CHAPTER 29: Masterpiece (Season 4, episode 8)
Character(s): Professor Rothchild (aka Henry Grace), Rossi
A/N: Won't even try and give excuses or reasons, will just simply apologize for the very late update!
Much thanks to little purple butterflies – the first half of this chapter is based off an idea she gave me for this episode. I hope you like it and it does justice to the idea you had! Also thanks to FirefliesFlash for looking this over and helping me sort it all out.
Again, flipping between the two characters here, but it should be an easy divide. Enjoy!
"One who is unassuming in dealing with people exhibits his arrogance all the more strongly in dealing with things (city, state, society, age, mankind). That is his revenge." - Friedrich Nietzsche
Only a matter of time now. I'm getting to him, I can just feel it.
He shouldn't feel too badly, though, David. He's not the only one of inferior intellect here. He'll find that out soon enough.
Granted, I must admit I'm having more fun than I thought I would with dear Agent Rossi here. That other agent…Morgan something, was it?...didn't take long to snap at me. David won't be able to hold out much longer, either. I'd hoped to wait a while longer to deal with him, but if this is how these people insist on doing things, then I'm perfectly happy to alter my plans a little.
It's fascinating, utterly fascinating. He seemed so commanding in that lecture earlier today. He had a room full of students actually paying attention during a class. But of course, who wouldn't – they're learning about the "powerful" FBI, after all. Very easy for young people to get swept up in the idea of having power and control over others.
David Rossi. True-crime writer, sold millions of books. FBI criminal profiler. Former Marine (oh, yes, I went deep with my research on him). He stood at the front of that classroom, "related" to the students, wowed them with his credentials, all while explaining to them how to get into his line of work.
I saw him on TV numerous times. I read his books, to what some used to claim was a "disturbingly obsessive" level (I long ago brushed off that label, though. I assure you I'm quite content with the kind of person I am).
Nothing's changed. He's still out there, training young minds to be just as judgmental and quick to cast aside the "undeserving" as he is. No surprise at all. It's always laughable to hear him talk about studying the concept of justice, but then again, it's been his…routine...for years. Maybe it's a bad habit he can't break. I suppose I know what that's like.
Bringing Dr. Reid with him was a strange choice. He's an odd thing. Clearly intelligent, and yet strangely not as arrogant as his not so bright friend. But he doesn't look a day over eighteen. And he's certainly much more awkward, if his attempt at an (admittedly amusing) joke is anything to go by.
He's simply a recruitment tool to these people. Nothing more. And yet he took that as a compliment when I told him that. I wonder how often he gets praised for what he does.
I'm not at all surprised the class would react to him as they did. Anyone who'd take advice from David Rossi clearly doesn't seem that bright to begin with. Look at how he interrupted Dr. Reid when he tried to explain his joke afterward. Heaven forbid anyone actually learn something of value.
To be fair, Dr. Reid's joke did have a flaw in its logic. Someone as bright as him, with his multiple and prestigious title, really should not have messed up something so simple so easily. Maybe I'll ask him about that when they decide to bring him in here to talk to me.
The young man said he studied philosophy. A logical thinker interested in a topic that lends itself to shades of gray? That has me very, very curious. Perhaps I can make him see the error of David's beliefs about certain people. Perhaps I can explain to him how people like David ruin lives, with their strict views about criminals, about their propensity – or lack thereof – to change, both for the better and the worse. Perhaps I can show him that you can't trust anyone other than yourself.
He may look innocent, Dr. Reid, but I suspect he's already had to make a few choices in his job that put other people in danger. I'm very intrigued to see how far he's willing to go with this "no right or wrong answer" thinking. There's only so long he could go leaving a challenge unsolved, after all.
Hm. David has returned. Interesting. A bit of a shame, too, as I actually was becoming intrigued at the thought of talking to his young friend.
But I'm willing to play as long as he wants to. I've got all the time in the world.
There were many things David Rossi loved about his job.
Ultimately, and most importantly, he loved being able to bring justice for victims and their families. For as long as he lived, he would always love the feeling of intense satisfaction that ran through him as he saw a criminal being led away. Knowing that they weren't going to be bothering anyone else for a long, long time, and being able to reassure the families or surviving victims of that fact, was simply the proverbial cherry on top.
The motives never failed to fascinate him, either. Sometimes it was the most banal ones that struck him as particularly intriguing. To realize that someone went on a murder spree for something as simple as, say, trying to gain the attention and affections of another person…it was easy to work with and yet frustrating to try and understand all at the same time, and it was those defenses that kept him awake at night, that had him writing books delving into the reasoning behind such motives. Those sorts of stories also further proved Rossi's belief that environment played a bigger role in criminal development than nature did, despite what idiots like Rothchild tried to insist.
But getting under the unsub's skin? Now that had its own rewards. Watching them sweat as they tried to keep their story (or stories) straight. Trying to stay at least one step ahead of them, if not more, and figuring out how to avoid letting them guess his next move. The irritation they felt as they realized they were losing, the defeat that was written all over their faces once they realized the game was truly over.
Rossi was an arrogant man. He wouldn't argue that fact. He also wouldn't argue that his arrogance often hurt more than it helped. It wrecked his marriages, let him get sloppy with his writing sometimes. Caused him to get testy with reporters.
