Chapter 10 – Reliving the Past
Identity
On the Jet to Montana
As soon as the plane is stabilized in the air Dave grabs his go bag and heads to the latrine. Montana was a place where you wanted to blend in, not stick out. He toes out of his shoes as he slides off his jacket. In a few moments, he has stripped down to his t-shirt and underwear. He changes into dark jeans and a khaki button-down shirt. He grabs his boots from the bag, sets them on the floor then re-packs his bag.
His mind wanders back ten plus years. Because of his charismatic personality and ability to gain trust, Dave had been recruited as a negotiator and worked with the Hostage Rescue Team. It was in this role, that he had been at Ruby Ridge.
He, like many of his compatriots, had been full of righteousness and pride believing that they as members of the FBI could do no wrong and set out to conquer the world.
He had been working with the HRT for two years when the events at Ruby Ridge occurred. It was the beginning of the end for him. The pressures of the job, the press, and his family had led him to early retirement.
He sighs and looks in the mirror, frowning at the sight he sees. He already looks tired and ten years older. 'Thank God this is temporary,' he thinks.
He exits the latrine, stows his bag, and settles into a chair.
"Getting comfy," Emily asks. The rest of the team members eye him carefully.
"Trying to match our soon to be surroundings," he tells them.
"Good idea," Hotch murmurs.
The rest of the team give themselves and each other a look over.
"I didn't bring anything to blend in," Reid frowns. "This is what I wear everywhere."
"You'll be fine," Dave assures him as he finishes tying his boots.
Later
Dave sits across the aisle from the group. Closer, but not yet included in the team. He flips through the file about the case however, his mind wanders to the past. He thinks about Vicki Weaver, her son Sammy, the Branch Davidians the agents lost for nothing and the nagging feeling of guilt that pushed him into leaving the bureau all those years ago. The conversation from the team draws him back to the present. This is a different time. These are different people. And he is different as well.
"You know, I could have gotten you a coloring book at the airport," Emily teases.
Reid, unphased continues to draw on the map in front of him. "I'm creating a topographical map. Weighing down and geocoding all key locations, looking for algorithms."
Dave looks over. He wants to add to the conversation, but nothing comes to mind as he has no idea what Reid is doing.
"Yeah," Emily replies unconvincingly. "That's exactly what I thought you were doing."
"It's called a jeopardy surface," Hotch cuts in as he steps out of the galley. He holds a cup of tea in one hand as he dunks the tea bag. He continues, "It's a way of narrowing down where the unsub could reside."
"And by default, where he could be stashing Angela Miller," Reid states.
"You know it says here the guy had a fully loaded gun, so we know he had options," Derek points out. "Why the grenade?"
Dave speaks up for the first time, drawing the team's attention. "He wants to be remembered. And he wanted to be sure to take as many cops with him as possible."
He glances at each of the team members. He realizes that this was his moment to mentor, so he goes on, "He knows he's out gunned. So, he waits. Times it to the last second. BOOM! There are some very committed people in those parts."
"Who love their firepower," Hotch murmurs. Their eyes meet in a knowing glance. Each remembering a piece of their past.
Dave nods. "Almost as much as they hate us."
Montana
Dave follows the team out of the jet to the tarmac or what the locals called a tarmac. It was a field leveled with a tractor and a rake. The smell of dirt and pine trees fills the air. Dave takes a deep breath allowing the less polluted air to fill his lungs. More memories flash through his brain and his skin crawls. Another time, another place – he hoped it wouldn't be the same results.
His eyes take in the vast nothingness around them and yet, he feels the eyes watching their every move.
The team gathers around a pair of standard issue SUV's that wait for them. Dave brushes past, rubbing against both Emily and Morgan.
"Can we get out of the open," he grumbles. "This place is too exposed for my liking."
He tosses his bag into the back of the first SUV and climbs into the front passenger seat. The rest of the team quickly follows and soon they are on their way to town.
Sheriff's Office
Dave rearranges the boxes on the table as JJ walks into room, carrying a phone. "Uh, this is Agent Jareau with the FBI, and…" she looks at the phone with a frown. "That's the third time I've been hung up on."
