Heurism | Spencer Reid¹

CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT: FALLS THE SHADOW

TW// Description of a su*c*de attempt.

—

"Between the desire
And the spasm,
Between the potency
And the existence,
Between the essence
And the descent,
Falls the Shadow.
This is the way the world ends."

     — T.S. Eliot.

—

That evening, Mrs Harris calls in a panic. Nathan snuck out again. Instantly, my mind goes to every worst possibility. Worry and frustration hang over me as I search the streets of Capitol Hill with Gideon. Hands dug deep into my pockets, I breathe deeply, feeling the cold air fill my lungs and cloud out before me. "I snuck out all the time when I was his age."

"I'm aware."

His answer is a little clipped but it isn't exactly unusual for him. We pass by a group of women on the sidewalk, cooing at the loners walking by, offering promises of a good night. I look around but don't see Nathan anywhere nearby. "I mean, I'm pretty sure every teenager sneaks out at one point. It's a rite of passage. Parties, dates..."

He comes to an unexpected stop, turning to me. "Danielle, I need you thinking objectively here."

The almost accusatory tone he takes on has me on my guard. I scoff, "I am thinking objectively."

"You're transferring your feelings of failure about the Charles case, you're taking things personally, you're getting too emotionally invested."

"What? That... that is bullshit. I'm working this case just like you, just like Reid..."

He sets his kind gaze on me, shaking his head. "I already had questions about Reid's ability to work this case, considering his connection with the boy. I don't want to question yours too. Look, I understand what you're feeling. Really, I do. It's easy for agents to get attached, especially when there are kids in the mix."

"Yeah, you know all about that, don't you?" I fire back.

Walking on, I take a turn, heading up some steps towards a tree-lined pathway. He follows. His tone is a little terse, but still frustratingly patient. "I'm not attacking you, Danielle. I'm just trying to have a conversation."

"We can do that when we've found Nathan."

I notice that Gideon's attention is no longer on me. He rushes past me, getting to his knees on the paving. And that's when I see the body. She lies in the shadows, blood pooling from the stab wound to her abdomen.

—

The others arrive shortly after, just as the police tape starts to go up. I lean against the wall, still unable to look away from the body. "I'd say he's getting bolder," Morgan says as he and Reid reach the top of the stairs.

"If it's the same UnSub."

At Gideon's words, Reid and I both look to him in alarm. "You think it could have been Nathan?"

"This kill was fast and messy," he points out.

Morgan steps closer to get a better look in the low light. "There's no cut hair, no messages carved."

"Not to mention killing at night. None of it's our UnSub's signature."

I don't say a word. I just stare at her, trying to piece it together in my head. A police officer jogs up the steps, breathless as he addresses Reid, "Excuse me, Agent. They found the boy you're looking for."

"Right. Um, show me the way."

He brings us to a small church just five minutes from the crime scene. "Says he's been here four ours," the officer explains.