"We're glad you're here," Prentiss replied. Garcia left. "Okay, our victim is Melissa Wallace, 39, a wife and mother who lived in Tallahassee, Florida." I looked at the file. "Law enforcement referred the case over to us due to the ritualistic nature of the kill."
"Her body was discovered in a wooded area, not far from where she lived," Luke replied. "She was found barefoot, wearing a nightshirt, and bound to a tree."
"COD was blunt force trauma to the head," I stated. "No signs of sexual assault."
"The backdoor was wide open, otherwise there were no signs of forced entry," Matt stated.
"Looks like she was lured or abducted from her home," Rossi replied.
"The kids, age ten and thirteen, they were both asleep in the house," Prentiss stated. "Neither one woke up."
"Well, threatening to hurt them could be how the unsub got her out of the house," JJ replied.
"Why leave the house with her when he could've just bludgeoned her to death in bed?" Reid asked.
"Maybe he didn't want one of the kids to find her body," JJ looked at Reid.
"Is Tallahassee sure they need our help?" Luke asked. "Everything about this says the husband is the prime suspect."
"Except the husband, Danny Wallace, has an alibi, he was in Tampa on business," Prentiss nodded.
"That's about a four hour drive," Reid stated.
"We sure it checks out?" Matt asked.
"Yeah, and Garcia confirmed everything with Danny's employer," Prentiss replied. "She also pulled timestamped CCTV footage of him on the I-10, heading back to Tallahassee, from Tampa. It covers the time of death window." I sighed. "She also checked his phone and financial records. Nothing indicates that he hired someone to kill his wife."
"Garcia's nothing if not thorough," Tara replied. "That rules out our prime suspect."
"Yeah," JJ nodded. "Looks like Tallahassee does need our help."
"They moved to Florida roughly four months ago," Prentiss added. "Before that they lived in Arlington, Virginia."
"They still have roots up here in our backyard?" Rossi asked.
"Lots. That's why you and I are gonna stay back while the rest of the team heads down to Tallahassee," Prentiss replied. "Wheels up in twenty."
"Oh, fun," I sighed.
"Hey, you can't say you miss Florida," Luke smiled.
"I left for a reason," I nodded.
"Hope you have a go-bag packed," JJ replied.
"In my car," I stated. We all walked outside. I walked over to my car and got out my backpack. Matt walked up to me as I closed my trunk. "What?"
"There's no way," Matt replied.
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