"How do you interpret the trophies he collects? The clothes he strips from his victims," an FBI agent asked, notebook in hand, chewing on a pen in deep thought.
Rossi stepped forward to explain.
"We believe those items are fantasy mediums, used to relive memories. His fetish for cross-dressing is merely a tool to help him reminisce. During this phase, he's likely engaging in self-gratification, seeking the images connected to his pleasure.
When this no longer satisfies him, he goes out to find new prey.
I have no doubt that when we catch him, we'll find a large collection of videos or audio recordings, just like the materials we found in those warehouses."
Hotchner nodded and continued, "One thing to note is that he's been active for at least ten years, and before that, he spent even more time planning and refining his methods.
His actions have been evolving, constantly seeking new thrills and raising his threshold. If we don't catch him soon, we'll be facing—"
"Guys! You need to come see this," JJ said as she hurried into the doorway, motioning toward the group.
On the TV screen, Jill Moss was confidently speaking to the camera, talking about how evil would not escape justice and how the FBI would inevitably bring the culprit to justice—standard rhetoric.
"What did she reveal to the media?" Hotchner's tone was ice-cold.
"She didn't reveal any specifics, just mentioned there's a serial killer targeting women, who takes pleasure in tormenting them, and that four victims have been identified so far."
After Jack's warning, JJ had followed Jill Moss, only to find that Moss had already gathered local reporters and held a press conference right in front of the FBI's local office.
Seeing she was too late to stop it, JJ stood by, ready to intervene the moment Moss misspoke. Fortunately, the woman hadn't let her ambition cloud her judgment entirely. She made a general statement without disclosing specifics or mentioning the BAU's involvement in the case.
"Agent Moss, I don't know what your work style is, but if you intend to hold a press conference, at least notify me and my team first."
As expected, the moment Jill Moss returned, Hotchner, radiating an icy chill like a Lich from DOTA, stormed into her office. His frigid aura was unmistakable.
He didn't close the door, so the others pretending to be busy outside could hear every word of the conversation inside.
"It wasn't a press conference, just a simple statement," Jill Moss said, feigning innocence, as if she didn't realize she had done anything wrong.
"I think you know what I mean," Hotchner sharply cut through her feigned ignorance.
Moss spread her hands, trying to explain, "This information would have been leaked eventually. I just wanted to reassure the public."
"Your personal reassurance?" Hotchner questioned.
"Aren't I part of this task force too?" Moss started to sound frustrated, as though she finally realized what was happening.
Hotchner was clearly furious, each word escaping through clenched teeth.
"Yet your rank is not higher than anyone on this team. If everyone acted as you did, would there even be a need for this task force?"
Jack, JJ, and Emily exchanged glances, smirking. It was clear Hotchner had been paying attention when they were treated as underlings earlier.
There was a pause in the conversation, and after a long moment, Moss's voice came out, low and tense, no longer playing dumb but now clearly anxious.
"Are you saying you want me off the team?"
Hotchner sighed from inside the office.
"Of course not, but you should take this as a warning. Treating a case as an opportunity to shine personally is something we cannot tolerate."
"I only wanted to alert the public. You know this killer might be the most brutal serial murderer since Charles Cullen."
Jill Moss continued to defend herself.
She was referring to Charles Cullen, also known as the "Angel of Death," a male nurse who, over 16 years, quietly worked in ten hospitals and cared for thousands of seriously ill patients. After his arrest, Cullen admitted to murdering over 40 patients by injecting them with lethal drugs, though the police were only able to confirm 22 victims. Investigations and statistics suggested the actual number could be over 400.
"Are you referring to brutality based on the number of victims? Are you hoping to find more bodies, viewing them as marks of the killer's success, which would one day become highlights on your résumé?"
"Do you know who Michael Strenko, Florian Gehl, or Christopher Hodgegrove are?"
Moss was speechless. "No, I don't recognize those names."
"Those were some of Charles Cullen's victims. No one remembers them, yet the public knows the killer's name."
Hotchner's voice was sharp. "Don't treat this case as a means of self-promotion. The FBI doesn't need agents like that. Do you understand?"
Jill Moss said nothing more until Hotchner stormed out of the office.
"This is the first time I've seen Hotch this angry, but I bet ten bucks she didn't take a word of what he said to heart," Jack grinned, making a wager.
"Twenty bucks says you're right," Emily agreed.
"Jack!" Rossi groaned, feeling a headache coming on from his unruly team.
"How about a different bet? Let's wager whether Moss will apologize to Rossi privately tonight and invite him out for a drink," Jack teased, raising his eyebrows at everyone.
"Ten bucks says she will," Reid, now caught up in the mischief, pulled out a bill.
"Twenty bucks, I agree," JJ added, showing off her wealth.
"I'll bet ten bucks too," Emily said, unwilling to be left out.
Jack frowned. With everyone betting on the same outcome, he was bound to lose as the house.
Rossi sighed heavily on the side, feeling more and more like this team was getting harder to manage.
"I'll bet a hundred bucks that I'll accept her invitation," he said, pulling out a crisp hundred-dollar bill and shoving it into Jack's hand like a kid trying to prove a point.
Was that even allowed? The others stifled their laughter, watching as Jack stood there, stunned, with a look of exasperation.
——
In reality, Jack didn't have too many bad feelings toward Jill Moss. She had avoided his most sensitive triggers by not spouting nonsense in front of the media and refraining from dragging the BAU into the spotlight.
As for leaking the basic details of the case, as Moss had defended herself, once an official investigation was launched, the information would inevitably get out. Whether it was a bit sooner or later didn't make much of a difference.
Most serial killers don't stop just because they're exposed. On the contrary, they're more likely to continue their rampage, trying to enjoy their final moments of "freedom" before being caught.
And as for whether any innocent souls would soon fall victim to the killer because of Moss's statement, what did that have to do with Jack? He just hoped the career-driven agent wouldn't have nightmares that night.
Yet, something about Jill Moss still gnawed at him. Jack felt there was more to her than just a desire for fame or promotion. She seemed like someone willing to stake her entire future on this case. Perhaps there was another reason behind her actions, but as a seasoned agent, he could only speculate. For now, it seemed like something that would be dismissed as far-fetched, so he decided to wait and see.
——
Over the next two days, everyone was busy. In addition to interviewing the families of the four known victims, people from across Colorado flocked to the Denver Police Department and the FBI office, sharing stories of their missing loved ones after seeing the news.
They brought photographs of the missing, old police reports, and retold their experiences to officers and agents, hoping to provide as much information as possible.
What they sought was simple: to find closure, as an old Serisian saying goes, "Find the living or recover the dead."
The task force agents, using the profile created by the BAU team, sifted through cases of missing women between the ages of 28 and 42, with at least a college education and working in white-collar professions.
Even after Jack and the others filtered the list again, it still contained nearly 50 names.
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