Chapter 3

Stalker

Sorry no quote. Too tired to think: - tin het

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is not mine.


Hotch pulled a plastic evidence bag out of the drawer and started to carefully slide the new picture into it.

"Hotch – no please."

"It has to go and be checked out Reid. It's protocol."

"But Hotch surely…." But his words trailed off.

"I also need to see the first letter you received. You should know better Spencer. What were you thinking?"

Reid just sat and looked at a spot behind Hotch's shoulder. "I was thinking it was a prank but I can see maybe it's more than that." He reached out for the letter Hotch had been sent again. A sudden overwhelming need to have the letter back in his possession. Hotch took another bag and placed it in the evidence bag.

"It's already got my fingerprints all over it. Please Hotch. The one I got this morning."

Hotch stood up and looked at Spencer. "Get me the other letter. Put it in here and try not to touch it again any more than you have to." Reid nodded. "And be quick, JJ has a case for us."

Reid got up and left the room giving Hotch one last imploring look which was ignored. He went to his bag and pulled open the flap. The letter was sitting there looking at him. Demanding something of him. Spencer closed the bag again and looked up to see what Hotch was doing. Derek had arrived and was getting things together for the briefing.

"Morgan – tell them I needed the men's room." Before Derek could react Spencer grabbed his bag and legged it for the washrooms. A quick check showed him that the place was empty. He placed his bag on the side and felt inside for the envelope. He pulled it out and looked at the handwriting again. he slid his hand in and pulled out the bit of paper. Again he peered closely at the writing and ran his fingers over the paper. He raised his fingers to his face and inhaled the strange smell. He became totally absorbed in the small three inch square of paper. He turned it over – he sniffed it – he held it tightly in his hand and closed his eyes.

"Reid."

It was Hotch's voice. He spun around and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Hotch. Sorry. I just needed to do something." He picked up the letter. "You erm you wanted this." He handed it over.

"I told you we are waiting for a briefing. Will you hurry please. We have been waiting fifteen minutes."

Spencer blinked. He had been that long?

"I – I'm sorry." He squeezed the bit of paper in his pocket. He should hand it over. He really should give the little square of red paper to Hotch, but for now, just for a bit longer he decided to keep it in his pocket. He did a tight smile at Hotch and followed him out to the roundtable room.

-o-o-o-

The UnSub had been taking teenage girls. Molesting them and then putting a bullet in their heads. They had finally managed to track him down to a barn in the middle of nowhere.

They had on their Flak vests and guns were out and they walked cautiously over to the barn. Reid put a hand in his pocket and grasped the comforting bit of very scrumbled paper and took a deep breath. He didn't like that it was a barn and was very pleased that JJ wasn't here. He didn't know if he could cope with seeing her here right now. Biting on his bottom lip he followed the others towards the barn.

Spencer could feel his head spinning and this stomach clenching with unwanted memories of the last time he approached a barn with his gun out and ready. His hand came out of his pocket and he wiped it across his nose. A deep sigh and he walked on wards towards Hotch and Rossi.

He tried to block out the memories and stay focused on his bit of paper – on what he was doing – on what was in his pocket – on Rossi and Hotch – was it still in his pocket? Had it fallen out? Reid stopped and looked behind him and on the floor and put his hand back in his pocket. All good – it was still there. A sigh of relief as they stepped through the doorway.

They could see Paul Martin standing at the back of the barn with the girl at his feet. All guns pointed at Martin who was pointing his gun at the girls head.

"It's over." Martin was told. "You have nowhere to go. Let the girl go."

They could see Martin's gun wavering for a second before he brought it up and pointed it at Hotch.

"Keep back of so help me I will put a bullet in your head." He pushed the girl away from him. "Have her for now."

She leapt up and ran. As she past Reid he grabbed her and put a protective arm around the girl. "It's OK you're safe now. I have you."

The gun fired.

Reid cried out and stiffened.

More shots sounded as Reid slowly turned to look at Hotch. It was now that Aaron could see the blood dripping down Spencer's face and the look of shock on his face.

"Reid!" He moved over to where Spencer was slowly lowering himself to the ground but it wasn't until Hotch was nearly on him that he could see what had happened. The top of the girls head was gone and Spencer was sprayed which bits of skull and brain matter. "Are you alright.?" Damn Hotch stupid question!

"I – I don't – I don't think so." He gently lowered the girl to the ground. "I thought – I thought…" He turned and threw up on the ground behind him and then started to manically wipe at his face.

He felt an arm around his shoulders. "The Ambulance is on its way."

"I'll be alright." He started to get to his feet but a bit of something dripped from his hair and he could feel his knees turning to jelly and a bit of brain slid down the side of his face. Again Hotch was there and the hand was on his shoulder.

"Reid. I need you to get checked out."

