Jubal's pencil moved decisively as he addressed the team. "The three victims all come from the same general area—between northern Manhattan and the Connecticut border. That's likely our unsub's hunting ground. But why these women? We need to find the connection. Their full background information—friends, family, spouses, and any related criminal records—needs to be compiled and analyzed. Jennifer, can I entrust this task to you?"
Jennifer nodded. This type of work was similar to her previous duties in BAU, where she often sifted through case files for patterns.
"Good. Jack, from a psychological ubal asked, lowering his voice slightly as he approached Jack.
Jack, noticing Jubal's newfound estandpoint, what are we dealing with here? Do you have a preliminary profile of the killer?" Jnthusiasm for behavioral analysis, attributed it to BAU's influence during their recent collaboration. Jubal had even been reciting the definition of a serial killer earlier, as if teaching a class.
"I noticed something that might help," Jack began, pulling out his phone and showing photos of the victims' hands. "You mentioned all three victims were married, right?"
"Yes, that's correct. What are you getting at?" Jubal leaned closer to examine the images, his brows furrowing.
Isobel Castille, standing nearby, also caught sight of the photos. Though visibly unsettled, her expression betrayed a simmering anger—a reaction fueled by shared womanhood and empathy for the victims.
Jack zoomed in on each hand. "None of them were wearing wedding rings."
"None?" Jubal asked, surprised. He grabbed the phone to scrutinize the images more closely.
"One possible explanation is that the unsub took the rings as trophies," Jack suggested. "Someone targeting these women for sexual violence wouldn't typically go to such lengths to dispose of the bodies unless they were driven by deeper, ritualistic motivations."
"So, what does that signify?" Isobel asked, her curiosity piqued. Despite her position as an ASAC, she lacked the air of superiority that Joyner had occasionally projected. Having joined a high-profile office after a major incident, she seemed intent on earning the team's trust.
"On the surface, wedding rings symbolize love and marriage. But from another perspective, they represent possession and attachment," Jack explained, recalling a case BAU had handled—a killer who targeted couples and collected women's underwear as trophies.
"This leaves us with two possibilities: either the unsub keeps the rings as trophies for later gratification, or…" Jack trailed off, letting the implication hang.
"What circumstances would make someone remove their own wedding ring?" Hannah, who had been listening attentively, answered quickly, "When seeking… other pleasures."
"Exactly. Either way, given that all three victims were attractive, married women under 30, it's safe to say the unsub is obsessed with young, beautiful wives. Now the question is, how does he select his victims? We should start by speaking to their husbands—find out if they noticed anything unusual or if anyone had been harassing their wives."
Jack reached for his phone, but noticed Jubal staring at the photos, lost in thought.
"Jubal?"
"Hmm? Oh, right," Jubal snapped out of it and handed back the phone. "Aubrey is on his way back from the scene. You can start with Beatriz Santos' husband. I'll assign another agent to talk to the other two husbands."
"Send me," Isobel volunteered. "It's a good opportunity to familiarize myself with everyone."
"Alright, I'll send you Aubrey's contact information." Jubal nodded but remained distracted. As Jack and Hannah prepared to leave, Jubal stopped Jack for a private word.
"Did you notice the type of wire used to bind the victims? Was it 14-gauge wire, tied in a square knot?"
Jack raised an eyebrow, surprised by the specificity. "It was. Don't tell me you guessed that."
In the AWG (American Wire Gauge) system, a larger number indicates a smaller wire diameter. Fourteen-gauge wire is 1.63 millimeters thick, with a cross-sectional area of 2.075 square millimeters—commonly referred to as "two square" wire. The square knot, also known as a dead knot, is infamous for being hard to untie, often the bane of people tying their shoelaces improperly.
Jubal's expression turned uneasy. "I need to check on something. Maybe make a few calls. You go ahead; I'll explain later."
"Alright. Let me know if you find anything." Jack noted Jubal's distracted demeanor. It was reminiscent of the time Jack had secretly helped with Jubal's daughter's illness—an anxiety he hadn't displayed in a long while.
Sixty kilometers northeast of New York City lies Stamford, a small Connecticut town. Despite its proximity to Manhattan, it belongs administratively to Connecticut and serves as one of New York's satellite cities.
Jack and Hannah drove for about an hour to leave the New York City limits and reached Stamford in under forty minutes. They arrived at the neatly maintained home of Beatriz Santos, one of the victims. Her husband, a tan-skinned Latino man, had clearly invested in the property, which stood out with its well-manicured lawn and tidy surroundings.
In New York City, middle-class families often rent apartments, while wealthier individuals gravitate toward suburban homes. This dynamic keeps property prices in towns like Stamford exorbitantly high, especially in affluent neighborhoods.
According to the case file, Santos' husband was a senior IT engineer with a substantial income. Having been informed of his wife's fate by the local police, he was waiting at home for the FBI agents. He was visibly distraught and appeared to be in the second stage of grief: anger.
Psychologist Elizabeth Kübler-Ross outlined five stages of grief in her book On Death and Dying: denial/isolation, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.
Currently, Santos' husband was firmly in the anger stage. As pain surfaced, he sought an outlet, directing his rage outward.
"I'm losing my mind! Why the hell was Beatriz found in a lake in Central Park? Why was she even in the city? Why was she there?" He paced frantically, throwing his hands up in frustration.
Jack observed calmly, knowing his next words might make him a target of the man's ire but nonetheless necessary.
"Mr. Santos, everything is still under investigation. We need you to recount the exact events leading up to your wife's disappearance."
(End of Chapter)
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