A/N: I always rate my case fic stories "T" just to be on the safe side. With this chapter, I'm firmly reminding you of that rating. The language and implied graphic image in this chapter warrants that reminder. Please take note.

Chapter 9

Hotch looked at Smith. "Ray, can you get your people to get Minton in an interview room?"

"Sure Hotch," Smith smiled.

"And have them make sure he's none too comfortable," Morgan added. "Tell them to completely secure him." Smith looked at Rossi and Taylor. They both nodded. Smith left the room.

Matt looked at Dave and shook his head. "I know I was dog ass tired last night, but something is still not sitting right with me."

"Matt?" Dave asked.

"The woman in the bombing; she was a decoy and probably had a homing device on her for the mortar spotters," Matt said.

"And used the kids as well?" Tara asked.

Matt shook his head. "I don't like it any more than you do Tara. But when they are that committed, that's how they do it in their world. Anything to take out the enemy."

Emily looked at her. "Jihad means sacrifice to the cause."

"Tara, it sickens my stomach too," Dave said. "But Matt, what's your point?"

"The woman was Afghani; not black. We still don't know why he targeted blacks the most. I agree on the military inroad to get to him; but there's still a missing link."

Dave looked at Matt and then Hotch. "He's got a point."

"Yes, he does," Emily said.

Hotch pulled out his cell and hit a speed dial. "Good morning Hotch," the team all heard. "Monty at the controls while our Lady P is getting some much needed sleep. Thanks for letting me help you out."

"We appreciate it Monty," Hotch said. "Jack and the team back in DC?"

"Yes sir," Monty said. "Doing the same thing as our Mistress of Information."

"Good to hear," Hotch said. "You up to speed on our case Monty?"

"Yes sir."

"Hey Monty; it's Matt."

"Hey Cob!"

"Monty, we need you to do some more in-depth digging into Minton's military background."

"What are you specifically looking for Cob?" Smith walked back into the conference room.

"Monty, it's Rossi. Something that happened with a black member of his unit."

"Probably shortly before the time his unit got attacked Monty," Hotch added.

"Or in the actual attack," Matt said. "If you run into the usual DOD stone wall, call Associate Director Swanson and say you're calling on my behalf. AD Swanson can make that wall crumble."

'Thanks Cob for the heads up; this is still gonna take me some time," Monty said. "But I'm on it."

"Thanks Monty," Hotch said, ending the call.

Smith looked at group. "You're gonna wait for that information?"

They all nodded. "Detective," Emily said, "we need to find Minton's trigger."

"Plus having him sit for a while helps us," Morgan said.

"How?" Smith asked.

"It makes him think about what we're going to throw at him," Rossi smiled.

"And if we are totally prepared Ray," Matt added. "He won't be able to handle our curve ball."

Ray looked around the room. "Do I want to play poker with you people?"

"No," Hotch said as the rest smiled at Smith.

-00CM00-

Forty minutes later, Hotch's cell rang. "Monty?" he answered. "You're on speaker."

"Sir, I have what you're looking for. It should be on your tablets…now."

Matt and Dave looked and did a quick read. They smiled at Hotch. "Thanks Monty," Hotch said.

"Sir, thank Cob; I needed to make that phone call."

"Glad it helped Monty," Matt smiled. "Thanks for the info." Hotch and Monty said hasty good-byes.

Lewis looked around the table. Matt smiled at her. "My Tach Officer when I was at the Naval Academy was Swanson; he recruited me into the Bureau after his leg got clipped by a drunk driver. The Bureau offered him more options than the Navy with a prosthetic leg."

"It's not what you know," she smiled.

"When it comes to things military Tara," Reid smiled. "It's all who you know."

Matt pointed at Reid and looked at Dave. "We ready?"

Dave smiled. "We're more than ready."

-00CM00-

Fifteen minutes later, Rossi and Matt entered the interview room that Minton was sitting in. His hands were cuffed under the table and the chains around his ankles were secured to a hook in the floor. Matt went to the back of room and leaned against the wall as Rossi noisily pulled out the metal chair across from Minton and sat down, putting the FBI files on the table for Minton to see. The team and Smith gathered at the other side of the two way mirror.

