And where two raging fires meet together, they do consume the thing that feeds their fury; though little fire grows great with little wind, yet extreme gusts will blow out fire and all.
- Shakespeare
Carrie Murray Nature Center. Baltimore, Maryland.
Fire is a natural destroyer. Where he passes he leaves nothing but dust, leaving just a sad desolation on his street. Fire burns, everything, with no mercy, no distinction, fair in his violence. But on his back, despite his efforts, he always leaves traces and so he did there, in that unexpected place.
Baltimore was the twelfth most dangerous city in the USA, but a recent study could tell that, although the numbers of murders was above the average national statistics, the murders was constantly decreasing. Obviously statistic never cross the doors of the natural park. Until then.
David Rossi passed his hand over his hairy chin while he was watching the deep hole which disfigured the peace of that palce.
"It was buried quite well.- commented- How was find the corpse?"
"A scoutmaster was planning a trekking trip and he found loose surfaces while preparing the camp.- explained Reid, who already knew the case report perfectly- Intrigued he started digging and found the bones."
A little further Morgan moved a little rock with his shoe "Probably some kind of animal must have dug before him."
The younger member of the BAU started to talk again "We know that the victim was a woman, unknown, and that her body has been burnt."
Rossi nodded, gazing the area "Csi guys says they didn't find anything that let suppose the body has been burnt here, though."
"So the Unsub killed her, burnt her corpse and then take her here to buried all?" recapitulated Derek, accompanying his words with vague hand gestures.
"The fact he buried her could be a sign of remorse." guessed Reid, thoughtfully.
They've been contacted by Sheriff John Anderson that morning, when it had passed a few hours after the discovery of the body, and were immediately put on the road to Maryland. The police chief had sensed immediately that something was different in that case, not only for the unusual violence of the murder, so the sheriff then advised to contact the FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit. The agent Jareau had identified the priority of the case and the proximity of Virginia had caused them to pass a few hours after the actual intervention of the team.
"What else do we have?"asked Rossi again, even if he well knew that the preliminary information found by the local police were rather sketchy.
"... Basically nothing .- Spencer said, confirming his doubts- before we arrived they had already authorized the removal of the corpse, it is now at the Forensic Laboratory."
Morgan moved slightly from the area of discovery. A park was not exactly a common place in which to get rid of a corpse. He turned his head to have a broader picture of the area: the trees were sparse and allowed a good view of the surrounding area, however, were far enough from the tourist paths you can say that this did not constitute a disturbing element for the Unsub. If he had been there at night, probably nobody would have noticed his presence.
"You know, for the level of violent crimes in cities with more than five hundred thousand inhabitants, Baltimore is second only to Detroit." began to tell the young genius, breaking that moment of silence.
Morgan swung slightly eyes, accustomed to these outputs of the younger colleague "Heard about that."
"You do?" Replied the other surprise, frowning thin.
"Sometimes it happens even to us ordinary mortals to read newspapers, Reid." teased him.
Rossi went to a policeman who was doing the measurements with a meter pit "When we can know the cause of death?"
"It depends by our forensic anthropologist.-he explained with a shrug- The coroner was unable to do a depth analysis: the fire has burned almost every tissue and he could only determine the sex of the victim."
A movement in the surrounding bush attracted the attention of the FBI agent before he could say something.
"The area has been closed to civilians?"he asked at the boy, who finally raised his head from the work he was doing.
"Yes" he replied, as if it were the most obvious thing.
David waved his right arm, pointing to the area where he had seen someone moving "So what's that person doing here?"
The policeman followed the direction he was indicating "I haven' t seen anyone."
"I'll go check." Morgan suggested, going in the direction indicated by his colleague.
The trees covered the view a little, but he was sure to have spotted someone moving away quickly. He advanced quickly and warily, uncertain about who he would have faced.
He moved a few more steps in that direction and saw something red moving. It was a scarf, waving placidly on the back of a girl kneeling on the ground, too intent on finding something in the bushes to notice his presence.
