Old Version of Pushing your buttons

Chapter 5

 
     We headed to the dump site, the bodies still laying in their shallow graves, practically naked, only in think undergarments, stained and ruined. We flashed our badges and got through the yellow tape, Hotch and Gideon walking straight to the bodies, Elle, Morgan and I walking around the graves to see what we can figure out from the surrounding area from footprints to trails, anything that can clue us in on how he does it. Looking through the brush, I see a often walked path, the shoe prints messed up but still the obvious trail, and call Morgan over to it with me. We turn back and join the bodies to tell the others what we discovered, Hotch still bent over the latest woman. He eyes open and soulless, skin sickly and blue; you want to look away but it isn't something you can easily tear your eyes away from. Noticing her neck, I walk over and squat down next to Hotch, using a glove to tilt her head slightly.

  "Do we know if he takes trophies?" I ask leaning in closer.

"We can't tell, why?" He questions, trying to see what I see.

    "Look at her neck here, there are small signs of irritation. It wouldn't be dope because he doesn't strangle them, he obviously lets them die of dehydration. The irritation looks similar to something I would usually get from wearing a necklace too long, presumably a slim sliver chain. It is in the perfect spot, maybe we should ask Garcia if there are any pictures with her and a constant reoccurring necklace. Can I see the others?" The detective nods and leads us no less than ten feet to the next victim, us now searching for jewelry marks, tan lines, things of that sort.

    After a short look over, the first victim is missing belly button jewelry and the second is missing a thick ring, the tan line giving up the clue.

  "How do we know they didn't just remove them?" The cop asks, squinting from the sun.

  "Well the third victim had marks, our first victim had the piercing done no more than two months ago, as the hole still isn't fully healed and she wouldn't have been able to remove it without it closing or infection, and for the second victim. When you have a tan line like that, whatever caused it doesn't often leave your body, it's special to you and I don't see why she would remove a sentimental ring, just for a normal night out." I fully stand up, backing away slightly not wanting to be so close, and finish the short conversation before stepping aside to call Garcia.

   "Okay wonderful woman, I need some information."

  "Anything for my little crime fighters, what's up?"

   "Can you pull up pictures of them victims and see if they are wearing jewelry? Nothing that would stand out too much, something casual that could be worn everyday."

  "Uh our first victim, Bella Woods, got a belly button piercing three months ago, showing it off on an Instagram post, Caroline Savage looks to be wearing what I assume to be a promise ring maybe, a think black band, and our third, Serena Cooper constantly wore a small heart necklace since highschool, all of her pictures sporting the small sliver jewelry."

  "Thanks PG." I hang up and walk back to the cars where the team is now talking to the detective, about ready to depart to police department, other information gathered during my slight absence.

  "So Garcia said that each of them did wear a constant piece of jewelry, all now missing from the bodies. We can check their homes for it, but I doubt they will be there, our unsub is most definitely taking trophies." We all climb back into the SUV, going over whatever information we came across.

  "They all died of dehydration, although there is obvious signs of torture, none of them are the cause of death. The last body's DOD was right days ago, so we have two days to find our next victim alive, if she makes it as long as the others." Hotch speaks, eyes on the road, hands at ten and two, the more professional way you can expect the man to drive.