A/N: Okay I know this isn't as long as my previous chapters and it's been a while. Honestly, I lost interest in this story and then I had to go back and read it to remember what I wrote. I also didn't have a plan on who I wanted the mole to be or what the end game was. I think I have it figured out now, so bare-with me here as I try and get this story brought back to life.
WARNINGS: drug use
Chapter 10
Reid woke up the next morning to a knocking at his room door. Reid was lying in a diagonal across his bed not even under the covers. His head was pounding from the dilaudid last night and his body was in pain from the long day of work. The knocking at his door didn't stop so Reid got up slowly and looked at the bedside table clock. It was nine o'clock in the morning already. Reid had been asleep for almost twelve hours. Reid got up and slowly made his way to the door. He felt like crap, but he knew the feeling would go away after a hot shower and some coffee. It wasn't the first time he had felt like this and Reid knew it wouldn't be the last. Reid opened the door and saw that it was Morgan standing on the other side with two to-go cups of coffee stacked up in one hand. Morgan smiled at Reid as he spoke.
"I come baring coffee."
Reid moved out of the way and let Morgan in. Morgan smiled and handed Reid his cup of coffee.
"I knew that would work." Morgan smiled, but he was worried about Reid. Reid looked like he was hungover and Morgan knew that would only be from one thing.
"Why didn't you use the card?" Reid asked as he headed over to the table and sat down in one of the chairs. Morgan sat down in the other.
"Well you didn't know I was coming. I didn't want to walk in on you asleep or changing. By the looks of it I would say I just woke you up."
"You did, but that's fine I had to get up anyways. When did you wake up?"
"An hour ago. Had an early night. After I ate I just crashed. The others are already up and left to head to the house. Counter tops and the glass are coming today. All we need to do is the grout between the tiles, finish painting and landscaping. We should be done today and then tomorrow we can clean before the relator comes over. I figured you and I could go to a nursery and get some plants and flowers for the front and backyard. I also had a really cool idea for the backyard that I think you'll like."
"What's that?"
"It's a surprise so you'll have to wait until tomorrow to find out what it is. It's a good surprise though, so don't worry."
"I should shower so we can go then I guess."
"You should. Are you hungry?"
"No and I really wish people would stop asking me that." Reid said annoyed.
"We just care about you."
"I know, but asking me that all day doesn't help. You can't make me magically hungry. You're a bunch of profilers you would think you would understand that it's not that easy." Reid said slightly upset.
"I know, I'm sorry. None of this is easy for you. Part of the reason why is that we can't control any of this. We don't have the answers to what happened; we don't even have much information. We can't help you understand what happened or really make you feel better and okay again. The only thing we can do is make sure you eat. But that doesn't give us the right to hound you about it and we really have kinda been."
"I know you care, but you're all driving me nuts. I'm not used to people being there for me. I do things on my own and have since I can remember. I know I need to gain weight. I'm an adult not some child. I don't need six people trying to be my parents. I know it's hard for the team, but I just really want the dynamic to go back to normal. I don't like being the center of attention."
"I know you don't, but unfortunately this really does revolve around you. Spencer, it's your own father that was involved and helped in our kidnapping. How can we not worry about you?"
"I wasn't the only one in that house. I feel horrible that three out of the four people involved in this were there because of me. You and Hotch got hurt, because of the people wanting to hurt me. It wasn't just me in that house, this affects you and Hotch. I shouldn't be the only one people are worried about."
"First off, they took us for their own reasons. Buford wanted to hurt me for putting him in jail and Damien wanted to hurt Hotch for his own reasons. You aren't to blame for any of this. What happened does affect Hotch and me, but you went through worse in that house. This is your father that is involved in this. Plus your mother killed herself. This is a lot for one person to handle, especially all at the same time. If I was going through the same thing you would be this worried to. I'll make you a deal though, I'll stop trying to get you to eat and just be your best friend, if you promise that when it does get to be too much you'll tell me."
"Deal"
"Good, now get your ass in the shower so we can leave and get the day started. We still have work to do at the house and hopefully we can get it done today."
"Alright"
Reid got up and grabbed the same clothes he wore for the last two days. He didn't see the point in getting more clothes dirty when he could just get the same ones. He headed into the bathroom not even remembering that he had a used needle on the bedside table. Morgan could tell that Reid had used last night, but he wasn't going to bring it up just yet. He would wait until they were in the car and Reid seemed in a better mood. Morgan knew that Reid was in pain from everything in the last two days and he knew that would make him more irritated. Morgan figured that Reid would take a pill and then he would speak to him about it. Morgan turned around in his seat and saw the used needle on the bedside table. Morgan had a feeling that Reid would have used last night, but he was still hoping that Reid would have called him if he was craving. Morgan was really starting to wonder if Reid even wanted to be sober. Morgan knew that Reid didn't want to go through the withdrawals again or throwing away all of his hard work. He was almost sober for two years and that was just from his first try. Reid really did have a great willpower and he could do anything if he just put his mind to it. Morgan was wondering if Reid even had the interest in being sober right now. Morgan knew he would need to speak to Reid about it and Hotch would probably be there for it. For now Morgan was just going to be there for Reid and do what he could for him. If Reid need him to just be there and be his friend without acting differently towards him then he would be that. Half an hour later Reid came out of the bathroom all dressed and ready for the day. Morgan got up out of the chair and headed over to Reid. He had to admit Reid dressed in jeans and a t-shirt was very sexy on him. Morgan went up to Reid and gave him a gentle kiss and Reid kissed back. Morgan only did it for a few seconds before he pulled back with a smile.
