Poison (Criminal Minds)

Chapter Five

 “Who is the Commander?” asked Hotch. Li shrugged. Derek watched her face closely for any tells. If she was lying, he would know. “Who?” barked Hotch, and she jumped.

“I swear to you, I have no idea!” If she was lying, she was good. Derek couldn't see any signs of it.

“Then how did that note get into your sleeve?”

“I have no idea! Someone's trying to frame me or something!” She looked genuinely upset. Derek tapped twice on the two-way mirror. Hotch nodded, just barely. Their signal. While one of the team was in the interrogation room, the other was watching, and would tap once for guilty, twice for innocent.

“Alright” Hotch said. “I believe you. Come on.” He led the way out of the interrogation room. Derek met them in the hallway.

“We should look at the handwriting, profile from there” he said. Hotch nodded.

“You and JJ get on that. Rossi and Garcia can research anyone possibly known as the Commander. Li and I will trace her steps this morning, try to figure out who could have planted the letter.”

“Sure, Hotch” Derek said. He left, to get JJ, wondering if he had made the right decision about Li.

–

“It looks like a kid wrote this” JJ said. The note was on the table, and she and Derek had been scrutinizing it for ages.

“The handwriting's shaky but careful” Derek agreed. “Like someone who just learned how to write.” He traced a finger over the word 'kill'.

“Do you think it's real?” asked JJ after a moment. Derek frowned. “I mean, it could be a prank or something” she continued. “Some kid just playing us.”

“But it could be real” Derek said. “And just in case it is, we have to be ready.”

–

Vincent was on edge all day. Twice he nearly connected the wrong two wires in his bomb. And that would have meant . . . BOOM. Vincent was not in the mood for BOOM.

He wondered if Li found the note early. If she knew who planted it. If it had fallen out. If the FBI didn't believe him. So many things could have gone wrong. What was he thinking? He was crazy, he decided. Risking his own life for total strangers.

He would have died for Riley.

–

“My name's Vincent” he said. The girl smiled.

“I'm Riley, twelve.”

“Hey, Riley twelve. I'm twelve too.”

“Oh. Well, do ya wanna be friends?”

“Alright, Riley twelve.” She giggled. He would never forget her smile.

–

“My brother, Vincent.” She was crying. It broke Vincent's heart to see her cry.

“He'll be okay, Riley. You're good at this, maybe he'll be too.” Her green eyes met his.

“I don't want him to be good at this, Vincent. I want him to die.” Vincent felt his mouth drop open. He knew he was staring at her, his eyes bugged out. He didn't believe her.

“But . . . don't you want him to be okay?”

“You don't get it, Vincent.” She wasn't crying anymore, but her eyes were red and watery. “Death would be better then being here.”