Smart Woman (in a Real Short Skirt); The Hammer of Witches
Disclaimer: Ain't Mine
Chapter One
Quantico, Virginia
The Finnish writer, Anita Konkka once said, "If inner and outer goals are very different, the conflict can create evil nightmares with the purpose of forcing the dreamer to change the direction of her or his journey."
Magdalene was already in the aptly named "round table room" when he arrived, much to Spencer's delight. Ever since her official addition to the team as a consultant every case the BAU worked he eagerly awaited Magdalene to join them. This was the first case in a month he got to work with her, first time in too long that he got to see her. Both (mainly he) were too busy to meet after work, they talked semi – regularly but he missed looking at her. He got a good look at her now – there were shadows under her eyes and it was a clear struggle to keep her dark head up. In front of her was the largest travel mug he'd ever seen in his life. He sat beside her, unnoticed by her focus less eyes.
"Not an early riser?" he asked lightly giving her a start. She managed a smile.
"Can't rise if you never went down." She replied yawning.
"New book?" he asked, they both had a passion for books.
"Old horror story." She corrected. "What do you know about the case?" Discussion of her night was over.
"Nothing but Elkins, Massachusetts." Hotchner and JJ entered followed by Morgan, Elle with Gideon last.
"Morning everyone." Aaron Hotchner, the figure head of the team greeted everyone as they sat like knights at Camelot.
"We have three dead women in Elkins, Massachusetts." JJ began bringing up three mundane pictures of the victims alive.
"The first victim," Jennifer Jareau, the liaison and quasi translator form FBI to cop to FBI pulled up a split screen. On the left was a brunette doctor, on the right was the crime scene photo of her murder, she was hanging from a tall tree in just her underwear. "Jane Hawkins, chief surgeon at Greeley Memorial. Found about three weeks ago." The screen changed; a blonde, possible J. Crew model was vivacious on the left, hung on the right, also in her underwear. "Two weeks ago Sarah Good, the president of SWGood Inc. was found also hung."
"Serial hangings?" Elle asked, "Think this sex based?" Elle Greenaway made her self in sex crimes, she had a good eye for the perverse.
"That's what PD thought, but about three days ago Mary Johnson was found." JJ brought up the last screen. A mother of four was reduced to an unrecognizable charred pile tied to a stake.
"Merry." Magdalene swore in old English.
"A change so soon?" Derek Morgan asked looking around in surprise. "Is he devolving so fast?"
"We don't know." JJ said "Everything is still meticulously done with nothing in the way of forensics."
"Can I ask why you need me, right now all the service I can give you is a hope cracking this is easier than it sounds." Magdalene said, the way it currently looked the only God connection was depending on a person's beliefs in an afterlife, JJ brought up a new screen, a typed note appeared. Magdalene put on her glasses and squinted at the TV.
"Latin." She said. "But I can't read it at this angle."
"A note ahs always been with the body. Same paper, typewriter text, Latin."
"Alright wheels up in an hour." Hotchner told them. Magdalene made to leave with Spencer but Gideon grasped her wrist and held her back. Spencer made to stay but Gideon gave him a look.
"See you on the plane." She told him shyly caught in the middle, Spencer left miffed.
Jason Gideon, friend, mentor, procurer of job, profiler, father figure, gave her a piercing once over. Magdalene withered beneath his brown eyes.
"Another dream?" he asked her.
"You know I get them." She tried, hating the look that read her like a book, he was the kindest of men, but scary as hell.
"And I know how bad they are too. Can you handle this trip?"
"Jason, please, I'm fine. There are some books I need at home if you're done playing Simon Peter can I go?" She threw out her father's full name for emphasis, he got the message.
"Both of us worry." He told her, she ducked her head and rushed out of the room leaving Gideon to brood alone.
Spencer was distracted. Magdalene moved… not, he beyond distracted. She had a thing for skirts and he was quick developing one. Today it was a pencil skirt in black with a green cardigan set. He had eagerly taken a seat across from him but in retrospect, bad idea. Her cute nose was deep in a heavy looking book and her every subtle action was driving him wild. Her sighs, shifts, and movement of glasses made him fidget. He did his best to focus on his sudoku but she was far more interesting scratching notes on her legal pad. For a short flight it was very long.
This was Magdalene's first official BAU case outside of her home field and the entire process of settling in made her feel like a bumbling sidekick. Everyone had their own room but Elle was in the room next to hers and JJ was across the hall, it was like she was a part of something… a family, or at least a sisterhood. Too young in college to be in a dorm or sorority, and the only girl in her close family, she felt like a moron for being thrilled with the room arrangements. Spencer was on her other side. Spencer… another new feeling, somewhat foolish, another new experience for her. Crushes and love were new to her, she was amazed she could be normal with her heart going a million miles an hour every time she saw him. She remembered every kiss, every touch, every smile, and every smell. She remembered everything about their last encounter, too far in the past. She remembered she was on a case, adjusting her skirt and tossing on a light jacket she went to meet the team.
The Elkins Police station was a large brick box in the center of town, it had to be very close to as old as the town itself. Detective John Hartford was the lead on the cases, he was a middle aged guy with suspiciously "Donald" like hair and a mediocre suit, he lead them to the one conference room using a series of corridors making the new group feel like lab rats.
"Sorry you folks had to see our neck of the woods at such a bad time."
"Our day starts when somebody else's ends." Derek said, Gideon began the introductions.
"Agents Morgan, Greenaway, Jareau, Hotchner. Doctors Burgess and Reid." Spencer observed the Detective as he took in the team, the man wore the standard look of cop contempt for feds, until he looked at Magdalene; at her his eyes were full of pure contempt. It was a quick flash but still there, Spencer felt his mental hackles raise, he moved closer to Magdalene.
"We'd like to look at the scenes." Hotchner said to Hartford, who nodded.
"Spencer and I will head out to the first scene." Gideon said walking over to Reid and Burgess.
"We'll" Hotchner motioned to Ell and Derek, "go to the second, meet you at the third." There was agreement.
"If you could point me to your press office." Jennifer; JJ said. She was a wizard when it came to mass communications.
"And me to the notes with the bodies?" Magdalene asked slightly shy for some reason. He gave both women a long list of left, right, right, left directions before collecting his partner to drive the other agents around. JJ and Magdalene sighed as they looked out the door at the maze of halls.
"Got any bread crumbs?" Magdalene asked.
"There better be some good cheese at the end of this."
There wasn't a whole lot at the scene, the noose had been cut down, there was nothing on the dirt. The killer picked a good spot and left no evidence behind.
"Is ther any significance with this tree, other than it's big and localized?" Spencer asked Gideon, he wasn't seeing anything.
"Easiest way to make a big localized statement." Gideon replied looking up into the old twisted branches.
"Finding the body was rather creepy, they used to use this tree for hangin's back in the day. First time they saw the victim they thought it was some ghost." Detective Hartford's partner, Nathaniel Ingersaw, said knocking on the trunk.
"Reason for using it?" Spencer threw out as he paced around the base.
"Perhaps, that would suggest the unsub is from the area." Gideon said walking around the tree in the opposite direction of Spencer's circle.
"That's about all we can get out of this scene right now." Spencer sighed.
Magdalene read through each text several times before fishing out a small tape recorder and reading each aloud. This was text based on a book. She knew the book too.