"You all set pretty boy?"
"I just need to grab my wallet and the room key."
Reid headed over to the table to grab his wallet and room key.
"Are you sure you want to wear a t-shirt?" Morgan asked casually.
"Well it's already dirty from painting the last two days. Why wouldn't I wear it?" Reid asked as he looked at Morgan.
"Because of the needle marks." Morgan stated.
"It's not noticeable." Reid said in a blow off voice.
Reid really didn't think anyone would notice, not only that Reid didn't seem to care if someone did. Morgan didn't have a personal relationship with Reid the last time he went through something like this. So Morgan didn't know if he was like this the last time or if Reid was more careful to hide it from them. Morgan did know that Reid never wore any shirt that someone could see the needle marks. Reid put his wallet and room key into his pocket.
"All set." Reid said.
"Let's go then and get that house done."
Morgan and Reid headed outside and over to the SUV. Morgan got in on the driver side and Reid got in on the passenger side. Morgan typed in the address of the nursery into the GPS and then headed off in that direction.
"Did you take a pill?"
"Ya I did."
"Do they help with the pain enough? I know you've been moving around a lot with working on the house. I don't think the doctor expected you to be doing all of this."
"They help; I'm only taking two a day compared to what I'm supposed to be. They help take the edge off and make it bearable."
"Well at least they help. Today we'll be done the house so at least you won't have the added pain."
"Mhm"
Morgan could tell that Reid really wasn't in a talking mood so he let it go and just drove. A lot had been going on that none of them ever expected to happen. Morgan couldn't blame Reid for not being in a happy mood. He was also hungover and Morgan knew that Reid just needed some time to get his head together. Morgan was hoping by the time they got to the house that Reid would be in a better mood. Otherwise the others would take notice and Morgan really didn't feel like dealing with that today. They got to the plant nursery and they got out of the SUV. They headed inside to start to look at flowers.
"What are we looking for?" Reid asked.
"Just some different flowers to plant maybe a bush or small tree. Something that can grow with the property."
"I still can't believe you do this for fun."
"I still can't believe you read for hours for fun." Morgan joked back.
"Reading is peaceful."
"Renovating is peaceful to me."
"Fair point."
They walked around the nursery picking out flowers and small rose bushes that would bloom nicely in the sun. Once everything was paid for the owner said they would be by within two hours to deliver it to the house. They thanked him and headed back to the SUV. Morgan turned the car on and headed back towards the house. Reid still wasn't really talking and Morgan didn't push him either. Reid really didn't need everyone hounding him all day. Morgan was hoping that Reid would come to him if he needed to talk about all of this. The problem was, Reid didn't talk to anyone after the Hankle case. Instead he turned to the power of the dilaudid and kept quiet until he couldn't hide it anymore. Even after that he still didn't talk about it until two years later and that was only in small passing. Reid just didn't talk about things that were bothering him and that was from a life time of not having anyone there to listen or care to even hear what he had to say. Morgan cared and he wasn't going to let Reid forget it. They were half way back to the house when Reid finally broke the silence.
"Do you think I'm autistic?" Reid asked softly.
Morgan was shocked by the question. Sure they had all talked about it and had their suspicions that Reid was autistic from the day they met him. It was hard not to miss it. The way he talked with his hands, the way he rambled on about something, the way he only read non-fiction, his many other quirks. One of them being that Reid seemed oblivious to the fact that he was high end autistic. Morgan pulled into a parking lot just off the street and once he parked he turned in his seat to look at Reid.
"Why are you asking me that?" Morgan asked gently.
"Damien in the academy used to call me Auti. I never knew what he was talking about, but then in the house he called me autistic."
"Auti, short for autistic." Morgan stated.
"Do you think I am?" Reid asked as he looked at Morgan.
"I think I'm a profiler not a doctor."
"And I think you're afraid to give me an honest answer."
"Alright fair enough. My honest opinion, yes I think you are high level autistic. There isn't a single person on this team that doesn't believe that. But we don't give a damn. I don't give a damn if you are or not. There isn't a single hair on your head that I would change. There isn't a thing about who you are that I would change. You are who you are and I wouldn't want you any other way. Spencer, you are a top profiler in the FBI and you're only twenty-seven. Don't let that bastard or any other bastard out there say anything to make you question yourself. Because all they are is jealous of you. You're amazing and who cares if you have littler quirks. I love walking into work and seeing you sitting on your desk with a cup of coffee in your hand telling Emily about some book you read last night. Seeing you in the morning is my favorite part of the day. Autistic or not, it means absolutely nothing to me pretty boy."
"How is it possible that I can see it in other people, but I can't see it in myself?" Reid said softly.
"Because you're not looking for it. Why the hell would you? Don't start guessing yourself or labeling yourself. You are who you are and you should be damn proud of who you are. No one else on this earth has accomplished what you have in just twenty-seven years. At the end of the day, does it really matter?"
Reid didn't say anything to that he just turned to look out the window. Morgan knew that his mind was thinking everything through and he just needed time to processes what he just learnt. Morgan turned his attention back to driving and he started off for the house again. They arrived just fifteen minutes later and they both got out once Morgan parked behind the other SUV. They headed inside to the smell of fresh paint. Rossi was in the living room working on touch ups.
"Hey it's about you two got here." Rossi said.
"Where is everyone?" Morgan asked.
"Aaron is upstairs working on the tiles, the girls are downstairs painting. Did you go to the nursery?"
"Ya the flowers are going to be delivered in a couple of hours." Morgan answered.
"I'll go up and finish the bedrooms." Reid said as he headed towards the stairs.