Dave sifts through one of the boxes. "Try not saying FBI," he suggests.
JJ gives him an annoyed look as Reid twists around from his position in front of the white board.
"Who was that?" Reid asks.
"Contact for a local militia newsletter," she replies.
"Yeah," Reid says. "Drop the FBI part."
Frustrated, JJ responds. "A woman is missing. You'd think people would want to help us."
"They do want to help," Dave says reassuringly. "The missing woman, not us."
JJ's phone rings. She looks at it then answers turning on the speaker. "Go ahead, Garcia."
Dave looks up sharply as the technical analyst starts to talk.
"You were spot on, Crime Fighters. Military records match," she begins. "Francis Goehring, did a year in the Army before a bad conduct discharge. Highlight of which was an arrest during a bar brawl in which three other people were hospitalized. He also appears in a federal database for, get this, aggressive militia groups."
JJ looks at Dave. "Aggressive militia groups, is there any other type?"
He doesn't respond, instead he looks down at the file in his hands. Sometimes, he knew, those militia groups became aggressive because they were provoked. He concentrates on that voice on the other end of the phone in JJ's hand. Penelope pulls at him in a way he never felt before.
Garcia continues to talk. "Uh-huh. That's your Federal government at work. We specialize in redundancy."
Dave moves closer to JJ and speaks to Penelope. "You see a last known address?"
Garcia types quickly. "A compound just outside of town. It's coming your way."
She types some more. "Oh, he also has a wife that doesn't appear to live with him. Diane Marie Goehring, lives in Shelby, a few hours away."
"Have the state police bring in the wife," he orders. He looks up at Spencer. "Reid and I will go make friends with his neighbors."
In the SUV on the way to the compound
Dave navigates the SUV down a winding dirt road. He glances at Reid who sits in the passenger seat staring out the window.
"Can I ask you something?" Dave says breaking the silence.
Reid takes a deep breath and lets it out before replying. "You want to know what I'm doing in the FBI."
"No," Dave says shaking his head. "Do you know why Garcia is in the FBI?"
"Garcia?" Reid frowns. He thinks for a moment. "I have no idea. You could probably check her file."
"I did."
"What did it say," Reid asks. His curiosity piqued.
Dave stares out the front window for a moment. "It was redacted."
"Huh."
Dave looks over at the younger man. "That's all you have to say?"
Reid shrugs. "For an outgoing woman, she is very quiet about her past or her personal life. In fact, I don't think anyone on the team has ever been to her apartment. Not even Derek."
"I have," Dave admits. It warms him inside knowing he is the only member of the team to have been to her place. He feels Reid's eyes on the side of his face. He glances to the right and is taken aback at the glare on the younger man's face. "What's that look for?"
"Whatever ideas you have in regard to Garcia, you need to forget about them," Reid warns.
Dave slows the vehicle to a stop. "Or what?" he asks slightly aggressive.
Reid flinches.
"What aren't you sharing with me?" Dave presses. "Are you interested in her?"
Reid laughs. He looks out the side window again. "She'd eat me alive."
They sit in silence for a moment.
"I'm still waiting," Dave says lowly.
"I just… Garcia is like a sister to me. I don't want to see her get hurt."
Dave watches him through the reflection in the window. "You think I'm going to hurt her?"
Reid shrugs. "I don't know you well enough to think that."
"But?"
The younger profiler turns back. They lock eyes.
"I've heard things about you. About your reputation with women."
"Ah. I see," Dave nods. "That was a different me. I know you have no reason to trust me but believe me when I say I will do nothing to hurt her. I promise."
They stare in silence for a few moments, then Reid puts out his right hand. Dave glances at it.
"I believe you are a man of your word and that a handshake is like a blood oath," Reid countered.
"I thought you didn't like to be touched?" Dave asked.
"I'm making a brief and singular exception."
Dave hesitates a mere second before taking the Doctor's hand in his.
"I promise that I will do nothing to hurt Penelope Garcia," Dave reiterates. He thinks about his other recent handshake with Hotch and how he had already broken that vow. Well, not completely but he was disregarding it.
