Inside the hotel, the women had gathered in the lobby to discuss the situation.
"Okay, who is going to tell him?" Garcia worried. There was no need to define 'him'.
"Probably someone he can't fire," Lena suggested. "That means either mom or Beth or me."
"I'll do it," Amanda volunteered. "I was my idea originally."
"We all went along with it," Blake pointed out.
"Don't worry," Amanda assured the women. "I've weathered worse!"
"Don't look now," JJ hissed as everyone saw Strauss stalking through the door, trailed by Hotch and Rossi.
"Everyone, off to handle your assignments," Beth told the agents. "Amanda and I will handle this!"
"And, I want a complete report on what you have done thus far," Strauss was instructing the two agents as they entered the lobby.
"Aaron," Beth called out. "I hate to bother you, but I really need to talk with you."
"Can't it wait?" Hotch asked impatiently. "We have to update Chief Strauss."
"Aaron, Caryn is missing!" Amanda decided it was best to begin with something that would get his attention.
"Caryn?" Hotch stopped and looked at her.
"Kevin's date," Lena reminded him.
"Is anyone looking for her?" Rossi asked.
"JJ and Blake are checking everyone in the main ballroom while Reid rounds up the hotel staff," Amanda spoke up. "And, Penelope is checking the security tapes."
"When is the last time anyone noticed her?" Strauss interrupted.
Amanda, Beth, and Lena looked at each other. "When Kevin yelled at Dave not to get in the car?" Beth guessed.
"And, there is something else, too," Amanda continued.
"We think we may know why she disappeared," Beth confessed.
"You did what?" Strauss was outraged. "Without clearing it first?"
"May I remind you, Erin," Rossi was trying to calm the Section Chief. "They aren't members of The Bureau. They aren't subject to our protocols."
"Also, you were concerned about any adverse information Caryn might obtain concerning The Bureau," Amanda pointed out. "We were merely putting a stop to that."
"By destroying evidence!" Strauss's voice was loud enough to be heard in the next state.
"How were we to know it was evidence of anything other than a nosey reporter bugging a Bureau function?" was Beth's argument. "This isn't exactly the type of gathering one would expect an international spy to attend!"
"She's right about that, Erin," Rossi agreed with Beth. "What we need to concentrate on now is tracking down Caryn."
Hotch already had his cell phone out. "I'm putting out a BOLO," he announced. "And, we need to talk to Kevin and find out what he knows about her."
"In addition, we probably need to get someone to go down into the drains," Rossi wrinkled his nose. "Maybe we can get some of the pieces of whatever it was back."
"I'll talk with the hotel management," Strauss was resigned to the fact that she was going to have to get involved. "Let me see what I can convince them to do."
Kevin entered the lobby and walked across to where the group was standing. "I've spoken with the hotel management," he reported. "They are letting us have several rooms to use for interviews."
"Good," Rossi announced. "Because the first person we interview is going to be you!"