The Interregnum: Chapter 12

By Helena Fallon

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Carl and Spencer arrived at the Baltimore Holding Facility at 9:30 a.m. The prison authorities were expecting them and both men sensed the chastened air amongst the staff as they were taken through the corridors to the interview room. As soon as they had entered the building their senses were assaulted by a different world. They had left the bright chill of a winter morning for the warm clinging air that smelt of stale urine and sweat. It was far worse in the larger prisons but both men were use to the culture and odours of these establishments because it all went with the job.

"Is Shields still refusing to talk?" Carl asked the greying guard.

"Yes sir, he has also refused to even talk to the lawyer who was appointed to him after the original charge and didn't want him here today."

Spencer listened but had decided at first to quietly slip into the background, letting the prisoner assume that the older man was the senior agent. They entered the room and sat at the table to wait for Shields but he was brought almost immediately and was in chains. Carl glanced across at Reid as the man sat down and the chains secured.

"The Director here doesn't want to take chances after his previous unprovoked attack," the smaller of the two guards explained and then they left.

"I am Agent Carl Miyake from the Crimes Against Children Unit and this is my colleague, Dr. Spencer Reid. We are here to listen to anything that you might like to tell us about your alleged crime against two boys and the murder of Brian Rankin."

Austin Shields sat impassive; staring at a spot above them as if he'd not heard a word. After a few minutes the prisoner lowered his gaze but his studied distant demeanour did not change.

The three men eyed each other calmly and Spencer Reid thought that, with the serene Carl and himself, it could be an interesting few hours to see who could calmly out psych who with the heavy brooding silence that surrounded Shields. It gave Spencer the opportunity to observe the man in minute detail from the large head, set on strong broad shoulders, with a thick neck that revealed the tension of its owner by the pulsating veins to the side. The standard prison uniform with its bright orange colour only emphasised the muscular bulk of the man, who now held his large handcuffed hands together just resting on the edge of the table top that separated him from the two agents. Spencer and Carl had agreed on the strategy during the drive there; both would keep staring at Shields but remain silent once Carl had done the statutory introduction.

The first hour of silence passed quite quickly. Carl was a man who made the most of his task; if this prisoner was not going to talk then he'd just reply in the same manner and let his inner mind work upon another case. Carl was still haunted by the failure to identify Vikki; the young girl who had died, but seemed to have slipped through the social net of anyone ever reporting her missing. News programmes in the Washington area had broadcast Vikki's hospital photographs and when that got no response other broadcasters had picked up on the story in the New York and California. However, despite all this media help, there had been no public response. Amanda and Melanie had sent Vikki's picture to 'missing persons' units in Central and South America but so far there had only been silence.

Spencer was quite content to let his own mind wander over the facts of the present case and the task of breaking into the Torte site. He didn't mind if they sat here all day because he enjoyed the quiet Carl at his side and that was why he had chosen him for this visit. Reid gambled that Carl's Japanese ancestry would unsettle Shields. The prisoner was playing a role but to Carl the serenity of the moment was naturally at his core. Carl Miyake was a quiet agent but was swift to act decisively when needed. He had no ambition to rise in the ranks to some managerial post because he disliked the politics at the higher levels. The day to day work was far more interesting to Carl and his CACU colleagues appreciated this agent's quiet stability.

Spencer's mind roamed over various ideas for breaking the code of the Torte site. He found the whole experience in this silent room satisfying because he knew that he had the upper hand with this prisoner and just had to judge the time right to act.

Austin Shields was perplexed, the police and the other CACU agent had tried to provoke a reaction from him but these two men were seriously unsettling his control of the situation. The older one maintained a placid and unreadable expression, it seemed to Shields that even the man's breathing had retreated to the barest minimum. Shields had never seen such calmness totally take-over a person before and he found that disturbing.

The prisoner turned his attention onto the younger man. He had been introduced as a Dr. and Shields thought that rather odd. He looked terribly young and very skinny; even the empty gun holster didn't look right on the man. Shields concentrated on the tan coloured holster and noted that it was worn more to the front, rather than to the side of his waist, but perhaps that was because the bulky holster kept getting in the way of his long stick like arms. 'Yeah,' he thought, 'that was it, the younger one was like a stick man the kids drew when they first went to school with big round eyes and lots of hair. He certainly was so lean that the eyes looked very large and the cheekbones were prominent, like those fashion photographs in the magazines…The male models all looked emaciated to his eyes and this agent would probably blow away in a gust of wind. He couldn't stop a smile creeping across his face at the picture he was now imagining. The man opposite raised a bemused eyebrow but said nothing.

