A/N: It's official. My college life is becoming the bane of my existence where my writing is concerned. I still have a paper to complete, but I was closer to completing this chapter and I got extensions on a lot of stuff due to a bad snowstorm. I wouldn't call 5-6 inches bad, but my state , and my campus, lost power. I have it in my dorm for now. Cross your fingers and hope I stay lucky, guys.
One more thing. This is not by any means a crossover story, but I did insert a surprise in here. I hope you enjoy reading, and finding out what diabolical madness my muse has concocted.
Chapter 4- What Remains Hidden
June 22nd, 1997.
Chicago, IL.
Rossi, Hotch, and Bobby found themselves poring over files at what had once been Michael's house.
"When are your parents coming?" said Bobby.
"Tonight," said Rossi. "I have to pick them up at O'Hare."
"How are they doing?" said Hotch.
"I'm not sure," said Rossi.
"Katherine and Angie?" said Hotch.
"Katherine is upstairs, either grieving or sleeping," said Rossi. "Angie's been up but she's in shock. She hasn't said a word all day."
"Jesus," said Bobby. "We gotta catch this guy. I don't know what we'll do if we don't. That reminds me… Hope wants to come over."
"Who?" said Hotch.
"My fiancée and the city's ADA," said Bobby. "Hope Dessaulles. The DA is in California on vacation, so she has to do his dirty work… including visiting with families of deceased officers when they're killed in the line."
"He won't even come back with two dead cops in the city?" said Hotch.
"No," said Bobby. "That's Chicago politicians for you. Not Hope, though. She does her best."
"Her name sounds French," said Rossi.
"She's French-Canadian but her mother was born in Detroit so Hope has dual citizenship," said Bobby. "That woman's a pistol. Agent Hotchner, could you do me a favor?"
"What do you need?" said Hotch.
"Make sure my death benefits go to her and my older sister if the unsub gets me. Fifty-fifty split for them both," said Bobby.
CRIMINAL MINDS
Rossi was taking notes and wondered if Angie was watching him do so. He noticed her lying on the couch under a blanket and staring at the TV. The channel it was on was airing The Godfather. He sat in front of the couch, wondering if that would somehow get her to talk to him.
"Angie?" said Rossi.
"Mom hates me," said Angie.
"No she doesn't, she's just upset right now," said Rossi. "We all are."
"She's in the kitchen drinking," said Angie. "I asked if I could talk to her and she yelled at me to go away."
Rossi looked in the kitchen. Sure enough, he could see his sister-in-law drinking a large glass of vodka. He doubted it was the first glass Katherine had had either.
"That's because she's had too much to drink," said Rossi. "I'm not myself when I drink too much either."
"You aren't mean like she is," said Angie. "She yells at me all the time. What did I do to make her hate me so much?"
"No one hates you," said Rossi. "I brought my stuff with me so you wouldn't have to be alone."
He'd been through three wives and at times wasn't sure who his friends were – the success of being one of the three men to create the BAU had drawn a lot of pretentious people into his life. Even Rossi had lost sight of what was important until around the time Angie had been born and Michael had asked him to be her godfather.
He was convinced it was the best thing to have happened to him.
"Don't listen to her when she's talking like that," said Rossi. "You are my niece and you'll always be important to me."
"Thank you for sitting with me," said Angie.
"Don't mention it," said Rossi. "So… did I miss the scene in the restaurant?"
"It's about to happen," said Angie.
He took notes as he watched the shooting unfold on the TV. He knew he should tell Angie to turn the TV off, but it didn't seem to be bothering her.
CRIMINAL MINDS
As the movie came to an end, a knock on the door got Rossi and Angie's attention. Rossi got up to answer it and Angie followed him.
"Uncle David! It's Agent Gibbs!" said Angie.
Rossi was surprised to see his old friend. Between how busy they both were it was difficult just to meet up in DC for a drink. Gibbs was one of the few people he knew had nothing to gain by using him, as Gibbs hated politics and bureaucrats. They had served in the marines together and had five failed marriages between them but he wouldn't be surprised if it turned into six.
