Broken – Chapter 4

Rossi felt a headache arriving. It was the second night, he didn't get much sleep and he hadn't eaten much either. His stomach felt sore and his throat dry, which was due to the alcohol that he still felt in his system. In addition to his bad shape the missing of his gun worried him deeply. He should go home and search for it, but a few minutes earlier Hotch had called Prentiss and had told her to make sure he and Strauss both stayed in the apartment. It worried him that Hotch had called Emily instead of him, and he couldn't think of a suitable explanation for it. His worst fear was that Hotch had sensed something was going on between him and Erin. Hotch and Erin shared a painful past and even though the two of them had reached some kind of truce, he couldn't imagine Hotch being happy the latest developments.

Wearily, he lifted his head. The apartment was cloaked in semi darkness. Emily sat at the kitchen table, drinking coffee and Erin had fallen asleep, though she didn't seem to get any rest. She lay on the couch, uncomfortably turning and shifting, mumbling things he couldn't understand. Wishing he had forced her to get some sedative from a doctor, he watched her sleeping. He repeatedly asked himself, why he had allowed himself to get intimate with her. He had been married three times and three time it had been a gigantic mistake, but his life had never been a mess like this before and he had no idea how to fix it. Finding Adam Strauss's killer wouldn't help him to resolve his conflicting feelings for his wife.

"Someone's coming."

Emily Prentiss had risen from her chair and sneaked to the door. Hotchner entered the apartment before she could open the door. His eyes narrowed dangerously when he eyed Rossi who suddenly knew Hotch had found out about him and Erin. The mixture of disgust and complete disbelief spoke volumes.

"Prentiss, would you leave us alone for a second?"

"Of course, Sir." A bit confused, but without further questioning Prentiss left the apartment. After she had closed the door, Hotch turned to Rossi.

"Wake her up."

"Listen..." Rossi started.

"Forget it. The two of you are in deep shit. Where's your gun?"

"My gun?" Rossi asked, alarmed.

"The lab checked the bullets. The killer used a Springfield, Caliber 45. So where's your gun?"

The same gun he owned and used... and he had no idea where his weapon could be. Rossi ran his fingers through his hair. "I don't know... I know I left it in the car last night... and when I searched for it before we got here, it was gone. I assume it's at home."

"You assume?" Hotch asked and turned to Strauss who had just opened her eyes.

A man sat in the darkness, staring at the screen. Every time the video ended, he bent forward, restarted it and leaned again back to re watch. He wondered if Rossi and Strauss were already aware that they had given their farewell performance on the couch in Strauss's office?

He estimated that some time this night, she would finally realize that the whole act had been created for her and her good old friend Rossi. There was no way, she could grasp the whole idea behind it, but soon she would. He smiled. How much he anticipated the moment the last hope in her eyes would die.

He took the gun from his desk and caressed it with tender care. Did Rossi already miss it?

He didn't care. Rossi would get it back soon enough – just not the way he expected it.

"Why me?" Garcia mumbled, as she entered Strauss's cold, lonely office. She hardly dared to take a closer look at the couch, just as if she expected to find there somebody who did something she didn't want to see. Concentrating on the large closet behind Strauss's desk, Garcia sneaked across the room. Though it was tempting to sit down to test the Section Chief's chair, Garcia resisted and instead concentrated on her mission. The camera had to be some place over the cupboard. Standing on a chair, she examined the top of the closet. She smiled when her hand touched the small web cam.

"Got ya."

"I have the camera." Garcia's voice sounded through the room. Hotch hold his cell phone away from his face so that Erin and Rossi could hear Garcia's report.

"Thank God," Strauss mumbled, bending her head back. Ever since Hotch had told her a certain video of her and David Rossi had appeared her head ached incredibly. Together with the grief upon Adam's death, the shame of her cheating on him and other people and perhaps even Adam himself knowing about it, was almost to much to bear. She couldn't live the idea Adam could have learned about her night with Rossi and died before she could tell him that it meant nothing to her.

She sensed Rossi's eyes on her, wishing he would just leave her alone. The whole situation was disgusting enough even without him watching her and possibly remembering every detail of her body.

"Anything special about it?" Hotch asked.

"No, Sir. It's a no name product. I doubt we can trace it. You can get it in any store."

"Did you also check for other bugging device?"

"The office is clean – so to speak, dust bunnies left aside."

"Thanks, Garcia... oh and..."

"Yes?"

"I guess it goes without saying all of this is absolutely confidential. Not one from word to anyone."

"Of course not. No one would believe it anyway," she added and hang off.

"So," Hotch turned to Rossi. "You had time enough to think. Who could possibly set you up?"

"I don't know." Strauss shook her head.

"Think, Erin. I bet there are a lot people you've pissed off in the last 20 years."

Erin gave Rossi a nasty look, "Just for the record, if it was your gun that was used to kill my husband, somebody obviously thinks you deserve a part in this game as well."

