Hey everyone, here is Chapter Three for those of you who enjoy this story. I'm hard at work right now making sure I write out quality chapters for you all. I hope you enjoy and please remember to review. Happy reading. x
All rights go to the owners of Criminal Minds, except for my original character
Not Like This
Chapter Three: The Universal Truth
Jamie turned off the radio as they arrived at the police station where the rest of the team was. All three got out of the SUV, making their way inside in an orderly fashion. Entering the conference room with their team setup, Rossi was quick to ask, "Did you learn anything?"
"Spencer doesn't like the beach." JJ joked.
That received an odd look from Rossi. He looked between the three of them, eyes finally landing on Jamie, as if he was waiting for her to explain.
"Seagull feces." she simply said, hoping that would be enough for the man as an explanation. Her face showed no comicalness in it, sending the message that she wasn't playing around.
"It's true." Spencer spoke up. "Terry Rodgers definitely wanted to live off the grid. There's a small generator for minimal electrical needs. There's no phone, no tv, no radio."
"Lots of material about the evils of technology, living healthy off the land, that sort of thing." JJ added.
"Sounds like the Unabomber." Rossi commented, looking at Hotch next to him.
"Spencer did find a small stash of marijuana that was hidden away." Jamie mentioned.
"Did you find any evidence that a baby lived there or visited there?" Hotch asked, looking between JJ and Jamie.
"Uh, no, why?" JJ pondered.
"I just got the list of things that he bought at the supermarket." Hotch took papers from the desk top, handing them over to JJ, who accepted them.
She read the list out loud. "Four jars of baby food…"
Before she could continue, the sheriff arrived in the room. "A body matching Rodgers' description was found in a river ten miles out of town."
All four agents in the room exchanged glances, rushing out to go to the river.
The body was being brought down onto the bridge, slow and steady. When it hit the ground, Jamie got a clear look. She bent down closer to the body, seeing every inch that was visible.
"A fisherman found him washed up on the bank." The Sheriff mentioned, eyes glued to the victim.
Morgan, who was right beside Jamie, spoke. "Well, other than the ligature marks on the wrist and ankles, there's no sign of violence or torture."
"A lot of care was taken with the killing and the disposal of the body." Jamie concluded upon her own observations.
"Sedation and drowning." Morgan added.
"We may have to dramatically reassess who this unsub is." Hotch declared.
Jamie nodded her head and rose from the ground, standing straight up again.
"What do you mean?" The Sheriff questioned.
Jamie turned her attention to her. "We might be looking for a woman. Considering how woman are usually, uh, how do I put this?" Jamie wondered out loud.
"…cleaner?" Morgan offered.
"Exactly." Jamie replied. "As we said before, there was care that went into the killing and the disposal. Meaning that we have to take into consideration that this could be a woman unsub."
"Okay, I'll let my guys in on it." The Sheriff replied, leaving the three agents alone.
Jamie started walking back to the SUV she arrived in, disposing of her gloves as she walked. Morgan caught up to her side, Jamie turned and offered him a smile.
"Not bad, Carter." he joked, almost sounding impressed, as if he was expecting less of her.
"Believe it or not, I know a thing or two."
The drive back to the station felt like a lifetime to the girl. Sitting passenger with not a word said between her and Morgan, while Hotch took his own vehicle, was less than lovely. Jamie didn't mind the quiet, but the strain in the air was evident. She didn't know why, maybe her new coworker suspected the worst about her. It was getting late and Jamie was drained, but there was still work to be done.
Finally, they pulled into the parking lot and Morgan came to a steady stop. He shut off the engine and both agents hopped out and made their way inside.
Jamie beelined for the conference room, hoping to get a moment to herself. When she arrived, however, that's not what she got. There, sitting down at the conference table was Spencer. He was reading over the pile of papers that covered the table top. She was about the head back out the door when his voice sounded from behind her.
"Hey." was all he said. His tone was quiet, probably just as worn-out as she was.
