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“‘After we proved that the Behavioral Science Unit could help law enforcement find UNSUBs faster, agents began to ask if they could join our unit. Evan Bayne and I, along with a couple of other agents working alongside us, developed a list of requirements to join the unit. Over the years, the FBI refined the prerequisites needed to apply. Although the list is strict, it stresses experience over education, which is good. Very few people make it.’”
He pushed the paper toward Alex. “What’s he trying to say? Remember, each note has hinted at the next killing. It seems he might be hinting about someone who didn’t make it into the BAU. You may be on the right track, Kaely.”
Kaely nodded. “If I am, this guy has a grudge against the BAU and is trying to prove the Bureau was wrong to reject him. I agree this could include a lot of people.”
“Let’s just get started and see where we end up,” Logan said. “Maybe we’ll be able to narrow it down further than we think.”
“I hope so,” Alex said.
As he looked through the pages, Logan handed each one to Alex, who read them before pushing them toward Kaely. Alex couldn’t find anything different from what they’d already been told. Again, Gloria Bayne had been interviewed and said everything was fine until her husband took that call. Then he put down his phone where his actions could be viewed and ran toward the cliff.
As Alex read through the report, she couldn’t help but feel bad for Bayne’s wife. Gloria testified that she’d seen her husband’s body wash out to sea. There was a strong undertow in that area. Bayne wasn’t the first person who’d died in those waters, and none of the bodies were ever recovered. A note in the file mentioned that the area was closed to swimming because it’s shark infested, which might explain the other reason the bodies never showed up again.
Alex shivered. She loved the ocean, but the idea that man-eating creatures lurked beneath its surface was too close to the reality of her profession. Evil dwelt in the shadows, not only in the ocean but above it. She prayed that God would help them stop this particular predator before he claimed another victim.
Jeff sat in his office, his chair turned around so he could look out the window. He felt distinctly uncomfortable. Three deaths, each one connected to the Bureau. Behavioral analysts targeted. He didn’t believe in coincidences. This situation bothered him. He wanted his agents back here. He wanted to believe they were out of harm’s way, but he wasn’t so sure. He wouldn’t relax until they were all back under his watch.
Protecting people against themselves was another story, though. Each of the three threats had targeted someone the victim cared for, and two of the analysts had taken their own lives as a result. One had tried but had been prevented by fellow agents. Jeff had been with the Bureau a long time, but he’d never seen anything like this.
He checked the time. Monty should be here soon. Jeff prayed he would find the right words to comfort him. He wasn’t good at this kind of thing.
He’d decided to let Logan, Alex, and Kaely stay at the police station today because they wanted to be close to any evidence that came in. It was hard to predict just what piece of information would provide the key that would help them develop an accurate profile. But tonight they were going to the academy. Monty would be driven there after they finished talking. Quantico had great security, but the academy’s was better. And besides, it not only had rooms for them to stay in but there was also a food court. This was much better than trying to safely put them up at a hotel. The academy even had a shop where they could buy clothes if they hadn’t brought enough. And most importantly, it would be almost impossible for anyone to get close to them. The place had two security stations. People wanting to get through to the academy first had to pass the security gate at the marine base. Next came the guard gate stationed at the entrance to the academy. Jeff had called the academy and talked to the assistant director for training. She understood the situation and had given Jeff permission to send his people there. They had a new recruit training group on site now, but they were leaving Saturday morning.
Jeff wanted to put his people in the Jefferson building since it was closer to other staff. Easier to guard. The assistant director told him they were doing some maintenance and renovations and the second floor was the only one with available rooms, but she was happy to let them stay. Although it would be a tight fit. Only five rooms were finished, so they’d have to double up. That worked out fine since his unit consisted of four women and four men. Jeff decided to keep one room a single in case Monty wanted to be alone. He felt bad locking him down after his grandmother’s death, but he’d had no choice. Jeff had to keep him safe. His other agents’ close family members were being guarded too, some of them moved into safe houses.
It was hard to believe what had happened—and harder still to accept that the UNSUB could be targeting all the analysts working for the FBI. After being notified as to what was happening, other field offices were also keeping a watch on any retired analysts in their area. The Bureau couldn’t be too safe.
The other BAU unit chiefs were putting guards up at the homes of their team members as well. Jeff reviewed all the units in his mind. BAU 1 addressed international and domestic terrorism threats, arsons, and bombings. BAU 2 was the Cyber Unit. BAU 3 worked with crimes against children. His unit, BAU 4, dealt with crimes against adults. They also had ViCAP, the Violent Criminal Apprehension Program, at their disposal, which consisted of a database and web-based tools made available to law enforcement agencies to connect homicides, sexual assaults, missing persons, and unidentified human remains. More than five thousand law enforcement agencies were able to participate in ViCAP, contributing to more than eighty-five thousand cases in the system.
BAU 5 was the training and research unit. All in all, almost sixty agents were in the BAU. Several other agencies were also represented at the BAU. They included Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms; the US Capital Police; the State Department; and Homeland Security. Each of these units had a couple of behavioral analysts, and they’d been notified too.
Yet something made him feel as if his unit was the primary target. He had no proof, but his gut told him he was right. All the other BAU unit chiefs agreed but still went along with his suggestion of providing additional security. He’d also suggested they not use their phones, just in case.
Although his people would have no access to cell phones until they could set up something safe, Jeff still felt uneasy. So far this UNSUB had been incredibly clever. Surely he knew the BAU would protect its agents. So what was his next move? The possibilities flooded Jeff’s mind like a tsunami. But right now he had to take care of necessities. He had FBI police officers picking up Logan’s team’s belongings at the motel in Bethesda and inspecting Mrs. Wong’s home. His other four agents had been told to quickly pack, make arrangements with family if they needed to, and wait for transport to the academy.
There was still a lot to do to make this work. He picked up his phone and called Alice. “Bring a notebook in here,” he told her. “This is gonna be a tough one.”
