"I can tell you're really excited." Jack pulled out a cigarette case from his pocket, considerately trimd the end of Rossi's cigar, and lit it.
Rossi took the cigar with trembling hands, coughing repeatedly from the first puff.
Everyone understood his feelings at that mont. Putting aside the dramatic discovery of the clue, it was safe to say that the truth of this cold case was not far off.
This kind of case wasn't particularly famous locally, and the guy who had been sending toys to this family for 20 years was almost certainly connected to the murderer.
Rossi didn't spend long composing himself; almost at the sa ti as the second puff of smoke rose, he looked at Reid.
"Dr. Reid, help with the analysis. This kind of compulsive cri shouldn't be too difficult for you."
Reid nodded, then launched into a long explanation. "There are two types of compulsive criminals who send gifts to the victim's family."
"One type is a sadist who wants the family to constantly relive the cris they committed. The other type is soone burdened with heavy guilt who desperately tries to express their remorse in so way."
"Sadists would send things that could evoke mories in the victim's family, such as jewelry taken from the victim or newspaper clippings related to the case."
"The plush toys we saw don't seem like things that would trigger inner pain." Emily said, shaking her head.
"Even considering Connie's two younger siblings' ages, they might have liked them a lot in the first few years." JJ agreed.
"Then it's the guilt-ridden type of criminal." Rossi nodded, stubbing out his cigar that he had only taken a few puffs of, making Jack feel a pang of heartache.
"I'm fine now. Let's go inside and talk. We need them to provide more clues."
The group returned to the house, and JJ quietly explained their analysis to Connie's family.
At this mont, Emily thoughtfully picked up a purple monkey doll, examining it for a long ti. "I feel like this is the kind of gift children exchange."
Her words inspired Reid. "Although it's rare, it's possible that a murderer with a strong sense of guilt sotis commits cris for reasons beyond their control."
"Like Lenny in *Of Mice and n*, soone with intellectual disabilities, whose mind might remain at a child's stage, but whose body is large, strong, and powerful enough to unintentionally harm others."
"Then he needs an accomplice. The scene has been cleaned up; that doesn't seem like the work of soone with low intelligence." Rossi had already gone through the case countless tis in his mind and instantly spotted the problem.
"Yes, there's usually an accomplice, a family mber or guardian, most commonly parents. They'll be overwheld, struggling to care for this overdeveloped child."
After listening to Reid's analysis, Rossi instructed Jack, "Jack, tell Garcia to stop comparing the murder case and check the minor reports and complaints in the area."
"Those minor cases that happen in parks and sports fields, involving children." Reid added.
"These kinds of people, because of their ntal state, like to play with children. They might not necessarily hurt the children, but they're too big and might scare the parents. This kind of police report and complaint is a clear characteristic."
Jack nodded, shaking his phone. "I've already ssaged her. It'll take a while. It's getting late, how about we have lunch together?"
Jack drove to a highly-rated Italian restaurant nearby and brought back a bunch of Italian dishes like spaghetti carbonara, chicken parsan, and tiramisu. Everyone sat around the sofa in the living room, waiting for Garcia to send a ssage back.
Actually, what they ate wasn't important. Jack's suggestion was just to let Rossi interact with this family more. Since he had already invested too much personal emotion in this case, he hoped that this family would also restore his inner peace.
Seeing Rossi awkwardly eating while chatting with Connie's family about the past, recalling the children's grandmother, Emily walked to Jack, who was standing at the door, and nudged him with her elbow with a smile.
"Well done, big brother."
"You're welco, dear little sister." Jack didn't stand on ceremony either, and directly reached out and ruffled her hair.
"Hey! You brat!" Emily was about to retaliate angrily when Garcia's call ca in.
Jack quickly turned on speakerphone, strode into the living room, indicating that business was important, which made Emily stop her grumbling. JJ, watching the two joking around, smiled broadly.
"Hey, guys, the information you're looking for is here." Garcia's voice always had a cheerful quality.
"According to my research, in the last twenty years, there have indeed been many unsolved minor offenses like the ones you described in the Indianapolis area, but there's a strange thing."
"Most of these cases occur between February and March each year. Usually, a week or two later, similar cases appear in Springfield, Illinois, and then another week or two later, in Des Moines, Iowa."
"Every year?" JJ asked in surprise.
"Yes, every year, very, very regularly," Garcia replied.
Who could it be? Jack pondered to himself. There used to be small rchants in the rural areas who would appear in various places during the off-season each year to conduct basic trade. In Arica, they'd be called "salesn."
"Impossible. Soone with low intelligence couldn't do that, and it would easily attract attention." Emily shook her head, dismissing his guess.
Rossi's eyes remained fixed on the pile of cheap toys still on the table. "Could it be a carnival?"
"A carnival?" Connie seed to suddenly rember sothing, her eyes lighting up.
"We went to a carnival the day before the incident."
"Did anything happen?" Emily asked quickly, and at the sa ti, the others gathered around.
Twenty years ago, only Connie, the eldest sister in the family, was old enough to rember things; her second son, George, was only five, and her youngest daughter was three—both too young.
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