Chapter 11

Stephanie saw Mary Lou stand and wave as she and Lula made their way over to the stands, where they were going to watch the guys practice for the game that was looming. She'd stopped by her parents' house to pick up Derek—it still felt weird calling the agents by the names they were used to, but since they needed to give the appearance of familiarity, it was important to get this right—and Penelope so they would be able to get together with Rossi, Blake, and Reid.

Derek leaned in and kissed Penelope on the cheek and then said, "You go ahead, Baby Girl. I'm going to take a look at the action on the field."

Penelope smiled. "Too bad you aren't going to be out there playing, my Statuesque God of Sculpted Chocolate Thunder."

Derek's eyes darkened as the two shared a look, and then he stepped back and sent her a grin. "Catch you in a few, Mama."

They headed into the stands as Derek made his way to the bench where Ranger and the guys were. Lula grinned at Penelope and said, "That's one fine man you got there."

Penelope looked like she was going to argue, but Lula shook her head and said, "Don't be givin' me none of that we-just-friends shit. I see you got it bad for him, and from what I seein', he got it just as bad for you, girl."

There was a look on Penelope's face that told Stephanie she had it bad for Derek but wasn't sure he felt the same—sort of reminded her of how it was for her and Ranger before she'd bared her soul to him. As they reached the others, they observed the pleasantries and then got down to the job of cheering on their team.

Penelope took out a laptop and started typing up a storm.

Blake frowned and then leaned forward. "Were you able to find out anything on those photos?"

Stephanie turned in their direction. "What photos?"

Penelope continued typing as she said, "Reid sent me photos that he took of three women when we were in Pino's the other day. Each one had a baby about the age Peter would be, and I'm looking through our database to see if any of them set of any alarms."

"Can I take a look?"

Penelope turned to Stephanie with her mouth open slightly, as if she were wondering how to politely decline, but before she could say anything, Blake spoke up to say, "That might be a good idea."

Penelope looked to Rossi, and he nodded and said, "I agree."

She turned the screen so Stephanie and Lula could take a look, and Mary Lou moved so that she was able to see as well.

Mary Lou pointed to one of the pictures and said, "That's Grace Gooley and her sister, Betsy. She was head cheerleader and always had a thing for Lenny. Remember that time at the prom, when she locked me in the janitor's closet and told Lenny I went outside with George Wilson?"

Blake's head whipped around. "George Wilson?"

Mary Lou and Stephanie both looked at Blake curiously, but it was Stephanie who said, "Yes, he was a grade ahead of us, and he and Lenny worked great together. They alternated the roles of quarterback and wide receiver."

Blake took a deep breath and then opened her purse to dig for something. After several seconds, she brought out a photograph and asked, "Is this the George Wilson that you know?"

Mary Lou nodded. "How is it you have his picture?"

Blake looked at the photo for a second and then said, "He's the man my niece married."

Stephanie and Mary Lou looked at each other for several seconds, then Stephanie turned to Blake. "I would think George would have recognized Betsy."

Blake nodded. "I think so too."

Stephanie placed a hand on her stomach, and Blake frowned as she asked, "Are you all right?"

Stephanie gave a slight shrug. "I just got a weird feeling, that's all. Maybe we can leave Betsy on the list and check her out just in case." She took a look at the other photos, and her eyes widened. Pointing to the third woman, she said, "That's Lisa Brown. Remember her?"

Mary Lou nodded. "She was a year behind us and was always tagging along. None of us really minded until she started making her move on our guys."

Stephanie nodded. "She had it really bad for Lenny. But she made plays for all of the guys."

Rossi's eyes narrowed. "Penelope, pull up photos of the other victims."

She looked up at him for just an instant, and then her eyes widened as she realized why he was asking her to do it. She turned back to the computer, and her fingers started flying over the keys. Within a matter of seconds, several photos popped up on the screen.

Mary Lou gasped.

Stephanie muttered under her breath as she rubbed her hands on her jeans. "These are all victims?"

Blake nodded. "Yes."

Stephanie lifted her gaze to meet the others. "Within a four-year age span, all of these people went to Trenton High. We would have all been in school together for at least a year."

Reid had his phone out and was punching in a number. After lifting it to his ear, he paused for several seconds and then said, "Hotch, we found a connection between all of the victims." He paused, listening, and then continued, "They all went to Trenton High School."

Reid's eyes narrowed, as if he were concentrating, and then he said, "I'm not sure, but I'll have Garcia check into it."

He replaced the phone on his belt and said, "Garcia, Hotch wants you to find out why that information hasn't come up before."

Penelope turned the computer screen and once again got busy typing. "I'm on it. If there are any secrets, they won't be hidden for long."

Stephanie turned to scan the area around them and lifted a hand to wave. "I've got some help coming with that."

