Chapter 55
When Hotch and Rossi joined the rest of the team and the local officers, Hotch was relieved to see three perfectly normal human teenaged boys. They had apparently snuck into the old building many times, but when they stumbled upon the grotesque body, they had high-tailed it out of there. In fact, one of the boys was suffering from shock as he was still shaking. Morgan and Mack were doing their best to calm the other two boys down, and JJ was acting as a surrogate mother to the really upset boy until his real mother showed up.
Detective Iona shook his head. "Just when I thought we had finally caught a break."
Rossi nodded. "Once we get them calmed down enough, we'll interview them. Maybe one of them saw something."
Iona studied the boys. "Wouldn't they have already said if they did?"
Hotch thanked God they hadn't as he took a deep breath. "They might have seen something without even realizing it. Cognitive interviews can unlock even the smallest details."
Iona ran his hand through his hair. "I sure hope so." He looked at Hotch. "Can I sit in on those? I've heard how they work, but I would love to see you all do one first-hand."
Hotch's eyes flicked towards Rossi and then back. "I don't see why not," he offered in a casual tone.
Rossi's brows dipped down slightly. How the hell are we supposed to interview them about shifters if he's watching?
Hotch put a hand on Rossi's back. "The detective can watch you with the oldest boy. He was probably the first one to enter so he might have the most information."
It took everything in Rossi not to smile. Hotch knew damn well that boy hadn't even gotten into the room with the body and had been the most reluctant to even go into the building, so he probably had the least amount of information. He shot a look to Hotch and then then nodded to the detective. "Come on; let's see if he's ready."
While Rossi led the detective away, Hotch made his way over to the boy JJ was comforting. JJ looked up at him and nodded. "I think Steven is going to be alright."
"Good," Hotch offered and then knelt down in front of him. "Is it alright if I ask you a few questions, Steven?"
The young man took a deep breath and shuffled his feet on the pavement. "I didn't mean to throw up on that cop."
JJ turned so he couldn't see her smile as Hotch nodded. "We know. It's alright." The boy looked too embarrassed to meet Hotch's eyes, though, so Hotch went on. "You're not the only to lose their breakfast over that. An officer back at the building made quite a mess of the sidewalk."
The boy's eyes shot up to Hotch's and he halfway grinned. "Yeah?"
Hotch nodded. "Yep." He took a deep breath. "So what happened, Steven?"
"We were walking down the hall," he started and then took a shaky breath as a visible shiver ran through him. "And we saw a couple rats run out from under one of the doors, and. . . and," he paused as his eyes watered again.
Hotch scooted a little closer to the young man and locked eyes with him. "Calm down, Steven. You're safe now," he assured him in a calm tone. Steven took another deep breath as his muscles relaxed a little, and Hotch smiled. "There you go. Tell me what happened next."
JJ wasn't sure if Hotch was compelling the boy or not, so she moved back slightly but kept a reassuring hand on his back as she silently let Hotch take complete control of the interview.
"We thought that maybe kahiko Kane was in there," Steven continued.
"And who is that?"
"Sorry. That's Mr. Kane; he's an old, homeless man who stays in a lot of the abandoned buildings. He's harmless. . . we give him food and stuff, and we thought that maybe something had happened to him." He licked his lips and took a breath. "He always joshed about us finding him dead one day."
Hotch nodded. "Did you open the door?"
"Yes."
"And what did you find?"
The teenager's face scrunched up with the memory and he started shaking again.
"You're safe, Steven. Just focus on me and tell me what you saw. The memory cannot hurt you," Hotch led in a quiet tone.
The tension melted out of Steven's frame. "I saw a. . . I don't know what I saw, but there was something on that boy and it was. . . it was. . ."
Hotch grabbed his chin with a gentle hand and looked him in the eyes. "Take a deep breath," Hotch ordered and he did. "Let it out," Hotch continued and the young man did that, too. "You know what you saw, so tell me," he compelled him.
Steven was lost in Hotch's eyes and when he started speaking again, it was in an almost robotic type cadence. "It was the biggest cat I have ever seen. It was eating from the boy's chest, and when I made a noise, it looked up at me and snarled and then it flew out of the broken window." He took a breath.
Hotch broke the connection with him as he mentally cussed.
"Cat's don't get that big, and they can't fly," Steven mused. "How is that possible?"
Hotch looked at the other young men and then back to Steven. "Did anyone else see what you saw?" he asked instead of answering.
Steven shook his head. "No. They were still in the hall. It was gone by the time Miko came into the room." Tears started falling down his cheeks. "I know it doesn't make any sense, but I swear that's what I saw," he offered as he stared at Hotch wanting someone to believe him.
"Have you told anyone else about the cat thing?"
