The precinct buzzed with activity, officers moving like clockwork to manage evidence and coordinate leads. Emily found herself stationed in a cramped conference room with JJ and Rossi, going over the unsub's timeline.
The third victim's phone records showed activity near a remote forest road shortly before her disappearance. Emily was about to suggest dispatching a team when her phone buzzed. Derek's name flashed on the screen.
"We've got a lead," he said without preamble. "Unsub's vehicle was spotted near the state line. Meet us there."
Emily's chest tightened at the abruptness of his tone. Before she could ask for details, he ended the call.
The drive to the scene was tense, the air in the SUV thick with unspoken words. Emily could feel Derek's frustration radiating off him like heat. He didn't look at her as they parked near the edge of the woods.
The witness, a frail woman in her seventies, met them at the driveway of her home. Her voice trembled as she recounted seeing a man running through the woods late at night.
"He was tall, wiry," she said, her hands twisting nervously. "Looked like he didn't belong around here."
After taking notes, Derek turned to Emily. "We'll sweep the area," he said curtly.
The woods were dense, the undergrowth making progress slow. The silence between them was almost deafening, broken only by the crunch of leaves underfoot.
Emily felt her patience fray with every step. She had tried to let Derek's coldness roll off her back, but it was becoming harder to ignore.
"Derek, can we talk?" she ventured, breaking the silence.
"We're working," he replied without looking at her.
"We're always working," she snapped. "That's not an excuse to avoid this."
He stopped abruptly, turning to glare at her. "Avoid what, Emily? The fact that you disappeared without a trace? Or the fact that you're acting like everything's fine now?"
Her cheeks flushed with anger. "I'm not acting like everything's fine. I'm trying to fix things, but you won't even let me explain."
Derek let out a harsh laugh. "Explain what? How you decided I wasn't worth a goodbye?"
Emily flinched but refused to back down. "I didn't have a choice, Derek. My life was in danger. Yours would've been too."
"You keep saying that," he said bitterly. "But you never gave me a chance to decide for myself."
The weight of his words hung between them. Before Emily could respond, the sound of a snapping branch drew their attention.
"Stay behind me," Derek said, his voice all business.
The tension between them simmered as they moved cautiously toward the source of the noise. It turned out to be nothing more than a deer, but the adrenaline left Emily shaken.
Later, as they returned to the precinct, Emily couldn't shake Derek's words. She had spent years convincing herself that leaving was the right thing to do, but now she wondered if she had underestimated the damage it had caused.