotel rooms and had their luggage brought up while Rossi gathered the files that hadn’t made it to the FBI database yet. Morgan set up the computers and called Garcia to tell her she could link their laptops to her network.
Just as they were done JJ, Hotch, Reid and O’Mara came in from the crime scene. They sat down around the round table and got started right away.
“George Foyet, 28, was the ninth victim and the only one to survive the Reaper.” While he talked Hotch clicked through the pictures they had on file. One showed Foyet on a hospital bed with a dozen stab wounds, the largest of which ran up his abdomen.
“Not for lack of trying,” Rossi stated dryly.
“Amanda Bertrand, 19, his date for the evening was not as lucky. He likes to attack them inside or near their cars at night on poorly lit, less populated roads.”
“Foyet said he approached them pretending to be a lost tourist. In the hospital we put Foyet with a sketch artist.” While O’Mara was speaking Hotch brought up the sketch. It was bland. Naturally it hadn’t led them anywhere.
Reid pointed out the symbol the Reaper both drew on his letter to Shaunessy and on the victims’ cars. It was the eye of providence suggesting that the Unsub saw himself as the personification of Fate.
“So how did Foyet survive?” Prentiss asked the obvious question. Instead of an answer Reid played a 911 recording. A distorted voice could be heard saying:
“I just murdered two more.”
“Excuse me, Sir, did you say you murdered someone?”
“Victims eight and nine.”
He left an adress for the police and they came in time to save Foyet’s life. Amanda Bertrand was DOA. After that the Reaper seemed to have learned his lesson as there were no more taunting 911 calls after this one.
JJ’s phone rang and she answered it quietly.
“There’s a reason he left Foyet’s glasses at the last crime scene. He could be in danger.”
“We’ll find him.” Prentiss and Morgan got up immediately to call Garcia. No one said they had to look for him the old fashioned way.
As soon as she hung up JJ said to her unit chief:
“Ah, Hotch, there’s a reporter outside insisting on speaking with you. Roy Colson, he says he knows you.” He just nodded and left.
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Everyone was relieved when Rossi suggested they call it a night. They were out of new ideas on how to approach the situation, Garcia hadn’t found Foyet yet, and there was not much else they could do.
The hotel was nice and clean, the rooms functional and simple. JJ was glad to finally be alone. Ever since Emily had shown up on her doorstep she was constantly tense, waiting for something to happen, eager not to miss it. It was draining. The pressure of this case did nothing to ease that tension.
She went over to her bag and get her things unpacked when she noticed something sitting on top of it. A small, gift wrapped package with a note on it that read: ‘I remember.’ She recognized Emily’s handwriting and smiled. Carefully she detached the card and unwrapped the present.
Burberry - London. The expensive Eau de Perfume. JJ sat down and stared at the box. It happened so long ago. It had been just a moment. And Emily remembered.
Back in her first year at the BAU Emily was very eager to fit in. Garcia’s birthday was up and Emily talked JJ into going shopping for a present. She had explained to her that they didn’t celebrate Birthdays but she had just winked and said:
“We’ll make it a girl thing.”
JJ had been successfully repressing the butterflies in her stomach whenever she looked at Emily and convinced herself that she liked the new team member - as a friend. Today she knew she had been wrong, but back then, it had made perfect sense.
They had been to almost every store in DC trying to find something suitable for Garcia. So far they had come up empty handed. JJ wanted to give her best friend something flashy and childish, but Prentiss wanted to make an impression and give her something that didn’t look like it came from a gumball machine.
They ended up getting her a shower curtain that would play “Singing in the Rain” whenever hit by water. Garcia was over the moon as the gift came with the added bonus that Derek would install it.
Before they had found a gift that fulfilled both of their criteria JJ and Emily had stopped at a perfumery. By that time they had been shopping for several hours and JJ felt a little goofy. She smelled the most expensive fragrances and joked about them being made of gold flakes. Then she found the London perfume from Burberry.
She opened the flacon and was hit by a very familiar smell. Slowly she inhaled, trying to remember where she had smelled that before. It was classy and elegant, comforting, inviting and just a little bit sweet.
“What are you looking at?” Emily asked behind her.
“I really like this smell.” JJ held up the tester for her to see. Her colleague looked strange, hurt and flattered at the same time. “What’s wrong?”
“We can’t give Garcia this.”
“Why not?”
“It’s my favorite.”
That’s why it had smelled so familiar! JJ remembered their case in Nevada. Brier, Nevada if her memory served her right. A town too small to have a real hotel but unfortunately not too small to be home to a sexual sadist. Before the team had a chance to start working the case the Unsub had been shot to death by a woman he had planned on making his next victim.
The locals had been extremely kind and each member had found a place to stay. Emily and JJ had shared a room over an old lady’s garage. When JJ had woken up she had seen that Emily was still sound asleep in her bed on the other side of the room. Quietly she had gone downstairs and made them coffee.
She had put Emily’s cup on the night stand, choosing not to wake her. She had sat on the window sill, in her shirt and shorts and watched as the fog from the river was slowly retreating back into the woods. JJ could tell that the air was still chilly.
She had tried to imagine herself five years from that day and saw herself as she was then. Nothing would change, would it? That lack of anything to look forward to had swallowed her whole. Not that her life hadn’t been beautiful and satisfying, but JJ had wanted more. Lost in her thoughts she hadn’t noticed that Prentiss had woken up and slipped out into the bathroom until she had come back.
