Chapter 3-Circling the Wagons
After having finished their search of the house, the agents, knowing the police had already removed Hotch and Haley's cars for examination, stopped at police headquarters in Quantico. They turned over the kilo of heroin and the weapons. But Rossi purposely withheld the notebook, safe deposit key, and slip of paper. The team needed to examine these items first before turning them over to authorities. Afterwards, Rossi asked the lead investigator for a favor.
"I can keep a lid on it for about one week, Dave, as a favor to you," the lead detective promised. "After that, there's no guarantees of anything. And I won't take the heat once it gets out."
"I can live with that. And I appreciate it, Carl. More than you ever realize," Rossi replied gratefully. "But we believe this kilo was planted to ruin the reputation of Aaron Hotchner. He was as straight-laced as they come, and for him to be mixed up in drugs is ludicrous at best. But our beloved Section Chief will have a field day if news about drugs being found in his home gets out."
Carl snorted. "You mean Erin Strauss. Yeah, I've had the pleasure," he said sarcastically. "I wouldn't trust her to throw me a life preserver if I was drowning." The agents found themselves chuckling at the true statements. "But you can't keep anything from me or all bets are off. I won't conceal evidence, Dave. Not for you, not for anybody."
"I know that."
Carl let out a deep breath. "And I don't care what your boss says, I would appreciate any help the BAU can give. Hotchner was a good man. And I know I'm not suppose to be personally involved with a murder victim or a case. But just between you three and me, there's no way Hotchner was involved with drugs. No way." He shook hands with the trio before they left to return to the BAU. He secretly hoped they could find something before the week ended.
After they had left police headquarters and were heading for their SUV, Morgan looked at the older man. "Your friend certainly had an exact profile of Strauss," he chuckled.
Rossi smirked. "Trust me when I say profiling Strauss isn't difficult. She's pretty much an open book." The two men noticed Reid was unusually quiet. As Rossi climbed behind the wheel of their vehicle, he looked at the younger man in the back seat. "What's bothering you, kid?"
Reid buckled his seat-belt. "It's something your friend, Carl, said before we left."
"And what might that be, Pretty Boy?" asked Morgan as he secured his seat belt beside Rossi.
"What he said about not withholding evidence from him," Reid's eyes were on the back of Rossi's head. " You never turned over the notebook, safe deposit key, or the paper with the box number. Isn't that withholding evidence?"
Rossi kept quiet as he started the vehicle. "I'll turn everything over to him after we get a chance to go over them ourselves. At least if we see it first, we know what we're facing and can figure out how to deal with it."
"Also, Reid…" Morgan turned and looked at the genius seated behind Rossi. "…at least this way we can be one step ahead of Strauss should things go to hell in a hurry."
Reid didn't respond. He looked into Morgan's eyes and blinked, a small smile appeared on his face.
Morgan and Reid followed Rossi through the Plexiglas double doors of the BAU, and right away saw Prentiss and JJ seated at Emily's desk drinking coffee. Haley was nowhere to be seen. A shift in JJ's eyes caused Emily to look around at the three approaching men. Reid, seeing and smelling the hot coffee, offered to get themselves a cup each. He walked briskly to the break room.
"Where's Haley?" asked Morgan turning his chair around and straddling it, arms across the back. He looked at Prentiss.
"She was too upset to answer any questions," Prentiss explained. "So we convinced her to lay down for a while on the sofa in Rossi's office and rest. She promised she'd talk to us once she calms down."
"Good idea," Rossi agreed with a nod. "Poor kid. And she has to explain this to Jack still." Nobody said anything else until Reid returned carrying a tray with three Styrofoam coffee cups on it. He sat the tray on Prentiss's desk and handed one each to Rossi and Morgan, then took his own.
"So, how did the search of Hotch's home go?" asked JJ looking up at the men from where she sat on the edge of Emily's desk.
