Blood and Battle | Criminal Minds (gxg)

Chapter 16

TW: bombings mentioned

Our team stands in the conference room of the Palm Springs Police Department. Morgan is on speaker phone, the cell resting in the middle of the table.

His voice flows through the receiver. "He had the bomb pre-set to go off at a specific time. His design is almost identical to Bale's."

Hotch nods at Gideon, "Jason, I want you to go talk to Bale, see if he's been in contact with anyone. He may have given someone his bomb designs."

Hotch and I share a glance. I raise my eyebrow at him. You sure that's a good idea?

He dips his chin down in a slight nod.

I sigh, looking towards Elle. "We found something on the computer of our first victim. She was planning to send an email to PBPD exposing a counterfeit business. It may be the reason she was targeted."

"And the other two?"

Reid shakes his head. "No obvious connections, except for where they live and buy their groceries."

"What if they weren't real targets?" Elle says from her seat.

I glance her way, my mind running in circles. "Cover-ups? To throw us off the trail?" I ask.

"It's a possibility," Reid says.

Hotch nods. "I'll go with Gideon to the prison. The rest of you, keep working victimology and find out what you can about the counterfeit. JJ is still tied up keeping the press off our backs. It was a very public attack."

"Explosions in broad daylight. As public as you can get," I say with a sigh.

---

Thirty minutes later I'm alone in the conference room with Elle. Reid left with JJ and some police to further investigate the other two victims.

Elle sits in a chair at one end of the table. I'm standing on one side, leaning forward onto my hands.

"Is it hot in here?" I ask her as I tug at my sleeves.

"It's Florida. Yes, it's hot," Elle replies sarcastically without looking up from the papers in front of her.

We've been searching for information on the counterfeit coins the first victim bought. If we can get the name of the seller, Garcia can give us an address.

I stand up fully, moving to take off my jean jacket. As I do, I feel Elle's eyes on me and I remember I'm wearing a tight, red tank top underneath. I smile to myself as she watches me slowly pull the jacket down my shoulders and off my arms. I toss it across the back of the chair next to me, running my hand through my hair and biting my bottom lip.

In my peripheral vision I see her watching me. Her eyes drift across my bare shoulders and stop briefly in the center where my cleavage is exposed by the low neckline.

Trying to refocus, I go back to reading what's on the computer in front of me. I tracked the business owner from the website, the recommended sites, his company's Facebook, anything I could think of.

"Elle," I look at her, the previous moment forgotten as I smile triumphantly. "I got a name."

For a moment she just sits there, staring. I wait, a smirk on my face. Then she shakes her head as if clearing her thoughts. "Who?"

"David Walker," I say, already pulling my phone out. 

Within minutes I have an address.

I look at Elle. "Call Hotch, we're going."