-Ding- The elevator doors opened.
"Reid, how much is a silk shirt?" Emily Prentiss asked as soon as she walked in. Reid who was the first one she saw was nominated to answer and by luck, might be the only one who could answer her question.
"Well depends, silk is considered the most expensive textile, but it varies depending on the quality and brand..."
"How about, Mulberry silk, Loro Piana brand" Both turned their heads, Katherine stepped out of the elevator. She gave a funny smile to Emily as she passed her towards her desk.
"Mulberry is considered the most expensive and high-quality silk; I would imagine it does cost quite a penny. As for Loro Piana, I have no idea what that is" Reid answered.
"Did you say Loro Piana?" Garcia walked by as she was carrying files for today's case to the conference room. She walked quickly towards Reid.
"Yes?" Reid said as she took as step backwards considering Garcia had introduced herself in his personal space.
"I am obsessed with high fashion" she said in a French accent and almost dropping her files. "What are we talking about?!" She added in excitement looking between Reid, Emily.
"Really? What am I wearing right now?" Katherine asked as she put her bag on her desk and made a full 360 in front of Garcia. Both women looked carefully at her shirt. Garcia even took the courage to touch it.
"Omg is that cashmere?" She asked with a mouth wide opened. Katherine bent down a bit as she was taller than her.
"Obsidian dyed cashmere, Brioni brand, you're good."
Reid looked confused by the new fashion knowledge being said while Garcia kept her mouth opened. "Brioni..." Garcia whispered to herself in shock.
"What is that? Brioni? Sounds like macaroni" Morgan asked as he included himself into the conversation.
Garcia looked shocked and turned around to Morgan
"My sweet love, it breaks my heart to see you so uneducated" She put a hand on her chest, showing a painful face. Morgan, Reid, and Emily looked at each other while Garcia was fangirling and gently petting Katherine's arm to feel the cashmere. Katherine stood there, still as everyone looked at her and Garcia petting her. Emily looked at her team and gave a small laugh.
"Ok, Enough with the fashion talk. Conference room in 5" She said and walked towards her office.
"Oh yeah, JJ is in there right now I was going to give her these" she patted down the files in her arms. Everyone went towards their desks to put their bags away, as Katherine and Garcia walked towards the conference room to join JJ.
"JJ!" Garcia exclaimed as they walked in. "Guess who's wearing Brioni today" She said in enthusiasm as she put the files down on the round table. JJ looked around from the tv screen and looked at both women. "Wearing who?"
"Garcia, She doesn't know" Katherine said to her as they sat down next to each other.
"Poor JJ..." Garcia said as she, again, placed a hand on her heart.
"What? No tell me" JJ said as she leaned down on the table as to try an intimidate the women having a conversation without her.
"You know, we should go out sometimes, go shopping, it would be nice to have someone to talk to about brands and style" Katherine said to Garcia, giving JJ a smile as she was teasing her about this conversation.
"I know some stuff about style" Morgan said as he, Emily and Reid came in the conference room. All sat down as JJ was left standing for today's case presentation.
"I could come too" He said with a smile. Katherine said nothing but only looked Morgan up and down at his outfit but gave no reaction.
"You can't honey, this is a girl's shopping spree" Garcia said to him and turned to Katherine
"So when?"
"Anytime you want" She answered
"So what did you wear yesterday then? You told me at the bar that you wore something more casual." Emily asked as she straighten up her blazer.
"A black turtleneck, ...Prada" She said. Garcia gave a small gasp as she but her hands on her mouth. Everyone seemed to know this brand and were looking at her.
"Are you rich?" Garcia whispered to her, but everyone heard because of the silence.
"Okay, lets move on from my wardrobe and see todays case" She said as she looked at everyone and especially her boss as she was waiting for her to agree, considering her position.
"Okay, JJ what do you have for us?" Emily said.
"They found a victim's body in the desert of Arizona" JJ said as she opened the screen behind her revealing a young women's body, on the beige sand. Garcia gave a burst of disgust
"A floater" Morgan said.
The women had greasy wet hair with sand mingled in them. Her skin was yellow and blue, she looked like she had been soaked under water for a long time but had ended up in a desert in the middle of Arizona.
"What's special about her case?" Katherine spoke
"Well, the Arizona PD couldn't trace her to an ID and she wasn't drowned in water....." Katherine than looked in her files and looked at the autopsy report. "Urine......that, is disgusting" she said
Everyone in the room gave a disgusted look as they discovered the magic liquid.
