Chapter One
I was sitting at my desk in the police station doing some paper work. My desk was plain and cold hard metal. I could hear phones ringing beside me, people bustling by me to get paperwork turned in before the weekend. They all wanted to go to the football game that was in town this weekend. There was small talk going on around me and I ignored it. I needed to finish, I needed to go home. I had been having a bad day. My past had haunted my dreams last night again. I shook my head in an attempt to rid it of those thoughts. I turned my attention back to the stack of files on my desk and sighed before picking up my pen again. Then my phone rang and I answered moving some things around in my hands. "Detective Rimtining," I answered juggling a few files and my pen.
"Detective, this is Agent Hotchner of the FBI with the BAU. I've heard you have requested a change of venue."
"Uh, yes sir I did," I answered a little surprised to be getting a call from the FBI.
"I would like you to come in for an interview," he said.
"Name the time and the place sir and I'll be there," I replied.
"Tomorrow, nine am, BAU office in Quantico. Get a visitors pass at the front desk."
"I'll be there sir and thank you." I hung up and finished my paper work for the day. My day was looking up. Finally some good news. I was ready to get off the desk job. I had had a desk job since San Fanisco, since I no longer trusted my team there. I had gone home to a small town in Wyoming, just on the border of Wyoming and Montana. Slowly the day came to a close. I slipped my jacket on and grabbed my bag. I had already turned in my stack of 25 files. Now I had to find Sergeant Miller. A middle aged man of about 45, 5'10,very solidly built, a dark tan, and kind eyes that I was not sure what color to give them. They seemed to change with the light or even his mood. I caught my boss on the way out. "Hey, boss!"
"What is it Rimtining?" he asked turning to face me. He had been on his way out too.
"I have a job interview tomorrow, nine am, so I'm not going to be here tomorrow."
"Why did I not now about this sooner?"
"It just happened today sir, and I told you two weeks ago that I had applied and if I got the job I would be leaving. I also gave me two week notice just in case." I had followed protocol, I was not going to miss this chance.
"Fine, do what you need to do," he said walking out the front door to his car. I walked over to mine, the door was unlocked. I never left my door unlocked; I got down to look underneath it. Bomb. Why this kind of shit always seemed to happen to me I had no fucking clue. Grumbling I got up, walked back to the building and called bomb squad. I didn't get home that night till midnight. I got what sleep I could and got ready for my interview. When I awoke in the morning I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off I had to ask again, 'Why me?' This whole thing was a mess. Once I was finally ready I called a cab company to pick me u at my place since I would not be driving myself.
I got to the office about 8:30. At least I wasn't late, that would be bad. I wanted back into the job I had been doing nearly a decade ago. I went up to the front desk, "Hi I have an interview with Agent Hotchner at nine this morning," I said to the young girl up front. She handed me a pass and yelled at someone walking by.
"Hey Agent Morgan, will you take her to see Agent Hotchner please?" I looked over to see a tall, muscular African American male with brown eyes that matched his skin tone. He had a cup of coffee in his hand along with a file.
"Of course," he said. His voice was pleasant, friendly. "If you would come with me um," he said asking for my name.
"Detective Rimtining," I replied holding out my hand in greeting. He took it and shook it.
"Agent Morgan," he said. I followed him to an elevator and we went up several floors. Once near the top of the building we got off. I had a fifteen minutes till it was time for my interview. Agent Morgan walked through the bullpen and up some stairs. He knocked on an open door, "Visitor for you Hotch," he said walking away.
"Detective," Agent Hotchner said standing up. "You're early."
"Better early than late," I said sitting in the chair he motioned to. He was of average height and weight, black hair that was cropped short, dressed in a suit and wore a wedding ring.
"I suppose," he said sitting down. "I am in need of an agent who specializes in recognizing patterns, voice, and writing patterns. But more than that someone who can relate to the victims. You are the only cop that meets all of those criteria and is qualified." He had moved to sit on the front of his desk. I could easily relate to the victims, I had been one myself.
"And I will gladly take you up on that. But just so you know, someone planted a bomb in my car last night. I would love to join your team but I also don't want to put them in danger sir," I said. I had no problem with him talking about my almost brush of death. Six years ago I had been part of a crime fighting team; I had trusted them to have my back. I had a hunch based on some evidence and the rest of my team didn't believe my hunch. They said there wasn't enough evidence to bring the guy in, but there was enough to talk to him so I went. I was tortured for hours, raped, then stabbed and left for dead.
"My team faces danger every day. You won't be putting them in a bad spot," Agent Hotchner said pulling me from my thoughts. "Are you sure you're ready to trust another team?" he asked.
"One is never sure of anything sir, but it's time I learned again. I want back out in the field," I replied.
"You start today; we have a rape case in New York. I hope you have a bag of things you need and call me Hotch," he said.
"Always," I replied. We headed for the conference room and the rest of the team was waiting for us. There was a big TV screen on the wall and an equally big round table in the middle of the room.
"Everyone this is Devika Rimtining. She's the newest member of this team. She'll be joining us on this case. Devika, this is Dr. Spencer Reid, Jason Gideon, Elle Greenway, JJ, Derek Morgan and Penelope Garcia." I looked at the wide variety of people around me. Different ages, even races, all of them with a different set of skills.
