After getting off the plane, Bruce, Reid and Hotch went to the latest crime scene, while JJ dealt with the media.
Reid flipped through the files on the case. "Nina.
Hale, 19, Evan.
Harvey, 23. Nina's throat was slit and she was stabbed 46 times. Evan was hit hard and then shot. No shells were found. "
Hotch frowned at the sign on the ground. "He likes .44 caliber revolvers and guns. The younger the female victim, the more time he spends on her. The weapon is usually a knife."
Bruce looked at the photos in the files. Although they were at the crime scene, the bodies had been moved away, and they could only use the blood and signs at the scene to reconstruct the scene in their minds. "There was a circle of skin on her wrist that wasn't tanned. She was probably wearing a watch or something."
"The Grim Reaper takes items from all the victims and puts them on the next victim to let us know that he committed the crime." As Hotch spoke, he looked at the red eye pattern left at each crime scene.
Reid pointed at the open file in his hand. "The glasses aren't his." Bruce also looked at the picture and saw that the glasses were on the male victim's face.
"He only took the glasses from one victim: the ninth victim. We should have found them on the tenth victim, but we didn't. We didn't find any of the other victims until this one, "Hotch said.
Bruce asked curiously, "Is there anything special about the ninth victim?"
"He survived," Li Tianlan said.
After they finished observing the last crime scene, they returned to the police station. Bruce began to have a preliminary impression of the serial killer. After that, they would search the various crime scenes and various files to find connections, narrow down the scope, and finally find the killer.
Brosnan often felt that each of their cases was like putting together a jigsaw puzzle. At the beginning, it was a blur, but at the end, it formed a clear picture. The content or personality of the serial killer was a piece of the puzzle, and they had to find the right place to fit it in.
Sometimes, it was an interesting game, provided that the serial killer wasn't an idiot and the cases weren't simple and crude. For example, this serial killer had left behind these unique symbols that had once made the police yield and stop chasing after him. It was quite interesting.
Bruce was not infatuated with this kind of hunting game, but he felt that it was a good pastime in life. A life that was too peaceful would be boring, and this was just right.
George
Foyet, 28, the ninth victim, the only person to have escaped death, Amanda
Bertrand, 19 years old, the eighth victim, they met death together, but she was not as lucky as him.
Bruce looked at the picture displayed on the screen in the police station's conference room and pulled his attention back to the case.
"After the case, we asked Foyet at the hospital to describe the murderer's appearance to the cameraman. At that time, Foyet said that the murderer pretended to be a lost tourist to get close to them," a police officer added.
"The Grim Reaper usually uses some sort of trick to get close to his victim," Hotch said.
Bruce found that he was more active than in previous cases. Of course, it wasn't that he wasn't active in the past, but it was obvious that he had handled this case ten years ago, and he felt that he had some sort of responsibility.
Reid pointed to the eye pattern that the murderer had left at each crime scene on the screen and began to explain, "This eye he drew looks like the Eye of God. The Eye of God was used by the US government as the design of the Great Seal of the United States in 1782. The back of the seal is printed with the Latin word annuit.
Coeptis, which means God bless our nation. It seems that the Grim Reaper thinks he is the incarnation of God. "
Prentiss looked at everyone. "Then how did Foyet escape?"
An audio recording of a police call played in the conference room.
"This was through Tyson.
It was from a pay phone in Quarry, about a mile away from the crime scene. The ambulance arrived about 15 minutes later. Amanda was already dead when they arrived, and Foyet was breathing weakly. "
"Every time after a murder, the Grim Reaper calls the police to tell them where the body is?" Prentiss asked.
Hotch was still frowning. "Until the ninth victim. If the Grim Reaper hadn't called, Foyet wouldn't have been found in time. That call saved him. "
Morgan clenched his fist and rested his face on it. He turned his head and said, "So, the Grim Reaper didn't call 911 again after this."
"Looks like he learned his lesson," Prentiss said.
Bruce, however, focused on the photo of the latest victim, the woman who had been stabbed 46 times. He compared it to the autopsy report.