Morgan and Reid both gave Rossi a look which told the girls something was very wrong. They too, exchanged looks before turning their attention to the older agent. Letting out a deep breath, Rossi explained as briefly as possible, what they had found in Hotch's gun safe. Both JJ's and Emily's eyes widened and their jaws dropped.
"What!" both women uttered at the same time, shocked.
"And that's not all," Rossi admitted reaching into his jacket. He removed the notebook, key, and paper and put them on Emily's desk. "We found these as well."
Prentiss picked up the evidence bag containing the notebook. With knitted eyebrows, she looked up into Rossi's face puzzled.
"It's a ledger," Rossi explained. "Inside are notations of how much drugs were received, who got them, and how much Hotch was supposedly paid for each transaction. And what's worse, I believe the handwriting is a very good forgery which could fool anyone."
"It's that good?" asked JJ with arched eyebrows.
"It is," Rossi said.
JJ closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. "This is a nightmare," she said. "It's obvious to me somebody wants us to believe Hotch was dirty and killed over his involvement with drugs." She opened her eyes and looked at the others. "It's ridiculous! There is no way Hotch would ever be involved with drugs! And I dare anybody, including Strauss, to say otherwise."
"Yet somebody went to a lot of trouble to make us and the police think exactly that," Reid said then took a gulp of coffee. He leaned back in his chair, feet up on his desk.
"Yeah," Prentiss agreed. "And Strauss is one who will believe Hotch was dirty. She won't be satisfied knowing he's dead, but will make sure his reputation is ruined as well."
"Don't forget…" added Morgan running a hand over his bald head. "…she'll also have every case we worked on under Hotch examined to see if she can find anything else to hang on his memory."
"This keeps keeping better and better," Prentiss shook her head. "What about this safe deposit box?" she asked Rossi. "You had a look in it yet?"
"Not yet," Rossi said. "We wanted to find out what you guys had gotten from Haley. But now we know you didn't talk with her yet."
"You going to ask her about those?" JJ asked him, blue eyes showing concern.
"Not yet. She's got enough on her plate right now with dealing with Jack, and arranging Aaron's funeral. I don't want to add to her troubles. Oh, and JJ, don't worry about having told Garcia about Hotch."
The blond frowned. "I'm really sorry. She confronted Emily and I as we were coming in with Haley. It didn't take her long to figure out Haley's tears had to do with either Jack or Hotch. And seeing our expressions, she pretty much figured it out herself. We figured it would be better if she heard it from us."
"That's okay," Rossi said. "It's just right now I don't want her to find out how much Aaron suffered before he died. Until the autopsy comes out, we can't even be sure he didn't die right away anyway. I lied a bit when I spoke with her and told her he died quickly. For now, I'd like to leave it that way."
"She's going to find out, y'know," JJ promised. "And when she does, you are going to hear it. Also, she's going to hate you for lying to her."
"I can live with that," Rossi assured the blond.
"Speaking of getting it…" Prentiss interjected. "How come you didn't hand over these goodies to the locals along with the kilo and Hotch's weapons? You know you can get in trouble for withholding evidence."
"I've got it covered," the older man assured her. He told them about the detective in charge willing to keep quiet about the drugs to Strauss for one week, and his wanting the BAU's help. "I'll hand over these things to him after we've checked 'em out. He went on the explain he had asked Garcia to trace Hotchner's movements and phone calls at work and home going back five years.
"What do you expect to find?" asked Prentiss finishing her coffee.
"Nothing I hope. But we need to see exactly how far back this set up might go." Rossi picked up the notebook, key and paper and stuffed them back in his jacket. "I'm going to take these to our lab and have them dusted for prints. Then I'll make copies of the contents of the notebook for each of us. This way I can turn over the ledger to Carl. But I want to hold onto the key and the safe deposit info for a day or two longer."
"You think one of the people in that notebook killed Hotch?" asked Reid.
"Anything's possible," Rossi replied. "And I don't need to remind all of you we need to conduct our investigation quietly. If Strauss finds out…"
Catching something from the upper corner of her eye, JJ sighed. "Uh oh. Speaking of which….she devil at eleven o'clock."
