"All ambitions are lawful except those that climb upward on the miseries or cruelties of mankind, Henry Ward Beecher," is heard in the background, spoken by Reid.
The team is in the conference room, with JJ briefing them on a new case. Behind her on the screen are pictures of three girls and a map is in the background.
"These are the crime scene photos of three college girls, who have been killed by the same unsub in Williamsport, Pennsylvania." She points to the pictures displayed on the table. As she says each name in turn, their picture is seen.
"Their names are Heather Garton, Sharon Karn, and the most recent, Ashley Warren who was found yesterday. All girls were found in the park near a college with their shirts ripped off, and a large letter F branded onto their chest-" the focus turns to a picture of one of the girls' stomach. There is a large red and bleeding welt in the shape of an F that covers her whole chest. It changes focus on the rest of her body as JJ finishes, "-as well as the words Liar and Cheater on their arms. They were raped, and then murdered by lethal injection."
"However, that's not the worst part about it." JJ sighed and bit her lip, then said slowly, "Each girl's brain was surgically removed."
Gideon rubbed his forehead, as if it hurt to process the information. Hotch starts blinking as if his eyes are dry and pretended to be distracted by something to his right. Reid just stared at the pictures of the girls on the screen, his mouth wide open and looked sick. Prentiss shook her head as if to clear it and slowly puts one hand to her forehead as if she has a headache. Morgan closed his eyes painfully, opened them, and glanced up sadly.
"So the unsub brands the girls, rapes them, kills them, and then takes their brain as a consolation prize?" Morgan wondered aloud incredulously.
"Or, he could believe that the girls deserved to be punished and he was on a mission, like doing God's will," Reid begins darkly, remembering his past experiences. "By branding them with the words, Liar and Cheater he is proclaiming why he did it. The only question is, what does F mean?"
"It could be his signature, letting people know that it was him," Gideon suggested softly.
"What college were the girls found near?" Prentiss inquired.
"Haron University," JJ answered.
Prentiss's eyes widened, but she didn't say anything further.
"Is there anything these girls could have done to provoke someone to call them a liar and cheater?" Hotch asked.
"No. All three girls were involved in the school, got good grades, and have absolutely no criminal record. From the information in their files, they are low profile," JJ anounced as she held a large file in her hand.
The team was silent for a moment, then Gideon ordered, "The plane will leave in half an hour for Williamsport. We'll continue debriefing there." At that everyone except Prentiss quickly left the room. When Gideon came to the door, he turned around to face Prentiss, who was just getting out of her chair.
"Who do you know in Williamsport?" he asked concernedly.
Prentiss looked a little startled, but then said fearfully, "My younger sister goes to Haron University."
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