[CM] THE CASE

Love is real, it's lasting, it's the sweetest and bitterest thing we've ever known. — Charlotte Bronte

The man in charge of the case was a fat white police officer, who was as battered as the detectives they usually saw.

"Martin Clark, I'm in charge of this case." The fat police officer shook hands with them one by one, and he didn't mind being rejected by Reid, "The place is ready for you, it's inside. That Henry, bring the information over—you can tell me what you need. You can count Here we are, we are too busy to sleep..."

Reid put the bag down, and saw Morgan and Griffith roll their eyes tacitly, the meaning was the same - this police officer was too good at talking.

Griffith took the heavy cardboard box from Henry's hand, and took out the materials and photos of the three victims, and Emily pasted them on the whiteboard consciously.

Hotch listened for a while, realizing that what Clark was saying was all nonsense, so he gave JJ a wink. JJ understood, smiled and talked to Clark to find an excuse to send him away.

Morgan let out a long breath: "God, how can he talk better than Reid!"

Reid, who was innocently lying on the gun, glared at him: "I didn't say nonsense."

Morgan ruffled his hair rudely. "You're technical bullshit, boy."

Reid quickly dodged and straightened his hair.He doesn't understand why Morgan always likes to rub his hair, the most hateful thing is that Reid can't fight back - Morgan has no hair to rub!

Fortunately, Hotch intervened in their childish fight in time: "Enough. Emily, Morgan, you go to the bar and have a look. The others are going to visit the families of the victims, and Reid stays at the station on standby."

"Yes, sir."

Morgan whistled to Emily, JJ followed Hotch as usual, Griffith picked up the jacket he had just taken off and followed Gideon's footsteps, Reid who stayed behind sighed looking at the messy desk.

It's a normal day at BAU.

Emily closed the door and reached for the seat belt. Morgan threw the empty water bottle on the backseat.

"Hey!" Emily glanced at the back seat, "Why are you littering!"

"Anyway, it's in the car, I'll clean it up later." Morgan didn't care, "fasten your seat belt."

Emily insisted: "Is there no garbage bag? It's fine to leave the car and throw it away. How can I throw it in the back seat?"

Morgan was turning the corner and said absently, "Okay, I'll throw it as soon as I get out of the car...you sound like my mom."

"It's not a compliment."

Morgan laughed twice: "Okay, how to get to the next intersection?"

"Uh, let me see..." Emily took out the map, "...to the left."

"Got it. Why do you say this bar is called 'True Love'?"

"It is said that the boss found his true love in the bar."

Morgan glanced over at her.

Emily said innocently: "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, how do you know?"

"What Reid said."

"How does Reid know?"

"How do I know? He's from Las Vegas, isn't it surprising to hear about it? Besides, doesn't Reid know everything?"

"Who said that?"

"Griffith said it."

Morgan was silent for a while: "This is blind worship."

Emily was still looking at the map: "Well, but the Reids I asked all knew. Turn right here."

Morgan turned on the turn signal: "Trust me, Reid doesn't know everything. I bet he doesn't know what being in a relationship is."

Emily laughed: "Of course, God is omniscient. Well, here it is, find a place to park?"

Morgan skillfully reversed the car and applied the handbrake: "Okay, get out of the car. This is my first time in a gay bar."

Emily said casually, "Really? I've been there once."

Morgan looked at her in surprise: "Have you been there?"

"Ah, my friend took me there. I didn't know it was a gay bar until I went in. He was an unreliable friend." Emily put her bag on her back, "However, it's actually no different from an ordinary bar, and the wine is also delicious."

Morgan made an inviting gesture: "May I have the honor to buy you a drink, ma'am?"

Emily sneered: "Is it here, sir?"

Morgan pushed the door open with a smile, and in the next second, the layer of laughter seemed to be pasted on it, and he easily tore it off.

There were almost no customers in the bar during the day, and the bartender looked up at them lazily while wiping his goblet.

Morgan and Emily showed him their credentials: "We're FBI agents investigating a serial murder. Is your boss there?"

The bartender put down the cup and rag, turned his head and shouted to the inside: "Thomas, the FBI is looking for you!"

There was a reply from inside.The bartender poured lemonade for the two agents and continued to wipe the glasses. Emily and Morgan exchanged glances, picked up the lemonade and sat down across from the bartender.

The victim disappeared during the night, and the bartender has more clues than the boss.

The bartender looked young, wearing a black vest with intricate tattoos on his muscular arms.

"What's your name?" Emily asked.

The bartender looked at her: "Kevin."

"Oh, you also work at night?"

Kevin smiled: "We work in shifts."

At this time, Thomas finally came out.He seemed to have just woken up and was still adjusting the hem of his clothes. When he passed by Kevin, he bumped into him lightly and said, "Morning, Kevin."

Morgan reached out and shook his hand: "Derek Morgan, we're here to investigate the murder. Do you know this man?" After speaking, he took out Allen Finch's photo.