"No. They'd just think I was making it up or think I was crazy, but I'm not," he insisted.
"I know," Hotch offered with a reassuring look and then leaned a little closer and locked eyes with him again. "You didn't see anything strange, Steven. All you saw was the body of that boy. It was horrible and frightening, but that was the only thing in that room."
Hotch could see his compelled situation working on the young mind as Steven became calmer. "I saw that boy," he agreed.
"You did," Hotch agreed as he stood up. "And you telling us about it has been a great help," he went on as he motioned to an officer who was keeping Steven's mother busy while they finished their interview. "But now you need to go home, take a hot shower, and try to relax," he issued as he held a hand out to help Steven up and then looked at the boy's mother. "I think it would be wise for you to take Steven home and keep him there."
The woman started nodding immediately. "I will and I'll make sure everyone else that I know does the same with their children."
JJ gave her a small smile. "Until this is over, everyone is safer at home."
Steven looked down the street in the direction of the building where he'd found the body and then shook his head. "I'll never go into another building."
"While that may be best," JJ started as she reached over and gave the young man's arm a squeeze. "You have helped that young boy by telling us about what you saw."
He took a deep breath and nodded. "I just wish I could do more."
Hotch put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "You've help us even more than you realize."
Steven's mother gave them both a nod of thanks and then led her son away to join the other teens and their parents.
Rossi quickly worked his way over to Hotch who had moved off by himself. "Did he see it?"
Hotch nodded as he looked towards the building. "But I made him forget it."
Rossi took a deep breath. "That's best. The poor boy was probably going crazy trying to reason it out in his head."
Hotch's eyes cut to him for a second and then he called for the detective. Once he was close enough, Hotch told him he wanted all three of the boys' houses put under police protection.
"You think the killer saw them?" Iona asked with wide eyes.
"It's hard to say, but I would prefer to make sure those boys are safe. If it is someone from around here, they might know who those boys are," Hotch offered.
Iona nodded and went to carry out the orders.
Rossi frowned as he looked at Hotch. "You don't actually think that."
"No, but it gives the locals something to do so maybe they won't focus on what we're doing."
"And what are we doing?" Rossi asked him.
"You are going to take the team back to the scene and profile it like we should have done in the first place," Hotch insisted.
Rossi folded his arms across his chest and gave Hotch his best fatherly look. "And what are you going to do?"
Hotch nodded towards a vehicle that just pulled up. "Officer Schewel and I are going to do a little search."
Rossi looked towards the cruiser with a frown and then shook his head when Jimmy got out and headed their way. "Those damn ears of yours. . ."
Hotch gave him a devilish grin and shrugged his shoulders.
Rossi chuckled for a second and then got completely serious. "Be careful."
Hotch smiled. "Of course," he agreed and then went towards one of the SUVs as he motioned for Schewel to come with him.
Rossi loaded the team up and took them back to the scene. He didn't park once he got there, though. Instead he pulled up along the sidewalk and smiled at Morgan's questioning look. "What?"
"Exactly what are you going to do?" Morgan asked him as his hand rested on the handle.
"Hotch will know if try to follow him," Reid pointed out quickly from the back seat.
Rossi sighed. "I'm not going to follow Hotch."
"Then what are you going to do?" Mack asked as she leaned forward with serious eyes.
"I have something I need to take care of," Rossi tried.
JJ smirked and then reached for her handle. "Come on guys. It's obvious he's going to purchase a gun that will shoot those silver bullets and doesn't want Hotch to know," she offered matter-of-factly and opened the door.
Mack and Reid's eyes went wide and Morgan busted out laughing and he smacked Rossi's shoulder with a playful hand. "You go, Man."
Rossi smirked. "I don't know what she's talking about."
"Sure you don't, Man, sure you don't," Morgan quipped and then got out and joined the rest of the team on the sidewalk.
"I'll be quick. Don't go anywhere without me," Rossi told them as he put the SUV in drive.
"We'll be here," JJ assured him and then ushered them into the guarded building.
XXXXX
As soon as they were in the SUV and headed away from the rest of the police, Jimmy had quickly told Hotch about a shifter his Uncle John had spotted in a local diner and followed. John had started to follow the man, but the man had seen him and tried to lose him, so he shifted forms and followed him in the guise of various animals.
"Now, Uncle John doesn't know if it's our killer or not. He just knows that it's a shifter he didn't recognize," Jimmy made sure to point out.
Hotch nodded. "I understand. If we can get close to it, I'll be able to question it."
"There has to be something shady about it if it tried to get away from Uncle John."
"Maybe, or maybe it didn't like being followed."
Jimmy winced. "I guess almost anyone would see that as being a little creepy."
Hotch glanced at him. "Just a little."
