"Play date time." Fleur knocked on Elijah's door.

"Welcome to my humble abode." Elijah answered the door.

"Thank you, kind sir." Fleur walked in, placing Marie down in her box.

"Your most welcome." Elijah hummed.

"Are your boys ready?"

"My boys are always ready."

Fleur hummed and opened Marie's box,"Out you come, cherié."

Marie meowed, looking around her new surroundings.

"Your cousins are waiting to play." Fleur petted her ears.

That's when Horatio wandered in, staring at Marie. Marie tilted her head, slowly walking towards Horatio, sniffing. Horatio stayed focused on Marie, backing up.

"She's nice." Fleur hummed

Rigatoni wasn't as hesitant, immediately walking over and sniffing Marie. Marie purred softly, licking his fur.

"Aw, such a good girl." Elijah smiled.

"Horatio, look at your brother." Reid walked in.

Horatio skirted behind Reid, hiding between his legs.

"He's so shy." Fleur chuckled.

"He's just scared because he's never met a lady before." Elijah pointed.

"Oh, well this is a perfectly behaved lady." Fleur assured Horatio.

Horatio flattened himself to the ground, looking up at Marie and Rigatoni.

"He's getting so big, they both are."

"I know." Elijah sighed,"I remember when we first got them."

"They were all so small." Fleur chuckled.

"Teenie tiny." Reid added.

"Now they're getting old, just like us." Fleur sighed.

"We're not that old." Elijah shook his head.

"We're hitting our mid thirties, and you're the oldest." Fleur pointed at him.

"No, Morgan is the oldest."

"Well..If we're going by that logic, it's Rossi." Reid shrugged.

"Exactly, there's so many older than us." Elijah nodded.

"I could do a rundown on ages." Reid pointed.

"That, uh, it won't be necessary, love." He sighed.

"Okay." Reid chuckled.

"Look, they're all playing now." Fleur pointed.

Rigatoni was jumping around Marie and Horatio.

"Best friends." Fleur smiled,"I'm sorry Derek couldn't come, he's at his other work."

"He works so much." Elijah sighed.

"I know, he needs to slow it down." Fleur agreed.

"I'm sure he will eventually." Reid nodded.

"When he hits retirement."

"Bold of you to assume he'll reture." Elijah shook his head.

"He better." Fleur chuckled.

"He will." Reid assured her.

"Tell me..Have you guys ever thought about kids?" Fleur asked slowly.

"Oh, I'd love to have kids one day." Reid smiled softly.

"Yeah?" Fleur sat down on the floor.

"Yeah." He nodded.

"Eli?" Fleur turned to him.

"Hm?" Elijah blinked himself back to reality.

"Would you.. Ever consider kids?"

"..If you asked me ten years ago, my answer would have been no but.." Elijah bit his cheek.

"But now is different?" Fleur smiled softly.

"It is.." Elijah sighed,"I think I'd like to be a dad."

"It could be an option in the near future." Reid shrugged.

"It could." He nodded slowly.

"I could be pregnant and you guys could be uncles again." Fleur joked.

"Are you?" Reid raised a brow.

"No! No, not right now at least." Fleur shook her head.

"You better not." Elijah pointed," Or Morgan and I will be having words."

"You guys wouldn't like to be uncles?" She gasped.

"No- We'd love to be uncles again." Reid told her.

"Then calm it." Fleur pointed at Elijah.

Elijah sighed,"Fine."

Fleur smiled,"Anyway, where have these three gone?"

"To cause chaos in my house, probably." Elijah looked around.

"Well, let's go find them." Fleur hummed.

*********************************

"The bodies of two unidentified women were found in the desert, uh, just outside of the good doctor's hometown, Las Vegas." Garcia told them as they sat in the Conference Room,"They were stripped of their their ID. One looks like she was killed yesterday, the other a couple of weeks ago."

"According to the M.E report, both women were in their thirties and... Is this cause of death right?" Morgan blinked.

"Yes, and I have confirmed it. Both women drowned." She nodded.

"How far is the nearest body of water?" Rossi asked.

"The Hoover Dam, Lake Mead, like sixty miles." Garcia shook her head.

"So we're looking at a disposal site. Were they sexually assaulted?" Fleur looked up.

"No, but they did both suffer blunt force trauma and severe antemortem abrasions to their wrists and ankles."

"That means they were most likely held somewhere before they were killed." Reid mentioned.

"Or maybe they were bound so they could be tortured with water." JJ suggested.

"She's right. We can't rule out waterboarding or being held underwater in a pool or a bathtub." Rossi shook his head.

"The woman killed yesterday w a wearing a uniform. She could have been a waitress or a maid." Elijah tilted his head.