Shields' eyes dropped to the man's long slender fingers and noted that he wore a broad gold wedding ring. He looked across to his colleague and saw that the agent was also married and wondered if they both had children and what their partners were like. Perhaps this oriental looking one had an exotic wife to go with his fancy name. As for the skinny one, he was tall but so thin, the opposite of his partner who was broad backed and he sensed a physical strength in his frame. The tall thin one intrigued him, perhaps he had an equally tall waif-like wife and they were both tossed about by the wind. Their children would be like the fluff of dandelion seeds, blown hither and yon by the breeze….

Carl was fascinated by the expressions on the prisoner's face, he was obviously amused by something but he seemed to make no move to share whatever was in his mind at that moment. But Carl had noticed how Shields had observed both himself and Reid and the scrutiny had been quite intense although Carl tried to remain impassive. Carl knew that Reid had hardly moved despite the fact that the interview room chairs were now distinctly uncomfortable and there was a numbness beginning to settle in his backside, despite regularly scrunching up his toes and flexing his feet and circling them from his ankle joint. However, the upper part of his body remained still and he wondered if the prisoner had even sensed what was happening under the table with his feet in an attempt to keep his circulation running.

Shields noticed the time on the older man's watch; they had been in this room together for over two hours. The sounds of the prison seemed to get even louder as the silenced continued to dance around them. The prison routines continued beyond the immediate walls and Shields recognised the smell of minced beef with onions and gravy as it began to seep its way from the kitchens, along with the distant clatter of large kitchen pans and the voices of the kitchen workers. He couldn't hear their exact words just the general buzz of busy voices and the upbeat of the camaraderie that the inmates could usually hear from their cell windows if they opened the vents. Shields wondered if they would remain here after lunch because they didn't seem to be making any effort to move or talk to him. Lunch for the isolation unit was at 1:30 so he had some time yet before he'd be able to get away from these two freaks before him.

The silence continued and Shields fidgeted as the lack of movement began to take its toll on his big frame. He had to grudgingly admire the two men opposite as they seemed to be as stoically immobile as when they first arrived and Shield's wondered if it was something that they had learnt in the FBI. Perhaps they were made to sit for hours on hard wooden chairs or had to listen to lectures on hard seats and were failed if they moved or showed the slightest sign of boredom. The absurdity it of it all caught up with him and he noticed that the older one's watch now said 12:16 but then the panic began to set in.

Perhaps, Shields mused, they were really just going to sit here all day, and then two more agents would come and sit with him. He chided himself, 'No, there were strict rules and prisoners had rights to their meals and time to go to the toilet but these were the FBI and perhaps they were allowed to do things differently. Perhaps he ought to have that lawyer after all? But that would tell them that you have something to say,' his inner self argued… 'But they have left you here and have they helped…just because they have money they think themselves untouchable…They have promised good money but would it be waiting for him when he'd served his sentence?'

Spencer watched and noted that the prisoner was looking more agitated. During the past hour particularly he had seen increased facial twitches, smiles and darting eye movements and now the eyes showed indecision, even momentary fear. He had spent his time refusing to speak since Rankin's death, even only responding to direct questions from his guards with a nod or shake of the head. The prisoner had been switching his gaze between the agents trying to weigh up who was the weaker of the two and trying to understand their tactics. They were deliberately taking their time and Spencer had told Danielle that they would be turning their cell phones off because this was to be a combined effort of breaking this man's self imposed wall of non-communication. Spencer knew that Shields's tactic would ultimately fail, all that was needed was patience and the air of unhurried calmness. The police, and even Rick, had tried to get an explanation for the attack but Shields himself felt that silence would be his friend because that way he wouldn't betray anything he shouldn't.

Shields's mind began to run out of control, he desperately tried to calm the warring inner voices that were arguing inside his head. Could he trust the others to keep their word? Could he trust these people? Was he safe in this prison…a message had been got to him to get rid of Rankin. He might be considered dangerous next and it could happen to him. Who could he really trust?

The questions kept chasing around in his head, perpetually asking the same things with no firm answers, 'Sure there had been promises but who could he really trust? Even Gary had kept away since Rankin was put into hospital and now this murder rap…He had done it for them but could he even trust Gary?'