Seeing her friend perfectly dressed and groomed she was suddenly very aware of her own lack of clothes. She went into the bathroom and for the first time she smelled Emily Prentiss. Even her scent was stately. JJ wondered what it would be like to be Emily’s husband. What qualities a man should have to be suitable for her.
Maybe she could fix her up with someone. Yes, she remembered thinking that. Even then she had been blind to what her body was telling her. Now, after having shared a past with the profiler she knew better.
Back in the perfumery, she had still been oblivious.
JJ had looked at Emily and demonstratively smelled the perfume before saying again:
“I really like this smell.” She didn’t know why she said it, nor why she said it with such emphasis, but she regretted it instantly. For a brief second Emily looked happier than she had ever seen her. Then, she shook her head, turned around and walked out of the shop.
Her fingers ran over the card again. She saw her memory in a very different light now. Emily had known back then, hadn’t she? And despite her own ignorance JJ had told her that she would welcome any advances. Emily had walked out.
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Just as she’d stepped out of the shower JJ’s phone rang. It was O’Mara. They had two new victims. She called Hotch and Rossi who went to the scene immediately. Then she called Morgan who volunteered to go get Prentiss and Reid while she got dressed.
The four of them drove down to the station and set up again. They went over the new information when Rossi and Hotch came back. Their unit chief confessed that he had been more invested in the original case than he had led on and shared his preliminary profile with them.
Since no one had anything to add or criticize Rossi, Hotch and Reid shared it with the police officers working the case.
“The Reaper fits a profile we refer to as an omnivore. Unlike most serial killer an omnivore doesn’t target a specific victim type. Although he tends to focus on his younger female victims with his knife he essentially is a predator who will kill anyone.”
“Why is he so democratic?”
“Because his kills aren’t just about his victims. He needs recognition, he needs us to know.”
While they were talking Rossi reached a conclusion he immediately shared. The Reaper was a hebephile, a man focused on teenagers. It was very likely that he had been arrested on some form of sex crime charge against a teenager in the past ten years. Without losing any time the locals went through the case files matching this description.
Prentiss and Morgan were still trying to find Foyet and Garcia had called them with bad news. Emily went to get Hotch who understood without her saying something. He followed her into a small empty office where Morgan was sitting on a desk.
“Garcia can’t find George Foyet.”
“I got nothing, Sir.” Her voice sounded apologetic even over the phone. Emily looked at Morgan searching for the confidence he usually emitted. This case, however, had him stomped too. Catching the Reaper was like trying to eat soup with a fork.
“What do you mean?”
“He’s gone. I mean he’s completely off the grid and he’s gone.”
“How is that possible?” Hadn’t she told him once that she could find out someone’s favorite color if he gave her a name?
“Nine months after he was released from the hospital he quit his job, sold his car, closed his bank accounts, cancelled his credit cards, cell phone, apartment, everything! He has no paper, thus he has no trail and I can’t find him, ‘cause he’s gone.”
“You think it’s intentional?” Emily looked at Hotch. She knew her boss well enough to read from his face, that he had a theory. He wasn’t ready to share it yet and it would be useless to ask, but there was something he wasn’t telling them - for now.
“It’s more than that. Even dead people stay on the grid for decades.”
Emily looked to Morgan whose body language told her that he felt the same about Hotch.
Garcia went on: “Take it from me: Erasing yourself like this, it… it’s extremely difficult. It takes commitment. You have to be willing to cut every tie and every thing and every one you’ve ever known in your entire life. It’s like… It’s like killing yourself. I gotta say, this is impressive.”
“Well after what the guy’s been through, can you blame him? Foyet’s the only living person who knows what the Reaper looks like and he’s still out there.”
“But it doesn’t change the fact that we still need to find him.”
“I’ll keep looking.”
“Garcia we don’t have much time.”
“I know, Sir.”
“He would have to completely isolate himself. He’s totally alone.”
“But how do you cut all ties? You’d have to talk to someone, right?”
Instead of answering Prentiss, Aaron looked down at “Night Of The Reaper” and called Colson, the author.
“Roy. Aaron Hotchner. I need a favor.” He left.
“Is it me or is he taking this case a little too personal?”
“No. It’s not you.” Morgan said looking gloomy.
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Roy Colson provided them with an address for Foyet. The team decided to approach him early next morning, as it was unlikely that the Reaper would strike twice in one night. And they needed sleep to give their best tomorrow.
Emily wondered whether JJ had already found her gift or not. She hadn’t acted any different. Would she get mad? Would she even get the hint? The more time passed, the less confident Emily got.
The door of her hotel room had just closed behind her, when someone knocked on it. She went to open it, not thinking to look through the peephole and stood in front of JJ.
Without any introduction the blonde asked:
“Why? Why this memory? Why now?”
Emily didn’t need another hint to know she was referring to the perfume.
“It was the first time I thought that the feelings I have for you might be mutual.”
An awkward silence spread between them. JJ had one more question to ask before she could go back to work.
“Why did you walk away; then; when you knew?” It was impossible to say if she was angry, hurt or just curious. Emily had no choice but to tell her the truth.
“I wasn’t ready.”
