"The suspect of the Claire White case is in the interrogation room, with Morgan. What do we have on him?"
The Claire White case was a nasty one, even for the BAU. A young caucasian female, found in a hotel room, her body mauled like it was a wide animal attack, expect it happened in a fancy hotel in the middle of New York.
"Not much. Caucasian male, early 30s, named Gambit. Obviously an alias. Heavy French accent. He is a mutant, some kind of electricity-related power. We have a power suppressing collar on him for the time being. Also, red and black eyes. Garcia, anything?"
Penelope was furiously typing.
"Nothing. Whoever he is, he is good. With his looks, it should be easy to find him, but no warrants, no accounts, not even a mention."
"Any statistics on mutant crime rate you wanna share, Reid? Because now is your chance."
Spencer froze when he heard the phrase red and black eyes. It couldn’t be. Suddenly he was eleven again, bullied and humiliated, tied to the pole. Red and black eyes, worried, kind. Help he never had before. A friend. Remy LeBeau. The mutant, who stood up for him, who was his best friend through 12th grade, until he disappeared one day without a word. Spencer tried to find him, he even used his police connections, but with no luck. It was like he never existed. And now, 13 years later here he is, as a suspect in a murder case.
"Are we sure it was him?" he asked, trying to keep his voice even.
JJ gave him a weird look.
"You saw his file, Spence. He called her the night before, left fingerprints. For God’s sake, even her blood was on his coat."
Derek stormed out of the interrogation room. He was clearly pissed.
"Fucking bastard. He is all smug, even though he knows we got him. Won’t say a word about the victim. Found anything baby girl?"
"I’m on it."
Spencer silently backed out of the room. He went up to the one-way mirror. It was him, without a doubt. He looked older, and like someone who seen and done things, but it was still Remy, his friend. He walked in, unsure what he was doing.
"Detective! Back so soon? Oh, you are another one. Came to play the good cop for Gambit? He already told you all you needed to know, he didn’t do it."
"I know."
He quirked his eyebrow.
"Really? Then what more do you want?"
"You are Remy LeBeau" he blurted it out.
Suprise was all over his face, but he quickly composed himself.
"Oh, you are truly good. First, catching Remy, then finding out his name. Nice work. Care to tell him how did you know?"
"I know your name because I know you."
Remy took a good look at him, but there was no recognition in his eyes.
"Let me guess, did Remy steal something from you? Or maybe for you?"
"No. We were friends, Remy. Until you disappeared."
"Is that…Spencer?!"
"Yeah, it’s me. I would say that it’s nice to see you again, but the circumstances are not the best."
"What about your eyes? Do they know about you being a mutant?"
"Colored contacts. It’s easier this way, fewer questions. And no, they don’t know."
"Sometimes wish Remy could do that. So you are a cop, mon Amie? Have to say, we ended up on very different sides of the law."
"Agent, but yes."
"And you believe Remy didn’t do it?"
"I don’t think that you were capable of such a massacre. If you tell me that you didn’t do it, I will do everything in my power to prove that. So, please be honest, and tell me: did you kill her?"
"Non. Did a lot of bad things, stealing, lying, even killed before. No one who didn’t deserve it, but that doesn’t matter, does it? But Remy ain’t no butcher. This wasn’t murder, this was a bloodbath."
"Tell me everything you know about Claire White."
"Okay. Just for you, Spencer. You might be a cop, but you are a good kid. Her real name was Eliza Kovacs. She worked for an organization called INDA. Remy was supposed to meet her that day, take a package, and deliver it."
"What was in the package?"
"Diamonds."
"But that wasn’t the important part."
"Clever boy. There was a microchip in one of them. Called her that Remy was coming, when arrived there was only the body, no diamonds. Should have left town at that moment, but Remy waited around, to see if he can find who did it. But your team found Remy first."
"What was on it? And for who you wanted to deliver it?"
"No idea. Remy doesn’t ask questions, he just does the job."
Spencer knew he was lying, but he also knew that this was the most he will get out of him.
"Okay. I will talk to my team. We will find whoever did this."
"There isn’t time, Mon Amie. The people who want the package will come after Gambit if they don’t get it. They aren’t the type of people you want to come after you."
"You are safe here. Give me some time to clear your name, find the real killer."
Remy smirked.
"Ain’t a good name to defend, Spencer."
"Please, Remy. You helped me back then, let me help you now. Two days, that’s all I’m asking for. In two days I will have him."
He saw that Remy wanted to ask what would happen if they didn’t find the killer, but he stayed silent. They both knew that he wouldn’t like the answer.
"For your sake, mon Amie. Two days."
"Thank you."
He rushed out.
"There you are, Spence. Garcia found something on our suspect."
"Wasn’t easy. He has ties to a criminal organization called Thieves Guild. It’s located in New Orleans, which explains the accent, and…"
"He didn’t do it."
"What? And how do you know that?"
"I know him."
They all looked at him. There was no going back now.
"He was my best friend in high school. My only friend really. He was a great kid, and I spoke to him now, and I don’t think he did it."
"Spence, people change."
"But not this much. He was a kid who stood up to bullies and lost all his friends and popularity just to help me. He saved me when no one cared. I can’t believe that he would become someone who would murder and chop up a woman in cold blood. He is not that kind of man."
They looked at him with pity in their eyes.
"Kid, look, maybe you should take a day off. We can put you in another case while we solve this. This clearly has too much personal attachment for you."
"No! I promised him I would find who really did it, and I will do so, even if none of you believe me."
"Hey! Guys! Come here, he disappeared" yelled Hotch "The mutant suspect, he is gone!"
Spencer ran to the interrogation room. No sign of Remy, just a piece of paper on the table that said:
Désolé, mon amie.