Crossing Boundaries
Chapter 15: Understand
Morgan, Elle, and JJ arrived at the scene of Nadya's murder with a little trepidation. Already there were people swarming around the alley, trying to catch a glimpse of the scene. JJ immediately went to work, shoving the spectators and press a respectable distance away from the alley.
The remaining two walked down the alley to where the coroner was checking over the body for a preliminary report.
"My God," was the first words out of Elle's mouth when she caught sight of Nadya.
The body that lay before them on the pavement was beyond recognition. The pool of blood that she lay in was still bright red, despite how long she had been lying there. There were violent, serrated knife wounds all over her exposed body, and her clothes lay torn to shreds nearby.
Elle turned to the coroner. "Can you tell us a story of what happened?"
The coroner, a man in his thirties, stood slowly, still overwhelmed by the violence of the crime. "Many horrific things happened to this young woman. Judging by the bruising, she was beaten with fists first, then forced to the ground, after which he raped her. The first knife wounds she received were done in torture; the ones that followed were for the intent of killing her. Many of her bones have been shattered, most likely during the initial struggle and during the rape. Cause of death is exsanguination."
Elle looked ready to be sick. Her face was flushed and she was unsteady on her feet.
Morgan could not help the next words that flew out of his mouth unbidden. "This is Nadya, the only friend Anika had in the country, the only friend who understood what it means to be an immigrant. Imagine the immense heartache you would feel if you were in Anika's place. Do you have any understanding of what Anika has been through, now that you've seen what this unsub did to her best friend?"
Leaning heavily on the dirty brick wall of a building, Elle took a deep breath. "I don't know, Morgan. All I know is that it's exactly like what I went through with the Fisher King."
"No its not." JJ snapped when she came over. "This is completely different from what you experienced. You survived; Nadya didn't."
"But…"
"No," Morgan said cutting her off. "Can you not see that this fate was meant for Anika? Nadya was killed because she wasn't Anika."
Morgan and JJ began walking back to the SUV they had taken to the scene, leaving Elle behind them to stew in her thoughts. It was a dark place where Elle resided now. She was blinded by the pain and anger she felt from dealing with the Fisher King. The ride back to the BAU was tense; Morgan and JJ pissed at Elle, and Elle brooding.