According to Supervisor Natalie, the FBI had 1,152 active agents stationed across the Greater Los Angeles area. The suspect was a white male, and after filtering out women and non-white agents, they were still left with over 600 potential candidates.
Conducting a thorough investigation on that many agents was a daunting task, especially since it had to be done covertly with minimal manpower. Jack was skeptical that the killer was an active FBI agent—after all, agents were required to have their phones on them 24/7, making their movements traceable.
Nevertheless, Hotch decided not to take any chances. He assigned JJ and Rossi to remain in the SCIF, working with Garcia to comb through personnel records. Jack was sent to meet with Emily and Reid to gather more information on the case.
The BAU's newest member, Luke Alvez, wasn't around, as he had just finished behavioral analysis training and had returned to Quantico for his final exams.
Emily was in the team's office, organizing case files. Her face lit up when she saw Jack but quickly grew serious. "Did they confirm it?"
Jack knew she was referring to the suspicion of an internal FBI suspect. He shook his head with a smile. "Not yet. They're still working on eliminating that possibility. I'm here to get up to speed on the case."
"Alright." Emily seemed relieved by his presence, though she wasn't entirely sure why. She laid out three case files on the table in front of him.
"The first murder happened three days ago. The victim was Gertrude Smiles, killed in her home in Eagle Rock. The second murder took place the day before yesterday. The body of the victim, Isabella Jane, was discovered yesterday morning in her house in Atwater Village."
Jack quickly located both locations on a map. "Those areas are less than five miles apart."
Emily nodded. "Yes. Both victims were found wrapped up and left in their bedrooms. Gertrude was wrapped in a carpet, and Isabella in her bedsheet. The cause of death in both cases was asphyxiation.
The detective who took the cases had attended one of our training programs and noticed the similarities. Concerned that the killer might be a developing serial murderer, he contacted us right away."
"And it turns out he was absolutely right. The third victim appeared after you took over the case?" Jack asked, picking up the third file.
"Exactly. Her name was Patricia Brannon. The crime scene is the one you saw on the surveillance footage," Emily explained, placing photographs on the evidence board.
"Unlike the first two victims, who lived in detached homes, Patricia lived in a townhouse complex, where neighbors are more likely to notice unusual activity. The killer is getting bolder."
Jack wasn't focused on that detail. His eyes lingered on the photos of the victims. Each one was wrapped tightly, with only their feet exposed.
"Gertrude was 29, blonde. Isabella was 42, brunette. Patricia was 48, with black hair. They don't look alike. The killer doesn't seem to have a specific victim profile," Jack observed.
Emily nodded as she continued pinning photos to the board. "There were no signs of robbery at the scenes, and we haven't found any connections between the victims. Their lifestyles and professions are considered low-risk.
Gertrude was a marketing executive for a toy company. Isabella worked from home handling medical billing. Patricia was a night-shift veterinary assistant at an animal hospital."
"Where's Reid?" Jack asked, glancing around. Normally, Reid would be the one handling tasks like mapping locations and organizing evidence, as it helped him process the case's logic.
"Given how all three victims were wrapped, we considered that the killer might have a fetish for asphyxiation-related acts, or that the wrapping could be some form of remorse ritual. We thought it was possible the killer knew the victims.
But Reid has a different theory. He suspects the killer might have claustrophobia and went to the morgue to test his hypothesis," Emily explained.
Jack blinked in surprise. "But isn't claustrophobia more about the person's own experiences?" He paused before realization hit. "Projection, right? The killer is projecting their fear onto the victims."
"Exactly," Emily replied with a smile.
Checking the time on his phone, Jack said, "I'll head to the morgue and meet Reid. Afterward, we should visit Patricia's neighborhood."
Emily gave him a thumbs-up. Jack dialed Jubal on his way to the elevator, updating him on the situation. He and JJ would be staying in Los Angeles for a while longer.
Half an hour later, Jack arrived at the coroner's office in Braxton's bulletproof "Mammoth" SUV. In the large autopsy room, Reid and the medical examiner stood near three corpses laid out on examination tables.
Jack wasn't familiar with the coroner—a bald white man in his early thirties—but Reid stood out. He was dressed sharply in a tailored, lightweight linen suit, perfect for the summer heat of Los Angeles. The fitted, British-style cut made him look like a distinguished young professor, a transformation that had undoubtedly been influenced by Layla's keen eye for aesthetics.
"So, the third victim was wrapped in her house's curtains?" Jack asked as he walked over to Reid, switching on a lamp to illuminate the fabric. He pointed out a faint bite mark on the curtain.
"This indicates she was still alive when she was wrapped," Reid said, frowning in discomfort.
"Same as the other two victims," the coroner added, handing Jack a pair of gloves. "I also found bruising and a small tear on the inside of her upper lip."
Reid pointed to the victim's face. "The skin around her nose and mouth is pale, consistent with someone smothered by hand."
Jack examined the mouth and upper teeth, noticing bleeding gums and loose front teeth. "The killer used a lot of force. There's evidence of gum trauma and tooth displacement."
Scanning the nearby tools, Jack asked, "No signs of sexual assault?"
The coroner hesitated. "It's hard to say. I found traces of synthetic material—possibly faux leather—on all three victims, but there were no bodily fluids, DNA, or lubricant present."
"So the asphyxiation might be part of a specific ritual or method," Reid theorized.
"I'd bet you'll find the same synthetic material on their noses, mouths, and wherever they were wrapped," Jack said to the coroner.
"The killer likely wore gloves to knock the victims unconscious, then sexually assaulted them through some form of tactile stimulation. He wrapped them in whatever fabric was available—curtains, bedsheets, carpets—and smothered them to death," Jack explained.
Reid summarized grimly, "Our suspect is meticulous, experienced, and sexually impotent. He can only achieve gratification through ritualized killing."
"He isn't picky about his victims. As long as they're within his physical control, their age and appearance don't matter," Jack added. "And like you said, his ritual likely stems from his own claustrophobia."
(End of Chapter)
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