Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds
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Hotch followed, adamant that a miscarriage of justice was committed; he ignored the team and followed the police officers out. Rossi pulled back, the team were going to want to solve this, like they had done for Derek when he was held for serial killings in Chicago.
'Rossi... what the hell?' Emily said.
'Pen? A murderer?'
'I don't know much but a cold case has been reopened, and it seems Penelope is the prime suspect to the murder of a Chase McClusky.'
'What are we going to do about it?'
'Well Hotch already said for us to follow, the terror I saw on Penelope's face is not that of a murderer.'
'That's because she's not!' Derek spat out.
'Yeah, there's got to be more to this.'
'Well let's go and find out.' Rossi said as the others got their stuff and left.
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When they arrived at the police station there was Hotch berating some newbie looking officer, even with the teams experience the last person they ever wanted to get on the wrong side of was Hotch. It was just too plain scary but for him to be like this told them that he didn't view Penelope as a killer.
Rossi approached and placed a hand on his shoulder that told him to back down. Hotch did and turned to the team.
'Rossi and Morgan you are with me in there.' The two men swallowed and nodded. 'I don't care about anything but the truth here.' He then walked down towards the interrogation room and all three men slipped into the viewing room. There was Penelope sitting at a table nursing the arm that the detective had grabbed, she looked absolutely petrified and Derek felt his heart sink at ever having to see that look again.
The detective entered the room and slammed a box down, he took the file off the top and opened it, it slid a photograph across the table.
'Do you know this man?'
'Yes.' She answered truthfully.
'When was the last time you saw him?'
'About 11 years ago.' Penelope said without thinking.
'Was he alive?'
'Yes.' Again pure honesty, there was no way she was going to lie to this man, or the three men she was pretty certain was in the room behind the one way glass.
'Are you sure?'
'Pretty sure.'
'What was your relationship to him?'
'We were together.'
'As in boyfriend girlfriend together?'
'Yes.' She looked at the detective.
'The only reason we have an idea it was you that did this was because of this medical report.' He waved it in the air, then slid it towards her, she opened it and looked through. 'He did you over pretty well, didn't he?'
'That doesn't make me his killer.'
'What did he do to you Ms Garcia?' She remained quiet. 'What was it that tipped you over the edge?' Still remained quiet. 'Was it the multiple burns, or the knife wounds? Or the rape?'
'Why are you asking me when you've so obviously read this?' She picked the file up and waved it back at him with mock sarcasm.
'I want to hear from you everything he did.'
Penelope opened the file and pulled a picture out. 'There... he did THAT to me!'
'Still not telling me though are you?' He said, trying to break her. 'Why did he do it?'
'Because I was leaving him.'
'Why?'
'Because I didn't want to be part of his dirty little pathetic life anymore.'
'But he got to you first... then you thought maybe if you whack him, destroy him, eliminate him, eradicate him you would be free.'
'I didn't do this.' She said.
'We'll get to this soon, but what else did he do to you Ms Garcia? What put you in hospital for over a month?'
'It's called torture... that's what.'
'You are a very strong willed woman aren't you Ms Garcia.'
'What's that supposed to mean?'
'Well you just admitted you were tortured, you've just looked at the pictures of yourself in hospital, and yet you don't seem to have flinched or drawn a tear.' He looked out into the viewing room, knowing full well who would have gone in there. 'It seems that him being dead finalised what happened for you.'
'Finalised?'
'Yes, he was dead so what's the problem? He couldn't possibly hurt you.'
'It was 11 years ago.'
'That doesn't matter... we are determined to close to this case once and for all and at the moment you are the lead suspect so why don't you just admit what you did.'
'Because I didn't do this.'
The detective pulled another picture out of the file. 'You were a nice couple I must admit... thought he was the love of your life?'
'No.'
'When did that change? When he started to smack you about? When he used his fists to pull his precedence over you? Why didn't you just leave him?'
'Because the first smack came when I tried to.'
'Ah so you admit he did smack you.'
'Why would I hide that?'
'Ah well you have motive.'
'So did a lot of other people.'
'You had the place to do it.'
'Again so did a lot of other people.'
'You had the help.'
'And for a third time so did a lot of other people.'
'So was this before or after you were leaving the underground doing illegal things?'
'Kind of to the end of leaving.'
'Did you leave with him?' He put the photo down and pushed it towards her.
'Yes.'
'What was he? You're protector? You're lover?'
'Well what do you think?'
'Just a straight answer Ms Garcia.'
'Yes.'
'What I am having a hard time understanding is what lead to this.' He pulled another photo out, and another and another, lining them up in front of her. 'What lead him to take you? To do this to you? To inflict so much hurt and pain?'
'I went to the police.
'About?'
'About everything.'
'Ms Garcia what is everything?'
'Money laundering, drug dealing, knocking off a few people.'
'So to exact revenge he took you and kept you locked away and tortured you... why such a heinous revenge.'
'Because that is how things are dealt with...'
'...Underground?' He finished off.
'Exactly.'
'Okay so let me get this straight... he HAD to take you, he HAD to keep you tied up, he HAD to beat you senseless, he HAD to torture you endlessly and he HAD to rape you multiple times?' She sat in silence looking at him. 'I think that definitely warrants motive.' He said getting up and leaving the room.
