Fleur was outside Elijah's house, beeping her horn in the car.

"Coming- I'm here." Elijah called to her as he hurried out the door.

"Can we please go and grab food?" Fleur asked.

"Uh, sure. What do you want?" Elijah asked as he got in.

"Doughnuts." Fleur nodded.

"Oh, I like that." Elijah smiled.

"Good. Morgan got pulled away for the case.. Now that both JJ and Kate are on mat leave." She sighed.

"Be careful, Flo. You're next." Elijah hummed.

"We can only hope." Fleur nudged him.

"I'm already working for that 'Best Uncle' award." He pointed.

"Of course you'd get it. Who else would get it?"

"Spencer."

"Nah, he has Henry." She chuckled.

"Good point." Elijah leaned back.

"And we are on our way." Fleur turned the car.

"Doughnuts, here we come." Elijah grinned.

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

"Are they back?" Fleur asked as Hotch and Garcia walked into the offices.

"Yes, they're waiting into the Conference room." Hotch nodded.

"Is it the same UnSub?" Reid walked into the Conference Room after them

"Yeah." Rossi nodded.

"Two kills on two coasts in two days. This guys on a mission. He's not gonna rest until he completes it." Morgan sighed.

"Then neither will we." Hotch pointed.

"But we're down two profilers." Garcia looked up.

"Our seven brains against his one. My money's still on us." Elijah shrugged.

"Let's get to work." Hotch sat down.

The team all sat down at the table and began looking through the files.

"We know for a fact that victim number one was bound and gagged, but it doesn't look like number two was." Morgan began.

"Windows in both residences were tampered with, so he knows how to get in and out undetected." Reid pointed.

"Okay, that's impressive because aluminium foil is super crinkly." Garcia nodded,"I'm sorry, I'm not a profiler. I'm doing my best."

"No, it's a fair point." Fleur assured her,"He snuck up on a tweaker who probably hadn't slept in a couple of days."

"Cause of death?" Hotch asked.

"Cardiac arrest, but Dr Mertz in the crime lab can't pin down how." Morgan sighed.

"Well, he might hide it under the face paint. What we're assuming is ritual could be a forensic countermeasure." Hotch suggested.

"What do we know about the face paint?" Rossi asked.

"Traditional greasepaint used by clowns, but applied to resemble a Pulcinella." Reid answered.

"Okay, I totally know what that is, but I'm gonna Google it in case someone else doesn't." Garcia blinked.

"Sorry. The clown archetype that we recognize today actually dates back to a 16th century stage tradition called commedia dell' arte, where actors worr masks to resemble their characters." Reid explained,"The Pulcinella was the trickster character, usually without a voice. He used a horn to make funny noises."

"Maybe the victims tricked him, and he's remaking them in death how he saw them in life." Fleur suggested.

"So this is a vendetta by the Unsub and not a compulsion." Elijah crossed his arms.

"It's gonna make this guy really hard to profile." Morgan sighed as Hotch's phone buzzed.

Hotch looked at his phone,"Alright, Dave, keep working victimology. Morgan and Howards, stay on the MO. And Reid and Deans, dig deeper into the ritual. I'll be right back."

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

Morgan and Fleur were at the M.E's office.

"It took me two victims to make sure I was seeing what I was seeing and not going crazy." The M.E sighed.

"You found trace elements of a drug in their blood?" Morgan raised a brow.

"Not a drug, and not trace elements, a lot of it." She handed the file over.

"Corn syrup solids, soy fibre, medium-chain tryglycerides." Morgan blinked,"Is that a nutritional supplement?"

"The kind you drink. Only he injects them with it. Under the face paint, as you thought. The syringe you found was his murder weapon." The M.E sighed.

"So once he injects it, it causes a massive embolism, right?" He raised a brow.

"An agonising one." Fleur blinked.

"It's like injecting cement. It could take up to an hour before they die." She explained.

"Alright, so play this out for me. Who would drink this stuff?" Morgan questioned.

"Senior citizens, anyone having trouble nutritionally." The M.E explained.

"Somebody who can't eat solid foods." Fleur realised.

"Absolutely."

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

"Well, this doesn't clear up much. Vic number one was a divorced dad who got custody of his kids." Rossi shook his head.

"And number two was the local drug supplier." Reid nodded slowly.

"And if the question is what connects these two guys, the answer is.. Nothing." Elijah blinked

"And we never would have made the connection if it weren't for the face paint. Which begs the question, why do it at all?" Reid tilted his head.

"To taunt us, feel superior." Rossi shrugged.

