Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds and intend no copyright infringement.
She knew his file by heart.
Files, actually – both the official one that had lately been reviewed by the senate committee, and the unofficial, significantly thicker one she kept at home, together with the other private files she had compiled over the years.
She knew everything about him – his CV, including the medical reports on his mother… his academic achievements... his performance reviews ... even a couple of memory minutes from the "anonymous" support group he used to seek out regularly.
Tons of information. And judging by that information, following his advice was not a good idea. In the aftermath of Emily Prentiss' disappearing act he had shown signs of emotional instability and anger management issues.
"This IS calm...and it's DOCTOR."
Heavens, and that in front of the committee.
On the other hand there were these voices in her ear… thank God the unsub hadn't discovered the earpiece when he had abducted her.
"Reid's profiles have an accuracy of over 92%. That's an unmatched success rate." Hotchner's voice.
"Reid would never make an assumption out of the blue and risk your safety." Morgan.
"Yes, Reid didn't figure out that we lied to him, but his personal connection to Emily clouded his judgment. He has no personal connection to you."
Well thank you, Agent Jareau.
She made a mental note to keep that comment in mind for her next performance review.
If she ever got to write another one, that was.
"You've read his latest psychological evaluation, haven't you?"
Strauss wondered how much Prentiss knew about her private collection of files. She had probably learned some of the tricks of the trade from her mother.
"It must have been flawless because otherwise you'd surely have found a way to get him grounded. So, if Reid says the best way to deal with this unsub is to simply get up and walk straight out of the room without making eye contact or addressing him in any other way, you have no reason whatsoever not to do it."
Oh, she did.
8%.
EIGHT PERCENT.
Rustling via earpiece.
"Erin, get off your ass and walk out of there. Now."
The unsub was noisily rummaging around in a deep freezer at the other end of the room.
"Dave, I'm…"
"I know, Erin. Trust Reid. Trust us."
The unsub was coming back. She took a deep breath.