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CHAPTER TWENTY: BITE THE HAND ( aka 04x03: minimal loss )
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DALLIS SAT BESIDE REID in the back of the police car as it careened across the rocky Colorado terrain. Dust coated the windows in a light film, obscuring Dallis' view of the vegetation sprawled along the hillside. La Plata County was isolated. Their late-night flight had led into a two hour car ride that thankfully was coming to an end. As they closed the distance between themselves and the fringe religious group -- who called themselves the Separatarian Sect -- they were about to investigate, the three profilers poured over every detail they'd been given.
"Tell us about the 9-1-1 call," Reid requested from Nancy Lunde, the Child Protective Services officer who had approached JJ with the case.
"I believe the 'he' they refer to is the church's leader, Benjamin Cyrus," Nancy said. She had one hand guiding the steering wheel and the other propped beneath her chin as she rested her elbow on the edge of the door. The outdated air conditioning system was working overtime against the sun beating through the windows. The last place any of them wanted to be was out in the middle of nowhere.
"Benjamin Cyrus," Reid's slim fingers traced the list of names they'd been given. "No criminal record. No record at all, really. What else do you know about him?"
"Well, it's rumoured that he's practising polygamy and forced marriages."
"Lovely," Dallis grimaced.
Only a few days ago, 9-1-1 had received an anonymous report from somebody claiming to be part of Benjamin Cyrus' community. They accused him of coming into their bedroom to 'lay with them' at night, then went on to say they were fifteen but Cyrus looked past this as it was 'God's will.' It was safe to say the Colorado PD were alarmed, hence why Hotch had decided to send in Dallis, Emily and Reid. It would be their job to confirm whether the BAU would be able to contribute anything to this particular case. So far, Dallis wasn't sure what to think. It wasn't often they went into an investigation already knowing the name of their unsub. In fact, they knew more about him than their victim.
"Any idea who the caller is?" Emily asked.
Nancy's brows were knitted in a prominent frown. "Jessica Evanson is the one who the age fits but we can't be sure, so I negotiated interviews with all the children. It wasn't easy."
"Well, considering their view on outsiders," Dallis said while removing her holster from her belt. Emily did the same thing, passing her gun back for Reid to conceal beneath her seat. "It would be better if you didn't identify us as FBI. Just call us by our first names and introduce us as child victim interview experts if anyone asks."
"And they're just going to believe that?"
"They will if they get close enough to see these," Dallis flashed the two fake ID cards that each of them had been given. One was a Colorado driver's licence and the other was a Child Protective Services card. She was quick to pocket them as they swung into the guarded driveway of the place they referred to as the ranch. A middle-aged man in a blue chequered shirt and low-hanging jeans held up a hand to stop them, then approached the wooden gate to let them in. "It's showtime, ladies and gent."