"Well, at least we could say that we at least have DNA of the unsub, its premeditated, he needed to collect a lot of his urine to be able to drown someone" Morgan said.
"Well, that is true, it is quite premediated and committed to collect 20 other sample of urine" She took a page of the report and tossed it on the table to Morgan.
"They found 21 traces of DNA in her lungs." She said as Garcia seemed to be holding back from vomiting.
"Garcia, why don't you go put these photos through a facial recognition system and see if we find anything. As for us, wheels up in 10" Emily said as she stood up and the rest of the team followed.
-
As the team sat down on the plane, Katherine looked at the photos of the victim. She sat right next to Reid, as Emily was facing her and sat next to Morgan. JJ sat on the other side next to the team.
"Bad news guys" Garcia said as she appeared on the screen"
"What is it Garcia" Emily asked with a sigh, hopping for it not to be the worst.
"I tried every, single pictures of her on my facial recognition system, and nothing. I even tried to pass it through the international data base and pouf... nothing"
"Ok thank you Garcia, continue the search, we're about to fly, we'll contact if anything come's up" Emily said.
"Ok, no problem and ill contact you all if I, by the miracle of the program I built with my own hands, find anything of value" She said end ended the call.
"Let me say this before I get questioned later" Katherine said as the team was brainstorming hypotheses and ideas of the unsub. She had been looking at a picture of the victim for a while now.
"I think that Garcia can't find her in her system because she changed her hair, brows, and face" she showed the picture and traced around with her finger.
"Here, do you see how her hairline is slightly lighter than her brown hair? And look, her nose has a small scar just under the tip."
"You think she dyes her hair and got a nose job?" Reid asked
"Yeah"
"We should tell Garcia to look out for blonde women reported missing" Morgan said as he pulled out his phone.
"Actually," Katherine looked a Morgan "She's a natural red head." Morgan took the picture in his hands and approached the paper in front of his eyes to see the color as Emily took out the same picture from her files to do the same.
"I don't get it; how do you know?" Morgan asked as he put down the photo, not finding anything.
"Look at her, she's a total redhead, her freckles are light but present, her eyes are blue, her eyebrows were dyed too but she missed a few hair" She pointed to her left eyebrow. As everyone looked closer to the picture to observe her discovery. Morgan dialed Garcia.
"Hey baby girl, I need you too narrow down your search for blonde women reported missing" he started as Katherine rolled her eyes about his request. "and, look for redheads too, thank you"
Everyone took a look at Morgan with a slight glare in their eyes
"What? She could be wrong'" He said.
"That is possible" Katherine said without looking at Morgan and looking again in her files, however with a disapproving look.
"Reid and Katherine, both of you will go to see the body, Morgan and JJ will go where they found the body to set victimology, I'll set up and met with the Arizona PD" Prentiss said.
-
The smell was horrible, Human flesh soaked in urine and dried in the sun. Nothing can describe the lingering smell in the room.
Both Reid and Katherine showed a micro expression of discomfort as the smell it them in the face when they stepped into the room. They both looked at each other for a second making sure that it wasn't just their imagination. Katherine went straight towards the gloves on the table as she entered the room.
"Hi, I'm Dr. Spencer Reid, and this is Katherine Roy, were from the Behavioral Analysis Unit at the FBI" He said as he walked towards the women in a white coat lab and pointed at Katherine that was already approaching the victim's body.
"Dr. Reid, welcome, I'm Dr. Daton, thank you for coming." The women said behind her face mask. Both exchanged a handshake with their gloves.
Both turned around and looked at Katherine that was already hands on the corpse. She was gently parting strand of hair and looking at her hair and scalp. She kept quiet as she analysed the hair and her face. "You wrote in your autopsy that she was a brunette."
"Yeah, well.... I assumed" The women said as she pointed towards the obviously brown hair. Katherine looked up at Reid with a straight stare. He took it as an invite and came behind her to look at the scalp of the victim,
"Look here,' Katherine said as she took a sharp tool to point towards some of the roots and hair.
"Huh, you were right, she's a redhead" Reid said as both agents looked up to look at Dr. Daton who had a confused look on her face.
She approached as well and looked at the small roots and segments of hair that hadn't been dye properly. She let out a small gasp at the realization of her mistake.
