Anfractuous

A Criminal Minds Story


Small light-up Spiderman shoes flashed red and blue lights across the small dark room. A young boy sat upon a piece of stained cardboard in the corner clutching a puke green elephant tightly. His longer blonde hair fell across his face, covering his eyes as he brought his knees to chest. He had long ago stopped crying, but the trace of tears remained evident on his cheeks and eyes. The light of his shoes caught a dark spider crawling across the floor, quick and fast towards the web on the opposite corner. The boy watched it intently as it raced towards its home.

Which, in turn, caused him to think of his home. His home where his mom and dad were. Where there was a yard, a fence, and a soccer ball. Where there was a sun, grass, and birds. And that was all the boy wanted… was to go home.

"It's okay Humphrey. We'll be okay. Mommy is coming. Mommy always comes," Little Henry LaMontagne whispered to his green elephant. However with each passing day it seemed like his mommy was getting farther and farther away.

Henry cringed as the one escape route, the single door in the room opened and the lights came on. The man Henry had been told was named Brian walked in a food tray in hand. An apple rolled around on the slick surface as the man stepped closer and closer.

"Hello Henry. I have good new for you today," the bearded man with happy eyes chuckled, "The spotlight on your appearance has finally died down. You'll be shipped out in two days to some man in Europe." He put the tray down in front of the small boy and smiled to reveal a set of rather yellow teeth.

"I'm not going to Europe," Henry told Brian, "Mommy is coming to get me."

Brian stood up with a shrug of his shoulders, "Sorry Kid. Mommy isn't coming. In fact, last I heard she had been arrested or something like that."

Henry puffed his cheeks and stuck out his tongue, "You're wrong."

"We'll see," Brian stuck out his own tongue before turning and walking out the door. His shirt clearly reading Raymond and Daniel Shipping Company. As the door slammed shut Henry buried his face into his elephant and screamed. Something his dad had taught him to do when he was angry.

For Brian was wrong. His mommy was coming.

She had to because Henry wanted to go home.

Having picked the lock from the interrogation room floor Jennifer Jareau stepped out easily into the hall. Thanking all the years she had spent in the building for allowing her to take the least accessed routes and slip into the stairwell unnoticed. Pain flared up in her head from the blow it had received earlier, and she had to rest against the railing for awhile. Her goal was to get to the sixth floor, BAU floor, just two flights down. She had to talk to Garcia. Garcia could help her. Reaching her destination she opened it slightly and peeked through. The normal buzz of agents walked to and from and JJ knew if she timed it right, she could just blend in. A pair of chuckling female agents walked by and seizing her moment she fell into step right behind them. Reaching her turn off, JJ slipped into Garcia's office and shut the door behind her with a huff.

"JJ?" The blonde profiler nodded looking at the bewildered computer genius, "What.. What are you doing here? I thought they had you… Did they release you?"

"Sort of," JJ moved to Garcia and put her hands on her shoulders, " Garcia. I need your help."

Wrapping JJ up in a hug, she replied, "Of course, what can I do?"

"I need to know what RD means," Penelope looked at her friend incredulously.

"Jayje, that would consist of over a thousand possibilities including but not limited to names, companies, landmarks, or food," Garcia rambled on only stopping when she saw the desperate look in JJ's eyes, "but I will try."

"It's got to be based in Virginia somewhere. You don't move a high profile target very far until the buzz dies down," JJ pondered for a moment before her eyes widened,"That must be why I got the letter in the first place. They wanted me to act irrationally so the spotlight would be off my son…"

"JJ. I would have done the same thing…," Garcia told her, "Besides that Herbert guy obviously knows something."

"Exactly. They were using me and him as means to an end. Garcia," JJ squealed, "this means my son is alive! Henry is still out there."

"They didn't release you, did they?" JJ shrugged and Garcia smiled, "let's find my godson."

Derek Morgan sat across from Reid as the both poured over the contents of the journal that had been made into copies. It depicted names and places and times, and put them into categories of age hair color and eye color, but nothing more. Henry's name was in the blonde and blue eyed under seven category. His was the last name on the list.

But what disgusted Morgan the most was the obscene number of kids on the list. All kids, all missing from all different parts of the east coast. Morgan growled slamming the papers back onto the desk just as Emily walked in.