"What are you doing, miss?" Morgan asked, hand on holster, ready for any kind of reaction.
The girl ignored him and he came up again, putting himself beside her.
"Excuse me?" called Derek, putting his hand on her shoulder to make her aware of his presence.
The girl turned toward him, pointing on him two blue lights that were her eyes, and looked him inquiringly while she was removing an earphone from her ears.
"Yes?" she asked, smiling amiably. She did not seem to have realized to be in front an FBI agent, her voice was calm and there was a serene expression on her face.
"This is the scene of a crime - he patiently explained- the area is temporarily closed."
"Told me so. Sad story." commented the brunette, getting up and wiping his dirty hands rubbing together.
Derek raised an eyebrow "You should go."
"I can't. I'm looking for something." she said that with a kind voice and a creased smile con her red lips and he wondered if she really understood the gravity of the situation.
"You cannot do it now, you have to wait the reopen of the area." he repeated again, this time showing his badge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
"I have to do it now, I'm sorry." Retorted the young, however, shrug her shoulders.
"What are you trying to find that's so important?" Morgan inquired then, intrigued by such stubbornness.
"The den of a possum. Or a raccoon. Or one of those creatures who rummage in garbage and feed on waste. "she said, raising her hands and moving her fingers to imitate the movement of the legs of these animals.
The black man looked bewildered: what chance there was a university student who decides to make her ethological research on the very day of the discovery of a charred corpse?
Morgan looked with suspicion at her colorful bag. Was unwieldy, large and seemed to contain several objects, so the suspicion was that the girl could be a young journalist in search of scoops "May you show me what you have in the bag?"
The girl shrugged and grabbed the strap for the handle to pass it into the hands the Federal agent.
When Morgan was pushing the fabric of the bag to see what's inside a strange silence seemed to fall into that thicket. He had only less than a second to understand the nature of the object that was identified: the empty sockets stared expressionless and he could not help but let the bag slip from his hands as he take a step back.
"Boo!" Said the young girl, when he laid his worried look on her.
To whom who can observe, bones can give plenty of information about who they were when they formed a whole with the flesh and the spirit of its owner. For example, the skull which had come face to face with Derek Morgan spoke of a Native American woman in her early twenties, who died more than two centuries before that day and had spent the last several years under layers of earth in an ancient Indian cemetery. That confusion, therefore, was mainly due to the fact that the profiler did know almost nothing about skeletons and similar, so the young doctor Ross knew immediately that she should not panic because of that incident. Indeed, she had found it quite funny.
"So the agent was impressed by my skull?" asked the young to the police officer who was dealing with measurements of the pit before was unleashed that mess.
"No, Doc!- he snorted in response- he simply wondered why a sane person goes around with bones in her bag!"
She blinked her big blue eyes "I do not see anything wrong, it would have been strange if I had taken them by hand."
"You know the point." replied the agent. He knew the young doctor Ross of fame and he had heard that she lived in a world all hers own. Fortunately she was quite good at her work and her kindness to others did the remedy about that peculiarity.
"I have to bring them to the laboratory for analysis.- she explained, gesturing animatedly-You know, she comes from an Indian cemetery and I think that goes back at least two centuries ago, I want to analyze the bones to determine ..."
"Ok, got it!- cut short the other- Why don't you drop this guy for a while and devote yourself on why are you here?"
"Actually it is a woman ..." specifies the scientist with a smile that instantly infected the policeman.
A few steps away a man in uniform was talking to the three FBI agents, sorry for the tremendous misunderstanding that there had been.
"We were supposed to warn of the presence of Dr. Ross, I'm sorry- the agent Bringman apologized for the umpteenth time- She will deal with the case on the ground. Our forensic anthropologist, Dr. Stein, has fractured his femur and is bound to a wheelchair, and he can only help with the investigations in the laboratory. "
The man turned to the girl, who was casually observing the pit where the body was found "I know she could seem a bit strange but she's good at her job.-he said with a sigh-At least hasn't that annoying morgue humor."
