They averaged 95 miles per hour down I-66, JJ following Hotch. It was before afternoon commuter hours and traffic was light. Cars pulled over for them and they barely had to tap their brakes. They drove in silence for the first ten miles, lost in thought, worried.
Garcia came back on the line. "I did the news conference. I'm running Sarah's travel itineraries now," she said softly.
"Her cognitive interview was solid, Derek. I'm so sorry," said JJ.
"It was solid because she did all of it," Rossi said over the speaker. "I don't think Lee is involved. If he was, Sarah would have given us a different physical description so her name wouldn't be brought into it, so we wouldn't find Lee at all. Jessica got hold of the knife and stabbed Sarah. She covered her tracks and then turned herself into a victim. We never saw it because there's no basis for a crime like this committed by a woman. Especially a woman with a sleeping child in her car…"
Over the line everyone could hear Hotch interrupt Rossi, "Dave. Don't."
JJ glanced at Derek and watched him turn his head towards the window.
Garcia was back, "Sarah had contract jobs in all of the areas near the murder sites around the right dates. She was in Raleigh in January. She was in Buffalo, NY when the Toronto murder occurred. In Carlsbad during the San Diego murder..." She trailed off. "Emily's a fighter, Derek."
"We're at the house," said Reid. "Mike's car isn't here, but the garage is closed."
"Assess. Be smart, Reid. You've got this." said Hotch, but his head was spinning scenarios and none of this looked good.
The speakers became eerily silent. Derek turned his head back towards JJ, tears streaming down his face. "I know what you've all already concluded. The news story was a nice idea in the moment, but Sarah James fucked up. Lee was her cover all along, but she never counted on getting stabbed last night. And when Emily and JJ went to see her right when she woke up from surgery, she was too out of it to realize she needed a different story. She's now realized that this will all come back to her. She's playing out her end game here." Derek paused to shake his head, tears turning to sobbing, "Is this even real? I can't lose her again."
JJ teared up herself and repeated Penelope's words. "Emily's a fighter."
"But she'd sacrifice herself for Serena," Derek said.
Hotch's voice came on the line, "No. Emily would bust her ass to find a way to save them both if it came to that, Derek."
Derek buried his face in his hands and they all drove in silence for a few more minutes.
"The house is clear," said Reid over the speaker. "It's completely empty. No one lives here."
"Garcia! Where?" Hotch yelled.
They could hear her typing frantically. Garcia sucked in a shaky breath, "Sarah's parents invested in real estate. Sarah's mom died in January and Sarah inherited three properties. Flint Mill, Marshall and Jeffersonton. Hang on." More typing before she came back on the line, "Two weeks ago Sarah set up a mail forward to the house in Flint Hill. Address coming to you now."
"Damn it, Penelope!" Derek yelled.
"Derek, everything pointed to the house in Warrenton. Sarah's driver's license, the address she gave the hospital when she was released. She was just a victim…"
"It's ok, Garcia, let's focus," said Hotch. "We're seven miles from Warrenton."
"We're on our way to Flint Hill. Twenty minutes." said Mike. "Fort Royal police could get there faster."
In the car, Rossi turned to Hotch and shook his head. The men understood each other. With every minute they had to process this case, reality was becoming clearer. The chances were slim enough as it was, and untrained small-town police officers busting into the house would not improve the odds. It wasn't worth the risk for the handful of minutes it would save them.
"If there's a unit close, have them do a quiet drive by to see if your car is there, Mike," said Hotch. "But that's all."
They heard Mike make the call to Fort Royal dispatch.
Rossi's personal cell buzzed in his pocket. A text from Reid, "If she already has Emily restrained, Sarah will kill her the second we bust in the door. We need a line of sight from outside if we can get it."
"I know," Rossi texted back. He showed his phone to Hotch, who nodded.
"Reid, we're going to be a few minutes behind you. You've got this. We'll take your lead," said Hotch as he pushed down on the accelerator.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Emily felt the rush of cold water on her face and came to, her eyes opening to a spinning and blurry room.
"Oh, there you are, Emily," said Sarah. "I was beginning to think this wasn't going to be any fun at all. Sorry about your head. That's not really my thing, but I didn't plan in advance for you and I found myself without any of my usual supplies."
Emily's eyes rested on Sarah. Actually, they rested on three Sarahs. She blinked, but couldn't focus her eyes. She remembered, though. Sarah was the unsub. That much she remembered. Her next thought was of Serena and she tried to look around the room.
"Serena's fine. I would never hurt her. I think she'll sleep through this whole thing if you don't make too much noise." said Sarah. "We're in the basement. I tore some of my stitches dragging you down two flights of stairs, but we're all locked up nice and tight down here, so that's best I think. You're probably going to be pretty bruised, but don't worry, you won't feel any pain soon. "
Emily became aware of her body. She was sitting in a chair. Her arms and feet were restrained. Ropes. Each arm was tied to the sides of the chair. Each ankle was tied to the legs. Her mouth was taped shut. Sarah was in a chair facing her. Emily was in excruciating pain. The room spun again and she closed her eyes.
