Title: Copycats, Chapter 8
Pair: Spencer Reid / Derek Morgan,
Aaron Hotchner / Chad Christensen
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Not mine, etc.
Feedback: Always Welcome
Criminal Minds Main List Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Tuesday 16:28
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Police station, Billings
“Don’t even look at me.” Prentiss growled. “I’m not doing it.”
“Someone has to do it.” Hotch stated and turned to the rest of the team. “Morgan?”
“I’d rather shove my little profiler to a paper shredder.”
“J.J.?”
“I have reasons to stay alive and out of prison. I can’t do it without committing a homicide afterwards.”
“Dave?” Hotch noticed the horrified look in Rossi’s face. “Okay, forget I asked. But we need to let Peterson know what information we need.”
“Why don’t you just send her an e-mail?” Reid suggested without lifting his gaze from the monitor of his laptop. “It is sufficient to pass the message, but includes minimum amount of personal contact.”
“Good idea.”
“And I think I found something.” The genius kept tapping the keyboard. “I`ve been going through the accounts of all the victims and I found a link.”
“What kind of a link?”
“They were all regular clients of a strip club called Bare Primitive. They all went there once a week.”
“Same night?”
“Yep.”
“So we know-”
“That wasn’t all. I think we need to rethink our profile.”
“Why?”
“They were all there on Tuesdays.”
“So?” Morgan tilted his eyebrows. “If the guys enjoyed some enchanted hooters once a week it doesn’t affect our profile.”
“It does. I checked the club’s website. Tuesday is “Dude Night”. Only male dancers.”
“Our vics went there to slip notes to some guys thong?”
“If you want to put it like that.”
“All the victims were married.” Hotch interrupted. “So it’s safe to assume they kept low profile.”
“But they were regular customers, so people will probably remember them.” Reid added. “Maybe the unsub stalks his victims, or picks them from the club.”
“What’s the address? Morgan and I will check it out, J.J. you talk to the locals and find out if there’s been any hate crimes in the area.”
“I’ll go with you.” Prentiss announced and pulled her coat on.
“Are you sure you want to-”
“I’ve seen men in glittery thongs before. If you go to the beach in Ibiza you’ll have to kick them every once in a while to get through.”
“Ibiza?”
“Long story, don’t ask.”
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Tuesday 17: 18
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Bare Primitive, Billings
“You guys again?” A grouchy looking bartender shot daggers at them as soon as they approached the bar counter. “I told you this is all legit.”
“We haven’t been here before.” Hotch stated.
“Some other guys in suits, you’re all the same. What our boys do when they’re not dancing is not our business. We have nothing to do with that stuff.”
“How bout I’ll handle this?” Prentiss offered.
Hotch nodded and leaned closer to Morgan.
“Let’s see what we can get out of the waiters.”
“I already got something.” Morgan smirked and shoved him a small piece of paper. “One of them just slipped me his number.”
“Be grateful Reid had other things to do, or you’d be in trouble.”
“I didn’t ask for it.”
“I was kidding.”
“Oh…. Sorry, this whole happy, humorous Hotch is still pretty new to me.”
“I can see that. Try to wheedle some information from that waiter.”
“You’re gonna sit here and enjoy the show?” Morgan nodded to the direction of the small stage. A young man was twirling around the stripper pole. He had shed most of his clothes and he was now in a pair of torn jeans and a cowboy hat.
“Not my style.” He shrugged, but something on the stage caught his eye. The dancer had tossed his head back and his hair didn’t cover his face anymore. The body was slightly more muscular and the hair little bit darker, but the face was the same.
Hotch turned around quickly, keeping his back to the stage. He grabbed Morgan and pulled him out of the waiters earshot.
“I need to go.”
“Do we have another lead?”
“No, I… I need to handle some things. You two can finish this.”
“Sure.”
He hurried to the door but couldn’t help glancing back to see if the dancer had recognised him. The stripper had worked his way down to a g-string and he was grinding against the pole. His clear blue eyes were fixed on Hotch, watching him as he moved to the music.
Hotch marched out of the club and tried to stay calm. The only thoughts in his head circled around the same thing. The dancer had remembered him. A flood of vivid memories came back. He had never thought he would meet the guy again, but here they were. Both in Billings.
He got into his car and leaned back against the headrest. A new thought came. If the dancer told everything to Prentiss or Morgan, the results would be…. His line of thought ended abruptly. He wasn’t sure how it would end, but all the possibilities seemed to be equally bad.
Chapter 9