How Dare You [ReidxReader]

(20) Tension

"Why would a dealer continuously call a costumer?" Hotchner asks.

Spencer looks at the phone logs: "Usually, the buyer calls the dealer, maybe once or twice a week, not the other way around."

Your head shoots up and you stare at Spencer. You know how he knows that, but no one else asks themselves how he does. Hotchner just goes on with his analysis of the victims.

Your eyes dart around the room, not one is batting an eye about what Spencer just said. Do they seriously think he just knows that because Spencer knows everything?

Taking a deep breath, you go back to the coroner's reports. Even though it makes you sick to your stomach, you look at the bloody track marks all three women show. They were healthy, no history of drug abuse. And the marks...

"They didn't inject the heroin themselves." You state.

Hotchner and the others turn to you. "Why you think that?" Morgan asks.

"The wounds." You slide the pictures around. "These aren't injection marks of someone who used on their own accord. They struggled."

"Isn't that a bit of a stretch?" Rossi questions.

You shake your head: "The wounds are too big for just a needle. They must have moved their arm and it cut the skin."

Now everyone stares at you. Really? Spencer's comment was fine, but your observation raises suspicions? You cross your arms and lean back. Absentmindedly, you rub the inside of your elbows. "Byrne? Can I talk to you for a moment?" Hotchner gestures towards the adjacent office. You furrow your eyebrows and get up.

Following him, you look at Spencer who seems just as confused. You don't fully shut the door, too stubborn to protect Hotchner's bullshit. "Sir?"

"I keep you on the team, because you are a good Agent." He starts. Oh wow.

"But you cannot let your personal experience influence your judgement."

"How else am I supposed to build a profile? You all work with your experience."

Hotchner's jaw clenches: "We use our professional experience."

"I worked for the DEA, what makes you think I don't speak from professional experience?"

You try your best to stay calm, but you can already guess what he is getting at.

"You really want to go there, Byrne?"

"Yes, please enlighten me." You sneer.

Hotchner's face gets even more stern, which you didn't think was possible. "You obviously used yourself. You try your best to hide your arms, but it's shows in your mannerisms. I send you to the psychological examination to check if you were still abusing substances."

You are stunned beyond believe. Not only did he profile you, but he also concluded that you used to shoot up heroin. Fair enough, you used cocaine in recent times, but he never really noticed that. HE ALSO DIDN'T NOTICE SPENCER USING FOR MONTHS.

"You said I was cleared." You don't even acknowledge his profile.

"I cleared you." Hotchner corrects. "Your examination was inconclusive, but underlying aggression was observed."

You stare at him until he keeps talking: "As I said, you are a valuable asset of this team, but I cannot have an ex-junkie interfere with our profile."

You see in his eyes that he immediately regrets his choice of words, but it's too late now.

"Are you fucking serious?" You yell at him. "You have NO IDEA what you are talking about. Do you think your suits and serious face give you ANY advantage? Do you seriously think your demeanor makes you a better profiler than I am?"