• chapter warnings: spoilers for s1e18, talking about the case, mention of Tobias Hankel, mention of drugs and torture •
"Okay everyone, wheel's up in 10. We'll brief on the jet." Hotch announced, before everyone walked off to get their bags.
Violet didn't really know what to do so she just followed the other agents to the plane.
•••
Arriving in Los Angeles, Reid and the new agent, made their way to the victim's house. "No sign of forced entry." The doctor noticed.
"Same weapon," Hankel marked.
They walked over to the bodies. "The girl was shot execution style, once in the head. The male three times in the torso," Spencer said.
"So, you have two different MOs." He nodded at her observation. One of the cops informed them that they had an image on the video surveillance camera.
"Looks like a messenger of some kind wearing a motorcycle helmet. He's unidentifiable."
Spencer frowned. "There's no sign of struggle between the girl and the UnSub from the door to the couch. He most likely forced her at gunpoint."
Violet thought for a moment. "He told her to trust him. 'Do what I say. I won't hurt you'." She mocked the criminal.
"Fatal mistake," replied the cop.
"He asked her to sit on the couch and then shot her in the head," Reid agreed.
"Fiancé wasn't expected. His killing's messier," Violet considered, "it's less controlled. It's less organised. What do you think?" She asked the policeman.
"I've had a couple other cases recently, past few months. Same type of weapon, 22 calibre handgun, both shot in the head. The first was an established film producer, Wally Melman, and the second was Chloe Harris, another young actress. Though not as well-known as Natalie here."
"Any forensic evidence?" Reid asked.
"No, and the guys have been going though this place all morning and haven't come up with anything." He replied.
"So he clearly knows how to cover his tracks," Violet walked around the crime scene. "Like a professional hit man?"
"Maybe."
Camera clicking could be heard from outside of the house. It was paparazzi. "Reid...there are people actually taking photographs of us from the next yard." Violet lifted her eyebrow.
"Welcome to LA," the cop said.
"Twenty two's are small but efficient. They bounce around inside a person like a pinball." The new agent noted.
"Preferred weapon of the mafia. You know, there's no obvious sexual component to these crimes, which is usually the case with serial murders," Spencer mentioned, at which the police officer asked him, "So, you are thinking this is a serial killer?"
Hankel shrugged her shoulders. "Well, it's certainly a series of murders. We don't know enough yet to call them serial."
•••
"So... Hankel?" Spencer addressed Violet as they were in the elevator to meet the other team members at the local police station.
She smiled awkwardly and nodded. "The sister of Tobias Hankel?" He struggled talking about him.
"Oh, well the last time I saw him was when I was four. He was seven. My mother was fed up with my father's issues, so she took me and we left. I kinda feel sorry for leaving Tobias though. Why are you asking?"
Spencer sighed. "I've got a story with Tobias. Actually the team has. But I have a special place in it...it's hard for me to talk about it."
"What happened?"
Spencer nervously played with the badge that was clipped to his belt. "Five years ago we had a case that involved your brother. Just so you know, he developed dissociative identity disorder. I was with one of the team members but Tobias caught me. Actually one of his alters. He tortured me for two days...and when Tobias was himself again, he gave me dilaudid. I was just about to dig my own grave when the team finally found me. I could have died there. After that I wasn't the same especially because...you know what I shouldn't talk about this in a work space."
Violet listened carefully to Spencer's confession about her brother. "Why are you telling me all of this? It must be terrible for you to talk about it. And what happened to Tobias?"
"You deserve to know what your brother did, Violet. The team arrested him. He's in a psychiatric clinic for people like...him."
