Case of the Costume Killer

Hey everybody! Thanks so much for reading this. I hope everyone enjoys this chapter as well. Please R&R! Constructive criticism is always welcome. Flames will be fed to Clooney.
 
Disclaimer: I don’t own and I’m flat broke.
 


 
Chapter 2 - A Late Lunch
 
 
 
 
The restaurant was spacious. It was vibrantly decorated, with walls covered in large bay windows that kept the atmosphere bright. Despite being oddly busy for that time of day, the group was seated immediately by the hostess. This was most likely due to the fact the hostess was on first name basis with the two CPD detectives.
 
            They were seated in the back at a large rectangular table, in an area that was partially partitioned off by a glass and wooden wall. Majority of the other customers were seated near the front of the restaurant and around the bar. Hotch wondered how much the detectives ate here that the staff automatically seated them in a more private location. The hostess passed out their menus, cheerfully informing them of the day’s specials then stopping to talk to Det. O’Conner, whom Hotch heard the girl call “Kate”. A few minutes later, the waitress excused herself with a chirped “Enjoy your meal!” Having noticed that Hotch had been observing the exchange, Kathryn smiled at him “Erica’s in her third year of college, majoring in Social Work. We both volunteer at a local center for victims of abuse.” She explained. “She’s a good kid. One of the sadly few success stories of the foster system. She keeps her nose to the grind stone and I could see her becoming head of DCFS one day.” Hotch noticed that the brunette had failed to mention the type of abuse victims she volunteered with and something told him not to ask. Instead he picked up his menu and started looking it over. A sharp “Dani! Leave him alone!” snapped from the O’conner startled Hotch out of his inner musings. Head snapping up, Hotch followed the Irish detective’s line of sight to see that McKorn had plopped herself down next to Reid and was doing a very good job of invading his personal space. He couldn’t hear what was being said, but got the feeling that the blonde woman was teasing the genius by the color Reid’s face was steadily turning. Sharing an amused look with Rossi, Hotch allowed himself small grin as he turned back to his menu. The sound of Reid’s squeaked protests and his team’s laughter lifting the feeling in his gut.
 
            Morgan watched Reid and McKron for a while before turning his attention to the smaller of the two women, seated across from him. “So… Detective, what’s good?” he asked in his usual playful manner as he held up the menu. Kathryn quirked a brow as she answered. “Detective? Well aren’t we the formal one.” Then with a smile, “As for what’s good… well that depends on what you’re in the mood for”. Morgan smirked, but before he could comment she continued. “I usually go with the stir-fry bowl, but the Red’s Royal Burger is good if you want something a little out of the ordinary. I highly recommend the Freckled Lemonade. It’s sweet with just the right amount of tart. Have to be careful though… over indulge and it can bite.” Morgan blinked… had she actually just said all that with a straight face? He had no idea whether he was being flirted with or receiving genuine recommendations. Instead of dwelling on it, Morgan focused back on the menu. Reading over the descriptions he decided that the lemonade she’d recommended actually sounded pretty good. After making his decision, he refocused his attention on the spectacle that was an extremely nervous and embarrassed Reid.
 
            Reid was not in a happy place. He was used to JJ, Garcia, and occasionally Prentiss and Morgan invading his personal space. Having a complete stranger do so made him extremely uncomfortable. Reid fidgeted as McKorn leaned in and looked at the menu over his shoulder. Despite having a menu of her own she was insistent on looking at his. When Kathryn had scolded her, Danielle had retreated for a moment before leaning back in to point out something on the menu. There was a gleam in the blonde’s eyes that was making him rather uneasy. In an attempt to turn the focus of attention away from himself, Reid tried making conversation, “McKron… that’s of Scottish origin, isn’t it?” Danielle grinned and replied “Yep. Reid’s an Irish name right? That mean you’re lucky?” On ‘lucky’ she had given him a wink which caused Reid to turn a whole new shade of red. Giggling, Danielle finally leaned back. Apparently having decided he’d had enough teasing for now. When Danielle stood and moved to sit in the empty chair next to Kathryn, Reid allowed himself to relax.
 
            Their waiter, whom the detectives also seemed to know, came and took their orders before returning after a few minutes with their drinks. Rossi took note of the fact that both of their CPD hosts had ordered what he had heard referred to as ‘the Freckled Lemonade’. As had Morgan, which surprised him. Rossi watched as the small brunette mashed the strawberries in the bottom of her glass with straw before stirring the drink and picking them out, handing the fruit to her coworker beside her. “That’s interesting…” he thought to himself. The two women were obviously very familiar with each other, judging by how they interacted. They’re personalities where extremely similar on many levels, yet complete opposites on others. Both were obviously very social. Rossi suspected strong alpha tendencies as well. However, where McKorn was boisterous and In-Your-Face, O’Conner displayed more of a quiet strength. It would be interesting to see how they balanced a leadership role between them. Glancing over at Hotch, he could tell the other agent’s thoughts were currently working along the same line.
 
