All characters are property of CBS, Jeff Davis, Edward Allen Bernero and sadly not mine. I just take them along for the ride.
This chapter is a mixture of a missing moment and, as stated in the summary, a deeper look into an existing scene so I took some of the dialog from the episode.
Special thanks to my dear friend Sarah (1983Sarah) for all her help and encouragement and being a great beta. Thanks to everyone who read and/or reviewed one of my others stories.
Spoilers for "Masterpiece", Reid-centric
"Chester, Virginia," Reid announced, staring at the blue dot next to the town's name that had just appeared on the screen in front of him.
He had finally figured out the key to finding the five missing persons by deciphering the hints Professor Rothchild had given them, both consciously and unconsciously.
To his left Rossi stepped forward, moving around Hotch to get closer to the screen. "You're sure?"
The younger agent turned half-way around to him, not bothering to give an answer because he knew that the other man didn't really question his reasoning. Also, time was of the essence since one of the kids was probably already dead and the others as well as the young woman running the daycare they were abducted from would get killed soon as well.
So he continued his earlier explanation, "And with his level of obsession with these numbers, the ratio will have permeated his entire life. If we took a city map of Chester, the location where Kaylee and the children are being held-" he turned back to the screen and indicated to the red dots on the spiral that represented the towns the first six women were from while he spoke, "-will fall on one of these points on that map as well. The-the ratio will work with, uh, any scale at all."
Glancing a bit longer at the screen Spencer felt relief replacing the frustration that he had felt up to now. They finally had a chance to save the kidnapped people. Rothchild had chosen him to play his sick game and he had accepted the challenge, knowing that Kaylee and the kids depended on him.
And now he had succeeded.
Hotch looked down at the cell phone in his hand and pressed some buttons while saying, "Morgan and Todd are closer. Call them and tell them to get to Chester." Turning around he crossed the room and headed for the door. "I'm gonna get a chopper ready." Gazing over his shoulder at his colleagues he added, "Reid and Prentiss, get a city map and you're with me."
The young agent watched him leave, nodding slightly as a sign that he had understood just as Rossi stepped forward with his gaze fixated on the screen. "There's still something bugging me about this."
Turning his head toward his older colleague Spencer looked at him in surprise.
"What do you mean?" Prentiss asked with a similar expression on her face.
After a moment Dave's gaze moved to them and he explained, "He specifically came to Reid and me, not the police or the FBI in general. And he did some research on both of us, maybe even on the whole team. He had to know that we're gonna be able to figure it out sooner or later."
"So it's personal," the youngest profiler concluded.
Nodding, Dave continued, "He clearly wants us to find them, to go to Chester."
"To kill us, too," Emily added and raised her eyebrows slightly.
"Yes, but," Reid said and lifted his right hand that still held the pendant, "that doesn't fit with his pattern. It says he's gonna kill five people next."
"So Kaylee and the children are just decoy to lure us to that house," Rossi replied.
Prentiss nodded slowly and then stopped abruptly. "We're six agents, not five."
"You're right, it is personal," the older profiler agreed while turning around to the screen again. "He was certain that Reid would figure it out with the clues he gave us. Also, he kept insisting to talk to him and challenged me during the interrogations, knowing I wouldn't back off when confronted with a behavior like his. I think he expects me to stay behind and confront him with what we found out so that he can see my reaction to the message of your death first-hand."
He paused and faced his fellow agents again before continuing, "So assuming that she and the kids aren't supposed to die, then the room they're in must be safe. That leaves the way from the entrance to it to be potentially dangerous."
"He is most likely using some kind of poison, and the quickest and easiest way is to release it into the air through a form of a ventilation system," Spencer explained.
Dave nodded. "Right. And the tanks containing it must be out of sight, probably somewhere at the back of the house."
"We'll tell Hotch and inform Morgan and Jordan on the way," Emily said and turned to leave.
Reid really hoped that they were right. Because that would mean that every one of the five missing person were all right and that the team had a chance to rescue them.
And then the full meaning of the situation hit him.
Rothchild had chosen him to get the team into the trap, to lead them right into their death.
And he had been so blinded by his desire to rise to the challenge that he never considered the possibility that it could be a trick, that the professor wanted him to figure it out.
He couldn't help but turn his head to look at the screen again. His eyes fixated the blue dot on the map, the place where they would have walked into a trap without knowing it and died, partially by his doing.
The sound of his colleagues walking out of the room reminded him that this was not the time to dwell on it; they had five people to find and free.
So he followed Prentiss to do just that, hoping that they were right with what they would find at that house in Chester.
For the sake of the kidnapped people as well as for the team's - and for his guilty conscience.
A/N: Thanks for reading! If you have some time please leave a review! Constructive criticism is always appreciated.
