"𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝗽. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲"
-𝗧𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗮𝘀 𝗔. 𝗘𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗻

-----

𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 - 𝗝𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗶𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗿

The team were now on the jet looking over what they had which wasn't much but that wasn't what Valentina was focusing on. She was more focused on the way Spencer's been acting lately and it was completely normal because of the trauma he's gone through but she was just worried that he was going to lose himself all because of Tobias Hankle.

"These are the copies of the newspaper articles on the murders, dating back to early August 2005. It's all we have to go on" JJ said, passing out the papers.

"He killed three times, stopped for eighteen months, then he started killing again" Hotch told the team.

Gideon nodded, listening to what Hotch was saying "We should have Garcia run a list of any offenders in the area. Anyone who spent the last year and a half doing time"

"Or anyone that relocated after Katrina and recently moved back" Spencer added.

"What is the victimology of killing a mechanic, a real estate broker, and a cook with ages ranging from twenty two to forty five?"

"And this latest is a thirty three year old taxi driver. They just don't seem to have much in common" JJ continued on from Emily.

"Besides being male and walking the French Quarter late at night" Valentina contributed, her first words since she'd got on the plane.

"Which is notorious for mugging off the main drag"

"Yeah, but this guy isn't in a rush to flee the scene. A slaughter like this takes time" Emily said.

"Andrei Chikatilo fantasised that the men he killed were his captives and then torturing and mutilating them somehow made him a hero" Spencer rambled on, something Valentina loved about him.

Val sighed and leant back in her seat careful not to spill her coffee "The city's barely even back to life so something like this could cripple its psyche"

"So where do we start?" JJ asked.

"Well, with no case file there's only one place we can start. At square one" Hotch muttered. This was going to be one tough case.

-----

JJ, Derek and Valentina went to the crime scene when they arrived at New Orleans to speak to the detective while Emily, Spencer and Gideon went to the coroner.

"These are Agents Morgan and Ortiz. This is detective William Lamontagne Jr" JJ introduced them as Derek and Valentina both shook William's hand.

"Appreciate you guys being here" William spoke in his southern accent "My daddy was too stubborn to ever ask for any help"

"I'm very sorry for your loss" Valentina said sincerely and JJ and Derek nodded their head at him in respect. It was then silent for a couple seconds "So I understand you received a letter?"

"Yeah" William said handing her a letter in an evidence bag "Before they were lost in Katrina, my daddy received two letters. This one came addressed to him yesterday. They passed it on to me"

"You sure it's from the same killer?" JJ asked, as the three looked at the letter.

"It's a detailed account of what he did to the body" Val said before they got to work on searching the crime scene.

"It'd be pretty easy to hide out in one of these alcoves. Wait for the victim without ever being seen" Derek said aloud even though he was almost talking to himself.

"Yeah, all four murders occurred within a 10-block radius here inside the French Quarter" William told him.

JJ and Valentina walked over to the two as JJ had her say "On any given night, there'd have to be thousands of people walking through here from the bars"

"Tens of thousands" William agreed with JJ "When I first started as a cop, I worked the Quarter. It's like being in the riot squad every night. Every Sunday, I'd get off work around sunrise, be ready to pass out, and my daddy'd be waiting for me at my house to make me drive him uptown to Franky and Johnny's for po-boys" William smiled at the memory "He called it, 'Communing with New Orleans' "

Derek and Valentina let out a small chuckle as William told the story "Did your father ever tell you anything else about this case that we should know?" Val asked.

William looked over at her "He tried to, but you guys should see that for yourself" He then ducked under the police tape and lead the way into the wrecked house.

"This wall's still standing where daddy carved the message right before he died" William then pointed to the word 'Jones' engraved into the wall "There's no doubt he's still working from the grave"

"Jones" Derek read out loud "That name mean anything to you?" But William shook his head but it had to mean something, surely "No, I ran it through the data base against every offender in New Orleans, and you can imagine how many hits I got but nothing came up in connections with this case"

"But in your dad's final moments, it was the most important thing he wanted to say" Valentina spoke, her eyebrows furrowed as she stared at the words in the wall.

"I learnt how to play the drums in this house, grew up with two dogs in this house. All it's going to be now is the word 'Jones' carved into that wall"

"Detective, if he had written the Unsub's name. I think you would have found him by now. 'Jones' is the one piece of the puzzle that your daddy did know. He trusted you to figure out the rest" Valentina found herself staring at Derek once again as he spoke, maybe Ophelia was right. What if she was falling for her coworker?