Rossi gave Morgan a look of concern and Morgan waited until Reid was gone down the hall.
"I'll be right back." Morgan said.
Morgan headed up the stairs and headed into the second bathroom. He saw that Hotch was putting the grout in between the tiles. Hotch looked up when he heard someone coming. He saw Reid head into the bedroom and he figured that it was Morgan who would be next. Sure enough Morgan came over into the doorway.
"How did it go?"
"Fine the flowers are going to be delivered soon. There's more grout in the garage why don't you come help me bring it up so we don't have to go back down for it."
"Alright."
Hotch knew this wasn't about getting grout. The containers were light and small Morgan could have easily brought them up himself. Hotch got up and headed downstairs with Morgan. They walked into the living room and Morgan moved closer to Rossi. He didn't want Reid to hear them talking about him.
"What's wrong?" Hotch asked.
"It's more of a heads up. First, Reid is hungover so give him a little time and he'll be fine."
"Hungover as in raided the mini bar in his room or hungover as in took too much dilaudid?" Rossi asked.
"Second one." Morgan answered.
"This is getting to be a problem. We're not even back home yet and he's already using twice in three days." Rossi said.
"He's wearing a t-shirt again two." Hotch added.
"I did speak to Reid about the t-shirt and if he was worried about someone seeing them. He said that they weren't noticeable."
"Did he say it in a naïve way?" Hotch asked.
"More like an 'I don't care' way. I know Reid wants to be sober; he doesn't want to throw away the last two years of sobriety. The problem is I really don't think he wants to truly be sober right now. I think he just doesn't like the fact that the work he put in was all for nothing. Deep down though, I don't think he wants to be sober right now." Morgan said sadly.
"You can't force someone to be sober. It has to be Reid's choice. He knows that he needs to be sober to return to work, but that's a year away. Just because Reid knows he needs to be sober that doesn't mean that he'll want to be." Rossi said.
"They only reason why Reid was able to even get sober the first time is because he wanted it. When Reid puts his mind to something he is able to accomplish anything. After the Hankle case Reid didn't get sober until a few months later. We may just have to wait this out. We all knew that this was a possibility of happening and if it wasn't for William then Reid may have been able to handle everything. All we have done in the past week is overload Reid with new information and painful memories. We need to give him some time to work this out. Whether we like it or not, we can't force him. It'll never work. All it will do is push Reid away from us and then he'll be on his own with this." Hotch said.
"I'm not going to have a repeat of last time. Sober or not I'm there for him." Morgan said.
"We all are. You don't turn your back on family. Reid is smart he knows he can't do this forever. He just needs time to adjust to everything and figure it all out." Rossi said.
"You said first, so what is the other thing?" Hotch asked.
"Damien had called Reid autistic in the basement remember?" Morgan asked.
"I do."
"Apparently Damien used to call Reid Auti in the academy. Reid never understood it and in the car ride over here he asked if I thought he was autistic."
"Auti for autistic. That's a cruel name." Rossi said.
"What did you tell him?" Hotch asked.
"I told him the truth that we all thought he was, but it doesn't change how we think or feel about him. I told him he's accomplished so much in his life that he shouldn't be labeling himself or questioning himself."
"How did he take it?" Rossi asked.
"He's confused, because he can see it in other people, but he's never seen it in himself. I think he'll be fine he just needs time to accept it and move on from it. It was kinda like someone figuring out that they are gay for the first time." Morgan said.
"He'll be fine in a little while. Reid is very good at accepting who he is. His mind will realize that it doesn't change him and he won't worry about it." Hotch said.
"Aaron is right Reid will be fine. At least you didn't lie to him that would have made it worse. We'll just give him some space and he'll be fine shortly. None of this is easy for him and we all knew that two months ago." Rossi said.
"Let's just give Reid some space and work on the house. Once it's done today then tomorrow Reid just needs to meet with the relator and Dave and I need to meet with the clergy. Saturday is the funeral and then we have Sunday to spend together before we head back on Monday. Let's just get through today and Saturday. Tomorrow and Sunday we can all be together as a family and hopefully by Monday Reid will be in a better mindset." Hotch said.
Rossi and Morgan both gave a nod to that and they started to get to work. Rossi continued to do the touch ups in the living room and Hotch and Morgan headed upstairs to finish the tile work. Throughout the day they were able to get everything done. The appliances were in, the counter tops for the kitchen and bathrooms were installed. The glass for the shower stall in the master bathroom and the landscaping was done. It was well after nine o'clock at night when the house was finally done. Tomorrow they would do some cleaning, but it was finished. They were all dirty and exhausted from the work, but they were all happy that they were able to turn this rundown house into a future home for some deserving family. They had all eaten lunch and dinner so they headed back to the hotel to get some rest. Garcia had checked in and she and Kevin were still working on finding a lead. Reid had gotten in a better mood as the day went on, but nearing the end of the night the pain was getting bad and the others could tell he was in pain. They headed up in the elevator and the girls headed to their rooms and the men headed to theirs. Reid was across the hall from Hotch and he asked Hotch before he went into his room.
"The files you found at William's house. Do you have them?"
"I have some of them. The local police are going to work the fraud and the molestation charges. I have what there was from the kidnapping."
"Can I see them?"
"Of course you can. Are you sure you want to?"
"I might see something that could trigger something about the mole. I can't imagine I haven't come across him over the last six years."
"You probably have at some point even if it was something small. I'll grab them for you."
