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Not Like This
Chapter Thirty-two: A Race Against Time
10:15 P.M.
The rest of the team had arrived along with some deputies. Everyone had secured their vest, strapped on their firearms and prepared to enter the house of John Campbell. They entered the house cautiously and cleared the rooms one by one.
10:34 P.M.
The house had been cleared along with curious observations from the neighboring individuals. Morgan quickly called them out, telling them to go back inside their residence. On the inside, the house was seemingly normal, considering the outside surroundings. "Even unsubs have a standard of living." Jamie thought. There were a lot of knickknacks along the shelves, framed photographs that looked sort of outdated decorated spaces that would've otherwise been empty on the crème walls. Towards the back of the house, the floor was dusty with the occasional dust-bunny. In the master bedroom, a flashy, framed Bachelor of Science degree from University of South Carolina was shattered on the floor. The glass littered the floor and there was no doubt to those who saw it that it was once proudly displayed above its resting spot.
"You have to wonder how she ended up here." Jamie said out loud. She was speaking to anyone who would listen.
"What do you mean?" walking up behind her was JJ. She shined her flashlight on the floor, getting a glimmer of reflection off the broken glass.
Jamie looked up at JJ. "Look at this neighborhood. I just think anyone who was willing to put themselves through four-years of schooling and had plans to be a doctor…" Her sentence trailed off, as she didn't want to seem offensive to a woman who was likely dead.
JJ sighed and moved her flashlight around the dim room. "This wasn't in her plans."
Jamie was thankful that JJ understood. She simply nodded her head and moved on to the hallway. It connected to the living room where Hotch was on the phone with Garcia.
"Are you sure there wasn't anything else listed for John Campbell? Another address maybe?" Hotch asked.
The line was almost silent. A faint sound of Garcia's keyboard clicking in a hurry could be heard. "The one I provided earlier is the only one, sir."
"Look for any other residential listings for Campbell and let us know as soon as possible."
"Of course, sir."
12:26 A.M.
After the search through Campbell's home, the team insisted they go back to the precinct. Despite the plea from Grady for them to get some rest, the BAU was persistent. They knew they were onto something that would break the case wide open. It was only a matter of time. This was a job that demanded the best out of everyone for the sake of others' wellbeing. Every individual on the team knew what they had signed up for. The long nights, the constant travel, and the disturbing information that came along with working for the Federal Bureau of Investigation was always weighing on their spirits. It was at times like these where they had little information where they felt on the face of it, hopeless. Lives of civilians counted on them. Sometimes they figured blood would be on their hands. It took over their minds at some point in their career. They just had to remember to not let their emotions overcome their intelligence.
A tired group of eyes shot up at the sound of Hotch's cellphone ringing. He answered and put it on speaker. "Garcia?" His voice was slightly hopeful.
"I'm sorry it took so long, but there is a house that is located by Lake Inman which belonged to Campbell's grandfather, then his father, now John Campbell. John's father passed nearly six years ago."
"Excellent work, Garcia." Hotch told her.
"I'll send the address now."
Ending their call, Hotch only needed to give his team a look. They were already up and ready to go. Hope filled to room for the first time in days.
"Lake Inman covers an area of approximately ¼ square miles." Spencer stated as the team was walking out the precinct.
Rossi was walking next to him, saying, "We'll take backup."
1:30 A.M.
Sleet started to rain down out of nowhere. It hit the windshield hard and the tires moved slickly on the road. It was an hour drive from the station to Lake Inman. With a lot of ground to cover, they were glad to have brought a flurry of officers behind them. With Morgan at the wheel, they assumed it wouldn't take the full hour; but the driving conditions were at their worst. Morgan squinted his eyes, trying to see through the frozen rain. When the SUV started to hydroplane, silent panic entered the vehicle. Control was quickly gained of the vehicle and breaths of relief could be heard from the back seats.
Their speed was something at of frightening, as they were in a race against time. The sleet was coming down harder than it first started. The SUV skid on the road more than a few times while navigating through the dark morning.
2:25 A.M.
A lone house on the edge of a lake was something out of a horror movie. When Morgan brought the SUV to a stop, Jamie didn't wait to flee from the confined space. She was antsy, along with the others next to her. The sleet felt like it cut her exposed skin while she waited for the other members of the team to meet up.
A hand rested upon her shoulder, followed by a deep voice. "Jamie, you need to relax." Morgan gave her a sympathetic look.
"I want to be done with this case." she fired back. Headlights could be seen down the road, growing bigger by the second, as the rest of the team was close.
"We all do."
2:33 A.M.
The arrival of Hotch, JJ and Rossi in the other vehicle had Jamie nervous. This is what they had been working towards. This is what they had been exhausted for. She wanted to make it right. The team gathered in a close circle with officers surrounding them, and Hotch began giving directions. It was about a 600-meter walk to the front of the house. They were to be split up into two groups, one for the front and one for the back. Hotch, JJ, and Rossi would cover the front with their group of officers, while Morgan, Jamie, and Spencer would accompany their officers in the back. On Hotch's signal, they were to enter the house and clear the rooms as quickly and accurately as possible. "We've been waiting for this. Let's not screw it up."
2:48 A.M.
If it was at all possible, the already black sky seemed to turn even darker as they trekked to the house. Against the sleet and the wind that had announced itself, the team worked quickly. Morgan, Jamie, and Spencer split from the group to place themselves in the back of the house. Per usual, Morgan was ready to kick down the door with the rest of the group behind him. Jamie covered his back, while Spencer had his eyes out on the backyard. Every officer in the company was wide eyed and alert.
They were waiting for a "go" from Hotch to come through on their earpieces. Instead of everything going according to plan, Spencer's voice could be heard loudly. "We've got two running!" Spencer took off along with the few officers they had with them.
"Spencer!" Jamie cried out. She and Morgan were following closely behind. Following, heavy footsteps and beams from flashlights plagued her senses as she tried to keep up with the two runners.
Jamie fell behind Morgan as they sprinted towards the two unsubs. Through the air and in booming into their earpiece, it could be heard that it was none other than John Campbell and Taylor Schillings. "FBI stop running!". Concentrating on the action around her, Jamie wasn't watching her footing. The ice beneath her feet got the better of her. She fell and hit her chin, causing a painful cut to appear. No matter, she had a job to do. Not far behind, she could see Spencer leap and try to knock Campbell to the ground. Only, it didn't happen that way, Campbell was slick and let go of Taylor, who inevitably fell onto the frozen lake. Morgan had Campbell on the ground then, but Spencer offered a hand to Taylor. He was inching his way onto the ice. When she reached her hand out to take his, Spencer moved what seemed not even an inch closer. The cracking sound was loud, they splash that followed was alarming. The two of them plunged into the icy, grey lake.
