The Investigation Begins
In which Caroline Julian's files are under investigation, Reid gets a new case, Morgan drinks coffee and Hotch starts to think that maybe taking this on was a bad idea.
Oh shit.
Bones was so not going to be happy about this one. Booth neither.
Sweets looked down at the form on his desk. He'd been aware that someone had been sniffing around Caroline Julian's old files, but he'd really hoped that they would manage to avoid that case. But he seemed to be out of luck.
The fact that there was very little documentation on the Gormogon case was probably one of the reasons why the case was being looked at. That or the BAU was having a really slow week. Which given what Sweets was aware of what happened over at Quantico, seemed unlikely.
Despite all that, he was reluctant to turn over his files on one Zachary Addy. Partially because very little of it was actually documented, and Sweets really didn't want to face the repercussions over not doing his job properly, and partially because he didn't really fancy anyone examining the case very closely. Especially given that Zack hadn't actually killed anyone, though he doubted whoever was dealing with these files cared. With any luck, it'd be a cursory glance, all okay, and they could move on with their lives.
Groaning, and praying for his phone to ring with the latest case so he had an excuse to not deal with this, he spun around in his chair and started digging around in his filing cupboard. There had to be something. And maybe he ought to get over to McKinley at some point and warn Zack that co-operating would probably be best for him.
-x-
"Have you seen the latest consult Strauss wants?"
David Rossi, who was settled comfortably on the couch in Hotch's office, looked across at the Unit Chief. "The kid who got caught up in the Gormogon mess?" Hotch nodded. "Send Reid. No one else is going to get anything out of him."
"That would be my first response," Hotch agreed, but Rossi could tell he had something else to say.
"But?"
"He reminds me of what Reid could have become. Had something gone wrong."
"There are certain similarities between the two. But I think it should be noted that Reid has never attempted to blow himself up and join forces with a cannibalistic serial killer. This Addy, he's a genius. And we need him to talk. And judging from these all too slim files the psychologist sent over, he doesn't exactly do a lot of that."
"It also says in the file that he responded positively to those more experienced. His relationship with his supervisor Dr. Brennan and her partner Agent Booth was excellent."
"Until he teamed up with a serial killer that team was pursuing." Rossi interrupted. "Anyway, you're too busy dealing with everything here. Reid's your best bet."
"I still don't like it, but I agree with you. Give the files to Reid, and tell him that they are expecting him tomorrow morning."
Rossi nodded, grabbed the files off of Hotch's desk, and left the office.
-x-
As Reid stood outside McKinley, clutching his morning cup of coffee in one hand and the Gormogon files in the other, he thought about the case and the young man who he was about to meet. The fact that this wasn't exactly a usual custodial interview bugged him as well. Fighting Strauss on this one though seemed ill advised, and they seemed to actually be having a quiet week for once; though goodness knows how long that would last.
He was used to the usual, please sign in your weapon here lark, at the prisons and psych wards; but this was thorough. No bag allowed through, his pockets were emptied – they even asked for his tie pin to be removed. One of the staff seemed to be starting on removing the staples and paperclips from the files. "I don't need to take those with me."
A questioning eyebrow was raised.
"Eidetic memory," Reid added.
They nodded, as they placed the files along with his other items. "I'm afraid we can't have recording equipment in with you either, Dr. Reid," another staff member said. "But there's paper and a pen provided."
This was odd. "May I ask why you're quite so stringent on what's allowed in his cell?"
"Numerous escape attempts. He managed to turn a library card into a security pass one time, his psychologist recommended that we don't allow him access to much."
"His psychologist?"
"Dr. Lance Sweets. I thought you would know, seeing as you're both from the FBI."
Yes, Reid thought, that was what was in the file, but he knew in practice that the psychologist named in the file wasn't always the one treating the patient. "Does anyone else see him regularly?"
"Dr. Franklin for the most part. He's attached to the facility, he does Mr. Addy's sessions when Dr. Sweets can't make it. Which is more and more often these days."
Which was exactly what Reid was afraid of. Depending on quite how this went, he might end up chasing up any number of odd ends before filing his report with Strauss.
"This way, Dr. Reid," one of the orderlies said, pulling Reid out of his thoughts.
The room which she led him to was sparse, as it always was. Reid observed the young man sitting there – who he remembered from the file, was the same age as him – restrained in the chair, no doubt due to the various escape attempts which the orderlies mentioned earlier. "I can take it from here," he said to her, and she nodded.
There was no reaction from Zack as he opened the door and walked into the room. Nor any when he sat down. Reid stayed silent for a moment to see if Zack would give any reaction to his presence, but the young man seemed intent on remaining silent. "Hello, I'm Dr. Spencer Reid," he started. Still nothing. "I'm with the FBI's Behavioural Analysis Unit." Zack's fingers twitched, but Reid doubted that that was due to his presence. "I've been asked here to speak to you about your involvement in the Gormogon case?"
