𝐒𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐳𝐞 ➸ 𝗌.𝗋𝖾𝗂𝖽

chapter four

chapter four.

SPENCER'S HEART began to race a little as they drove to the unsubs house. He didn't sleep at all until he could find out who the man was and surprisingly he did.

Carl Bowers; A forty year old butcher, who happened to come across all his victims at least once, but they never met him because he was in the back of the butcher shop while they order their meats. He based them off of their business clothes, how they carried themselves as a person before stalking them up until the kidnapping. Spencer couldn't believe how he figured out who it could be, but when the knife was identified as a rare butcher's knife, the connection was made.

"Two minutes out," Derek told everyone as he drove down the street with Hotch's car behind. He then looked at Spencer, who tried hard to hide his fidgeting, "We're going to get her, Reid."

"I know, but what if I got it all wrong? What if my action is what gets her killed?" He questioned, but heard Morgan let out a soft sigh.

"Everything you've done, is to help her. You were the first to know something was wrong and now you're here about to bring her to safety," Morgan explained, "Your actions are going to save her, not kill her."

Reid hesitantly nodded in understanding, before looking out the window as the car pulled to the curb. He didn't wait to get out as Morgan followed behind him, getting his gun ready. Spencer also pulled out his gun and walked up the steps of the house to meet Hotch who was standing at the door, "Reid, you're with me. Morgan, you're following Gideon around back."

Morgan nodded before jogging around the house to the backyard as Reid looked at Hotch with expectations. Hotch glanced down at the gun in Spencer's hand, "I want you there to comfort Anna-Jane when we get her, okay?"

Without verbally answering, he briefly nodded his head, even though he wasn't sure how to do the task given to him. He didn't know how he would comfort her because by some sort of technicality, they were strangers to each other. He only knew her by face and the name on her mailbox that matched her front door number, along with what she does for a living. He found out more about her and her life as she grew up throughout the case, but deep down he felt like he was invading the personal life she held since she clearly wasn't close enough with him to share it voluntarily.

And he also reminded himself that she still doesn't know him. She doesn't know what his job really consists of or what he did as a kid, or even how his mother is diagnosed with schizophrenia. He doesn't even know how she would react that the first person to comfort her after being kidnapped and tortured, is her highly shy neighbor across the hall. This plan he had to make for himself could go a lot of different ways and he know the exact number of probabilities that could occur, interestingly.

When Hotch was ready to head in, Spencer followed close behind with the other officers to pile into the house and search it thoroughly. Spencer kept himself with Hotch as the officers dispersed, but looked around cautiously to make sure they were in the clear. They checked out the living room, watching as the officers signaled the rooms were clear as they continued looking.

"Basement," Spencer mentioned and Hotch nodded before he followed Spencer to the door that led to the basement. Spencer hesitated briefly before opening the door, but not long enough to consider his options. He slowly pulled back the door and crept down the steps with Hotch close to him, both of them taking their time.

"I said get back!" They heard the unsub yell as they got closer down the steps, along with sobs that came from Anna-Jane. Gideon and Morgan had the unsub's attention, but when Gideon glanced up towards the stairs, the unsub quickly turned so now he could stand between everyone and watch their movements. Anna-Jane continued to cry as she was held in a chokehold, her back close to her kidnappers chest as it heaved with anxiety and adrenaline.

She was too weak to stand, having the only thing keeping her up with his arm around her neck and the fear that she was going to die in this basement today.

"Carl, listen to us," Gideon went on after speaking to him for a minute before Spencer and Hotch came down, "You don't have to hurt her. You don't have to hurt anyone anymore."

"Yes, I do!" Carl yelled, making Anna-Jane jump and Spencer grip his gun tighter. "I have to do this! I have to complete this!"

"No, you don't," Gideon reassured, "The number seven- we figured out why it's so important to you." Carl suddenly glared at Gideon as he went on, "Your father would abuse you seven times and each time were with a different way. One was a knife cut, the other was a blow to the head, sometimes he would even molest you-"

"Shut up.."

"-And it would all happen in one day and it would all happen the day after," Gideon pressed on, "And since you couldn't inflict your anger on him, you chose to do it to women."

"Your mother worked in a law firm," Spencer then spoke and at the familiar voice, Anna-Jane raised her head, briefly meeting his eyes before he looked at Carl. "She was a district attorney, right?" He waited until Carl nodded, "She was ready to retire when she was killed in a seven car pile up. That's where the number seven first came to your mind and your father's because out of seven cars- seven people, only she was killed."

"You don't know what your talking about," Carl seethed and pressed a knife that he held to Anna-Jane's neck harder against her, causing her to squeeze her eyes shut. Her body trembled and Spencer noticed it visibly as he continued to slowly go down the steps.

"Killing all these women won't bring your mom back, Carl," Hotch interjected, "What your father did to you was awful, but what you're doing to these women are worse."

"Do you want to be like your father, Carl?" Gideon then added and Carl looked at him, quickly shaking his head, "Okay, good because to not be like him, you have to put the knife down and let Anna-Jane go."

"No, no, no," Carl slowly began to panic again, grabbing Anna-Jane harder then before, almost making her lose consciousness, "No, no! I can't- I can't let-"

"Yes, you can, Carl," Gideon told him, but continued to watch Carl shake his head in refusal, "Carl..."

"No! No, I can't do it-" Carl cried out, "What if this brings my mom back? What if she's the key to getting my mom back?"

"Your mom is gone, Carl," Spencer told him, "Sacrificing and killing these other women won't bring her back." At his words, the room fell quiet, though you could still her silent cries from Anna-Jane.

"Fine," Carl then mumbled, slowly loosening his hold on Anna-Jane, "If she can't come to me, I'll go to her."

Before anyone could act, he shoved Anna-Jane hard onto the floor and brought the knife to his neck now, wasting no time before dragging the blade deep across his skin. Everyone stood in shock, even Anna-Jane as she was looking up at her kidnapper as he killed himself and fell to the floor, his body going limp next to her. His blood spread frantically but Anna-Jane was to scared to move or to see if it had gotten on her. In her head, she was convinced that he would still rise from the floor and kill her before he truly fell to his demise.

Though, she was yanked out of her thoughts when Spencer's face replaced the view of Carl's body, "Anna-Jane?"

Her eyes met his as he stared at her with deep concern, "I-" She quickly paused, her throat dry from sobbing for days on end.

"Come on, let's get you out of here, okay?" He slowly helped her up, but once Anna-Jane stood, she ran into his arm, engulfing him in a hug. He was caught off guard by it and so was she, but she could only think that she was saved. Her neighbor saved her.