Blood and Battle | Criminal Minds (gxg)

Chapter 59

TW: description of violence

The covers are pulled up to my chin and I roll over. The mattress shifts beneath me as I sink into the pillows, one hand wrapped around the cushion. My eyes flicker open. I'm about to close them again when the knock comes a second time at the door. I sit up, realizing it's what woke me. I glance sideways at the alarm clock on the nightstand, the blue neon letters reading 2:03. The knock comes a third time, much louder.

"Alright, alright, I'm coming," I mumble to myself. I slide from beneath the covers in my shorts and bra and wrap a thin robe around my shoulders before opening the door. One hand presses to my temple as I blink away the sleepiness to find two men standing in front of me. One is Marcus, Derek's friend, and the other I don't recognize.

"Can I help you boys?" I ask as I stifle a yawn.

They exchange a glance. The other man dips his chin down into a nod. Marcus sighs and addresses me.

"Miss D'angelo. Are you aware that your friend, Miss Greenaway, committed murder last night?"

My eyebrows raise and a smile passes over my lips as I laugh. "Did Morgan put you up to this?" Marcus's expression cuts off my smile. "Shit, you're serious?"

The other man addresses me. "We're sorry to tell you like this, and at this hour of the night, but we know you're FBI and since you know the suspect we thought we'd ask for your help."

"Wait, hold on." I put a hand up. "You actually think Elle did this?"

"All the evidence points to her, Ma'am."

I close my eyes and shake my head, any humor gone from my expression. Looking back at the two men, I sigh. "Give me two minutes."

I shut the door before they can object. I dress quickly, grabbing my gun, badge, and jean jacket to throw over a black tank top and black jeans. When I pull open the door they're still standing there, waiting patiently. I step into the hall, glaring at each of them.

"Where is she?"

"We were told to take you directly to the crime scene-"

"Take me to Elle," I interrupt. "And then I'll give you a million reasons why she's innocent."

The men exchange glances again before leading me down the hallway. I follow at their heels, making sure they move quickly. They lead me to the administrative part of the hotel.

"She's in here. But you're not supposed to-" I push through the door, ignoring Marcus.

Elle's eyes widen when she sees me. "C!"

She's still in her pajamas, shorts and a skimpy tank top with no bra. One arm is handcuffed to her chair. I strip off my jacket and cover her as best I can, draping it across her shoulders and chest.

I turn to the man sitting across from her at the table. "Can you give us a minute?"

"I'm not allowed to-"

Annoyed, I flash my badge. "Get lost, man."

He stands and walks out the room, closing the door behind him. As soon as he's gone I sit on the table in front of Elle, cupping her face in one hand. "What the hell happened?" My voice betrays my concern.

Elle tilts her head into my palm, resting her hand on mine. "They dragged me out of bed at gunpoint and accused me of murder. And I've been here for an hour trying to prove them otherwise." She sounds tired, and more than a little pissed off. "Carli." She looks up at me, her voice laced with worry. "I didn't do this."

I lean in closer, my thumb grazing her cheekbone. "I know you didn't."

I stare into her eyes for a moment before pulling away. I take her free hand in both of mine. "I'm going to check out the scene. And call Hotch. We'll have you out of here soon."

"And Morgan?"

"Let him sleep. This might take a while."

She rolls her eyes. "Great."

I give a small smile, shaking my head. "I knew we should've had that bottle of wine early."

Elle returns the grin. "If it weren't for what followed, I wouldn't be so exhausted right now."

As I stand I lean forward and murmur in her ear. "Guess you should've stayed with me, huh?"

She tilts her head back so our eyes meet. "Reason number five hundred to never leave your bed."

I laugh lightly and walk to the door. "I'll be back," I call over my shoulder.

"You better be."

I smile to myself as I leave the room, the other man heading back in.

"So?" Marcus raises an eyebrow as he approaches.

"So you have my partner locked up in there for no good reason," I remark. "Where's our crime scene?"

---

I kneel beside the bloodied body, crinkling my nose at the rancid smell. The room is drenched in blood, the body laying headless before me. The words "SAVE HER" are smeared across the walls in blood.

I stand and take a deep breath through my mouth. "I'd place our unsub as white, male, six feet, roughly 175 pounds. Disorganized, most likely thirties to forties."

"How are you sure?" Marcus asks.

I gesture towards the victim's neck. "He was decapitated with a sword, most likely a double-edged straight sword or a katana. Decapitation isn't easy. Immense strength is needed to cut through the neck in one swing, like it is here. Also, the victim is physically fit." I point out the shirtless man's exposed abs and biceps. "It wouldn't be easy to overpower him."

"So it has to be a man."

"Most likely. But either way, it's not Elle. This man was killed nearly 24 hours ago. We weren't even here yet."

Marcus opens his mouth but I hold up a hand, anticipating his question. "I know because of the color and texture of the blood, and the state of the body. Not to mention the smell." Starting to feel nauseous myself, I step out of the hotel room and take a deep breath of fresher air.

"What about the trail of blood to her hotel room?" Marcus asks as he comes up beside me.

I stare at him incredulously. "You mean the trail of blood along the wall that leads to her room? With no blood actually inside her room? Or on the floor of the hall? What do you think she did, Marcus, dragged it across the wall for fun and then brought it back here?" Marcus looks at me, dumbfounded. I roll my eyes. "She was framed. And whoever did it didn't do a very good job."

"Okay, so it wasn't her. But that doesn't mean there isn't a murderer. And where the hell is the victim's head?"

I look over at him, finally not having an answer. "I don't know," I tell him honestly.

I frown to myself. Something's wrong. The odds of this happening... well, I don't have a specific number, I'm not Reid. But low. Very low. And when I called Hotch earlier he seemed on edge. Something is going on here. I just don't know what yet.

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a/n
they're so soft with each other and then Carli just death glares the guy ahhhhh
:)