Penelope
"Oh, no, no, no, NO!" I mutter to myself, this cannot be happening! It is way too soon!
I sit in my lair staring at the screen for a moment, trying to process the little flashing light and the beeping accompanying it. JJ's alarm has been activated and that is not a good thing. Nothing was supposed to happen for a few more weeks, it could be an accident but knowing JJ, I know she is not likely to be that clumsy. Managing to take my eyes away I hit speed dial two on my phone and wait for him to pick up, praying this is just one big mistake.
"Garcia? Whats wrong?" Hotch asks, stern but concerned.
"How did you know something is wrong, Sir?" I ask, knowing I should really tell him about the alarm right away but he caught me off guard.
"We spoke less than half an hour ago and I didn't give you anything else to do so you can't be calling to update me on anything. What's wrong?" He asks agian, his voice more matter of fact.
"Right, yes, JJ hit the alarm, Sir." I say my voice starting to shake a little.
"Ok, I want you to keep track of any more hits on either of their alarms, exact times, how long between each hit, anything you can give me. Morgan and I are still at the security office so we will go to their house and check it out. I will call you once we know more. Can you text the others what is happening and let them know I will call them once we have been to the house?" His voice is his usual calm, stern tone and it is surprisingly comforting.
"Yes, Sir, will do, Sir." I say and hang up.
Getting my phone out I send a group message to Rossi, Reid and Clyde, letting them know about the alarm and visit to the girls house. I receive a variety of 'keep me updated' type messages to which I confirm I will. There is not much I can do while I wait to hear from Hotch but I track their phones, finding that both are in the house and I set up a track for their cards so if they are used I will know but in my heart I know that he has them and it breaks me slowly. It doesn't take long for my chocolate god to call me and just seeing his number eases my anxiety.
"Hey, baby girl. We are at the house, looks like there was a small struggle but nothing too concerning, so hopefully they are not hurt. JJ's necklace alarm is broken on the living room floor near the sofa, looks like it was snapped off her neck. From the looks of the place, Emily must have opened the door and struggled a bit, but not alot and while that happened JJ heard or saw it and hit her alarm before fighting back, then they were both taken. We think he drugged them as there are two syringes laying on the floor, one by the front door and one not far from the necklace. We are going to wait here for the crime techs to do their thing, can you call the others and update them. Hotch said you and Spencer should go over the geo profile again and look for places he may have taken them. Rossi and Clyde need to go over everything we know about this guy again, try to work out why he took them early and where the hell he has been the past four days. Can you do that please, sweet mama?" He is the perfect mix of professional and flirty.
"Sure thing, sugar, hit me back when you need me. Be careful and stay safe." I say a little worriedly.
"You too, beautiful." I can hear his smile through the phone.
After hanging up I call the others and while I wait for them to arrive I set up files, boards and my laptops in the round table room ready for us all to get to work. Time is not on our side but having the best minds of the FBI and Interpol joining forces means that my blonde bombshell and her raven beauty have the best possible chance of coming home.
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Derek and Hotch walk in the room and all of us turn our heads as one hoping for good news. The look on their faces told us they did not have any and my shoulders slump. It has been a couple hours since the alarm and so far everything we thought we knew was wrong. None of the buildings in our geo profile came through and we have had to start again from scratch.
"Anything new since we left?" Derek asked as he leans on the table from behind me, his head right next to mine, then he leans in to kiss my cheek.
"Emily hit her alarm but that's it, about ten minuets ago, so I am taking that as good news." I say, my fingers tapping away trying to come up with something, anything.
"None of this makes any sense." Reid mutters to himself, going over a file.
"You going to unpack that, pretty boy?" Derek asks him.
"Well, the way I see it, he had the upper hand. He had done this a few times so he was in a groove, he knew what he was doing, he had confidence in what he was doing. Then out of nowhere he ups and changes his game plan. Why would he do that unless he felt threatened?" Reid says as he slowly looks at each of us in turn with a sad expression.