Rossi knew that Gibbs hadn't moved on after the deaths of Shannon and Kelly. The women his friend was marrying were more of a type or a replacement, but Rossi doubted that any of it was genuine for Gibbs since all three wives after Shannon were redheads like her.
CRIMINAL MINDS
Introductions were made, and Gibbs soon took a bag into the kitchen.
"Do you mind?" said Gibbs.
"You're just gonna do it anyways," Katherine hissed.
Gibbs rolled his eyes and began brewing a cup of coffee.
CRIMINAL MINDS
Rossi went into the kitchen.
"Think you can get your sister-in-law to drink a cup? Or five?" said Gibbs.
"Make it Irish, I don't need to be sober," Katherine muttered.
"Hope is coming in a few minutes. Drink the damn coffee Katherine," said Rossi.
"Like I wanna talk to that wench. All her stupid bullshit about how you guys will find him! And you! You dragged Michael into this and you say you're a good uncle to Angie? You're just a goddamn hypocrite who divorced his third wife for having a miscarriage!" Katherine yelled.
"You're the one who's so bent out of shape from growing up in foster care and having to fend for yourself. I get it. But yelling at Angie? What will that accomplish except to make her so angry that she'll try taking off? Do you know how many runaways I've seen dead in my line of work?" said Rossi.
"Stop it!" Katherine yelled. "I get it, okay? Please… just stop!"
Rossi turned to walk out then stopped.
"It wasn't a miscarriage," said Rossi.
Gibbs was so shocked he spit out some coffee as Rossi walked away.
CRIMINAL MINDS
When Hope Dessaulles came over later, everyone was worried Katherine was going to lash out at her.
However, both women talked peacefully except for when the D.A. was brought up, because even Hope wasn't pleased with him.
"Michael always thought the D.A. was crooked," said Katherine.
"I swear that asshole is spending our tax dollars on wasteful pork," said Hope.
"What'll happen when the bomber is caught?" said Katherine.
"Either life in prison or the death penalty," said Hope.
CRIMINAL MINDS
Rossi rolled his eyes. Categorizing the unsub only gave him more power, didn't his sister-in-law know that? Then again it wasn't like Katherine, a woman who taught in an inner-city high school, knew much about FBI jargon. From what Michael had told him Katherine had been trying to prevent warring teen gangs from killing each other.
Rossi decided to go outside and find Angie, who had gone out for a swim. At first he didn't see her, then saw her pop up from underneath the surface with one of those diving rings that people usually threw in the pool so they go could go under and grab them. Even though she was wearing goggles, he realized she saw him as she climbed out of the pool.
"I needed to be somewhere quiet," said Angie. "Is that bad?"
"No," said Rossi. "A lot has happened these last two days and you shouldn't have had to go through any of it."
Angie grabbed a towel and wrapped it around herself so she wouldn't get the chair she was sitting on wet.
"Uncle David?" said Angie. "I don't know how to feel. Shouldn't I feel sad or angry? That's how I'm supposed to feel, right?"
"Grieving is complicated," said Rossi. "There's no right or wrong way to feel. Just know that you can always talk to me. I'll listen."
"Thank you Uncle David," said Angie.
CRIMINAL MINDS
Rossi knew it was only a matter of time before the enormity of what Angie had lost hit her. It had been different when Shannon and Kelly had died. Angie had seen it on the news, and there had been no room for denial. She had been five at the time, and both girls had become close friends very quickly due to Rossi's own friendship with Gibbs.
It had been worse than anything he'd experienced overseas, and Rossi could still remember trying to help his good friend cope with losing his family, and help his niece cope with losing what had most likely been her best friend at the time. He could also remember how angry he'd been that he hadn't been allowed on the protective detail due to not being in NIS, because he didn't have to profile Gibbs to know why his friend went down to Mexico and what he had done down there.
Now it was worse.
