*Knowledge is a gift*

(Amelia's P.O.V)

I pulled up in the car park for Benson's Shopping Mall, and climbed out of my seat. Mary's car was exactly as it was in the abduction footage; it hadn't been touched. I approached it warily, fingering my gun as I glanced around for anything suspicious or out of the ordinary; anyone could have set up an unpleasant surprise for Reid and I.

I ducked my head to peer under the car and found, to my obvious bewilderment, that the gravel was empty; there was nothing there. My eyebrows creased and I crouched to get a better look. But there really was nothing there. No sign of Mary's bag, or any one the contents.

"Oh," Reid exclaimed, kneeling next to me. "Has anyone else come to collect it after seeing the footage?"

I shook my head, my shoulders sagging. "I asked before we left; nobody has yet searched, or even touched, the car. Never mind underneath it. Someone else must have taken her items."

I sighed and Reid muttered under his breath, before abruptly having a moment of clarity and exclaiming once again. "Oh. Do you think... maybe the Unsub came back for her items?"

I considered his point for a moment, then nodded - somewhat reluctantly. "Prizes? Keepsakes? He probably came back for them as a reminder of what he's done."

"But that means he was caught on camera, right?" I nodded eagerly, glancing up at the security camera blinking rapidly against the wall of the mall.

"He wouldn't be careless, though, would he? He probably knows there's a camera - he'd hide himself," I countered, tapping my foot against the gravel in frustration. Everything seemed to lead to a dead end.

"This guy has peculiar methods - why did he come back for the bag? Why not take it when he abducted her? He, personally, threw it under the car. It makes no sense!" Reid stated, slipping off the gloves he had previously donned.

"None of this case does. Let's head back to the precinct and start a profile; I'd say we know enough about this guy to warn people, but not enough to understand his motive in as much detail as we'd have liked."

Reid remained expressionless, but deep in thought. "You're right. And it'll still be worth checking the footage for the point he returns."

"I'll have Garcia run through it for us," I concluded, rummaging in my pocket for my phone as we both headed back to the SUV.

~

"I think I've got something!" Penelope exclaimed through speakerphone as we all gathered around a laptop. After relaying our recent discoveries to the rest of the team and discussing our Unsub in more detail, we were now waiting eagerly to see what had been caught on camera.

The footage popped up onto the screen, and I instantly sighed as we caught our Unsub wearing the same black clothing. He was obviously too smart not to heed the camera, but what he did next was completely unexpected.

He retrieved the bag from under the car as we suspected, but then he began to pick out each item one at a time. Whenever he came across an object that seemed of interest to him, he'd pocket it and continue rummaging through the handbag. Then, caught directly on camera, he dumped the bag in the nearby trash cans and drove off. There wasn't a person in sight to witness his irrational behaviour.

"Rewind and zoom in on the items he took," Hotch ordered, and I complied, pressing a few buttons and pausing it whilst he was taking a spherical object out of the rear pockets of the bag.

"I think that's make-up," I deduced, recognising the brand. "Yes. He's taking her make-up!" In the next line of shots, he was seen taking her lipstick, eyeshadow, eyeliner and foundation, before depositing the bag in the bin.

"When do those bins get emptied?" Reid asked eagerly, his cheeks flushing in the warmth circulating around the room.

"Later today, I believe," Morgan replied, his eyebrows arching. "Boy genius got something for us?"

But I think I already caught onto his obvious logic. "He wasn't wearing gloves! His fingerprints will be all over that bag!" I exclaimed, jerking out of my seat.

Prentiss and Morgan exchanged glances and left the room without another word, whilst the rest of us contemplated on the profile we were to give in the next hour.

"This guy's sadistic, alright," Rossi muttered, slouching against the table. "He even collects the women's make-up as trophies. D'you think that's what he uses on them? Their own personal items?"

Reid nodded matter-of-factly, and I could sense one of his crazy facts was about to be exposed. But Joanne tottered in before he had the chance to start his sentence.

Hotch and Rossi exchanged relieved glances, and Reid's face fell considerably. I suddenly felt my heart twang with sympathy, and I had the odd sensation of wanting to comfort him.

No. Be professional. He is a work colleague; nothing more.

"The team are ready for the profile now," she announced in a sweet tone. Her gaze lingered on Reid with obvious attraction, but he looked too lost in thought to notice, and she stalked away with a huff.

"Okay, then. Prentiss and Morgan will just have to miss this one. You ready, you two?" Hotch announced, glancing at Reid and I.

We nodded and Rossi and Hotch strode out of the conference room. Reid made to follow behind, but I urged myself to call him back and speak up to him.

"Knowledge is a gift, Reid," I said gently, and his eyes widened slightly in surprise. "Don't ever forget that."

*why is it that when i write long parts, nothing much seems to happen? hmm. i probably need to work on that. anyway, the profile chapter is up next, so i might need some time to work on it ;) thanks for reading! and i know - two updates in one week. it's a miracle! :D*