"For the record, including this interview being videotaped," Rossi started, "You are Mitchell Minton and you have been read you rights?" Dave said, opening a file. Minton glared at him. "Yes or no; or you go back to your cell."

"Yes, you've got my name right and yes, I've been read my rights; multiple times."

"Good," Rossi said. "We like our asses covered. I'm Agent Rossi of the FBI's Behavior Analysis Unit." Dave nodded over his shoulder. "I believe you've met Agent Taylor?"

"It wasn't a pleasure Agent," Minton sneered.

Rossi looked at him. "Ooooo, you should consider it a deep pleasure Minton. Your wrist is a bit sore; consider yourself very lucky."

Minton looked at him. "Excuse me?"

Dave looked Minton in the eye. "Your wrist could be snapped in two and your balls and dick broke as well. Agent Taylor told you about his favorite movie scene. He showed considerable restraint; especially with his Irish temper. He's former Marine recon; and a battle veteran. And he doesn't like people like you that prey on those that can't defend themselves; especially those that are less fortunate than the rest of us."

Minton smiled. "So you're the good cop and I get Taylor as the bad cop?"

Rossi glared at him. "I'm a veteran as well; consider me the lesser of two evils." Minton looked at him; Matt inwardly smiled. Rossi already has him half bagged. The rest of the team watching noticed the same.

Dave leaned back in his chair, wrapping an arm around the top. "So tell me Mitch about your victims; why the focus on the blacks first?" Minton looked at him. "You told Agent Taylor and Detective Smith that you went after the blacks first."

"And that's not admissible in court," Minton said.

"Ooooo yes it is," Rossi said. "The excitable utterances at arrest before Miranda rights have been ruled as evidentiary by the Supreme Court."

"But I was under duress by the FBI."

"Agent Taylor was defending himself," Rossi said, pulling open a file folder, waving his finger across two pages of paper. "I've got his, Detective Smith's and the two patrol officers," Rossi added, lifting more sheets of paper, "after action reports right here. It's all legit in my world," Rossi said, looking Minton in the eye. "And the DA has already cleared it; especially since Wally's statement corroborated it."

"Wally?"

"The homeless vet that clocked you from the back."

Minton eyed Dave more. "And you are allowed to lie in interrogation."

"True," Dave said. "But I'm not lying," he said, looking Minton directly in the eye. Rossi put his index finger on one report and then the second. He then turned to the page to Wally's signed statement, turning the file so Minton could see it.

"Drop the hammer Rossi and reel him in," Morgan said on the other side the mirror.

"He's getting there Morgan," Hotch said.

Minton looked at Matt and then Rossi. "You've got him on a short leash," Minton smiled, nodding at Matt.

"Noooooo," Rossi said. "He's a patient man; for an Irishman. And just my back-up." Dave looked at him. "Do you want me to let him loose?" he asked, looking Minton in the eye. When he got no response he opened another file folder. "Figured as much," Dave said.

"That'll piss his off," Morgan smiled.

Lewis looked at Prentiss. "Why do I get the feeling that Cob isn't going to say a word?"

"Maybe; maybe not," Reid said. "He knows Rossi has Minton bagged." Lewis looked at him. "But Rossi just might need Cob to bring it home."

"It's all part of their strategy Tara," Emily smiled.

"Is it?" she said.

Hotch looked at Tara. "Dave knows what he's doing. And he and Matt have a sound strategy planned out."

"And then there's your knife," Dave said, opening another file. He looked at Minton. "Gee, when did Army Ranger standards slide below a typical Marine's level?"

"That doesn't happen," Minton challenged, "you god damn jarhead."

"Yes, it does," Dave said pointing to the report he opened. "The DNA of the blood from the inside of the screws of you knife handle matched two of your victims. We Marines clean our weapons better than that," Dave smiled.

"Hotch I took Rossi's class at the FBI Academy on interviewing skills when I joined the Bureau just before he left. Rossi is playing with him," Morgan said.

"No Morgan," Hotch said. "He's setting him up to bring Matt in. It's classic Rossi. Look at Matt; he knows it. And look at Minton."

