Chapter 7
Agent Anders stood outside of Strauss's office and took a couple of deep breaths while composing himself before entering what he considered 'the lion's den.' He knew he had to appear sincere and concerned, yet worried and troubled by another agent's strange behavior of late. And not just any agent, but a Unit Chief who is responsible for others beneath him. He smirked. After all, if such a person can attack innocent children, what's to say he wouldn't attack or at least endanger his own team? Making his face impassive, he finally knocked on the door, opening it when he heard the voice on the other side telling him to come in.
Strauss was still going over files and signing reports when her door opened and Anders walked in, closing the door behind him. Looking up, she removed her reading glasses but kept her face impassive.
"Yes, Agent Anders. What can I do for you?" she asked coolly, her eyes focused on the agent.
Anders sighed wearily and chewed his lower lip hoping he appeared to be struggling with coming to her office.
"Agent Anders?"
"Chief Strauss, I…I just want you to know I feel guilty just being here. What I mean is, I don't like to squeal on a fellow agent, not to mention a superior, but I can't keep this to myself any longer."
Brushing back a loose strand of blond hair, Strauss motioned toward the chair facing her desk somehow sensing she needed to hear what this obviously bothered young man had to say. "Please sit down, agent, and tell me exactly why you're here."
Anders sat down slowly and at first gripped the arms of his chair tightly before leaning forward in the chair with arms resting on his thighs with hands clasped. He swallowed the imaginary lump in his throat before returning Strauss's stare.
Strauss, leaning back in her plush chair, folded her arms across her chest. "I'm waiting, Agent," she said.
"Ma'am, I…I feel guilty about going behind his back like this. And while I want you to know I'm not a snitch; I can't turn my back on something I've been noticing the last few months in connection with a current investigation the first team is conducting. Ma'am, it concerns Agent Hotchner."
Just hearing Hotchner's name caused Strauss to lean forward with arms on her desk and hands folded. "Go on," she urged.
Anders licked his lips. "Well, Agent Hotchner has been, I guess one could say, acting oddly for the past six months."
"What do you mean by acting oddly, agent?"
"I heard talk that his wife left him about six months ago taking their young son with her. Since that time, ma'am, he's been acting weird. He's been snapping at people, looking like he's not been sleeping much, he's irritable, moody, and most of all, ma'am, he's angry all the time at anybody and everybody it seems. I've personally heard him snapping at his own team members on a regular basis."
"I see." Strauss tilted her head to the side and narrowed her eyes. "Agent Anders, you said you heard talk. What does that mean exactly? If you're talking about rumors, let me tell you right now I don't go by rumors nor do I appreciate people who spread rumors."
"I know that, Chief Strauss. It's just…well, these are not rumors. I overheard two of his own team members talking near the elevator. They didn't know I was there, and I overheard them talking about Agent Hotchner's moodiness of late and how he's angry at his ex-wife and wants to make her suffer for taking his son and leaving him. They were very concerned about his behavior."
"I see. And exactly which two agents did you overhear?" she asked picking up a pad and pen.
Anders momentarily pretended to juggled his memory to recall the agents he overheard that day. He sighed. "It was Agents Jareau and Rossi." He watched as Strauss wrote something on her pad.
"And what happened when Agents Jareau and Rossi spotted you and realized they had been overheard?" Strauss asked curiously.
"They didn't see me , ma'am. I was around the corner from the elevator so they didn't see me. I waited until they were gone before I left my hiding place."
"I see. Now, you mentioned something about it being connected to a case Agent Hotchner's team is working on?"
"Yes, ma'am. I understand they are working on a serial rape case involving children; little girls. I've heard that these little girls resemble Agent Hotchner's wife." Anders hung his head feigning sorrow and fear. "My fear is…what if he…" He hung his head and paused hoping it would have the proper effect on Strauss; he wasn't disappointed.
"What if he what, agent?"
Anders lifted his head. "What if Agent Hotchner's been taking out his anger for his wife on these innocent little children, ma'am. It makes me ill thinking he might be doing that."
Strauss ran a tongue over her lips. She hadn't realized things were this bad with Agent Hotchner and the situation with his wife could be the stressor which caused him to turn on children. The man had a child himself for crying out loud.
"Anything else, Agent Anders, that I should know about?" she asked.
"No ma'am. As I said earlier, I hate talking about another agent behind his back much less a superior, but I'm worried what in his state of mind he might be doing to these innocent children. I hope you understand."
"I do, agent, trust me." Strauss let out a deep breath. "Agent Anders, I want you to repeat what you've just told me to Agents Crown and Downer of Internal Affairs verbatim. They are investigating the accusations made against Agent Hotchner and should be made aware of this information. But let me assure you I will look into this myself as well. And let me say one more thing, Agent Anders."
"Ma'am?"
"I just want to add that I realize how difficult coming here was for you especially as Agent Hotchner is Unit Chief of the first team in the BAU although you work on the second team. You are to be commended for your courage and integrity. Now, unless there is something else, I suggest you return to your unit."
"Yes, ma'am," Anders replied slowly getting to his feet. "Uh, ma'am, there is just one more thing I'd like to ask."
