Four of a kind
Couple days later I got to the bau. Emily, Derek, David, Spencer and Penelope were already there, in the conference room. I walked in and took my seat.
“Hey, sorry I’m late. There was some technical issues that required my attention and resulted in me not making in on time,” I said.
“Overslept?” Emily asked.
“Yup,” I said.
“We were just talking about how almost every single one of us was kidnapped at some point,” Emily said.
“That’s a weird choice of a topic, but good for you I guess?” I said.
“It really is,” Rossi said.
“Well, good times it was. It’s nice to be held sometimes,” I said, “Hostage or not.”
Everyone laughed.
“Why do I get a felling that you didn’t get enough love as a child?” Penelope asked.
“Have you met our mother?” Emily asked.
“She’s got a point, babygirl,” I told her.
“She’s my babygirl, you can’t just steal her like that,” Derek said.
“Watch me,” I replied, “So what’s the deal? Got a case?”
“No. Not yet, anyway,” Spencer said.
“Cool. Wanna get your ass kicked at poker, pretty boy?” I asked him.
“I never lose, but sure we can play. Anyone else in?” He asked.
“Yeah,” everyone replied in unison.
“Well, prepare for you first time then,” I winked.
“You wish,” he said.
“Where’s everyone else?” I asked.
“Hotch left, said he’ll be back in a while. And JJ is in her office,” Derek said.
“Alright, let the game begin,” I said.
We dealt the cards and started playing. We played for a good while. Derek going bankrupt first. By the end it was only Spencer, David and I left in the game.
I squeezed my eyes looking at my cards.
“Okay, give me three cards,” I said.
Reid laughed and Emily gave me three cards.
I forced my micro expressions to show dissatisfaction for a split second before fixing it. I knew they were watching.
“Alright,” I said after a while, “I’m going all in.”
“Right,” Spencer said, going all in too and David following eighth behind him, “You’re bluffing.”
“Am I though?” I asked.
“Yes, yes you are tesoro. Your face told us that,” Rossi said with a proud smile.
“Okay then, I’m checking,” I said.
Rossi laid out his cards, “Two pair.”
“Gonna beat that, boy wonder?” I asked.
“As a matter of fact, I am,” he said and laid out his cards.
“Damn, a flush? Really?” I said shaking my head.
“Yep,” he said, gathering all the skittles.
“Woah, woah. Not so fast,” I said, laying out my cards, “Four of a kind, thank you very much,” I said proudly, taking my skittles and eating a few.
“What? But ho- how?”
I laughed, “Told you to get ready to get your ass kicked.”
“But you drew three cards, that’s, I mean, how?”
“Don’t worry, I’ll let you win next time,” I said getting up to get my coffee.
I was so tired because I didn’t sleep much last night. It’s my fault though, I drink tons of coffee and then can’t sleep at night. I just never learn.
That’s why I was glad we didn’t have a case today. It’s always fun when we stay at the office and don’t have much paperwork to do. Our team is like a family and it’s great to have people who can understand pretty much everything cause they’ve been where you are.
Though I gotta admit. I see those people way too often. I went to the kitchen and of course I ran into Jennifer. Because that’s just my luck.
She looked at me and picked her coffee up, “I was just leaving.”
“I don’t bite, Jennifer,” I said, “Don’t have to avoid me.”
She put her cup back down, “Still no case?”
“Not unless we count Reid plying poker with me and losing as a victim,” I said.
She chuckled, “It’s not that bad. If you lost though, that would be a crime.”
“That good huh?” I asked.
“So what are your plans if we don’t get a case?” She asked.
“Yeah, we’re not doing that,” I said before taking my coffee and leaving.
I saw Hotch on my way back. He ran in with files in his hand, mumbling something to himself.
“Playtime’s over?” I asked.
“Yeah. Gather everyone in the conference room, I’ll be right there,” he said.
I poked my head back into the kitchen, “Case.”
JJ nodded and followed me back to the rest of the team. I sat in my seat and sighed, taking a sip of my coffee.
“What’s wrong, princess?” Derek asked.
“Serial killer is what’s wrong,” I told him.
He nodded and the rest of them sat in their seats waiting for Aaron to come. Garcia sent us the files and we all looked at them, focused.
We shared our thoughts and theories but something was off. The bodies were frozen but besides the frozen blood, it didn’t seem like we had much to go off.
“Could this be a hitman?” Rossi asked.
“No marks on her though. Hitmen usually leave evidence of an efficient kill,” Spencer said.
“No, he did leave a mark,” JJ said.
“Where?” Hotch asked.
“Breastbone above the heart? It’s not a frostbite, that’s an electrical burn,” she said.
“Why introduce electroshock to the MO?” Derek asked.
“Maybe she offended him,” JJ said.
“Wonder why that’s like,” I said nonchalantly.
There were looks shared across the room but I stayed focused on my file.
“So he tortures her? Why?” Derek asked.
“Believe it or not, hypothermia is a rather pleasant way to die. The cold just kinda puts you to sleep,” I told him.
“He wants to prolong what he’s doing, so he jolts her back awake,” Jennifer said.
I shot her a look and Derek asked, “How did you catch all that?”
“I’ve seen it before,” she said bluntly.
I looked at her again. No one else seemed to make the connection. And I’m the blind one, sure.
“Wheels up in thirty,” Hotch said and we all nodded.
On the jet we took our seats and continued briefing. We went through the victimology and shared our thoughts.
“Okay, when we get there Jennifer and little Prentiss, you’ll talk to the ME. The rest of us are gonna set up at the P.D.,” Hotch instructed.
We both nodded and everyone went to do their things. Derek was listening to music, Reid next to him reading a book. Hotch and Rossi were talking, Jennifer was sitting in the back leaving Emily and I together.
