Philophobia

Forty-Three; Not Enough

November 25th, 2010
2:45 pm
The Bullpen of the Miami Police Department
Miami, Florida

Eliza waited in the bullpen for the interrogation to be over. It was a while before everyone was in the bullpen with her. They crowded around the corner table as Hotch spoke, keeping his voice low. "All right. So what have we got?"

"A lot of evidence pointing to Elian Morales," Eliza offered, knowing this would end up a profiler conversation.

"Too much," Morgan agreed. He paused to think. "He fits the profile perfectly. Too perfectly, like every step was planned."

Rossi nodded. "There are no fingerprints but a single sneaker print. And that sneaker turns up in the kid's room."

"Someone with enough intelligence and control to set up a very convincing trap," Eliza suggested.

"Somebody we've met, and he's probably been watching us all along," Morgan said, building off of Eliza's point.

"He began his killing for gain of some sort, but his enjoyment of killing is beginning to disrupt his organization," added Rossi as he tried to steer the conversation towards the right conclusion.

"He's demanding attention. Maybe that's his gain," Eliza said. The gears in her mind began turning, and she spoke again. "He got it. From the media, from the public, us."

"That's it," Reid said, breaking his silence. "Media attention. But not for the killings, for the religion." Reid paused, then turned to face Morgan. "Morgan, Professor Walker's about to publish a book on Palo Mayombe. We showed him the photo of the fourth victim's tongue in a dish, and he didn't say it wasn't right. I mean, he of all people should've known it didn't fit any ritual. And that a Palero would've taken the head. But he wants us to believe that Elian's a Palero and that these are religious killings." Eliza looked at him, her eyes soft. Reid avoided her gaze.

"And he did his research in the community. He'd be known and accepted. He knows the rituals inside out." Hotch looked through files as he spoke.

"Maybe he gave the idol to the kid, pretending to train him as a witch doctor." Rossi tucked his hands into his pockets.

"If Elian was angry with Julio, he may have been looking for another father figure," Morgan reasoned.

"Elian was easy prey," Eliza said softly. "What better way to get publicity than a series of murders?"

"All right. I'll have Garcia send us an address. Eliza, Rossi and I will take the house. Morgan and Reid, you take the office." Hotch dismissed the team.

November 25th, 2010
6:52 pm
A Florida State Highway
Miami, Florida

Eliza sat in the back of the SUV, feeling like Rossi and Hotch's child. She longed to be with Reid, making sure he was okay but an opportunity had yet to present itself, and she refused to embarrass him in front of the team.

"Walker's prep school did a psych eval when he was 12. He did not exactly fit in," Garcia said grimly.

"No surprise there," Rossi said.

"And his mother committed suicide when he went away to boarding school. And to make things stranger and sadder, after she died, he spent all of his vacations at school," Garcia continued.

"What kind of father doesn't bring his motherless kid home for the holidays?" Morgan asked.

"Sounds like something my mother'd do," Eliza said quietly. Rossi turned to her, raising an eyebrow.