"And what is that?" Strauss looked at the man in front of her with sympathy.
"Well, is there some way to keep my name out of this? I mean, I don't object to telling what I know, but if Agent Hotchner's team were to find out it was me who revealed the information about their Unit Chief, it could make things difficult for me as I work on the same floor as they do."
Strauss smiled. "Don't worry. I think I can see to it that your name is kept out of this investigation."
The three agents quietly entered the conference room normally used by Hotch's team, and Prentiss sat down in the chair normally used by Hotch while motioning for the agents to sit down. Both men sat side-by-side to that they could face and observe the female agent. Downer stared intently into Prentiss's eyes sensing this woman would not be a willing participant when it came to answering questions about her boss, Aaron Hotchner, and although he understood her loyalty, they had a job to do. Glancing at his partner, Downer watched him reach into his inner jacket pocket and remove a small tape recorder, placing it in front of Prentiss who was watching their every move. He could tell his partner didn't like investigating a man they both knew anymore than he did, but also knew he would do what had to be done as would he. He opened a small notebook in front of him while his partner also removed one and a pen placing them in front of him, then pressed a button on the tape recorder turning it on.
"This is IA Agent Jared Crown and my partner IA Agent Morton Downer investigating the shooting of BAU Supervisory Special Agent Aaron Hotchner by security guard Jesse Mandrin. We are conducting this interview with Agent Emily Prentiss who works under SSA Hotchner." He looked at Prentiss. "Please state your name and title for the record, agent."
"Special Agent Emily Prentiss," Prentiss replied calmly keeping her eyes on both agents.
"And you work under the direction of Agent Hotchner?" asked Crown.
"That's correct. He is the Unit Chief of the Behavioral Analysis Unit."
"Agent Prentiss, please begin by telling us in your own words what happened the day Agent Hotchner was shot."
Hotch opened his eyes and realized he must have drifted off after the doctor had given him an injection of morphine. The pain he felt had been reduced to a dull throbbing but even that was now manageable. Carefully turning his head to the side, he noticed Rossi still seated beside the bed with his arms resting on his thighs and clasped hands dangling between his knees.
"Dave…" he murmured with a yawn. "You're still here?"
Rossi grinned, amused. "Where else would I be?"
"How long have I been asleep?" Hotch asked, hoping his friend hadn't been sitting beside him for hours.
"About four hours, maybe five," Rossi admitted.
Hotch's dark eyes narrowed with concern. "I hope you haven't been sitting here the entire time watching me sleep?"
Rossi chuckled. "For the most part. But you faded out shortly after the doctor gave you that pain killer. So I went to the cafeteria and had some lunch and the hospital version of coffee which, compared to ours leaves a lot to be desired."
Hotch chuckled. "I've told you everything there is to tell. I don't know what else you want me to say."
"I know. But I just wanted to go over what we've discussed and see if perhaps you've forgotten anything."
"Dave, there's nothing…"
"Humor me, all right?" Rossi's tone changed to a serious one.
Looking at the older agent, Hotchner let out a deep breath and began to talk again.
Crown and Downer had been listening to Prentiss repeat from the beginning her memories of the day Hotch had been shot and both agents listened without interruption with Crown making occasional notations in his notebook. He looked up into Prentiss's face.
"Agent Prentiss, I have just a few questions. Did you hear what Officer Mandrin said about Agent Hotchner after he had shot him and was holding Doctor Reid as a hostage?"
"I did," Emily shifted uncomfortably in her seat knowing she'd have to repeat what the security guard had accused Hotch of which wouldn't benefit him.
"And what did Officer Mandrin accuse Agent Hotchner of ?"
Prentiss licked her suddenly dry lips before chewing her lower lip.
Downer stared at the agent. "Agent Prentiss? Do you need the question repeated?"
Prentiss shook her head and let out a deep breath. "Officer Mandrin accused Agent Hotchner of raping his daughter." She hung her head and sighed, suddenly weary. She felt like she had betrayed her boss by admitting what Mandrin had said. I'm so, so sorry, Hotch.
Crown stared at the raven-haired woman as she slowly lifted her head. He felt badly for her knowing exactly how she felt; that by repeating the security guard's words she probably felt like she was betraying her boss. And both he and his partner were both positive the rest of Hotchner's team would feel the same way; wanting to protect their Unit Chief while at the same time doing what was right. Neither man would expect any less from a team regarding their supervisor.
"Did you have a sense that Officer Mandrin believed the accusations he was making about Agent Hotchner or that he seemed out of it in a way?" asked Downer massaging his chin.
"What do you mean by 'out of it'?" Prentiss asked with narrowed eyes.
"Did he seem delusional or did he seem like he was sure of his facts when he made his accusation?" Downer asked again.
"I uh…I don't know," Emily replied hoping they wouldn't press the issue. She was wrong.
"Don't play games with us, Agent Prentiss," Downer continued more harshly than he intended. "But you're a profiler. It's your business to know how people think and why they do what they do. So you're sitting here and expect us to believe you don't know why Officer Mandrin did what he did?"