Hotch opened his room door and Reid stood in the doorway as Hotch went over to the table to grab the files. Hotch was worried about Reid. He was in pain and Hotch didn't know if Reid committing those files to memory was the best idea right now. Hotch could also understand the need for Reid to have answers and Reid just might have something triggered by reading those files. If anyone could figure out who the mole is, it's Reid. Hotch handed Reid the files as he spoke.
"Do you want me to go over them with you?"
"No it's fine. I'm just going to read them and see if anything comes to mind. Thanks."
"If you want to talk it over just call me."
"Ya, good night."
Reid left and went into his own room. Reid locked the door and put the files down on the table. He grabbed his pills and took one. He went over to the coffee maker in the room and started a pot of coffee. Reid wasn't going to get high tonight, he needed his mind clear. Reid got changed into some sweats and a clean shirt before he sat down at the table and started to go through the files. Once the coffee was ready Reid made a cup and sat back down to go through the files. There wasn't much, the private investigator only sent letters stating that nothing had come up yet. There wasn't an official file and Reid was hoping that he would be able to get that from the investigator himself when they got back on Monday. It really was just some mundane information. The court papers didn't speak of a third party it was just William and Buford being mentioned. The house was sold to Damien Waters, but that wasn't going to get them anywhere. They already knew about the house and it was completely destroyed. Buford was held in a prison close to the city so maybe Buford was in contact with Damien or William. The prison would have all calls and visitation recorded. Reid could get that from the prison easily enough. He also wanted to see what the station had for the molestation case. Reid figured he could go through William's house and see if he could find anything out himself that others missed. He knew his father's behavior and he might be able to find something that the crime scene unit would have missed. Reid finished his cup of coffee and got dressed in a clean pair of jeans and a long sleeved shirt. He grabbed the spare keys he had to one of the SUVs and he headed out. He was going to go to the house first and then he could go to the station to make copies of their files. Tomorrow he would make the drive to High Desert State Prison to see about the logs. Reid headed outside and over to the SUVs. He got inside the one and he turned it on. Reid knew he shouldn't be going alone, but he didn't want to bother Hotch or Morgan. They had been doing a lot for him and they needed the rest. Reid had brought his cell phone with him in case someone wanted to get in contact with him. Reid headed off towards William's house. Reid didn't know if anyone would be there, but he knew that William wouldn't be there. He wouldn't risk coming back. Reid didn't know where he was, but he knew he wouldn't be in Vegas right now. Reid didn't know if he would find anything at the house, but he figured he would try.
Reid got to William's house roughly twenty minutes later. Reid got out of the SUV and made sure it was locked. He went inside; the door was left unlocked for the crime scene unit and detectives to get in. Reid walked into the house and turned the light on in the hallway and in the living room. The place was tossed from the crime scene unit looking for evidence. Reid didn't know if he would find anything, but he was hoping there was something here. He knew how his father thought better than anyone. Reid was hoping maybe he could just find something linking him to the mole. Reid knew if there was anything it would be up in the office. Reid headed upstairs and into the office and saw that almost all of the papers were gone. Reid figured that the crime scene unit took them back to the station to go through there. Reid opened the desk drawers and saw nothing, but pens and pencils. He opened the cabinet in the room only to find it bare. Reid looked all throughout the house, but there was nothing. The crime scene unit had taken anything that might be of value to the cases. Reid knew that there was no point in looking through the house any longer; there wasn't anything there for him to see. Reid left the house and got into the SUV. He headed off to station twenty-eight so he could see any evidence that they had there. Reid was hoping that they would let him photocopy the evidence so he could take it back to his room so he could go over everything. Reid was exhausted, but his mind wouldn't turn off. He didn't want to get high again tonight just so he could sleep. So he was going to work and see if he could fall asleep shortly. It was barely ten o'clock at night so Reid was hoping he would be able to get some sleep tonight. Reid drove to the station and he parked once he arrived. Reid got out and headed inside and stopped at the first desk he saw an officer was at.
"Excuse me I'm FBI Agent Dr. Spencer Reid. I'm looking to speak to Detective Fenway or Officer Stan." Reid said as he held out his badge.
"They are both in the conference room. It's the large room in the back right corner."
"Thank-you"
Reid headed in the direction of the conference room. When he got there he saw two men who he figured were Detective Fenway and Officer Stan. There were paper boxes all over the table. Reid went over to the door and knocked. They looked over at Reid as Reid spoke.
"I'm FBI Agent Dr. Spencer Reid." Reid said as he showed his badge again.
"Your father is William Reid. You were one of the kidnapped agents. I'm Detective Fenway and this is Officer Stan. What can we do for you?"
"I was hoping I could go through anything you recovered from his home. There might be something in the papers that could lead us to the mole in the bureau."
"Are you really sure you want to do that? This is your father; wouldn't you rather just step back and let someone else look into it?" Detective Fenway asked.
"No one knows him better than I do. I might see something that others would miss. I wasn't the only agent in that house. Two of my colleges and friends were there with me and they deserve answers as much as I do. His victims deserve justice. I'm not going to stand around in the background and let other people handle it when I might be able to get the answers faster. I'm not looking to take over, I just wish to go through it and photocopy anything that might be useful to us."
"We were just on our way home. This is everything we have so far. I don't know what could be useful to you, but feel free to go through it and photocopy anything you need." Detective Fenway said.
"Thank-you."
"There's coffee in the break room if you want any. It's just down the hall, third door." Office Stan said.
