TITLE: Criminal Minds – "Darkest Days" (A sequel to Behind the Mask)

AUTHOR: D M Harper

SUMMARY: Agent Prentiss is forced to face her secretive past when it threatens the safety of her BAU colleagues and her beloved family.

RATING: For Mature Readers.

DISCLAIMER: This story was conjured up for reading entertainment only. No money has exchanged hands or bank accounts. There is no profit gained, just fancy flights of imagination. There is no intention to infringe on the copyright of CBS Television Studios or creator Jeff Davis. This writing does feature consensual sexual interaction between two females, so if you are underage or unable to view due to restrictions in your part of the world, be gone and take my sympathy with you. If you find such material offensive, too bad, so sad, you chose to enter this web site of your own free will; hence you have no one to whine to except yourself or a parent if you are caught, so bugger off!

A/N: Sorry for the delay, but the Muse went AWOL and life was kicking me in the pants. Anyhoo, hope you enjoy and please let me know what you think. Attempts will be made to return to a regular posting time frame. Please note this chapter may contain triggers of sexual assault and/or abuse!


Chapter 54

It was a little after five when Jennifer called Emily with an update. Derek and Alex were at the M.E.'s Office situated a block away at 200A West Third Street collecting four more autopsy reports on identified victims while Emily was adding those names to the murder board

"What do you have J.J.?" Emily inquired as she stepped away from the photos.

"Emily, we are on our way back after dropping off tooth and hair brushes to the M.E."

"Excellent, did you manage to speak with all the next of kin?"

"We did and the disappearances married up with Garcia's search. The six women were reported as missing to OPD by their parents or housemates."

"I can't understand why the University connection wasn't made by the investigating Detectives," posed Emily.

"I believe that is a question for Chief Faulkner, and Spence and I are walking down the hall now."

"Don't worry, I'll be asking him in due course."

The two Agents entered the room and Jennifer and Emily disconnected simultaneously. Jennifer resumed while taking a seat at the table, "The remaining eight women were not reported as missing. Valarie Smith's parents received a postcard from her two weeks ago from Los Angeles telling them she decided to make the trip last minute. Valerie's roomie Melissa Andrew's mother received an identical card. The parents confirmed it was their daughter's handwriting."

"Obviously the UNSUB forced Valarie and Melissa to write on the cards," noted Emily with distain.

Reid added more information, "Yes, but the date stamp on the postcards was six weeks old."

"Pre-paid from a post office?" questioned Emily, already knowing the answer.

"Correct," responded Jennifer. "Garcia should be able to trace the bar code to a specific office."

On cue, aforementioned Analyst called and Emily answered, "Hey Pen, what do you have?"

"I added in your request into my search parameters and there were seven students of Middle Eastern or African heritage at the University of Texas who graduated in two thousand and nine and ten."

"Where there any that dropped out or were expelled?"

"Four left in two thousand and nine and two the next year."

"I expect you have their names and pertinent information."

"I certainly do my Brown Eyed Girl. I am sending you current addresses, work records and the reasons for departing are attached. There are three males and three females and none have any criminal history other than a couple of speeding infringements."

"Brilliant as always, thanks."

"You are welcome Chief Gorgeous, bye."

"Grab some refreshment," directed Emily to Jennifer and Spencer. "I gather you have more information to share."

"You are correct," acknowledged Reid.

-o-

Emily was sipping from a mug of tea when Spencer and Jennifer walked into the Incident Room after eating and rehydrating. Reid went straight to the whiteboard displaying the DMV photos of the fourteen licences initially discovered. He picked up a marker pen and explained as he wrote, "Melody Riggs, twenty five, has not been reported as missing. Her father last spoke to her three days ago and she sounded happy about meeting up with an old College friend."

"Do we have the name of the friend?" enquired Emily hopefully.

"No, nor we have a gender. Mister Riggs stated his daughter was getting ready at the time to go to dinner with the visiting friend and didn't give further details."

Jennifer took over, "We were told my Molly Trent's Aunt that she visited four days ago and appeared to be fine. Rachel Feeny phoned her mother three and half weeks ago and told her she was staying with friends in Boston. Rachel mentioned going on a yacht and not having phone reception for a month."