"If she had wear a pass, we wouldn't be so worried about the fact she was transporting human remains." retorted Rossi.
Bringman shook his head "Believe me, that girl would be into trouble even with an escort of ten men."
"Hey Ross! - he then called her even with a gesture- Come here!I want you to meet the FBI guys."
The girl turned toward them, smiling and joined them with four long and graceful steps.
"Dr. Ross, these are Agent Rossi, Dr. Reid and Agent Morgan, who you have already known."
David gave a nod with his head, while Reid raised his hand making it waving slightly.
"I'm sorry for the misunderstanding." said Derek instead.
"Never mind, I'm used to.- said the girl, showing a broad smile- You know, I am constantly stopped by airport security."
The three exchanged dazed looks, while the policeman looked up at the sky, wondering why the girl could not just act like a normal person.
"You know, 'cause carry bones, even for professional reasons, sounds suspect ..." went on to explain, not understanding the meaning of those expressions. She raised her eyebrows, giving her eyes a serious but slightly confused expression, that was quite familiar at whom who knew her.
They were not only the bright and lively colored clothes to make her eccentric, but above all her head constantly lost in the clouds and on her face that was clearly readable.
"Ok, Ross, stay focused-ordered the chief of the investigations- Explains us why they have sent you back here from the Forensic Laboratory."
"Sure- agreed the girl-I am looking for a jaw."
Reid frowned "A jaw?"
"It seems that miss to the records- then the cop-confirmed, removing invisible lint from the uniform with a random gesture- the doctor believes that could be taken by some animal that has the hole in this area."
"Like a possum or a raccoon ..." Morgan said, repeating the word listened by Ross.
"What we know about the victim?" Inquired Smith, looked strangely elusive. He had the unusual feeling that they missed something, at that time, and was convinced he had to do with the young doctor that, running a hand through her long hair that hung in blacks irregular waves over her shoulders, was quickly pitted the information that he had just asked.
"She's a woman between thirty and thirty-five, Caucasians, probably a mother. Later I'll proceed with a reconstruction of the features to see if there is any response to missing persons."
Derek crossed his arms to his chest "When we can have a complete picture?"
"At the latest by tomorrow morning." Assured him, after thinking for a few seconds tapping finger on her lips.
"All right, Ross. You can return to your search .- Bringman dismissed her, putting his hand on her shoulder-Sure you do not need an agent to help you? "
The girl shook her head, waved her hand in greeting and started to walk towards somewhere behind her.
"Ah - she exclaimed, stopping suddenly-You look good with the goatee, Dave!"
Reid and Morgan launched at each others extremely surprised looks, but it seems that that statement had surprised even other team member, "What?"
"The first time we met you had not, - said the girl quickly, shrugging her shoulders- and you told me I could call you Dave so I thought it is still valid ..."
Rossi frowned "Do we know each others?"
"I grew up a bit from last time we met.-she confirmed, smiling sweetly-I am Alaska Ross."
In the mind of man images from more than ten years earlier followed one another in a flash.
"Alaska Ross?-he repeated dumbfounded-Alaska?"
The requested bowed "The one and only!"
"From Denver?" he tried to summarize, under the curious gaze of the two younger colleagues.
"You do remember!" she rang, happy to be recognized. Despite this, however, almost immediately she changed the subject, her mind focused again on the assignment she was given to.
"Ok, then I return to find my jaw, then.- she said, pointing with her thumb to the area behind her-Any chance you are experts in animal psychology too?"
Rossi frowned a bit. She had just said to know him from ages and in less than a second she turned to leave, as she had made a simple comment about the weather.
"Raccoons usually live in trees, but since in this area there are many tourists may have done their lair underground.-begun to speak Reid-There is a stream or an artificial lake around here?"