JJ looked at her. To think that they could have spared each other so much pain if only they had been more honest. How different things would have been if they had been a man and a woman. Or would it have been the same? One unwilling to commit, both risking their careers, neither knowing where it would lead them.
The media liaison left her standing in the doorway, wondering if she would ever see her look at her the way she used to.
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Catching Unsubs who choose victims at random are almost impossible to catch. Only when they made a mistake or by sheer luck could these killers be stopped. That or the victims weren’t really chosen at random. A good example for this was Doyle.
He had been caught over three years ago, before Emily joined the BAU. It was one of the cases she studied as soon as she got the call from Strauss. He had seemingly killed at random until the team found out that he was targeting people who had been acquitted. This information finally led to his identity and his capture.
Another example was the case they had worked six months ago in New York. It was almost too late when the profilers realized that the Unsub was really a group of terrorists targeting a high profile politician.
The BAU spent all day making sure that there was no connection and no ulterior motive behind the killings as it was all they could do for now. No one dared to say it out loud, but everyone knew they were waiting for the Reaper to make a mistake. To kill again.
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And so he did. The Reaper killed seven people on a bus. In addition to the eye of providence he had written the words “No Deal” in a window and three numbers. Reid couldn’t find an equation or code they were taken out of.
They seemed familiar though and they quickly realized that the Unsub told them he knew where Foyet lived. The team split up and went to every one of the three apartments Foyet moved between randomly to better hide from the Reaper.
While Hotch and Reid, as well as Prentiss and Rossi couldn’t find anything leading to the identity of the Reaper, Morgan and O’Mara had been attacked. The Unsub killed O’Mara and Morgan only got away with his life by an act of mercy it seemed.
Everyone rushed to the new crime scene where the EMT was now picking shards of glass out of Morgan’s shoulder. In his struggle with the killer he had been thrown through a window, knocking him out.
He had taken Derek’s credentials and left him a bullet.
“Power and manipulation. Don’t let him get to you.” Because he had nothing more to offer Hotch left his co-workers and went through the house, looking for something even he couldn’t name.
“Yeah, right.” Emily tried not to wince every time Derek did. She knew it was necessary to get every shard out of his shoulder, but she didn’t like seeing her friend in pain, physical or otherwise.
“Prentiss, he’s telling me ‘I had you’.”
“Morgan, you’re alive.” She tried to get him to focus on the silver lining.
“You know why?”
“It doesn’t really matter.”
“I’m sitting here because I was knocked out cold. He couldn’t torture me.” Now she understood what he was trying to tell her. He wasn’t getting worked up, he was profiling.
“He likes to interact with his victims. To tell them he’s gonna kill them before he does.”
“Or by letting them know he could have.” Morgan said, holding up the bullet. Maybe he was getting worked up a little.
“Hotch is right. He’s just trying to get into your head.”
“Right or wrong: he had me.” Angry he left, picking up an FBI jacket.
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Prentiss felt as though they couldn’t see what was right in front of their eyes. As the team gathered around the round table at the station again, Hotch voiced what she had been wondering ever since the latest kill.
“Why is he so focused on Foyet? What’s so special about him?”
“He was his only surviving victim. The only one he couldn’t defeat.” Before her late night visit, Emily would have read something into JJ looking at her right then. She would have spent hours trying to figure out if she was sending her a message, saying: ‘You can’t defeat me, I never was that into you to begin with.’ Now, she knew better.
And the fact that she had looked at her after all these weeks, was more encouragement than she needed for the next step in her plan. Yes, her plan had a next step and one after that and one after that. Prepare or be prepared.
“But he’s no threat. Defeating him would be no great accomplishment.”
Emily silently agreed. She found it odd that Foyet went through that much trouble to completely hide from someone who never threatened him once he would finish the job. She didn’t mention it though. Who knew how she’d react to the same situation.
“There’s something there that we’re missing.” Hotch stated the obvious.
“What about the girlfriend? Amanda Bertrand. What do we know about her?” JJ had spent enough time in the BAU to pick up on a few profiler routines. If they were looking at victimology, they should consider both victims of the attack.
“19. A freshman; she came here from Michigan to go to school. Foyet was a teacher’s assistant in one of Amanda’s courses.”
“Michigan. Where the Reaper had Shaunessy post the personal ad.”
“That can’t be a coincidence.” JJ said.
“He told us that she was the love of his life, that he was going to propose.” Rossi remembered interviewing Foyet.
“But she just got here from Michigan. They only met when the class started.”
“How long had she been in the class?”
“Four weeks.” Prentiss scoffed.
“So it was either love at first sight, or what?”
“Foyet was lying?”
“28 year old teacher’s assistant in freshman classes.”
“That gives him plenty of access to young girls.” Prentiss’ fingertips were prickling again. She could see it in their faces. They had all the same unsettling suspicion, but before it was confirmed they had to cling to hope.
Hotch had picked up the phone and dialled.
“Garcia?” He put her on speaker.
“I’m here.”
Turning to Rossi he asked about Foyet’s aliases and Garcia confirmed that all of them were registered as substitute high school teachers. Under one name Foyet had been fired for inappropriate behavior with female students. No sense denying it now, George Foyet was the Boston Reaper.
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They were able to stop him before he killed Roy Colson, whom he held hostage because he didn’t print the story about the letter he had sent to Shaunessy. Foyet was transferred to a high security facility while the team flew back home to Quantico.