Shields felt his heart begin to race. He felt faintly sick and he began to feel uncomfortable as his temperature began to increase. But above all, the questions kept pounding in his head and he just didn't have the certainty of answers anymore….

"I need a lawyer but…" the prisoner suddenly blurted out and the two men opposite stared into eyes that showed the primeval fear of the cornered animal.

"But you don't know who you can trust any more?" said Dr. Spencer Reid gently, his soft voice soothing the turmoil of the prisoner's doubts.

"You want a different lawyer to the one originally assigned?" Carl asked in an equally soft soothing manner.

Austin Shields stared and nodded and felt like he was crumbling before these two men. They spoke so softly that their voices seemed to caress the quietness of the interview room.

"That can be arranged," Carl assured, "Although another lawyer might not be able to get here before lunch now."

"I want someone I can trust, I don't trust anyone anymore," he repeated in a small voice that seemed incongruous for such an imposing physically large figure.

"You have reasons for not trusting your assigned lawyer?" Reid asked watching his reaction and thought the eyes flashed uncertainty.

"I don't trust him, he's one of them?"

"One of them?" asked Reid wondering if this man was showing signs of mental instability.

"The syndicate...the people Rankin worked for…I'd seen him at the other meetings," Shields replied his voice barely a whisper beside the agents' soft voices.

"We can have you moved from here if that will make you feel safer, but you will have to agree to help us for such protection," said Reid and the prisoner looked into his eyes with both fear and hope.

"Words just words, how do I know you will keep me safe?" Shields challenged.

"Well, we could have you given another identity within the prison system and placed in a different state under special guard. But you would have to make such measures worthwhile to us...you still face a murder charge and a charge of child sex abuse…but at least you would stand a better chance of making it to your trial. Of course, if you renege, and don't co-operate, then it would be very simple to make it known where you were," said Reid calmly and Carl thought that this was a formidable agent beside him despite his unthreatening appearance to the world.

Austin Shields stared at the two agents and felt his world shrink even more before him. He instinctively knew that his life depended on these two who had spent nearly 3 silent hours with him.

"Where could I be sent that was safe? The Washington area is well known to these people, they would find me," he whispered his fears.

"You would have to trust us. But if you want another lawyer while here then they will also come out of the same 'pool' and we have no guarantee that they are trust worthy," Reid explained and the prisoner thought his words sounded so tantalisingly reasonable.

"What do you need to know?" the prisoner asked tentatively trying out the waters that were stretching invitingly before him.

"Everything that you know about the syndicate," Spencer stated quietly his eyes never leaving the prisoner's face.

"I wasn't in deep, I just did some clearing up and I don't want those raps added to my sheet,"

Spencer stared and knew that he didn't have the authority to bargain such legal matters. But they had not yet had the all clear on Roy although he wanted to think that Roy was clean and it was the rogue in the Washington Office that was the problem.

"I can't personally comment on such things, but to show good faith I need something from you if we are going to get you moved," Spencer said and the prisoner looked hard at him trying to figure out his intentions.

"I have to make a good case for you with my superiors and the legal team behind this case," the younger agent continued.

Shields gave him a shrewd look and Carl knew that he was weighing up the situation.

"What are you really asking for…as an act of 'good faith'?" the prisoner mocked.

"I want your password for the Torte site," replied Spencer smoothly and was satisfied to see a look of surprise on Shields's face.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Shields responded immediately.

"I know you do because I have your external hard drive with the material from New England, 2006, on it. We both know that it needs to be plugged into the Torte site and you then need a password to go any further."

"It won't do you much good, they're all different," he answered.

"That's my problem," Spencer smoothly replied, "But I have to have something to prove that you really are going to co-operate and protecting you is going to be worthwhile to us."

Austin Shields sat quietly weighing up the situation he was in. These two men had not been like the others. Deep down he knew that if he wanted to live then he had to make a pact with a devil that just might be big enough to handle the syndicate.

The two agents sat calmly observing the prisoner who sat in silence for a few more minutes before nodding his head.

"You got some paper?" he finally asked.

Reid reached into his inner jacket pocket and brought out a notebook. He found a clean page and handed it to the handcuffed man and placed the pen between his fingers. Shields began to write down a memorised sequence of what appeared to be random numbers and letters, some upper case. There were 16 characters in all. When he had finished he flicked the ballpoint pen out of his hand.

"You'll get no more from me until I feel I've been taken somewhere safe," Shields firmly said.