Jamie took in a deep breath before turning around again. She gave Spencer a small, half grin and slowly started walking towards him, putting her hands in her back pockets. "Hey."
"What did you find out from the body?"
"What?"
Spencer gave a confused look. "…the body? Terry Rodgers down at the river?"
Jamie snapped out of whatever daze she had been in. She squeezed her eyes shut and moved her hands down her face. "Oh right, uh, we're thinking that we need to consider a woman as being the unsub."
"Makes sense. Looking at these photos, the killings and the disposals seem clean."
"Took the words right out of my mouth." Jamie sighed, standing awkwardly beside him.
"…are you going to sit?"
"…sure." Jamie sat down in one f the other black, wheeled chairs around the table and put her head in her hands. She stayed in that position for a minute or two, rubbing the palms of her hands over her eyes. When she looked back up, she noticed Spencer staring at her. No, not staring, more like studying her. Jamie stared back for a moment, not as intensely, but her eyes met his. As weird as it was, she couldn't help it when she let out a breathy laugh, letting her eyes focus on anything but the man in front of her. "What is it, Spencer?"
"You still look the same."
Jamie's green eyes met with his deep hazel ones once more. Admittedly, his comment took her by surprise, but she laughed at it anyway, almost in a shy manner. "Well, I think I'll take that as a compliment."
He didn't respond.
The pair sat in silence as Spencer was once again reading over the paperwork. Jamie grabbed some herself, pretending to look interested at whatever she was looking at. Before she knew it, words started spilling out of her mouth.
"I'm sorry." she apologized, her face sincere.
Now, it was Spencer's turn to be surprised. He loosely let the papers fall from his hands. "For what?"
Jamie shrugged her should and let out a huff of air. "For showing up in your life like this. I didn't even know that you were in the BAU until you walked into that debriefing room this morning."
He gave her a jumbled look.
"Rather that than the cold shoulder." she thought to herself.
"It's okay. Yes, it was completely unexpected, but that doesn't mean we can't be civilized with one another."
A wave of relief found itself being washed over Jamie. She released the clench of her muscles and relaxed a little more into her chair. "So, is it safe to assume that you don't hate me?" she asked, half kidding and half serious.
"Not anymore." Spencer answered honestly.
Ouch.
Suddenly, the rest of the team was entering the room. Eyes fell on the two of them sitting at the table. Nothing was said about it, and Jamie was grateful. Rossi, Morgan, Prentiss, JJ all sat down around the table. Hotch made his way to the front of the room next to the board.
Hotch studied the board for a moment. "There's got to be something that links these victims together."
"They were all athletic." Rossi mention. "Ellard teaches track and field, Deavers has a martial arts studio, Hicks had tendonitis from playing competitive tennis."
"But Rodgers' trainer said he was out of shape." JJ pointed out.
"The medical examiner determined Rodgers' time of death?" Hotch wondered.
"Three hours from when he was found at the river." Prentiss clarified.
"So, the unsub kept Rodgers alive for the entire day before drowning him." Morgan noted.
Then, Hotch's phone rang. He pulled it from his pocket, pressing the button for voicemail. "Go ahead, Garcia."
"Okay, I've got something and its really bugging me. I can't figure out what Terry Rodgers was doing those missing five months. I mean, you can't sit on a park bench in this country and not leave a paper trail."
"But you figured it out?" Rossi asked, hopeful.
"No." Garcia admitted. "This is me venting. What I did figure out was what Terry Rodgers was doing in Rhode Island before he went AWOL. Get this, he was married, divorced, then married again, currently way behind on child support payments to wife number two, and that's all I know. So, if you'll excuse me, I have more digging to do."
The line went dead and the loud silence of grinding gears filled the room.
"Owning child support could explain why Rodgers vanished for five months." Jamie offered her opinion. "Also, why he decided to live off the grid, making him hard to find."
"That's what would link him to the other victims. They all fathered children." Hotch concluded. "We need to deliver the profile."