"It's obviously a message and my assumption is that it has something to do with the mouth, cause look at this." Reid showed a page in a book,"The colors of the Pulcinella are oddly inverted. Traditionally the character has a black face but a white jaw. He's painting it the other way around.:

"You said that this character was the precursor to today's clown because he couldn't speak, right?" Rossi asked.

"Yeah, that's right." Reid nodded.

"So, he was also the first mime, too." Rossi pointed.

"Very much so." Reid realised,"Which means..Oh- Oh!"

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

"He has a feeding port in his stomach?" Garcia blinked.

"The nutritional supplement that Dr Mertz found in both victims would be ideal for someone who couldn't eat normally. So if the UnSub sustained an injury to the jaw, it would also suggest that he's unable to speak." Reid explained.

"Hence the Pulcinella mask. It's his way of communicating." Elijah added.

"Okay.. So what is he trying to say?" Fleur looked up.

"Well, let's work our way back to that based on what we know." Morgan looked around,"We know this guy travels thousands of miles in two days. So, he probably doesn't sleep. He's able to sneak into a suburban house or a drug den undetected. He overwhelms his victims silently and then injects them. And then as they lay there dying over the course of an hour, he simply sits over them and leaves them a highly symbolic message, but it's a precise message. His victims are siezing up right in front of him but this guy doesn't miss a brushstroke. This is a man who's been around death before, ut doesn't faze him. Who else would leave this type of message?"

"Drug cartels. Cutting the tongues out of snitches and the hands off of thieves." Reid pointed.

"The mafia, sleeping with the fishes and all that." Rossi leaned back.

"He's a contract killer." Hotch sat up.

"Only a hit hitman would be this good, but his message, it's not for us. It's for his customers." Morgan pointed.

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

Eventually, everyone stood infront of the other Agents and began to give the profile.

"The UnSub we're looking for is a contract killer who is doubling back to kill his former customers. This man is highly skilled and well trialed. Under no circumstances should be be engaged without backup." Morgan began.

"So is this a case of organized crime tying up loose ends?" Tara, a new agent, asked.

"Organised crimes got nothing to do with this, at least not in the traditional sense." Rossi shook his head.

"In 2013, the bureau took down the Silk Road network. Our initial assumption was that it was an encrypted online market for illegal drugs, which it was, but upon further inspection, we were stunned at the breadth of goods and services being traded online. Weapons, child porn, even hitmen." Reid explained.

"And the payment scheme was escrow based, in which the buyer would put down half as a deposit and rhe other half when the seller delivered." Hotch added.

"We've now confirmed that all three victims hired the Unsub over the past year through a similar escrow system." Morgan nodded.

"So why is he killing his old clients?" Tara questioned.

"Hitmen don't leave a message unless you pay them to the exception is to leave a warning to customers or competitors." Rossi answered.

"This UnSub suffered some sort of injury to his jaw or voice, most likely as a result of something these customers did. The Pulcinella mask is his statement on revenge and justice. Betray the oath between customer and contractor, and you'll pay the price." Fleur added.

"Now, normally a man with this kind of defect would attract attention. The fact that he hasn't indicates that he has deep pocked and a network of resources at his disposal." Elijah continued.

"Share this profile with your local divisions and with law enforcement." Hotch nodded,"Search for escrow payments to match the UnSub to his clients. One of those clients will be his next target.. Thank you." Hotch finished.

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

The team arrived alongside SWAT at an auto repair shop, where they believed the Unsub was with his latest target.

"Gentlemen, Captain Wilson, Baltimore SWAT." Wilson sighed.

"How do you want to do this, Captain?" Morgan asked him.

"We'll breach and clear. When it's locked down, the site is yours. Sound good?" Wilson told them.

"Mhm." Rossi nodded.

"Okay." Wilson walked with his team, entering the garage,"Police!"

When they entered, they saw a man, Al, sitting on the ground with.. Something in his hands.

"Don't shoot- Do not shoot!" He yelled.

"Come out with your hands up." Morgan warned.

"That's gonna be real hard, real hard. Look!" He held up his hands.

"What's that you got in your hands?" Wilson looked closer.

"Grenade!" Morgan yelled when he spotted it.

Everyone then began yelling over each other, Reid shouting over them,"Put your weapons down!"

Eventually they did, going quiet as Reid stepped towards the man kn the ground.

"You mean that literally, don't you? You can't drop it." Reid blinked.

"Yeah." Al nodded.

"What did he use?" Morgan walked over.

"Over there." He looked over at the table.

"It's dried and set and he glues over the pin. Do you have any acetone?" Fleur looked down at it.

"It's not gonna work." He told them.

"Flo, he's right. This is industrial acrylic. It holds car parts together." Morgan cursed.