"Hello," I said taking an empty seat. JJ slid a file across the table to me. I looked through it as she started talking. "Three victims in a week, all of them women, in their 20's, single, dark hair, athletic, and middle class. We're looking at another victim tonight," she said. I just couldn't shake the thought that the man that had hurt me did this. He had got a way, but that was San Francisco.
"Devika what is it?" Hotch asked.
"This sounds like the guy that hurt me six years ago in San Francisco. It's possible there are crimes in others states he's committed." I could feel the eyes on me.
"If it is the man that hurt you, your involvement on this case will be limited," Hotch said.
"I understand," I said.
Two hours later we were on the plane and I had called my boss and said I found a new job and that I would be in soon to clear out my desk. After I had called my boss I returned the visitors pass. "What exactly happened to her?" I heard Morgan ask. I saw Reid open his mouth to answer.
"If you want to know Morgan have the decency to ask me," I said flipping through the file. I hated it when people talked about me behind my back. I felt everyone look at me but I didn't look up from my file. "The original profile said this guy was likely 20 to 30 years old, probably had a facial resemblance to his victims and was probably a victim of a violent crime at some point in his past."
"So today he would most likely be no older than 36," Reid added.
"Correct Doctor," I said still reading the file. A few minutes later I got up for some coffee. "Anyone else want some?" I asked pouring myself a cup. Reid was the only one to take me up on my offer.
"Black, three sugars," he said. A few moments later I sat back down with the coffee. I gave Reid his. "What was the name you had for the guy?" Reid asked. Again I felt everyone looking at me, as though expecting me to freak out.
"Tommy Summers," I replied still studying the three victims in the case file. "When I met him 6 years ago he was employed as a janitor and 26 years old." I continued to flip through the file. Then we got a call from Garcia, at least I would be spared the questions for a little bit.
"Hey baby, what do you have for us?" Morgan asked.
"They just found two more victims. He isn't slowing down and by the look of things there could be another victim by the time you land. I hope you catch this son of bitch," Garcia said. In the back ground I could hear her typing.
"Hey Garcia get me everything you can on a guy named Tommy Summers, 32 years old and six years ago lived in San Francisco," I said still reading the file.
"As soon as I have it you will," she replied ending the call. An hour later we landed in one of New York's many airports. An officer was there waiting for us with two SUVs.
"Good day agents, I'm glad you could make it. We just got two new victims." The officer was walking us to the vehicles. "They're already at the morgue but someone called in another body."
"Morgan, Reid, Rimtining, and Gideon, go to the new crime scene. The rest of us will go to the morgue and set up at the station," Hotch said. I followed my group to one of the SUVs. Morgan drove, Gideon got in beside him and Reid and I got in the back seat. Just then my tablet buzzed.
I pulled it out and opened the file just as everyone else's buzzed. "It's the info from Garcia," I said opening the file as Reid was leaning in to read. We both read it rather quickly and shared the info with the others. Morgan pulled up alongside the road. "Is this where he dumped her?" I asked. I had been here once before working another murder.
"Yes," Morgan said in a questioning tone.
"We need to get her and the rest of the evidence now! Before the dam flows over," I said jumping out of the car and over the road barrier. I ran down hill and put all the evidence I could find in a bag and I threw it to Morgan. I then picked up the body and started up the muddy bank just as the dam over flowed and the water came rushing toward us. The force of the water is evident in the amount of noise it was making. It was thunderous as it barreled towards us. Morgan had already made it to safety. Reid was struggling to get up the muddy bank. I set our victim down and I placed his rear on my shoulders grabbing his ankles and standing up. Morgan was able to grab his hand and pull him over. I grabbed our victim just as I was swept away with the current.
"Rimtining!" I heard Morgan yell. I let the current take me. I knew there was a low hanging branch from a tree I could grab on to. The scenery blurred by me as I was swept away. I moved myself to the side of the damn closet to the road. There I managed to get a hold of the tree branch and pull the victim up there with me. I got her over my shoulders and started working my way to the bank. Just as I was getting out I saw the SUV. I heard the brakes squeal as Morgan came to a quick stop. "Rimtining!" he yelled getting out of the car, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine Morgan," I said walking up to the side of the road and setting our victim down. "How's Reid?" I asked. He got out of the car and ran towards me. Once he reached me he hugged me.
"Thank you," he said. I was a little shocked by the hug but returned it.
"You're welcome," I replied.
"You should put something dry on," he said.
I shook my head. "I'm evidence now. I need to be processed." I knew I had parts of the crime scene in my clothing.
"You just saved our crime scene and one of my agents," Gideon said.
"Yeah," I said not sure why he was stating what he was.
"How did you know that was going to flood?" he asked.
"I helped the New York CSI team a few years ago. They had a murder victim and it flooded then to. Unfortunately that time I wasn't able to save the crime scene but I did save the crime scene annalist," I replied. The crime scene annalists finally arrived with the ME and I was processed and given dry clothes. I got changed into the scrubs and sweats they had given me and then went to the police station with the others. I knew that day I had gained the trust of one of my new team mates.