Never Together Nor Apart

[Chapter 3]

Hotch's POV:

I get notice that two more prostitutes had been shot. Reid and I go to check it out, since JJ, Morgan, and Gideon had found the Mill Creek Killers victim earlier.

"Two victims at once, that's a first. You think he went out looking to kill more than one woman, or is it just happenstance?" Reid walks around the crime scene observing the victims.

"He chose a different hunting ground. Yes, we're in an alley, but we're behind an expensive hotel in a nice neighborhood. You get a different class of prostitute, ones that don't walk the street alone," I observe.

"He was looking for a challenge," Reid exclaims.

"Question is, what gave him the confidence to stray out of his comfort zone?" I watch as a man takes the newspaper that had been propped beneath the female's body, "Make sure to run that for prints."

"He displayed the newspaper between them. He took the time when he could've just tossed it aside," Reid takes a sip from his coffee, giving me time to reply.

"He's deliberate. He wants us to know he's angry," I look at the spot where the two women once lied.

"Angry enough to change his M.O."

*time skip*

"The Hollow man uses simple statements. All first person. Ah, for example, 'I won't be ignored.' He's obviously tired of feeling this way. It's quite possible he has a job in solitude or one that he feels strips him of his identity. His job might require him to wear a uniform, something that shows absolutely no individuality. Or he may be overqualified for his menial job and feels like he doesn't get the respect that he necessarily deserves," Reid states the facts we had uncovered from the day we'd been there.

"But today he's killed two women," I pipe up, "which tells us he's growing confident. This makes him unpredictable and dangerous. And because he has no physical contact with his victims, it's going to make him that much harder to catch," I explains this towards the local P.D, which we are helping in these cases.

Morgan adds to our profile, "We have more information on the Mill Creek Killer because he spends a lot of time with his victims before and after his kills."

"Because his victims willingly follow him in broad daylight, he appears harmless. He's most  likely handsome-"

He's cut off by the local P.D's lead detective, "Handsome?"

"Yes," Gideon replies, "these women wouldn't follow an unattractive man. They just wouldn't," he follows up on his answer giving reasoning.

"He's handsome and he's got the social skills to trick his victims. Those who know him well, they'd be shocked to learn that's he's the man that we're after," Morgan takes over the conversation.

"He's been able to get his victims away from family, friends. Obviously, this makes him feel powerful-" once again Gideon is cut off by the lead detective.

"If this guy is so smart, why would he risk driving his victims from the abduction site to the woods?" He ponders the question aloud.

"Because of the ritual. It's become the most important thing to him. Dominates his thoughts. Woods provide the privacy he needs," Gideon explains his second question.

"The Hollow Man is motivated by external pressures. This is a guy who simply wants attention. The Mill Creek Killer, on the other hand, he's driven by internal forces. He's a sexually motivated offender. Now, this makes him a lot more predictable but don't think for a second it makes him any easier to catch," Morgan wraps up the profile.