Outside the sheriff station the sun was slowly sinking below the horizon. The brick walls were soaked in the orange glow. Inside the station, the officers were gathered in front of the FBI profilers.

"This UNSUB, or unknown subject, we are looking for is going to be a white male in his early twenties," Hotch said.

"And while he is going to be highly intelligent and methodical, he's not going to stand out in a crowd or be memorable," Morgan said. "He'll fit in with the type of people these girls hand out with and it's possible that they knew and interacted with him before they were killed."

"This UNSUB stalks his victims, probably for a couple of days before he abducts them," Rossi said. "Which means that he has a job with flexible work hours."

"And the victimology has been consistent," Reid said.

"Victim- what?" An officer with the name tag Vasquez asked.

"Victimology. It's the study of the victims that the UNSUB murders in orders to profile the personality of the UNSUB," Reid rattled off. "To understand why the he chose these girls we need to look at what they have in common."

"And so far the victims have all been blonde haired, blue eyed young women," Prentiss said.

"This UNSUB is not going to be caught by accident," Rossi said. "We profiled him as having a narcissistic personality. That's part of what is giving him the confidence to keep killing and to feel like he is going to get away with it."

"This type of serial killer doesn't stop killing and the decrease in between the abductions and murder suggest that he is devolving," Reid said.

"Which means that the UNSUB is going to keep killing until we catch him," Hotch said.

~

After giving the police the profile and going over the evidence until they had talked themselves in circles, the BAU team headed back to their hotel. Their hotel, The Hill Lake Pleasant Inn, was a few blocks from the police station and it was anything but pleasant. Outside, the brown paint was peeling and flaking off. The handful of shutters that were still on the building were broken and one was hanging off the window frame. Inside, it wasn't much better. The sight of moth eaten green curtains and thick dusty carpet greeted the BAU team as they stepped inside. The smell of garlic and onions mixed with the musty odor that every old rundown building seemed to acquire.

Trying hard not to look outwardly disgusted, Hotch lead the team up to the front desk. A teen with acne and a bored expression sat at the desk listening to an iPod. His nametag read Tom Maynard and he didn't seem to realize that there were people waiting to check in.

Hotch cleared his throat loudly. "Excuse me," he said. Tom didn't hear them. The music was blaring loud enough for the entire team to make out the lyrics. Morgan, who was tired and wanted to go to bed, leaned over the counted and yanked the earbuds out of Tom's ears.

"What the hell?" Tom said, He glared at them.

"We'd like to go to our room now." Morgan said with a tight smile.

Tom's glare quelled under the fierce stare from Morgan. "I.D's?" He asked. They showed him their badges and Tom dug out three keys from under the desk, handing them to Hotch.

"Three?" Reid asked. He shifted on the balls of his feet, adjusting the strap on his messenger bag.

"Some of the rooms are being fumigated," Tom said with a shrug before jamming his earbuds back in his ear.

"Wonderful." Prentiss said in a tone that suggested in quite the opposite.

"Looks like we're going to have to share," Hotch said. He handed one of the keys to JJ, the second key to Morgan, and kept the third for himself. "Everyone get a some sleep and be ready early tomorrow." He ordered before he and Rossi headed off to their room and the two girls went off to their room, leaving Reid and Morgan standing awkwardly in the dingy lobby with Tom.

"Looks like we're bunking," Morgan said. He swung the key around his finger as he and Reid headed off to their room. The hotel's hallways looked equally decrepit and old as the rest of the hotel. Both Reid and Morgan were dreading what their room looked like. When Morgan opened the door they were greeted by the sight of a single bed with a threadbare blanket and a lumpy pillow and a small couch that looked like it had at least one mouse living in it.

"You're getting the couch," Morgan said.

Reid scowled, before brightening up. "Did you know that 68% of all hotel room's beds have lice or bedbugs," He rattled off one of his many statistics as he headed towards the bathroom, hoping there was at least hot water.

~

Next Day

Hotch was adjusting his tie in the dingy mirror when his phone started buzzing on the wooden table.

"Hotch," he said answering it.

"It's Vang." The sheriff sounded on edge and pissed. "You're gonna want to get your team down here as soon as possible."

"What's happened?" Hotch asked. He was out the door and on his way to find the rest of his team.

"Park officials just found Abbey Warren's body," Vang said. "And another girl, Jennifer Ford has gone missing."

"We'll be there shortly," Hotch said. When he entered the lobby he found Reid, Morgan, Rossi, and Prentiss sitting in the lobby. "Where's JJ?"

