Gentle Epiphany // Criminal Minds

Chapter Thirteen - Are You With Me

🪐 Daphne 🪐

I can't believe I let Gideon talk me into this. I've done numerous custodial interviews before but this one places top ten in hard to stomach cases. The VICAP questionnaires are not my favorite, I often struggle to process cases that involve child murders, and because of that Gideon always chooses me to do them. Which brings me to why I'm sitting on a train from El Paso to Dallas Texas. I don't owe a vehicle, and something tells me my bicycle would take too long.

I shift my leg that's crossed under my other one as I sit in the red leather chair. I flip through my file on William Devries for the ninth time since getting this dropped in my lap. There have been five male children confirmed victims and they are still looking at the possibility of more. I stare at the small puncture wound in the throat of his first victim and the way the bruising appears on the chin, jaw, and neck.

The nerves are setting in, my stomach feels like that scene in Lion King when the hyenas cause the wildebeests to flood into the gorge. I pull out my phone to dial Gideon, part of me wants to curse him out for sending me on one of these when Derek or Elle could have done a better job. He would argue that I'm their best interrogator and the point of this job was to perform an interview. It rings a few times before he answers in name.

"I do not want to be put on any more VICAP questionnaires for at least a year." I do my best at sounding authoritative. Which lets be honest, I'm the least intimidating person on the planet. My proof is the fact that Derek calls me adorable when I'm mad.

"Devries cooperating?" He questions ignoring my statement.

"I won't even be there for an hour. I took a train from El Paso because I can't rent a car. Which gives me time to look over the files some more before I meet with him."

"Remember, he can't lie to you" He reminds me.

I roll my eyes, blushing slightly like I'm going to be caught. "If I know the crime better than he does. I know this, it's not my first rodeo." I let out a sigh.

"Good. Check in when you're done."

"Wait." I panic, keeping him from hanging up the phone.

"Daphne, I'm swamped here. I'm in the middle of 2 consults. NSA wants a threat assessment on a terrorist cell in Hamburg by 6. I don't have time for you to get all nervous about something you could do in your sleep."

"I know it's just..."

He interrupts me, his voice sounding chopping as I struggle to make out his words. "I'm.....can't.....Daphne....time....talk....back...."

"I'm losing you, I can't understand what you just said." I tell him.

"Talk when you get back." Are the only clear words I can make out.

"Yeah. Ok. Tomorrow." My shoulders already sagging. I really hate these interviews.

"Daphne, I'm S...." He cuts out again before the line goes dead. I let out a lingering sigh pocketing my phone. So much for telling him to shove it where the sun won't shine. Not that I would ever do that, he's the Senior Supervisory Special Agent on our team.

I sit back in my chair again pulling the file back up to comb over everything again. If Derek was here he would tell me to take a break, and that there is such a thing as over preparing. Then Spence would come in with statistics either proving or disproving Derek's claims which will annoy him because he always says Spencer is a know it all. JJ will tell them to stop fighting, and Elle will sit back hiding a smile in amusement.

The train abruptly stops, the sounds of the brakes squealing fill the train compartment as I'm jerked forward. I close my file looking around to make sure everyone else was okay. One of the guys across from me stands up questioning what the hell just happened. The hiss of the door opening sounds before a man tells us that everything is alright and to just relax.