Hotch's eyes switched from Strauss to Rossi. "She's right. Again, Dave, where did you go last night after you left the office?"

Rossi sighed and started pacing the room. "I went to my car and drove around. Some time after midnight I stopped at a bar. I locked the gun in the glove department and ordered a bottle of whiskey," he paused, trying to remember details.

"And after that?"

"I drank too much and realized I wouldn't make it home. Across the street was a small motel. I checked in there and slept until noon the next day."

"Did you talk to anyone in the bar or the motel?" Hotch asked.

"The bartender... Jimmy... he gave me the idea to stay at the motel... I also talked to the receptionist when I checked in, but that's it."

Hotch turned to Strauss. "And you?"

"I went straight home," she answered, the arms crossed over her chest. "I took a bath and went to bed."

"Did you go out on Saturday?"

She shook her head. "I was alone all day."

Hotch sighed. "Whoever placed the camera obviously waited for his chance to get back to you" he looked at Erin. "Or you," he turned to Rossi. "He uses the CD to show you he has power over you. I assume he saw what happened between the two of you and it turned out to be the catalysis he needed to put his plan in motion. Since he used Rossi's gun it must be for a special reason. He's focusing on the both of you, though in different ways. He's trying to degrade you in your position as superior and a woman while he tries to tries to blame Rossi for a crime he didn't commit. He tries to make Dave a killer while you in his eyes are..." he cleared his throat, as her eyes met his. "You know what I mean. Since the message on the CD is that he intends to send a copy of the clip to every email account of the FBI I guess he'll contact you again somehow to make sure you know what will happen. He'll want you to know why he's doing this to you."

She nodded again and tears she couldn't repress filled her eyes.

"But who?"

"From the physical description you gave us, I would say he's between 30 and 40 years old. He's profound knowledge of computers and had access to your office or knew at least how to get in there unseen. It's someone you know professionally. Possibly someone from the FBI."

"A member of the FBI?" Rossi asked.

"Possibly. Think, could he someone you turned down, as he made a pass at you? Someone you fired several time ago? Someone you refused to promote? A new addition to the office that appears strange or tried to impress you. A man who tried to gain your attention?"

"I can't think of anyone... at least not in the last few years. It could happen some men in the office made a pass at me, but I never had to fire anyone because of something like that. And new additions?" she thought for a moment. "Well, there's Agent Landon, but Shepperd placed him in front of my nose..." she shrugged. "Actually he's dangling Landon in front of my nose to make sure I will play along... After all there's a replacement for everybody, as he told me just a few days ago."

"Shepperd wants to get rid off you?" Rossi asked astonished. "But many people see you as his replacement when he retires."

"Shepperd doesn't want to retire," Erin explained bitterly. "And he certainly doesn't want me to succeed him. He would never admit it, but he's an old chauvinist. He can't stand women."

Hotch sighed and started dialing Garcia's number, "I'll tell Garcia to make a discreet check on Landon's background, but I really can't see Shepperd being involved in this."

He knew from the very beginning he would get more than he bargained for when he decided to make the investigation of Adam Strauss's death his mission, but butting heads with Shepperd was nothing he looked forward to.

"Oh and..." he looked at Strauss. "If it helps... The CD was sealed when we found it. I guess the killer placed it on Adam's body to make sure we would find it... Adam had no idea about the two of you."

Quantico, V., 1986

Sweat ran down her spine though the temperature was below zero. It had started snowing a few hours ago and the snow fall was increasing by hour and it didn't make the chase on their target any easier. They had been searching for the man for hours now, but he seemed to have disappeared. Considering the circumstances she wasn't supposed to help, but this case was special. It was her mistake the man was out there, killing people and she had to do her best to stop him or otherwise it would haunt for the rest of her life. With the gun in her hands, she sneaked across the yard, rushing form corner to corner, listening, waiting... he was out there somewhere.

All of the sudden she heard steps behind her. She turned quickly, but he was faster. She faced the black hole of a barrel that was pointed at her forehead. There was no reason to look at the man's face. She already knew who it was.

"There you are," he said hoarsely."Bitch."

"You know you won't get away when you shoot me," she said as composed as possible.

"No, but it would be more than satisfying you blow off your beautiful little head."

"Then what are you waiting for?"

He smiled and suddenly the gun vanished and she felt a burning pain on her face, as he brutally hit her. The force behind the slap took her breath away and her turned her stomach. Everything around her turned black and she struggled, hit the wall behind her, lost her balance. The gun fell out of her hands, ended up in the snow. Abusing her instability he grabbed her hair and threw her on the hard, cold ground. She felt the snow on her face and felt the warm blood running out of her nose. So this was it. She had to die. Had to die before she had given birth to her first child and before she had achieved anything her father, a highly decorated marine, would be proud of.

"A pity I don't have enough time to teach you how a lousy whore like you should treat a man."

With a husky laughter he pressed the gun on the back of her head and pulled the trigger. She closed her eyes, prayed and then she heard the shot.

~tbc~