CRIMINAL MINDS
It all hit Angie at once that night.
Rossi was about to leave for the airport to pick up his parents when he heard crying. He turned around and saw Angie sitting on the stairs, her head in her hands and crying so hard she was shaking. He immediately ran upstairs to comfort her.
"Please don't go, please don't go," Angie whispered.
"You know I need to pick up your grandparents Angie," said Rossi.
He noticed her staring at the door. She was terrified.
"What is it?" said Rossi.
"Dad went out that door and didn't come back," said Angie. "N – now y – you're going out that door…"
"Only to the airport," said Rossi. "I'll be right back, Angela. I promise."
Angie still didn't look convinced, as tears streamed down her face and she looked up at Rossi with a face akin to that of a wounded puppy.
"Can I come? Please? I promise I'll behave," said Angie.
"You'll fall asleep in the car," said Rossi.
He knew she had barely slept in the aftermath of Michael's death. He suspected she was having nightmares about it.
Then again maybe she'd feel somewhat better if she got out of the house for a little while.
"You can come," said Rossi. "I don't want you to worry. Nothing's going to happen to either of us."
"I'm not worried about me," said Angie.
CRIMINAL MINDS
The ride to the airport was spent talking until Rossi noticed that Angie had gotten quiet. He looked over and noticed she had fallen asleep.
CRIMINAL MINDS
Picking up his parents at O' Hare went smoothly for the most part. An exhausted Angie woke up long enough to go into the airport with him then fell asleep in the car again, and the mood was so somber even Rossi was having difficulty keeping it together.
CRIMINAL MINDS
June 23rd, 1997.
Rossi was annoyed. Over the last few days they had narrowed the suspect pool to twenty people based on the profile but even that was too many in his opinion. He wanted to bring in the unsub on the first arrest. They were currently using the owner of the Asian restaurant as a scapegoat to lull the unsub into a false sense of security.
It gave them time to narrow their list from twenty men to one man.
"We've done all we can for now," said Rossi. "A woman wants to come talk with us in an hour. She's a grief counselor and she thinks she knows who the man and the woman are."
"This better be the real deal," said Bobby. "I'm sick of this guy sitting out there somewhere and laughing to himself about all the pain he's caused. I've gone through hell too. I'm not blowing up buildings"
"We're going to get him Bobby," said Rossi.
"Her name is Sarah McKinley," said Hotch. "She runs a support group for people who have lost family members in drunk driving accidents. Dave wouldn't have said anything if it wasn't legit."
CRIMINAL MINDS
Rossi waited outside the precinct for Sarah McKinley to show up. When he did, he profiled her immediately. Mid to late fifties, salt and pepper hair, wedding ring, simple clothing, and a Chicago accent that told him she had been born in the city.
"Mrs. McKinley? I'm Agent Rossi, we spoke on the phone," said Rossi. "I'd rather we talk inside, a colleague of mine and a cop on the case would also like to speak with you."
"Alright," said Mrs. McKinley.
When they got inside, introductions were made and Mrs. McKinley insisted on being called Sarah.
"You do it to put people at ease, don't you?" said Hotch.
"Yes. I used to be a counselor at a high school, but I was counseling the students more on how to cope with losing their friends to drunk driving accidents than on how to fill out college applications," said Sarah. "I started the group in 1985 and I've been running it out of my apartment for the last 12 years. I've gotten people from all walks of life and I normally do what I can to keep the group discreet but these two haven't even been here in six months and my husband is a retired police officer. When I saw the news about those detectives, I knew I had to say something."
"Take your time," said Rossi. "Leave nothing out."
"Jonathan Myers is the man you're looking for," said Sarah. "He started coming to the group five years ago when his daughter died after her senior prom."
"What was her name?" said Rossi.
"Bailey Myers. He had to raise her all by himself. From what I know, she and her date doubled up with another couple and their car got T-boned by a group of boys from her school, the driver was so drunk he couldn't stand much less operate a vehicle. Both the boys in Bailey's car were killed instantly. The other girl suffered a broken leg," said Sarah.
