White Rabbit - A Criminal Minds Fic

Three

Spencer dashed into Agent Hotchners office, not even stopping to knock. Luckily, his supervisor was alone and didn't berate him for his lack of professionalism.

"Dr Reid. Is everything okay, I thought you were lecturing today?" Hotch glanced up from his paperwork, greeting the younger man with a concerned look on his face. Spencer was out of breath from hurrying from his car and into the office and Aaron knew that something must be wrong.

"Hotch, I'm really not sure. One of the students handed me this and then ran off." Reid placed the folder onto the next watching as Hotch flipped it open and started leafing through the papers.

"Spencer, help me out here. I can't read as quickly as you." Aaron picked through the crime scene photos that appeared in front of him, finally seeing the handwritten letter and scanning it.

"This girl, Alice. She claims she knows who killed these people, that the cases are all linked. She shouldn't even have these photos or some of the information that she does. And there's a Polaroid... " Spencer rummaged through the many papers searching for it and finding it, handing it to his boss "... here. She's with two of the girls that turned up dead. She knows them."

"You think she's got something here?" Hotch looked at the Polaroid and back to the crime scene photos.

"I think she might. Hotch, I remember three of the cases coming across our desks but we didn't have anything. No leads, nothing. But she's picked out more, saying they're linked and that she knows how. And she was nervous, she practically threw the file at me and ran, but then she was stood watching as I got into my car, like she was making sure I'd read it. As soon as she saw that I'd seen her, she ran again."

"So she is definitely a student there then? Did her Professor say anything about her behaviour?" Hotch was studying the Polaroid carefully.

"Only that she wasn't usually that nervous, he said she was quiet but she was one of the smartest in the class."

"Hmmm." Aaron eyed the photos of the bodies. "What do you think, Reid. If you think there's something here, I can make a few calls and we go and speak with her. I trust your judgement."

Spencer moved around the table and stood behind his supervisor, bending over and pointing to the photo.

"The bracelets, everyone in that photo has them on, even the people in the background have them on. And the children only have one on. The way they're all dressed as well, very simply."

"You think it's some kinda of group? A cult?"

"It's something. She's younger in the photo but it's definitely her. And in her letter she makes a reference to knowing the victims, but not by the names they were given. A lot of groups or cults, whatever we want to call them, will assign members different names in an attempt to detract from the previous identity. That's if the joiners don't change their names in the first place."

"Okay. I agree, we might have something. Do you have any contact details for this girl, Alice did you say her name was?" Hotch put down the photo, looking up to Reid.

"Yes Alice. And no. She hadn't even signed her full name. I'll call Professor Frost though. He should have her details."

His supervisor nodded at him and he pulled out his cell and scrolled for the number the Professor had provided him with.

"Dr Reid, How can I help?" The scholar seemed surprised to be hearing from him so quickly.

"Professor Frost, I need to speak with one of your students about something in the papers they gave me. Are you still at the school?"