"I've told Sweets everything."
Well that was a start. Not much of one; Zack hadn't even looked up as he spoke, but it was something. "Unfortunately, Dr. Sweets' files on the matter are rather lacking, and I've been asked to update them. I'd also like to discuss the case in some detail with you," partially because the concept was fascinating, and also because he did not understand why the BAU had not been involved at some point in the investigation. "And besides, I'm not a psychologist. Or a therapist. My team, we study human behaviour."
Dr. Brennan's dislike – or rather mistrust - of psychology was well known, after all. It wouldn't be a surprise if she had passed that along to her student.
Zack looked up, and hazel eyes met hazel eyes. Reid was struck by the innocence in them. "I'd just like to start by confirming some details. Your name is,"
"Dr. Zachary Uriah Addy, I was born on June 14th 1981 in Michigan. I have four sisters and three brothers and my doctorates are in Forensic Anthropology and Engineering."
"Yes." And all that information was of course, in his file. "And what about your childhood?"
"I was raised in a loving family. My mother still sends me hand knit scarves for Christmas each year. I was enrolled in singing lessons as an attempt to integrate among my peers." The fact that it had obviously not worked remained unspoken. "I completed my high school education privately, which I am informed I was very lucky to do."
It was strange, Reid thought, that Zack seemed to have actually come from a happy background. There was no obvious indication that he was lying – no mention in the file of any negative reports from his childhood, though Reid knew that childhood scars could often go unreported – and while there was little warmth from Zack on the mention of his mother, there didn't seem much indication Zack spoke warmly of anyone. The file was clear though; something had happened to this kid to turn him into an assistant to a serial killer.
Reid would have been delighted to hear about someone like him who had actually managed to grow up in a situation vaguely normal, but the fact remained that he had confessed to the killing of the lobbyist, and the physical evidence spoke for the rest.
"I attended a public high school. I can assure you that you were." Reid replied. "Anything of note happen while you were there?"
Zack stayed silent. Either there was, and he didn't feel like sharing it at the moment, or nothing had actually happened. There wasn't any indication that anything was lurking, so Reid let it slide. Perhaps he might have more luck with more recent events. "So what led you to join the Jeffersonian Institute?"
"I applied for the position of Dr. Brennan's graduate student and was selected amongst hundreds of applicants." Reid noted that he seemed to be proud of this. "Initially I worked with her to help identify various remains from archaeological digs, mass graves and the Jeffersonian archives."
"And then?" Reid prompted.
"Dr. Brennan and I solved a three hundred year old murder and she was contacted by Agent Booth to assist on a cold case, which we helped solve. Twelve months later Agent Booth once again called upon Dr. Brennan's assistance, at which point we started regularly assisting with Federal Homicide cases." Zack paused. "Surely this is all in the files, or Dr. Sweets informed you of it?"
"I haven't spoken to Dr. Sweets about your case; his files aren't up to date, and I wanted to approach this with a fresh perspective." Reid knew that eventually he would have to go speak to the young Dr. Sweets, but he really didn't have the patience or the time to do it. "I'd like to hear how you understand the case and your predicament."
What the files really were woefully vague on, was exactly why Zack had been institutionalised. He gathered – reading in-between the lines – that some sort of deal had been struck, Zack giving up information in return for a declaration of non compus mentis and the lack of a trial. And that was in addition to the fact that the person sitting before him seemed completely sane.
"I understand perfectly well why I am in here. I am here because of a fault in my logic. I chose to assist the Master. I put my friends in danger and I killed a man."
Which was all true, according to the files. And Reid noted Zack's use of "The Master" to describe the killer – and while he hated using the titles either they or the press made up for them, given that no one knew this one's true identity, using Gormogon rather than the self-styled title seemed better. He'd have to try and break Zack of that habit.
"And you accepted a deal with Caroline Julian to give up Gormogon's location in exchange for the insanity plea."
"That is correct. Dr. Sweets is under the impression I was delusional at the time."
"Do you believe you were delusional?"
"I was not. I made a number of assumption in following his logic which were later proved incorrect. I initially believed that the human experience as a whole was worth any man's life, but later realised this was not the case."
A classic dominant-submissive partnership, it seemed. Delusional or not, it was clear that Zack Addy had been completely taken in by what Gormogon had told him.
"And what prompted your realisation?"
"Dr. Brennan pointed out the inconsistencies in my reasoning. I was willing to risk it all to save my colleague, Dr. Jack Hodgins."
Who was much more than a colleague, Reid knew. Hodgins seemed to be one of the few people who had come to visit Zack in McKinley, and before that Zack had lived in his property. Reid might even go so far as to declare the two best friends.
"What exactly are you a Doctor of?" Reid paused, surprised by Zack's sudden interest. "You aren't a medical doctor and you stated earlier that you weren't a psychologist."
