Think Again

“Just accept the fact that I’ll never get it!” Spencer threw down the chop sticks in frustration.

I laughed and picked them up, “But you were doing so well!”

We had ordered Chinese take out for dinner and the runner picked up chop sticks as he went. I was currently trying to teach Spencer how to use them while everyone watched. He had managed to pick up a few pieces of orange chicken, but lost his grip before he could put it in his mouth.

“Just keep the pressure on the one by your thumb. Use that as your anchor.”

Taking the two sticks, he held them like I had taught him, then tried again. Picking up the piece of orange chicken, he kept his hand still as he moved it to his mouth. Dropping the chicken in, he smiled as he ate it.

“There you go!” I laughed as the table cheered, “I told you you could do it.”

He scoffed, “After twenty minutes of trying.”

“If at first you don’t succeed try, try again.”

“Do I have to keep using these?”

“Give me the packaging.”

Spencer gave me the sleeve his chop sticks came in and I folded it into a tiny rectangle. Putting it between the ends of the sticks, I wrapped a spare hair tie around them, turning the sticks into a sort of pincer-like utensil. Giving them to Spencer, he smiled and continued to eat.

“You’ve just gotta practice, Reid,” said Derek.

“Practice makes perfect, Spence.” Agreed JJ.

I let the saying run through my mind as I ate my meal, using my own pair of sticks to pick up my food. My mind wondered to my own journey to learn how to use the pair of sticks, then it went to something different. The cuts on the victim. My eyes wandered over to the pictures of Harmony on the board. As I looked I noticed how perfectly smooth they were after Harmony had died. The saying went through my head again, and I choked on the drink I was sipping from.

“Kelsie?” JJ asked.

“Are you alright,” Derek reached over and patted my back.

“Oh my God,” I said and I stood up. Walking over to the board, I looked at the picture of the cuts, then tore if from the board. Bringing it back to the table I held it up, “What’s wrong with this picture?”

Everyone was quiet for a moment, then thankfully Derek said, “There’s no skin.”

I nodded, “There’s no skin. What is there?”

“Muscles?” JJ asked.

“Exactly. The UnSub removed the skin without damaging the muscular tissue.”

Rossi’s face lit up, “He’s done this before.”

“Just not on this scale,” Hotch reached forward and dialed a number on the phone.

“Penelope Garcia, what’s your favorite color?”

“Blue. Garcia, can you look up unsolved murders were flesh was removed from the body?”

“Thank you for playing sir, and I will let you know as fast as I can get through the Candy Cane Forest.”

“It’s not even fall, Garcia,” I said.

“Never question the ways of a mad genius, Kels… ruins the fun.”

“Sorry, Elf.”

“Apology accepted, and… there are currently eight unsolved murders dealing with missing flesh spanning over the last six years.”

“Okay do any of them leave only the muscular tissue exposed?” Asked Hotch.

“All sir.”

“Are their any suspects?”

“Yes indeedy. I’m sending all of the lists to you, along with full background checks, and current addresses.”

“Thank you, Garcia.”

“Peace.” The phone clicked and we were disconnected.

I smiled, “Is she always that-”

“Crazy? Yes.” Derek smiled.

Hotch went to print off the new information Garcia sent him and we cleared the table a little to make room for the new paper work. He returned with eight stacks of paper each from a different case. He passed one around to each of us saying, “Look for people who live in the area, then we’ll go from there.”

I grabbed the box of untouched rice and propped myself up against a wall so my lap held the pages up. Using my chop sticks, I started in one the rice as I read. I had moved to sit on the floor to give everyone else more room.

Spencer came to sit next to me and watched as I ate. He smiled at me as I turned to look at him, then he went back to his stack of papers. From the table I could see Derek watching us, and I waved at him causing him to chuckle.

~Spencer’s POV~

I was totally distracted.

It was unprofessional, but I couldn’t help it.

Kelsie Parish was an amazing girl. How her mind worked fascinated me. I would never have guessed that the UnSub was cutting the flesh off while his victims were awake. I never thought that the cuts were too perfect. I can not eat rice with chop sticks.

I was amazed by her smile. In all honesty I dropped half of the chicken on purpose. Just as long as she would keep working with me. When she laughed, I wanted to laugh. When she smiled, I wanted to smile. When she talked, I hung on every word.

I finished my list first, then went to write names on the board. When I finished, Morgan came up to do the same. His list was shorter than mine, so when he finished, he said, “I’m going to get some coffee… wanna come?”

My eyes glanced to Kelsie first to make sure she was okay, then nodded. I followed Morgan out of the room and walked with him a ways before he started talking.

“So… how did you lunch date go, really?”

“It went well. Really. I took her to a deli in D.C., we ate our food in a park, I went to her house, we talked for a while, then I left.”

“You went to her house? How was it?”

“Neat. There were still some boxes to unpack, but it was nice.”

“You really like her, don’t you.”

I shrugged as I opened my mouth a few times, trying to say something, then managed, “Y-yeah. But it would be unprofessional to date her.”

“Garcia is dating Kevin.”

“But he doesn’t work on our team.”

“I’m sure Hotch and Rossi will over look it. I know I will.”

“What about Strauss?”

He scoffed, “Is that what’s stopping you? Strauss?”

I shrugged, “Sh-she can be very intimidating, I mean-”

“Hey, don’t let her get in your way. We’ll deal with her. If you feel like Kelsie is the one for you right now, then go for it.”

I gave a half smile and nodded in response.

We got our coffee, I had one for Kelsie – just in case. Entering the room we found the list had grown, and four names were circled. Handing her the cup I asked, “What’s with the circles?”

“Those are the names that live in the immediate area.” She replied. “Oh, thank you.” She smiled at me as she took the cup.

We moved to the table as we watched Hotch write down the addresses of the circled names on the board. Morgan called Garcia again and read off the names, asking if there was any over lap. She came up with nothing.

“Uh, hey, ask her to run credit history on the victim’s cards,” I said, “Oh, and look into any-”

“Garcia, hold on I’m handing you over to Reid.”

Taking his phone I held it to my ear, “Hello, Garcia?”

“Yes Boy Wonder?”

“Run credit history on the victim’s cards, and see if they have any appointment book or an on line social network where they mention what they’re doing.”

“Anything you desire, Spock.”

“Actually, I’m nothing like Spock-”

“Bye.” She hung up and I handed the phone back to Morgan. He chuckled as he placed it back to his belt.

“We should talk to Harmony’s family,” said Kelsie, “Ask them the same questions, see if her life was similar to Betty. See if they hung around in the same places or near the same people.”

Hotch nodded, “I agree.”

The phone rang and I pressed the speaker phone button, “Praise me, my profiling wonders, for I bring news!”

“What do you have, Garcia?” asked Hotch.

“Well I haven’t been through the social networking part – as brilliant as I am, my fine friends, I do not read at super human speeds, unlike someone I know and love…. However, I did manage the credit history, and both of our southern beauties put down payment to one Earl Switzer, a - get this - a plastic surgeon, based in Little Rock Ar-Kansas.”

“Garcia, get me everything you can on Switzer.”

“On it my liege.”

The phone clicked and Garcia was gone, off to do what she did best. We, however, were left on our own.

“Okay,” said Hotch, “Lets go to the hotel, sleep, come back to this with fresh eyes.”

We stood and gathered our files of the case and we left the station. Kelsie, Morgan, and I piled into one of the cars, with Kelsie in the passenger seat, and Morgan driving. At the hotel, we made our way up to the fourth floor, and Kelsie disappeared into her room before I could say, “Good night.”