"The UNSUB's planning has been meticulous," noted Reid as he replaced the marker onto the table. "He or she certainly has covered all the bases."

Jennifer approached a third board and studied the pictures, "Are these our six possible suspects?"

"At the moment they are," answered Emily.

Spencer continued with the run down, "Trisha Grieves had dinner with her parents a week ago and it is not unusual for her to not contact them between visits. Teri Lewis and Mindy Brookes share a house and both had called their parents with the news they were driving to Arizona for a break from work. They own and run their own IT firm."

Emily moved closer to the second board, "Once Derek and Alex return, I want these women's homes searched. I'll speak with Chief Faulkner when he returns from a call out and have Uniforms assist us. By the way, our burial site finder, Mister Lambert had nothing new to add to his statement."

"What about the suspects?" asked Spencer.

"None live locally. I've contacted the appropriate Field Offices and they will be interviewing them as well as searching their properties."

"You were busy while we ate," noted Jennifer with raised eyebrows.

Before Emily could respond, Derek entered the room and handed ten files to her, "Doctor Webster is being assisted by the County Medical Examiners from Lubbock and Travis, so the examinations have sped up considerably."

"Awesome," cheered Reid as Alex joined the Team. "That will help us collect more evidence and data."

Emily read in Derek and Alex with the latest findings and within minutes, she chatted with Faulkner and he was quick to apologise for the sloppy work performance of former Detectives Foster and Cullen who were the lead Investigators on the missing person's cases.

"They were dismissed four weeks ago for excessive force and they've not been replaced yet. I was only promoted two weeks back and have been reviewing their old cases since then."

Although not fully satisfied with the explanation and eager to discuss the matter further, Emily nonetheless pressed on and organised checks on eight of the local victim's abodes. As the group of Agents and Officers were briefed by Emily; Detectives Lace and Doherty walked into the room and confirmed all forty bodies were now accounted for. A sombre silence fell over the assembled group before Emily finished her instructions.

-o-

As the front door of Teri Lewis and Mindy Brookes' residence was breached by Detective Lace, the unmistakable stench of dried blood and evacuated body fluids filled Emily's nostrils and those around her.

Mid-thirties, dark haired Gavin Lace gagged on the odour several times before his partner Amanda stepped past him. The tall blonde thirty year old turned to Emily, "Looks like this is the kill site. I've got two distinct pools of blood on the living room floor and Jesus Christ …" The Detective went pale as Emily moved to her side.

Nestled in each large dehydrated puddle of plasma were two pieces of flesh, clearly recognisable as part of the female anatomy. Emily's stomach rolled, but she remained focused as she called for a CSI Unit to attend their location.

Lace wasn't as stoic; he raced out of the room and relieved his belly of its contents while hunched over a nearby garden bed.

"I can't blame him," retorted Doherty. "This is some sick shit."

"You can say that again," countered Emily while observing the immediate area. "Considering there are no signs of the front door having been forced open; I think it's safe to assume the Victims knew their assailant."

"I'm with you and we better don protective gear before searching the house."

There was a nod from Emily before the duo retraced their steps and exited to the unmarked Police vehicle.

-o-

There was an absence of forced entry to the rear door as well as no further clues to the identity of the UNSUB. There was, however, evidence of Mindy and Teri having been dragged through the kitchen and into the garage. With no cars being present, it was thought the UNSUB had utilised Mindy's late model Chevrolet Tahoe to transport the bodies to Comanche Trial Park.

Leaving the house to the Crime Scene Investigators, Emily and the Detectives drove to Rachel Feeney's home and no one was surprised when confronted with a similar murder site. Derek and Alex were welcomed with the now all too familiar scene at Valarie Smith's lodgings. Jennifer and Spencer discovered the same MO at Melody Riggs' house and Trisha Grieves had met her untimely demise in comparable fashion as did Molly Trent.

-o-

The BAU returned to the Police Station to add information to the five white boards just before nine o'clock. Regrettably, the six suspects had been eliminated due to solid alibis for the time of death of the fourteen local women. Jennifer and Spencer volunteered to notify the next of kin as they had already spoken to them previously and developed same semblance of rapport.

