Chapter 440: Another Murder +2

Meanwhile, Hotchner was using his flashlight to thoroughly inspect the interior of the car, inch by inch.

"Do you remember the missing watch from the last case involving Nina Hale? He left it here."

Following the beam of Hotchner's flashlight, Jack saw two women's wristwatches on the female victim's right wrist.

"So, what did he take this time?"

Rossi, using his flashlight to check the jewelry on both victims, remained unaffected by the overwhelming stench of blood.

"Here, the husband's wedding ring," Rossi said, pointing his flashlight at the male victim's left ring finger, where a noticeable indentation was left behind.

Hotchner made another discovery. "The wife's purse has been rummaged through."

Jack moved his own flashlight closer to help Hotchner search. It didn't take long before they found something.

Hotchner pulled down the sun visor on the passenger side, and a family photo of the victims fell out. On it, written in the victims' blood, was the word "Fate" followed by a question mark.

"What does this mean?" Jack took the photo, perplexed, and handed it over to Rossi.

The word "Fate" could have many meanings—destiny, doom, disaster, or even death. But what did the question mark mean? Was it meant to mock them?

"This is for us," Hotchner explained. "He's saying it's not about fate. We had ten years to prevent these deaths. The new victims are our fault."

"Impressive that you could deduce all that from a single question mark," Rossi remarked, his voice tinged with sarcasm. Bringing personal feelings into this line of work was a major taboo.

Jack sensed something off too. Hotchner's behavior seemed a bit like how Rossi had once been, haunted by an unsolved case for over twenty years.

Hotchner's typically stoic demeanor hadn't cracked. He showed no outward reaction to Rossi's sarcastic remark.

"Maybe I know more about the 'Reaper' than I've let on."

Both Jack and Rossi exchanged surprised looks. Hotchner continued, "Actually, I've done a full profile on him."

That wasn't what he'd said before. When the BAU was first asked to consult on the "Boston Reaper" case, they were just getting started when the late detective Tom Shonas dismissed them.

"You never let it go and investigated privately?" Rossi sighed. "We all have our demons." He couldn't judge Hotchner, as he himself had been obsessed with a case for decades, but that didn't stop him from worrying.

"Yes. It was the first case I worked on as a full-fledged profiler in the BAU. How could I just let it go? Over the years, I've gone over the case files multiple times, studying the killer on my own," Hotchner confessed.

"I know I've always stressed that profiling requires teamwork, but this time felt different. I wasn't sure if I was right, and I didn't want to lead everyone in the wrong direction."

"So, now you think you were right?" Jack chimed in at the right moment.

Hotchner sighed. "These two cases make me think my judgment was correct."

"Okay, tomorrow morning, we'll privately go over your profile," Rossi said, taking off his gloves and patting Hotchner on the shoulder.

——

"The 'Boston Reaper' fits the profile of an 'omnivore,' unlike most serial killers. An omnivore doesn't have a specific victim type."

Hotchner stood at the head of the conference table, presenting his psychological profile of the suspect.

It was the morning of the third day. The team held a closed-door meeting, attended only by the BAU members and Finlay.

The first question came from Finlay, "Why? Does he have some twisted sense of 'democracy' when it comes to murder?"

"Because his thrill doesn't come from the victims themselves. What the killer craves is recognition, to be known. One of his signature behaviors is placing the previous victim's belongings on the next one."

Hotchner pointed to a photo on the evidence board. "The letter he sent to Tom Shonas is the best example of this. He manipulated Shonas into making a written concession. The killer knew he couldn't force the police to make a public statement, so he turned Shonas into a sacrifice."

Reid raised his hand to interject, "The killer manipulated Shonas through his extraordinary intelligence, gaining immense satisfaction in the process."

Emily added, "In that sense, we could consider Shonas the Reaper's 22nd victim. The guilt and pressure he carried were burdens the killer inflicted on him."

"Yesterday's case also reminded me of something Hotch mentioned before," Jack said, having stayed up all night reviewing all the files related to the Boston Reaper.

"The killer may be an omnivore, but the younger the victim—especially if female—the more time he spends on them. For example, Nina Hale, age 19, was stabbed 46 times. Over ten years ago, Amanda Lambert, also 19, was stabbed 67 times. There are other similar cases as well."

"You suspect he's a 'hebephile'?" Rossi asked cautiously.

A hebephile is someone with a sexual preference for pubescent or adolescent teenagers, usually between 14 and 18 years old.

Jack nodded. "I even suspect he's sexually impotent. He might be using the knife as a substitute for penetration, repeatedly stabbing his victims."

Hotchner's eyes lit up. The omnivore characteristic hadn't helped narrow down the suspect pool, but if he was indeed a hebephile, that was a different story.

"We should start by investigating people connected to positions of authority—high school teachers, counselors, coaches, and anyone with a history of harassing teenage girls over the past decade."

"There's still one issue," Reid raised his hand again. "What about George Foyer? He was stabbed dozens of times as well, but he was a 28-year-old man, which doesn't fit this profile."

Jack scratched his head. "He is an exception. I've asked the CSI team to investigate a few suspicions. Once they have results, I'll let everyone know. But looking at the other victims, it's not unprecedented for males to have been stabbed multiple times."

Despite everything, after three days and four more victims, the BAU finally found a potential lead. Everyone dove back into their work.

But the "Boston Reaper" seemed to have spiraled into madness. That night, at midnight, Jack was still at the hotel reviewing case files when his phone rang again.

Twenty minutes later, a Suburban skidded to a stop at the entrance of an alley. Before the vehicle had even come to a complete stop, Hotchner flung open the door, followed by the rest of the team. This time, everyone was at the scene.

Jack hurried to catch up with the group, walking through the alley to a quiet street on the other side, where they all stood frozen in place.

A bus was parked on the roadside. Bloodied numbers were written on one of the bus windows. Finlay, pale-faced, stood next to the bus, dazed. When he saw Jack, his expression was a mix of crying and laughing.

"Jack, this time I really need your help."

"How many?" Hotchner asked, stepping forward. The calm, collected agent's voice trembled.

"Six passengers, not including the driver." Finlay's hand shook as he took the cigar Jack handed him.

"He shot the driver first, then gunned down all the passengers, finishing them off with a knife."

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