On the plane the profilers discussed the unusual arrogance Foyet showed when he stabbed himself a dozen times to put himself in the middle of the investigation. If they had thought to look twice at him he would have been arrested right then and there.
While the others went back to their usual post case routine Morgan was still holding the bullet that almost killed him. Hotch decided to talk to him.
JJ made tea. It was too late for coffee. They would just drop the case files off and then go home. She planned her evening to distract herself from the fact that she made two cups of tea. One for herself and one for Emily.
She put the steaming mug in front of her ex-girlfriend, as a peace offering. Despite her anger, about Emily’s reluctance to do something about her feelings toward her back when she first joined the BAU, JJ could see how hard it must have been for her.
How much strength and courage it must have cost her to make the first step now, to put herself out there. All she had shown her in return was anger, that she hadn’t done anything before. Now she felt guilty and offered her tea instead of an apology.
Emily understood. Better than JJ would ever know. She had had fought with herself over the situation in the perfume store too many times to keep count. She berated herself for allowing the circumstances to devolve into a mess that allowed for William to get caught in the middle. If only she had asked JJ out back then, things would have been so different.
Then again, JJ might not have been willing to date a woman. She hadn’t known that she was gay or she wouldn’t have started to see Will in the first place. Maybe it had to happen the way it did.
‘What’s done is done.’ Emily thought, took the mug in her hands and asked JJ about Henry.
They were still talking about the somewhat neutral topic when they walked into the BAU bullpen area. Minutes later, JJ received a call informing her, that George Foyet had escaped. Local authorities thought they didn’t need the BAU to help them catch him again. Turning to the TV Morgan said out loud what everyone was thinking:
“He said he’d be more famous than we knew. He was right.”
Lead the Way - 077 - 4x18 - Omnivore
It was early. Not early enough that she was the only one in the office, but still rather early. She had hardly slept at all. In fact she had hardly slept all weekend. Emily had stopped by, right after their last case. Emily had lost a dear friend and she had been alternating between sorrow and rage throughout the entire week.
When the Unsub was finally arrested and brought to justice - JJ hadn’t been there for that - Emily had come to her home. It had been late in the evening and she had never seen the profiler so vulnerable and sad. At first she’d thought that Prentiss wanted to talk about her friend, that she wanted them to move past their break up and back to being friends and able to talk to each other.
She was surprised and more than relieved to hear that she had different intentions. She had admitted to having made a mistake, letting JJ leave. The media liaison in turn told her that she was still wrong, that they could mend what had been broken.
All weekend long she wondered if she had made the right decision. It wasn’t so much a question of wanting Emily back; that - she was certain about. Rather the doubt that Emily could change enough to give her what she wanted and needed.
Emily would have to prove that she wanted her in her life, that she wouldn’t shy away from intimacy, that her feelings for JJ went beyond lust and that she understood that JJ knew what she wanted as well. That Emily wasn’t some kind of phase or experiment for her. Just because it took her a while to see the light, didn’t mean she wasn’t capable of appreciating it.
Above all she needed Emily to need her. She needed her to trust her with her secrets and pains. She needed her to trust her not to leave as soon as some guy smiled at her and she needed Emily to let her in.
It was a lot to ask. It was even more to ask of Emily. Was JJ really enough for her to make all these changes? Was she worth them or shouldn’t they both look for someone that didn’t have to change like she had told Will? If Emily couldn’t do all that and JJ had to let her down again it would forever alter their friendship and work situation.
It was selfish to put her through all of this only to break her heart again. Yet, she couldn’t let Emily back into her life without these promises. She had Henry to consider. Emily wouldn’t just break her heart again. All weekend long she had mulled the situation over.
Finally, she reached a conclusion. SSA Prentiss was a grown woman and she deserved the chance to try. Everyone made mistakes and Emily was certainly smart enough not to make the same one twice. Right?
When she’d come into the office that morning she had found a little note on her desk telling her to inform Hotch as soon as she found any unusual homicides in Boston. Since there had to be a reason for his asking, which was in itself unusual she checked with the Boston PD before starting her usual routine. Seconds later she walked into Hotch’s office.
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Monday morning Emily walked into the office with a new found confidence. It had taken a while but she finally saw that she had been wrong and that everyone else had been right. JJ was the one and she was an imbecile.
She would right this wrong, she had made up the perfect plan with Rocky before she flew back to France last night. Matthew didn’t sacrifice himself for nothing, she’d sworn to herself. She would make something of the life he gave her and she would prove to JJ that she was worthy of a second chance.
JJ was already in her office when she came into the bullpen area, but that didn’t bother her. She had time. All the time in the world actually. This time she wouldn’t rush anything, she would take her time to sweep JJ off her feet and she would never let her down again. She could wait to start her plan for a little while longer.
Suddenly the blonde hurried out of her office into Hotch’s. Literally seconds later he ran out and she followed him closely.
“…the official request? We haven’t been invited.”
“We will be.”
He left her standing there. Reid and Morgan witnessed the exchange and even Rossi came out of his office. Before anyone could ask JJ said to Hotch’s back:
“Well looks like we’re going to Boston.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On the plane to Boston Hotch finally explained what was going on. As soon as he’d started talking his urgency became more and more comprehensible.
“The Reaper is driven by a need to dominate, control and manipulate.” Those were the constants he always came back to, when revisiting the profile.
