We had a case again the next week, and I wanted to go back there so bad. I had missed civilization and while I had to go look at grusom murderers this was the highlight of my week. Or so I thought going into this case. It was like any other case at the beginning, 4 kids had been murdered and dumped in the trash on the streets of New York. We flew out and I looked at the dump sights all those other things we usually look at. Their family backgrounds were sketchy to say the least, nr. 1 had a drunk dad and a dead mother, nr. 2 divorce parents and a mom working non stop, nr. 3 no dad but drug addicted mom and nr. 4 was the worst, mother abused him and was a prostitute. Bad grades at school, street kids, I felt really bad for them. I was pretty silent during the flight, thinking of how they were murdered I did not like this case. These boys did not deserve to die like that just tortured then dumped in a dumpster.
We got off the plane and went to the dumpsite of the latest victim. I walked around, crowded street alley, bad neighborhood to say the least. A woman walked by and asked what had happened I looked over at Hotch who nodded and I answered her, a hormecide. I got a picture from JJ and asked the woman if she had known the victim. She took one glance and nodded at me, so she knew nr. 4 Todd.
"I knew him, if I know him right, this was his own fault." She said and walked away. I put the picture away and glared after her, how dare she say something like that? Maybe he had no choice, from his file he had no choice. And she just saw him as nothing but street scum.
We went back to the police station and Reid set up a geo profile while I kept reading up on the victims, they already had a petty record. Shame. I took to the streets and hit up an old friend of mine, asked him to ask around see if anyone knew these boys. He was hard to persuade seeing as this was a cop case. I told him it was a deal, that I was happy doing this. He said it was not a good enough reason to have gone soft and gone to work for the enemy. I looked him dead in the eyes in the alley we were standing in.
"Look this may be for the cops, but I need your help, I am asking you to do me this favor, you owe me." I said and he glared at me.
"Give me one good reason not to shoot you right now for breaking the code." He said and I sighed.
"One good reason? Look at those boys, you may hate the cops and I get it, but this person, they are killing our kids, not some rich filthy basterds, our people. And if we don't catch this guy more street kids will be killed." I said and he nodded giving me a slight hug before leaving the alley with his guys.
I walked back to the police station where I met Hotch at the door.
"Almost thought you had run off." He said and I shook my head and smiled.
"Nope, my guy was just a little difficult to get to cooperate. But I persuaded him." I said and he smiled at me as we walked into the room we were working in.
We discussed what we had found and my guy called the number I had given him from what I could tell was a payphone. He told me that they had been under a few guys wings but no one had anything bad to say about these guys, they were loyal good street kids. I thanked him and he told me that this one was for the kids not me, as far as he was concerned his debt to me was paid, I agreed and hung up. I told the team what I had been told and they nodded saying we were ready to give a profile.
"This unsure is a white male in his 30 to late 50s. He blends in works in some form of justice seeing as though he is so skilled with a weapon and how he seems to justify the kills." Hotch started and Rossi elaborated.
"He dumps them in trash because that is what they are to him, these are street kids and with this sort of dumping it suggests that he feels a sense of justice when he kills them. They are street kids our source on the street tells us that they are good guys and likable. However being that they come from a bad neighborhood and are in the streets a lot they are very low risk targets. They are easy to catch and given their background, will not necessarily be missed." He said, I hated what he said, I knew he was right but I hated this unsub for doing this shit.
"Check all justice departments, anyone who suffered through a trauma recently could be down to something as simple as a mugging that could have triggered this unsub." Reid said.
We thanked them for listening and the police officers scattered. We were walking back to our office when an officer walked past us shrugging to his partner.
"I don't agree with him killing people, but killing criminals, that don't sound too bad to me. I mean they kind of had it coming right?" He said walking past us.
I could feel rage start burning up inside me as i walked towards them hearing more of their conversation.
"I mean they dont do anything good for society, all they are is worthless criminals. disposable really?" He said, poked his shoulder and he turned to me, I put a smile on my face.
"Excuse me, but what were you saying?" I asked making doe eyes hoping he would not catch on, he smiled at me slightly.
"Just that these kids are bad seeds anyway. Disposable." He said shrugging and smiling at me.
"May I teach you something?" I asked as nicely as I could i was boiling with rage on the inside though.
"Sure darling." he said trying to flirt with me.
I punched him in the face then in the stomach and then kneed him in the balls. I grabbed his hair and made him look up at me.
"Street kids are not disposable, we are not worthless. And if you agree with this killer then you are a worthless piece of shit." I yelled all of my rage was still raging.
