Criminal Minds Series Rewrite: Season One

Unfinished Business: Part Two

On the plane, Max just wanted to jump into it by immediately talking about the case. He didn't even wait until it got off the ground to start. You appreciate his enthusiasm, but he seems too eager for this. It might impair his judgment later if he thinks the Keystone Killer is within the team's grasp. You'll keep an eye on him, though. Hotch patched Penelope through so she can be part of this conversation since he gave her some tasks to do while they got ready for the plane.

"Philly PD confirmed that Carla Bromwell's been dead less than twelve hours. She was forty-seven," Penelope says.

"The victims are getting older. That is unusual," Derek frowns.

"Victimology rarely changes."

"Her hands and feet were bound with flex-cuffs," Penelope also adds.

"Flex-cuffs? No ropes?" you ask.

"That's what they said. They're waiting at the crime scene for you."

"Thank you, sweetheart," Derek grins.

"If you need me," she grins and ends the video chat.

Spencer reaches into his bag and you peek over to see him take out your note. He opens it and immediately blushes when he understands what it means. You have to hide the smile so you don't give anything away, and you lean over slightly. You two are sitting on the couch while the rest of the team takes the airplane seats that crowd the only table on the plane.

"What do you got there?" you whisper ever so softly.

"I found this in my bag," he whispers back and shows you the letter.

"You must have a secret admirer."

You lean away from him and look at Hotch who is focused on the case and what Penelope said.

"So we have older victims and a different mode of binding and killing."

"Maybe the note just means we have a copycat on our hands," you theorize.

"The copycat who just happens to have Amy Jennings driver's license? No! No, it's the Keystone Killer," Max gets angry.

He gets up and heads over to the small kitchen to get more coffee, and your eyes widen at his outburst.

"How are we supposed to work with him? Gideon, he is not even an active agent," Derek whispers to him.

"He's here because he knows this case better than any of us. We're leading the investigation, he's only consulting."

"Anyone tell him that?" you ask and peek over at Max who just pops a pill into his mouth.

You can sense his frustrations and anger for this case, and he's having a hard time not making it personal. This is the only killer who has taunted him and kept being a problem in his whole career, and then when he disappeared, Max just stewed in his anger. You know he wants this to be the real Keystone Killer, and you just hope that it is. You don't want him to suffer any more than he already is.

As soon as the plane landed, Max wasted no time going to the new crime scene. He's too eager, and that makes him arrogant and cocky. You're sure he is a nice guy, but his need to catch the killer is overshadowing any good parts about him. He's obsessed, but you hope the rest of the team can keep him grounded.

The house of the most recent victim is shrouded in sadness and darkness. There isn't an inch of happiness anywhere in the foundation, and you try your best not to become overly emotional with this. The victims need you to bring them justice because you can see more than most. You have a feeling Max Ryan isn't a man to believe in what you can do, so you never told him about any of it. He seems too caught up in his own problems to see that he has a whole team to rely on.