Broken Circle

Chapter 7: Social Ballet

The bed and breakfast was a quaint converted Victorian house, once painted blue, but now turned to a silvery blue from the elements. The gardens in the front of the house were a riot of bright spring blooms, creeping up the front porch lattice-work. It seemed surreal to the team that such a place could exist in the middle of a violence torn community.

An older aged woman, Ria places her at about 60, emerges from the house and bustles down the path to the agents. "You must be the FBI agents that have come to stay with me!" Her countenance is bright, matching the hideous floral gingham dress she wears complemented with a white apron.

"You must be Mrs. Kindstrand," Gideon says courteously.

"I am. Welcome to my bed and breakfast. Can I get you all settled by making up some food for you?"

"We must decline your offer for the moment," Hotch says diplomatically. "Right now we'd like our room assignments so we can put away our luggage."

"Of course," the house matron replies, a slight crestfallen expression stealing across her features.

Mrs. Kindstrand leads them inside the Victorian house, where the team is confronted by furniture that looks like it has not moved out of the 1920s. The walls are painted brightly, giving off an overbearingly cheery vibe. The blend of antique and new is slightly jarring and difficult to adjust to.

She moves behind the front desk and begins reading off room assignments. "Mr. Morgan and Mr. Reid are in room 6; Mr. Gideon and Mr. Hotchner are in room 9; and the three ladies are in room 11." She distributes the room keys with the customary 'please do not loose these' speech.

Hotch turns to address his team, cutting off any potential commentary from Mrs. Kindstrand. "Alright, usual drill; drop your stuff and get to work. Ria, Gideon and I will meet you down here in ten minutes."

Ria nods her agreement before following JJ up the stairs. Their heels click on the old wood, echoing slightly in the hallway.

"Number 11, home sweet home," JJ says to no one in particular. She unlocks the door, revealing a bright yellow room, accented in white.

"Not exactly my favorite color scheme," Emily remarks.

"It's only for a few days," Ria reasons. "Besides, yellow is a color for protection and confidence. The white color is for truth and purity."

JJ looks at Ria, genuine curiosity on her face. Emily, on the other hand, is still skeptical of Ria. After all, she is only twenty four; I don't care how much she may know on this subject. I had to earn my place, and so must she.

Ria stashes her lime green duffle in a corner, not bothering to stake out a claim on a particular bed. As she rifles through her things, she chats idly to JJ, talking like they would have if they were new college roommates. A few minutes later, she grabs both her briefcase and overcoat before heading down to meet Hotch and Gideon. As she heads down the hall, she pulls on the overcoat, knowing full well the temperature change that can occur within a forest. However, the coat serves another purpose; she will not have to deal with the lascivious stares as she tries to do her job.

Exuberant to finally see the crime scene first hand, Ria bounds down the old stairs, forgetting the classy nature she had spent years developing. For a few moments, she feels her own age, instead of her projected older self.

Hotch and Gideon stand waiting in the entry hall, discussing logistics for the next few days. Ria immediately pulls herself together before announcing her presence with a slight cough. "Ah, Ria," Gideon greets her. "Ready?"

"Yes, sir," she replies as she smoothes down the front of her overcoat.

Detective Douglass drives the three agents the short distance to Highland Park; the location of the murder. "…also known as Salem Woods," Detective Douglass explains. The passengers are silent, soaking in the landscape and any tidbits of information that the detective shares. "Here we are then," Detective Douglass announces a few minutes later. "There's a park manager here to guide you up to the scene, and to answer any questions you may have about the Park."

Hotch merely nods his head in thanks. He is already preparing himself for the scene walk through. Sometimes he wishes that they could do these walk throughs without the locals breathing down their necks.

Gideon, on the other hand, is watching Ria. He is curious as to how she is going to read the scene. Since she comes from a completely different academic background than the rest of the team, she should be able to provide some interesting perspectives on what hidden clues are at the scene. However, he is slightly wary of letting her on the scene. He knows that she has not been trained on proper protocol for crime scenes. In fact, she has not been trained for anything.

Ria steps out of the SUV, coming face to face with a man of about thirty. Quite the handsome fellow Ria thinks to herself. She knows that Gideon and Hotch are watching her every move like hawks. She smiles sweetly at the man, waiting for him to begin the introductions.

"Afternoon," the man says once Gideon and Hotch have joined the younger people. "I'm Mark Keyes, Highland Park manager." He shakes hands with Gideon and Hotch before turning his attention to Ria. "Are you coming up as well?"

"I am…"

"You might want to find some different shoes," he cautions her gently. "These trails aren't exactly high-heel approved. I doubt you'd be able to get five feet before I would have to haul you out."

Instead of lashing out at him in anger, Ria merely laughs. Gideon sees quite clearly, without profiling, that Mark Keyes is quite enchanted by Ria. Perhaps we could use this to our advantage. He watches the two young people carefully as they perform a sort of social ballet.

"Thank you, Mr. Keyes…"

"Please, call me Mark."

"Thank you, Mark, for your consideration." Crouching down, she unfastens the straps to her shoes, and places them back in the SUV. Barefoot, she begins to walk up the only path in sight. "This way, Mark?"

"Exactly." He quirks an eyebrow at her bare feet, but chooses not to voice an opinion. "Gentlemen, care to follow?"

Gideon and Hotch wordlessly follow behind Mark and Ria. Once within sight of the crime scene, they fall back a few paces out of ear shot.

"I've got to give Ria credit," Hotch says. "She knows how to manipulate people. She might even be better than JJ."

Gideon nods in agreement. "She certainly knows how to play people. Given her past, I'm willing to say that she's had enough experience to become this good. What I'm most curious about is how she's going to read this scene."

Hotch seemed to sense Gideon's uncertainty. "You think that because she's never been trained on how to be at a crime scene she might ruin something?"

"Anything's possible."

"Let's just watch her for now, and see what she does."

As she walks the trail with Mark, Ria can feel the watchful eyes of Gideon and Hotch. Growling in annoyance to herself, Ria turns around and faces the two older men. "Mum, Dad, I would appreciate it if you got off my back. I'm not going to do anything that could ruin your crime scene. I'm a big girl; I can take care of myself."

Leaving a stunned Gideon and Hotch in her wake, Ria walks into the clearing. Once her eyes adjust to the brightness of the clearing, she cries out in surprise at what she encounters.