"I'm alight. I'm fine. Just leave me alone." And again the wiping of his face and now hands in his hair trying to get the bits of bone and brain off him and again a hand touching him. "Just leave me alone!" This time a very uncustomary loud voice from Reid. Hotch stood back and watched Reid walk away. His gun holstered – one hand stuffed in his pocket and the other trying to wipe stuff off his hair.

He could hear footsteps behind him. He stopped walking and waited for Hotch to have a go at him, but it was Rossi. "Reid, come with me please." No room for arguments he turned and followed Rossi the side of the barn. "Head down. Lean forward."

Reid did what he was asked and squeezed his eyes tightly as Rossi hosed the mess out of Reid's hair and then let Spencer wash his face with the ice cold water.

"Th thank you." Reid muttered.

A hand on his shoulder. "Just shout if you need anything OK?"

Reid nodded and leaned on the side of the barn watching the body bags being moved away and seeing the glances he was getting from his team mates. He just stuffed his hand in his pocket and let the feel of the paper calm him a bit more.

"You alright kid?" Morgan was walking over now.

Reid rubbed at his nose and sneezed out some water. "I think – I think I need to lay down."

Morgan put an arm around Spencer's shoulder and started to walk away with him.

"I killed her Morgan." The words were quiet and shaky.

Derek stopped and turned so he could see Spencer properly. "No – no you didn't. You gave her a bit of hope and a bit of comfort. You did good."

"I should have shielded her better. I didn't do my job."

A tight grip now on Spencer's shoulders. "It wasn't your fault Reid."

Spencer shrugged and blinked. "I feel sick."

-o-o-o-

He sat alone on the way back on the jet. He didn't want to talk to anyone. He especially didn't want to talk to Hotch. Every time he looked at him he could feel his face getting hot with the humiliation of the photograph. Now he sat imagining them in the lab having a good laugh as they dusted it for prints. The thought made his eyes water with the pain of the situation. All he wanted now was to get home and go to bed with the light on.

He said his goodbyes at the jet and got a cab home. No one really expected him to come in and fill in paperwork. Hotch watched him go and let out a sigh. He would check on him tomorrow. He had given him a week off to get over the incident and a telephone number to call if he needed someone to talk to. Reid didn't want to talk. He wanted to deal with this his own way. He paid the cab and grabbed his overnight bag and got in the elevator to take him to his floor.

It was early evening and he could hear music and televisions sounding from behind other doors as he walked down to his. He could see it before he got there. An envelope taped to his door. He ripped it off and unlocked his door and went in. He reset the alarm and bolted the door and dropped his bag and jacket on the hallway floor, kicked his shoes off and put his pistol away. A hand went into his pocket and he rubbed his fingers against the paper.

Folding himself up as tightly as he could into his chair he rested the letter on the knees of his brown corduroys and just looked at it. It felt like there was a CD inside it and he knew he should call Hotch, but right now he didn't think he could cope with another picture of himself naked in the shower. He pulled the flap open and looked inside. Carefully he removed the CD…DVD – it was for his computer. He looked to see if there was anything else in there but apart from the DVD there was nothing.

Spencer got up and placed the DVD on the desk next to the computer and then went to get a coffee.

The computer bleeped into life and he sat waiting for it to boot up. He checked his email first and saw that he had fifteen emails. He make a little surprised sound and clicked to see who they were from.

There was no name. Just a number – but the fifteen messages were all the same.

'You got the DVD then. Let me know what you think. 18x'

"I need to call Hotch. I should get this checked – but it might be more pictures of me. I can't let him see more. It's a DVD Garcia would end up looking at it too."

He deleted the emails and opened the drawer on the laptop for the disc. He quickly slammed it shut before he could change his mind and sat back with the coffee to see what he had been sent.

It was patterns. Green on a black background. He sat staring at it wondering what it was….why had someone gone to the trouble to send him this. He rubbed at his eyes but kept watching. It seemed even if he had wanted to he wouldn't have been able to stop watching – but he didn't want to stop watching. It was calming. It made him feel rested. It made the heaviness he felt inside get lighter and just as he was beginning to relax properly and enjoy the experience the pictures changed.

A flash of separate still images. A barn – an SUV – the backs of the team – himself side view. He wanted to turn it off and stop watching but he was completely mesmerised by the images. He put his now cold mug of coffee down and leaned forwards to get a better look. He couldn't have timed it better.

The images changed again. This time moving images. Reid side on again with the girl.

Spencer could feel his lips muttering the word 'no' but there was nothing he could do. It showed in slow motion Spencer holding the girl and backing away. It showed her head explode and splatter Reid. It showed it in colour and it then showed it in reverse…then fast forward and then back again to slow. He saw the bit stuck to his face and the lumps falling off his hair and dropping from his skin onto the floor and there was nothing he could do but sit and watch it. When the images stopped it went back to the green and black patterns.

