Chapter 436: The Reporter

"Did you find anything at the scene that shouldn't belong to the deceased?" Hotchner asked.

"What do you mean?" Finley looked confused.

"The 'Boston Reaper' takes something from each victim and places it on the next one, letting the police know it's his doing. We haven't disclosed this detail to the public."

Hotchner's explanation made Finley think for a moment before he started scrolling through photos on his phone, eventually stopping at the male victim's face.

"Is it this?" He pointed to the glasses on the victim's face in the photo.

"I was wondering why the victim was shot in the temple, but the glasses were still intact. It seems the killer placed them on him after he was dead."

Hotchner suddenly looked up. "He only took glasses from one victim, the ninth. They should have appeared on the tenth victim, but we never found them."

"Was there anything special about the ninth victim?" Jack asked on Finley's behalf.

"He was the only one who survived," Hotchner replied, his gaze lingering on the crowd gathered outside the crime scene tape.

"Do you see someone familiar?" JJ asked, noticing his strange expression as she approached.

"Maybe. Remember the book 'Night Reaper' I showed you on the plane?" Hotchner nodded toward a middle-aged white man with a briefcase standing outside the tape.

"That's the author of that book, Roy Coulson."

Led by JJ, the well-dressed and scholarly-looking Roy Coulson approached the group.

"Agent Hotchner, long time no see. Didn't Chief Vaughn say this was the work of a copycat? What brings you here?"

Roy Coulson warmly extended his hand to Hotchner.

"Helping the police catch the killer. It's been a while, Roy," Hotchner replied, his face neutral, neither showing hostility toward a member of the media nor excitement at seeing an old acquaintance.

Roy Coulson sighed. "That's your line? It's been ten years, and you haven't changed a bit—still so by the book. I even wrote a whole book about that guy and sent you a signed copy. Don't tell me you never received it?"

Hotchner remained expressionless, unmoved by the attempt to bond, and instead reiterated, "Officially, we have no reason to believe this isn't a copycat case."

"And unofficially?" Roy Coulson smiled slightly, as if he'd expected that response.

Hotchner didn't answer directly. Instead, he asked, "Roy, what's more important to you: gathering material for your writing or catching the killer?"

Roy Coulson also avoided a direct answer. "I interviewed all the victims' families. I made sure the world knew about their tragic fates. If you've read my book, you must know that."

"The book is well-written. You showed respect for the victims and were fair in your assessment of our work. I also know you donated all the royalties to the victims' families, which is why I'm willing to talk to you."

Hotchner's words made Jack and Finley raise their eyebrows. A journalist like this was rare in the country.

"This is Agent Jennifer Jareau. I promise that once we can release information, she will contact you first."

Hotchner said as he introduced JJ to Coulson.

After exchanging business cards, Roy Coulson shook Hotchner's hand again and left, but not before giving a serious warning, "If it's really him, he'll strike again soon."

The crime scene investigation temporarily wrapped up, and Jack invited Finley to ride back to the FBI's Boston office, where Reid and the others had already compiled past case files.

There were many cases, and given the time that had passed, they planned to review the details overnight, especially considering the glasses found at the scene, which had belonged to the ninth victim. Could the killer be planning to go after the one who got away?

"George Foyet, age 28 at the time, victim number nine, and the only one who survived the killer's attack."

The FBI's Boston office had set aside a small meeting room for the newly formed task force, and as everyone sat down, they began reviewing the details of the ninth victim.

"A miracle survivor," Rossi remarked as he looked at the photos of George Foyet's numerous gruesome, stitched-up wounds.

"But his 19-year-old companion, Amanda Lambert, wasn't so lucky. She was stabbed 67 times."

As Reid continued, a photo of the battered corpse of a young woman appeared on the screen.

Hotchner summarized some of his findings from the past. "The killer liked to attack in or near private cars, usually at night, in dimly lit, isolated areas. According to George Foyet, the killer pretended to be a lost tourist and asked for directions."

Reid then displayed a sketch on the screen. "This is the sketch the Boston police artist drew in the hospital based on Foyet's description of the killer."

Finley nodded. "I understand this sketch was shown on TV and in newspapers for three days, but it led nowhere."

"And this is the eye he drew." Reid showed several photos, some from the crime scene and others of letters sent to the police.

The common feature in all of them was a hand-drawn 'Eye of Providence,' an eye inside a triangle, with lines above and below representing either eyelashes or rays of light.

"The Eye of Providence, also called the All-Seeing Eye, was adopted in 1782 as part of the national emblem, along with the phrase 'Annuit Coeptis,' which means 'Providence has favored our undertakings.' It also appears on the back of the one-dollar bill. The killer seems to be comparing himself to God."

Reid's explanation led Jack to drift off in thought. He remembered that in a movie he'd seen in his previous life, National Treasure, the "All-Seeing Eye" was also linked to the Freemasons, and from there, spun into a series of conspiracy theories.

Considering one of the country's founding fathers, Benjamin Franklin, was known to be a Freemason, related conspiracy theories had always had a strong following.

Jack snapped back to attention just in time to hear JJ asking, "How did George Foyet survive?"

Reid then played an audio file, and a recording began.

"911, what's your emergency?" It was the voice of a 911 operator.

"I killed two more people." The next voice was distorted, clearly altered by a voice changer.

"I'm sorry, sir. Did you say you killed someone?"

"Targets 8 and 9, on Riverton Road, behind the Tyson Quarry, near a silver Toyota."

As the recording ended, Emily Prentiss continued the explanation. "The call was made from a public phone booth a mile from the scene. Emergency services arrived 15 minutes later. Amanda Lambert was pronounced dead at the scene, and George Foyet was found barely alive, having lost a lot of blood."

"As far as we know, before this incident, the 'Reaper' would always call to report the location of the bodies after each killing, but since Foyet survived, the killer never called the police again."

"Sounds like he learned his lesson," Rossi quipped.

"I suspect there's a reason the killer left those glasses at the scene. George Foyet might be in danger," Hotchner said.

Jack disagreed. "Why now? George Foyet was the ninth victim. Ten years ago, before the 'Reaper' stopped, there were a total of 21 victims, right?"

Rossi hesitated for a moment, unsure. "Regardless, we should find him first. Maybe we can ask about his experiences over the past decade."

Emily picked up her phone. "I've already alerted Garcia. She should have news soon."

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