"I hold PhDs in Mathematics, Chemistry and Engineering in addition to BAs in Psychology and Sociology. I'm working on a BA in Philosophy." Trying to, at least. It wasn't going so well.
"What exactly do you do with the BAU?"
"We profile serial offenders to predict their behaviour patterns and catch them," Reid began.
"But what do you specialise in?"
"Geographical profiling, linguistic and handwriting analysis, interpreting forensic evidence." Applying encyclopaedic knowledge to a case. "What about you?"
"At first I specialised in stripping bones of their flesh and preparing them for analysis by Dr. Brennan. My thesis work specialised in bone trauma however, I became an expert at extrapolating the weapon used based upon the marks left on the bones." Reid could see the usefulness in that. He could think of a few cases in which they could have caught the unsub quicker if they'd been able to tie down exactly what weapon was used. It probably became more important in Zack's line of work, where the cases were typically much older. "My ability to decode patterns, photographic memory and miscellaneous knowledge also became useful."
Very similar to himself then, Reid thought. In fact, it was almost crazy how similar the two of them had been at one point in time. And certainly disconcerting. Reid was aware how easily he could become the young man sitting in front of him.
"I see." It might be interesting to have a dig around some of the solved cases when he had a spare moment. "Now, if we can go back to our discussion of Gormogon."
-x-
"Garcia, can you get me the files for all the homicide cases in which Dr. Temperance Brennan and her team were involved in from 2005-2008?"
"That's a lot of files my young doctor, are you sure?"
"Yep. It's for this interview consult thing Strauss wants doing, but everything about it strikes me as odd. Can you also pull anything related to the Gormogon case in '08, and the performance reviews of Dr. Lance Sweets?"
"I'll have the small forest you requested on your desk when you get back, darling."
"Thanks Garcia."
"Any time."
Spencer Reid snapped his phone shut, adjusted the strap on his bag, and started towards where he had left the SUV parked. While he was sure that whoever had ordered the review on Dr. Zachary Addy had just wanted reassurance that the man was still there and not liable to cause any trouble any time soon, there was something just not right about this case.
-x-
"Whoa Baby Girl, who on earth are all those boxes for?"
Garcia huffed, and Morgan, who was currently clutching a cup of coffee, raised it slightly so she can see.
"Fine, fine, but you owe me one hot stuff. And these are all the files that our delightful young doctor requested as back up for his latest consult."
"What on earth is he working on?" Morgan asked, as he followed Garcia into the bullpen.
"Something Strauss ordered. Related to the Gormogon case in '08, if that means anything to you." Morgan raised an eyebrow. "Look you can ask him, because that case has icky written all over it."
"I will, don't you worry." Morgan laughed.
"Now if you'll excuse me, there are two more of these boxes which he wanted, which are not going to carry themselves."
Morgan knew what Garcia wanted. "I can't. First, my coffee will have gone cold." The way Garcia looked at him made it quite clear that that was not a valid excuse. "And secondly, I have work of my own to do."
-x-
Hotch considered leaving at ten a victory, to be quite honest. At least everyone else had gone home already. Or so he thought, until he walked past Reid's desk and realised that their youngest was still there.
"Reid?"
The young doctor looked up. "Oh hey Hotch."
Hotch didn't fail to take in the excessive amounts of boxes and files currently littered over Reid's desk. He'd seen Garcia bring some of them up earlier. "I thought you had gone home already?"
"Oh no, I got distracted going through all these." He gestured to the mound of paper. "It's fascinating stuff, really."
Knowing Reid's idea of what was fascinating, Hotch decided not to ask. "How did the interview with Mr. Addy go?"
"It's Dr. Addy, actually. He's very intriguing, if still somewhat of a mystery. I question if being in that institute is doing him any good though, and his psychologist seems woefully ill equipped to deal with him. That's what all this is about. I figured I might get a better idea of who he is looking at the old case files."
"Reid," Hotch said, in that way only he could. "Dr. Addy is locked up for his part in a series of ritualistic murders. You were simply meant to assess whether or not Dr. Sweets' assessment was adequate or not."
"Hotch, that's the thing, it isn't. Something about this case just doesn't line up, and I don't know what yet."
"Reid, I can't spare you to work on a case which is far as the bureau is concerned is long solved and buried." The dust on some of these files should have indicated that. "I know that this case might strike a little close to home."
"What, because he's also a child genius with an IQ in the 180s and a possible eidetic memory who was pretty much groomed for a specialist position which only accepts the best? You're right, there are similarities, and given that this guy doesn't come with a background of child abuse and neglect I'm having difficulty believing why he'd turn around and kill someone."
"Reid, the physical evidence that he was somehow involved is overwhelming."
"Yes, but there's something he's not telling. I can tell."
"You do this on your own time, and I won't object. But I don't suppose Strauss'll be happy when she hears about it. And you better get the report she actually wants from this interview done."
"Of course Hotch."