gut feeling

one: missouri

The leaves crunched loudly under Morgan's feet, and he swore internally. His team was trying to make a stealth approach, but the many dying trees and quiet fall air seemed to be attempting to sabotage them. Now was not a good time to be noticed. 

Earlier that month, they had been called in by the Rolla Police Dept. to help solve a string of execution style murders. (Yes. They had been working a case for a whole month. The fact that Strauss hadn't flown herself to Missouri and dragged them back to Quantico was a miracle. Perhaps she knew that her most experienced team was the most likely to solve it.) The murders were well publicized and a rumor was being spread that a mafia like group had run from Chicago and taken refuge on their town-- and that the criminals were getting bored. Hotch and JJ were able to quickly stifle that rumor by saying that anyone in the mafia who were trying to lay low wouldn't just get bored and start killing. Also, they wouldn't choose to lay low in a town that they could be possibly easily found. 

In the meantime, they learned that two members of the mafia in Chicago had in fact disappeared from Chicago and had last been spotted in Rolla. The only reason they knew that was because the city had reported the odd calm and drop in crimes that had suddenly began. (Not as if it was a huge drop, but noticeable enough.) 

They profiled these members, who were actually apparently dating (or unofficially dating, which, Morgan said wasn't as crazy as it sounded). Their profile was messy, but they were the only leads. The two suspects were named (or at least called) Queenie Richards and Harvey Nelson. It took a whole month for them to be spotted again outside the Mark Twain National Forest in a beat up, peeling volkswagen beetle. 

So to the forest they went.

Penelope followed quietly behind Morgan and shifted uncomfortably in her bulletproof vest. She looked up at the trees and then peered around Morgan's shoulder. 

"Why am I here again?" She asked quietly. 

"Well, like Hotch said, if they are hiding in here, we want you to be able to jam any signals or messages they're receiving. The victims could have been enemies, they may be mission based killers. I don't see how, but..." Morgan trailed off. He reached for his radio. "Hey, Hotch, you there?" 

There was a moment of silence.

The radio crackled to life and Hotch answered, "Yeah, I'm here with Spencer. Do you have anything?"

"No. I was just gonna ask you the same thing." Morgan sighed.

Emily's voice suddenly came through the radio. "Hey, guys? I think JJ and I have something."

"Rossi's not with you?" Hotch asked.

"Oh, no he's just a few steps behind us so we aren't giving him credit for this." Emily answered. 

"Okay, what is it?" Penelope asked into Morgan's microphone.

JJ's whisper crackled through. "That was really loud, Pen."

"Sorry--"

"What did you find?" Hotch interrupted.

"Uh, looks like some kind of campsite?" Emily said. "A couple sleeping bags and a burnt out fire. Still giving off warmth; it was recently vacated. There aren't supposed to be any campers in here anymore, the whole forest has been blocked off. I'll send you guys the coordinates if you want to come check it out."

"Okay. We're headed over." Morgan said, looking at the coordinates and then around him. "Uhhh... so I think it's this way."

Penelope looked suspiciously at him. "You think?"

He flashed a charming smile. "You wanna argue, baby girl?"

She laughed and followed him. 

Hotch radioed in.

"We found an abandoned campsite. I'm sending in the coordinates so you can check it out. Bring some technicians, there might be some DNA."

That was the last anyone heard from Aaron Hotchner's team.