"Bomb squad's ten minutes out. I'll take my men and set up a perimeter. Maybe we can still vox this guy in." Wilson sighed.

"We're staying." Rossi pointed.

"Alright, we're going block to block, gentlemen." Wilson walked out.

"You gotta do something." Al cursed.

"We will- We will. But you've got to stay still. Stay still." Elijah pointed.

"Yeah, he.. He pulled the pin. I'm holding down this clamp here, but my hand is cramping, so you gotta do something, okay!?" Al nodded.

"Morgan, four cars." Reid looked around.

"What about them?" Morgan asked.

"Each car has a battery, right? And each battery has an electrolyte solution of 62% water, 38% sulfuric acid." Reid told him.

"But Reid, that's not gonna work." Morgan shook his head.

"Why not?" Elijah asked.

"Because the acrylic will stay bonded to the metal." Morgan pointed.

"Absolutely true, but it was also create a saponofonic effect on his flesh. The grenade will literally slide out of his hands like a wet bar of soap." Reid explained,"Of course, there will be an intense burning sensation on the skin, and the smell will be horrendous."

"You can't- You're not burning my hands! You can't-" Al shouted.

"Stay still!" Morgan yelled back at him.

"Hey listen, pal. You got yourself into this mess, so unless you got a better idea, just shut up." Rossi warned.

"..Okay. Someone's gotta hold the grenade while this.. This thing.. Right?" Al stammered.

"This is gonna hurt, but you'll survive." Reid assured him.

Al sighed, nodding as he looked down.

"Is everyone ready?" Reid asked.

"Yeah, just watch your end, kid." Rossi nodded,"Alright, my hands on the lever."

"Yeah." Al nodded, pulling as he shouted in pain.

Eventually, the grenade slipped from his hands and into the safe clutched of Rossi's hands.

"I've got it." Rossi nodded.

"Are we safe, Rossi?" Elijah turned to him.

"Yeah, we're good. The levers still-" Rossi slowly pulled his hand away.. Only to unclip the grenade,"Run!"

He launched the grenade as everyone bolted out. The group hurried out of the building as it exploded behind them, luckily managing to take cover behind one of the cop cars.

"Everyone okay? Nobody hurt?" Reid asked.

The group looked around at each other, luckily all unharmed.

"You okay?" Elijah looked to Al.

Al coughed, running off to the side and threw up.

"Yeah, he's fine." Rossi shrugged.

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

"Alright, then let's do this old school. Morgan, you took Al's confession. Walk us through it like you're the UnSub." Rossi nodded.

"I got my victim on the ground, and I have the syringe in my hand. I have total control over him. This is my moment. I'm gonna make him pay for what he did. But Al said he got a text.. I don't like what I see. Now I have to change my plan." Morgan sighed,"What was on that text?"

"Someone tipped him off." Fleur realised,"He wouldn't deviate that much otherwise."

"But that would mean that.." Garcia trailed off.

"We have a mole." Hotch nodded.

"There's a lot of new faces around here that want to join the BAU." Rossi crossed his arms.

"I don't think it's a federal agent. I think it's someone in local law enforcement." Reid looked up.

"Based on what?" Elijah asked.

"The clock. According to Al, the UnSub left five minutes before we showed up. That's a narrow window. To narrow for him to wait around for an embolism, but he had to figure out a way to deal with his last victim. Montolo changed his MO at the last moment because he learned about us in the last moment." Reid explained.

"So the last one to hear the cavalry was coming is the Judas. That means a local cop." Elijah crossed his arms.

"Or SWAT. You said Wilson pulled his men off the scene." Hotch looked over.

"He said he wanted to box the Unsub in. But maybe he really wanted to ensure he got out." Rossi suggested.

"We profiled that the UnSub would have support and resources. An ally in SWAT would give him both." Reid nodded.

"We go after a captain, we need more than a profile, we need proof." Morgan shook his head.

"The security perimeter they set up, they would have recorded every license plate. Garcia?" Hotch looked st her.

"Yes, sir. Okay.." Garcia say down and began typing,"Cross-referencing last name Wilson. Uh, okay. I've got a Ford Taurus. It is registered to Betty Wilson, wife of Captain Phil Wilson."

"Quite a plan these three have. He waved his own wife through the checkpoint. And she secured the hit man's escape." Rossi cursed.

"Montolo has them both working under duress. Wilson has to be a customer." Morgan shook his head.

"Which means he's also a target." Fleur sighed.

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

Elijah, Rossi and two other armed agents rushed into the Wilson's apartment with their gun raised. Betty immediately stood up from where she was sat at the table.

"No." Betty cried.

"Where's your husband?" Rossi asked her.

Betty didn't reply, she just held her hands up.