Rossi, Morgan, Reid and Emily glanced around as Section Chief Erin Strauss walked briskly through the doors of the BAU. Even from where she sat, JJ could see the harsh look on the woman's face.
Rossi glanced at the Section Chief and took a drink of coffee. He expected Strauss would show to remind them of what they could and couldn't do, and he wasn't interested. His best friend, the man who was like a son, was dead, and Rossi wanted the killer's head on a platter. And he wasn't about to let Erin Strauss or anybody else keep him from finding the guilty party or parties. And he suspected his teammates felt the same.
"David," Strauss acknowledged the older profiler coolly.
"Nice to see you, too, Erin," he said sarcastically. "Can we help you with something? Or are you here out of respect to Aaron?"
The woman stared at Rossi with cold dislike at the man's clear lack of courtesy, and decided to ignore his sarcasm. "I'm glad to find all of you are here. What I have to say won't take long in this case." Her eyes took in the small group. She couldn't put her finger of what it was, but something felt off to her. And she was willing to bet David Rossi was behind it. After all, this was Aaron Hotchner's group, so anything suspicious was to be expected. "I'm sure by now you are all aware your Unit Chief, SSA Aaron Hotchner, was killed this morning by person or persons unknown in his home. Now knowing how close all of you were to Agent Hotchner, I'm aware all of you wish to involve yourselves in this investigation."
Rossi stared at the woman. "Your point being?" he asked sarcastically.
"My point being, is this unit is on standdown as of right now for the next week to allow time for all of you to grieve his passing. But, I do not need to remind you the Bureau expects you to cooperate with the local authorities when they question you. In addition, none of you are to touch this investigation in any shape, manner, or form. Do I make myself clear?" Her eyes went from agent to agent before ending on Rossi.
"Understood ma'am," JJ replied.
"Good. Now are there any questions?"
"Just one, ma'am," Emily smirked. "Are there any suspects in Hotch's murder so far?"
"None that I am aware of, Agent Prentiss. But the local police assured me they will leave nothing to chance during their investigation. And they will keep me informed on the investigation. But the police did phone about an hour ago. It's possible Agent Hotchner may have been involved in something he shouldn't have, and whatever it was got him killed. May I ask if any of you have an idea what that might be?" Strauss didn't really expect a truthful answer from Hotchner's team. She knew how protective they were of their Unit Chief. And even in death, they would circle their wagons to protect him. But this time, Strauss was determined to find in what the late Aaron Hotchner had been suspected of being involved. And once she found out, she would have his entire team investigated for knowing and covering-up his illicit activities."
"No, ma'am," JJ replied. "Hotch was as honest as could be. He would never have been involved in anything which went against his integrity. He is…was… a good and decent man."
"Of course," Strauss replied with a smirk. JJ was tempted to slap the smirk off the woman's face, and would have if it wouldn't cost her the job she loved.
Rossi folded his arms across his chest. "Tell me, Erin. What did the police mean when they told you Aaron might have been involved in something he shouldn't have been?"
"I have no idea whatsoever. I only meant according to the police, Agent Hotchner's home was ransacked and it didn't appear anything was taken. Therefore, the police are going on the theory that perhaps somebody was looking for something."
Rossi nodded. "So on that basis, you assumed Aaron must have been involved in something illegal. Is that it?" His eyebrows knitted together and his eyes hardened.
Strauss pursed her lips as her mouth hardened. "I'm only repeating what the police have told me so far."
"Um hmm. Erin, I know you didn't like Aaron very much, and I can tell by your face how devastated you are at his untimely death."
Strauss's eyes hardened as she glared at Rossi. "Despite what you may think of my differences of opinion between Agent Hotchner and myself, I was quite distressed at hearing of his death."
