magnetic ◊ criminal minds

vi.

vi. lucky
( season three, episode eight )

"WHAT kind of perfume does he wear?" Lyra signed to Reid. She was sitting on his desk while he sat on his chair, the two talking before they had to officially start working for the day. "He can not smell so strongly naturally."

"Morgan?" Reid asked, also in sign language. "I don't know. Also, knowing him, it would not be perfume. Cologne is more likely. He wants to be more macho."

"What about Morgan?" JJ asked, walking over to the two.

Reid looked up at her, surprise written on his face. "How did you know we were talking about him?" he asked.

JJ shrugged, looking over at Lyra, who gazed at her with a neutral look. "I'm learning sign language," she said as if it was not a big deal, but she knew it meant a lot to Lyra, who allowed herself a small smile at JJ's words.

"Hey now, what are you guys saying about me?" Morgan asked, joining the conversation with a coffee in hand, just coming back from talking to Garcia about a guy she met and having given her some not-so-great advice.

"What kind of perfume do you wear?" Lyra asked. Reid translated.

Morgan scoffed. "I don't wear perfume," he said firmly. Lyra just raised an eyebrow, not believing him. She let it go, however, and looked back to JJ.

"What have you learned?" she signed. Reid translated, unsure what JJ knew at this point.

"We have a case," JJ signed back, slowly. "It's bad."

The glow of excitement on Lyra's face disappeared. Of course. "How bad?" Morgan asked.

"Florida."

♢

In the briefing room, JJ gave the facts about the case. "Bridgewater, Florida. Local girl, Abbey Kelton, nineteen, left her parents' home to go to the local junior college. She never came home. Three days later joggers found her... part of her... in a nearby park," she said.

"What did that to her?" Prentiss asked.

"Bridgewater's off of I-75, which is often referred to as Alligator Alley, for reasons that are now apparent. Everything below the waist had been eaten," JJ replied.

"The circle of life," Rossi said.

"Suddenly, I don't feel so guilty about my alligator wallet," Prentiss said.

"Alligators didn't cut off her fingers, slit her throat, or carve this into her chest," Hotch stated, passing pictures around.

"An inverted pentagram," Morgan observed.

"The locals believe the killing was committed by a satanic cult," JJ said.

"Some things never change," said Rossi.

"Killer satanic cults don't exist," Prentiss stated. "They were debunked as a suburban myth." She noticed Rossi's look. "What?"

"Rossi's the one who debunked them," Reid told her.

"Oh, right, thanks."

"Satanic cults don't have to exist for a Satanist to be a killer," Lyra pointed out. Reid translated.

"Right," Rossi agreed. "Cult or not, the killing was ritualized. This will turn serial if it hasn't already."

"So, killer satanic cults don't exist but satanic serial killers do?" JJ asked.