"Nina, Hale died after being stabbed 46 times. It seems that he had accumulated a lot of experience after so many cases. The wounds were deep, but they were not fatal. He barely became an expert with a knife."
"So, as an expert with a knife, you can do it too?" Reid's tone was somewhat mocking.
"Hey, you're underestimating me. Even if I use a long knife, I can stab a few hundred times if I want to." Bruce said in a rather self-satisfied tone. Then he realized that the atmosphere was a little strange. He looked around and saw that his teammates were all looking at him. "Uh, I'm just kidding," he said, rubbing his nose.
After a while, Hotch said, "The murderer left Foyet's glasses at the crime scene for a reason. Foyet might be in danger." Their next goal was to find Foyet. They wanted to warn him and ask him about the murderer. This sole survivor might be of help to them and help them understand the murderer.
Bruce felt a little helpless when Hotch looked at him, and secretly laughed. He really didn't want to see Hotch care so much about this case.
At night, they were notified that another victim had been found. Hotch and Rossi went to the scene, and Bruce followed them. "If it's still a knife, I might be able to find something." In fact, he just wanted to follow Hotch.
Another couple had been killed, and this time, the victim was much older. "The victims are Arthur and Diane.
Lanessa, from Weymouth. Married for 32 years. Home from Elks. They go there twice a week to play bingo. "The officer introduced them and left.
"One was shot, one was stabbed. They stopped here for no reason." Bruce looked around. The location was not bad. It was practically the middle of nowhere, and there were few cars on the road.
"His driver's license and registration are outside his wallet. Looks like the murderer is up to something again." Even though there were street lights, it was dark inside the car. Hotch looked around with the flashlight.
Bruce guessed that the murderer had probably disguised himself as a police officer to stop the car in this remote area and ask for the documents to be checked.
"He left behind the previous victim, Nina's watch."
Bruce poked his head into the car door to look. There were two bodies in the driver's seat and the passenger's seat. Their terrified expressions before they died could still be seen.
"Okay, what did he take with him?" Hotch and Bruce each took one side of the car door, so Rossi could only ask from the outside.
Bruce looked at the two bodies and tried to find the missing item. Hotch already said, "His wedding ring."
Bruce looked at the hand of the male victim in the driver's seat. Even though there was a mark on his ring finger, the ring was gone. He puffed up his face in frustration. Was this the difference between being married and not being married?
"Looks like the murderer went through her wallet." Hotch looked at Bruce and observed the situation inside the car.
Bruce didn't know if it was an illusion, but he felt that there was a hint of a smile in Hotch's eyes. However, when he looked again, it was clearly his usual serious expression.
"What is he looking for?" Rossi's voice came from outside the car.
Hotch looked around with the flashlight and flipped down the visor in front of the passenger's seat. A photo fell out.
In the light of the flashlight, Bruce saw that it was a picture of the victim and her family. The words "FATE?" were written in red on the picture.
Hotch looked at Bruce and came out of the car to pass the photo to Rossi. "He's saying that it's not fate. He's saying that we have ten years to save them. The two recent murders are our responsibility."
Bruce looked at Hotch. Sure enough, he put the blame on himself. Bruce could understand this inexplicable mentality, but he couldn't understand it.
"You can tell so much from a question mark. That's amazing." Rossi deliberately said in a light tone.
"If I find out the true identity of the Grim Reaper, I'll know more."
"What does that mean?" Rossi was puzzled.
"It means that I profiled the Grim Reaper."
"But you said that Shaunessy asked you to go back before you could do the profiling," Bruce interrupted.
"I've been coming back here all these years to investigate alone." Hotch looked at them.
Sure enough … Bruce wasn't surprised at all. He knew what kind of person Hotch was. Sometimes, he felt sorry for him, but at the same time, he was proud that the person he fell in love with had these precious qualities that he had long lost.
"You've never told anyone else," Rossi said. Their conversation continued.
"I know. I've always said that profiling is the wisdom of the collective, but it's not this time. I don't know. If I'm wrong, I'll mislead everyone." Hotch's gaze was firm when he said this.
"But now you think you're right."
"The more I look at it, the more I feel right." No one knew this case better than Hotch, from ten years ago until now.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