Reid just gave a nod as he headed over to the table. Detective Fenway and Office Stan left the room and headed out of the station for the night. Reid grabbed the first box of five and started to go through everything that was in it. Reid had been sitting there for seven hours and had eight cups of coffee. He had gone through everything in the boxes and photocopied anything that he thought could be important. He was able to find bank statements from a third account, more letters between William and the mole. There was also a journal that Reid hadn't read through yet, but he photocopied it so he could read it later. Reid put everything he had in an empty paper box and headed out to the SUV. He had to get back to shower and get ready to go and clean the house before the relator got there for three. Reid made sure he stopped at a Starbucks to grab an extra-large coffee before he drove back to the hotel. Once at the hotel Reid grabbed his coffee and the box and headed inside and back up to his room. Reid placed the box down on the table before he went to take a quick shower so he would already have that done. They weren't doing any work on the house today so Reid grabbed a pair of dark brown slacks, a button down shirt and a sweater vest. He headed into the bathroom to shower and get ready for the day.
Once Reid was dressed he sat back down at the table with his coffee and the box. He took out the photocopies of the journal and started to go through them. He looked at the clock and saw that it was almost eight o'clock so he grabbed his phone and sent Morgan a text.
'Are you awake?'
Reid put his phone back down and continued to read. A few minutes later his phone buzzed.
'Just about to go downstairs to grab a coffee. You want one pretty boy?'
'Yes please'
Reid continued reading for a few more minutes until his room door opened and Morgan walked in. Morgan walked in with two cups of coffee, but he didn't expect Reid to be dressed and reading papers and have a box there on the table. Morgan went over and placed the coffee down on the table before he spoke.
"What do you got there Spencer?"
"Hotch gave me the files from inside the house that he had and I went through them, but there wasn't much there. So I went to the house last night, but everything was already cleaned out by the crime scene unit. So I went to the station and went through everything and photocopied what seemed to be important." Reid said in a hurry.
"Spencer, have you gone to bed yet?"
"No I couldn't sleep. I did find bank statements from a third bank account that we didn't know about, more letters from the mole and this journal."
"Ok, let me call Hotch and see if he's awake." Morgan said carefully.
Morgan pulled out his cell phone and called Hotch after three rings he answered.
"Hotchner"
"Hey Hotch, you up and moving?"
"Just got out of the shower. Why is something going on?"
"When you are ready come over to Reid's room he might have something."
"I'll be there in five."
Morgan hung his phone up and turned to Reid.
"When did you go over to the house last night?"
"Around ten." Reid said without looking up from the papers.
"Why didn't you tell me? You shouldn't have gone alone and unarmed. Something could have happened. What if William was there?"
"He wouldn't have been. He's on the run he wouldn't risk going back to the house."
"We don't know what he's thinking though. He could just be away at a hotel somewhere and waiting. You shouldn't have gone alone."
"Derek he's days ahead of us he's not in Vegas. We don't even know if he's in the country anymore. The last place he will go is back to his house."
"That's not the point Spencer anyone could have been in there."
There was a knock at the door and Morgan went to open it and let Hotch in. They walked back over to the table and Hotch immediately noticed that Reid hadn't slept.
"Reid went out last night to the house and to the station. He went through what they had and photocopied some things. He found statements from a third bank account, more letters and a journal."
"You went by yourself?" Hotch asked Reid.
Reid looked up as he spoke. "Yes I went by myself I don't know why you both have a problem with that. I'm a federal agent just like everyone else on the team."
"And if it was someone targeting Morgan or Rossi I would say the same thing. It's not because it's you Reid. We don't know who the mole is or where the mole is. It's not a good idea for you to be going around alone especially at night."
"Alright I won't do it again. That's not the point though; the third bank account still has money in it. It's from a different bank. Also in the journal he talks about meeting boys and coaching again. The letters with the mole, the mole talks about some cases he's worked in an obscured way. If we can just crack his writing we may be able to track him through past cases." Reid said in a quick voice again.
"Reid, have you slept?" Hotch asked.
"No I'm fine."
"How much coffee have you had man?" Morgan asked.
"Including this, eleven cups."
"Ok enough coffee for you for a little while." Morgan said as he moved the cup away from Reid. "Let's go downstairs get some food and talk things over. You need to eat before the coffee eats a hole through your stomach."
"That's not physically possible."
"I know. Doesn't change that you need something other than coffee in your stomach."
"Come on Spencer let's go downstairs and we can talk about this over breakfast." Hotch said.
Reid reluctantly got up from the table and grabbed his room key. They all headed downstairs to get something to eat from the free breakfast. Once they grabbed some food they sat down at a table in the back so they could talk about the case. Reid only grabbed a bagel, but at this point they were just happy he was eating something other than coffee. Hotch and Morgan grabbed some bacon, eggs and toast. Once seated Hotch started.
"Have you found anything in the journal?"
"Not yet, but I only just started reading it."
"How much is in the third bank account?" Morgan asked.
"One hundred thirty-three thousand, eight hundred nineteen dollars and thirty-two cents."
"We should freeze that account, he's going to try and take money out of that one two." Morgan said.
"Where is he getting all of this money from? The one account we know about was emptied, but had over a hundred thousand as well. Where is he getting all of this money?" Hotch asked.
"He's been an attorney for thirty years now, he must have saved up." Reid said.
"We know it's not your mother's pension, because that went into another bank account and is frozen right now. Attorney or not that's still a lot of money to save up even in thirty years. He had to pay bills. We're talking over two hundred thousand dollars. He even took a huge pay cut in the last year." Morgan said.
"Maybe he got paid for his involvement in the kidnappings." Hotch suggested.
"There wasn't a large sum though, just normal amounts over the period of time it's been open. All were different amounts and none were whole numbers." Reid said.