"What are you saying, Reid?" Hotch asks.
"What if he found out who they are?" Reid asks, his voice a little shaky. "I have been going over his movements before he came here and he always manages to get away just before Interpol is about to bust him, I mean literally right before, as in within twenty four hours before." Reid drops his eyes back to his file fearing the reaction to this suggestion.
"Hold on, are you saying what I think your saying?" Clyde demands, his voice unsure yet stern at once. "Are you trying to tell me that Interpol has a mole?!"
"I am saying it is something worth looking into, how else has he managed to escape so many times, just as you're about to catch him?"
"Sorry to interrupt gentlemen but what does this mean for our agents who are with him right now? If he really does know who they are then are they in any extra danger?" Rossi asks the question I have been thinking throughout the conversation.
Everyone was quiet for a moment before Hotch spoke again, his calming yet stern voice filling the room. "Being as he is a narcissist they are probably in no more danger than before, if anything their chances are probably better. Think about it, how big would it make his ego knowing he has two agents held captive?"
"Pretty big." Rossi says.
"Ok, can you show me what exactly made you think we have a mole?" Clyde asks Reid in a much calmer voice. "We need to rule it in or out as quickly as possible so we can be on the right track."
Reid gets up, turns the white board over and starts sticking things up, explaining his theory as he goes. We all follow along, giving input every now and then but by the end of it, it seems clear to us all. Reid was right. There is a mole. We all take a moment to process this when my laptop starts the familiar beeping that has become both a blessing and a curse.
"Sir, Emily's alarm again." I say as I slowly turn back to my laptop and the offending noise.
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Over the next few hours we all dive into the theory that there is a mole in Interpol. I delve into who knew about the investigation and narrow down the list by looking at their movements, phone records, bank statements, etc. I find a couple of people who call burner phones on a regular basis and who's movements show they were not where they should be around the time the unsub disappeared. With this list Clyde was able to give us a bit more information on who they are and what they are like.
"Sandy Timmons is the dominant type, she's a leader, doesn't take any shit from anybody." Clyde tells us. "I doubt very much that she would be the mole. Our unsub is looking for someone to control, I really don't see that happening with her."
"Ok, what about Anna Mills?" I ask, reading the name off my list.
"She is a possibility, she's a follower, does as she's told without question. She is a great agent but she doesn't show leader potential, she is quite submissive." He says, thoughtful.
With that I start a deeper search into Anna Mills while still keeping up with the conversation. "Next is Duncan Norton." I say still tapping away.
"He is also a possibility, submissive but with anger issues, he has gone over the top on a few occasions, every time it was over minor things that would not usually bother someone." Clyde tells us, still thoughtful. "Actually he is a really good possibility, easily lead, we put him on data collection because he was not suited to field work, easily distracted and a little gullible."
"Right, I will refocus my search on him then." I say focused. "Next is Lawrence Jacobs."
"He is a brilliant Agent, top of his class, amazing leader. I don't see him being our mole either." Clyde moves to sit in the seat next to me and rubs his hands over his face, clearly frustrated by all of this. I can't help but feel the same, this really puts a bee on my bonnet.
"Last but not least, Andy Winston." I continue tapping away at my keyboard, my typing being the only sound other than mine and Clyde's voices. My computer beeps again, causing a few of us to jump. "Emily's alarm again, Sir. This is the fourth time in three hours not including JJ's at the house." I say worriedly.
"Garcia," Hotch says, his tone concerned and understanding. "That beeping is a good thing, it means they are alive and have managed to keep hold of Emily's belt. That beeping is telling us that he definitely has them and they are alive, just stay focused on that." His eyes are warm and soft, a rare look from him and it makes me smile softly at him.
"Yes, Sir, thank you, Sir." I say, anxiety in my voice but perkier than earlier. "We will find them, we just need to find this mole." With that my laptop makes a different beep and that has everyone's attention.