"Yeah. I know it but I've pored over it a thousand times and I still can't put it together. I can't get it out of my head. It eats at me everyday" JJ went over to check on William while Derek and Valentina started to look through the house. Any evidence that could hopefully make a break in this case.

-----

It was the next morning when the team woke up to a 'lovely' call that the modern day Jack the Ripper had striked again, slashing another man's throat.

Emily, Spencer, Gideon and Hotch had figured out that the Unsub wanted the team to think that there the modern day version of Jack the Ripper loose in New Orleans.

"So the three of you were out together last night?" Spencer asked the two witnesses and one of them nodded in response.

"Mark had just paid his tab at one bar and he was on his way to meet us at another" The other one told them.

"You guys get in any trouble?" Derek asked, they needed to know everything "Trouble?"

"A drunken brawl? Anybody get out of hand?" Derek made it more clear for the two.

"We were just out to have fun, you know? Minded our own business"

"Okay what about a girl?" Valentina asked, walking over to the two suspects and all eyes went on her as she spoke "Did Mark meet a girl and maybe upset her boyfriend?" She was just brainstorming here but anything right now could be helpful.

"No, ma'am"

"He struck out like we all did"

"Well, thanks guys. We really appreciate it" Valentina said to the two as Derek then sent them on their way.

"I can hardly keep up with this guy" Will muttered, staring at the body as the team regrouped.

"Well, if he's mimicking Jack the Ripper, that might be precisely the point" Emily told him which didn't make him feel any better "He terrorised London for months without ever getting caught"

"I'd appreciate it if you gather your men. We'd like to give you a profile of who you're up against" Gideon told William in a soft tone and the detective nodded, still in thought.

The team then got back into the SUV's and making their way back to the station as the police officers gathered around, notepads and pens in their hands.

Hotch started off with the profile as he stood with his hands in his pockets "The offender we're looking for is friendly, agile, somewhere between thirty and thirty five"

"He'll lure with charm and kill with rage" Gideon continued.

"We believe he's murdering men to reclaim his power. This unsub suffers from low self-esteem, but he probably covers it well. He dresses impeccably to feed the facade" Emily spoke from the corner "Jack the Ripper himself was an impetuous lust murderer, whereas this offender is organised, calculating, he might even stalk his victim for days before the actual kill" She continued.

"We believe this killer identifies with Jack the Ripper because he's lost his own identity. Maybe through years of child abuse or some catastrophic event" Gideon voiced.

"Because he over compensates to hide his insecurities, we believe he may hold had a position of authority at work" Hotch said after Gideon.

"And since we think he's had medical training, consider EMT's, doctors, veterinarians" Valentina added in.

"On top of that, please be careful. For this unsub, the French Quarter's a hunting ground. He's certainly already proven he knows the terrain" Gideon finished and the police officers nodded while the rest of them were finishing writing notes in their notepads.

Valentina and the team were sat at one big table as they started looking through things, her earbuds in when her phone started ringing in her pocket.

"Agent Ortiz" Valentina greeted whoever was on the other side of the receiver, she then put the phone down on the table.

"What was the thing Jack the Ripper took from one of his victims? Besides, well you know, her life?" It was the voice of Penelope that came through her earbuds.

"Oh, uh" She stuttered as nothing came to mind.

"Tick, tock. Tick, tock "

Valentina frowned drawing Gideon's attention "I don't know"

"A kidney. How horrifyingly fantastic is that?"

Valentina chuckled "Uh huh and where are you going with this? Wait, do I even wanna know?"

"It's just that I found an unsolved murder that happened four months ago in Galveston, Texas with the same M.O, the victim missing that very organ. I amaze myself "

Valentina smiled and wrote what Garcia said down "Yeah, me too, your amazing Garcia. Great work" They then hung up leaving Gideon to finally talk.

"What's that?"

"Garcia just found a similar case in Galveston, Texas" Valentina explained.

Gideon nodded "A lot of Katrina refugees relocated there"

"It could be the same guy. He removed the kidney just like Jack the Ripper"

"Call Reid and Morgan. I want the four of you on a plane to Texas tonight" He referred to Emily, who was sitting on the next table over, and Valentina.

"Alright" Valentina then pressed Morgan's ID while Emily had called Spencer. However, it was only Derek who actually answered which confused the two agents because that was not like Reid at all.