Spencer Reid pushed back his chair, and rose, "Agent Miyake and I will have to see if we can make some arrangements."

Carl got up feeling a bit stiff but it had been a fascinating morning watching the temporary deputy scare a man without raising his voice. Carl Miyake could appreciate that and thought that Dr. Spencer Reid was a person you needed on your side of the fence.

The two agents returned to their car in silence because they had not wanted any of their conversations over heard in the prison.

"Are we going to go on to see Duke while you're on a roll?" Carl asked getting into the driving seat.

"No, I need to talk to Danielle and we have to tread very carefully. Shields said that he didn't trust his lawyer and that implies that the Public Defenders Office is now suspect and needs careful screening. We have assumed that it was Gary Shields who gave his brother his orders but what if it was his lawyer?"

"Shit! Lawyer-client privilege. So now we have to do some in-depth research into the Maryland Public Defenders Office…Robert's going to really like us!"

"Exactly, and we don't know if the 'prosecutors' are untainted either…" the soft voice said from the passenger seat.

"Hey, we have to trust our Roy and his team though!" Carl replied.

"I hope we can but lets keep this quiet for the moment," Reid said evenly.

"Look, you're beginning to sound a little paranoid here, Spencer. I've worked with Roy and Andrea a good decade, even before being assigned here and I'd trust Roy with my life," Carl answered wondering if the young deputy was letting his creative mind run away from reality.

"Carl, I'm asking you not to say anything about our session with Shields, like we agreed, on the journey this morning. There are things I can't discuss with you at the moment but Danielle and I are uncovering possible connections that touch upon people in influential positions," the younger agent carefully said.

"You mean…within the Bureau itself and that's why we've lost out on several cases in the recent past?"

Reid sighed, so others in the office had picked up on that thread and Spencer wondered how many and if it was widely discussed outside the unit, but decided to keep things understated and answered,

"Something like that, but if they find out that we're on to them then it's likely the syndicate will just shut down and disappear and we'll not be able to break it."

Carl nodded as he concentrated on the road junction ahead but once he'd turned left he said,

"Tony and I have suspected that there is someone in the Washington Office because all our big cases go through their legal department. We even did our own check on Roy and Andrea earlier this year but we found they were both clean…We even had Robert hack into their bank accounts."

"Did Katie know?" asked Spencer sensing that Carl was showing a great deal of trust in him.

"No, because we even checked Katie out too!" he confessed, "We found nothing to cause concern with the College Park people we usually deal with. We concluded that it had to be someone higher than Roy because Roy has to go to Washington if we want something out of the ordinary, like you want for Shields."

"Have you checked me out?" Spencer asked mildly but he wanted to know just how far this trio had gone to make sure that the unit was sound.

"Of course we did. It's your wife who has the nice little earner as the artist but the IRS seem to think she's honest about declaring her earnings and she always plays her taxes…"

"I'm glad to hear it and I'm sure that Judge Petersen would be relieved to know that his daughter passed your scrutiny," replied Reid with a hint of humour in his voice.

"I trust you three not to broadcast her artistic endeavours as she likes her privacy. I really can't say that I would defend you if she found out because I'd take cover from her Italian temper, which the family assures me she has inherited from her granny!"

"Why Dr. Reid, you have faced some very violent and psychologically sick people in your line of work…now are you telling me that you're afraid of your wife's temper?" asked Carl with a grin.

"Yes," she's not to be under-estimated my Jo!"

"Mmm…" said Carl thoughtfully and wondered where Spencer and Danielle would be going next with this complex case.

They went and got some rolls from the cafeteria for lunch before returning to the office. Carl was true to his word and didn't say anything to the others when they asked how things went. Tony was not in the office, as he had to give evidence in court that day for a case that they had dealt with some 6 months before.

Spencer told Danielle all that had happened including the details about the conversation with Carl on the way back.

"Well it doesn't surprise me they are two experienced agents and both are very loyal to the Bureau. If they had found out something about anyone in the team…and that includes me or Katie, they would have taken it to the Director!"

"Probably, but they know something isn't right and they sensed it's one of Roy's superiors. But they had got no where because digging at the Washington Office might have been picked up because Robert warned them about the extra layers of security that they have there for the managerial levels."

"Yeah, but at least they checked us out and I trust them on their findings…But they never told Katie?"

"No, and then they heard I was coming and they wanted to check me and then there was Jo…we passed!"