Reid took out his phone and dialed Garcia as Katherine gave a small pat on the women's shoulder. "Garcia, Are you still looking for blonde women who went missing? Yeah, I need you to scrap that and just look or redheads. And I'm pretty sure she had a nose job, so add that to your perimeters of search." He said as he looked around to see Katherine looking at the scar under the women's nose.
Katherine gave him a nod of approval as he mentioned the nose job to Garcia.
"Did she have any other scars on her body?" Katherine asked the women who seemed to be trying hard to remember.
"No, well, I'm not sure anymore, since I hadn't seen that one." She said as she looked at Katherine with tweezers and a flashlight looking through the woman's nose. She went and tried to put on some gloves to go and re-examine the body.
However, before she could put the first one Katherine interrupted her. "You don't need to do that now, we got plenty today" She said to her as she put down the tools and removed her gloves.
"Call us if you find anything" Reid said as he gave her his business card.
-
Both Doctors came back to the PD headquarters as JJ and Morgan were already back.
"Reid, what did you find?" Emily asked as she was standing in front of the white board, looking at the pictures and map of the town.
"You mean, what did Roy find, she could basically replace de M.E we talked too" Reid said as he and her sat down. Emily turned around and looked at Katherine. Morgan and JJ also seemed interested but before Katherine could say anything Garcia called Emily.
"You're on speaker Garcia, were all together, speak"
"Okay, so, Spencer told me to look through the files of redheads gone missing and scarp the blonde ones, and thank good because do you know how many more blondes I had-"
"Garcia" Emily said with a parental tone
"Yes, sorry, so I was able to identify her super quickly, not a lot of redheads compared to blondes. Her name is Eva Brown, she's 23 years old and she went missing 5 years ago when she turned 18. From what Reid told me, she does look like she had a nose job compared to her previous photos, but I can't find any single medical documents about her procedure" Garcia said.
Katherine gave a smile since she was proud that she was correct, but did not intent on rubbing it in to Morgan who had looked in her direction since the mention of her actually being a redhead.
As the team investigated, they found out that Eva had no family connection left, she had been adopted and lived a great life up until her 17th birthday when she lost her parents in an accident, her grand parents reported her missing 2 months after her 18th birthday but unfortunately died 3 and 4 years later. Today, they could try to contact distant families. Without a room to look and analyse they had trouble with the victimology.
"She probably was on the run" Roy said, "You know, she lost her parents a year ago, she found a guy, a boyfriend and wanted to live with him, couldn't so decided to run away. She got attached quickly because her loss was also so sudden."
"You think the boyfriend took advantage of that?"
"Probably, yeah, but she was naïve and in love, people get dumb you know"
"You've ever been dumb Roy?" Morgan asked with a cheeky smile. She gave him a fake smile and ignored his stares to move on from his interrogation.
"Actually, she can't be technically dumb, she actually-" Reid started before Katherine interrupted him.
"Thank you for defending me, Reid." JJ and Emily looked at each other from the interaction.
The team took the time to look at the possibility of Eva running away.
They found, Arthur her boyfriend, well, used to be. He never disappeared and hadn't seen her since she left. He was now studying to be a medical doctor. But under more investigation, Arthur seemed strange. He used to have consultation as a child about his behaviour towards animal abuse and his "curiosities" He had become a suspect despite the fact he seemed to have had no contact with Eva for the past 5 years.
To talk to him, Garcia pulled out an address, a condo complex he had since he moved out for college. Quite big for just one person but the parents had well over the money to spare.
However, what seemed suspicious was his groceries for the last 5 years. Having parents this rich could mean he hosted party's or had lots of compagnie. However, being the only lead, it was important to talk to him.
-
The team came together, as they didn't have a precise view on Arthur's role in the life of Eva after her disappearance. All stepped out of the vehicles and walked towards the condo. Morgan and Prentiss lead the team as Agent Roy, JJ and Reid followed behind.
-knock knock-
"Arthur Burner, this is the F-" Reid stopped Morgan as he put his hand on his shoulder. The team looked back to see that Katherine had taken her gun in her hand and the other one was on Reid's shoulder, his gun also drawn.
"You smell that Reid? Its comming from that window" Katherine whispered to him.
"I wish I didnt" Reid said as he pulled back Morgan from the door
He and Katherine took the lead as they both creepted on the both sides of the closed door. They looked at each other and Katherine took at look at the others
"Be prepared, his crime scene is in there"
"FBI!" Reid shouted as Katherine kicked the door open. The team split up as the leaders came in first looking through the first floor, kitchen, sitting room, etc.
"Clear!"
"Clear!"