"He's ready to blow like a volcano." Tara noted. Emily smiled at her.

"This is interesting," Dave commented, opening another file and reading through it.

"What's so interesting?" Matt inwardly smiled again. Play your hole ace Dave.

"This is the after action report of your last fire fight as an Army Ranger in Afghanistan."

"How the hell did you get that?"

Dave smiled as he feigned reading. "Agent Taylor's contacts at DOD are immense and go quite high up the ladder." He stopped reading. "You blamed Corporal Whittaker for a mortar attack? He had no control over that. That was the enemy."

"What do you know about facing enemies and mortal attacks?"

Dave looked him in the eye. "Vietnam; Division One; Marines."

"And him?" Minton said, nodding at Matt.

"Gulf War; Marine Recon; advance mission into enemy territory before Stormin' Norman led his charge."

"OK, so you both know combat. But you don't know jackshit about mine."

"Yes I do," Dave pointed at the report. "Answer my question: how they hell does a black corporal get blamed for you losing a part of your leg?"

"That sonofabitch was on the west point where that mortar round came from. I had my team in textbook formation. Do you know what the sound of mortar round coming in is like?" Matt glanced at Hotch on the other side of the mirror.

Dave nodded his head. "Agent Taylor can perfectly mimic it."

"All Whittaker had to do was give us a head's up. That damn idiot didn't."

Dave pointed to the report. "He did; you had your mike keyed opened talking to Corporal Eaton on your east position about a 'good lookin' woman standing in the village'," Rossi quoted from the report. "So Whittaker's call didn't come through."

"You're lying," Minton said.

"It's all right here," Dave said, pointing at the report, pushing it towards Minton. "Read it yourself."

"Do you know what a mortar does when it hits Agent?" Minton bit out in question.

"No, I don't," Rossi said, looking him in the eye. "I tangled with a landmine."

"I do," Matt said, moving off the wall, walking to the table. "I watched a mortar frag take off one of my Marine's head." Minton looked at him. Matt slashed his index finger across his throat as he said, "The frag took it off clean; I watched his head roll on the ground." Emily just shook her head and Lewis turned to walk away from the window. Smith loudly gulped.

"God damn," Morgan whispered.

"And even if you had gotten Whittaker's report, you would have had less than five seconds to react," Matt said.

"One thousand one, one thousand two," Dave started counting.

"That fucker walked away without a scratch," Minton shouted.

"And he needed payback for that," Matt asked.

"Goddamn right he did," Minton said.

"And you got it," Matt challenged, putting his hands on the table, getting in Minton's face. "By killing homeless black people or anyone if you couldn't find your target audience?"

"Yes I did."

Dave looked into the mirror, then at Minton and shut the files. "I think we're done here."

Hotch looked at the rest of his team on the other side of the mirror. "I think you all just witnessed how to do a two person interview when you have, as Dave would say, your ducks in a row. Prentiss and Reid, you've got the follow up interview to get his full confession. Make sure Detective Smith is sitting in with you." He walked away. Emily and Morgan looked at each other and shook their heads.

Rossi and Taylor headed towards the door. "Where are you going?" Minton challenged.

"With the confession you just gave that is videotaped," Rossi said, pointing at the camera, "along with the DNA evidence that was collected from your knife handle? The better question is where are you going Minton?" Dave said, opening the door.

Matt started to follow Rossi out and then stopped and turned. Dave did as well to listen in the doorway. "You know what Minton; I missed judged you."

Minton looked at him. "How's that?"

"You're not only a narcissist, you're a sociopath." Minton glared at him. "I mourned the loss of my men I had in my command." He started to walk out more and then stopped again. "The kids would have scrambled my brain." Dave gave Matt a look and moved out of the doorway. Matt walked out the door and shut it.

The rest of the team looked at Rossi as Matt walked down the hallway. Rossi looked at them and then turned to follow Matt. "Rossi," Morgan said, 'hang on man." Rossi stopped and turned to look at him. "How much of that was true?"

"Everything except Wally's statement." Dave turned to follow Matt.

###

A/N: Since way back when, those that are in the US armed forces that are not Marines have called them jarheads. Don't ask me why. I just know the history and terminology.