His arrogance certainly put himself and his teammates in danger on more than one occasion as well. There were times, during his first go-round in the BAU, when he half-expected to be fired right then and there on the spot thanks to some stupid bravado move. He also paid for his cockiness during his military days. There was little to no room for the sort of behavior he initially exhibited in the military, and as a result, he had to learn to squelch that part of himself very quickly.
Yet in moments like this, when he got to interrogate people like Professor Rothchild, he was able to wear his arrogance with pride. I'm smarter than you. I find you pathetic and insignificant. I will break you down.
Rossi didn't have any acting experience, but he did spend quite a bit of time on TV. As a result, he'd learned which face to show and tone to put on depending on whom he was talking to. He'd learned how to transition from the studious, assured air of a crime expert to the sympathetic plea on behalf of a grieving family within the span of five minutes. He knew when to show his outrage and when to let loose with a joke. In interrogations, he knew how to pretend like he understood and empathized with a criminal's reasons for committing a crime, or how to scare them into confessions. He could turn on the friendly chatter, too, and let them talk so long that they inadvertently slipped up and revealed far too much.
Rothchild thought he was so clever, and it was all Rossi could do to keep from laughing at the professor's preening. He'd seen more people like this guy in his line of work, both criminal and non-criminal, than he could count. If Rothchild had truly done as much research on him as he'd claimed, surely he would know that.
He would also know that he wasn't dealing with the "old" Rossi now, the one who handled these cases all on his own, refusing to let anyone help him. This was a new game, a new world.
Rossi certainly wasn't an expert on the Fibonacci sequence like Reid was (he sent up a silent thanks at one point for the young agent and his incredible font of knowledge). But it didn't take a genius to figure out that Rothchild tapping his fingers together wasn't a nervous tic; rather, it was a sign he was counting to himself. Thankfully, Reid had noticed that, too, and as a result, was able to take that simple gesture and expand on it to help solve the more complicated aspects of the case.
Then there were Morgan and Emily. Morgan may have briefly shown his annoyance with the professor, but he also made it clear with his tone that the team wasn't going to back down. He warned Rothchild of his rights. If the man didn't listen after that, well, as he'd soon find out, that would ultimately be his problem. And in the case of Emily, Rossi had even gained a brief respite from the man's cocky commentary, to the point where Rossi briefly considered letting her linger around a little longer.
Rossi himself was able to find a good "in" with the other man, a level to meet him on. He may have disagreed with Rothchild on many, many things, but he understood quite well the man's enthusiasm for competition and bragging rights. The professor had suggested he was born to be a killer. Therefore, if he truly believed that, then he would have had to compete with his brother in that area eventually, and succeed where his sibling had, in so many ways, failed. As a result, he'd have to be foolish enough to brag about his accomplishments at some point, to expect the attention that dear William had received.
So it was very easy for Rossi to seem shocked, shocked, then, at hearing Rothchild openly discuss his plans to destroy his teammates. To look every inch the sort of pitiful loser he wanted to see this guy become, to feel defeated and horrified that this criminal mastermind would've won against the supposedly experienced profiler. He let his voice become sorrowful as he saw the smug smirk on the professor's increasingly punchable face, and he could practically hear Rothchild gloating to himself.
He was right where Rossi wanted him.
"Did you get all that?" he then called out, his eyes barely leaving Rothchild's. Just like that, the two men had switched facial expressions.
"Every word, boss," Garcia's assured voice floated in over the intercom. Ah, yes, Garcia. Never met their charming unsub face to face, but simply stayed behind the scenes, using her brilliant tech skills to help bring him down. Just as she always did.
Oh, this was too perfect. Rossi almost wished he had a camera on him to get a photo of Rothchild's face at the moment. The shock when he realized he'd been beaten, slowly turning into fear when he'd realized the entire interview had been recorded, when Rossi mentioned their discussion would make a good teaching aid…it was just what Rossi had longed to see ever since he met the man.
"Yeah. I teach interrogation at the FBI academy." You must not have caught that part of our lecture at the college. What a shame.
Discussing the team's tactics with Hotch right in front of Rothchild was perhaps a bit excessive, Rossi sensed, but at that moment, he frankly didn't care. He made a mental note to thank Hotch later for managing to keep everyone else's focus on other aspects of the case, all the while allowing him to continue his one-on-one interaction with Rothchild, trusting that he knew what he was doing.
He also reminded himself to express admiration to Jordan as well. She was brand new to the team, but he sensed she had the sort of bold personality necessary for a job like this, and from the way Hotch talked about how the team handled the crime scene, he sensed Jordan threw herself into that situation head on, no questions asked, simply doing whatever she could to help.
Yes. If Rothchild had been smarter, he would've realized he was dealing with a new (and improved) Rossi. One who discovered letting other people in, leaning on them, trusting them and letting them trust you, brought far more positive results. Perhaps someday this poor man would learn that lesson, too.
Rossi did take his usual pleasure in watching Rothchild leave the BAU building later that day. He looked forward to telling his victims and their families the unsub had been caught, and would be going away. But this time, the pleasure was mixed with a sense of appreciation, of gratitude.
He suddenly found himself wishing his teammates could be standing there with him in that moment.
We are stronger. We pity you. We will never give up.
"Arrogance frowns; pride smiles." - Mason Cooley
As always, reviews/critiques/etc. remain welcome!