❛𝐠𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐮𝐬❜ - 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐝

ACT THREE

Not long after Vivienne was formally introduced to the rest of the department, as they would've been working closely with each other while the case was active, the revelation of another body was grimly shared with the team.

Reid, who was about to start another conversation with Vivienne about topics the rest of the team had no interest in, was assigned by Hotch to accompany him and JJ and survey the new crime scene. Citing that Vivienne had a formidable brain of her own, having them work separately was more efficient, and Vivienne was tasked to go over the police records when she mentioned Reid's theory of the unsub likely building up to murder.

So, she was left to work with Emily, Morgan, and Rossi, who mainly liaised with the former Sheriff, Caulfield.

"I have to ask," Emily brought up, a heavy box full of police records in front of her as Vivienne was seated to her right, reading through a pile of her own. She didn't read as fast as Reid did — Emily was beginning to think no one could —, but she still skimmed over information fast. She had no doubts that the rumors of Vivienne being more similar to a machine were true. "Why did you join the Cyber Division? I read about your work in the Sarah Mitchell case — I can't believe you managed to solve that without being sent in."

Vivienne smiled, glancing at Emily as the dark-haired girl returned the gesture. She liked Emily. She was making a noticeable effort to bond with Vivienne, even if she typically didn't speak unless spoken to. Vivienne guessed it was because Emily herself was still relatively new to the team and didn't want Vivienne to feel the same as she did. She appreciated it.

"Believe it or not, a computer is much better company than being on the case first-hand, in my experience," she shared, her eyes sweeping over the case files even though her mind sifted through her archives to recall the Sarah Mitchell case. "People tend to forgo formalities and get straight to the point since they forget there's a person on the other side of the phone."

It had been her first year in the Cyber Division when she stumbled across the case, which had been left stagnant since the 1990s. Sarah Mitchell was in Vietnam working with local NGOs as a volunteer when she disappeared during one of their outreach programs, and her body was found floating weeks later in Lòng Tàu River. The mysterious circumstances of her death, especially considering she was initially volunteering in Hanoi, quickly went cold due to a lack of evidence and local politics that wanted to clear it as soon as possible to sustain the tourist culture.

After combing through news articles, witness statements, and faint digital traces that corresponded around the time of her disappearance, Vivienne had taken a risk and revived the case, despite the pushback from the local authorities who saw no point in dredging up the past of a nearly decade-old case.

"The power of anonymity," the dark-haired Prentiss joked, earning a laugh from Vivienne as she handed her files to write down. It was a faster system compared to if the roles were reversed.

From what Emily had learned, Vivienne hadn't stopped until she'd gotten the green light from local officials, whom she theorized feared repercussions from an unknown party. Despite the staggering chance of failure, she'd relentlessly pursued active NGOs in the area she disappeared in, local activists, and even tracked down the volunteers who worked with Sarah in Vietnam.

Reopening the case meant ill blood between the Vietnam and US governments, reasoning that the lack of evidence would only mean they were shedding a bad light on the country and affecting their tourist culture, but SSA Callaway had fought tooth and nail for Vivienne, and his efforts paid off.

In solving the Sarah Mitchell case, Vivienne had uncovered a trafficking ring operating across multiple cities, and Sarah had inadvertently stumbled upon them and ultimately met her demise. The dramatic arrest that followed went viral across the globe, raising awareness about the dangers individuals faced by working abroad, and stricter laws were placed in light of the prevalence of human trafficking. Vivienne, though renowned for her tenacity within the FBI and praised by the higher-ups for her success, remained in the shadows voluntarily, wanting the focus to be on the victims they managed to save.