“So why would he offer a deal that would stop him from doing that?” Serial killers weren’t exactly fickle in their gruesome fantasies.
“Well, killing gave him power, but after so many the pay off began to diminish. So he decided to switch tactics. Offering the deal gave him the ultimate power. Better even than killing. He manipulated the police into voluntarily surrendering.”
“He even got it in writing.” Reid added.
“He won. Why start killing again?” JJ was already thinking about what to tell the media.
“Well, because the only person who knew he’d won, the person he made the deal with just died.” Morgan said.
“Narcisstic killers need other people to recognize their power. It’s why they contact the media.” Rossi wondered how long it would be before the Reaper did the same, now that he had resurfaced.
“So how did he stop for ten years?”
“In “Night Of The Reaper” the author suggests he’d been arrested for an unrelated crime or died. Perhaps he’s trying to correct that misconception” Reid offered as an answer to Prentiss’ question.
“What has he been doing all this time?”
“Planning what he would do if he started killing again.” Hotch said to the media liaison.
“So from 95’ to 98 he shoots, stabs and bludgeons 21 victims. Men, women, all ages, all types. No specific victimology or MO. How did you build a profile from that?” Morgan wouldn’t even know where to start.
“We didn’t. Shaunessy sent us home before we had a chance.” Hotch neglected to mention that that didn’t stop him from pursuing the case on his time. Instead he said: “BTK, the Zodiac and the Reaper all have similarities. They’re all highly intelligent, disciplined, sadistic killers who name themselves in the press.”
“Highly intelligent may be a bit of an understatement. The Reaper and the Zodiac killer have never been arrested and the BTK killer was only caught after 25 years because he went to the press to counter a book that said he died, moved away or been locked up, just like this one.” Reid summed up the similarities.
“Speaking of the media; when this gets out it’s going to be a frenzy. If they get a wind of this, they’re going to be all over the Boston police.”
JJ held up the original letter sent to Shaunessy by the Boston Reaper in which he offered to stop killing if the detective surrendered by placing a personal add in a local paper. Shaunessy had agreed to the Reaper’s terms and the killings had stopped for ten years. Now Shaunessy had died and the killing started again.
“The longer we can float the copycat story the better chance we’ll have of catching him. Rossi, Prentiss and Morgan go to the field office. Set up shop, go through everything there. JJ and Reid, we’ll go to the crime scene.” Round two had just begun.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
At the scene Reid and JJ waited in the car until Hotch signed them that the team had been invited in on the investigation. He introduced the lead detective Michael O’Mara to them who told his men that they should provide the FBI with everything they needed.
JJ followed him to the reporters behind the yellow crime scene tape and listened closely as he introduced her to all of them. Since she was about to lie to them and wanted them to believe her as long as possible she went the extra mile, trying to remember everyone’s name and the name of their papers.
She gave them the headline of the day, confirming that the BAU was now helping the BPD. When asked why the FBI was interested in a copycat she answered, that the BAU had valuable intel on the Reaper and would help catching the copycat by focusing on the differences. The reporter wanted to know what those differences were, but she merely smiled and said that she couldn’t release that information just yet.
O’Mara was surprised to see that the reporters who had been ready to lunge at him for more information left the scene content that they’d gotten what they came for even though she hadn’t said anything more than him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As ordered Morgan, Prentiss and Rossi went straight to the police department. Unfortunately there was no secluded room they could use, but the PD had a large area on the second floor that would do.
There was a round table in front of a screen they could use for briefings and brain storming and the other desks were far enough away so they wouldn’t bother them. Prentiss asked a uniform to make sure that they were checked into their hotel rooms and had their luggage brought up while Rossi gathered the files that hadn’t made it to the FBI database yet. Morgan set up the computers and called Garcia to tell her she could link their laptops to her network.
Just as they were done JJ, Hotch, Reid and O’Mara came in from the crime scene. They sat down around the round table and got started right away.
“George Foyet, 28, was the ninth victim and the only one to survive the Reaper.” While he talked Hotch clicked through the pictures they had on file. One showed Foyet on a hospital bed with a dozen stab wounds, the largest of which ran up his abdomen.
“Not for lack of trying,” Rossi stated dryly.
“Amanda Bertrand, 19, his date for the evening was not as lucky. He likes to attack them inside or near their cars at night on poorly lit, less populated roads.”
“Foyet said he approached them pretending to be a lost tourist. In the hospital we put Foyet with a sketch artist.” While O’Mara was speaking Hotch brought up the sketch. It was bland. Naturally it hadn’t led them anywhere.
Reid pointed out the symbol the Reaper both drew on his letter to Shaunessy and on the victims’ cars. It was the eye of providence suggesting that the Unsub saw himself as the personification of Fate.
“So how did Foyet survive?” Prentiss asked the obvious question. Instead of an answer Reid played a 911 recording. A distorted voice could be heard saying:
“I just murdered two more.”
“Excuse me, Sir, did you say you murdered someone?”
“Victims eight and nine.”
He left an adress for the police and they came in time to save Foyet’s life. Amanda Bertrand was DOA. After that the Reaper seemed to have learned his lesson as there were no more taunting 911 calls after this one.
JJ’s phone rang and she answered it quietly.
“There’s a reason he left Foyet’s glasses at the last crime scene. He could be in danger.”
