When JJ gets off the elevator she sees Ned approaching the bullpen. She hurries in, smiling when she sees Hotch, Rossi and Morgan also converging on the mail clerk. He holds a bag out to Hotch.
"We saw it when it came in this morning and bagged it just like you asked, sir. As far as we know the outside mail workers are the only ones who would have touched it." He smiles. "We were lucky it was on top of a stack."
Hotch nods and Morgan takes the bag to run it for prints and any other trace evidence it could give up to help them find their unsub.
"Well done, Ned. Tell everyone down there we appreciate their assistance with this."
Ned nods. "No problem, sir." He turns and starts to walk away when he sees JJ. He stops, his smile fading as he nods to her. "Morning, Agent Jareau."
He quickly ducks around her and hurries out of the room. Rossi and Hotch start to laugh.
"He's still terrified of you," Hotch notes.
"Of course he is. I threatened to shoot him," JJ points out proudly. "Of course, he's never asked me or Emily to be secretary to you guys again so I'd say fear is good."
Rossi nods, amused. "Definitely. Talk to Emily this morning?"
JJ nods and turns to Hotch. "She, McElroy and Spence are going to Dothan to try to talk to the sheriff. They want him to put out a statement that there is evidence the boys in custody didn't work alone or that they are innocent completely. Spence is worried if they don't get the sheriff to admit someone else is the arsonist the unsub could do something to really draw attention to himself."
"At the very least, maybe Reid can be in on the press conference; let the unsub know he's received the messages and arrived," Rossi suggests.
JJ nods. "That's part of the plan. You should get an email from Emily soon on their plan for attack, so to speak."
"Good. Did you send her everything we'd pulled together?"
"Yes. She's pretty pissed about going into this situation so unprepared. Add in the personal and I don't think it will take much to convince her to fly home when we get down there."
"Good. McElroy's boss let me know he needs to get back ASAP due to a couple of pending cases on his desk. Right now I'm just glad Emily has someone down there with her."
"Worried the unsub might try something?" Rossi asks.
Hotch raises an eyebrow. "No. Worried Emily might kill Reid."
The trio laughs, knowing there is a good reason to appreciate a witness being on scene with the angry profiler and AWOL genius.
Just after 1 Morgan gets back up to Hotch's office. "Only prints popped out of the Federal database: postal workers. Stamp was self sticking and envelope was sealed with water not spit."
Hotch sighs. "This guy is sophisticated. He's not just a fan of Reid's he's a fan of forensics. He taking all possible measures: fires in one place, mailing the letter from another, using gloves. We are right that he's been working on perfecting this."
"He wants to win Reid's admiration."
Hotch nods. "He's going to want Reid to witness at least one fire; to praise him start to finish."
Morgan whips out his phone. "I'll warn Prentiss."
Hotch grabs the phone off his desk. "I'll call Reid. I have a bad feeling we're not leaving at 2:30."
"Why's that?" Morgan asks.
Hotch just spins his monitor around. Morgan winces as he sees the radar picture scrolling through time lapse predictions. The storm was supposed to be blowing over but it is slowing down and not clearing the area until closer to 4 now.
"Son of a bitch," he mutters as he walks out, dialing Emily's number.
Hotch's call rings twice before it is answered.
"Hey, Hotch," Reid answers, his voice somewhat subdued.
"Two things," Hotch says, getting down to business immediately. "We received the second letter. Photos are definitely of the arson Morgan noted. Rossi and JJ are going over the photos now for anything that could be helpful. The paraffin can does appear front and center in the final shot as the house burns behind it."
"He wanted to make sure we saw it; wanted to make sure I understood it was him for me."
"Exactly. No evidence was left on the letter, disc, case, or envelope. Reid, he is extremely sophisticated. If he sees you on TV then most likely he will make contact in person. At the very least, he will want to send you his next series of photos there in the field."
"You want me to let it slip out where we are staying," Reid concludes.
"Yes. Draw him to the hotel. He'd still have to find out what room you're in. Any inquiries of such we can tell the front desk to alert us to."
"Okay. Maybe we can set up a false room for the desk clerk to give out?"
Hotch thinks about that and nods. "I like it. Do it."
"As soon as we get back I will."
"Have you met with the sheriff yet?"
"No. We've been here for 2 hours but he's in some sort of meeting he won't come out of. I'm ready to bust in and demand to see him. He just doesn't believe us."
