The Nights We Stay Awake (TemperancexReader)

68. "First case back"

Y/n pov

We're on the jet, and it's my first case since coming back to work. I'm trying to focus on the file in my lap, but the tension in my body is impossible to ignore. Not being out in the field is going to be strange, but Hotch was clear - no fieldwork yet.

I glance around the jet. Hotch is at the head of the table, looking as stoic as ever, while JJ sits beside him, scrolling through details on her tablet. Morgan's leaning back in his chair, arms crossed over his chest, quietly listening.

Reid is flipping through a book , but i know he's absorbing the case file at the same time. Rossi's sitting across from me, already scanning through the same pages i've been stuck on for the past fifteen minutes. Emily, seated beside him, catches my eye and gives me a quick smile.

Then there's Penelope, her bubbly voice crackling through the tablet set up in front of Hotch.

"All right, my little dark knights of justice," Pen says from the screen, her brightly coloured office a stark contrast to the mood on the jet. "Here's what we've got so far. We're headed to a small town just outside Phoenix, Arizona, called Red Mesa. Population: 3,000. Over the past two weeks, there've been three homicides, all with the same M.O. Victims were found mutilated - postmortem cuts, to be specific. All female, all in their mid-20s to early 30s, no apparent connection between them."

Hotch gestures for JJ to continue, and she nods, picking up from where Pen leaves off. "The latest victim, a local teacher named Sarah Jensen, was found in her home yesterday morning. There was no sign of forced entry, and it doesn't seem like robbery was the motive."

"The mutilation?" Rossi asks, his tone grave.

JJ nods. "Same as the pervious two. Extensive lacerations on the arms and torse. The coroner believes the cuts were made postmortem, like the other cases."

Reid chimes in, flipping to a new page in the file. "It looks ritualistic. The specific locations of the cuts and the fact that they're made after death suggests the unsub is reliving some sort of trauma or fantasy."

"And we have no leads?" Emily asks, frowning.

"Nothing solid," JJ says, "but there were traces of a specific type of sand found at each of the crime scenes. It's a rare type, only found in one part of the region near Red Mesa. We're thinking it could be a dumping ground, but so far, there's no evidence linking it directly to the unsub."

Hotch looks around the table, his expression focused. "When we land, we'll split into teams. Morgan, you and Prentiss head to the latest crime scene. JJ, you and Rossi take the precinct and talk to the sheriff. Reid and i will go to the ME to see if there's anything they missed."

"What about me?" i ask, knowing full well the answer but feeling compelled to ask anyway.

"You'll go with Rossi and JJ to the precinct," Hotch says, his tone firm but not unkind. "Garcia will be your eyes and ears from Quantico. I need you working with her, going through any digital evidence or patterns we might have missed. You're benched from fieldwork until the doctors clear you."

I nod, going my best to hide my disappointment. Even though i knew it was coming. "Got it."

"We need to find out where this sand is coming from," Reid says, still flipping through the field. "If the unsub is bringing it with them or if they're frequenting the area."

Rossi leans forward. "And why the victims? Are they being chosen at random, or is there a deeper connection we're not seeing?"

"Right," Hotch says, closing the file and looking at each of us in turn. "We'll get answers on the ground. Stick to the plan, and we'll regroup once we have more information."

I glance at Emily, who gives me a reassuring nod. She knows how frustrating this is for me, not being in the thick of things. But even if Hotch hadn't told me to stay out of the field because of what happened, Tempe told me to do just that. And if i don't listen, she's gonna be mad as hell.

Pen's voice cuts through again, cheerful despite the grim case. "You've got this, my little crime-fighting geniuses. I'll be here with my magic fingers, digging through the digital dirt for you."

"Thanks, Garcia," Hotch says. "We'll check in as soon as we land."

As the jet begins its descent, i close the file and lean back in my seat. It feels good to be back, even if i'm not where i want to be yet. The team is counting on me, and i'm not going to let them down. I look out the window, watching as the sprawling desert landscape of Arizona comes into view. This case is just the beginning.