"Cut the bull, Erin. It's no secret how you felt about Aaron. And while I'm sure you are upset at the news of his death, I'm also sure you are a tiny bit glad at the same time. Glad because you've finally gotten rid of him just as you've always wanted. So don't pretend to be devastated at his passing. Another thing, in the future, I suggest you refrain from making assumptions about why Aaron was killed until the investigation by the police is concluded."
The others kept silent as they watched Strauss and Rossi go at each other. It was a battle of wills, and their money was on Rossi. After a few minutes, Strauss let out a deep breath. "I don't want to see any of you in this office for one week," she glared at Rossi before turning on her heels and stormed away.
"Ma'am?" it was JJ.
With a snort of disgust, Strauss turned and stared at the media liaison. "What is it, Agent Jareau?" she asked with a hint of annoyance.
"Does that order also include Penelope Garcia?"
"No. Miss Garcia will stay in her office handling cases for other teams during the week all of you are standing down. If you recall, you are not the only team in the BAU." Without waiting for JJ to respond, Strauss marched out of the office leaving the agents alone.
Emily chuckled and rolled her eyes. "That went well," she joked. "Well, at least we have a week we can use without worrying about Strauss."
"We'll just have to be careful when calling Baby Girl," Morgan added.
Rossi drained his Styrofoam coffee cup then checked the time. "Okay, we are officially off duty for one week beginning now." He looked at the women. "Emily, you and JJ question Haley and find out what you can. When you're done, contact Jessica and have her come and get her sister. Haley should stay with family while this investigation is continuing. Afterward, I want you both to go home and get some rest." The girls nodded their understanding. The older man turned his attention to Morgan and Reid. "Derek, I want you and Reid to come with me while I have these items dusted for prints. Then, I want both of you to take the key and paper to the bank listed, and check out the safe deposit box. Take along a sample of Hotch's handwriting. We need to find out what's in that box, and under who's name its registered. And find out when the box was purchased and if the signature on the card matches Aaron's. When you're done, I also want both of you to go home and relax."
"Where are you gonna be?" asked Reid.
"I'm gonna visit our technical analyst extraordinaire and find out if she has the information I wanted. Then I'm going to make copies of what's in this notebook for each of us." He paused. "Listen carefully everybody. At seven this evening, I want us all to meet at my place. We won't have to worry about being interrupted or overheard there."
Watching the others get to their feet, Emily grinned. "Hey, Rossi. Can we order pizza?"
Rossi smirked. "Yes, Cara, we can order as many pizzas as you want. Just be prepared to put in a long night."
Penelope Garcia found it hard to concentrate working at her computers while wiping at her eyes at the same time. She hadn't been able to stop crying since JJ had told her about Hotch; her Captain, fearless leader, and all-around hero. And whatever other superlatives she came up with to describe him. She could not believe she would not see him again ever. Even now, she expected the door to her lair to open at any moment, and Hotch to walk inside all stoic and serious-looking. But under all his seriousness, Hotch was fiercely loyal to and protective of those under him. He let his team know his door was always open if they needed to talk. And he never held what he was told over their heads or against them. What came to mind right away, was Reid's addiction to Dilaudid after Tobias Hankle forced the drug on him. Or her own red flagging of several homicide cases when she was shot by Jason Clark Battle who had a hero/homicide complex.(1) Anybody else probably would have fired both her and Reid. But not Hotch. He never reported it to Strauss and Garcia was aware his failure to do so put his own career in jeopardy. And if Strauss ever found out the truth, Hotch would be fired. God how Garcia would miss him and his dry sense of humor. And those dimples of his. Garcia believed she would miss his dimples the most. As her fingers continued to fly over the keyboard, she lifted one hand and slid it beneath her red-framed eyeglasses, and wiped at her eyes again.
She couldn't understand why Rossi wanted her to track Hotch's phone calls and movements for the last five years both in the office and from home as well. What was he hoping to find? Did it have something to do with why her fearless leader was killed? Garcia didn't know the answers to those questions, but she would do the most thorough job possible if it meant finding Hotch's killer. She bit her lower lip to keep it from trembling.