Hotch walked swiftly to the outside of the room, gathering the local police officers and the Sheriff. The rest of the group all stood up from their seats and made their way to the front of the room.
Jamie couldn't help but noticed ho Morgan and Spencer were whispering back and forth to the other. The expressions on their faces showed anything buy amusement. She was sure that it was just her being paranoid, but then again, she was causing quite the stir and it was only her first day.
JJ seemed to notice Jamie as she was shifting her gazes back and forth. "You alright?"
Jamie nodded her head, maybe a little too quickly. "Yep."
Hotch then entered the room., officers on his tail. "We believe that the unsub we're looking for is a woman who is highly organized, thorough, and she's patient."
"Based on the complexity and sophistication of the abductions, we think that she is most likely between the ages of thirty and forty." Spencer added.
"She's familiar with the rural area surrounding La Grande. Either a native or someone who has lived there for a long while." Rossi mentioned.
Next down the line, Morgan. "We think she's keeping her victims in isolation in the countryside, which means she has access to land or some sort of structure that's remote, hidden and private."
"She's abducting exceptionally healthy men, ideal specimens, if you will." Prentiss pointed out their thoughts.
That caught the attention of the Sherriff. "Specimens? For what?"
"Possible breeding…" Jamie answered.
"The ability to father children is something we think she is looking for in her victims. They're all age appropriate and they're all fathers." Hotch explained.
"But why kill the last victim then?' the Sheriff questioned.
"She may have seen him as being flawed. He was the least physically fit of the four and neglected to pay child support." JJ clarified.
"Which would make him undesirable" Prentiss added on.
"The victims may be surrogates for a man that she wants but can't have." Morgan commented.
"Because she killed the last victim, we have to consider the possibility that the unsub is engaged in some sort of elimination process." Rossi pointed out.
"Preselecting a handful of prime candidates and then knocking them down one by one until she has her ideal breeding partner." said Jamie.
"And if this is the case, the killings just begun." Hotch concluded.
Signaling the end, the Sheriff gathered her people, having them comb through town to look for abandoned structure, things along those lines.
Jamie was feeling thirsty. She walked out of the conference room to the water cooler. Her eyes kept focused on the cold water coming down from the spout, into her cup. She pulled the cup to her lips, drinking the entire contents in three gulps. Was it refreshing? Yes, but it didn't help her nerves one bit. Throwing the cup away, Jamie started walking towards the bathroom. Not watching where she was going, she body bumped into Morgan. "Oh, shoot. Sorry, wasn't really paying attention." she apologized. Jamie looked up at Morgan, literally, since he was taller than her and the expression on his face was…intimidating and distressed to say the least.
He made his way past Jamie without a word.
Caught off guard by his demeanor and Jamie being herself, she chased him down. When she caught up to him, she grabbed his shoulder to turn him around.
"Uh, did I do something to offend you?" she questioned.
"No."
"…did I do something wrong then?"
"More like who you did wrong."
"God damn it." Jamie thought. That sentence was enough as his explanation, but Jamie played it off.
"What are you talking about?" she challenged him, crossing her arms over herself in defense. It was towards the end of her first day and she didn't want to believe that Morgan, or anyone else from the team already knew about her past with Spencer. This confrontation with Morgan was more of a confirmation of that fear.
Morgan shifted his weight, licking his lips in thought. "Listen Carter, Reid is my best friend, more like my brother actually. And I'll admit that what he told me pissed me off. The kid deserves so much better than that."
Was Jamie hearing his words correctly? Did she need to adjust her ears? Here she was, her dream job, the very first day and she was already stirring up drama. That was not her intention at all.
"When-what did he even tell you?" Jamie questioned, a little demand in her tone.
"Enough." Morgan tried walking away from the conversation but she wouldn't let him by.
"I guarantee that you don't know everything. You were given one side to the story. You don't know me, you don't know why I did what I did, what I had to do." Jamie was nearly seething through her teeth. She was trying to keep her exterior calm in appearance, but she knew it wasn't really working. If life would allow her to go back in time and make a different decision, she wasn't sure if she would choose differently. The choice that she made paved the way for the life she now led, and she loved her life.