“We’ll find him.” Prentiss and Morgan got up immediately to call Garcia. No one said they had to look for him the old fashioned way.
As soon as she hung up JJ said to her unit chief:
“Ah, Hotch, there’s a reporter outside insisting on speaking with you. Roy Colson, he says he knows you.” He just nodded and left.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Everyone was relieved when Rossi suggested they call it a night. They were out of new ideas on how to approach the situation, Garcia hadn’t found Foyet yet, and there was not much else they could do.
The hotel was nice and clean, the rooms functional and simple. JJ was glad to finally be alone. Ever since Emily had shown up on her doorstep she was constantly tense, waiting for something to happen, eager not to miss it. It was draining. The pressure of this case did nothing to ease that tension.
She went over to her bag and get her things unpacked when she noticed something sitting on top of it. A small, gift wrapped package with a note on it that read: ‘I remember.’ She recognized Emily’s handwriting and smiled. Carefully she detached the card and unwrapped the present.
Burberry - London. The expensive Eau de Perfume. JJ sat down and stared at the box. It happened so long ago. It had been just a moment. And Emily remembered.
Back in her first year at the BAU Emily was very eager to fit in. Garcia’s birthday was up and Emily talked JJ into going shopping for a present. She had explained to her that they didn’t celebrate Birthdays but she had just winked and said:
“We’ll make it a girl thing.”
JJ had been successfully repressing the butterflies in her stomach whenever she looked at Emily and convinced herself that she liked the new team member - as a friend. Today she knew she had been wrong, but back then, it had made perfect sense.
They had been to almost every store in DC trying to find something suitable for Garcia. So far they had come up empty handed. JJ wanted to give her best friend something flashy and childish, but Prentiss wanted to make an impression and give her something that didn’t look like it came from a gumball machine.
They ended up getting her a shower curtain that would play “Singing in the Rain” whenever hit by water. Garcia was over the moon as the gift came with the added bonus that Derek would install it.
Before they had found a gift that fulfilled both of their criteria JJ and Emily had stopped at a perfumery. By that time they had been shopping for several hours and JJ felt a little goofy. She smelled the most expensive fragrances and joked about them being made of gold flakes. Then she found the London perfume from Burberry.
She opened the flacon and was hit by a very familiar smell. Slowly she inhaled, trying to remember where she had smelled that before. It was classy and elegant, comforting, inviting and just a little bit sweet.
“What are you looking at?” Emily asked behind her.
“I really like this smell.” JJ held up the tester for her to see. Her colleague looked strange, hurt and flattered at the same time. “What’s wrong?”
“We can’t give Garcia this.”
“Why not?”
“It’s my favorite.”
That’s why it had smelled so familiar! JJ remembered their case in Nevada. Brier, Nevada if her memory served her right. A town too small to have a real hotel but unfortunately not too small to be home to a sexual sadist. Before the team had a chance to start working the case the Unsub had been shot to death by a woman he had planned on making his next victim.
The locals had been extremely kind and each member had found a place to stay. Emily and JJ had shared a room over an old lady’s garage. When JJ had woken up she had seen that Emily was still sound asleep in her bed on the other side of the room. Quietly she had gone downstairs and made them coffee.
She had put Emily’s cup on the night stand, choosing not to wake her. She had sat on the window sill, in her shirt and shorts and watched as the fog from the river was slowly retreating back into the woods. JJ could tell that the air was still chilly.
She had tried to imagine herself five years from that day and saw herself as she was then. Nothing would change, would it? That lack of anything to look forward to had swallowed her whole. Not that her life hadn’t been beautiful and satisfying, but JJ had wanted more. Lost in her thoughts she hadn’t noticed that Prentiss had woken up and slipped out into the bathroom until she had come back.
Seeing her friend perfectly dressed and groomed she was suddenly very aware of her own lack of clothes. She went into the bathroom and for the first time she smelled Emily Prentiss. Even her scent was stately. JJ wondered what it would be like to be Emily’s husband. What qualities a man should have to be suitable for her.
Maybe she could fix her up with someone. Yes, she remembered thinking that. Even then she had been blind to what her body was telling her. Now, after having shared a past with the profiler she knew better.
Back in the perfumery, she had still been oblivious.
JJ had looked at Emily and demonstratively smelled the perfume before saying again:
“I really like this smell.” She didn’t know why she said it, nor why she said it with such emphasis, but she regretted it instantly. For a brief second Emily looked happier than she had ever seen her. Then, she shook her head, turned around and walked out of the shop.
Her fingers ran over the card again. She saw her memory in a very different light now. Emily had known back then, hadn’t she? And despite her own ignorance JJ had told her that she would welcome any advances. Emily had walked out.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Just as she’d stepped out of the shower JJ’s phone rang. It was O’Mara. They had two new victims. She called Hotch and Rossi who went to the scene immediately. Then she called Morgan who volunteered to go get Prentiss and Reid while she got dressed.
The four of them drove down to the station and set up again. They went over the new information when Rossi and Hotch came back. Their unit chief confessed that he had been more invested in the original case than he had led on and shared his preliminary profile with them.
Since no one had anything to add or criticize Rossi, Hotch and Reid shared it with the police officers working the case.