"He say anything?" Reid asked completely unfazed by Morgan's outburst, "Herbert?"

Emily shook her head, plopping into the chair next to Morgan, "Nothing useful anyway. He knows though but he is scared….. Do you think any of those kids are still alive? Still in the area?"

"It's unlikely," Reid stated about to give statistics, but decided it wasn't the time, "but there is a chance." Emily smiled lightly as long as there is a chance there is hope. She just worried about the outcome of this case. After all, they had been working on it for the last three weeks. And funny enough JJ provided them with their biggest lead by holding a gun to a man's head.

Hotch and Rossi entered the room next breaking her from her thoughts. Their grim looks didn't go unnoticed by the trio and it was Reid once again who broke the barrier of silence by asking how JJ was and what the word was on her suspension.

"Barring any more irrational skirmishes. Her suspension will be lifted at the end of the month, but we have a problem," Rossi answered his brow furrowing as he looked deep into his agent's eyes.

"JJ's gone and no one has seen her." Morgan let his eyelids drop before he berated himself as he should have seen that coming.

"Hey. You guys I have something…" Everything went on pause as Hotch urged Reid to continue, "After each name there is two or three initials, I can't believe I didn't pick up on it sooner. But there it is, right there."

"Reid."

"The initials are JMS, RD, PTG…," Reid stopped.

"The letter sent to JJ. It was signed RD," Emily added her heart beating a little faster with the thought that they might actually solve this. That they might actually get JJ's son back.

"What does it mean?" Rossi asked his question directed at the young doctor. He was tired and exhausted like the rest of the team, but just as determined. Rossi looked at Hotch who was just waiting for read to say what he was about to and they they'd be off. Dave could see it in his eyes.

"They are the acronyms of shipping companies all across the coast. RD stands for…"

"Raymond and Daniel shipping that's it!" JJ cried aloud causing Garcia to jump.

"Are you sure?" Garcia asked her smile widening by the minute.

"Yes. Absolutely. Will and his department did some drug bust there a couple of months ago. Unfortunately they couldn't tie the owners to the exchange so business continued as usual," JJ eyes rolled up, "I can't believe I didn't see it before. Garcia you are a life saver."

Garcia looked on horrified as JJ hastily scribbled down the address on Garcia's bright pink post-it with her light flashy pen and started for the door. She knew what JJ was thinking. She knew what the desperate mother was going to do. And Garcia was not going to let that happen, no way, no how.

"You're not going by yourself… JJ, look at you. You've got a nasty bruise and cut that probably equipped you with a concussion. Let's tell the team and they can handle it. They'll get Henry back."

"I know they would Garcia and call them if you want but I am leaving now. I'm going to get my boy because he is waiting for me. I'm all he has left," JJ's eyes started to water. The emotional roller coaster she's been on the last few weeks has taken its toll on her mind and body. She's hardly eaten, hardly slept, and the only thing that has kept her going is the possibility that her son was out there still waiting for her.

"You don't even have your gun," Garcia stopped her by standing in front of her only exit, "these men are dangerous."

"Get out of my way Garcia," Jennifer Jareau told the woman in front of her. Her blue eyes blazing with such tenacity and courage, "I'm going to get me son."

"Then I'm driving," Garcia muttered, "And I will not take no for an answer."

"But you're staying in the car," JJ told her partly grateful for the offer, but she couldn't let Garcia get hurt because of her, "promise me?"

"I promise. I'm also calling the team…," Garcia snatched up her purse and keys, "Now hurry up. Time's a wastin'"

Hotch and the others filed out the door headed for Garcia's office only to be surprised when they found it empty. Her purse and keys were gone telling the agents that she would not be found within the building.

"Where'd she go?" Emily asked knowing Garcia would never leave without a single word to any of them. As if on cue, Emily's phone rang which she immediately answered.

"Prentiss…. JJ?" Emily's eyes widened and her fellow team members quickly turned towards her, 'You're what? JJ it's too dangerous… Garcia's driving?… no we're coming. Wait for us." The team looked at her with identical faces before she took a deep breath looking at Hotch, "She and Garcia are on their way to the Raymond and Daniel shipping company."


Thank you for your patience with this story. I appreciate it.

-HCB