smg55: thanks for the tip! I tried to follow your advice on this chapter, I'm a pen & paper girl so I'm still finding my way with the editing/publishing ;) I'll edit the 3 first chapters in a few hours.
calzonaobsessed: I'm happy you like the story. As for the shameless facts-throwing, I plead guilty as charged, I'm a history nerd :D
Here is chapter 4. FYI, chapters 5 and 6 are already written and chapter 7 is well under way.
(I know, 2 chapters in 1 day, I am spoiling you!)
Chapter 4
= Quantico, conference room, 17.00 GMT-5 =
The silence in the conference room was only disturbed by the scratching of pens on paper and the sound of pages being turned. After what seemed an eternity to the 2 soldiers but was in fact mere minutes, the files were read and and notes ready to be compared.
Rossi was the first one to speak « Casey, just out of curisosity, how many cases do you think are related? »
- « 7 »
- « Let's see how many we can put together » he replied with a tiny smile, « who wants to start? »
- « What about you Rossi? »
- « None of the cases I've read bear any indications of being the work of a serial rapist. They are either war rapes or committed by family members. What about you Reid? »
- « Amongst the 8 cases I've reviewed, one strikes me as odd. »
- « Odd? »
- « He was wearing a condom JJ. »
- « To not leave DNA evidence behind. It's not odd Reid. »
- « It is if you know the rape happened in Kabul. »
- « Anything else Reid? » asked Hotch.
- « Actually yes. She was blindfolded and said he kept repeating the words 'it's payback' and 'it should have been me'. »
- « Wait a second! 2 of my cases fit this exact same MO! One happened in Irak and the other one in Lebanon. Condom, blindfold and the muttering. »
Writing on the white board, Hotch said « With Reid and JJ's cases, we're up to 3 already. Anyone else has something? »
- « Well... I have 1 identical case, and 1 slightly different. »
- « Different how, Prentiss? »
- « She was tortured with a knife. She had several cuts on her legs and lower abdomen. »
- « It could be an escalation », interjected JJ.
- « I agree. When and where Prentiss? »
- « Grozny, Chechnya, Hotch, both of them. The first one happened september 14th 2011 and the second one was 9 days later, september 23rd. »
- « We're up to 5 rapes. Do you have anything Morgan? »
- « 1 rape in Tripoli, november 3rd. She was tortured too. »
- « Reid, when did it happen in Kabul? » asked Hotch
- « February 5th 2011 »
- « JJ? »
- « Beirut was July 29th, Baghdad April 6th. »
Turning his back to the board, Hotch looked at the profilers and soldiers around the table « We have 6 rapes so far, and I have one more to add to the list. Mitrovica, Kosovo, August 15th. He started the torture there, she had several cuts on both her legs. Major Watson, if you ever decide to change careers, you're welcome at the BAU, that was some impressive work you did. »
- « Thank you, agent Hotchner, but I think I'll stick to the blue berets for a little while longer » she winked at him.
Focusing on the board, Morgan summarized what they had so far « Blindfold, condom, obviously he is not taking the risk to be identified. »
- « And it all started in Afghanistan a year ago. The sentences 'it's payback' and 'it should have been me' show that he is using these women as substitutes for his real target. And using a knife to cut his victims during his last 3 rapes... he is escalating. The next victim might not make it out alive. »
- « Agent Rossi, do you mean one of my guys is not only a rapist but could also be a murderer? »
- « I am sorry Kay. »
- « Don't beat yourself up Kay, it's not your fault. »
Pushing her chair to stand up, she almost shouted « Casey, these are our soldiers! »
- « They went through physical tests and pych evals, they have no criminal records, their military records are spotless and they get debrieffed as soon as we leave a theater of operations. We followed procedures, there is nothing else we could have done. »
- « It doesn't make me feel any less guilty. »
Forcing the taller woman to turn around and look at her « I know Kaja », Casey whispered. Reaching for Casey's face, Kay lightly caressed her cheek with the back of her hand « I'm sorry Case »
The FBI agents in the room looked at the 2 women, too stunned by the almost intimate gesture they just witnessed to peel their eyes away. Luckily for them, the ringing of a cell phone broke the moment
« Lieutenant-colonel Sørensen...Hva faen? …. Send me everything you have. That was Major MacKenzie, he is in charge on the ground when Casey and I are away. We have a problem. »