She scoffed and stepped aside, letting Morgan past here since he clearly wasn't going to say anything more. Her mind was going a million miles a minute and her chest was rising as her breathing became heavy. She assumed that her and Spencer had a silent agreement not to talk about their past, but apparently, she was mistaken.
Rapidly walking back to the conference room, forgetting about heading to the restroom. When she arrived, she made little effort to acknowledge the other body in the room.
Out of everybody it could be, of course, it was Spencer.
Jamie let her eyes look over towards the board he was pinning papers to. She didn't know why, but she would find out later. To say that Jamie was agitated, that was an understatement.
Spencer spun around, offering his old friend an approachable grin.
"You told Morgan?" Jamie spat out. It was like she wasn't in control, her anger getting the best of her now.
Spencer needed no explanation for her sudden question. He opened his mouth to speak, but Jamie cut in.
"Why, Spencer?" Her tone was stern and her face told a story of woe.
"It's complicated." he answered, not breaking eye contact with Jamie.
The newest agent's eyebrows shot up and her jaw dropped open a tad. She placed her hands on her hips, "…it's complicated? Are you serious right now?"
"Very."
"So, it's okay to let everybody know about what happened? You don't care at all about how it makes either of us look?" Jamie scowled, her voice slightly raised.
"Don't you think it's better to just get it out of the way?" Now, Spencer was becoming defensive. It wasn't just about Jamie, it was also about Spencer. This was clearly going to affect their work, so maybe he was right.
Jamie didn't think so, though. "Oh, so what? You just needed to get it off your chest? You needed to go talk to your buddy about our situation? I'm sorry, but that is not okay with me. And whatever the hell you told him, he's so pissed at me." Jamie took a few forceful steps towards Spencer, who didn't falter when she moved forward. "This is my first day at my new job, a job that I have wanted my whole life and I highly doubt that you forgot that. Now, because of this, it's being compromised! You should've come to talk to me about it. How could you be selfish like that?"
Spencer's face went from stoic to inconceivable. "Jamie, you do not want to get me started on who's the selfish one between the two of us."
What a slap in the face.
"…you have no right to use that against me." Jamie tried to say assuredly, but that was a low blow.
"I just did. And right now, I have a job to do and so do you." Spencer returned to his board and pins.
"Fine." Jamie said as she began to walk away, but she turned back around. "Can I ask one thing of you, though?"
"Go for it." Spencer replied, returning his attention to Jamie.
"I don't care if you tell everyone what I did to you. But please, don't forget to tell them about what you did to me." Jamie gave him a smug expression and strutted out the room, leaving Spencer behind in his wroth state.
"…don't forget to tell them about what you did to me." Those chilling words left a mark, even on Jamie. The whole ordeal with Spencer was beginning to look like she was the only one to blame and maybe in someone's eyes, she was. There's always two sides to every story, though. Her side hadn't been told yet, but now, she was sure it would be heard by everybody. Spencer was clearly holding a grudge and if Jamie was being honest with herself, she couldn't blame him for doing so. People hold grudges against others because they don't want to let the other off the hook that easy. In reality, who is the one on the hook? The person who has moved on, or the one who is holding the grudge?
Jamie could still easily dig up the heartache and the sorrow she felt back them. It never disappeared and she knew it never would. When it first happened, Jamie spent so much of her time over analyzing the circumstances and the choice she made, trying to justify what could or what would happen, but she left those pieces of her puzzle on the floor.
She moved on.
There is a universal truth that everybody must eventually face in their life. Whether you expect it, or whether you want it to or not, everything ends. Saying goodbye to what she was comfortable with, with that she was familiar with, it was hard; but at the same time, it was easy.
That's something she had always felt guilty for.
Thanks for reading and please remember to review! I would really appreciate it.
If you like Supernatural, check out my work(s): The Unforeseeable Life of Alexandra Winchester & Alexandra Winchester: One-Shots
