In the days following the explosive incident, the BAU team did not immediately return to Quantico as they usually would. For one, Hotchner needed time to recuperate. While his arm in a cast would take weeks to heal, the blood loss from his leg injury had left him particularly weak.
Secondly, the team took the rare opportunity to relax and regroup. As Rossi put it, "There's no end to the cases piling up. What's one more week?" With that, he made the executive decision for the team to stay in New York a little longer.
For Reid and Garcia, this was cause for celebration. New York City wasn't just the economic hub of the United States; it was also a cultural treasure trove. With its abundance of museums, particularly those dedicated to natural history, Reid felt like a kid in a candy store. He could easily spend three days in one museum, let alone the libraries filled with ancient texts and archives.
Garcia's joy stemmed from a different source—Jack's cooking. Following the Chinese tradition of nourishing the injured, Jack went all out. With the new office kitchen finally operational, he served up a series of elaborate soups and broths for Hotchner. From beef bone to pork bone, each recipe was fortified with traditional Chinese medicinal herbs, and no two were the same over seven days.
The rest of the team—and even a few guests like Commissioner Reagan's family—enjoyed the culinary bounty. Richard Castle and his daughter Alexis, under the guise of "visiting colleagues," were frequent visitors as well. The lively atmosphere persisted until the BAU team finally boarded their plane back to Los Angeles.
The team departed six strong but returned with only five. Standing next to Jack, Jessica waved goodbye to the others with a radiant smile, having decided to stay behind.
As one of the key heroes of the bombing incident, Danny Reagan had also taken a rare vacation and accompanied Jack to the airport. After watching the white Gulfstream jet ascend and shrink into the sky, Danny's phone buzzed.
When he ended the call with a peculiar expression, Jack raised an eyebrow.
"What's up? Can't wait to get back to work already?" Jack teased.
Danny pointed at the jet, now a distant speck in the sky. "Uh… guys? Can we ask them to turn around?"
"Excuse me?" Jack, Hannah, and Jessica said in unison, staring at him in disbelief.
Central Park, New York.
The park, with its expansive greenery and public water features, had seen better days. Among its prominent bodies of water were the aptly named "The Lake," a large artificial lake, and the reservoir. Other features included Turtle Pond, home to various turtles; a wildlife sanctuary for ducks and birds; and an ice-skating rink that doubled as a swimming pool in summer.
The Lake, located north of the devastated Sheep Meadow and beyond Cherry Hill, was a popular spot for boating and pedal boats. It was also the place where Danny and Jack had sought cover from the explosion that had obliterated the meadow and its surroundings.
Returning to the scene, it was clear the area was in ruins. The explosion had severely damaged nearby sports facilities and landmarks, including the carousel that Danny had once nostalgically mentioned.
Sheep Meadow, originally intended as a parade ground, had been repurposed as a sheep pasture under the direction of its designer, Frederick Law Olmsted. Though the sheep were long gone, their barn on the western edge had been converted into a Michelin-starred restaurant. Now, that restaurant was a pile of rubble, its roof blown off by the blast.
The shopping street beside the meadow, once bustling with horse-drawn carriages and tourists, was reduced to debris. Cleanup efforts had barely begun, and the dense vegetation that once softened the park's landscape now lay flattened, its dense canopy having absorbed much of the shockwave.
The New York City government had allocated an initial $60 million to clear the debris, but given the city's track record—like the $52 million spent on snow removal the previous winter—media outlets were skeptical about the park management's promise to restore Central Park within a year.
Danny hadn't brought Jack and the others back to the park for nostalgia. While the NYPD had downplayed Danny's role in the bombing incident to the media, tabloids were abuzz with stories of "Commissioner Reagan's son saving New York."
Aware of the risks such fame posed to his family—especially after his daughter Erin and daughter-in-law Linda had been attacked—Commissioner Reagan had worked to keep the story low-profile. He knew that fame could make Danny and Jamie, both frontline officers, even bigger targets.
With BAU in New York, Reagan and Rossi had spent a lot of time discussing past cases and serial killer patterns. Whatever insights Rossi had shared, Danny's public profile was soon overshadowed by other headlines, and his life returned to relative normalcy.
At the edge of The Lake, a more pressing issue awaited. On the bank lay three corpses of varying stages of decomposition, arranged on yellow waterproof tarps. A team of divers worked in the water while CSI leader Mac Taylor oversaw the scene.
Nearby, Jim Aubrey, freshly summoned from the federal building, was vomiting beside a tree. His pale face bore the evidence of an interrupted lunch.
"Three women, no clothing, no identification," Stella Bonasera reported as she approached, nodding at her friend Hannah and pausing to glance at Jessica's radiant expression. With a knowing smirk, she looked at Jack before returning her gaze to Aubrey.
"Seems like you've picked up some new faces."
"We've got two more in training at Quantico," Jack replied. "Once they're onboard, I'll organize a proper introduction party."
Jack, notably, refrained from donning gloves to inspect the bodies this time.
One corpse was relatively intact, having been dead for less than a week. Another was partially skeletonized, while the third was bloated and in an advanced stage of decomposition, with its abdomen grotesquely distended—a sign of the "floaters" phase.
A researcher in full protective gear approached the bloated corpse with a hollow tube, carefully preparing to release the gases built up inside. If not vented, the body could burst, spraying rancid fluids everywhere—a stench so potent that even soap and scrubbing wouldn't erase it for days.
Jack took a step back, watching the grim work unfold. "I hope BAU gets called back for this one," he muttered under his breath, eyeing the macabre scene.
(End of Chapter)
[Get +20 Extra Chapters On — P@tr3on "Mutter"]
[Every 50 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter Drop]
[Thanks for Reading!]