Belonging

Morgan and Kate walked into Nicole Benton’s apartment, the crime scene. The other scenes also took place at the victims’ apartments. Morgan eyed the doorframe, the wood was still intact. “No sign of forced entry.”

Kate looked around the room, there were two glasses sitting on the coffee table in the living room, next to them a bottle of Jack. One glass had the remains of the victim’s lipstick. The other glass was still full, untouched by the unsub. He knew better than to leave his DNA at the site. She also noticed the trail of clothes leading to the bedroom; first a black tank top near the coffee table, followed by a pair of jeans closer to the bedroom door, finally a pair of women’s underwear in front of the bed. “He was invited in.”

“So it was her lover. A guy who was seeing other women. He’s known for being a player, but either these women were completely oblivious, or they just didn’t care.”

“Whoever this guy is, he’s smart. He knew not to drink from or touch the glass or leave any clothes behind.” They walked into the bedroom. Kate did her best to ignore the blood and focus on the victimology that they came here for. Nicole’s room looked like that of any other girl in her early twenties’; there were pictures of her and her friends hanging on the wall and in frames scattered around the room, a laptop sat in the middle of a desk surrounded by stacks of school books, notebooks, and mp3 player speakers along the far wall, there was a poster of a popular rock band directly above her desk, and her bed was in the corner across from the door. It was where Nicole was murdered after engaging in sexual activities with the unsub. She never saw it coming. “How exactly was she killed?”

Morgan sifted through the file for the medical reports. “Blunt force trauma. The taking of the heart was done post mortem, same with the other victims.”

Morgan’s suggestion from earlier, that the hearts were taken for romantic symbolism, was probably correct. He knew the victims and knew them well enough for them to invite him into their home. Kate sighed, “We need the list of students from Garcia, cross reference the names of males that are in classes with each victim, and talk to friends and family.”

“List of names is in your e-mail and Hotch and JJ heading to Nicole Benton’s family. We’ll head over to the school and talk to some of her friends and classmates.”

--

Kate watched as the students of the University of Toledo filed past her and her partner. They were waiting for Carrie Sloan to get out of class. She was Nicole’s best friend and discovered her body after she didn’t show for her morning classes. Carrie rushed out of the building, walking towards Sullivan and Morgan.

“Miss Sloan, may we talk to you for a few minutes.” Morgan pulled out his credentials and flashed them. Carrie looked at the building across from her; she was rushing to her next class, advertising.

“I’m kind of in a rush to get to class.” She shifted her bag on her shoulder.

“I know how important class is, but I’m sure you can miss just this one.” She sighed and nodded, then followed the profilers to the building she just exited from, to a pair of couches next to a large window. Morgan and Sullivan sat on one couch while Carrie sat across from them. A table piled with copies of the student paper separated them. “What can you tell us about Nicole?”

“She was a great student, excelled in all her classes. She didn’t always get along with her classmates, they thought she was snobby, but they just didn’t know her very well.”

“And you did?”

Carrie nodded. “Yes, she was really sweet once you got to know her. She just had this wall built up, you had to earn her trust. I did.”

“Did she have a boyfriend?”

Carrie’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “N-no. She was more focused on her school work than boys.” Carrie seemed genuinely surprised by this, meaning she wasn’t as close to her friend as she thought. “Is there a reason you think otherwise?”

“She had sex before her death, consensual sex. Have you seen her talking to any guys, particularly any guys that may have been talking with other girls?” Kate knew it was a long shot that this girl knew anything about any relationships her friend might have had, but it was worth it. Any information, or lack thereof helped them get to know Nicole.

“No. The only people I see her talk to are the students in our group. The ones we have pretty much all our classes with.”

“How often did you hang out with her outside of classes?”

“Not very often, I guess,” she confessed. “We’d get together if we had a test we needed to study for or if we had group or partner projects, but that was about it. I’m not much of a social butterfly.”

“Thank you, Carrie, you can get to your class now.” Carrie scurried towards the door and out of the building. “It seems our victim has been leading a secret double life.”

--

Mr. Benton, a small man with grey hair and large tortoise shell framed glasses, led Agent Hotchner and Jareau to the living room. Mrs. Benton, even smaller than her husband with mousy brown hair, sat on the couch. Their house was modest; two-stories, average size with a nice lawn and decorated in an un-flashy manner. They weren’t trying to be perceived as richer than they were, they lived within their means.

“Mrs. Benton, I’m Agent Hotchner, and this is Agent Jareau,” he approached the woman slowly, not wanting to startle her. She slowly raised her head to look at them, then motioned for them to take a seat in the chairs adjacent from her. “I know this is a difficult time for you, but we have some questions.” She nodded as her husband sat on the couch next to her. “How often did you see your daughter?”