“The Reaper fits a profile we refer to as an omnivore. Unlike most serial killer an omnivore doesn’t target a specific victim type. Although he tends to focus on his younger female victims with his knife he essentially is a predator who will kill anyone.”
“Why is he so democratic?”
“Because his kills aren’t just about his victims. He needs recognition, he needs us to know.”
While they were talking Rossi reached a conclusion he immediately shared. The Reaper was a hebephile, a man focused on teenagers. It was very likely that he had been arrested on some form of sex crime charge against a teenager in the past ten years. Without losing any time the locals went through the case files matching this description.
Prentiss and Morgan were still trying to find Foyet and Garcia had called them with bad news. Emily went to get Hotch who understood without her saying something. He followed her into a small empty office where Morgan was sitting on a desk.
“Garcia can’t find George Foyet.”
“I got nothing, Sir.” Her voice sounded apologetic even over the phone. Emily looked at Morgan searching for the confidence he usually emitted. This case, however, had him stomped too. Catching the Reaper was like trying to eat soup with a fork.
“What do you mean?”
“He’s gone. I mean he’s completely off the grid and he’s gone.”
“How is that possible?” Hadn’t she told him once that she could find out someone’s favorite color if he gave her a name?
“Nine months after he was released from the hospital he quit his job, sold his car, closed his bank accounts, cancelled his credit cards, cell phone, apartment, everything! He has no paper, thus he has no trail and I can’t find him, ‘cause he’s gone.”
“You think it’s intentional?” Emily looked at Hotch. She knew her boss well enough to read from his face, that he had a theory. He wasn’t ready to share it yet and it would be useless to ask, but there was something he wasn’t telling them - for now.
“It’s more than that. Even dead people stay on the grid for decades.”
Emily looked to Morgan whose body language told her that he felt the same about Hotch.
Garcia went on: “Take it from me: Erasing yourself like this, it… it’s extremely difficult. It takes commitment. You have to be willing to cut every tie and every thing and every one you’ve ever known in your entire life. It’s like… It’s like killing yourself. I gotta say, this is impressive.”
“Well after what the guy’s been through, can you blame him? Foyet’s the only living person who knows what the Reaper looks like and he’s still out there.”
“But it doesn’t change the fact that we still need to find him.”
“I’ll keep looking.”
“Garcia we don’t have much time.”
“I know, Sir.”
“He would have to completely isolate himself. He’s totally alone.”
“But how do you cut all ties? You’d have to talk to someone, right?”
Instead of answering Prentiss, Aaron looked down at “Night Of The Reaper” and called Colson, the author.
“Roy. Aaron Hotchner. I need a favor.” He left.
“Is it me or is he taking this case a little too personal?”
“No. It’s not you.” Morgan said looking gloomy.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Roy Colson provided them with an address for Foyet. The team decided to approach him early next morning, as it was unlikely that the Reaper would strike twice in one night. And they needed sleep to give their best tomorrow.
Emily wondered whether JJ had already found her gift or not. She hadn’t acted any different. Would she get mad? Would she even get the hint? The more time passed, the less confident Emily got.
The door of her hotel room had just closed behind her, when someone knocked on it. She went to open it, not thinking to look through the peephole and stood in front of JJ.
Without any introduction the blonde asked:
“Why? Why this memory? Why now?”
Emily didn’t need another hint to know she was referring to the perfume.
“It was the first time I thought that the feelings I have for you might be mutual.”
An awkward silence spread between them. JJ had one more question to ask before she could go back to work.
“Why did you walk away; then; when you knew?” It was impossible to say if she was angry, hurt or just curious. Emily had no choice but to tell her the truth.
“I wasn’t ready.”
JJ looked at her. To think that they could have spared each other so much pain if only they had been more honest. How different things would have been if they had been a man and a woman. Or would it have been the same? One unwilling to commit, both risking their careers, neither knowing where it would lead them.
The media liaison left her standing in the doorway, wondering if she would ever see her look at her the way she used to.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Catching Unsubs who choose victims at random are almost impossible to catch. Only when they made a mistake or by sheer luck could these killers be stopped. That or the victims weren’t really chosen at random. A good example for this was Doyle.
He had been caught over three years ago, before Emily joined the BAU. It was one of the cases she studied as soon as she got the call from Strauss. He had seemingly killed at random until the team found out that he was targeting people who had been acquitted. This information finally led to his identity and his capture.
Another example was the case they had worked six months ago in New York. It was almost too late when the profilers realized that the Unsub was really a group of terrorists targeting a high profile politician.
The BAU spent all day making sure that there was no connection and no ulterior motive behind the killings as it was all they could do for now. No one dared to say it out loud, but everyone knew they were waiting for the Reaper to make a mistake. To kill again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And so he did. The Reaper killed seven people on a bus. In addition to the eye of providence he had written the words “No Deal” in a window and three numbers. Reid couldn’t find an equation or code they were taken out of.
They seemed familiar though and they quickly realized that the Unsub told them he knew where Foyet lived. The team split up and went to every one of the three apartments Foyet moved between randomly to better hide from the Reaper.
While Hotch and Reid, as well as Prentiss and Rossi couldn’t find anything leading to the identity of the Reaper, Morgan and O’Mara had been attacked. The Unsub killed O’Mara and Morgan only got away with his life by an act of mercy it seemed.
Everyone rushed to the new crime scene where the EMT was now picking shards of glass out of Morgan’s shoulder. In his struggle with the killer he had been thrown through a window, knocking him out.
