Soulmates

Chapter 24-Crops and train rides

Continuation of 4x05 "Catching Out." 

 Ryan, Emily, and Reid were sitting in the conference room. Emily elbowed Ryan slightly in the side, he looked towards her with a questioning look. She inclined her head forward and he looked to see Reid looking at JJ in the window who was tanning herself with a file all the while having a hand on her stomach. 

Ryan and Emily shared a look before Reid turned back towards them. "You considering it?" Emily asked Reid. Reid looked at her confused, "Considering what?" "Having baby geniuses one day." Emily added. 

 Reid had a thoughtful look on his face. "I don't know do you think you'll have kids one day?" Reid asked. Emily nodded "Maybe, one day, If I find the right person." She responded. Reid then looked at Ryan, "What about you, Ryan?" Reid asked. " If you decided to get married again, would you want to have more kids? " Reid asked albeit cautiously.

Ryan usually didn't entertain those types of questions. However you could say that since Ryan has joined the team he's somewhat mellowed in his state of mourning and has taken to entertaining one of two of the team's questioning. 

 "Maybe." Ryan responded while shrugging. "I mean, I already have two wonderful beautiful kids. But If I find someone I really like and she wants kids, I'll consider it." He added, sharing a look with Prentiss at the last part. "interesting." Reid commented. 

Before Reid could question further, the phone rang. "Hello." Reid picked up. "I've noticed that in the cities, including the new ones we've discovered, there's a spike in the sales of certain crops during the time the unsub is there." Garcia explained. "Last week of August, apples in Tehachapi. First week of September, tomatoes in Bakersfield. Second week of September, fall squashes in Fresno." 

 "So he's in town for a big harvest." Emily noted. Ryan hummed, " But doing what exactly? " Ryan asked. "Is it like a temporary job or what?" "Well think about it. We have an unsub riding trains town to town during not harvests, who doesn't have a car or permanent residence." Reid stated. 

 A lightbulb went off in Emily's head at that, "Migrant farm worker." Hotch then came into the room, "He hit another house." Everybody sighed before they went to the new crime scene.

-

They were at the house the unsub they just hit. Ryan, Reid, and Emily were inspecting the bedroom. "He left his shirt on the male victim again." Emily noted. "That's not all he left." Reid said as he lifted a newspaper up from the floor. It was underneath a trophy that the unsub used as the murder weapon.

Ryan looked at it over Reid's shoulder. "Modesto couple victims of Highway 99." He read off. Reid nodded, "This was printed before we released to the press he's using trains to get around." He added as they walked out of the bedroom.

 "He's taunting us, telling us he's smarter than we are because we got his more of transportation wrong." Emily said. More like one of us got it wrong. Ryan thought but didn't say out loud. "The more confident he gets, the more he's experimenting with his ritual." Hotch added.

 "So sooner or later he'll escalate." Ryan said. "I think he already has." Reid said. "The first murders were five to eight days apart. This one was just one day since Modesto." Reid said. "If we don't find him soon..." Reid trailed off. "Goldilocks will be sleeping in someone else's bed tonight." 

 Ryan looked back inside the bedroom and had a thought. "You know this couple is hispanic. The previous couples were caucasian." Ryan pointed out. "He completely switched his victim profile." 

 "I don't think he knows or cares what race they are." Hotch said. "I think this house was just an easy target." He added. Ryan nodded, "That is a distinct possibility." He said.