Lucy and Hotch got into the black Tahoe. Before lighting the ignition, Lucy gave a slight warning. "There may be a bit of walking on this tour," she said. "Just to let you know."
"I can handle that," Hotch replied. "Where are we headed first?"
"The stone arch bridge," Lucy said. "If you take a look at your map, there, you'll see it's the one that crosses over from Pillsbury Park, just south of the 3rd Ave Bridge. It's a pedestrian bridge, and we believe the furthest north bridge that any of the bodies were dumped from. It's the first bridge south of the dam." She peeled down Washington Ave from the field office and crossed over the river to the east bank. Despite the traffic, Hotch found to be the drivers in this city to be surprisingly calm and considerate in comparison to the crazy freeways along the east coast. After parking along Pillsbury Park, the two agents got out and began their walk towards the bridge.
It was a clear, comfortable day in Minneapolis, which meant a large number of people jogging, running, and biking. Lucy and Hotch looked slightly out of place in their formal, professional attire, but not enough so to draw too much attention. As they began walking, Hotch began conversation. "Detective Shea spoke very highly of you, as did Chief Bergeron."
Lucy gave a small smile. "Well, Shea has been trying to get me to date him for about a year now. But Chief… he's a good man. I'm proud to be able to work with him."
"Trying to date you?" Hotch inquired, trying not to seem over-curious. "What about…?"
Holding up her left hand, ring finger now naked, Lucy simply said, "Things didn't work out."
"I'm sorry to hear that," Hotch said sincerely.
"Well, thanks," Lucy replied. "And… I was really sorry to hear about your loss," she added in a soft voice. "I hope you know how many of us in the Bureau have been thinking and praying for you and your son."
Hotch nodded in reply, his stoic expression unwavering. "I appreciate that," he said. He then took the opportunity to take his focus away from the conversation and take in his surroundings. The Minneapolis skyline lay out in front of him, the sky in the background a brilliant mixture of oranges, pinks, and blue as the sun was beginning to set in the west. To his right the Mississippi ran wide and rushed down the Ford Dam.
Having reached the middle of the bridge, Lucy stopped and led Aaron to their left to overlook the river as it flowed south. "Alright, well next up we have 35W. That's the one that collapsed a few years back, if you do recall."
"Wow," Hotch replied, taken aback. "That's right… did you…?"
"We were busy with that ordeal for almost a year," Lucy said. "I tell you, after this case, I'm going to need a break from bridges."
"You were here when it happened, then," Hotch said.
"I was at a Twins game, only a few blocks away, when the thing went down. We lost to Kansas City in ten innings. I'll never forget that day." A few seconds of silence passed and then Lucy continued. "Past that is the Tenth Avenue Bridge. There are residential areas on both sides. 35W doesn't allow pedestrians, but the Tenth Ave does have sidewalks on both sides. It's popular for some students at the university to bike or walk across to go between banks. That's where the third crime that we know of occurred. It occurred around two in the morning, and two intoxicated girls were walking home from a party when they saw the UnSub toss another person over the edge on the south side. Now, if you'll follow me back to the car, I'll give you a closer glimpse at the University of Minnesota campus."
Once back on the road, Lucy wound her way through the U of M campus, and continued her explanation. "The fourth and sixth dumps happened on one of these two bridges. We know for sure the sixth happened on the Washington Ave bridge, and the fourth was most likely from the one we're about go to, which is a small pedestrian bridge that goes through campus. It remains mostly hidden, making it a perfect spot for our UnSub."
Pulling over this time right next to where the bridge began, parking behind a campus building, Lucy explained how the Washington Ave Bridge operated as the main connection between both banks of the University's campus, with motor traffic on bottom and pedestrians on the top level. She then gave a frustrated sigh. "The more I talk, the more hopeless this seems," she admitted.
"Don't worry, I'm taking mental notes," Hotch reassured in an uncharacteristically comforting voice. He placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's not as hopeless as it seems," he said. "Where to next?"
"Much further south. What makes us thinking that he, or she, is targeting college students has to do with the location of the fifth crime. One witness saw someone falling off the Lake St/Marshall Ave Bridge. This bridge is only about four or five blocks away from the University of St. Thomas. And a number of other university's are located further east down the road. This victim, she was a student at the College of St. Catherine, St. Thomas' sister school."
"Besides her, the rest of the victims were students at the University of Minnesota, correct?" Hotch inquired.
"One other victim went to St. Thomas, but was partying at the U. Call it the U, Aaron, it's much easier than saying "University of Minnesota" every time, and it will make you seem much more local," she added with a wink.
"Blending in with the locals isn't really my priority," Hotch replied. "Especially if it means calling soda "pop" and talking funny the way you people do," he teased.
Lucy began laughing out loud at that one. "I'm offended," she said, faking a sad face. "And here I am giving you the grand tour of our lovely city."
"It is lovely," he agreed. "One of the better places I've been sent to over the years."
"And with the best company," Lucy replied persuasively.
"Of course," Hotch said in an earnest voice.
Lucy glanced over at him, sitting in the passenger seat next to her. She threw him a pleased smile, and he returned with a smile of his own. "Well knock me over with a feather," she said. "Aaron Hotchner does smile."
"Once in a while," Hotch replied, shutting down the smile as soon as it began, out of habit, and turning his focus out the window on the road outside it. Strange, he thought to himself. Laughter and comfort, two things that he had been without for so long, were coming so easily to him in Lucy's presence. Despite the gruesome task at hand, at the past he had endured, for once in long while he felt lighter. He was… content. It wasn't much, but it was enough to make him smile.