Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds and intend no copyright infringement.
Reid had challenged him, jokingly – if you figure it out, I'll buy you lunch. Normally Rossi would have smiled and found some sort of friendly excuse, he wasn't into this kind of thing, but this time both Hotch and JJ had sided with Spencer, teasing him about his lack of courage to face a young genius, their eyes sending hidden messages to accept.
Of course Rossi knew what this was about – another attempt to get Reid's mind off missing Emily for a while. He was taking her demise very badly, maybe because he had taken in her cat, a current reminder of his absent friend. Okay, so if Hotch and JJ (the two joined forces a lot lately) were of the opinion this somehow helped, then be it. Rossi took the coin Reid had given him and sent it rolling over his desk.
"How do I make it disappear? Figure it out and lunch is on me."
It couldn't be that difficult, could it? Rossi looked at his computer, tempted. All it would take was a good search engine… But Garcia was surely watching his online activities, making sure he did not cheat.
Maybe he should treat this like a case, going through the deed step by step... So what did Reid usually do? He asked someone to give him a coin, any coin, and announced he'd make it disappear by rubbing it against his forehead.
So it couldn't be the coin, if this was based on a gimmicked coin, he couldn't use one from the audience.
Next step: After rubbing the coin against his forehead, he always put it back on the table, stating that the coin obviously was of the "no forehead"-type. He'd add some scientific sounding nonsense about some coins preferring foreheads and others preferring – noses.
Then he picked the coin up again, rubbed it against his nose, opened his palm and… gone it was.
Rossi made a frustrated grunting noise. He was running out of time. Lunch hour was drawing near. He was missing something. Coins don't vanish just like that.
"Let's treat this as a case", he reminded himself once again. Which threw up the classical question: When had the victim, in this case the coin, last been seen?
On the table.
And then? Rossi concentrated really hard. What exactly did Reid do when he picked up the coin again?
Oh. Of course!
He picked up the coin with his right hand and pretended to place it in his left hand. While everyone concentrated on his left hand rubbing at his nose, holding the hand so that it looked as if the coin was between his fingers, but actually preventing the audience from getting a clear view, he could easily tuck away the coin with his right hand…
Gone it was.
Rossi laughed out loud, then wondered if he should really let Reid know he'd figured it out or better led him to believe he hadn't. The second option would surely make Reid happier (he'd beaten ROSSI!) and in the given situation…
In the given situation…
Rossi frowned, all amusement suddenly gone. He picked up the coin, weighed it in his hand – Emily, dying in that warehouse, then hauled off to hospital… now you see her… JJ, telling them she hadn't made it… the funeral, a closed coffin… now you don't….
Could it be?
Rossi looked out of his office window at the bullpen where JJ was standing with Reid, seemingly relaxed and enjoying the conversation. His profiler eyes, however, noticed the underlying tenseness in her body language, the smile that didn't quite reach her eyes…
JJ and Hotch, forming quite an alliance lately…
Could it be?
While everybody believed the coin was in his left hand, Reid had all the time in the world to make it disappear with his right hand.
While everybody believed Emily was in surgery, they had all the time in the world to…
A knock on the door, Reid poking his head in, eagerly awaiting the outcome of his challenge. "And, did you figure it out?"
Rossi truly didn't know what to say.