"Fixing her hair," Prentiss said with a yawn. "And there's no coffee."

"What's wrong?" Rossi asked. He had noticed Hotch's expression was more frustrated looking than usual.

"They found Abbey Warren's body," Hotch said. "And another girl's gone missing." JJ entered the lobby as Hotch spoke.

"He abducted another girl already?" Reid asked. "It's been less than 72 hours."

"He might have increased his killings because we're here," Morgan said.

"Vang wants use down at the station, "Hotch said. The team exited the dim interior of the hotel and into the bright early morning sunshine.

~

Outside the police station, media vans were already parked and waiting. The team had managed to make their way through the throng of reporters and inside the station with the response of "No Comment."

"Good, you guys are here." Vang said the minute they stepped inside the station. "The media's already got a hold of the story."

"I'm on it," JJ said before going back outside to deal with the ever-constant media.

"Morgan and Prentiss, go check out the crime scene," Hotch said. They nodded and followed Vang back out of the station. "Reid, call Garcia and see what she had on Jennifer Ford." Reid nodded and he walked a little away from the group and dialed Garcia's number.

"Oracle of Quantico, speak and be heard of fortunate one," Garcia answered in her usual absurd fashion.

"Hey Garcia," Reid said. "What can you tell me about a women named Jennifer Ford?"

"Who?" Garcia asked.

"She's gone missing, most likely the UNSUB's latest victim," Reid replied.

He heard the sound of her fingers furiously typing.

"Jennifer Ford is a 20 year old transfer to Hill Lake Community College. She transferred from Ohio State University and currently is living with her fiancé Greg Brown," she rattled off. "The rest of her file is en route as we speak."

"Thanks Garcia," Reid said. He hung up and waited for the email with Jennifer Ford's file.

"Jennifer Ford fits the victimology." Reid said to the others as he rejoined them.

"What made him change his timeline?" Hotch asked. He looked at the board with the victims and evidence that they had collected so far. Nothing seemed to be connecting in this case, even the evidence was offering conflicting profiles.

~

Morgan parked outside the same forest that he and Reid were at yesterday. Vang pulled up next to Prentiss and Morgan in her cruiser.

"Abbey's body was found less than twenty yards from where Carrie's was," Vang said. She lead Prentiss and Morgan through the woods. Overhead the trees rustled in the early morning breeze. The new crime scene was another small clearing. Abbey Warren's body was lying face up in the center of the clearing. Her hands were folded neatly across her chest. She might have been sleeping, except for the vacant dead look in her open eyes that were staring unseeingly at the canopy of leaves above her.

"Pose is the same as the other victims," Prentiss said. They both snapped on their crime scene gloves as they entered the crime scene.

"Makeup and outfit," Morgan said. He crouched down to get a closer look at Abbey Warren's body. "Looks like she was going on a date."

"I've got to call Riley, make sure that he actually sent the crime lab guys this time," Vang said. "Reception's terrible in these woods." She exited on the path that Morgan and Prentiss had followed her on.

"Morgan, look at her hands," Prentiss said. "Looks like there's something there."

Morgan pulled out a note from Abbey's stiff hands. "It's another note," he said. "Addressed to the FBI this time."

"What's it say?" Prentiss asked.

Morgan unfolded the paper. He wasn't certain, but the handwriting looked more feminine on this note.

To The FBI

Leave or One Of Yours Will Pay The Price.

"A threat," Prentiss said. The wind picked up and the leave rustled on the branches,

"Let's get this back to the others," Morgan said. "See if Pretty Boy can't make anything of the handwriting." He put the letter into a plastic evidence bag. Prentiss and Morgan followed the same path out of the woods. There was no sign of Vang when Prentiss and Morgan emerged from the woods.

"Vang?" Prentiss called.

"Lieutenant?" Morgan called.

Prentiss noticed a pair of brown boots on the ground behind the wheels of the police cruiser. "Over there," she said, nodding towards the boots. She slipped her gun out of the holster on her hip as Morgan did the same. They walked around the car, Prentiss took the left, Morgan the right. Vang was lying on the ground behind the cruiser, unmoving, Morgan bent down and checked for a pulse.

"She's alive," he said. "Looks like she was hit on the head."

"I'll call it in," Prentiss said.

"Come look at this," Morgan said. Prentiss walked around to the right of the cruiser with Morgan. Someone had written a message in red paint on the windows of the cruiser.

Back Off or Else.

~