"No, no, Emily. Stay awake. I'd like that better." Sarah slapped Emily's cheek and Emily opened her eyes again. "That's good. Let's play, shall we?"
Sarah got up and went to the wall to a display case of hunting knives. "Which knife should we use, Emily? Jessica's isn't a choice. I had to leave that behind last night. I've got Mary's, Jill's and Alison's knives here, but I'm thinking, Emily, that you deserve your very own." Sarah grabbed a knife with a pearl handle and came back to her chair. She leaned towards Emily and whispered, "What I'm about to do next is usually the part where the women start crying, just so you know."
Sarah grabbed the hem of Emily's sweater and sliced it open up the middle with her knife. Next she pulled forward on the center of Emily's bra and slipped the knife underneath, cutting it with ease. Sarah took her hand and parted the fabric of the sweater and bra away from Emily's body. "Derek must love this body. This is exciting. I've never done this without gloves before." Sarah looked a second more. "Oh, my, that's quite a scar." She tapped the flat part of her knife against the scar on Emily's abdomen. She leaned forward and whispered, "But it's nothing compared to what I'm going to do to you."
The reality of the situation pressed through Emily's fogginess and her heart rate accelerate.
Sarah took her index finger and ran it between Emily's breasts, stopping just below her sternum. "You are number eight." Sarah took the knife and made a small puncture on each side of her index finger. Tears pricked Emily's eyes, but she fought them back. She knew what happened, she'd read about the crime scenes, but she wouldn't give Sarah the satisfaction.
Sarah leaned back in her chair and looked at Emily, "There's a part of me that wants to tell you my story, but to be honest, I'm kind of tired of it. I told Jessica, I wrote it in my journal, and now I just want to get on with things. You see, I think we're almost out of time. When we left the hospital and you said there was a suspect in custody, I knew you had Lee. When you were unconscious, I turned on the news and a Penelope Garcia was saying how they had strong evidence that they had the right man in custody. I knew that had to be a lie. That's when my countdown started. I figure we have fifteen minutes, if I'm lucky."
Sarah leaned forward again and brought the knife to the side of Emily's face and lifted a wisp of her hair with it. "Serena told me about your Derek, about how he looked a lot like her daddy. You're not really my type with this dark hair, but times being what they are, you'll do. We'll play as long as we can and the second I hear that door up there open, I'll slit your throat. I'm good with that ending."
Adrenaline filled Emily's system. She knew Sarah was being truthful. If the team busted in here, Emily would bleed out before they could help her. Her only thought was of Derek. How she couldn't do that to him. Not again. She needed to help herself. She assessed her situation again. She was in an old wooden chair in a basement. Her hands and arms were tied tight to the sides and her ankles were strapped to the legs. But her feet were firmly on the ground.
XXXXXXXXXXXXX
Penelope sat in the office at the sheriff's station crying and shaking, not able to control her fear. The Fort Royal police department had confirmed that Mike's car was in the driveway of Sarah's house. Come on, Emily, she thought.
She listened to the speaker crackle and Reid spoke, "We're four blocks away."
"We're five minutes out," replied Hotch. "JJ, what do you think…"
"Derek, can you do this?" asked JJ loudly. "You might compromise her if you don't have yourself together." A pause. "Damn it, Derek, answer me! I will kick your ass out on the side of the road if you can't get it together. I mean it."
Penelope could hear Derek take a deep breath. "I can do this." Another breath and a more controlled voice. "I can do this," he repeated.
"Then reach back there and grab the vests and let's do this. Emily is going to be fine," said JJ.
Then she heard Reid's voice in a tone she'd never heard before. "Listen to me Mike, if Sarah has Emily restrained and she hears us coming, she will slit Emily's throat. We are looking for a clean shot. If you look in those windows and you see blood, you don't bust in the door. If you hear screaming, you don't bust in the door. That is last resort. We are looking for a clean shot on Sarah first. Are we clear?"
"Got it," said Mike firmly.
"We're pulling up," said Reid.
Penelope started rocking, listening to the silence.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Sarah moved her knife and tapped the flat side against Emily's left nipple. "When they come for me, if you're already dead and I lay down my knife, do you think they'll arrest me? I don't. I think Derek will put a gun to my head and pull the trigger. I'm actually kind of looking forward to that." Sarah leaned back in her own chair and brought the knife to her lap, smiling.
Fuck you, you crazy bitch, Emily thought. With every ounce of strength and focus in her body, Emily leaned back in the chair and then lunged her torso forward. She screamed out from behind the tape as she lifted her body and the chair and propelled herself up on her toes, then she slammed back down with all of her strength.
The chair splintered. There were still pieces of wood attached to the ropes around Emily's limbs, where she now was sprawled on the ground, and her body was screaming in pain, but she could move.