Emily sent Alex and Derek to the motel for a meal, shower and change of clothes. They were advised to call home and not return until midnight.

The Chief availed herself of the locker room down the hallway and took a hot shower before dressing in a pair of black jeans, boots, button down navy blue shirt and a black jacket. Returning to the breakroom, she prepared a cup of tea and savoured it while eating a reheated bowl of minestrone soup.

When she was done, Emily phoned Jillian.

An upbeat answer came almost immediately, "Hey babe, how's the case going?"

Releasing a heavy sigh, Emily replied, "Hey honey and it's a tough one." Outlining the evidence obtained so far, Emily smiled when she heard rustling in the background, "Do you have company in bed?"

"Maybe."

"How is Sam's lip?"

"Not too bad; an ice bag too care of the swelling and she thought it was fun to drink soup through a straw at dinner time."

Emily's grin turned into a giggle, "That's good to hear. Listen Jill, the Team may be here for some time."

"I'd already figured that would be the case my love. Everything is fine here, so please don't worry. Do you plan on working throughout the evening?"

"Yes, there is so much to process. No one sleeps except for naps until we catch the sick son of a bitch."

"I don't envy you or the others Em."

"I wish you and Dave were here for extra assistance."

"I could always fly in and help out with the Incident Room," suggested Jillian with a hint of optimism.

"That's a most generous offer honey, but you are still on the injured list."

"I'm sure Doctor Harvey would clear me for desk duties if I asked him tomorrow."

Realising her wife was being genuine, Emily enquired, "What about your physio and sessions with Chelsea?"

"Minor issues babe."

"I don't think so, beside Aaron would have my ass as well as yours."

"That is a reasonable point. Anyhoo, Little Miss needs me here at home, so I guess it's a moot suggestion."

"True and how is Jarrod coping?"

"He's been really awesome looking out for Sam. He even gave her half his ice cream after she finished hers."

"He gets his compassion from you Jill."

"I think we both contribute that trait honey."

"Mmm, I miss you."

"Back at you and promise you'll try to get some rest tonight."

"We'll revisit that situation once we review what we have and see where it leads us. We'll finish up for a two hour break unless we come up with something."

"That sounds like a good idea and being exhausted is not helpful."

"I know, but this animal is brutal Jill."

"I understand that Em, but you and the Team need to be at your best."

"Yes dear."

Jillian chuckled briefly, "Don't get sassy with me."

"I couldn't help it and sorry I called you so late."

"It is no biggie Chief Prentiss and I will talk to you soon. I love you and goodnight."

"I love you too Jill, bye."

Reattaching her phone to her belt, Emily cleaned up then returned to the Incident Room.

-o-

The Chief Medical Examiner worked through the night ably assisted by Doctors Jacobs, Thorne and Willoby. By seven o'clock Tuesday morning, twenty six bodies had been positively identified with all women having suffered the same fate.

As the autopsy reports filtered to the Team, the details were attached to a sixth and seventh white board while Penelope discovered another connection between the fourteen local victims. All had been members of the University's Falcons Swim Team. Some had studied for the same degrees during the same time frame, while others attended different years.

Armed with that information, Emily asked Penelope to track down the other members of the swimming squad then tasked Jennifer and Spencer with speaking to any who still resided in Odessa once breakfast had been consumed. Derek and Alex were to contact Campus Police as soon as their office opened.

-o-

At fifteen minutes past nine, the Team had a major breakthrough with Officer Malone from Campus Police furbishing a report of sexual assault from two thousand and ten involving the women's swimming Coach's assistant, a Rodney Aston. Aston, twenty four at the time, had been accused of molesting Aadhya Saanvi Devi during an after-swim meet party. Devi, twenty two, had withdrawn her complaint and continued her studies while Aston disappeared from the University.

Aston became the number one suspect when Aadhya Devi was located working at a local high school as a teacher. Jennifer and Spencer bought her to the station for questioning and after some reluctance; she agreed to be forthcoming with details of the night in question and the subsequent dropping of her claim of sexual abuse.