"So if he was it wouldn't be any big amount and would be hard to trace." Morgan said.
"The other thing that doesn't make sense is where William got his information from. He's not a criminal lawyer he only deals with taxes and real-estate. He's never been in a trail or an appeals case before. Someone else must have given him all the information he needed to get Buford out of jail. Possibly even told him what to say." Reid said.
"Someone in law enforcement, suggesting the mole or Damien." Morgan said.
"What if the mole has a law degree? In the letters Reid you said the mole thought I was threatened of him. That I would lose my job to him. Maybe he was also a lawyer and I would be threatened by that." Hotch suggested.
"If that's the case how many ex-lawyers are in the bureau?" Morgan asked.
"I don't know. It would be in the personnel files though." Hotch said.
Rossi and the girls came into the breakfast area and grabbed some food before they joined Morgan, Reid and Hotch at the table.
"Morning everyone." Rossi said.
"How is everyone?" Garcia asked.
"Fine. Did you find anything last night?" Hotch asked.
"Not yet, the computer is still trying to go through all the phone numbers. The firm and William's personal phone made a lot of calls in the past year. Kevin is working on it and I'm going through the feeds so far though, nothing has come up."
"Reid went to the station last night and went through the evidence that they collected and was able to find another bank account with over a hundred thousand in it untouched. He also found more letters from the mole and a journal that William had." Hotch explained.
"Can we get anything from them yet?" Rossi asked.
"Not yet I'm still reading through it all." Reid answered.
"Reid did point out that William wasn't a criminal lawyer. So for him to have gotten Buford out of jail a criminal lawyer would have had to have the work done and all William would have to do is just read what was written." Morgan said.
"So either Damien or this mole was a lawyer at some point." Emily said.
"Most likely the mole. If Damien was a lawyer then he wouldn't have needed William to get Buford out of jail. I doubt if any of them had even met the mole." Hotch said.
"You don't think Damien knew who it was?" Morgan asked.
"I don't know. If Damien and the mole knew each other, then why would they need William and Buford? If the mole could have gotten Buford out then there was no point in William. The mole could have been the one helping Damien with our kidnapping and not Buford. It seems to me that the mole is doing everything he can to stay out of sight on this. He doesn't make a phone call he just sends letters and receives them to a P.O. Box in a false name. The mole doesn't want anyone to be able to I.D him for anything related to this." Hotch explained.
"Maybe he's not done yet. Maybe he thought with the three of you out of the way he could work on the rest of us. Maybe you three were just the first opportunity that presented itself to him." Rossi suggested.
"Or the mole sees the three of you as his biggest threats. He takes you three out then he could come into the BAU and be the big shot he believes he is. I mean think about it, he takes Hotch our leader. He takes Morgan the most physical threatening, than he takes Reid the golden child. Every agency would give up half of their agents if it meant that Reid would work for them. Maybe he saw the rest of us as two girls and an old man." Emily suggested.
"I am not an old man." Rossi immediately said.
"No, but you were retired. Who's to say that if the three of them died you would want to continue to work. It wouldn't be that far of a stretch to think that you would go back to retirement with them dead." JJ said.
"He wants Hotch's job and if he was gone Morgan would be next to take his place. If Morgan said no then it wouldn't be a surprise if Reid was up next on bat." Garcia said.
"But anyone who knows me would know I would never take the job." Reid said.
"It doesn't matter; even the smallest of chances that you would take the job is a threat to him. He can't compete with you intellectually, that makes you a threat." Rossi said.
"This dude fits in two different profiles. Either he has a close connection with Damien and was doing this to help him. Suggesting a partner or a best friend. Or he doesn't know Damien and he was just using everyone to get the three of us killed and out of his way." Morgan said.
"Are we sure it's even a man? Maybe the reason the mole hasn't done anything physical in this, is because it's a woman." Emily suggested.
"The writing indicates a male, but there is a percentage of women out there that have male-like handwriting." Reid said.
"How much of a percentage?" Hotch asked.
"Twenty-four percent." Reid answered.
"So it is possible that it's a woman trying to come off as a man." JJ said.
"I'll read all the letters that we have and I'll see if it could be a woman." Reid said.
"We definitely wouldn't have suspected the mole to be a female." Rossi said.
"Let's not get too ahead of ourselves. Let's see what the letters say and if we can get a confirmed sex on the writing. The mole sent letters to William; it's safe to say that the mole communicated with Damien in the same manner. Garcia, see if you can find an apartment or house in Damien's name besides the one we were in." Hotch said.
"I will run the search when I return upstairs."
"For now let's head over to the house and get it cleaned for the relator for three. Then we can go from there." Hotch said.
"Baby girl come with us so you can see what it looks like." Morgan said with a smile.
"I wouldn't miss it for the world." Garcia said back with a sexy smile.
They all got up and headed out to the two SUV's and headed off in the direction of the house. While Rossi had the girls in the SUV he decided he would tell them about the conversation Reid had with Morgan.
"Yesterday before Reid and Morgan got to the house they had a little conversation in the car. Reid asked Morgan if he thought he was autistic."
"Really?" JJ asked.
"Why would Reid ask Morgan something like that? He's never cared before." Emily said.
"He's never even thought about it before." Garcia said.
"Damien had called him autistic during their captivity and apparently he used to call him Auti while he was in the academy. Morgan made the decision to tell him that he thought he was and that it didn't matter to him or to any of us. Reid seemed to be okay with that answer according to Morgan, but that is why he wasn't in a great mood yesterday." Rossi explained.
