Deceit

The Snowball Effect

Sienna Westbrook

March 23rd 2012 - 8:30 am (PST)

Strolling into my office of the F.B.I precinct in Los Angeles, I see 30 more files piled in a heap on my mahogany twin pedestal desk. The daunting pile ever growing. I sat down into my plump leather desk chair, looking across the sea of files. "How many Unknown Subjects, well UnSubs, do we have at any given time?" I think to myself. Each case similarly containing a murder or rape but after those classifications, everything else is different. The variables constantly changing case to case. MO, victimology, the number of victims so far, just to name a few. As a liaison, it was my job to pick which case was more vital for my team to close by profiling whether or not I thought there would be any more victims in the next few hours or days. I would also decipher whether they would have a cooling off period or not. I didn't like choosing one case over another because it felt as if I was choosing someones life over another person. As if I felt that their life didn't matter. But, every life matters and that's why I have to choose the case that I feel would spiral out of control and lead to many more victims soon.

Coming across one file, it perked my interests. I decided there and then that that would be our next case. The one that needed closing straightaway. I hastily walked across to my section chiefs office, SSA Lincoln Shaw, knocking loudly on the dark oak door before pushing it open. I relayed the case to Shaw and he agreed we needed to act on this case now. After the validation from Shaw, I phoned the Lieutenant from the Anaheim Police Department to tell him that my team will be there soon to aid his assistance in this case.

In pursuit of following Shaw into the conference room, he called out to the rest of our team, the F.B.I's renowned B.A.U team from LA, to come and join us. Once inside I stood upfront beside the 55" LCD TV screen, holding the presentation controller in my clammy left hand, ready to present the case, whilst the rest of the team took their usual seat around the round table.

"Anaheim Police Department has asked for our assistance in a recent string of killings. The UnSub has so far killed 3 families. Each family targeted consisted of a mother, a father and a teenage daughter. That makes 9 victims so far and with a short cooling off period of only 4 days in between each murder, I believe that this could quickly escalate into a spree." Everyone's attention was locked onto the file they had positioned in front of them, looking at the crime scene photos.

"How is the UnSub murdering the families?" Smith asked quizzically.

"From the lacerations on each of the parties' necks and wounds across their abdomens, we believe that the UnSub is using a 12" boning knife." I finish.

"Boning knives are used in every day cooking, it isn't that difficult to buy this type of weapon from a local grocery store." Clarke stated.

"The UnSub must live alone if their cooling off period is 4 days because that doesn't leave a lot of time to orchestrate their next targets, let alone entertain a family. The UnSub needs to know every detail of their lives, noting down times everyone leaves and returns, times they go to bed for example. The UnSub must be constantly surveillancing the families." Jones added.

"The UnSub must have a vehicle that can blend in but watch from afar for several days on end. That means their choice of vehicle must be comfortable. Ideally easy to live in. I would say that the UnSub owns a trailer. And due to California being the ideal holiday resort, especially with Disneyland nearby, no one would think any differently with a trailer parked on their doorstep." Davies suggested.

"Okay, I'll call Hemmingsworth and get him to cross check these parameters against residents across California, mainly within the Orange County municipal, to try and narrow down the list of suspects." Shaw began to pull out his phone whilst making his feet carry him towards the conference room door, the rest of us promptly following suit. "We'll head on over to the Anaheim Police Department. Bring your go bags. Cars ready in 20 minutes." And with that Shaw left followed by the rest of us.