T E N
SCOUT FELT LIKE her lungs were on fire.
And it didn't help that she had the whole BAU staring at her as she tried to catch her breath. The sweat from running to car, driving back home, packing, and coming back was obvious.
After all, she was in a room with professional profilers. How could they not know?
"Miss Wiley, we were just about to start. Please, take a seat." Hotch's voice boomed.
Scout found the closest chair which was between Morgan and a blonde, who she could only assume was JJ. Embarrassment crawled up her back and she sulked slowly into her seat, almost as if she was trying to phase into it.
"So-where are we off to, Garcia?" Rossi questioned, trying to regain the attention.
"Good question and that would be Evansville, Indiana. The folders in front of you have more information," Garcia locked eyes with Scout.
"And believe me, crime fighters, this one is a doozy. 12 hours ago, roommates Maddison Taylor and Auggie Linman were doing construction on they're newly bought house."
The screen behind her changed, revealing an old Victorian styled home. It was surrounded by large trees and looked as if it was ready to fall apart. And then the screen changed again.
"Everything was fine and dandy until they started to peel the old wallpaper in the house. The girls said it felt odd and smelly so they tried to call a contractor who didn't know what it was. That is until the police got called in and discovered-"
"Human flesh?" Reid interjected.
"Uh-huh, and loads of it. Around three different rooms where covered in it, the study, the kitchen, and one of the bedrooms."
JJ looked up, "Has the coroner confirmed how old the skin is?"
"Nope, it's still being tested on."
Scout flipped through the pages. It made her stomach turn upside down and inside out. This wasn't just the work of a murder, this was the result of someone sick.
The last page showed a picture of people in hazmat suits, peeling off the the wallpaper. Strands of moisture from the skin made it cling to the walls.
Morgan sighed, "How wasn't it caught sooner? This place looks like it's a hundred years old."
"That could be why, no one wants to buy a house that's too much work." Blake said.
Reid spoke again,"Not necessarily, in fact 68% of millennials would prefer to buy a fixer upper style of house. They think that it would be cheaper in the long run instead of buying a new house."
"Looks like that's what happened to these girls." Rossi stated.
That feeling of being out of place consumed her again, Scout had some many thoughts running through her head...But what if they weren't the right ones?
"H-" She started but was cut off.
"What kind of preservatives were found on the skin to keep it from drying out?" Reid interrupted.
Garcia looked at Scout and then back at Spencer, "Still being tested on at the lab."
Scout felt her blood boil but when she glared at Spencer, he was completely unaware of what he did. It looked as if he was in his own world.
"Okay, weather in Evansville is a bit wet, so be prepared. Wheels up in 30." Hotch closed his file and got up.
The rest of the team followed, leaving only Garcia and Scout left in the conference room.
"Sorry about Spencer, he can be a bit-" Garcia apologized.
Scout waved it off, "No worries, he's got his priorities right with this case. Actually, I have a quick question. Have the previous residents been listed?"
Garcia's eyes widened.
"Shoot, I knew I was missing something. Uh, yeah. Here's the list, but there's not much. It was abandoned so it was mostly filled with homeless, drug dealers, and teenagers."
She smiled, "Thanks."
And started to make her way out and to the team.
***
"I like the outfit. I know there isn't much creativity when it comes to the BAU so it's nice to see something different."
Scout looked up from her notebook. The team finished regrouping after discussing further details, she didn't have anything new to add except the list of the previous residents. Before everyone left to the plane, Scout made copies and give them out. Hotch nodded, almost as if he was approving the initiative she made.
But Scout knew it wasn't enough.
"Thanks, I'm not really a power suit type of person really." She smiled, shyly.
Scout could feel her personality changing around the team, she didn't like it. It was as if she was afraid to make even the slightest mistake. It was a risk to be sarcastic if she didn't have any experience to hold her up.
JJ nodded, "I was at first but then I realized it wasn't exactly made for being in the field really."
"Well, you look more professional than I do. You guys all do."
And she was right. Scout dawned her black ripped jeans, a Metallica t-shirt, black blazer with sleeves rolled up to her elbows, and yellow converse. It made her feel like a fraud.
"Don't worry about it, you'll be faster than I am with these heels. Trust me." JJ smiled.
Scout nodded a thanks.
"Are you nervous?"
"A bit, it's my first time out in the field. I can do the brain stuff no problem, but it's this other stuff that puts me on edge. This isn't anything like a multiple choice test."
"You'll get used to the technical stuff, but...as for the rest, I can't really comfort you much about that." JJ's voice faltered.
Scout nodded, "I get it, I just don't want to disappoint really."
"You won't, Hotch briefed us about you earlier. You've impressed him, which is a hard thing to do. Just, keep doing that and you shouldn't have to worry."
"I guess." Scout said.
There were a few minutes of lull between the two coworkers before Hotch's stern voice encapsulated the jet.
"Morgan and Rossi, you'll go and check out the house. See if you can find something that the police may have missed. Reid and Blake, you'll go to the coroner's office to see the results on the skin. Wiley, JJ, and I will set up at the station and interview the two girls."
The rest of the trip included small talk with JJ about the BAU and Scout's experience in the mailroom. When they weren't talking, Scout preferred to look out the window and think about the case, going back and forth between her file and the notes she took down.
What kind of person would be willing to do this? And how could they have possible gotten away with it for so long?
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