A Particular Needle

Spencer woke me up at eight to give me enough time to pull myself together. I slept in my dress with all my makeup on and the hairspray that had held my curls in last night made my hair feel gross now. I stumbled out of Spencer's bed and into the washroom.

Jenna had brought over some of my clothes last night after Spencer told her I would be staying here and why. He had mention them being questioned too. I'm not sure what they'd be able to tell the police, but they must think something. I was the only one with Clarity and I'm the only one who knows what happened. It was all my fault and now Clarity is with some man and she's probably so terrified. No matter how many times Spencer or anyone says it's not my fault, I know it is.

Spencer. He's been super nice. Even though he's a little socially awkward, he's been really understanding. I guess he's learned to be since he probably sees this stuff all the time.

And I might kind of like him.

I took a quick shower and got dressed. I washed my face with a wet cloth and made sure I left some of the eyeliner from last night on, but I made it look new. I didn't want to look as tired as I felt.

"Hey," Spencer said as I exited the bathroom. "Are you ready to go?"

"Are they going to film me and stuff?"

"Only for information purposes, it's easier to re-listen to you being questioned and have your word-for-word answers compared to someone trying to write it down or by memory. It's highly likely they will just record you, since they're not taking you as a suspect and therefore won't need to see your actions that could potentially be those of someone feeling nervous because of pressure or false statements."

"What?" I stared at him blankly.

"Um...no, no they probably won't."

*****

We walked through the police station. I was so close to Spencer, my shoulder was gently touching his. I asked him to sit in the back with me on the way here, too. I don't know why, but I felt safe around him. Not too much in the sense that if I would have the same fate as Clarity, he would save me, but more in the sense I felt like no one would judge me. He seemed convinced I had nothing to do with it, or he faked it really well. Either way, it made me feel a little better.

He left me in a room with just a metal table and two chairs. I sat on the side that faced the big window that you can't see through but the people on the other side can.

Wait, why am I here? Am I a suspect? They think I'm the one kidnapping girls? They can't, I got here after the first murder.

But Clarity isn't going to end up like those other girls. I saw the back of the guys head. The FBI has to be able to work with that, right? They're going to save her. She's going to be fine. What are the chances the killer even got her? It could've been anyone I saw.

An older man with facial hair and a suit missing a tie entered the room. He sat across from me calmly. We stared at each other, but didn't speak. I wondered who was on the other side of the glass. Maybe Spencer was there. Did he tell them I could have done this? Is that what he thinks of me?

"Are you going to start asking me questions?"

"I'm just waiting for you," he replied. "I'm Special Agent Rossi."

"That's great," I snapped. "Am I being recorded?"

"Where's Clarity?"

"I don't know, that's why I'm here."

"Venus, do you know that you're the last person we know who saw Clarity?"

"Who told you that? Was it Jenna or Taylor?"

"Were you the last person to see her?"

"What are you thinking? Are you thinking I'm--what--hiding her? I didn't kidnap anyone! Are you going to help me find Clarity or should I do this myself?"

He smiled at me. It wasn't a friendly or a happy smile, it was almost a smirk. He thought I was lying! I can't believe this. I trusted Spencer and this is what he does? He calls up his little FBI team and tells them he might have a lead.

He stood up, smacking his hands on the table as he leaned towards me. "Answer the question."

"No! The man who took her was, and he probably has her right now, so why are you wasting your time here? I was with her last night, she was completely plastered. We stopped at a bar just so she could get sick. Jenna started calling me, but I couldn't hear her so I went outside. I came back in and she was being escorted out by a man dressed all in black. I didn't--" I stopped because I felt my eyes becoming watery. A few tears rolled down my cheeks. "I didn't see his face."

I looked down at the table, because I couldn't bare to look at Rossi.

"Where is Clarity?" he started with and then he continued grilling me. He raised his tone, so it wasn't a yell but almost. He was asking me insane questions. He was asking me if this is what I wanted for Clarity. He asked me why I wasn't helping them. Why I was doing this to Clarity.

Man, I could have hit him if I wasn't so emotional.

"Rossi, that's enough!"

I looked up to see Spencer. He was standing in the doorway, gripping the doorknob as if for support. Rossi looked just as shocked as I was. He wasn't saying anything so Spencer tried to give it another go.

"I told you Venus knew something about another girl missing so we could help find her, not because I thought she was a suspect."

"How do you know that?!" Rossi asked. "Reid, just because you're a genius, doesn't mean you know every thing. I've been doing this job before you were even in school, so let me do it."

Spencer looked a little hurt, but continued talking, "But I know she didn't."

Rossi scoffed and looked at the glass. "Someone get him out of here."

*****

I sat in the front area of the police station. There were comfy chairs there and I've done so much crying lately, I could easily fall asleep. An Agent, who told me her name was Emily Prentiss, had brought me a coffee. She was sitting with me.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm just...upset."

"It's a tough thing, having a friend disappear. Were you two close?"

I nodded. "I've known her since I was six."

"And how many years has it been?

"Fourteen."

She got up and went over to Morgan and a man in a full suit. They both looked very serious and almost scary. I continued to drink my coffee to calm me down. I hated coffee, it tasted disgusting. I preferred tea, but I didn't say anything. She was the only one giving me a chance here.

"Hi, I'm Agent Aaron Hotchner. Would you mind if I questioned you?"

I looked up to see the man in the suit standing in front of me.

"You mean interrogate?"

"No, that's not what I mean. Reid is a reliable source and if he doesn't think you had any part in this, then there's a very good chance you didn't."

"I already told that other guy everything."

"Tell me again?" His voice is surprisingly soft compared to how intimidating he looks.

It really was a question, but he didn't say it like one. It sounded more like a demand. I didn't mind, though, since I wanted them to find Clarity as soon as possible. We were in an office with just a desk and two chairs, nothing like the other room. I'll tell you though, I liked this guy much better. He wasn't big on yelling at me, but he was still taking what I was saying into consideration. I wasn't being recorded, but he did write down almost every thing I said. He told me to call him Hotch. I liked it better, because Agent made me feel uncomfortable.

"Do you think it's the same person who took the other two girls?" I asked.

"Your story is similar to the other stories we've heard, but it's hard to tell. Anyone can kidnap a highly intoxicated girl, especially during spring break."

"So now what am I supposed to do?"

"You're going to have to wait until we investigate further. Reid seems to know where you're staying, so I'm sure he'll tell you when we get any leads."

A knock at the partially opened door turned our heads. It was a petite girl with medium blond hair.

"JJ, what is it?" Hotch asked.

"We found her."