Alaska search Bringman with her eyes and he answered in her place "Yes, that way."
"Probably the hole will be in that area- continued the young FBI agent-Raccoons tend to settle near water courses."
"Well, thank you for that!"
"Maybe you should try the latrines." he proposed again.
Morgan turned to him "Raccoon have latrines?" asked and even knowing the breadth of his friend knowledge he was astonished that he knew such a thing.
"It's a kind of social gathering where groups of individuals returning to play, rest and eat." He explained, drop the words too quickly, as usual.
"I think I'll put the gloves, I guess ..." said Alaska, departing with a chuckle under his breath.
She was already heading towards the artificial lake rummaging in her bag looking for a pair of rubber gloves when Bringman called her again.
"Wait a minute, Ross."
The girl turned, while wearing a blue glove with the naturalness of who performs that action as usual "What?- she asked curiously- I remember the strict orders: do not distract the cops and FBI agents."
The man rolls his eyes before answering "Not for this: Dr. Stein has just sent me a message that tells that the soil testing reveals the presence of organic compounds due to different soil layers. What does this mean?"
Alaska shrugged "That I forgot the phone in the office and Davon has contacted you instead to let me have this information."
"Ross ..." sighed the policeman.
"Depending on the composition of the soil we can determine more or less to depth of where it can be found and apparently that does not match the depth of the pit." Reid said instead of her.
"Is your name Ross?" Morgan snapped good-naturedly.
"No problem, he explained it very well!" enthusiastically congratulated the scientist, smiling encouragingly.
Rossi brought the attention on information they had just received "So it means that there is a chance that you have to dig deeper?
"Exactly."
There were few reasons for digging a pit deeper than necessary and everyone knew that there were ample opportunities that the choice of the Unsub would not lead to anything good.
"Maybe he miscalculated the depth." muttered to herself the girl, as she ran down the short descent who had been artificially created by the technicians of science to retrieve the body without compromising any possible evidence.
Reid, Morgan and Rossi had approached the edge of the pit and watched her movements, waiting patiently for her opinion about it.
"Interesting," said Alaska, lowering on the nose the thick-rimmed glasses she was wearing on her head to keep out of sight her thick bangs of black hair. She was squatting with her hand and moved a small mound of dirt.
"What?" Derek asked, clutching his dark eyes to see better. A ray of warm sunlight reflected on his face, passing through the dense foliage of the trees.
"The composition of the soil-said Alaska- is very clear that there is no accordant ... "
"Are you telling me that it was clearly visible?-Bringman snapped extending arms-The CSI guys are going to..."
The girl looked up suddenly, "They did a good job. A nice dig. "she assured him, raising her thumbs. Lowered her head soon after, she returning to move the plot, but with the help of a small metal scoop. Her movements were sure and had the automaticity of who performs them daily for some time: no need to be a profiler to understand that Dr. Ross had participated in numerous excavations before that.
"I found something!" she announced after several minutes seemed interminable to everyone.
Reid put his hands on his knees and leaned forward "Seems like a jaw." he said, recognizing the nature of bone, partially covered with earth, that had come to light.
"The one we were looking for, right?" ventured Bringman.
There was something in the face of the young girl who had made it clear to Rossi that it was not that.
"It seems strange that the mandible are so deep to the skull." he said.
Alaska nodded, bringing her hand to the group of bones "You're right. Some of these bones belong to someone younger than the body we have. See here? The molars are not fully developed and the tooth enamel is completely worn. For a first rough survey I can say it was a girl in her early twenties or younger."
"Girl?-repeated Morgan-You can determine the sex based on these pieces?"
"Yes, just look at the bone that is smooth, if it was a man it would be more rough."
"She's been burnt?" asked Reid, and the anthropologist soon confirmed his doubt.
"Alright, then-Rossi sighed, putting his hand in his pocket in search of cell-I'll call Hotch to say that we have another victim."
Reviews anyone?Please?