"I'll have JJ send you the photos of the bodies in the second scene. Trust me: he'll see you if you threaten to release those to the public as being the work of the same man who burned the church."
"Yeah, he'll see us just to try to shut us down."
"Don't let it happen, Reid. Get him to listen."
"We will."
"Good. Because I am not sure when we are leaving now. The storm has slowed down. Looks like it won't clear the area until closer to 4 now. They won't clear the jet to fly until the ice and sleet stops and the winds ease up some."
"Damn. Emily's going to be pissed."
"You're right."
"I can see the look on Emily's face from here. She's going to kill me."
"There's a good chance of that," Hotch agrees with a small grin. "Watch your back, Reid…and not just in regards to the unsub."
"Will do. Thanks, Hotch."
Reid hangs up his phone. He watches as Emily pinches the bridge of her nose. Obviously the headache that had been plaguing her for two days is not getting better. He shakes his head. He had really screwed things up for his friend and with her. He hopes he can figure out a way to make amends with her. Emily hangs up and turns her glare on Reid. He starts towards her but she lifts up her hand.
"Don't. Not right now."
She turns and heads down the hall. It suddenly dawns on Reid that if the team has trouble getting out tonight then Emily will have trouble getting home. And that will probably mean McElroy is delayed. He turns his gaze to the large man working at an empty desk. He sighs.
"Between Emily and McElroy I'll be pounded into pulp," he mutters.
He jumps as he hears shouting down the hall. He and McElroy recognize Emily's voice and race down towards the sound. They find her in the middle of the meeting the sheriff is in holding her phone in his face.
"Listen, you pompous jerk, those two kids didn't burn down that church. My guess is by now you know that and can't stand to admit you're wrong. And they sure as hell didn't burn down this house with these people inside." The sheriff is squinting, a bit green as he is forced to look at the charred remains on the screen of Emily's phone. "We've been contacted by the sick fuck that committed both of these crimes. Now you can either work with us to track down the real arsonist or you can continue to sit on your fat ass while more people die. Because that is what is going to happen: more people will die! And I promise I will make sure every newspaper in the country has your name and photo to run alongside the images of the dead so everyone KNOWS why those victims died."
McElroy and Reid stand ready to defend Emily but it looks like everyone in the room is too scared to raise a hand, or even a voice, at the irate agent. The sheriff finally pulls his eyes away from the screen to look at Emily.
"I…I'll hear what you have to say. But if you don't convince me I'll throw your ass in jail and throw away the key," he warns her.
Emily straightens up and takes a step back. "Let's go."
She turns and walks out of the room, leveling a glare at Reid as she goes. The sheriff and the other two agents follow her down the hall to the lawman's office. He takes his seat and shrugs.
"So, lay it out for me," he says, still not convinced.
By the time Reid and Emily are done, McElroy is impressed by his colleagues. They seamlessly go through the case, alternating who is speaking as if it has been choreographed. Emily may be pissed at Reid but there is no denying the two agents work exceptionally well together. Had he not already been convinced that the unsub had set both fires he would be now.
The sheriff is impressed by the agents…but his hatred for the two kids down in his cells is very, very high. Emily shakes her head.
"What would it hurt to have us speak to them? Quiz them?" she presses.
The sheriff finally shrugs. "Fine. You want to waste your time on a couple of space cases who am I to argue. Let's go."
Fifteen minutes later Emily sits down in front of the two suspects and their lawyer in an interrogation room. In the adjoining room, the sheriff, Reid and McElroy watch. The sheriff looks at Reid.
"She's only got one good arm. She gonna be okay if they try something?"
Reid grins and raises an eyebrow. "Even with two bad arms they wouldn't stand a chance against her. She'll be just fine," he assures the man.
Emily starts the interrogation asking some easy questions, gauging the expressions and mannerisms of the two Goth teens. The sheriff looks at Reid.
"What the hell is she doing?"
"She's studying their tells. She'll know what to look for now if they lie or get nervous. Think of it as her being a human lie detector."
"And that shit works?"
"Yes."
The sheriff grunts, still not believing any of this. Emily now starts to question the boys specifically about the church.
"So, why did you burn down the church?"
"Does it matter?" one boy asks.
"To me it does because I don't believe you did it."
He rolls his eyes. "Yeah, right."
"Look, you can work with me or against me. Work against me and you stay in here under the thumb of a prejudiced sheriff. Work with me and maybe you're home in time for dinner."
