Despite the incessant whir and occasional screech of the ancient air conditioner, Reid continues to sort through the numerous photos scattered across the small table in front of him. An hour earlier, three policemen had carried in five large boxes, four of which contained hundreds of photographs that Wyatt Gelski had taken or collected over the span of three decades.
Reid is halfway through the second box, trying to distinguish whether or not the photo is relevant in helping find where the unsub could be hiding. None of the photos recovered so far had shown evidence of Wyatt Gelski's crimes. However, knowing that Gelski had chosen previous locations to abduct or dispose of women based on where the photos within his collection were taken, Reid continues to sort the seemingly random pictures of models, landscapes, and weddings into seven different piles.
After realizing the sorting system that Reid's using could only make sense to Reid, Hotch decides to get out of the younger man's way, choosing to sort through the various notebooks in the fifth box that had accompanied the photos.
Apart from the sound of the air conditioner, the two men continue in silence, Hotch occasionally looking up to watch Reid sort through the photos at a pace that, had Hotch not known the younger man, would appear as thought Reid wasn't even looking at the photos. The quick dart of an eye is the only evidence that Reid's even looking at the photos.
Both men jump when the shrill ring of Reid's phone overpowers the whir of the AC unit. Reid quickly pulls the phone out of his pocket, glances at the caller ID, and sits it on the table after putting it on speakerphone.
"Hey, Garcia. Did you find anything?"
"I love naked people. They're so…natural." Reid and Hotch look at one another. While both are use to Garcia's eccentric personality, she still manages to catch them off guard from time to time.
Casting a questioning look towards Hotch, Reid clears his throat before responding. "Okay?"
"Okay? Is that all you have to say?" Her voice has a mocking tone to it. Hotch smirks, but otherwise chooses to remain quiet. He looks to Reid waiting for his response.
Reid furrows his brow, confusion written clearly on his face. "I don't really know what else to say to that?"
"Well, you could agree with me." Reid can picture the colorful technical-analyst twirling a pen, smiling ear-to-ear at his discomfort. He can feel his face begin to flush, knowing both Hotch and Garcia are waiting for a response. Several seconds pass in uncomfortable silence, before Garcia sighs in frustration.
"Congratulations, Dr. Reid. I believe you've just helped me discover a new level of awkwardness."
Taking pity on Reid, Hotch decides to interject. "Garcia." His stern tone lets her know to get the point. "Well, my Mr. Miyagi, it just so happens that our unsub has an affinity for the less-than-fully clothed, as well. It's all over his computer."
Reid chews on the inside of his cheek as he listens to Hotch's response. "You mean porn?"
"No, this is classy. No 'full-frontals' or anything, just…classy nudity." Hotch smirks when he sees the confused look on Reid's face. "Okay, Garcia. What does this have to do with anything?"
Both men can tell that she's smiling by the sound of her voice. "I thought you'd never ask. I was looking through the computer, like you asked, and I found lots and lots of pictures of naked people, but nothing really unusual, you know? BUT, me being me, I decided to take a second look before I threw in the metaphorical towel." She takes a short breath before continuing. "Each picture has one imperfection. Just one tiny spot about the size of a stamp that isn't crystal clear."
Reid looks up at Hotch, hoping he can explain what she's talking about, but is disappointed when he sees Hotch's brow furrowed in confusion. "And…?"
"And…" She proceeds to explain how those little spots contain hidden data that lead to secret files, revealing secret scrapbooks of all of Gelski's crimes. "He may have played it old-school with stuff he didn't mind people seeing, but he's all kinds of tech savvy when it comes to the secret stuff."
"Garcia, send me all of the sites you've found so far." Hotch stands and pulls his phone out of his pocket as he walks out of the room, leaving Reid alone in the room.
Reid reaches and closes the phone, effectively ending the call. He's about to slide the phone back in his pocket when it begins to ring again. Confused as to why Garcia would be calling back so soon, Reid slowly brings the phone to his ear. "Hello?"
"Why'd you hang up on me?"
He can't tell if she's joking or not. "I thought you were finished," he answers honestly, a slight hint of embarrassment in his tone.
"Well, I wasn't. Do you want to see 'em?"
"See what?"
"The naked people." She laughs when he begins to stutter a response. "Reid, sweetie, chill. I'm just messing with ya. You're too cute not to."
"Actually, Garcia, nudity has been used in art by almost every culture for the last 3,000 years. Statues as old as…"
"Reid, I get it. I'm not the first one to appreciate the human body. I was just trying to see if I could float your boat."
"My boat?" Reid asks as Hotch walks back into the room.
"Never mind. Call if you need anything." Reid returns the phone to his pocket as Hotch retakes his seat opposite Reid before asking, "You have a boat?"
"What? No." Hotch decides to let the issue drop, and is about to resume his searching through the notebooks when Reid turns and asks, "Hotch, who is Mr. Miyagi?"
A/N: Not sure what I think about it, but I love the character interactions on the show and I wanted to write something along those lines.
Mr. Miyagi is the mentor from The Karate Kid, the original one, not the new one.
There may or may not be more installments to this: BUT if there are, it will be completely unrelated to this one; a new chapter with different scenarios, but based around the line "I love naked people, they're so natural." (see my profile page for an explanation).
If you have an idea or suggestion, let me know. Also, if you wanted to share what you thought about this little drabble, that would be nice.