"I was wondering what was going on with him. I just figured it was the pain and after everything that we learned last night." Emily said.
"He was in pain and overwhelmed about last night, but I just thought you should know everything." Rossi said.
"He doesn't seem well today. He almost seems manic." JJ said sadly.
"He's had a lot of coffee from the looks of it and he didn't sleep. I'll speak to Aaron or Morgan later when they are alone to see if they know anything. Keep in mind that autistic people can act differently once they go through something traumatic. It's natural for Reid's quirks to get more intense and the symptoms of autism to become more dominate right now. Just give him time and be patient with him." Rossi explained.
"Do we have any leads on William or the mole?" JJ asked.
"I'm trying to get you guys something, but nothing has come up yet." Garcia said sadly.
"It's alright Garcia we'll get something soon. Once we get back Monday it will be easier for us to investigate. We can also speak to the P.I as well and see what he has." Rossi said.
"I think we need to focus on trying to find out which profile is right. We need to see if Damien had any connection with the mole and that will at least give us a place to focus on. We need the proper profile in order to start eliminating suspects." Emily said.
"I agree. We need to know when the communications first started and how they put the plan together. We need to know when and how Damien and this mole started communications." Rossi said.
"I'll work on it once we get back to the hotel. I'll find out everything I can on Damien and anyone close to him." Garcia said.
"I know we are going through the feeds, but we should get the list from Strauss of any agents that applied for the BAU and cross check it with any names that are no longer in Quantico. I agree with Reid this person did not stick around after they were rescued." Emily said.
"I can do that. Strauss sent me the lists to my email last night. I can cross the names of anyone that has transferred out in the last few months." Garcia said.
"It's not much, but it might just give us a place to start." Rossi said.
"If nothing else it will help us to figure out where not to start." JJ said.
"I'll get on it when we get back to the hotel." Garcia said.
They arrived at the house and it immediately looked amazing. The house was washed and freshly painted; the front yard was mowed with green grass and beautiful flower beds. The house already looked amazing and they hadn't even gotten out of the SUV yet. They all got out of the SUVs and headed towards the front door.
"You guys this already looks amazing. It doesn't even look like the same house." Garcia said with surprise to her voice.
"Just wait until you see inside baby girl." Morgan said.
Reid unlocked the door and opened it to reveal a brand new house. The floors needed to be swept and mopped and the countertops need a wipe down, but other than that the place looked amazing.
"I can't believe this is the same house that we walked into four days ago." Garcia said.
"It's beautiful and some family is going to love it Spence." JJ said with a smile.
"I can't believe I grew up here. There's a whole new feel to this place now. Thank-you so much for helping me with this." Reid said with a smile on his face.
The first real smile they had seen on him in a few days.
"That's what family is for kiddo." Rossi said as he placed a supportive hand on Reid's shoulder.
They walked through the house showing Garcia everything. Reid couldn't believe how amazing this place truly looked. It didn't look anything like it had when he grew up in this house. Reid was truly happy that now some family would be able to live their life here and hopefully make some good memories in this house.
"There is just one thing I need to show you pretty boy. Remember that surprise I told you about yesterday? Come and check it out." Morgan said as he headed towards the kitchen and to the back door.
They all followed him and when Morgan opened the back door they could all see what the surprise was. There in the corner of the backyard was a kids swing and slide set. Reid smiled at it and Morgan smiled right back at him.
"Now this place is officially kid ready." Morgan said as he wrapped his arm around Reid's shoulders.
"Thank-you." Reid said softly as he looked at Morgan.
"You guys think about what we just did. We donated furniture to a woman and her children in need. We repaired this house for a whole new family to enjoy and make memories in. We did that in only four days. This might be the only time we ever get to do something like this. To truly give back to someone in need, that wasn't a victim from a case we were working on." JJ said.
"You're right this is the first time." Hotch said as he smiled at his family.
"We should help out more when we get back home. It's too easy to forget about people in need and to get so busy with work. We all tend to just lose ourselves in cases that we forget about other things we could be doing for people." Rossi said.
"You're right we do. This felt good to do this, this week." Morgan said.
"It feels good to give back and know that some deserving family is going to get their dream house." Garcia said.
"Thank-you guys for everything you did this past week. It really means a lot to me that you guys are here." Reid said.
"That's what family does kiddo." Rossi said as he placed a supportive hand on Reid's shoulder.
"We should get going to meet with Nathan Marks." Hotch said.
"And we should get cleaning to make sure this place is perfect for when the relator gets here." JJ said.
"Alright enough reminiscing let's get back to work." Rossi said.
"Dave and I are just going to meet with the funeral director to make sure everything is ready for tomorrow then we will be back." Hotch said.
"We'll be here cleaning and waiting for the relator to come by." Morgan said with a smile.
They all headed back inside the house and Hotch and Rossi headed outside so they could get into one of the SUVs. They needed to make sure everything would be ready for tomorrow. Inside everyone was getting the place all cleaned up and making sure any supplies that were left from the renovations were removed from the garage and put either into the garbage or into the back of the remaining SUV to be disposed of properly. The day went by quite fast and before they knew it Hotch and Rossi had returned from the funeral home. They didn't speak about it in detail all they said was that everything would be all ready for tomorrow. Reid didn't ask any questions or want to know what they had organized he truly couldn't handle it right now. His mind was going a mile a minute with all of the information about their kidnapping and how his own father may have had something to do with it. He was trying to get his mind to focus on the fact that the relator was going to be here soon and he had to be professional with her.
