Silent Evidence ~ Spencer Reid

"So yes, DNA can be extracted from human remains even in advanced stages of decomposition," Dr. Evelyn Bennett said, as she scanned the room, meeting the eyes of the students. "If there are no more questions, that wraps up my part of the seminar. I'll hand things back over to Agent Rodriguez. Thank you."

As Evelyn stepped away from the podium, she exhaled quietly. The seminar had gone smoothly, though teaching was far from her passion. She collected her belongings and exited the lecture hall.

Arriving at her office, she pushed the door open and took a moment to appreciate the organized chaos within. Papers thrown across her desk, a coffee mug half-full from yesterday evening, and a framed photo of her and her interns laughing at a conference.

As she settled into her chair one of her interns, Dr. Jonah Greene, stumbled into her office, with a handful of files.

"I finally finished processing the bones from both donors," he said, running his fingers through his curly brown hair. He set a stack of files in front of her with a heavy thud that echoed through the room.

She picked up a file from the stack and quickly scanned through the paperwork. "Excellent work, as always. Just a couple more to process, and we'll be back on track," she replied with a grin.

"Thanks! So, how was the seminar?" He asked, taking a seat across from her in order to help sift through the rest of the stack.

She rolled her eyes, dramatically. "You already know the answer to that. I hate teaching, but I owed Rodriguez one after our vacation." She chuckled.

"Oh, right! How could I forget you turning a fun girls' trip into a full-blown investigation?" Jonah laughed, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Well of course I did. Someone had to save Miami PD from themselves," she shot back, a smirk tugging at her lips. "It was a public service at that point."

Evelyn leaned back in her chair, flipping through another file from the stack. "Honestly, though," she added, "it was good to be back in the field for a bit, even if it was on my vacation time."

"Sure, and solving a case in three days while on vacation is totally normal behavior," Jonah teased, shaking his head.

Evelyn leaned back in her chair, her smirk softening. "Well, you know me. No off switch."

"Next time I'm on vacation, I'll make sure to pack my kit and sunscreen." Jonah teased.

"Well, that's the spirit," Evelyn replied, her smile softening. She closed the file in her hands and set it on the desk and looked back up at Jonah. "But in all seriousness, the seminar was... well, let's just say I'd rather be out in the field than stuck in front of a room full of trainees trying to one-up each other. I do not have that much patience."

"Yeah, you're-" Jonah started, a loud knock interrupted the conversation. As they looked up, a tall man leaned against the doorframe, his presence filling the space.

"Hey... Evelyn, may I speak with you?"

"Of course, what do you need, Grayson?" Evelyn replied.

"I meant alone," he stated, glancing over at Jonah, who immediately stiffened.

"Okay," she stated as she turned her attention back to Jonah. "Give Agent Hayes and I a moment. Just make sure to conduct an inventory of all the finished donors. We can start processing the new ones right after," Evelyn added, handing him another stack of files from behind her.

Jonah stood up as he gathered the files. He shot Agent Hayes a brief, cutting glance before muttering something under his breath as he walked out the door. Evelyn caught it, but didn't bother to reprimand him.

"That kid does not like me," Grayson said with a half-hearted chuckle.

"That kid is Dr. Greene to you, and of course he doesn't like you. You're arrogant," Evelyn shot back with a stern look.

"Touché," Grayson leaned in slightly, dropping his voice.

Grayson shut the door behind him as he entered the office and cleared his throat. "Evelyn, I do have a favor to ask."

She glanced up from her paperwork, her brow furrowing with interest. "What's going on?" she asked, sensing the change in his tone.

"Eleven bodies washed up locally at SM Lake about an hour ago," He paused to clear his throat again. "We were wondering if you could assist with this case."

"Eleven?" she echoed, her eyes widening in disbelief. "All at once?"

He nodded, running a hand through his hair. "Yeah. It's a mess. They're still assessing the situation, but it doesn't look like it's going to be easy. We need your help managing all the remains. They're saying more bodies are expected to be pulled up, too."

Evelyn stared at him, processing the gravity of the situation. "Jesus," she muttered, the reality of the scene sinking in. She let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding and immediately grabbed her coat from the back of her chair. "Okay, let's not waste any time."

As she slid her arms into the sleeves, she glanced over at Grayson. "Did they give you any information on cause of death? Drowning, trauma, anything?"

Grayson shook his head. "Not yet. They've only done a preliminary check, but with this many bodies showing up at once..."

"Could be a lot of things," Evelyn finished, grabbing her bag and slipping it over her shoulder.

"Yeah, and none of them good," Grayson replied.

As she pushed past him into the hallway, Grayson fell into step beside her. "You're driving," she said over her shoulder, not missing a beat.

"Lead the way," he replied, a hint of relief breaking through his otherwise serious demeanor.