Reid smiles. "Good. Now what's our plan of action when we get to this place?"
The Compound
Reid knocks on the Manager's door and steps back as Dave stands to the side and surveys the area. They were basically in enemy territory and needs to be hyper-vigilant. He could feel the locals watching them. He hears the manager respond to Reid's knock.
"What the hell do you want? Can't you read?"
Reid frowns. "I'm not a salesman, I'm with the FBI."
Reid pulls out his credentials and holds them up briefly. Dave shifts as he sees a man step outside of one of the buildings.
The man inside the office snorts. "FBI? You're not serious. You look like a pipe cleaner with eyes."
Dave chuckles internally as he agrees with the man. However, the next statement makes him uneasy.
"I could snap you in two like a twig," the man says menacingly.
Dave rounds the corner steps between Reid and the door. He holds his own credentials in his hand. He hates these people for a reason, but he definitely doesn't want things to get out of hand.
"But then, he isn't alone," Dave growls. "We're here because this was the address listed for Francis Goehring."
"I haven't seen him in months." The man replies harshly.
"We'd like to see his residence," Dave continues.
The man grabs the door and starts to close it. Dave yanks the screen door open and leans inside.
"Francis Goehring abducted three women. We're looking for a fourth."
Dave holds up a picture of the missing woman. "He took her while her husband and son were in a store. This isn't about us, it's about a woman from your community."
The man stares at the pictures for a moment then steps forward and exits the office. Dave steps back a pace, keeping room between himself and the bigger man.
"I'll show you his place," the man says grudgingly. He steps around the corner of the building, speaking to Reid as he goes. "Piece of advice, Pipe Cleaner, way you're wearing that gun – begging someone to take it off of you."
Dave and Reid follow the man in silence.
Inside Goehring's apartment
Dave enters, followed by Reid. The manager walks away leaving the two agents alone. Dave eyes the kitchen and dining area before he steps through to the empty cot. Reid stops near the door and peruses the stack of mail.
"Mostly junk mail," Reid states as he holds up a pile of mail. "Catalogs for firearms, survival preparedness."
Dave swipes a hand on the cot. It's dusty. "He doesn't sleep here."
Reid squints at the corner of one catalog. "Postmarks are new. He probably just uses this address for mail."
Dave lifts a book from a stack by the bed. He sets it down and moves to the foot of the bed.
"Odd choice of reading material," he says mostly to himself.
"Uh, speaking of reading material, I've, uh, read all your books," Reid states cautiously.
"Thanks," Dave says.
Dave kicks the lock of a footlocker breaking it before he kneels and opens it. Reid moves across the room and stops a few feet away. Dave looks up at him.
"Umm, one thing that always kind of struck me as odd is that you really sort of glance over Ruby Ridge. I mean, you don't – You don't have to tell me, I…" he trails off.
Dave looks away. This is one of those moments where he could open up and share something personal, but he's not certain that he wants to reveal those parts of himself to these people. He pauses for a moment then opens the locker. He rifles through the top layer contents and picks up a photograph.
"This picture seems old. It's part of a past life. We need to find where his new life is," he says lowly. He thinks for a moment then turns to Reid. How's that map of yours coming along?"
"I've got it narrowed down to about a 30-mile radius."
"Well, Hotch seems to think he was on foot. That's a long walk," Dave muses.
Dave removes the top drawer of the locker and shuffles through the old Army uniforms.
"I'm still refining it," Reid replies.
"Good." He moves a bag. A box of tapes sits in the corner. "Hello."
Dave picks up a handful of the tapes. "Home movies."
In the SUV on the way back to the Sheriff's Office
The two men are silent as they leave the compound. The local deputies arrived to process Goehring's apartment much to the chagrin of the people living nearby. On the seat between the two men sits a box with the video tapes and a few other items Dave and Reid have determined to be worthy of their attention.
Dave glances at the younger man. Penelope's voice echoes in his head telling him to make a friend and even though he's still unsure about revealing himself he knows he needs to try. He takes a breath and holds it for a moment. His hands clench the steering wheel, then relax as he lets out the breath.