"There are ninety-three hotels in Las Vegas, two hundred and sixty motels and inns, 1510 bars and 2996 restaurants. Not to mention nearby Summerlin, which is growing in popularity." Reid explained.

"Well, the local P.D has ruled out the major establishments. They're coming through the smaller ones now to see if they can find a match." Garcia told them.

"The other Jane Doe was pretty decomposed. Clothing looks ordinary. Is that a fanny pack she's wearing?" Rossi raised a brow.

"Yes, and it was empty." Garcia nodded.

"It means she was probably a tourist, though." Blake tilted her head.

"Last year Las Vegas documented 39,727,022 visitors." Reid informed them.

"No other place has better surveillance software." JJ shook her head.

"Garcia, contact Las Vegas P.D and ask them to start going through hotel and casino surveillance from three weeks ago, and tell them that we'll be there in four hours." Hotch instructed,"Let's go."

"Yes sir." Garcia nodded.

*********************************

The team were sat on the jet, waiting for Reid to finish a phone call with his mom so they could go over the case.

"Sorry." Reid walked back over, ending the call.

Rossi nodded to him,"The two women were brunettes in their thirties. The Unsub has a type."

"If that's a case, were they targeted, or were they victims of opportunity?" Morgan suggested.

"There's something strange about the disposal site. It would seem like he took the bodies out to the desert to hide them, but he chose a spot right next to an old construction site that's for sale." JJ pointed.

"He had to imagine that someone would show up eventually." Fleur shrugged.

"So was he hiding the bodies or displaying them?" Blake wondered.

"It could he both. He might be hiding them from law enforcement but displaying them to another group." Reid nodded.

"Hello, my not-so-all American Heroes, I just got an ID on the most recently deceased victim, Frida Bancroft, thirty-four. She was working as a waitress at Dela Rosa's grill downtown. Manager said she'd been there for two months, and I just sent you a picture." Garcia informed them as she popped up on screen.

"Did she exhibit unusual behavior recently, or was she involved with anyone suspicious?" Rossi tilted his head.

"Well, the manager said he took a chance by hiring her because she's a former drug addicts with a spotty work history, and when she didn't show up at work for the last three days, he figured she had starting using again." She sighed.

"But we know she didn't because of the M.E report says the tox screen was negative." Morgan told them.

"JJ, you and Reid go to the disposal site. Dave, Howards and Morgan, go to the diner and find out what you can about the waitress and Blake,  Deans and I will head to the Las Vegas P.D." Hotch instructed.

*********************************

"I can't believe she's dead. I was just joking that Ed should fire her- Oh, I feel awful." One of the waitresses, Irma, sighed.

"Don't. You didn't mean anything by it." Rossi shook his head,"Were there any recent changes in Frida's life?"

"No. Other than singing a new apartment lease a week ago. She'd been saving up all the money she made here for the last couple of months to pay for the security deposit." Irma told them.

"It takes a lot of discipline to do that so quickly." Morgan nodded.

"What about friends and family? Was she in a relationship?" Fleur questioned.

"She never talked about her past or her personal life. It's almost like she wanted to wipe the slate clean." She shrugged.

"Thank you." Fleur smiled softly as Irma walked off.

"Frida seemed determined to start a new life for herself and we know she wasn't using. She had to have been hiding or running away from something." Morgan crossed his arms.

"I agree. Maybe she owed her dealer money and was pulled back into the drug world." Rossi suggested.

*********************************

"This is from sixteen days ago. You can see she's wearing the same clothes as the first victim." Detective Ramirez pointed to the security footage.

"Yeah, it's definitely her." Blake nodded.

"Casino ID'd her as Renee Sheffield of Omaha. She applied for a job three years ago as a hostess but didn't make the cut. There's no known address for her." Ramirez explained.

"Any ID on the boyfriend or husband who's with her?" Hotch tilted his head.

"There's no hits on the facial recognition system." She sighed.

"Does anyone at the casino remember seeing or talking with them in person?" Elijah asked.

"Good luck with that. They get thousands of guests a week." Ramirez scoffed.

"Hold on. Can you rewind that about five seconds? Take a look at Renee." Hotch pointed at the screen.

"She's stealing." Blake realised.

"She's a strip-miner. I can't believe I missed that." Ramirez shook her head,"Strip-miners take money or chips left behind or unwatched by careless tourists. They dress to look as tourists as well so that they're not spotted by casino security."

"So the fanny pack is a prop. How many strip miners is there?" Blake raised a brow.

"Hard to say, hundreds at least." Ramirez shrugged,"There's no shortage of desperate people here."