Experiencing the smell for the second time was not pleasant. This time, it was worse, the smell seemed painted in the walls and amplified the burning sensation in the nostrils.
As both were experienced with the smell, covering their noses with one hand, staying armed was enough. Both came back in just under a minute.
For the first time, Katherine saw something new. Pain and agony.
Not just one foot into the house, Morgan, JJ and Prentiss were gagging, both hands on theirs noses and throat as it was impossible no to taste the lingering smell in the air.
Reid and Katherine looked at each other again as they saw how vulnerable the others were and followed each other up the stairs unto the second floor.
Katherine swept through the rooms, with no one in sight but the noises of her team gagging downstairs.
She opened the last door as she found the bathroom. The origin of the smell. The bathtub was still glistening with urine, stains and plashes covered the walls. She stopped for a second as she heard something but Reid came up behind her to look at the scene.
"Clear!" Reid shouted
They had found no one, but now knew that Arthur was the unsub. The team now had a crime scene.
As they both came down the stairs they looked at the team who seemed to have had recovered. It happened so fast that before 3 minutes passed, the house had been searched.
"The house is empty, the smell comes from the bathroom upstairs, and trust me, he did not clean up" Reid said.
However, before anything else, Agent Roy took a halt in her steps. Everyone looked at her as she put her finger on her lips and pointed the ceiling with the other. The team, now more alert, took a listen.
She signed with her hand to slowly get out of the house. What she heard, was none other than ligth footsteps coming from the ceiling. If the team heard it too or not, something seemed wrong. She whispered to them "Its a trap"
Suddently, a loud bipping noise started. Nothing else to do then run, however a blast as instant as the light of speed came bursting in.
Katherine's instinct was only to try and cover someone for safety.
"MOVE!" She dived unto her Unit Chief to push her out of the way close into the door frame where she would be spared.
She, however, was pushed aside from the weight of the explosion and was tossed to the wall as her and Reid were the closest.
The rigging of the ears came crashing in as the wind of fresh, burnt air passed through.
Opening her eyes, the agent saw her college besides her unconscious. Muffled in the dense blood flow pupping into her ears she could hear people screaming.
"WE NEED BACKUP NOW, 2 AGENTS DOWN, I REPEAT 2 AGENTS DOWN". It was Morgan. He, JJ and Prentiss had made it safely due to being so close to the door and one being shoved to safety.
JJ was tending to Reid as Emily spoke to Katherine.
"Katherine! Are you okay?" She took her hand to help her get up. Her hand around her waist and sliding her arms behind her neck. "We called an ambulance we need to get you both checked up"
"Oh my savior!" the agent said as she fainted for a moment.
"Stop it, i'm serious"
-
"How do you feel" The doctor asked. Both agents were on a hospital bed besides each other in a room. Reid and Katherine exchanged a look and back towards the rest of the team.
"Like i've been blown up" she said sarcastically as she flopped down on her back, closing her eyes pretending to sleep.
"Yeah same" Reid said as he gave a small smirk.
"Ok you two, stop with the games" Prentiss gave a disapproving stare. She looked at the doctor.
"What's the damage?"
"Well, apart from a slight concussion, they should be fine. They've experienced some physical toll from the blast but should be healthy in no time, for now, I suggest some days of rest and some medication for sleep"
Katherine sat up from her slumber "I am healthy" she said with a bit of attitude. She rolled her eyes and stood up from the bed.
"Can we go now? And I am not leaving in this torn up shirt." She put her hands on her hips as she walked towards a mirror to look at her expensive black cashmere shirt burnt to a crisp.
"Where's my go bag?"
-
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Katherine said as she looked at JJ and Morgan sitting besides each other on the plane and starring at her while whispering.
"I think it's because we were almost blown into pieces and what you were worried about was your clothes."
Reid said as he looked up from his book.
The women rolled her eyes again.
"Yeah, ok"
"Well I would've been worried if Arthur got away, but he was the only casualty" she added.
"It's could've been worse" Emily said. She sat on the other side of the plane, alone, writing and organizing the case's files.
"But I'm glad you're alright, but I will have to have a psychological assessment, for both of you" she said and continued to write.
"Great.." She whispered under her breath.
"You two try and get some rest. Here" She took the bottle of prescription from her bag and tossed it to Reid. He went and took two plastic cup and filled them with water. Taking on pill, Reid swallowed it down with a sip as he handed the bottle of sleeping pills and the other water cup to his colleague.
