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Chapter Four:
2008
"Greenaway, you've made bail!" an officer shouted.
"Not so loud!" she said covering her face from the light. "Who the f**k bailed me out?"
"I wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth if I were you. The next time you're in here you're going to be facing real jail time."
"Whatever," she said and got up. "Have a nice day, ladies."
"Until next time," the one closest to the door said.
Greenaway retrieved her belongings. She found a woman a few years younger dressed in jean shorts and a red tank top, waiting at the entrance to the precinct.
"Hi," she said. "Come with me."
"Why should I?"
"I bailed your ass out and this is the thanks I get?"
"I didn't ask you to."
The woman took a step forward.
"You haven't had a meal that you haven't somehow spiked with alcohol in three years. Do you want my help or not?"
"Not."
Greenaway shielded her face from the blaring sunlight.
"Gideon didn't protect me either."
She slowly turned around.
"Who the hell are you?"
"Josie Brent. I am someone who understands your rage better than anyone else on the planet. Have breakfast with me, and I'll make it worth your while."
"Fine."
They walked to her car, which turned out to be a jeep.
"How did you find me anyway?"
"I trained with the guy who had Penelope Garcia's job. It isn't hard to keep track of people if you know what you're doing."
Josie opened a cooler and gave her a Sprite.
"Drink this, it'll help with that hangover."
Greenaway took a few sips. It felt good.
"Why do you want to help me?"
"Because I have an ax to grind against Jason Gideon. Going to the press, was a dumb idea. Men with those kinds of psychological ideations are going to punish rulebreakers. You're lucky your alive, Elle."
"I know."
"I know you tried to stay on the straight and narrow. I've seen your applications for PI work. Then you just stopped caring. You worked as a rent-a-cop and drank your earnings. Then other people stopped caring."
Josie reminded her of how much she hated being psychoanalyzed.
"Okay, Dr. Brent, you think you can fix all my problems, because Gideon also got you hurt. You must be so proud of yourself for being able to bail me out. You can go back to wherever you came from."
Josie put the car in park by a diner. Greenaway got out, intending to hitchhike to the nearest town and find a place to get a drink. As she turned around, she was hit with a kick to the face. This knocked her down on the dusty concrete.
"GET UP!" Josie shouted.
"Oh, someone learned some self-defense. Good for you!"
Josie kicked her in the ribs, rolling her over.
"I'm not fighting you, c***"
"Fine!" Josie shouted. "Here are some cold hard facts: You miss Hotch as a fearless leader. You miss Gideon as your mentor. You miss Morgan as your wing man. You miss J.J. and Garcia as your girlfriends. You miss Reid as your little brother. You have no one here. I can be someone to hold you accountable, a friend, a mentor. I can also leave you here in the dirt."
She stared at Josie Brent. Her hair hung around her face as she stood over her.
"What happened to you?" Greenaway asked.
"You haven't earned the privilege to know that."
Greenaway's stomach suddenly growled.
"Protein fills the stomach better than alcohol."
"I'll hear you out," she said with a groan.
Josie offered her a hand.
"Cheers to baby steps."
Greenaway took it.
Present:
"I worked with Josie for five years. I met my husband while protecting him from a blackmailer in Fresno. Then I wanted out of the work to start a family. She helped me set up a place in El Paso where I work at a women's shelter. I have two daughters."
"Why come out of hiding now?" Prentiss asked.
"A week ago, one of the women I worked with was found dead with a rose tattoo on her arm. Two days ago, I found a red milk snake in my daughter's makeup case. We've prepared for this scenario. My husband has taken the kids overseas."
"When's the last time you spoke with Josie?" Rossi asked.
"Two months ago, we met at a neutral location for breakfast, as I don't drink anymore. She told me she was beginning to think her luck was going to run out. I told her she wasn't lucky; she was good at her job. She laughed at that. I haven't seen her on edge in a long time. I had a feeling she was involved in Reid's rescue."
"I'm not sure how to help her," Prentiss said. "It's odd that the unsub is using two different signatures."
"Snakes and roses are symbols of temptation. The snake is being used to draw people out, while the rose is a winking nod to her alias Lola."
"So, you and she would find evidence and tip off the police?" Lewis said.
"We always took cases the FBI wouldn't look at. We broke laws, from hacking phones when that became a thing, to breaking and entering, to enhanced interrogation. Josie, had a code, where we left justice to the actual police. We worked hard to never leave a trace at any scene. Any witnesses couldn't identify us."
"How'd you finance yourselves?" Simmons asked.
"When times were tough, we'd rough up some mobsters for money. Josie had a head for numbers."
"It seems like she's good at everything," J.J. said.
"At first glance, yes. But she is terrified of getting close to anyone. I've tried taking her to the movies to get her to unwind, but she couldn't focus. Her social life is non-existent unless it is for a job. She got me to see a counselor about my trauma. I asked why she never saw one and she gave a long, convoluted answer that equated to: I think I'm smarter than most."
"Did she ever tell you what happened in Albertville?" Alvez asked.
"That is something you need to hear from her."
Lewis sniffed the air.
"Does anyone smell gas?"
Alarms went off throughout the building. The door burst open. None other than Josie with Reid in a wheelchair appeared. Reid was dressed in scrubs.
"Hey, Elle," she said. "A SWAT bus is going to be here in parking garage level D, in about five minutes. Get Reid there safely and you should be in the clear."
"No," Prentiss said and stood up. "You're not leaving us again."
Rossi stood up and shut the door.
"We're here to help."
"I have been perfectly fine for the last twenty years without your help."
"Not this time," Simmons said. "You're in over your head."
"Let me save you back," Reid said.
Josie looked to Greenaway, who shrugged.
"I don't think you have any better options."
"I can't say I like this, but I'll go along with it," she said with a sigh.
"Welcome to my team, Josie," Reid said.