Garcia let out a deep breath. "I will find who took you from us, my liege," she stammered. "I will find them, and they will rue the day they heard the name Penelope Garcia. I will hurt them every way I can to make them pay for what has been done to you." She wiped at a tear rolling down her cheek. "I miss you so much, Hotch, and you've only been gone a few hours."
"I'm sure he misses you, too, kiddo," a familiar voice said behind her causing Garcia to jump nearly out of her skin. She turned her chair around and practically tackled Rossi, wrapping her arms around his neck. She buried her face in the crook of his shoulder and sobbed.
"Sir, I'm sorry I said I'm mad at you earlier. I'm not mad any longer. I just miss Hotch so much. What are we going to do without him?"
Rossi wrapped his strong arms around Penelope's waist and held her against him and let her cry. "It's okay, Penelope. And as far as what we'll do without Hotch, we must go on and we will. We have to for him. He'd want us to carry on with the work he was so passionate about."
Garcia looked up into the older man's face, her eyes red and puffy. "I…I know, sir. And I will go on. And give it my best shot. For Hotch. But it won't be easy."
"I know, kitten. You'll be all right; we'll all be all right. It's just gonna take time."
With a sigh, Penelope shook her head. "I don't know if I will be able to get use to seeing Hotch's picture hanging on that wall of deceased agents, and not bawl like a baby."
Rossi smiled tenderly. "You'll cry when you see his picture at first. But after awhile, you'll walk past his picture, look at it with tenderness, and smile fondly." He kissed Garcia's forehead before she pulled away.
"Thank you, sir. For understanding, I mean."
"No problem." Rossi's hands rested on Penelope's shoulders. "Now, did you get me the information I asked for, Penelope?"
"Some of it." She picked up a brown folder from her table beside her keyboard and handed it to the older man. "I still have three years to search. It's taking more time than I thought. Sir…can I ask a question?"
"Anything."
"I know you said my doing this will help find who killed Hotch. But something's still troubling me." She took a deep breath. "I guess what I'm wondering is, what exactly am I looking for, sir?" She paused. "I mean, what I'm asking is how could somebody do something so horrible to a nice man like Hotch? All he ever wanted to do was help people. What could he have done except his job which was to put the bad guys behind bars. Can you tell me if I am looking for anything specific?"
Rossi let out a deep breath. "Penelope, I wasn't going to tell you this, but I changed my mind." He sat her down and told her about what had been found in Hotch's gun safe. As she listened, fresh tears rolled down Garcia's face as her mouth formed a perfect 'O'. He watched for her reaction when he finished.
"Oh, sir, how can anybody think that about Hotch?" she sobbed. "He was a good and decent man as well as a great boss and friend. He would never let us down by getting involved in anything so terrible. Never. And I'll hurt anybody who says or thinks otherwise."
"I know. The team has been ordered to stand down for a week beginning now, and to stay away from this case. But we aren't going to let that happen. We are going to use that week to conduct our own investigation into Hotch's death. That's why I need you to get this information for me. It's possible our killer could be somebody Hotch contacted during that time-frame I gave you. Unfortunately, you are not on stand down because you help other teams. Listen, do you have your cell phone with you?"
"But of course. I always have it with me. Like American Express, I do not leave home without it. Why?"
"The others are gonna meet later this evening at my house around seven p.m. to go over what we know so far. If you can make it, I'd like you to come with your laptop. If you can't, keep your cell available so we can contact you if we need something. We don't want to risk using the office phone."
"I am at your service, sir. Whatever you need the all-knowing technical goddess will get it for you. And I will be at your house before seven this evening."
"Good," Rossi said. "We'll see you then. Oh, we'll be ordering pizza."
"I'll bring the wine," Garcia said offering Rossi a smile which didn't quite reach her eyes.
(1) Reid's addiction to Dilaudid in from The Big Game and Revelations, Season 2.
Penelope's shooting by Jason Clark Battle is from Penelope, Season 3.