“She came over every Friday for dinner. Her classes ended early that day. Other than that she was too busy.”

“With school?” Hotch had received a call from Morgan. After talking to Nicole’s friend, they learned that their victim was likely leading a double life. It was possible that the girl’s friend was just simply unaware of Nicole’s social life, so he needed to check with her parents.

“Of course with school,” Mrs. Benton gasped.

“Just what are you implying Agent Hotchner?” Mr. Benton’s face was scrunched in anger. Hotch understood the man’s feelings though. His daughter was dead, and anyone who said the wrong thing was the bad guy.

“I’m not implying anything, I’m just trying to get our information straight.” The Bentons nodded and calmed themselves. “Did she have a boyfriend that you were aware of?”

The couple looked at each other and shook their heads in unison. “No, we knew all of her friends. They were all school mates. Some of them were male, but she didn’t express any romantic interest in them,” Mrs. Benton assured the agents.

“You don’t recall her mentioning anyone?” JJ pressed.

“No, why do you ask?”

Hotch sighed, not ready to give these details to the family. “There were signs of consensual sexual activity, both on the body and at her apartment.” Nicole’s parents looked at each other, shocked, unsure of what to say, what to think. “Can we get a list of any of the male friends that you know of? It’s possible that one of these guys can give us more information.” Mrs. Benton nodded, wrote down a few names on a piece of paper, and handed it to Agent Jareau. The two agents thanked the parents for their time and excused themselves. He pulled out his cell phone once they were outside the house and dialed Reid’s number.

“I need you to go back to Nicole Benton’s apartment and search her computer. Look for any pictures or e-mails with friends not from school.”

--

Morgan and Sullivan headed to the auditorium where the school was preparing for a fundraiser for the three girls. The plans were a concert with a local band and a concession stand, all proceeds being split up among the victims’ families. The band was setting up onstage and several students were setting up other things, going through check lists, and making sure things were going according to plan.

“Reid is at Benton’s apartment going through her computer, looking for confirmation on our double life theory.” He had just gotten off the phone with his boss, who said that the parents weren’t aware of any non-platonic boy friends. Just like Carrie, they were under the assumption that Nicole was a good girl who focused on her studies and nothing else. As much as he hated digging up these details it was his job, and it was necessary to find the scumbags.

“Over there is Leslie Wallace, Jessie Connelly’s friend,” Kate pointed to a tall blonde, whose hair was styled into a messy bun, “and over there is Brittany Gill, friend of Ashlee McKee,” she pointed to average sized brunette who was wearing a UT sweatshirt. “The other two victims were described the same way as Nicole Benton; smart, focused on school, and a ‘good girl.’ I can only assume that they too had double lives.”

Morgan nodded, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. He was proud of Kate for catching on so fast, though he wouldn’t say it to her or his teammates. His teammates expected this of any new member, they didn’t have time to waste with hand-holding, you went through training for a reason. Kate would just be embarrassed by any comments made. For whatever reason, Morgan felt almost like an older sibling to Kate from the moment he ran into her. “Good call. I’ll talk to Wallace, you can talk to Gill.” They went to split up when a man, probably a few years younger than Kate, approached them. Morgan recognized him from the band that was setting up onstage.

“Hello, beautiful, how you doin’?” he asked Sullivan, complete with a wink in her direction. He turned his back towards Morgan, showing that his presence was unappreciated. Kate didn’t know whether to get sick because of the bad Joey impersonation or to hit the guy for the same reason.

“I’d be doing better if I weren’t investigating the murders of three young girls. Girls that you’re supposed to be doing a fundraiser for.”

“I didn’t know these girls personally. No sense in getting all worked up about it. I mean, I might as well have some fun while I’m working.” He moved his hand towards her arm and she jerked out of the way.

“Well, in my line of work, there isn’t much fun. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to get back to the investigation.” She walked away, leaving the guy to watch her depart. Judging by the expression on his face, Morgan sensed that he wasn’t too upset by the sight of her walking away.

“Someone has a fan,” he said with a small chuckle. “Maybe you can score a date tonight.”

Sullivan screwed up her face to show disgust. “A nauseating, hip shaking weirdo who thinks he’s the next Scott Weiland? No thanks, not my type.”

“Not nerdy enough?” Morgan smirked.

Kate knew where he was going with this, and he was completely wrong. There wasn’t even a sense in arguing about it. It would only cement the thought in his mind as true. And if it were cemented in his mind, it was only a matter of time before she’d recognize it as true. “Just go interview Wallace.”