"So, you read my books, huh?" he asks. The question sounds lame to his own ears.
Reid looks at him and nods. "Yes. I found them quite informative."
"Thank you. I, uh… I'd be willing to show you my notes about the Scarsdale Skinner if you're interested," Dave offers.
Reid turns in his seat and looks at him with an excited expression. "I'd love that. I find psycholinguistics to be fascinating. How did you figure out that by studying his word usage you would track him down?"
He snorts. "I was dating a Forensic Linguist at the time, she suggested it."
Reid nods and frowns. After a moment, he speaks again. "Alex Blake?"
Dave does a double take. "How did you know that?"
Reid smirks. "I've worked with Dr. Blake a few times. Knowing her career path with the Bureau and some of her personal life, it makes sense that the two of you would have crossed paths. She's an attractive, intelligent woman – seemingly your type, and you would have been single, it makes sense."
Dave blinks a few times and stares out the front window. "Did she ever mention me or the case?"
"No."
Dave nods. "Interesting. You are definitely good at this profiling thing. You should make a career of it."
Reid frowns. "I am."
Dave laughs causing Reid to frown deeper.
At the Sheriff's Office
Dave, Reid, and Emily watch one of the video tapes. Goehring drones on about his rights as a free man in America.
"It's funny," Reid states as he leans forward. "He uses the chair like it's a throne and he's framing himself intentionally with a low angle to give him power and dominance in the frame."
Goehring continues to talk about having high ground and keeping serfs to attend his every need.
"There's 11 more tapes of this," Emily asks wearily.
"It's his manifesto," Reid states.
More droning from Goehring. He talks about having his own kingdom.
"Well, we know he's moved out of his house," Dave points out. "My guess is that the kingdom is a reality now."
"Hey, he talks about keeping women to serve him," Emily says with a hint of hope. "It's possible that all these women are still alive."
JJ interrupts their discussion. "Excuse me. Goehring's wife is here."
They move to the main room, when Mrs. Goehring sits at one of the desks.
Dave sits to the side and listens as Emily questions Goehring's wife. She's hesitant to help, even knowing that he had abused other women. Irritated, Dave gets up to confront her.
"Can you think of anywhere that he would have taken these women," Hotch asks.
She hesitates.
"Your husband was sadistic," Dave growls. She jerks and looks at him. "He hurt you, made you do horrible things."
He sees the pain and fear in her eyes, but instead of stopping he presses on. He can be an ass when he wants to be. "He treated you like a slave. Did what he wanted, whenever he wanted."
She's on the verge of tears as she looks away.
"He did the same thing to those other women except they didn't have the militia to save them."
She glances at him quickly then looks away again.
"Francis said that his dream started with 9 acres," Hotch added quietly. "What's he talking about?"
"My parents' land," Mrs. Goehring sniffles. "When – when – when they died, he made me give it to him."
Hotch motions to Reid. The younger agent brings his area map over. Hotch takes it and holds it out to her.
"Where is it?" Hotch asks.
She points to a spot near the northern area of jeopardy surface.
Goehring's property
The team searches the property and finds the body of Angela Miller as the sheriff's deputies sweep the house for explosives. They determine that Angela had died recently, too recent for Goehring to have killed her. They realize that they had just missed Goehring's partner.
Hotch decides it's time to hit up the locals for information about the partner. The Sheriff states that the best person to ask would be the local militia leader, Harris Townsend, who owns a bar in town called The Horse Post. Dave suggests that they send Morgan to talk to him. Hotch agrees and sends JJ with him for backup.
The team continues to search the grounds and Emily discovers evidence that more bodies may be buried under the rose bushes. They start to dig. Dave and Reid discover some cartridges and several empty gun racks. Their guy is armed and unknown.
After a few hours, the Sheriff finally allows them to go into the house.
"Didn't find any explosives," the Sheriff states. "Nothing's rigged but be careful."
Dave follows the Sheriff through the front door and stops to look around as Hotch and Emily file past him.
"Odd. Goehring kept his house almost cozy," he says to no one in particular. He moves over to a dresser sitting under a window in the front room. Several piles of magazines are stacked on top. He begins to open the drawers and finds a stash of 8mm tapes that have been unspooled.