"A lot of grifters work in teams. It's possible the man with her is just a partner." Hotch sighed.

"Maybe the partnership went bad and he killed her." Elijah suggested.

"The dead waitress could be part of the team as well, if they all stole together." Ramirez shrugged.

"We need to get an ID on the man. Tell your team that's our top priority." Hotch pointed.

*********************************

Reid was on call, JJ and Elijah by his side,"..Yeah, thank you."

"What's wrong?" Elijah tilted his head.

"My mom's not even here. Her psychiatrist said thar she's doing really well on some new medication, so she decided to go on a supervised field trip to the Grand Canyon." Reid blinked.

"That's great, isn't it?" JJ raised a brow.

"No, it's great. It's just.. I guess I kind of can't believe that she didn't tell me about it, you know? This is someone that used to literally write me a letter daily at one point." Reid sighed.

"I see. You think she forgot about you." Elijah sighed,"Spence, you should be happy. This means she's getting better. She's not constantly checking in."

"You're right.. I know." Reid nodded.

"Grifters, hustlers, scammers... Call them what you will. This town has always been a mecca for con-artists." Rossi shook his head as they walked in.

"Yeah, but nobody comes here with the intent of being a strip miner. It's just people with bigger dreams that didn't pan out." Fleur sighed.

Morgan pulled out his phone as it rang, putting it on speaker,"Hey, babygirl. What have you got, Mama?"

"Props to the Federal BI. Our next generational database is usually a miss, but today I got a big hit. I've ID'd our mystery man. His name is Elijah Hall, and ten years ago Elijah served time in San Diego for assault and possession of PCP." Garcia ranted.

"Uh, any connection to Renee Sheffield?" Elijah blinked.

"No, not that I can see."

"When did he move to Las Vegas?" Reid asked.

"Seven years ago. I don't have a current address yet, but fret not, my chickens, as soon as I do, I'll hit you back." Garcia hung up.

"Do your thing." Morgan hummed.

*********************************

"We're looking for a sociopath who is taking revenge on people he believes stole from him." JJ began to give the profile.

"None of the victims had a documented address, so it's likely they were homeless. They may have known each other from the street or from a shelter." Reid continued.

"The disposal site of the first two victims served a dual purpose. It was meant to hide the bodies from law enforcement but at the same time put them on display for the people that the message was intended for." Morgan nodded.

"All of this suggests a group or organization at work, but it doesn't have the hallmarks of organized crime." Rossi told them.

"The victims seen on surveillance video weren't stealing large sums of money, so we're dealing with a smaller community." Fleur added.

"But this group operates by a strict code, and any violation of that code could result in death." Elijah crossed his arms.

"You should be on the lookout for groups that operate robberies and cons together." JJ continued.

"The group has a strong leader who does not tolerate dissent." Blake pointed.

"This leader appears normal and comfortable in social situations. He may even be extroverted and charismatic like a cult leader." Hotch sighed.

"He'll have grandiose delusions and believe that he is special. He may even believe that he can communicate with God or some other higher powers." Morgan shook his head.

"He will attempt to surround himself with people who are subservient, either sycophantic followers or people who are trapped by financial constraints." Reid continued.

"How's he recruiting these people?" Ramirez asked them.

"It's likely he attracts followers by offering some assistance. But as his power grows, so will his narcissism." Rossi nodded.

"He'll begin to make increasingly extreme demands. He'll want more attention which could be why his latest victim was found in a very public place." JJ explained.

"With the choice of this latest disposal site, it indicated that he's growing bolder and more careless. He has lost three followers. He's gonna need new recruits. So we should step up patrols in areas where the homeless population gathers. Thank you." Hotch finished.

*********************************

"There are at least at 1,500 people who live in the flood control tunnels. It's a crossroads of the destitute. Ex-cons, drug addicts, hardcore gamblers." Reid explained as they looked at the map.

"Plus, there's always the threat that the tunnels will flood like they did last week when there was a flash thunderstorm in the desert. We try to warn the residents to evacuate, but there isn't always time." Ramirez sighed.

"Some of the tunnels will flood when there's just a fifteen minute storm up in the mountains." Reid added.

"So if the UnSub knew about a coming storm, he could've just tied up his victims and left them in the tunnel to drown." Morgan shook his head.

"Then afterwards he just took the bodies to the desert to dump them." Elijah nodded.

"With the third victim, it hadn't rained in the last twenty four hours, so he had to just strangle them." Reid sighed.

"Frida Bancroft was a former drug addict. Renee and Elijah were both strip-miners. It's more than likely they were all residents underground." Morgan crossed his arms.

"So we need to start searching these tunnels." JJ nodded.