            Once their meals arrived, majority of conversation came to a pause as the BAU team tucked in. Prentiss hadn’t realized how hungry she was until the food was placed before her. All of her attention had been on their current case as she tried to work things out in her mind. Everything about this case was odd and for the first time since she was new to the team, she found herself feeling nervous. The fact that neither of the detectives had identified which division they were with when introducing themselves had also set her nerves on edge. Prentiss had met a lot of cops in her life, mostly because of her Mother’s work and her own experience at the FBI. Officers almost always included what division they were with when introducing themselves to other agencies. The exception being the hand full of officers in units where revealing such information in public could put themselves or a case in jeopardy. This usually meant they were in some form of undercover unit, possibly even Deep Cover. Prentiss had only known a couple of Deep Cover officers and both had been completely different from the other, which made assigning a personality type impossible. She would never peg the CPD detectives as Deep Cover, but then that would be what made them good at their job. Prentiss noticed Morgan studying them as he ate and covertly pulled out her cell, shooting him a quick text. ‘What do u think? DC?’ She watched as Morgan pulled out his phone, looked at her message and grinned. His answer of ‘Hell yes’ arrived a minute later. JJ, who had noticed the exchange, gave Prentiss a curious look. Prentiss leaned over and whispered “later” to her friend, seated next to her.
 
            Once their plates had been cleared and drink refilled, O’Conner proceeded to pull several file folders from the canvas tote she had brought with her. Handing one to each person at the table, she began the briefing. “This is all of the information on the killings that we have, gathered from each of the stations that responded to the scenes. I assume you most likely already have a majority of this. The coroner’s report and autopsy results have been included, as have all crime scene photos and profiles on the victims. From the few witness statements that exist, we know that we are looking for a Caucasian male in his early to mid twenties.” It was here that O’Conner paused and McKorn began speaking. “This information is extremely unhelpful from an investigation stand point given the sheer number of people who attend the conventions. Based on that information alone, we are looking for one in about three thousand. Going by his M.O. we are fairly certain he will be at Anime Central. Anime Central is the major convention for the Midwest and draws its attendance from as far as Canada and Mexico. This means that our best chance of catching the perp is at the convention. If we don’t catch him this weekend, then he goes back to where ever he is from and it will be up to the Los Angeles PD to catch him in July. And that is only if he hits major conventions.”
 
Everyone at the table had noticed the immediate change in the detective’s behavior once they had started the briefing. Both were sitting up straight, completely focused and professional. Even the tones of their voice and the manners in which they spoke had changed, becoming deadly serious. Neither were smiling, instead their mouths were set in a firm line.  It was as if someone had flipped a switch on their personalities. The team listened intently, switching their focus to Kathryn as she once again spoke. “Convention staff has been alerted and is more than willing to work with us. The CPD realizes that this is an unusual case and will most likely place you in situations that you are unfamiliar with. That is why Dani and I have been assigned to work with you. Both of us are familiar with the convention, or ‘con’, atmosphere and are here to act as guides. My last case closed a few days ago, so I will be with you full time. Dani may have to leave on occasion to deal with a currently ongoing case but will be with us a majority of the time. Many convention goers are not likely to open up to anyone preserved as outsiders. A select few will be downright dishonest. Most are friendly, but getting inside information would be like pulling teeth. In our opinion the best way to catch this perp would be to split into two groups, one accessing and observing from the outside, the other from the inside.”
 
A pregnant pause over took the table. The detectives waiting for the opinions of the FBI team seated with them as the agents digested the information. Eventually, it was JJ who broke the silence, “When you say ‘inside’ you mean…?” It was Danielle who answered.
 
 “Undercover.”
 
           
 
Author’s Notes:
  
            Okay… I have no idea if Chicago actually has a Deep Cover division, but I am taking some creative license. So in this fic, they do.
 
Perp = Short for Perpetrator. Its cop slang. Anyone who watches Law and Order should be familiar with that one.
 
M.O. = Modus Operandi aka the method of operation. Basically how the crime was committed. If you are a CM fan and don’t know this one… >.>;;;

DCFS = Department of Child and Family Services