She took the bottle, drank her whole cup. "Ah... Thanks I was thirsty" She said as she put the cup down without touching the medication.
"You're not taking any?" Morgan said
"You'll have difficulties to sleep with your concussion' JJ added.
"Meh, I'm pretty sure ill be alright" She said as she made herself comfortable on her chair and closing her eyes.
As the time passed, a few hours, everyone seemed to have trouble to sleep, tossing and turning, listening to music or trying to read one of Reid's book's.
However, Katherine still had her eyes closed, immobile for the last few hours.
"Hey, how can she sleep so easily when she's the one who should be struggling?" Morgan whispered to JJ.
"I wish I knew" She said as she looked a her in her peaceful state.
"You think she's sleeping?" Emily came to sit next to her as Reid had moved at the back of the plane, to read a book since the medication didn't seem to have worked.
She also looked at her agent. She looked like a sleeping beauty. Her hair was just right, posture right, face right, like a peaceful picture. She looked at her hands rested of the armrest. Her long nails were a deep matte red decorated with a small black obsidian silver ring on her right thumb.
For the first time she took a careful look at her purple earrings tucked behind a few hairs. It was true, they were very pretty.
She thought for a moment that they could be a fake purple diamond but chose against now knowing this women's taste.
She then remembered her during today's event. Katherine had pushed her away from harm. Instinctively, she placed her hand on hers as she was touched from her actions.
"What are you doing?"
The team looked shocked as Katherine had spoken without opening her eyes. Emily quickly took her hand from hers.
"You were awake?" JJ asked.
"Yes and no, I use a suggestibility method to sleep, I hear everything but I'm still in an unconscious state of mind, like a coma. However"
She looks at Prentiss "Physical touch tends to distract my meditation" She said as she gives a small smirk at Emily.
"Like self-hypnosis?" Reid said as he stopped reading. Katherine nodded in agreement "You know, hypnosis in general is very hard to learn and master, no less when it comes to self-hypnosis. And get this, when people are under hypnosis they tent to be more relaxed and in less pain when they wake up. Statistically, when someone is under for one hour it equivalates to 3 hours of deep sleep" he says.
"That's... pretty cool" he then added with a soft smile.
"Dang Roy, you're just full of surprises aren't you?, Can a get a dose of sleep as well?" Morgan asks.
"You sure? If I get access to your unconscious right now, who says I wont get you spill all of your secrets to me?" She said with a smirk on her face.
She was obviously teasing. "Then again, If I do help you sleep, I'll still be the conductor of your unconscious and take advantage of it if you're not concentrated at anytime of the day"
The plane was silent. What she had revealed was true.
Giving your mind to someone with the key to unlock it anytime was something to think about.
"But then again, would I?" She said with a laugh.
"I guess I'll have to watch out for you, but yeah, ill pass." He answered.
Katherine shrugged her shoulders at his responses and looked around. JJ avoided her eyes for a second.
She than turned to Emily. "What about you? Any secrets you're not afraid of spilling?" She also said with a smile. She still looked shock from the information she had learned.
But before she could answer Reid stepped in.
"I volunteer" he said as he stood up and walked towards them. "I never get a good night sleep, anyway, I've tried hypnosis before but since I'm a genius I'm less perceptible to suggestibility"
"That's because it wasn't another genius cracking your head open" She than said standing up.
"Morgan if you would? So he doesn't fall on the ground" She gesture him to stand up behind Reid.
As Morgan stood behind Reid, he stood still as Katherine stepped towards him, closer and closer.
"Close your eyes" she whispered. Both Emily and JJ were watching her. With his eyes closed, Katherine put her hands on his shoulders to help her whisper something in his ear.
Faint words could be heard but not enough to understand. After a few minutes she backed away. Reid stood still his eyes closed but he seemed like a statue.
"Relax" Katherine than said as she took Reid's hands as he fell backwards. Morgan took him and placed him on the backseat of the plane where he could lie down. They all watched as Reid was peacefully sleeping.
"So, anyone else?" She looked at Prentiss who had yet to answer her.
Years ago she would've said yes, but as the Unit Chief she now had other responsibilities and other worries than trying hypnosis.
"Tempting but no, thank you" The women returned to her seat to work on her papers.
Few times she would look at Reid sleeping and to her agents, mostly Agent Roy who had returned to her own self-hypnosis and was sleeping peacefully.
Picking her nails and biting her lips, she would look out the window wondering what was happening to her.