"What's that, baby girl?" Derek asks, curiosity in tone.
"Oh, oh, oh, that's a clue, chocolate hunk, that's a clue!" I almost squeak in excitement. "Duncan Norton called the burner number that the unsub gave JJ and Emily. That means he is our top suspect now, right? Can we bring him in?" I ask, looking from Hotch to Clyde.
"Technically we can, or we could play this a different angle." Rossi pipes up from his seat across the table next to Reid. "We could tell him we need help with this investigation, get him to come in willingly. Then when he is here we could get him talking and hopefully comfortable, that's when our questions will get more about him that the case."
"It's a good idea, see how he reacts when we go from asking for his help to implying he is the mole. His behaviour will give us all we need to know." Reid says matter of fact. I can see his worry for JJ in his eyes but he is trying his best to keep it inside like the rest of us.
"Sounds like a plan, Easter, do you want to go see if he will come in? Maybe take Reid, seem less threatening, more friendly." Hotch suggests.
"Yea, sure." Clyde says as he drags himself up from the seat.
"Wait," Reid says, his thinking cap clearly on. "Take Garcia." He says, getting confused looks from everyone, especially me.
"Why?" I ask, baffled.
"You said he was data collection, right?" Reid asks Clyde and he nods. "Then Garcia would be better because you could talk computers with him, a language he understands and is comfortable with. Get him talking about anything he helped gather for this case." Reid directs the last part of his sentence to me.
"Actually that is a very good idea, Reid. He would probably be more at ease with you, Garcia, as long as you can keep your suspicion of him under control while you're with him?" Hotch asks me.
"Yes, Sir, anything to bring our girls home." I say with a sad smile.
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I felt nervous going to Interpol headquarters to collect our suspected mole. I didn't want to mess up and be the reason we don't get JJ and Emily home but it turns out I had nothing to worry about. The guy was more than eager to be involved in the case, talked my ear off most the way back to Quantico. Then once we got back he, without realising it, gave us more and more evidence against him.
"Excuse me, where is the men's room?" He asks after Hotch gives him fake information about where we think they are.
"Down the hall on the right." Hotch tells him.
I text Derek and Spencer who left the room just before Hotch gave Norton the bad information to tell them he was headed for the toilet. The plan was for Derek to get as close as he could to wherever Norton went and for Spencer to be waiting close by ready to arrest him if he was indeed the mole. Ten minuets later Derek and Spencer came back with Norton in cuffs.
"What happened? Clyde asks as soon as they walk in the door.
"He called someone and told them the false information you gave him. I have no doubt he is our mole!" Derek growled, his grip tight on Norton's shoulder, his other hand holding the cuffs behind Norton's back.
"Take him to interrogation, I'll be there soon." Hotch says, his voice more stern than usual. "Garcia, I need you to find out who he just called and give me anything you can on how often they communicate, maybe track where the phone is or a rough location, we can always work it out from there." His voice softer as he spoke to me but still stern.
"Yes, Sir, no rock will be left unturned." I say as chipper as I can while my fingers tap furiously over the keyboard.
I can feel Clyde watching me as I do my magic. I thought he would be watching the interrogation or grilling the guy himself but he seems hooked on watching me work. His presence unnerves me a little but my determination to dig up dirt keeps me focused.
"How long until you have what we need?" He asks, his voice pressing.
"Not long, kitten, just a couple minutes." I say then what I said hits me and I stall my typing and turn to him sheepishly. "Sorry, Sir, I was in the zone and I didn't think about..."
He waves his hand in a dismissive mannor. "If calling me kitten gets the job done then so be it." He says with a smirk.
I simply nod and go back to my laptop. Within a couple minutes I have plenty of ammo for Hotch to make this guy cave. I pray to every god, goddess, mystical creature and fairytale being out there that this is what we need to bring our girls home.