"Yes, Allen." Kevin put down the rag and asked warily, "He hasn't been here in a while. What's wrong?"

Emily didn't answer, and continued to ask: "Is he a regular visitor here?"

"Well, maybe three or four times a week..." Thomas recalled, "He...is not very relaxed, he often comes with friends, and doesn't go out with strangers very much. You know, in this kind of bar, one-night stands That's the point. He... seems to be here to feel the atmosphere."

Morgan nodded: "Well, do you have any impression of his friend?"

"Well... it's always been the same person. To be honest, I always thought they were a couple, if it wasn't that Steven would go with someone else in the end. Oh, by the way, Steven is his friend, and he would order a glass of Baileys for him every time "Kevin said, "I chatted with Allen, and he has always had conflicts with his family. People like us basically have conflicts with our families, which is nothing."

Emily nodded: "What kind of person do you think Allen is?"

"Is Allen?" Thomas said. "I don't know him very well. But he's a nice kid, isn't he?"

"I don't think Allen is suitable for coming to bars." Kevin said, "He is more suitable for cafes and other places. He has a kind of student spirit on him, and he should belong to the unconventional type."

"I see, thank you for your cooperation." Emily stood up, and Morgan was already waiting for her at the door.

On the other side, Griffith sat on the leather sofa.The haggard woman on the opposite side wrapped herself in a knitted shawl and smiled politely at them: "Please use it."

"Thank you." Gideon said as he took a sip of the warm black tea, "Very good."

"Thanks for the compliment," Mrs. Finch said. "You guys are here for Allen, aren't you?"

"Yes, sorry."

"My condolences... It's already a fact, it doesn't matter... When Allen left, he didn't suffer, did he?"

Gideon took one look at Griffith, who immediately said, "Yes, he... died in his sleep."

"That's great. Allen has always been afraid of pain, and hated injections when he was a child." Mrs. Finch said nostalgicly, "So, he doesn't like strenuous exercise. Paul and I are always worried that he is too quiet... Sorry, I was worried ..."

Griffith said, "You guys know about him going to the bar?"

"Yes. Paul and I are busy with work and don't care much about him... Allen never makes us worry, so, he...he said he doesn't like girls, maybe it's our fault? Paul doesn't accept it, Allen always The bar ran, probably to annoy us. Who knew something like this would happen..." Mrs. Finch said, her eyes were red again.

"You know, does Allen have a lover?"

"Lover? No, Allen doesn't have a lover." Mrs. Finch said, "but he has a friend, we haven't met, just heard Allen mention it occasionally...it seems to be Steven?"

"Steven Hanter is Allen Finch's classmate." Reid took out Garcia's fax, "They rented an apartment outside, and he called the police when Allen disappeared."

"Is he connected to the other victims?" Hotch asked.

"Does going to the bar count?" Morgan said. "I think our focus should be on the bar. This is where prisoners find their targets."

"He's a regular, but not noticeable," Griffith said. "Otherwise, the people at the bar will definitely have an impression of who he took away."

"He might seem reliable," Emily said. "The bartender said Allen wasn't the type to just go around, and he'd be sure to reassure Allen."

"He might be a little bit older, more mature, and someone like that is very attractive to boys of Allen's age," Gideon said. "The three victims were all in their twenties, in college, and had conflicts with their families. They were very lost." , pain, but also very well-behaved, do not cause trouble. If they like the same sex, they themselves probably cannot accept it."

"From the results of the autopsy, there were no obvious injuries on their bodies, only traces of binding on their wrists. The prisoner was not a sadist and had fantasies about love," Griffith said.

Reid raised his hand: "Could it be paranoia?"

Hotch shook his head: "No, he does things logically, not like a psychopath. He should have some kind of fantasy, but not to the point of being pathological."

"Then we can be sure that he is single, living alone, unobtrusive, but mature and reliable? This is very contradictory, usually mature and reliable people are not unobtrusive." Reid frowned.

"It should be said that there is no danger, so it is not easy to be noticed." Emily said.

"Okay." Hotch glanced at his watch, "It's very late, go back and rest first, and the test will be announced tomorrow morning."

JJ informed them in a timely manner: "By the way, there are no rooms in the hotel, so I had to ask for two double rooms. I can live with Emily, and you can find another room."

Reid pointed at Morgan: "Then me and..."

"I don't live with you." Morgan refused with a black face.

Reid swallowed the second half of the sentence aggrieved.

Everyone laughed, and Griffith put on his coat while laughing.

Reid turned his hand raised in mid-air, and suddenly grabbed Griffith's coat: "Then I'll live with you!"

Griffith was startled: "What?"

JJ made a final decision: "That's the decision."

Griffith looked down and met Reid's gaze for a moment, who was sitting in the swivel chair.

Reid innocently asked: "What's wrong?"

"It's okay..." Griffith was not good at refusing, thinking that he had nothing to lose, he just let it be.

Unfortunately, he never thought about why Morgan refused to live with Reid.