Chapter 73: Be More Confident and Remove the Word "Maybe"
"Let's head inside," said JJ with a diplomatic smile, defusing the tension.
"Yes, Director Joyner is waiting for us," Unit Chief Hotchner agreed.
"Alright," Chuck nodded and walked in with them.
"Why do I always feel like you and Chuck are butting heads?" Reid, trailing behind, whispered to Morgan, whose expression had darkened after Chuck's cutting remark.
"Because solving cases is our job, not his," Morgan said defensively. "Private consultants like him are just in it for the paycheck."
"Don't listen to him," Agent Elle interjected. "It's just alpha male competition—there can't be two top dogs in the same pack."
"Alpha male competition?" Reid looked confused. "Chuck and I get along perfectly. He's actually a rare close friend. Intelligent, loyal, courageous, capable—every positive quality applies to him."
"You idolize him too much," Morgan complained. "He's not as perfect as you make him out to be."
"That's because you're not only different, but also inexperienced," Elle said bluntly. "You don't understand the male instinct for territorial competition. Morgan and Dr. Wolfe are both apex predators in this ecosystem, so it's natural they'd clash."
"How did you..." Reid started to object, then said with mild irritation, "BAU members don't profile each other."
When a profiler analyzes someone, it's actually insulting. It's acceptable when they're hunting criminals, but doing it to a colleague could destroy working relationships.
After all, everyone has secrets they don't want exposed or discussed.
Although Reid was the youngest, he had more experience than Elle, the newest team member, and felt it necessary to remind her of this unwritten rule.
"Please, if everyone needs profiling, then all these years of training were pointless, weren't they?" Elle gave him a knowing look, turned around, and quickly caught up with the group ahead.
"Is it really that obvious?" Reid smiled ruefully.
"It is," Morgan patted Reid's shoulder. "Go on a real date. Trust me, once you get past that milestone, your entire worldview will shift. Then tell me how you feel about this Dr. Wolfe."
FBI New York Field Office
As Chuck and the team of seven passed through security and entered the building, they were met by Director Kate Joyner emerging from her corner office.
"Aaron!"
"Kate!"
Unit Chief Hotchner, not waiting for their senior profiler Gideon to speak, greeted her warmly.
"Am I seeing things, or does she look remarkably like Haley?" Elle asked, startled upon seeing Kate.
"You're not imagining it," JJ said with a knowing smile.
She now understood why someone had bypassed her as the team's liaison and directly contacted the BAU.
It turned out the director and Unit Chief Hotchner were old acquaintances. Hotchner's wife Haley didn't look identical to Kate, but their resemblance was striking—about 80-90%.
The surprise and warmth of their reunion was evident, suggesting a relationship that was more than professional friendship, though less than romantic.
"Let me introduce my team..." Unit Chief Hotchner presented his team members to Kate.
"Thank you all for coming. If you need anything at all, just ask. Don't hesitate," Kate smiled warmly at the team members, then looked at Chuck. "Dr. Wolfe, I take it you're familiar with the BAU team?"
"Not as familiar as you are with Unit Chief Hotchner, but yes, I know the BAU," Chuck nodded.
Kate, assuming Chuck was concerned about not being immediately informed, explained, "You may have heard that the suspects had an incident early this morning. I believe this case is becoming more complex. Perhaps we have a leak inside..."
"Be more confident and remove the word 'maybe,'" Chuck said directly.
"...Regardless," Kate paused, took a deep breath, and continued, "I immediately contacted the Bureau's specialized team. We're all working together, hoping to resolve this as quickly as possible."
"Absolutely," Unit Chief Hotchner was first to agree.
"Dr. Wolfe's words are harsh, but accurate," Morgan added. "We just transferred the suspects, and they're all dead by morning. This is definitely an inside job."
"It appears that whether it's the Christie murder website or Red John, their reach is more extensive than we imagined," said Gideon, the BAU's senior profiler.
When the case reached the BAU, they immediately began analysis. Although the Christie murder website had been assigned to specialized units, they also had their technical analyst, Garcia, investigate. The results were disturbing.
This wasn't just a New Jersey incident, but a massive, twisted platform spanning the entire country. The dense cluster of dots marking video locations on their map practically covered the continental United States.
And Red John appeared to have immediately eliminated all suspects who'd been transferred to the FBI's New York field office. This was genuinely alarming.
"Let's examine the crime scene first," Unit Chief Hotchner suggested.
"Dr. Wolfe and I will take Reid and Morgan to the scene," Gideon nodded. "You and Agent Garcia take JJ and Elle to interview the agents in the building. We need to establish the whereabouts of all personnel during the incident and identify who had the capability to execute this operation."
"Copy that," Unit Chief Hotchner agreed.
The group split into two teams. Chuck and Gideon, led by Kate's designated agent, arrived at the temporary holding cells of the FBI's New York field office.
They found the same vicious predators who'd been so arrogant the previous day now lying dead in their cells, blood pooled around them.
"Poisoning," Morgan frowned.
"This is what the perpetrator left behind," the lead agent handed Gideon evidence secured in a plastic bag. "Message says they got what they deserved."
"Go to hell, you monsters!" Gideon read the message aloud, then looked up at Chuck with interest. "Dr. Wolfe, your assessment?"
"Deliberate misdirection," Chuck said concisely.
"How can you be sure?" the lead agent asked defensively. "They committed horrific crimes. Isn't retaliation possible?"
"Yes, Dr. Wolfe, isn't that feasible?" Morgan asked with interest.
"The methodology is too sophisticated. Few people would execute something this complex," Chuck said calmly. "Only family members of murder website victims would have such intense rage and desperation.
But if this victim's family truly possessed the resources and connections to immediately learn of the FBI arrests and launch such an elaborate revenge operation, they wouldn't have remained passive while their loved one was being victimized.
Someone with that level of determination and capability wouldn't have been unable to track down a crude and brazen criminal organization like the Christie Murder Website.
Furthermore, timing-wise, if they genuinely wanted family justice, they wouldn't have been so hasty to act here.
They'd wait for interrogation results to gather more intelligence. Then, once the suspects were in general population, they could easily arrange a prison fight resulting in death, a suspicious suicide, or even 'attempted escape resulting in officer-involved shooting.' There are numerous methods to achieve the same outcome while maintaining plausible deniability, or better yet, complete separation from the crime."
(End of Chapter)
If you enjoyed this chapter, leave a Power Stone or Review!
P@atreon/Soulforger (45+ advanced chapters)