"We didn't do it!" the other suddenly says. Emily had thought he was the weaker link as opposed to the one posing as a tough. "We're just in here because he hates the way we dress and a bunch of old people in town are scared of us. We don't do shit to them it's just about how we look and what we listen to."
Emily nods. "I see. So Peter Dinsdale didn't put you up to this?"
The kid frowns, clearly confused. "Who is he? He's lying if he said he saw us do something."
Emily glances to the other kid. He shrugs.
"He's probably some crony of the sheriff and will say whatever gets us in trouble," he offers up.
It is clear to everyone that neither kid knows Peter Dinsdale. Emily nods and glances down at the questions she'd had Reid write out for her.
"Why did you leave a kerosene can at the scene?"
The tough kid rolls his eyes. "Look, lady, we didn't do it. My guess is the jerk left the kerosene can behind because it was empty. If you were any kind of decent agent you'd have figured that out, too."
In the other room, Reid grins. "Gotcha."
The sheriff frowns. "I don't understand."
"It was a paraffin can, Sheriff, not a kerosene can. It was left very specifically so we'd find it. If these guys had set the fires they'd have been upset if we didn't know that. Even if they hadn't corrected Emily their eyes and pulse points would have reacted at the incorrect question."
"Oh," the man says, still only partially convinced. "So if you're sure this Dinsdale guy is the one why haven't you brought him in for questioning?"
Reid's eyes never leave Emily's interrogation. "Peter Dinsdale is considered the most prolific arsonist in history. He admitted to 26 deaths by arson in Hull, England over 6 years in the 70's. These first two fires in Alabama mimic 2 of his best known fires."
"He killed some cons there, too?"
"Actually it was a family home. The kids were known troublemakers. Three members didn't make it out alive though they were not chained to their beds. Our arsonist did that to make sure the kills matched." Reid turns and looks at the man. "He will set another. The fact that you have given credit to two people for one of his fires will make him desperate to be heard. Help us stop any more senseless deaths."
The sheriff turns back to the window. He listens as Emily asks one more question.
"Other than your looks and taste in music, why would the sheriff think you all did this?"
The two guys exchange a look. The tough guy leans forward, conspiratorially.
"We…sort of accidentally burned down his chicken coop. We were using it to smoke dope and I guess we didn't put out all the butts or something. It was an accident. He knew it had to be us but he couldn't prove it. So, when this happened, we knew he'd come after us. I swear, lady, we didn't do it."
"First of all, it's 'Agent' not 'lady' so cut that shit out. Secondly, I believe you. If all has gone well, the sheriff believes you now, too. Expect charges for the coop."
She stands and lifts up the folders she had brought in. She looks at the kids, remembering her time as a Goth and the loneliness that drove her to that culture. She pulls out her phone and pulls up a picture Garcia had texted her that morning at Emily's request. She turns the phone towards the guys, showing them her princess of darkness-style senior picture.
"Get an education and get out of town if it's so bad here. Trust me when I say you can decide your own future. Nothing is predetermined as long as you don't let stupid decisions make you do stupid things and end up in here permanently."
The boys nod. As Emily reaches the door, the tough calls out to her.
"Agent Prentiss?" She turns. "Thanks."
She gives him a smile and nods. She walks into the next room. "So?"
The sheriff sighs. "Tell me what you want me to do."
"…so to make sure I have the right men in custody, I asked the FBI to come in and review the case. As they were doing so, they discovered a like-crime in nearby Troy. After interviewing the two suspects we had here in Dothan they have found that they did, indeed, start an accidental fire a few months ago. However, they are not the ones that burned down the church or the house in Troy. I now step aside so Dr. Spencer Reid of the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit can let you all know what the next steps in the investigation will be."
The sheriff steps aside and Reid steps to the podium.
"The FBI is sending in additional agents from the BAU to assist in this investigation. We are concerned the arsonist is on a spree and his next target could be a mental health facility. We have put them on alert to watch out for suspicious activity and given them our contact information should they have any questions or need any assistance. We believe we are looking for a single, white male, aged 24-30. He is a loner. He has committed other arsons but most likely on empty buildings or abandoned vehicles. These were precursors to the two he has set now and the ones we believe he has planned for the future."
Reid takes a deep breath and stares into the camera directly in front of him. It was now or never.
"We are setting up our investigation in a conference room at the Fairfield Inn in Montgomery so we can get quickly to any city that may need our assistance. Does anyone have any questions at this time?"