Emily, Derek, Alex and Faulkner observed the interview from the adjacent room as information was gathered.

Jennifer was sitting opposite Aadhya and Spencer was standing near the door watching closely for any signs of deception or falsehood.

The blonde Agent pushed a DMV photograph of Rodney Aston towards Devi and the woman's brown eyes widened with recognition. "Tell us what happened to you at the party after your swim team beat McMurry at Abilene on Saturday the ninth of October, two thousand and ten?" prompted Jennifer.

Lowering her head, Aadhya's demeanour instantly changed and she closed off, "I … I … don't want to discuss it."

Disappointed by the women reneging on her promise to disclose, Jennifer nonetheless pushed a little harder, "That may be the case, but we believe the incident with Aston is important to our current investigation into the murders of forty women; many who are known to you."

A lone tear escaped the corner of Devi's left eye and she swiftly swiped it away with the back of her hand. She did however make eye contact with Jennifer, "Does this have anything to do with the six swim team mates that went missing weeks ago?"

Reid's eyebrows rose, "So you were aware those women were reported missing?"

"Yes, all of us from the squad knew and even spoke with Detectives several times."

Outside, Emily turned to Faulkner, "Why the hell wasn't that information in the files?"

"I honestly have no idea Agent Prentiss, but it certainly is an oversight."

The Chief was too angry to reply while in the other room, Jennifer continued, "Did you tell the Detectives about the night of your assault?"

"I dropped the charges."

"That is not what I asked Ms Devi."

Taking a deep breath, Aadhya took a moment to calm her trembling extremities, "Yes I did."

"I know this is difficult for you to recall, but we need to know what occurred."

"The team buses got back around six and we all decided to go to Zucchi's Sports Bar to celebrate our biggest win over McMurray."

Reid interjected, "So both the men's and women's squads attended?"

"Yes."

"Go on Ms Devi," encouraged Jennifer after several seconds of silence.

Closing her eyes, Aadhya resumed, "Rodney was hanging around me the moment I arrived at the bar. He was creepy around the girls all the time and we basically ignored him. When he tried to talk to me on my own, Trudy stepped in and told him to back off."

"Are you referring to Trudy Maller?" enquired Spencer.

"Yes. Rodney just laughed at her and said she was jealous."

"Did she have a reason to be jealous?"

"No. Trudy had refused Rodney's numerous requests for a date over the years and he was often snarly with her. She really didn't like him; neither did any of the girls on the squad."

"Why was that?" probed Jennifer, relived that Aadhya was willing to confide.

"He always tried too hard to impress the team and asked us all out over time, but Coach Ruben had a strict "no dating staff" policy. If you broke it, you were off the squad."

"Did any of the women go out with Rodney regardless of the rule?"

"Roxanne Tully did once and told us afterwards he asked for sex within the first ten minutes. They were at a restaurant, so she just got up and left."

"Do you recollect when that was?"

"It was sometime in September of two thousand and nine."

"Did Coach Ruben find out about the date?"

"No."

"Was there anyone else?"

"No, nobody was interested in him."

"Okay, going back to your assault, can you tell us what happened next?"

"After Trudy warned him off, Rodney left me alone for a while."

A blonde eyebrow quirked, "He approached you again that evening?"

"About an hour later I was dancing with a couple of friends and he sidled up to me and commenced grinding against my buttocks. I turned around and pushed him away then Debbie, Felicity and Peta all told him to get lost before they called the cops."

"How did he react to their threat?"

"He called us cock teasers before going to hang out with a few of the guys that tolerated him."

"Did you have further contact with him that night?"

Aadhya bobbed her head, "He came up to me while I was ordering a soda at the bar counter."

"You didn't drink alcohol?"

"No, I was underage back then and I have never had alcohol."

"I understand, so what did Rodney say to you?"

"He actually apologised for his previous behaviour and offered to buy my drink. I told him to go away and then I left the bar about an hour later."

"Did anyone leave with you?"