It was almost time for the relator to arrive at the house so everyone left, but Morgan, Reid and Hotch. They all decided to go back to the hotel and help Garcia with any of the evidence gathering and going through video feeds. Garcia also wanted to check in on Kevin to see if he had anything as well. It wasn't even five minutes later when the relator came knocking at the door. Morgan went to open the door with a smile on his face.
"Hello, you must be Miss. Williams." Morgan said as Karol walked through the door.
"I am, are you Spencer Reid?"
"No I'm Derek Morgan; this over here is Spencer Reid and Aaron Hotchner." Morgan said as he closed the door once Karol was through.
Karol went over and shock Reid and Hotch's hand with a smile on her face.
"It's a pleasure to meet you both. I'm amazed with what I have seen so far. Normally homes in the area aren't this well done."
"We've spent the week renovating it." Reid said.
"You did this in a week. That is impressive."
"We work for the F.B.I. the whole team was here with us as well helping out. With seven of us it didn't take long at all." Hotch said.
"Wow you work for the F.B.I. Should I be worried?" Karol said jokingly with a smile on her face.
"No ma'am we're here for personal reasons." Morgan said back with a smile.
"Good. Now if you don't mind I would like to look around and take some pictures, then we can deal with the paperwork." Karol said as he pulled out her camera.
"Be my guest." Reid said.
Karol went from room to room taking pictures of everything. She went downstairs and outside to get pictures as well. She was amazed at how big and nice the place was. This was a rare find in this area and the house was so close to the strip. Once she was done taking pictures she came back into the living room with a huge smile on her face.
"This place is amazing and a rare find for the area. You will have no problem not only getting top dollar for it, but you are going to be in a bidding war. I can already think of ten other clients that would love to own this house."
"What do you think it can be listed for?" Morgan asked.
"Based on the size and the beauty of this house, plus the location to the strip easily four hundred and fifty thousand. Like I said though, you will be in a bidding war. There are people who wait around for houses like this to come up on the market. It won't take long to sell at all."
"Wow, that's amazing." Morgan said.
"Hard work pays off." Hotch said with a smile.
"That it does. Now I have some paperwork we need to fill out and get set-up. One of you is a lawyer I believe correct?"
"That would be me." Hotch said.
"Good that saves us some time and a few steps." Karol said as she pulled out the paperwork from her briefcase.
"We can go into the kitchen and we can use the island to work on." Reid said.
They all headed into the kitchen and for the next hour they got the paperwork sorted out. A lot of it Hotch was able to fill out and sign for, because he was a lawyer and he was also Reid's power of attorney. With the paperwork filled out Karol left to place the house on the market. Morgan, Reid and Hotch stood out front while Reid locked the front door.
"So now what pretty boy?" Morgan asked with a smile.
"Do you both feel up to a drive?" Reid asked as he turned to face them.
"Sure, where are we going?" Hotch asked.
"High Desert State Prison; it's one hundred and four miles from here."
"Why are we going there?" Morgan asked.
"That's where Buford was being held. I figured last night that the mole was only in paper contact with William and not phone calls. So that got me thinking that maybe the mole only had paper contact with everyone. Letters are easy to get rid of and they won't leave a technological footprint. I thought maybe I would go down to the prison and speak to the Warden and see if Buford had any letters left in his cell and see about the phone logs and emails that he sent during his time there." Reid explained.
"It would make sense that someone contacted Buford otherwise he wouldn't have known what was going on. If the mole didn't maybe we can find any interaction he had with William prior to his release." Hotch said.
"I'll drive." Morgan said.
The three of them headed to the remaining SUV and got in. Reid sat in the back, while Hotch sat in the passenger seat. Morgan took off for the highway so he could get to the prison.
"Did you tell the Warden we were coming Spencer?" Hotch asked.
"No I didn't."
"Do you think it'll be a problem?" Morgan asked.
"I don't think so. He shouldn't have anything to hide. Did you run anything by Detective Fenway?" Hotch asked.
"No when I got there they were leaving." Reid answered.
"Should we call them?" Morgan asked.
"No the kidnapping case is ours to work. If we uncover something about the molestation charges then we will. I'll call Garcia for the number for the prison so I can give the warden a heads up that we're coming." Hotch said as he dialed Garcia's number. After two rings she answered.
"Go for Garcia."
"Garcia I need the number for Desert High State Prison."
"Okay one moment and it's on your phone now. May I ask why?"
"Morgan, Reid and I are going to speak to the warden about Buford and see if anything was left in his cell. We'll be back in a few hours and we can all discuss what any of us find."
"You got it boss man, I will pass it along."
"Thank-you Garcia."
Hotch hung up his cell phone and then called the prison to speak to the warden. The warden was perfectly fine with them coming to speak to him about Buford. Hotch had informed him that they would be there within an hour and the warden said he would let his front desk security know. The drive over to the prison was done in a comfortable silence. After spending so much time together, they really didn't have much to say. Morgan and Hotch didn't want to keep discussing the case, because they didn't want Reid to feel overwhelmed or that the case was the only thing they could talk about. So they decided to give Reid sometime in the silence to collect his thoughts and get his head in the game. They knew it wasn't easy for him and they completely understood why it wouldn't be easy for him. Reid had been through a lot in the last couple of months. He had been through too much and now it was only going to get worse. Now he had to hunt down his own father for having a part in not only his kidnapping, but molesting other children. It was too much for one person to handle and to go through. So for now they would let Reid have his silence and some time to himself to get his thoughts in order. He still had a lot to handle in the next few days with his mother's funeral being tomorrow. All they could do was be there for him and hope that he'll make it through to the other side in one piece.