When it finally finished and he was able to drag himself away from the computer, he got up slowly and went to his room. The light caught the side of his face and showed how his face was wet with tears.

-o-o-o-

The morning Spencer spent laying in bed thinking. His fingers constantly going to his left arm and scratching at the crook of his elbow. The wrong thoughts going on through his mind constantly.

It would be a way to get rid of that image.

Even if for a small while.

It would let him sleep and not wake up screaming.

It would permit him to get up in the night to use the bathroom and not be terrified he would get caught.

Just once.

One more time.

Because right now he couldn't think of another way to get those images playing over and over in him mind – and the smell. The smell he knew was still on him. The smell of death.

One more time.

One for the road.

He rolled over in bed and tried to get different thoughts in his mind. Maybe he should visit his mum.

Maybe not.

Stupid idea Spencer. Going back to Vegas? Stupid stupid stupid.

He sat up and wiped angrily at the tears forming again. "I'll call Hotch. Tell him about the disc."

Reid got up and still wearing the clothes he had on the day before he went to the laptop. It was sitting open – the light from the monitor glowing across the room. He was about to click the disc drawer open when something stopped him.

"I closed you last night. I know I closed you." He sat down and looked at what was on the screen. It was just his desktop. Nothing there. No hidden message, but he was sure he had closed it. "I know I did. I am sure – didn't I?" And now he opened the disc drawer. Empty. "Did I remove it?" He picked up the envelope it had been in and it hadn't been put back in there. He sat and shook his head. "I know I didn't remove it."

Reid jumped up and checked the door. All locks still in place and the alarm was on. He checked the fire door. All locked. No way anyone could have got in. Which means:

"Either I dreamed it, or someone is still in my apartment." He froze. The thought that there was someone here with him was not a good one. He went to the drawer where he kept his side arm and removed it. Holding it tightly in his hand he walked slowly around his small apartment. There wasn't anywhere anyone could possibly hide.

"Then it was a dream." He started to pace the small lounge – walking in circles around his couch. One hand in his pocket. "I need to talk to someone about it. Someone who will understand." He snatched the phone off the cradle and listened for a ring tone. Spencer punched in some numbers and waited for an answer.

"It's Reid. Spencer Reid. I need to talk." A pause and a glance down at his watch. "Half an hour." Listening. "Tonight – Oh yes I see. Yes tonight then."

Now he had time to kill. A lot of time. A lot of time to get increasingly paranoid about everything he did and looked at and now he looked in his fridge at the milk. "It might be poisoned. If someone has been in here. Anything could have been done. I should call Hotch."

Back to the phone and he was dialling Aaron's number.

-o-o-o-

Aaron was in the office filling in paperwork. A lot had to be covered when someone was killed like that. The phone ringing gave him a break.

"Reid? Are you alright?" He listened to Reid telling him about the note on the door and the disc and the images. "Bring it in. No – I will send Morgan to come over and get it." Listening again. "I don't understand Reid, what do you mean you don't have it?" Again he listened…now Hotch was looking worried and pushing fingers through his thick dark hair. "I'll come over." He put the phone down and left the office.

"Team a quick meeting. Now." He turned and walked quickly to the roundtable room."

JJ marched in looking confused. "We have a case? I didn't have one pass me."

"No – not a case as such. We do have a problem though. It seems Reid has a rather nasty stalker. I am going over there to talk to him now. Morgan – only Morgan – go down to the lab – I sent stuff down there before the last case. I don't know why the results are taking so long. I want the results personally. Now Morgan. The rest of you I want you to go and think carefully. Apparently the stalker had pictures of us all on the last case. I want you to get your heads together and I want names of every person we saw when we were down there. From the highest ranking official to the man who picks up rubbish in the street."

Rossi stood up. "Where do you want me?"

Hotch looked at Dave and grimaced. He waited until the rest had left and then started talking.

"I don't like this Dave. Reid has been acting strangely enough as it is recently." He went on to tell Rossi what had been going on with the photos and letters. "I'm going over there to see if I can work out what the hell is going on with him."

-o-o-o-

Aaron bounded up the stairs leading to Reid's apartment and then walked down the corridor to where Reid lived. He was about to knock on the door but as his hand touched the door it swung open.

"Reid?"

Silence.

"Reid! It's Hotch."

He pulled out his gun and walked slowly into Reid's little home. It looked like he had been robbed. Every drawer was open. Papers thrown around. Cupboard doors left open, but the television and lap top were still sitting there so this wasn't the result of a break in. Reid had done this. His books were strewn on the floor. The shower door was open. Curtains ripped down from the rail. It was as though Reid had been looking for something. Or someone. Or both but he definitely wasn't here.

As he walked around the apartment he pulled out his phone and made a call.

"Dave – I think we have a problem." He put a glove on his right hand, bent down and picked Reid's gun up off the floor.