"Betty, where's Phil?" Elijah questioned.

"I don't know! He left with-"

"With the hitman he hired. We know everything." Rossi told her.

"No, you don't. Phil didn't hire him.. I did." Betty sighed.

Meanwhile, Garcia and Fleur were about to call Wilson while he was in the car with Montolo.

"You ready?" Fleur asked.

"Almost." Garcia hummed,"Setting up Caller ID spoofing and.. Dialing."

"All you gotta say is, hey it's me, can we talk? And I'll take it from there." Fleur assured Garcia.

Garcia nodded and held the phone to her ear, waiting for Wilson to answer.

"Hey babe." Wilson answered the phone.

"Hey.. Can we talk?" Garcia asked him.

"Yeah." He nodded.

Garcia held out the phone to Fleur, whispering,"Not on speaker."

"Captain, this is Fleur Howards with the FBI. We're going to get you out of this. Just drive normally and follow my prompts. Can you talk? 'Yes it's fine' or 'Not right now." Fleur took the phone.

"Yeah, it's fine." Wilson responded.

"Did you enter the address in the map apps on your phone?" Fleur asked.

"Yeah, I took care of it." He told her.

"We're getting the address from your phone, sir. My team is going to beat you there. You're going to drive him straight to us." Fleur explained.

"No, I.. Just let me run this errand and then I can come home." Wilson shook his head.

"Sir, you are the last errand. He's going to kill you." Fleur cursed.

"..I gotta go, baby." Wilson then hung up.

Meanwhile back with Rossi and Elijah, Betty was explaining everything to them.

"Three years ago, I had two miscarriages, back to back, just like that.. My OB prescribed painkillers, and after a while.." She told them.

"You were taking them just to feel normal." Elijah nodded slowly.

Betty nodded,"My..Dealer wanted me to do things. He wouldn't leave me alone. That's when I read about Silk Road. I could buy the drugs anonymously, and.. And more than that."

"So you hired Montolo to kill the dealer." Rossi crossed his arms,"Did Phil know about any of that?"

"I kept it all a secret, until he showed up at our door. Then I didn't have a choice." Betty sighed,"When I told Phil.. He said he still loved me. God, I'm so sorry." She cried.

Elijah and Rossi stood up from the table, ending the audio recording as Elijah called Fleur.

"You get all that?" He asked.

"Yeah. Relay it to our boys." Fleur sighed,"As soon as Montolo lands, he's gonna kill Wilson. There'll be no time to intercept or talk him down."

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

After successfully catching Montolo, with him getting sent to the hospital, the team called those who were still at the BAU.

"We got both of them." Reid told Garcia over the phone,"Alive."

Garcia let out a relived gasp,"Yes."

"Good job. We'll see you back here.' Hotch spoke over the phone.

"Look, I just want to say, even if i don't get the position, that this was the best job interview ever." Tara smiled.

"Penelope Garcia." Garcia held Tara's hand, shaking it,"You're marvelous. She's marvelous." She whispered to Fleur and Hotch.

"Agent Lewis, I believe I asked you to wait and that was about thirty-six hours ago." Hotch began.

"It was completely worth it." Tara chuckled.

"Maybe we could have that sit-down now?" He suggested.

"Yes. 2am is my jam." Tara nodded.

"Sir?" Garcia looked to him.

"Garcia?" Hotch turned around.

"Do I have to organize the other applicants to follow her?" She asked.

"No, you can tell them the positions been filled." Hotch walked off.

"She's marvelous?" Fleur chuckled.

"Yes- She's marvelous." Garcia nodded,"And now she's on the team."

"I'll tell the boys." Fleur hummed.

"Oh, they'll be so excited." Garcia smiled.

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

"So a new team member?" Reid asked as Morgan drove them home.

"Apparently so." Morgan nodded.

"She seems nice. Or in Pen's words, 'She's marvelous." Fleur chuckled.

"Marvelous, huh? I'll see about that." Elijah nodded slowly.

"You won't even remember her by the morning." Reid joked.

"You have no faith in me." Elijah pointed.

"Is he wrong?" Fleur hummed.

"..No." Elijah crossed his arms.

They all laughed.

"We'll see you guys tomorrow, hm?" Morgan stopped rhe car.

"Of course." Reid nodded.

"Oh! Eli, bring doughnts." Fleur pointed.

"You got it, princess." Elijah smiled as he got out of the car.

"Doughnuts?" Reid asked.

"What about it?" Elijah blinked.

"She's been craving them lately." Reid shrugged.

"Who doesn't like doughnuts?" Elijah blinked.

"Alright, bye." Morgan waved.

"Goodbye and goodnight." Elijah hummed.