the only exception

𝚓𝚘𝚑𝚗 𝚋𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚔𝚠𝚘𝚘𝚍

the tribe prt. 2

*****

The sheriff led them outside to where there was a pole covered in blood.

"He was like the others," he said, "Coroner said from the amount of blood, he was alive when they impaled him."

Spencer furrowed his eyebrows, "I know this is gonna sound strange, but the way the victims were flayed alive, mutilated, and now the impalement display of the last victim..."

"What?" Gideon asked.

Lorelai looked at Gideon, "They're war rituals of Indigenous Peoples of the great plains"

"Does that mean something to you sheriff?" Hotch asked.

The sheriff sighed, "I'll say, it does. Everything you see around us is Apache land. This whole basin's a sacred burial ground and was the site of a number of massacres, as I understand."

"So this development is on their land?" Hotch concluded.

The sheriff nodded, "It was their land, but they didn't have the money or the inclination to build on it, so the town seized half of it."

"Yeah, last year the supreme court ruled," Spencer recalled, "that cities could use eminent domain authority to seize and repossess undeveloped private land for private development."

"Whichever way you see it. The town took their land, which is rightfully theirs," Lorelai stated, "That court ruling is bull shit."

"Rory," Spencer said, "We know how much you care for the Indigenous tribes, but-"

"I know, I know. Language," she sighed.

The sheriff nodded, "Well, now the town is looking for investors to build on the other half. The Apache are fighting it, of course, in court."

Lorelai nodded, "Good for them. I hope they win."

"There been any violence until now?" Gideon asked.

The sheriff shook his head, "Nothing like this."

"You know anybody on the reservation?" Gideon questioned.

"I don't know. Reservation's federal jurisdiction," the sheriff shrugged.

Gideon nodded, "Sounds like where we need to go."

Hotch looked at the two geniuses, "Call Garcia. See what she can find."

The two nodded and walked away with Lorelai dialing number 3.

"Thank you for calling the FBI's Penelope Garcia. You hunt them I find them," She said.

Lorelai laughed, "Hey, can you find anything on the Apache tribe? There's a recent conflict going on between the town and the land the Apache own."

"So the town took over their land and didn't expect them to get mad?" Penelope asked.

Lorelai nodded as they continued to the front of the house, "Yes. I honestly don't know why they wouldn't expect some kind of backlash."

"Okay, one order of bad guys on the Apache land coming right up," she responded typing away.

Hotch walked up to Lorelai, "Anything?"

"She's typing," Lorelai replied, "Really fast. Pen, I'm gonna pass you over to Hotch."

"Okay, love you, my lovely Rory," Penelope said sweetly.

She smiled, "Love you too. Here's Hotch."