"No. I had driven my car to the bar and drove back to the dorm on my own. When I parked near my quad, Rodney pulled up beside me and when I got out of my car, he rushed at me and pushed me into the door. I tried to scream and he slapped my face. He dragged me into the back of his vehicle and climbed on top of me. He pinned me down and I started to claw at his face." Taking a sip from the bottle of water in front of her, Aadhya exhaled loudly before going on, "He punched me three times in the stomach and yelled that it was all my fault. He ripped open my blouse then roughly grabbed my breasts."

Seeing how upset the interviewee was, Jennifer suggested, "Would you like to take a break Ms Devi?"

"Thank you, but no. I'm okay and want to help. Please call me Aadhya."

"We appreciate your assistance Aadhya."

Wiping away several tears, Devi went on, "He pulled up my bra and fondled me for a few minutes before forcing my legs apart with his knees. I stopped struggling because that's what they say to do, right?"

"Yes it is," agreed Jennifer with a nod.

The colour drained from Aadhya's face and she gulped, "He kept muttering to himself about taking what he wanted and no one could say no to him. Next he unzipped my jeans before pulling them down along with my panties. I tensed up and he shoved two fingers between my labia. He suddenly stopped, slapped me hard across the face then got off me. He shouted I was a freak and to not tell anyone what had happened or his rich father would bury me because he fixes everything for his son; especially when women are involved."

Reaching across the table, Jennifer placed a comforting hand upon Devi's shaking arm while Spencer nodded to his colleagues behind the one way glass, "What did you do next?"

"I was so scared he would hurt me more, but I climbed out of his car and ran straight to the Campus Police Office and reported the assault."

"Why did you refute your report two days later?"

"Coach Carlos Ruben approached me the following Monday before training commenced and said I had a strong chance at making the Olympic team trails, but I'd be overlooked if it got out I'd accused an Assistance Coach of sexual assault while on a date."

"Did he tell you how he knew about the complaint?"

"He told me Rodney's father was a generous contributor to the swimming program and University. Rodney informed him I was infatuated with him and was a willing participant in our sexual liaison. Coach also said the squad would suffer if things became public knowledge and I would be sacked from the team as a result of dating a staff member. I withdrew my complaint and left the squad that day. I couldn't stand to be around Coach or Rodney that morning during training and pretend nothing had happened. Rodney had spoken to me a few times during practice and reiterated his dad would clean up the mess and I better keep my mouth shut or I might end up being cut up and my head caved in."

"You informed the Detectives about all this?"

"Yes."

To say Jennifer was stunned by the lack of support and mishandling of the event was an understatement; she was internally seething at the Detectives' and Coach's responses, but steeled her emotions and continued professionally, "Thank you for being so honest with us, but I have a couple of very personal questions Aadhya."

Shaking her head, Devi was one step ahead, "You want to know why he called me a freak?"

"I have a fair idea. You were born in Bahrain and immigrated to the States with your mother and younger brother when you were twelve years old. Your mother claimed asylum due to physical abuse by family members."

Teardrops now flowed freely from Aadhya's eyes, "That is correct and yes, my own father held me down while his sister performed a circumcision on me. My mother and brother Dawood attempted to intervene, but were badly beaten for their trouble. Two months later when the three of us had healed, we fled after mom's sister Basma and her American husband Todd sponsored our application for asylum. We lived with them until we were documented and mother was free to work as a doctor."

Jennifer squeezed the young woman's arm again, "You are being extremely brave."

"Eight months before Rodney's attack, I'd had the first part of my internal surgery, but was waiting on having a clitoris constructed."

Pressing on, Jennifer said, "One last question; at the time of the assault, what personal grooming did you undertake?"

"The team waxed all our body hair for streamlining, and for the thin swimming suits we wore."

"Aadhya, I want to thank you so much. You have been a tremendous help to our investigation. I'll have your statement typed up and printed, if you don't mind waiting?" Truth be told, the young woman had provided a nexus to motive, method and possible murderer and Jennifer was more than relieved as were those standing in the Observation Room.

"No, that is fine and I'm glad I was of assistance. Is it okay if I call my mother to come pick me up?"

"Yes it is and again, thank you for your bravery."

-o-