He had taken Derek’s credentials and left him a bullet.
“Power and manipulation. Don’t let him get to you.” Because he had nothing more to offer Hotch left his co-workers and went through the house, looking for something even he couldn’t name.
“Yeah, right.” Emily tried not to wince every time Derek did. She knew it was necessary to get every shard out of his shoulder, but she didn’t like seeing her friend in pain, physical or otherwise.
“Prentiss, he’s telling me ‘I had you’.”
“Morgan, you’re alive.” She tried to get him to focus on the silver lining.
“You know why?”
“It doesn’t really matter.”
“I’m sitting here because I was knocked out cold. He couldn’t torture me.” Now she understood what he was trying to tell her. He wasn’t getting worked up, he was profiling.
“He likes to interact with his victims. To tell them he’s gonna kill them before he does.”
“Or by letting them know he could have.” Morgan said, holding up the bullet. Maybe he was getting worked up a little.
“Hotch is right. He’s just trying to get into your head.”
“Right or wrong: he had me.” Angry he left, picking up an FBI jacket.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Prentiss felt as though they couldn’t see what was right in front of their eyes. As the team gathered around the round table at the station again, Hotch voiced what she had been wondering ever since the latest kill.
“Why is he so focused on Foyet? What’s so special about him?”
“He was his only surviving victim. The only one he couldn’t defeat.” Before her late night visit, Emily would have read something into JJ looking at her right then. She would have spent hours trying to figure out if she was sending her a message, saying: ‘You can’t defeat me, I never was that into you to begin with.’ Now, she knew better.
And the fact that she had looked at her after all these weeks, was more encouragement than she needed for the next step in her plan. Yes, her plan had a next step and one after that and one after that. Prepare or be prepared.
“But he’s no threat. Defeating him would be no great accomplishment.”
Emily silently agreed. She found it odd that Foyet went through that much trouble to completely hide from someone who never threatened him once he would finish the job. She didn’t mention it though. Who knew how she’d react to the same situation.
“There’s something there that we’re missing.” Hotch stated the obvious.
“What about the girlfriend? Amanda Bertrand. What do we know about her?” JJ had spent enough time in the BAU to pick up on a few profiler routines. If they were looking at victimology, they should consider both victims of the attack.
“19. A freshman; she came here from Michigan to go to school. Foyet was a teacher’s assistant in one of Amanda’s courses.”
“Michigan. Where the Reaper had Shaunessy post the personal ad.”
“That can’t be a coincidence.” JJ said.
“He told us that she was the love of his life, that he was going to propose.” Rossi remembered interviewing Foyet.
“But she just got here from Michigan. They only met when the class started.”
“How long had she been in the class?”
“Four weeks.” Prentiss scoffed.
“So it was either love at first sight, or what?”
“Foyet was lying?”
“28 year old teacher’s assistant in freshman classes.”
“That gives him plenty of access to young girls.” Prentiss’ fingertips were prickling again. She could see it in their faces. They had all the same unsettling suspicion, but before it was confirmed they had to cling to hope.
Hotch had picked up the phone and dialled.
“Garcia?” He put her on speaker.
“I’m here.”
Turning to Rossi he asked about Foyet’s aliases and Garcia confirmed that all of them were registered as substitute high school teachers. Under one name Foyet had been fired for inappropriate behavior with female students. No sense denying it now, George Foyet was the Boston Reaper.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
They were able to stop him before he killed Roy Colson, whom he held hostage because he didn’t print the story about the letter he had sent to Shaunessy. Foyet was transferred to a high security facility while the team flew back home to Quantico.
On the plane the profilers discussed the unusual arrogance Foyet showed when he stabbed himself a dozen times to put himself in the middle of the investigation. If they had thought to look twice at him he would have been arrested right then and there.
While the others went back to their usual post case routine Morgan was still holding the bullet that almost killed him. Hotch decided to talk to him.
JJ made tea. It was too late for coffee. They would just drop the case files off and then go home. She planned her evening to distract herself from the fact that she made two cups of tea. One for herself and one for Emily.
She put the steaming mug in front of her ex-girlfriend, as a peace offering. Despite her anger, about Emily’s reluctance to do something about her feelings toward her back when she first joined the BAU, JJ could see how hard it must have been for her.
How much strength and courage it must have cost her to make the first step now, to put herself out there. All she had shown her in return was anger, that she hadn’t done anything before. Now she felt guilty and offered her tea instead of an apology.
Emily understood. Better than JJ would ever know. She had had fought with herself over the situation in the perfume store too many times to keep count. She berated herself for allowing the circumstances to devolve into a mess that allowed for William to get caught in the middle. If only she had asked JJ out back then, things would have been so different.
Then again, JJ might not have been willing to date a woman. She hadn’t known that she was gay or she wouldn’t have started to see Will in the first place. Maybe it had to happen the way it did.
‘What’s done is done.’ Emily thought, took the mug in her hands and asked JJ about Henry.
They were still talking about the somewhat neutral topic when they walked into the BAU bullpen area. Minutes later, JJ received a call informing her, that George Foyet had escaped. Local authorities thought they didn’t need the BAU to help them catch him again. Turning to the TV Morgan said out loud what everyone was thinking:
“He said he’d be more famous than we knew. He was right.”