"Do you currently have any suspects?" a reporter yells.
"Not yet. We're still in the early stages of the investigation. Once we do we can release that information as we will need the public to help us find him. We do ask anyone who sees suspicious fires or other activities to call their local police immediately. Do not approach the suspect as he may react violently if his plans are disrupted."
He answers a few more questions then finally ends the press conference. As he steps back inside the precinct, Emily pats him on the back.
"Well done, Reid."
"Thanks, Em," he says with a smile.
With a promise to stay in touch with the sheriff, the trio starts back to Montgomery. McElroy glances over at them as he drives. It is 3:15 local time.
"I'm gonna grab my stuff and go to the airport. There are two flights out tonight that are delayed but not yet cancelled. Maybe I can get into DC between the two storms."
Reid nods. "Good idea. I'll go with you and turn in my sedan and sign over your SUV. With the team on the way we'll need the bigger vehicle." He glances into the backseat at Emily. "What are you going to do?"
Emily sighs. "I'll…stay for now. I'm not leaving you until the team arrives."
Reid nods. "Thanks, Em."
"Still mad as hell at you though," she says with a twinkle in her eye.
He chuckles. "I'll buy you something pretty."
Emily laughs and punches his arm lightly. "That's my line, you jerk."
He just grins and turns back to the road. Emily gets a text alert and pulls out her phone.
"Thank goodness." She looks up. "Team is in the air. Should be at the hotel by 6 or so due to the route the jet has to take to avoid that second front coming in."
"So then go with McElroy, Em," Reid encourages.
"No. If this guy does show up at the hotel I'll need to question him until the team arrives. No way are we putting you in front of him without Morgan there to stomp his ass if needed." Reid opens his mouth to say something but Emily raises her hand. "No, Reid. Case closed."
When they get to the hotel, Emily gives McElroy a hug. "In case you do get home, thank you for everything."
He smiles. "No problem. Kind of looking forward to seeing that creep again now that we know who he is."
Emily chuckles. "I bet. Good luck getting a flight out tonight."
"Thanks."
The three agents get on the elevator with another guest and ride up to their floor. The man gets off with them, hanging a left at the main hall as the agents go to the right. He stops at a door and watches out of the corner of his eyes as the agents go into their rooms. He tries his key card several times in the door but the light never goes green. With a groan he goes back downstairs to get a new card.
"This isn't working," he tells the clerk.
The clerk frowns. "Oh, sorry. Must have hit a wrong key or something." He types a couple times and takes the key, swiping it through the machine once more."
"There you go, sir. Room 314 should open just fine now. If not, it may be the locking mechanism. Call me and I'll send someone up with a new room for you."
Devon Pretoria smiles. "Thanks."
He goes back to the elevator. As he arrives, Reid and McElroy step off. Reid gives the man a curious look. Devon holds up his key card, smiling.
"Didn't work."
Reid chuckles. "Hate when that happens."
Devon nods and gets on as the two agents leave. As he gets off on 2 again, Emily steps on in work out gear. Devon smiles as the doors close.
"Perfect," he whispers.
He goes down the hall and uses a simple device he had learned how to make online to get into Reid's room. He slowly walks through the room, running his hand over Reid's suitcase. He opens it and lifts up a shirt to his nose, inhaling the scent.
"It even smells smart," he whispers.
Now he settles down to await the return of his prey.
At 6:15 JJ keys open the door to the room she will share with her wife. "Em? You in here?"
She frowns when there is no answer. Last time she had spoken to Em the brunette was going down to work out her legs and do some easy weights with her left hand and some rehab exercises on her right.
"If she is still working out she's working out her frus- -" JJ starts to mutter to herself…but then she sees her wife's sneakers. She looks around and sees her wife's dress boots. "Those are all she had with her," JJ mumbles.
She pulls out her phone and hits her wife's number. She hears the ring coming from Reid's adjoining room. Then there is the sound of muffled groans and what sounds like a headboard bouncing off the wall. JJ hits Hotch's number.
"Something is wrong here," she whispers. "Get to Reid's room. Now."
"On our way," Hotch says.
JJ tosses the phone on the bed and pulls her gun out of her briefcase. She eases open the door on her side and sees the one to Reid's room is not completely closed. She counts three in her head and kicks it open quickly stepping in to clear either side of it. Her eyes get wide when she sees the body on the bed.
"EMILY!"