Sarah stared at her in shock for one second and then lunged from her seat, the knife pointed at Emily. Emily lifted her legs and kicked Sarah's arms and the knife flew out of Sarah's hand. Sarah landed on top of Emily with a thud and punched and scratched anywhere she could, totally out of control. "You bitch!" she screamed.
Emily could feel her own strength waning. The adrenaline used to free herself had sapped her. Her body was just too tired and in too much pain. She could barely focus. She couldn't win a brawl. She turned her head to the left and saw her engagement ring glinting on her finger. Derek. Then she saw the chair leg. Doyle. The combined feelings of supreme love and ultimate hate surged in her and gave her the extra energy she needed. She stretched and grabbed the splintered chair leg on the ground and used every bit of strength she had left to drive it into Sarah's neck.
Sarah's body slumped on her instantly, her head settling on Emily's chest. Emily reached her hand up to rip the tape off her mouth and took shuddering breaths of air. The feeling of warm blood spilling on her stomach made her want to move. She shifted her body to the side and rolled out from under Sarah. She crawled her way to the far wall where she turned and slumped against it. Then the shaking started.
XXXXXXXX
Reid and Mike quietly climbed the steps up the porch and split up, each going around the sides of the house. There was blood on the interior staircase; both could see that, but it wasn't a lot. They came around to the rear of the house and headed down the back steps. Reid pointed and Mike nodded. They started circling the sides of the house, looking for basement windows.
Reid came to one first and saw a flash of red. Blood red. He dropped to his knees and could see Sarah laying on the floor in a puddle of blood, but he couldn't see Emily. Reid could hear the cars pulling up on the street and he glanced to the front of the house. The rest of the team was emerging.
Reid turned back to the basement window. Suddenly, Sarah's body rose from the ground, a piece of wood in her hand, reaching for the basement wall Reid couldn't see. Reid flung himself on his stomach and took aim, emptying his cylinder in Sarah's head. "You're clear" he shouted to the team. Then he called an ambulance.
XXXXXXXX
Hotch and Rossi entered the house first, followed by JJ and Mike. Derek, who had been in motion when they first arrived, froze when Reid started shooting then gave the clear signal. Now that Sarah was gone, he couldn't seem to propel himself to see what was in that house.
There were two potential victims in the house; Serena and Emily. One was likely in the basement, but the other could be anywhere.
Hotch and Rossi followed the trail of blood upstairs, and JJ and Mike surveyed the living room, following the trail through the kitchen to the basement door. Clear or not, both JJ and Mike had their weapons drawn as they opened the door and headed down to the basement.
XXXXXXXXXX
Reid ran to Morgan on the sidewalk and took his gun, not trusting that he could handle what he might or might not find in the house. No one had lain eye on Emily yet. Morgan didn't even seem to notice his gun was in Reid's hand. Reid grabbed his arm, "Come on, Morgan." Morgan didn't move.
The radio in Morgan and Reid's ears crackled, JJ's voice, "We've got Emily. The basement."
That propelled Derek into motion, and Reid put his hand on his arm and walked with him up and into the house.
XXXXXXXXXX
When JJ and Mike entered the basement, the first thing they were drawn to was Sarah James and the piece of wood in her neck, the splintered wood scattered around, the precise bullet holes in her forehead, and the blood. Their eyes scanned for Emily and JJ spotted her first, sitting against the wall under the window where Reid fired his weapon. Legs straight out in front of her, shirt and bra sliced open, chest exposed, and covered in blood. She was shaking. JJ ran and got there first. "We've got Emily. The basement," she said in her mic.
"Emily!" she shouted. JJ's hands felt and looked on Emily's torso, neck and chest, then she shifted Emily forward to feel her back. Emily's teeth were shattering, and her skin was so cold and clammy. Shock. Emily tried to say something, but JJ couldn't understand her. JJ stripped off her jacket and turned Emily's body to the side, laying Emily on her back with her head on the jacket. She reached forward and pulled the sides of Emily's sweater over her breasts.
"Not my blood," Emily chattered.
JJ rested her hand on Emily's face. "Ok, Em. You're ok. You're in shock, but you're ok."
Mike came over and JJ shouted, "Get her feet up. She's in shock."
JJ's hands traveled up and felt the congealed blood in Emily's hair and huge lump. At that moment the rest of the team came down the basement stairs, Morgan in the lead.
One look at Emily and Derek Morgan completely lost it. "No, no, no, not again," he cried and ran to Emily and slumped to his knees, searching her body for the blood source.
"It's not her blood, Derek," said JJ.
Morgan just kept crying and chanting, "No, this isn't happening. Not again."
Mike reached forward and grabbed Derek's shirt and shouted, "It's not her blood, man."
Derek snapped out of it and nodded. He placed one hand on Emily's chest, over her heart, to feel the beat of it and reassure himself. Tears were falling from his face. "I love you, Emily,"
Emily, teeth still chattering, reached her hand up to touch his cheek. "Love you, too. I'm ok," she stuttered. Her eyes shifted up to JJ, "Don't let Serena see any of this." Then Emily let the blackness consume her again.