"Bailey?" said Rossi.
"Thrown from the car and died at the scene. She was wearing a seatbelt but it was defective," said Sarah. "Paramedics worked on her for two hours but she never stabilized enough that they could get her to the hospital. She was only seventeen. Jonathan always said that when he talked about her."
"What does he do for work?" said Bobby.
"Construction, he does demolition," said Sarah. "I wonder if that's how he and Svetlana clicked as well as they did."
"Svetlana?" said Rossi.
"Svetlana Bunin, she came to me three years ago. She and her brother were out sailing and they were hit by some drunken college students operating a speedboat. Her brother died and she was in the hospital for two months. She was studying for her master's in biochemistry at the time and began dating Myers shortly after they met. I thought when they stopped coming six months ago, that they were planning their wedding. He asked her to marry him, she said yes," said Sarah. "I still can't believe what happened to her."
"What happened, Sarah?" said Rossi.
"She got involved with an amateur acting group to help deal with things, and the third act of the play called for the death of the character she was playing. The prop gun had a dummy bullet jammed in it from when it was being tested. She was shot in the chest and died in the hospital," said Sarah.
"When did this happen?" said Hotch.
"Few weeks ago," said Sarah.
She left a few minutes later when everyone deemed the information she had given was enough.
CRIMINAL MINDS
After looking through the case files that corroborated Sarah's story, everyone realized Jonathan Myers fit the profile. He was a construction worker, and further digging revealed his real name was Doug Callahan, a member of the IRA that had supposedly died in a bombing in Belfast with his baby daughter Rose, and his wife had taken off after the baby was born. Svetlana had also fit the other part of the profile while she was alive.
This made the death of Bailey the major stressor and the death of Svetlana between the second and third bombings the secondary stressor.
CRIMINAL MINDS
Rossi got back to the house and sighed. He had had an awful night, and he didn't really want to be here. He doubted Angie did either. He could see his parents trying to console each other. Katherine appeared withdrawn but wasn't being rude to anyone.
When he found Angie she was sitting in the living room playing Battleship with Gibbs. Gibbs later lost, and Angie took his coffee.
"That was a mistake," said Gibbs.
"What?" said Rossi.
"I bet my coffee and lost!" said Gibbs.
Angie took a sip, wrinkled her nose, and handed it back to Gibbs.
"You okay?" said Rossi.
"Too strong," said Angie. "It needs more sugar."
"No it doesn't," said Gibbs. "You'll like it better when you're older."
"Tell you what, Angie," said Rossi. "We'll go to Starbucks and you can pick something you'll like on our way to see Batman & Robin tonight."
"Really? Tonight? I thought you were busy," said Angie.
"Hotch, Bobby, and I know who it is," said Rossi. "We're going to get him tomorrow."
"Why not tonight?" said Angie.
"The judge has to give me and the others a search warrant but it won't be ready until tomorrow," said Rossi.
"Ugh, Chicago politicians!" said Angie.
She wrinkled her nose in disgust. If not for the somber circumstances surrounding them, Rossi would've laughed at his niece's disgust of the situation. He wasn't happy about it either.
CRIMINAL MINDS
They went to a movie theater that was located towards the end of the South Side. Angie had a tight grip on the caramel frappuccino he had bought her at the Starbucks near the movie theater. She had thanked him several times and tried to down it fast until he told her it was a bad idea.
The two of them agreed on a large popcorn as they entered the movie theater. Angie was beginning to have trouble staying still as the coffee took effect. They went to the room where the movie would be playing and sat down in the back, knowing they'd have a better view of the screen if they did.
Angie calmed down and quietly rearranged her necklace because the dog tags and St. Jude pendant had somehow moved behind her neck.
CRIMINAL MINDS
It was half way through the movie when it happened.
One of the teenaged ushers ran in, freaked out.
"We need to evacuate! There's a bomb in the theater!"
TBC...