"Hotch?"
"Yeah," the Unit Chief replies from across the room.
Dave holds up a couple of the tapes for closer examination. "These tapes have the names of the missing women. They've all been unspooled."
Hotch pulls the drawer out of the dresser as Dave drops the two tapes back in it. "We need to get these to Garcia immediately," Hotch says as he hustles out the door and calls for a Deputy.
The rest of them continue to search the house, finding medieval torture devices and a holding cell where Goehring kept the women, in one of the bedrooms.
"I've got something here," Dave announces.
He lifts the end of the bed it raises easily and rests in an upright position. The bottom of the bed is made of a thick wire mesh. Dozens of homemade devices are attached to the mesh.
"Homemade torture tools," he says as he surveys the floor. "They covered the floor in something. The bodies are probably wrapped in whatever it was. They must have kept these women in that box for months. Judging by these tools, there will be a considerable amount of mutilation. We need to do what we can to help their families get a proper burial."
Dave steps outside and takes a deep breath. This was one of the reasons he came back to this job – to catch sick bastards who got their kicks out of hurting people. These women did nothing wrong and ended up dead.
Sheriff's Office – the next day
While watching the earlier tapes, Emily and Reid noted that Goehring had a submissive partner. Someone who had done the general daily chores for Goehring. Emily realized that the submissive must have been the one to buy all the rose plants. The team split up and questioned people at the local nurseries. JJ got lucky and got a picture and a name, Henry Frost. Hotch took Reid, Emily and Derek to Frost's place.
Meanwhile, Dave sits at the table reviewing the tapes for anything they may have missed. The content was something he wasn't comfortable with and he couldn't imagine how Penelope was handling it. Based on her reaction the first time they met, he imagined she wasn't doing very well.
JJ enters the room and places a fresh cup of coffee on the table in front of him.
"I thought you could use a break," she smiles.
He returns the smile and picks up the cup. "Thanks."
"Sorry, there weren't any apple fritters," she teases.
He pauses. "I'm sorry?"
She shifts uncomfortably. "Garcia said you liked apple fritters, I just… never mind."
"Thank you." He takes a sip of the steaming liquid. "Speaking of Garcia, how is she doing? Have you talked to her?"
"Um… she's fine? Why do you ask?"
He gestures towards the computer where images of Goehring torturing a woman fills the screen. "I just thought this might have been rough for her to watch."
"Ah," JJ smiles slightly. "Maybe you should call her and make certain she's okay."
She leaves the room before he can reply. He wonders how much Garcia has said to the others. Do they all know that he is interested in her? Good God, he told Reid he had been to her apartment. What did the younger man think of that? He takes another sip of the coffee, pauses the computer, and pulls out his phone.
"Agent Rossi?" Penelope asks sounding perplexed.
"Hi," he replies.
"Hi. What can I do for you, Sir?"
He grins. "Call me David."
"Sir," she squeaks.
"There's no one here but me," he assures her.
"You called me on the work line," she tells him pointedly. "Our conversation is being recorded just so you know."
"Understood," he says in a more professional manner. He hangs up and dials another number.
It rings twice. "You hung up on me!"
"I'm sorry," he says not sounding sorry. "I miss you."
"Really?" she squeaks again.
"Yeah. How are you?"
"Lonely," she admits. "And icky. Why did you make me watch that god awful stuff?"
"It wasn't me. I promise. Hotch is the one who sent it to you," he says defensively.
"That's going to haunt me for days," she groans. "Maybe weeks."
Flashes of Ruby Ridge, Waco, and other cases flash through his mind. He had left the Bureau because he was haunted by those memories and he knew that he didn't want that to be the same for her.
"I'll make it up to you when I get back," he says softly.
"How?"
He grins again. "I have my ways."
"Ooh," she coos.
JJ enters the room again.
"Sorry to interrupt," JJ states. "There's been another abduction."
He waits until JJ leaves the room.
"I have to go, Sweetheart. I'll talk to you later," Dave says into the phone.
"Be safe," she says just before he hangs up.
End Chapter 10
