Unknown- A Criminal Minds Fanfic

Chapter 17- No Surprise

We all trudged off the plane, hurrying to our vehicles before the gloomy sky unleashed it's flood of  predicted precipitation again.

We'd only been gone two days for our last case, we had left not yesterday morning but the one before and returned early this morning.  Like two in the morning early.  

The case hadn't been particularly easy, but it wasn't too hard, either.  Disorganized sociopaths spiraling into a dissociative break are easier to catch, but they are more dangerous.  It was mostly luck that someone had noticed our unsub acting strangely in a hardware store, otherwise we might have been there for a whole week.

I split off from the rest of the team making their way towards the parking garage to head for the lot, acutely aware of the wind whipping my hair around my face, the dark strands blinding me and stinging my cheeks.

When I reached my car, I pulled open the driver's side door and stuck the key in the ignition, turning it in dismay.  The engine sputtered feebly only to be killed by a clap of thunder splitting the sky as a flash of lightning divided the sheet of gray clouds overhead simultaneously.  Why wasn't I surprised?  I cranked the key again, but a loud mechanical grinding made the car shudder and a faint hint of rusty smoke filled the air.  Even though I had  stopped turning the key the minute that horrible racket had echoed through the parking lot.

I climbed back out of the car and slammed the door, banging my hand against the hood but resisting the urge to shout curses and abuse my pathetic excuse for a vehicle any further.  It was then that I noticed the pink slip stuffed under my wiper blade flapping in the rapidly increasing cold wind that was now driving fat raindrops at me.  This day was dead set on pissing me off.

"McDowell--" someone started to say from behind me, and I whipped around and snapped, "What the hell do you want?"

Reid stopped short--why did he keep showing up at the most inconvenient times?--and stared at me before blundering over an apology, "Sorry, I didn't mean to--I mean I," he paused but then mumbled a quiet, "Sorry."

"Unless you're the one that waterlogged my car or gave me a parking ticket, it's not your fault," I gave a sarcastic apology, squinting up though the rain that was falling much more steadily now in order to see his face in the dark parking lot.

"I can give you a ride again if you want," he offered, almost sheepishly.

"Thanks but no thanks.  I have to at least take my bike home so I don't get a ticket for that, too," I remarked, opening the car door again and tossing my go bag, the jacket I'd brought since it was considerably colder in upper Michigan than in DC, and my useless car keys into the passenger seat since I didn't really have much room to carry them on a motorcycle while riding it through the pouring rain at two in the morning.

"Are you sure? It's raining pretty hard," he answered skeptically.

I jammed my helmet over my wet hair and replied with a muffled, "Yep.  See you in a few hours," considering it was already two in the morning, before I started up my bike, remembering to call a, "Thanks anyways," over my shoulder as I maneuvered the motorcycle out of the parking space next to my car--I hoped to god I wouldn't have another parking ticket slapped on the windshield tomorrow--and took off, at the last second graciously skirting around a puddle so I wouldn't spray Reid with dirty rainwater.

It was nice that he was, well, so nice, but it was no surprise everyone else on the team thought that there was a thing between us based on that. 

I shook the thought out of my head as I pulled up to a stoplight, peering through the beads of water sluicing down the plastic visor on my helmet as I glanced at the traffic at a standstill across from me.  I checked in the side mirrors mounted off the handlebars on my bike and noticed a plain navy blue SUV slowing behind me.  It had turned the corner after me a block back, probably another workaholic like Hotch on his way home from the office building we had also passed.

The light flashed green and I took off, gunning the engine perhaps a little more than necessary because it was still pouring and I wanted to get out of the rain as soon as possible.  The navy blue SUV was still behind me, which was a little odd but I ignored it and kept my attention focused on the road instead of letting it stray to the ridiculous notion that it was the creep who kept sending me letters.  I worked for the BAU, we had a routine that was essentially  entirely unpredictable because half the time even JJ never knew when we were going to go on a case until the second it arrived in her office.

The blue SUV stayed in the back of my mind and the corner of my eye, but it's not like I was the only person who had a job in the same area as the FBI building that lived in my apartment complex. 

I pulled my bike into Mrs. Mulcahy's parking spot and jerked my helmet off, swiping the wet hair plastered to my cheeks back.  Only to see that the low fuel light was on, which means I'd have to fill up at the closest gas station on my way to work tomorrow morning if I wanted to make it  to work tomorrow morning.  I killed the engine and swung off my bike with a sigh, stashing my helmet in the small storage compartment under the seat before going into the building. I was glad to finally not have heavy drops of icy water soaking through my already drenched clothes. 

I headed for the mail center to stop at my P.O. Box--I had to get in the habit of checking my own mail--and I pulled three envelopes out of box number 32.  With dread, I glanced at the first envelope and a hard knot immediately tightened in my stomach.  Not again.  Wary of the lone attendant sitting behind the desk languidly perusing a newspaper, I casually looked through the rest of my mail as I made my way through the building and up the stairs to the second floor.

The knot in the pit of my stomach had turned into a tremor of fear, and I had to try my hardest to keep my hands from shaking as I fumbled for my keys, only to have a spike of terror drive through me when I remembered that my apartment keys were on the same ring as my car keys, which I had left back at the BAU.  Damn it!

I crossed the hallway to go knock on Mrs. Mulcahy's door only to spot the piece of flowery stationery that she had taped over the peep hole.  I pulled it down to read it.

Charlie, while I am gone, would you please feed my babies for me?   I will be back in a week.  Thanks!  Sincerely, Mrs. Delores Mulcahy  P.S. Help yourself to the cookies on the table, I don't want them to spoil.

Oh yeah, she had told me a few days ago how her friend Gladys had won two tickets for a cruise to the Bahamas, and since both of them were widows, Mrs. Mulcahy was going with her.  Looks like I wasn't getting into her apartment for my spare, and her cats weren't getting fed until at least tomorrow after I got home from work.

I couldn't really make it all the way to the BAU on a low tank of gas to get my keys, so I stuffed her note and my mail in the pocket of my jacket--not caring how crumbled that infernal letter would get in the process--and pulled out my cellphone, scrolling through contacts as I stomped back down the stairs to the lobby.

Not Garcia, she would freak out way more than necessary about me getting locked out of my apartment.  Hotchner, Aaron.  Nope, not happening.  JJ, she had her family, so no.  Morgan, not a chance.  Prentiss...maybe, but she had seemed in a hurry to leave when we got off the plane so she probably had stuff to do. The next name on my very small list of contacts was Reid, and at least that was better than Rossi, so I grudgingly tapped the call button with my thumb, hoping he would be asleep already and wouldn't pick up.

At least I had remembered to bring that with me, but as I hit speed dial, I was really hoping he wouldn't pick up.