"That's the tricky part. There's 413 miles of it." Reid told them.

*********************************

After finding nothing, no reporter or UnSub at the tunnels, they did find some other people who were willing to talk.

"The reporters still alive." Reid walked in,"The Doctor's real name is Marvin Caul. He and someone named Finn Bailey took her into one of the tunnels heading into the desert."

"How'd you get him to talk?" Ramirez questioned.

"Neuro linguistic programming. I used sensory predicates and key words to tap into his unconscious mind. Marvin Caul must have done the exact same thing." Reid explained.

"You've lost me." She blinked.

"NLP is a way of thinking and communicating based on linguistic modeling. For example, key words like know and imagine open someone up to suggestion." He informed her.

"There are two different exits out of the desert. One in the north end and the other's on the west." Elijah pointed to the map.

"Alright. Let's go." Hotch nodded.

*********************************

The team managed to locate Caul, pulling up to Finn pointing a gun at him.

"FBI drop your weapon!" Rossi shouted, pointing his gun.

"Not until he tells me what he did to my sister!" Finn yelled.

"You're mistaken, Finn. I never met her." Caul sighed.

"Liar!"

"Put the gun down." Ramirez warned.

"He told me to kill Sarah, too." Finn told them.

"This boys quite mad!" Caul scoffed.

"Finn, let us go to Sarah. She needs our help. Will you let us do that?" Elijah asked slowly.

Finn gave a small nod as he kept his gun pointed at Caul. While Ramirez checked on Sarah, Reid walked over.

"Copy that." Reid held his earpiece before looking to the men,"The police just confirmed your sister's dead, Finn. I'm sorry."

"Because he killed her.' Finn shook his head.

"She was found in a crack den. She died of an overdose." Reid shook his head.

"No, no, no. He convinced her to do it. He's very persuasive." Finn cursed.

"It was in Phoenix, Finn. This man had nothing to do with it." Reid informed him,"You have the wrong guy."

"Put the gun down. There's no point in this." Blake sighed.

Finn looked over at them before he looked down, lowering his gun and handing it to Blake as she and Elijah lead him back to the police car.

"Thank God you showed up." Caul hummed, turning to Reid.

"Marvin Caul, can I just say that I'm a huge fan. I saw you perform back at the Lotus Inn back in 1977 when I was a little kid and I always wondered what happened to you." Reid told him.

"Time. Time has not been kind." Caul answered.

"Here, let me give you a ride back to the station." He offered.

"Oh?" Caul smiled.

"I can't imagine how hard it must have been for someone of your talent to stay hidden for so long." Reid hummed,"I mean, weren't you dying to get back out there?"

"Of course. And I have a plan. I am going to book a stage at the Rio." Caul nodded.

"So, that's what the money was for. You know, I have to say, it's absolutely brilliant." Reid stopped,"You found the perfect population to steal from and someone else to do your dirty work. I tip my hat to you."

"I have no idea what you're saying." Caul shook his head.

"What I'm saying is that you're going to be charged with murder, and the first one will be Carrie's." Reid grabbed Caul by the shoulder,"I'm assuming you killed her because your ego got in the way when she left you to work for another magician. Is that right? Look, Marvin, there's no place to go. You're a very clever man and you know how to read a situation. Tell me where Carrie's body is and at least you'll get recognition for what you accomplished in the tunnels."

"She's buried at the abandoned construction site." Caul admitted, knowing he was caught,"Did you really see me at the Lotus Inn?"

"The truth?" Reid raised a brow.

"I can't abide lies."

"I wasn't even born yet." Reid shrugged as he lead Caul back to the police car.

*********************************

Once the team had landed at the BAU, Reid and Elijah headed inside to get the rest of their things.

"I'm sorry you didn't get to see your mum." Elijah sighed.

"It's okay. I guess now I know what a parent feels like when their kid grows up." Reid shrugged,"Somebody's depended on you for so long and then suddenly they're off living their own life and they don't really need you anymore."

"Except she's the parent, and that's how it should be." Elijah nodded.

"Oh, hi. Welcome back." Garcia walked up and handed Reid a package,"This came for you."

"No return adress?" Reid asked.

Reid then took out some postcards, going through them as he read,"She said she was going to mail the postcards but then she decided to send the Grand Canyon instead. Here, listen to this- 'You may have to commit me twice, Spencer, because not only did I ride a mule on a tiny trail, with a 1,000 foot vertical drop, I paid for the privilege. Now that's crazy."

"Wow." He chuckled.

"Can you imagine my mom on a mule?"

"If I tried hard enough." Elijah hummed.

"It's like Hotch at the beach." Reid laughed as he began to read out more of the letter.