Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds and intend no copyright infringement.
The psychiatrist took a deep, resigned breath. "Three-Roofs-Farm is a private institution which offers help to people who fear that their needs and drives might harm others under certain circumstances."
"You're treating perverts who dream of torturing and killing innocents", Rossi spat.
"We're helping people to deal with their fantasies and wishes in order to prevent anti-social behavior. I don't see where the problem is."
"The problem", the senior agent growled, "is that you're accumulating a sizable amount of potentially dangerous persons in a small area without telling anyone."
The psychiatrist put his head back as if fighting a sudden pain. "Do you have any idea what happens the second it becomes publically known what we're doing here? There's a similar institution in Germany which offers help to people who want to curb their pedophile desires before anyone gets hurt. Since its foundation in 1995 it had to deal with a dozen arson attacks, hundreds of bomb threats and uncountable amounts of hate mail. Not to mention the constant harassment staff and patients have to endure and the numerous acts of vandalism against the building. We've had to move twice so far, changed our name with every new location… Each change of place destroys tediously build up relationships and is nothing but an unnecessary waste of time and scarce money urgently needed for other purposes."
"You've got my deepest sympathy", Rossi stated grimly.
"The problem is", Hotchner said gravely, "that by drawing so many potentially dangerous people to one spot, you dramatically enhance the risk for unsuspecting citizens to fall prey to one of them."
"Potentially dangerous doesn't mean inevitably dangerous", the psychiatrist replied curtly.
"In the last eight months somebody plastered the road to this farm with dead bodies!", Rossi roared.
Face unreadable, Dr. Bell turned his head towards the window. "I know", he said quietly. "These men were all scheduled to be treated here."
At this, Aaron Hotchner almost lost the self-composure he was famous for. "We need access to all your patients' files", he said tersely.
"I can't allow that!" The doctor vehemently disagreed. "These people come here of their own free will. None of them has ever actually committed a serious crime. I can't allow that their names get dragged into the dirt by giving them to the police. What if somebody leaks them to the media? An institution like this can only work on the basis of anonymity. I must protect my patients."
"Just like you protected those four men who died on the way to your little sanctuary? After the second victim you must at least have had a hazy notion that someone was targeting your patients, but you didn't bother warning or informing anyone. On the contrary: You lied to the sheriff, which might have cost another two lives." Hotch's voice was cold as ice. "I want these files in an hour's time."
Suddenly looking ten years older, Dr. Bell caved in, reached into his pocket and took out a set of keys. "The files are kept in a special room in the cellar." In a sad attempt to symbolically demonstrate his unwillingness, he placed the keys on his desk, thus making Hotchner reach for it. "Benjamin can help you with the packing." The doctor collapsed into a chair. "I didn't know what to do…", he whispered.
As the agents exited Bell's office, a fragile-looking woman somewhere between fifty and sixty in a white nurse's attire entered the room. "You did the right thing by choosing to cooperate", she told the doctor in a consolatory tone.
"Oh Sarah…", he sighed. "…by helping one person, you harm another. Why can't there be easy answers?"
They found Benjamin on one of the sofas downstairs, sitting opposite an elderly man with a trimmed beard, carefully done hair and clear gray eyes. He was reading the Decameron copy Rossi had noticed earlier. As Hotch and he came down the stairs, the boy and the elderly man exchanged glances. Benjamin looked scared like a deer caught in headlights, anxiously frozen to the spot. His elderly companion addressed him in a calm, encouraging tone: "Go ahead boy. There's no use in hiding this. Any delay would only make things worse. It's better to confess now." Trembling, Benjamin turned to the agents.