Chapter 2: A new feeling

Spencer's POV

I never really knew what it was like to like someone in a romantic way. I mean, I've gone on dates before but it never felt right.... It's also been awhile since I've had feelings for someone. I liked JJ for some time but then she got married to Will so I moved on.

But when I saw Yang today, I felt something. My heart started beating fast and I got nervous when she came over to shake my hand. And it's not only because I am a germaphobe, but because she smiled at me in a way no one has ever smiled at me before. It was sweet and pure—like an angel.

"Reid, we have a new case. Meeting in the conference room in five," Hotch says, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Huh? I mean yes, sir," I reply. I quickly run into the break room and make myself a cup of coffee. I find a box of sugar packets and add in three packs.

"Sweet tooth?" asks a voice behind me.

I turn around and see Yang standing by the doorway holding a cup of coffee with a smile on her face. She has black hair with dark brown eyes shaped like almonds. Underneath her suit, she's wearing a blue square-neck blouse that accentuates her collar bones.

The silence between us grows louder before I realize that she's asked me a question. "Uh, n-n-not really, I just need something to wake me up. Didn't sleep much last night," I answer her quickly.

She chuckles and walks up to me, grabbing a sugar packet herself. "Well you better drink up 'cause we got another case," she teases and nudges me in the arm.

I watch her as she walks out and I feel my heartbeat quicken. She touched my arm. A smile forms on my face. I finish stirring the sugar in my coffee and head into the conference room, where Garcia is standing in front of the presentation screen.

"Around two weeks ago in Charlotte, North Carolina, Ella and Drake Johnson along with their 9-year-old daughter, Gloria, were murdered. One week later, Tyler, Natalie, and Tori Smith were found dead in their apartment," announces Garcia.

JJ sighs. "Those poor families."

"Also, just yesterday there was another killing—the victims were Bob, Diane, and 11-year-old Lizzy Miller. They were murdered two days after the second family."

Morgan furrows his eyebrows. "That's a rapid escalation."

"That's why the local police have invited us to go there and investigate. They believe we are looking at the same serial killer." Garcia pushes up her glasses. "Also, all the parents of each family were in their late early-thirties." She starts handing out a case file to everyone.

I open mine and see pictures of a woman and man with a gunshot wound to their heads, and a girl that looks to be no older than 8 years old lying in the closet.

Rossi looks at the pictures. "Shot execution style."

"Any relation between the victims?" questions Prentiss.

Garcia nods. "All of the families had only one child. All of them are girls that are around 8 to 11 years old." She flips to another screen. "And also based on credit card purchases, all the parents enjoyed luxuries."

"It says here that social services were involved because of physical neglect to the children," Prentiss says and everyone reads their files.

Reading off the reports, Rossi states, "Yeah, at one point the Johnsons did not feed their daughter for two days and she passed out in school."

"When questioned by the school and social services, the parents just told them that Gloria was a picky eater and refused the food they gave her," Garcia adds.

Morgan looks pissed. "I highly doubt that was the case."

Yang takes a sip of her coffee. "How were the children killed? I don't see any gunshot wounds on them."

"Autopsy reports show that all the children had elevated amounts of potassium in their bloodstream which indicates hyperkalemia," Garcia responds, twirling her pen. "And because of that, they died from cardiac arrest."

"Did any of them have heart issues?" I question.

"No, they were all perfectly healthy."

I rub the back of my neck trying to make sense of this. "It's highly uncommon for young children to go into cardiac arrest unless they have some sort of underlying heart condition.... Is it possible the UnSub injected potassium into their bloodstream to make it look like they had a heart attack?"

"Hmmm.... No, they didn't find any injection sites," Garcia responds.

Yang looks up from her folder. "Did they check under the tongue?"

"Why the tongue?" JJ questions.

"Sublingual administration takes only 10 to 15 minutes to work, and the coroner wouldn't think to check under the tongue," she explains, looking at everyone. "It's an easy way to conceal needle track marks."

"Garcia, call the coroner and ask them to check under the victims' tongue for injection sites," Hotch orders.

Garcia quickly dials her phone. "On it, sir."

Hotch stands up. "Everyone grab your go-bags. Wheels up in 30."

As everyone leaves the room, I quickly walk over to Yang. "You did pretty good for your first time." I give her a friendly smile.

"Thanks, I didn't spend hours studying for fun." She laughs and I join her. "I mean studying must be easy for you considering you have an eidetic or photographic memory."

I look at her surprised. "How did you know I have an eidetic memory?"

She grins at me. "When we were going over the case files, I noticed that you only spent a few seconds flipping through it but still understood everything. So unless you can read like three thousand words per minute, I figured you must have a good memory."

"I do have an eidetic memory.... And it's actually twenty thousand." I give her a small smile.

"Twenty thousand what?"

"I can also read twenty thousand words per minute."

Yang's jaw drops, but she quickly composes herself. "Wow, that's amazing. Eidetic memory and you can read fast."

I blush and look down at my feet. "Thanks."

After that, I walk with her back to my desk to grab my go-bag. Thirty minutes later, the team and I are on the jet on our way to Charlotte, North Carolina. Once everyone settles down, Morgan calls Garcia.

"Hey, Baby Girl. You're on speaker," Morgan warns playfully and she giggles.

"Alrighty, we'll have our own private conversation later, Chocolate Thunder," she teases and everyone chuckles.

I glance over at Yang, who's looking confused. I lean over to her and whisper in her ear. "Don't worry, they're just friends who flirt with each other."

Yang laughs and runs her hand through her hair. "Ohhh, okay good. 'Cause I felt like I was intruding on a personal conversation."

"Garcia, did you get back with the coroner?" Hotch asks.

"Yes I did, and indeed they found an injection site under the tongue," Garcia states.

Prentiss crosses her legs. "So Yang was right."

"How hard would it be to get your hands on liquid potassium?" Rossi rubs his beard.

"I think you can get potassium chloride over the counter," I say, "and needle syringes can be easily bought."

"It also doesn't take a healthcare professional to inject it," Prentiss adds.

"Alright then. Anything else, Garcia?" Hotch asks, flipping through the case file.

"Mmmm... nope. I'll call you back later if I get anything, my dolls," she answers and hangs up.

"So the UnSub uses potassium to kill the children, and shoots the parents with a gun. That's two very different MOs," I state.

"Maybe they only have something against the parents," suggests Yang, "and the children are killed because they are witnesses."

"Well, we better move fast before the UnSub kills again," Hotch states, closing his file. "When we arrive, Morgan and Reid will head over to the most recent crime scene. JJ and Yang can go talk to the relatives of the murdered families. And Prentiss, Rossi, and I will go meet with the chief of police."

"Is it okay if I go to the crime scene instead, sir?" Yang asks politely.

Hotch slightly furrows his brow. "It's your first day on the job and it may be hard for you to look at the scenes."

"I'll be fine, sir. I promise," she pleads.

With a sigh, he agrees. "Alright then. Yang goes with Reid, and Morgan goes with JJ."

"Thank you so much, sir." Yang smiles brightly.