They landed two hours later and Reid and Andy were sent to the M.E. When then arrived, the doctor gave them the report and shrugged their shoulders, "I don't understand how they died. The official report is a heart attack but these poor fellows were extremely healthy for their age. Their risk of heart attack would be almost zero."
"How can someone cause a heart attack without giving them something to induce it?" Reid questioned as he moved to the other side.
"Have you ever heard of air embolism?" Andy mumbled as she moved to the end of the body.
"Isn't that where an air bubble gets in your system?" the doctor asked.
Andy nodded and removed the sheet covering their toes, "Most commonly people refer to it as the shot between the toes."
She separated the toes until she found a small puncture wound in between the middle toes. Reid examined it closely next to her as she searched the body for similar markings.
"Smart. This unsub tried to make the cause of death seem natural. Do you think it's remorse?" he asked.
She shook her head, "Doubt it. Air embolism can be extremely painful. Most likely they wanted to watch their victims suffer, making them a sadist."
Reid went to the next body to examine their toes as well.
"How long would it take to kill them?"
"As little as ten minutes, depending on the dose. For a heart attack I'd say it would only take about 1 milliliter to do ten minutes but I doubt the killer stuck around long. There's probably another entry point somewhere," Andy informed.
She pushed back the victims hair and tilted their head, "Reid, check out behind the earlobe."
He did so and found another marking on each victim, matching Andy's discovery.
"I have to say, this is a first for me."
She chuckled and removed her gloves. The doctor gave handed them more reports, which Reid skimmed over quickly before the two left and made their way to the station.
-
"We believe the unsub is using air embolism to kill his victims."
"Speak English, Pretty Boy," Morgan said.
"That was."
"It's a shot of air," Andy explained, "In this case, two shots directly in-between the toes and behind the ear."
Morgan gave her a nod in thanks as Prentiss spoke, "So we have a killer with an air fetish?"
"Maybe a needle fetish," JJ suggested.
"With needles, they'd have to have a big supply of them. Possibly a doctor or at least a physician of some kind."
"How does he get the air in them though? There's no restraining marks on any of the victims," Rossi asked.
"He probably shot them in the neck first, therefore disabling them. That gives them enough time to deliver the second shot," Andy explained.
"Well this unsub broke into their homes through the window, meaning he stalked them and he's fit enough to pull himself in," Morgan added.
"Have Garcia check for connections between the victims. Meanwhile, Rossi and Prentiss will talk to the victims parents. JJ and Morgan go to the latest crime scene, and Andy and Reid stay here and work victimology," Hotch instructed before leaving them to it.
Andy pulled Garcia up on speaker as everyone, except Reid, exited the room. She sat down in the spinning chair as Garcia patched through.
"What can I help you with, my dove?"
"Do the victims have any connection between them?" she asked, twirling her pen as Reid made markings on the board.
"Hold on a second," she said, "Oh! Look at that, they all work at a medicine company called Medivac Pharmaceuticals."
"So this unsub must have a connection to that place as well," Andy speculated, "Can you pull up the rest of the employees?"
"Anything for you," she replied, "There are a lot."
"Do you think this unsub works there?" Reid questioned.
"Possibly. If could be a revenge plot. Garcia, did those victims get a promotion recently?"
"Uh...you are freaky good. Yes, all three of them did. The promotions correspond to two days before each of their deaths."
"Alright go through the employee list and see who was recently promoted, it could give us our next potential victims. And cross check the list with any known criminal offenses please," Andy instructed.
"I'll get right on that. And don't worry, the kids are being angels," she assured.
Andy smiled, "I'm glad. Tell them I said hi."
"Will do."
"Thanks."
She hung up and spun her chair towards Reid, who was glumly looking down at his feet as he waited for her.
"What's got you so down in the dumps?" Andy asked lightly.
He shrugged, "Just thinking about my mom."
"Do you miss her?"
He nodded, "I don't get to see her often because she's in the institute."
"Maybe we can visit her when we're done with the case," Andy suggested as she got up and pulled out a marker of her own.
"You don't have to come with me. She's by all means mentally unstable being a schizophrenic and all," he argued softly.
She rolled her eyes, "Spence, you stuck with me and my crazy family. I'll stick with you and yours."
She pulled him in for a quick hug. He relaxed as he slouched down for better comfort and wrapped his arms around her, absorbing the comforting vibe.
They let go after a few seconds and turned back to the board, working hard. They spent an hour speculating on the geographical profile and the characteristics of the unsub.
Hotch poked his head into the room again just long enough to inform them of a new victim. They sighed as he handed them the details of the murder and they pinned it up with the rest of them.
"I'm assuming this victim worked at Medivac as well."
Andy gathered their files together as Hotch came in to tell them they were breaking for the night. They gathered their things quickly and followed the group to the cars, driving quickly to the hotel.
---
"Courage is grace under pressure."
-Ernest Hemingway
YOU ARE READING
Vulnerable | Spencer Reid
Fanfiction"I've never felt so vulnerable before and I'm just afraid that I'll lose the people I care about." "You've never told me that before," he whispered. "That's because I didn't have you before." Andy Delvaux has always tried to forget her past, but he...
