It's way past midnight when the plane touches down. Emily nudges JJ's shoulder. "Jayje, we're here, wake up."
The younger agent yawns and rubs her eyes. "Where are we?"
"Barrow," Emily replies. JJ nods sleepily and opens her door, practically falling the few feet to the ground. She goes to grab her gear but Emily stops her. "I got it, JJ, just concentrate on walking."
They get inside the small B&B and Emily is somewhat dismayed to hear that there are only two rooms, one for Jackson and one for them, and that each room only has a Queen size bed.
"I'll sleep in the tub," Prentiss says, her voice gruff.
JJ tries to stop her. "No- Emily, you should—"
"Save it JJ. I'll. Sleep. In. The. Tub."
JJ looks into her eyes. They were full of a fierce determination and… something else. Pain? Grief? Longing? Finally, she concedes. "Okay. But if we're here tomorrow, I'll take the tub, got it?"
"Whatever," Emily sighs, heading toward the bathroom.
###
Back at the Ranger station, the team was still going strong. "He has to be familiar with a lot of Alaska," Morgan states, looking at the map dotted with Reid's marker.
"That's very true, he tends to take women from 'Extreme' locations," Reid surmises.
"What do you mean?" Rossi asks.
"Each victim was on vacation and participating in some sort of extreme sport: wilderness survival, kayaking the rapids, jeeping through back country, hiking out to Point Barrow, even taking a fishing tour and camping, especially this time of year."
Rossi thinks for a moment. "So, someone who is from here, knows the area and is physically fit enough to subdue all of these women. He has to have an easy way to get around. Maybe a park ranger?"
Hotch shakes his head. "They're on rotations, especially in the colder months."
"It's staring us right in the face, Hotch, I can feel it."
"You're right, Morgan. But there isn't much to do here. We'll email Garcia some tests to run, but we need sleep, it's almost 4 am at home," the unit chief said, signifying the end of the night. The guys packed up and headed to their cabin.
###
JJ and Emily head out early the next day, asking around if anyone had seen Caitlin. Finally, a young woman at the local convenience store recognized her. "Yeah," she said, snapping her gum. "She was in here like a week ago. Looked like she was going for a hike."
Emily nods. "She was a reporter for an outdoor magazine, she was hiking unusual places like Point Barrow."
"She was crazy, that's for sure," the clerk said.
"Why?"
She shakes her head. "You've seen it outside, Agents. Tell me, who in their right mind wants to spend hours outside in September in Alaska?"
JJ nods, understanding. This far north, there was already snow and ice covering everything. Not to mention that the days were virtually non-existent. Maybe only a few hours of real light, if that. "Thanks for your help. One more question. How do people usually arrive here?"
The clerk thinks for a moment. "Well, during the summer you can drive. But about this time of year it's hard to do really anything except fly."
"Thank you for your help," Emily said, stepping forward to hand the woman her car. "If you remember anything else, don't hesitate to call me."
The woman nods and the Agents exit the small shop. Emily looks at her watch. "Well, it's about noon, do you wanna grab a bite to eat and call Hotch?"
"Yeah, I guess," JJ says quietly.
They walk around the small town until they find a quaint diner. JJ goes to find a waiter to seat them while Emily pulls out her phone.
###
"Hotchner."
"Hey, Hotch, any leads?" Emily asks, putting the phone on speaker as they sit in a secluded booth.
Hotch looks at what they've recovered. In all likelihood, their unsub was someone who travelled the state. The team was leaning towards pilot, and leaning heavily towards a certain pilot in particular, but Hotch didn't want to risk Emily and JJ. "Uh, possibly. What did you get in your interviews?"
"Not much," JJ chimes, "just that she was here to hike Point Barrow."
"That's what Reid figured too," Hotch said. "Look, we've got an idea about who this guy is, we just need you back here first."
"Uhm? Hotch, is everything okay?" Emily asks.
"No. Yes..." Hotch trails off, trying to figure out what to tell his agents. "Look, everything is fine, we just need you back here ASAP."
"Okay," JJ says, taking out her phone, "I'll call Waters now."
Hotch hangs up and looks around the room. They had tracked each girl along with any traveling salesmen, Rangers or transportation workers they could. One name popped up every time. Jackson Waters. Hotch had avoided telling the two women in fear that they would give the knowledge away while still around Waters. They still weren't 100% sure it was him, and if it was, he still needed his agents home. Instead, he would dispatch officers to Waters' house to collect evidence. If all went as planned then he would have uniforms there to arrest Waters just as their plane arrived.
Sure enough, the uniforms find more than enough evidence to convict. Hotch, Morgan and Rossi take places hidden within the hangar. However, hours later the plane still had not landed. Hotch pulls out his phone. "Garcia, I need you to track Prentiss's phone."
###
Somewhere in the Alaskan Wilderness JJ wakes up and rubs her head. "Emily, what happened?" She opens her eyes when there is no response. "Emily? EMILY?!" She looks around, stumbling through the snow. Somewhere up ahead smoke drifts toward the sky. JJ makes the decision and heads toward, hoping to find Emily along the way.