Penelope glanced up momentarily, as if she were stunned at someone suggesting she needed help. "Thanks, but I've got this."

Stephanie nodded. "I'm sure you do, but it never hurts to hedge your bets."

Seconds later, Hector was standing beside them. "What you need?"

Stephanie hesitated, not sure she should divulge what she needed to tell Hector in front of the others.

As if he knew what she was thinking, Hector's eyes narrowed. He took the backpack off his shoulder, opened it to bring out what looked like an iPad, then handed it to Stephanie.

She booted it up and entered the password she'd been given to use. Her fingers hovered for a moment as she thought about what she needed to ask to get what they needed, and then inspiration struck and she started keying in the information. When the words, no results popped up on the screen, Stephanie frowned.

Stephanie saw a hand enter her peripheral vision, and she looked up to see Penelope holding out her hand, as if she was asking for the tablet. She assumed the other woman had guessed at the capabilities of a tablet that looked every inch like an iPad. Garcia said, "Let me try."

Stephanie looked up from what she was doing and hesitated about handing over the machine. She glanced at Hector. His eyes narrowed a fraction, and there was just a moment's hesitation before he gave her a nod.

Stephanie handed over the prototype that Hector had designed and watched as Penelope went to work typing. In a matter of seconds, they were getting all sorts of information flashing onto the screen. When Penelope stopped typing, all of them sat there staring at the information looking back at them.

Stephanie's phone chirped, and she looked up. Her attention was drawn to how still Ranger was standing on the field, and she noticed he was holding his phone up to his ear. The feeling in her stomach suddenly got worse. She reached into her bag to retrieve her phone, checking the caller ID. Her eyebrows furrowed as she saw that it was Joe Morelli calling her. Her gaze went to Ranger as she answered the call, and the moment Joe said, "Steph," she stood and froze, the phone falling from her hand.

Edna Mazur entered the women's room at Cluck-in-a-Bucket. She couldn't believe how hard it had been to convince Lester to bring her here for lunch, but she was hungry for the extra-crispy chicken, and nothing else would do. She'd finally worn him down, and they'd had an enjoyable meal. She just needed to zip in and use the facilities before they headed back to the house she shared with Helen and Frank.

The room was empty except for a young woman at the changing table. Edna smiled. She loved babies and never passed up a chance to meet one. She moved over to the changing table, and the woman hurriedly threw a blanket over the baby lying there.

"Can I help you?"

Edna shook her head. "I just saw the baby and wanted to get a look. That's a cute dress. How old is she?"

She was starting to get the idea that the woman didn't want anyone seeing the child, and that made her wonder. She had a natural penchant for wanting to see what she wasn't meant to see. She narrowed her eyes as she took a good look at the other woman. She was a couple of inches taller, and at a guess, she put her close to Stephanie's age. The blonde hair looked more white than yellow, and there was a familiarity about her features, like she should know who the girl was. Edna lowered her gaze to the child. Just then the blanket slipped, and Edna's eyes widened as she got a look at the baby's plumbing. She turned quickly and hurried into one of the stalls.

As she took care of business, she could hear the other woman moving around and pictured her finishing up changing the baby. The door opened, and Edna heard the younger woman leave. She took a relieved breath. Something was off about this, and she had a sick feeling in her stomach that this was something Stephanie needed to know.

Edna adjusted her clothing and exited the stall so that she could wash up. The hairs on the back of her neck were standing on end, and she glanced around but didn't see anything to cause alarm. She washed and dried her hands, all the while feeling nervous but not quite able to put her finger on what was bothering her.

She was just turning to leave the room when a flash of color in the mirror caught her attention. She turned but wasn't in time to avoid the blow to her head. She reached out and grabbed ahold of the only thing close enough as she went to the floor as everything went dark.

Lester checked his watch as he paced back and forth in front of the ladies room, waiting for Stephanie's grandmother to come out. He hadn't wanted to come here for a myriad of reasons. Among them, not only was he missing the much needed practice with the Steelers, but he was also trying to stay away from the greasy foods that Cluck-in-a-Bucket was known for. It was the kind of food that you loved but was so bad for the body.

The opening of the restroom door had Lester stopping in place to see if Grandma Mazur was finally coming out. He was concerned that she'd been in there for so long. Unfortunately, the only one to come out was a woman about his own age with a scarf wrapped around her head so that her face was obscured.

He frowned and asked, "Excuse me, ma'am. Was there an elderly woman in there? Do you know if she was having a problem of some kind?"

The woman shook her head.

Suddenly, he got that feeling in his gut that he used to get when a mission was about to go south. He didn't care who was in that restroom; he was going in. He brushed by the woman and entered the bathroom. The moment he did, his heart sank and he reached for his phone.