Emily tossed the hair that had fallen forward over her shoulder. "Excuse me, but you asked me if I sensed Officer Mandrin believed the accusations he was making about my boss. A profiler can't sense, as you put it, whether someone believes the accusations they're making."
"Touché, agent," Downer replied with a smile which Prentiss did not return. "Let me rephrase the question then. As a profiler, what was your opinion of Officer Mandrin? Did he seem like the type of man who would falsely accuse someone of something?"
Emily bit her lower lip. "From what I know of Jesse Mandrin, he would never accuse somebody of something without absolute proof." She knew she had probably just buried her supervisor with that admission. Her eyes glistened. Hotch, I am so, so sorry. Everything I'm saying is making you look more and more guilty.
"I have just one more question," Downer said. "You've told us how every member of your team felt and reacted after Officer Mandrin made his accusations against Agent Hotchner. Do you personally have any doubts or suspicions as to your supervisor's guilt or innocence?"
Emily just stared at Downer hesitant to respond. She knew she had to answer the question but that if she lied it would make things worse for Hotch; yet if she told the truth it wouldn't be any better for him. All she could do was decide which way would be less damaging to her superior.
"Agent Prentiss? Do you need the question repeated?"
"You have to understand something about Hotch. He's had a rough time the last few months. But he is a good and decent man who wouldn't hurt anybody and especially not a child," Prentiss replied. "My God, he's a father himself."
"I understand that, agent," Crown chipped in. "But the question was do you personally have any doubts or suspicions?"
Prentiss maintained eye contact. "I have no doubts or suspicions about Hotch whatsoever."
Anders slipped, unnoticed, back into the BAU without anybody stopping and inquiring as to his whereabouts for the last hour. He smiled as he sat down at his desk, noticing Agent Prentiss was still missing from hers. He knew now that he had planted a seed with Chief Strauss, he would wait a day or two and see what grew from it. Also during that time, he needed to see how he could incriminate Agent Hotchner further. But he had to be careful. He also had to see if Chief Strauss would contact IA so he could talk with them or would he have to contact them himself. Suddenly, an idea came to mind as to how to put the pressure not only on the FBI but on the BAU as well as Internal Affairs. He smiled broadly, but he was also a little bit sad because he wanted to seek out another little girl this evening to satisfy his urge, but first he would have to do what he had planned and for tonight at least, he would have to delay seeking out another victim who resembled Haley Hotchner. After-all, Haley, this entire situation was because of you. I will destroy your husband first, and then punish you. And it'll be all your fault, you bitch!
Rossi rubbed his hands together as he looked at Hotch's face mulling over what he had learned. "So you're telling me you have no alibi for each date the rape of one of the victims occurred."
"I'm afraid not. It's just like I told you; since Haley left and took Jack, I've kept a pretty low profile. I stay late at work and go home except for the days each of the rapes occurred. I left work early those days. The rapes occurred not too long after each of the children went to bed at about eight p.m.," Hotch explained wearily pinching the bridge of his nose with closed eyes.
"And you didn't see or talk to anybody or go anywhere where people saw you, talked to you?"
"Not that I recall. Sorry," Hotch explained looking at him again failing to suppress a yawn this time.
Watching the younger agent Rossi could tell Hotch was tiring and decided he would come back later this evening. He got to his feet.
"You leaving already?" Hotch joked watching Rossi stretch his tired arms. He could feel his eyelids drooping and knew he was falling asleep. "Sorry," he apologized.
"That's okay. Try and get some sleep, Aaron. I'll come back this evening and we'll talk again. But I've been here longer than I should and IA wants to talk with each of us today so I'd better get going."
"Who are the agents doing the investigation?"
"Jared Crown and Morton Downer."
"They're both good men and I know them and they know me. But they'll do their jobs." Hotch struggled to stay conscious if only for a few more minutes.
"Aaron, I suspect one of the questions they'll ask us is do we suspect or have doubts about you regarding these attacks." Rossi stared at his friend, worried.
Hotch met the older agent's stare. When he spoke, it was with a serious tone. "Dave, if they ask that question, be honest, no matter what. Don't lie to them. If you're caught lying about having doubts about me it'll just look like you're hiding something. Tell the others to do the same."
"You sure you want us to do that, Aaron?" Rossi asked putting a hand on his friend's shoulder, his eyes full of worry and concern. "They'll use anybody admitting they have doubts about you against you and so will Strauss. And you may want us to be honest with IA, but I won't tell Strauss because she doesn't need to know. And since when did you develop a martyr complex anyway?"
Hotch smiled slightly. "It's not a martyr complex, Dave. I just don't want any of the team to get in trouble by trying to protect me. I didn't do this. I'm relying on the truth, not lies or half-truths, that's all." Shortly after those words, Hotch's eyelids fluttered closed and his breathing slowed. Rossi knew Hotch had fallen asleep again.
With a worried face, the older agent applied gentle pressure to his friend's shoulder. "I hope you know what you're doing, my friend. Then again, they say the truth shall set you free." He turned and walked out of the room and down the hall.