“What’s on your mind?” She asked.
“Something’s wrong. With Jennifer,” I said.
“Yeah, I tried to tell you that but you don’t listen,” she said.
“It’s different. She’s jumpy and on edge but also kinda nonchalant about it? I don’t know. And something happened to her hand,” I observed.
“Look who got softer now,” she said poking my arm.
“I’m a profiler, I notice those things for a living. And stop poking me,” I told her.
“So what do you think this is?” She asked.
I shrugged, “Not my buisness is what it is.”
“Think it got something to do with the kidnapping?” She whispered.
“Maybe,” I said, “I think you should talk to her.”
“You’re better at this than I am,” she said.
I chuckled, “Oh yeah, no. Not a chance,” I said.
“Then I don’t get it. Why did you bring it up if you don’t care,” she said.
“She’s one of us, if she’s not okay she might make decisions that could put her or all of us in danger. So yes, I care that none of us die. Sue me,” I said.
“Starting to get why she didn’t back you up with the director?” She asked.
“That’s different,” I said.
“Whatever you say,” she said and put headphones in.
I pulled out a book and started reading it, trying to pass the time. I’m worried though. I don’t know what exactly I’m worried about but it’s just a gut feeling that something is wrong. And my profiler skills are telling me it’s Jennifer. I can’t ask though, she clearly doesn’t want me to know. I just hope she won’t do anything stupid while we’re here.
When we got there, most of the team went to the P.D. Spencer doing the geographical profile with Derek. Hotch and Rossi discussing the case with the sheriff. Leaving me and JJ going to the ME to look at the bodies.
We drove there in complete silence. Only some music from the radio playing. We got there and started examining the body.
“Cloth fiber under her fingernails match her own clothing,” JJ said.
“Paradoxical undressing,” I nodded, “So what are you thinking?”
“What if what the UnSub is doing is like the cold water experiments at Dachau?” She asked.
“The Nazis wanted to see how long the concentration camp victims could survive in the cold and then apply those findings to their own soldiers. How is this the same?” I asked.
“It’s a test,” she said, “He wants to see how long you can take it.”
I looked at her, not convinced. She explained, “Alright, there’s the electrical burns,” she said pointing above the heart.
“The ice has melted enough to show us the magic mark,” she said and raised her eyebrows.
I looked with wide eyes, “Left anterior axillary line. Is this..”
“Yeah,” she said pretending to be holding defibrillator paddles, “Clear.”
“And no signs of restrains or binds,” I said.
“She went into that freezer voluntarily,” I said.
“So she probably knew the UnSub,” JJ said.
“Yeah, or she thought she did,” I gave her a look.
She scoffed, “Seriously?”
My phone rang, I looked and said, “Hotch needs us.”
“Okay. I’m right behind you, I’m just gonna wait for the final report,” she said.
I nodded and went to the car. I waited for a few minutes and when she got here we drove back to the station. Derek filled us in on what they had found so far and we did the same. Jennifer apparently knew what this was about.
It was a cult. Spencer and JJ went to talk to the family of the woman and the rest of us waited. When they came back we delivered the profile. By the time we did that, we found a victim who survived.
Hotch instructed Spencer to go with JJ, but she was nowhere to be found so he went with Derek.
I sat in the middle of the station looking through a file when I noticed Emily talking to JJ. Jennifer pulled her into a room and they spent there a few minutes. When they walked out JJ looked like she’d been crying and Emily looked hopeless.
We shared a look not saying anything because words weren’t needed. We understood each other without them. All I know is I was right. Something is up with JJ and it might not end great.
There wasn’t much more for us to do tonight so we went to the hotel. Emily and I were sharing a room but there were three beds so my guess is someone’s gonna join us later.
“Cults always give me the creeps, dude,” I said, “And the guru is always some psycho.”
“Right? I thought it was just me,” Emily said.
“I don’t know how people can listen to that and still believe it. I mean it’s crap. I get that it can be explained, because when you don’t have protein in your diet you can’t think straight but that’s just another level,” I said.
“Combine that with some tragedy happening, you feel lost, have nowhere to go and no one to help you. Seems like a good option at first,” she said.
“Well, when you put it like that,” I said.
It got me thinking. Emily always has some deeper meaning behind what she says, so I think this was no different. She talked to Jennifer before. Is it possible that Jennifer feels what Emily just described?
Just when I was thinking that she walked in the room. She looked around and laid her eyes on us. She looked like she didn’t expect us to be there. And probably didn’t want us to be there.
“Anyway, I’m going to sleep,” Emily said.
“Same,” JJ followed.
That left me sitting on my bed. I’ve been reading a book for about two hours thinking everyone was asleep, but I was wrong. Jennifer started stirring and finally sat up.
“Can’t sleep?” I asked quietly.
“No, I don’t sleep much,” she said.
“Why?” I asked.
She just shrugged and I nodded.
“What did Emily say to you?” I asked.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, you were talking and then you were crying. And that’s the second time this week,” I said.
“Can you just let it go? Jesus. You don’t even like me, why do you care?” She asked.
“I do put my life in your hands when we’re in the field, just wanna make sure you’re okay,” I said.
“Then don’t worry about that. I’m capable of doing my job,” she said.
“Are you?” I asked.
“Capable of doing my job?” She scoffed.
“Okay,” I said.
“Yes. I’m okay,” she told me.
“Okay,” I said, “Wanna go to the station? I’m not gonna sleep tonight anyway.”
She thought for a second, “Yeah, let’s go.”
We went and found enough to know what actions to take next. We might hate each other but we sure do work well together. We had to talk to the members, so now we were waiting for the rest of the team to get here.