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"I'm okay Spence. I promise." Amari reassured him as they joined the team in the conference room again.
Amari glanced around the room and avoided Derek's eyes as he stared intently at her, trying to gauge her state. She cast a small smile at Prentiss, who was sitting tiredly in a chair with a steaming cup of coffee in her hands. She grinned back and sipped on her coffee as they all listened to Hotch and Gideon speak.
"Victim number four, Gianna Harper was found behind the building belonging to Coombes and Harley associates. Per the preliminary M.E's report, her limbs were removed anti-mortem." Hotch picked up a file, flipping through it before carrying on. "The same as the other victims, she had seven small cuts on her face. Seeing a pattern anywhere?"
Amari glanced at the map, and then back at Hotch. "The building!" The whole team turned to look at her, but she ignored it and carried on. "The victims have all been found close to law firms. We discounted it because victim number two wasn't, but this old building over here." She pressed her finger on the map after she walked up to it. "Used to belong to a law firm some twenty years ago."
She had gone through the locations extensively with Penelope the day before.
"So he's connected to the profession." Prentiss realized.
Amari nodded and fell back into the chair she was previously occupying. "They could be a partner, an associate, a law clerk, a secretary, a janitor, anyone." She sighed when she realized how many potential people it could be.
"Don't beat yourself up about it, we're now one step closer to finding this bastard because of you." Hotch said lowly as he stood next to her, knowing that only she could hear him. Amari nodded and smiled gratefully at him before turning back to the team and they carried on working.
Prentiss and Morgan were sent to the scene, leaving the rest of the team back in the station, with no need for them to go anywhere.
"Why dancers?" Morgan's voice cut through the silence of the team as they all worked.
Amari shrugged, "It's likely that he dated one or had one in his life and she ended up leaving."
Spencer looked over the crime scene photos, the same ones Amari now refused to look at. "He stabs them seven times." He murmured, not noticing the teams eyes fall on him. "Historically, the number seven is the number of completeness and perfection — both physical and spiritual. It derives much of its meaning from being tied directly to God's creation of all things. The word 'created' is used seven times describing God's creative work."
"I don't think it's connected to God." Prentiss said slowly.
Reid nodded, "No I know, spitting facts helps me think." She nodded, a confused look flashing on her face before Spencer spoke again. "The number seven means something to the unsub. It can be anything from the number of siblings they have, to the number of jobs they've had. We just gotta find the real meaning." He pondered.
