Chapter Ten:
Reid hit IGNORE on his phone again while riding with Rossi and Morgan to the home of the UNSUB in Arizona.
"Campaign trouble?" Morgan asked reading the look of annoyance on his friend's face.
"I know they wanted me on the trail after New Year's but J.J. has two sick kids and this UNSUB is abducting autistic children," Reid said angrily
"I know. I'm glad you're on the case. But you know you're going to have to choose one world over the other soon."
"She only needs me until the nomination is won or lost."
"You might like hanging with her as a political consultant."
Reid had had this conversation back and forth in his head and with other people. He was tired of it.
"Let's just focus on the case."
…
Sophie Brenner was at her wit's end in the Georgetown University auditorium. This was the last debate before the Iowa Caucus, ten days from now. It was the last solid impression she would make on the nation before voting began. She had all the notes, practiced repeatedly, and still felt unprepared. She knew why: She was missing Spencer Reid.
Brenner had a nasty argument with him before he left about loyalties even though she knew his reasons were important. He grounded her in ways others couldn't understand. It didn't hurt that he was cute and he was a walking encyclopedia. He could see through other candidates and find their weaknesses. Anna had warned her are about making sure every staffer felt expendable. Reid didn't feel expendable. She needed to have another difficult discussion with him when the case was over.
She stepped in front of the podium with trepidation. Under the hot lights she suddenly noticed a grim look on Anna's face. Brenner had thirty-five seconds. She beckoned Anna forward but she shook her head. Brenner knew she was stubborn to a fault and didn't care as she locked eyes with Anna and beckoned her forward again.
The speaker of the house was giving her a weird look as Anna came forward. The producers weren't pleased with the development either as this was going to be live.
"Five seconds," she said in her most authoritative tone and turned to Anna. "What is it?" she whispered.
There were tears in Anna's eyes. "A child was killed during the take-down of the UNSUB," she whispered. "The perpetrator himself was killed by the FBI. We don't know if it was Reid who pulled the trigger."
This sent the senator reeling. No wonder Anna didn't want to bother her with the information. But she needed to hear it. She looked to her rival who looked completely confused by what she was seeing but could not hear. Her staff was also full of statisticians and body language readers. But none with the mind like Spencer Reid.
"Thank you Anna," she whispered and her campaign manager scurried away.
Anna stood calmly as a microphone was placed on her. She felt strong and calm despite the sadness in her heart.
The moderator welcomed the audience and the viewers and then went over the debate rules. After a coin toss the speaker elected to go first in making her opening remarks.
"I am here because I feel I am the most qualified person to lead our nation through these troubled times," she said forcefully. "I am here because I believe in the core values of our country…"
Brenner looked at her for the first time and realized how completely foolish they were standing on a stage trying to describe tough times when Reid was probably the speaking with the family members of the recent murders. He and his team had done all they could. Both the speaker and she promised changed but none of that was going to change the reality of what was happening in Arizona and across the country.
"Senator?" the moderator said.
Brenner realized it was her turn to talk. She looked to Anna and gave a slight gesture with her hand. She was throwing out the script.
"Senator?" the moderator said again.
"I'm sorry Bob," she said. "I was just listening to the speaker and realized how stupid we both sound."
There was a gasp from the audience and she could feel the speaker's eyes burning into her.
"I just realized that while we stand before you claiming to humble servants with nothing but the desire make America an even stronger nation when we couldn't be far from the opposite. The truth is I have spent a great deal of my time courting the fat cats on Wall Street to fund my campaign. I have visited museums and landmarks I wish the children of our country could see but can't afford and may never do so. I am nothing like the people I want to lead but I surround myself with people who are better than me and that is why I deserve to be president."
After that the speaker attacked her relentlessly but Brenner held her ground. She argued that no person is an island. If she had the nuclear launch codes she hoped someone would explain the repercussions as she was not a nuclear physicist or served in the military. Her plans to spearhead an initiative to improve the lives of those below the poverty line was based on what she saw that needed change but she also needed help from people who knew more to create the plan. It was the most intense and lively debate they had ever had.
Brenner should have felt a surge of adrenaline as she hugged her husband after the debate was over but she didn't. She felt empty and spent.
She found herself choking up. Derik patted her back. "It's okay honey. Bad things happen but you did your best to make something more of it."
Brenner pulled away and avoided her staff as she moved through rooms until she found a small bathroom. She looked in the mirror at her perfectly styled red hair and her perfect makeup. Spencer Reid had a new horrible image to haunt him. Brenner burst into tears.
…
She was supposed to be back in Iowa but Brenner didn't feel like sleeping on a plane. Her husband went instead. She wanted to stay in DC for the night and hang out with some of her friends from the Hill. They understood her in ways the campaign staff didn't. Like when she only wanted to listen to complaints about festivus poles being up too long and what parks should be renamed. It kept her mind off other things.
It was past midnight when she found Reid waiting at her apartment door next to a pair of agents assigned to protect her.
"You could have just called instead hanging here all night."
He wouldn't look at her. "My plane only arrived forty-five minutes ago."
"Let's go inside."
She unlocked the door, turned on a light and dropped her purse on the couch.
"You hungry? I have only English Muffins though," she said trying to sound light as she poured herself a glass of water.
"Sorelno killed the child in front of me," he said abruptly. "Morgan shot him just after that."
Brenner couldn't imagined the emotional pain the agent was going through. She could have said she was sorry but she knew better.
"How did you know to find me here?" she asked instead.
"Selma didn't post anything about you going to Iowa tonight on your website so I guessed you'd be here with your friends."
"How do you think I did?" she asked assuming he had seen some of the debate on the plane ride home.
Reid wandered around her small apartment. "I think you won the nomination," he said. "Tonight you showed that you were human and made the Speaker look like an angry god. We're going to spend the rest of the campaign fighting to keep that momentum."
"Why are you here Spencer?" she asked.
He still wouldn't look at her. "I'm here because I don't want to crash at Morgan's but I don't want to be alone. I am afraid I going to do something very stupid."
He finally looked at her.
"I'm a drug addict Senator and all I want to do is get high right now."
She held his gaze. "There are narcotics in here from when my husband visited me here."
"I know but I also needed to say something to you," he starting to shake. "I'm tired of seeing death. I want to work on your campaign full-time."
"You're not thinking straight Spencer," she said. "You had one horrible case—"
"And I don't want to personally witness another like it in the near future. I want to help you win the presidency."
Anna turned away and beckoned him towards the bedroom. "Then help me pack and let's get on the next plane to Des Moines."