I hated this man more than I had hated anyone, at least at the moment. I heard an okay from behind me as two arms were wrapped around me as I was casually picked up off the floor, I fought back wanting to hit the guy some more. I hated this man, how could he say something like that? I was dragged into the interegation room and sat down, I looked up and noticed Morgan I was still pissed and fighting him. But he grabbed my arms and held me completely still.
"HEY!" he yelled and I released a breath I did not know I was holding.
"You need to calm down. What you did out there was completely uncalled for." He yelled at me and I glared at him.
"He called those kids worthless." I said in response, morgan just glared at me.
"Yeah? But you can not go around beating people just because you feel with the victims." He said sternly. I looked down and sighed, he was right I knew that.
"He agreed with the killer, he thought we should just be killed off. Like all street kids are better off dead." I said i could feel tear coming down my face as I said it. It was turning from rage to frustration.
"They are not. You know that. I know that. But he just don't see it like we do." He said in a calm tone.
"They are just street kids. They are not just worthless. They don't deserve this. Kids are getting killed and nobody cares." I kept crying out. My emotions were all over the place and I hated this, I hated not controlling my feelings. But this one hit home, they were killing kids like me, kids who society abandoned, and nobody cared.
Morgan let go of me and let me cry a little as he tried to calm me down. It was slightly working. I finally stopped and he looked at me.
"You good?" He asked and I nodded getting up.
I did not care how i looked i knew it was horrible I left the conference room knowing all of the police officers were looking at me. I went into our little office where everyone went silent upon seeing me. Morgan sat down beside me and i walked over to Hotch asking for a moment alone.
"I am sorry about causing trouble." I said sternly and he nodded.
"Also, I think I would like off of this case. This is very personal for me and I do not feel like I can do this job when I am this close to the case." I said looking down at my feet.
"Which is why I am not taking you off it. I want you on this, use this hatred you have for the unsub as motivation. Also I think it would be good when we catch him." He said and i nodded sighing. I had hoped i could sit this one out, but seemed unlikely.
"But something like that outburst before, can not happen again, or you leave me no choice to break our agreement with you." He said sternly and I nodded.
"Deserved it though." He said walking away as if he had not just said that. I smiled and followed him back into the conference room.
We had found a unsub a lawyer who had recently been mugged, we had to walk around the streets and ask if anyone had seen him, since he was not in neither office nor apartment. I was paired with Reid and we were walking around asking a few people. I noticed a group of bad looking guys standing around talking. I stopped Reid for a moment.
"So I have seen you socialize, not a pretty site. Let me take the lead on this one okay?" I said and he frowned but nodded. I walked over to them and made a the common greeting to one of the guys, I asked if they had seen this guy they said no and I nodded walking away.
Reid asked me if he could try and lead on the next group of guys and I chuckled but obliged wanted to see how bad he would do.
"Yo, what up homies?" He said walking up to those guys, he sounded like an awkward adult not really knowing how to use slang it was a little adorable.
"Seen this dude, hombres?" He said and the just scoffed shook their head and walked away. Reid walked back to me and I slow clapped smiling gently at him.
"Not bad." I said and his face lit up and he smiled at me.
"Really?" He said in disbelief. I walked over to him.
"No." I said padding his shoulder slightly.
"That bad?" He asked and I chuckled and nodded.
"You are an incredibly smart man Reid, but leave the street smarts to me darling." I said padding his cheek lightly.
We walked around and regrouped with the others, when Morgan called us over the coms saying he had him. And was coming our way. He had him in handcuffs he and Prentiss had apparently caught him in an alley red handed. He was in handcuffs now, I glared at him, Morgan handed the guy to Prentiss and walked over to Hotch whispering something to him. He looked over and nodded. I noticed that the guy had a black eye, and wondered where he had gotten that. The police came and put him into their car taking him to the station. Morgan walked over to me before getting the SUV.
"You the reason for that black eye?" I asked and he chuckled shrugging.
"Officially I had nothing to do with that." He said and I smirked.
"Off the record, a little justice for a friend of mine." He said and I smiled at him. I hugged him as a thank you and as I pulled back he ruffled my hair smiling back at me.
We were flying back and I looked at my phone, wow, time really flies when you are incarcerated. I had already worked with the team for 4 months. I also noticed that it was the 24th may. The day before my birthday. I smiled slightly but put the phone away to get some sleep on the flight home. Had been an emotional day after all. I fell asleep on Reids shoulder and this time he did not flinch or even move. The only thing i felt was his hand brushing my hair out of my face. I slept peacefully wanting to just forget this day forever, just stay like this for a little while longer before going back to that hellhole.
We might have been flying a million miles up in the sky, but this was my own little piece of heaven.