Blood and Battle | Criminal Minds (gxg)

Chapter 5

We reach the prison in twenty minutes. I park the SUV and we climb out, greeted at the entrance by the head of prison security.

"You been here before?" Elle asks me. We follow Gideon and the guard toward the prison.

"Nope. But I've been to my fair share of prisons."

She looks over at me before laughing. The sound is light, care free, her voice filling me with warmth.

It takes me a minute to realize what I just said. "That's not what I meant," I say with a smile.

We contain our laughter as we take out our badges and enter the prison. "We're looking for the security guard in charge of Richard Slessman's wing. He was kept here three years ago." Gideon says to the head of security.

"Yeah, I know the guy. Vogel was his officer, Tim Vogel. I'll bring you to him."

"Thank you."

We follow him through the prison to the first gate. A buzzer sounds as it slides open and we pass through.

"He's here, in the cafeteria. There," he points to a man leaning against the opposite wall. He wears a guard uniform and has a baton strapped to his hip. Sandy blonde hair, approximately six feet tall, I can see the muscles of his arms beneath his uniform. He looks up and notices our group.

"Thank you, we'll take it from here," I say to the security guard and walk towards Vogel, Elle and Gideon behind me.

I flash my badge quickly before crossing my arms over my chest. "SSA D'angelo. Agents Gideon and Greenaway," I point at each. "We need to ask you a few questions about an inmate from a few years back. Richard Slessman."

Vogel stands straighter at the name. "Yeah, I remember him. Small, scrawny, always getting picked on."

"Did he have a cellmate he was close with? Or a group he would hang around with to protect him?" Gideon asks.

Vogel shakes his head, "Not that I can think of. A loner, that guy. Never close with anyone." He looks at Elle. "He in trouble for something?" he asks her.

"We're just tracing down some leads, that's all." Her reply is short, devoid of emotion. While he had his attention on me and Gideon I noticed her taking him in, surveying every detail. She catches my eye and a silent understanding passes between us.

His hands. Small cuts cover his hands. His nails are painfully short, bitten down to stubs.

"Is there anything else you can tell us?" I ask, turning back to Vogel.

He shakes his head. "Wish I could. Kid was a loner, never got along with anyone. Always hoped he'd turn over a new leaf. Guess not."

Gideon thanks him and we turn to leave. As soon as we leave the cafeteria I give voice to the notion going through all our heads. "He's lying."

Gideon nods. "Vogel was an introvert, but we know he got along with his cellmate, his grandmother confirmed that. And I bet if we talked to some of the other inmates they'd confirm that Vogel and Slessman had a connection."

"He could be our dominant."

"He is our dominant," Elle says. I look at her with confusion. Even with his hands, it's early to be so sure. "His keychain," she says, noticing my expression. "He had the keys to a Dodge Datsun Z."

Understanding washes over me. A Dodge Datsun Z is the model Heather's brother said she was interested in buying. That was the car she was kidnapped in.

"Alright, D'angelo, call Hotch and get an update. Vogel's shift should end in about twenty minutes, we'll tail his car," Gideon says to us.

I call from just outside the entrance to the prison.

"Hotch, it's me."

"You're on speaker, C."

"Cool. So we just talked to Slessman's prison guard, Tim Vogel. Garcia should run a check but we're nearly certain he's our guy. He leaves in about fifteen minutes, we'll tail him. What'd you find at the house?"

Morgan replies, "Music. Slessman has an obsession with music, thousands of CDs in his room. We're going through them now, trying to find the password to his computer."

We need to get that computer open. If we're lucky it'll lead us directly to Heather's location. "Can't you ask Garcia?"

"It's got a virus implanted, one wrong try and the whole thing is wiped clean," Reid says.

"Basically she told us to figure it out," Morgan adds.

"Carli?" Elle calls from the prison entrance. The sound of my name on her lips sends a chill through my body. I ignore it. "Time to go."

"Be right there," I say to her. "I gotta go. Call if you crack the password."

"We will. Bye, C"

"Bye." I hang up and meet Elle and Gideon at the SUV. I climb into the driver's seat and wait for Vogel's Dodge to come around the corner from the employee parking lot. I slowly pull out from our spot and begin to follow him.

Ten minutes later we're following Vogel down a dimly lit back road. He drives slowly, about 100 feet ahead of us. I'm staring into his brake lights, thinking. There's this feeling in my gut. "Something's off." I say it quietly, almost to myself, but it's heard throughout the silent vehicle.

"Keep following him," Gideon says.

"Carli's right. He's driving too slow, he's making sure to go the speed limit and use his blinkers. He's too careful." Elle leans forward from the backseat. "I think we should stop him." I slightly turn my head to glance her way, only to notice she's already looking at me.

"I agree."

Gideon sighs. "Okay. D'angelo, hit the lights."

I do, and the road is lit by flashing red and blue. Vogel immediately pulls over in front of us. I put the car in park and draw my weapon. I open the door and level my gun over the top. "Vogel!" I shout, "put both your hands out the window!" He does as he's told.

Elle goes first, me a step behind and Gideon coming around from the passenger side of the vehicle. "Slowly open the door and step out with your hands up." Elle's voice is cold, steely. Once again, he does as he's told. Weird, I think, Vogel profiles as someone who wouldn't go without a fight.

He's standing next to the car now, his hands up in the air. "Turn around," Gideon says to him.

As he turns, he speaks. "Please, don't shoot. I'm unarmed." His voice quavers with fear. I immediately lower my weapon. It's not Vogel.