"Glad to hear it!" she grinned but then became serious again, "We can't take this through the legal department. I'll ring the Director and see how he wants to handle it."

Danielle reached for her phone and began to dial. Spencer turned to his ham with soft cheese and chives roll and took a bite. It had been quite an unusual but satisfying morning. He sat back on his chair and savoured his lunch, tuning out Danielle's conversation, and began to think about the password Shields had written for him. He further decided that he and Carl would go and see Duke tomorrow morning but he should be a pushover compared with Shields. However, he needed Duke's lawyer to be checked out by Robert that afternoon.

"Spencer!" Danielle commanded his attention.

"The Director wants to see you at the Washington Office this afternoon at 3 o'clock. Just go straight up to his office and you'll be expected and he hopes to have made some arrangements by then."

"Right, I'll take the train it'll be quicker than trying to drive into the Washington traffic and then trying to find somewhere to park," he said and looked once more at the page he had now torn from his notepad.

"This maybe what we need or Shields maybe playing his own game. I'm not sure that I trust him yet," Spencer quietly informed his fellow deputy, "He seemed to give this up a little too easily for my liking so I think I'll just pretend I've lost it for a while," Spencer said placing the paper into an evidence bag and marking the label. He then put the bag into their office safe and closed the door.

"One thing that Shields did say was that he'd done the clearing up…I think that may mean that he has been disposing of the bodies," Reid said quietly.

Danielle shrewdly looked at him and knew that he was talking about the Philadelphia set up. Michael Wells had not treated his girls as well as Rankin and they had thought that he'd just disposed of them permanently when they had outgrown their use.

"Jeez…I think we are going to be very busy in the New Year," remarked Danielle and thought that she felt her baby kick for the first time or was it just an illusion because she wanted something to feel good about today.

Spencer Reid was not accustomed to personal interviews with the Director but he thought that he had held his professionalism in place and felt remarkably pleased with himself. He now sat on the train heading back towards College Park, a very short journey, but the afternoon had shown progress. He now had more things to tell Danielle which the Director preferred to say in his office rather than on a telephone despite the fact that it was a secure line. Reid thought about the Washington session and felt that the Director had wanted to personally see him because he needed to judge the situation for himself and had asked searching questions of the agent.

After a short drive from the station, Reid was soon back in the office and Danielle looked up from her task. He closed the door and sat nursing his red mug brimming with hot coffee.

"Didn't the great man give you coffee?" she asked eyeing his familiar mug.

"Yeah but this is my one vice!" he quipped with a grin before taking a sip.

"Oh I'm sure Jo could list a few more…"

Spencer feigned a look of disbelief.

"You men are all the same…you find your woman and then think that because she thinks you good enough to marry then all your vices are swept away…" said Danielle with twinkling eyes and stretching a little from sitting too long at her computer.

"Now that's an unfair and a somewhat sweeping statement…And what about you women?" Spencer challenged sipping more coffee, "God this is good…I need my coffee to work at maximum efficiency," he justified.

"Right…so you're not addicted to the beans then?"

"Now I didn't say that. But let's put it this way, I need my coffee first thing in the morning or nothing, absolutely nothing, seems to go right! Then I need regular top ups throughout the day…It's my liquid fuel!"

Danielle couldn't stop the laughter that was bubbling up, "Oh I'm glad you're back, Spencer, I'm waiting to hear about what was said."

Spencer sat back and became the serious agent once more.

"Shields is going to be moved to Connecticut this evening on the pretext that we have received threats against him so he's being moved for his own safety. The Baltimore Holding Facility is to refer all enquiries concerning his whereabouts to us and we will tell enquirers that he's being sent to Los Angeles well away from this area. At the Connecticut prison, he will be admitted into the solitary wing under the name of David White and his background story is that he killed his ex- lover's boyfriend who was an Albany cop. Hopefully that way he will keep the 'interested' at bay. I can't imagine Shields telling anyone the truth, he's too scared because he knows what the syndicate is capable of if I'm right about him disposing of the bodies."

"Oh great, the back ground really covers a lot of bases then…cop killer, so the prison staff will keep their distance but no hint of his real crime. But we still have to be careful about revealing this unit when we go to interview him."

"Yeah, but I'm still more widely known as a member of the BAU so the Director gave me my old ID back. My cover is that I'm trying to connect him with other unsolved murders in New York State."

"That should keep him isolated then. What about a lawyer?"

"One's been checked out, an experienced defender who worked with another cover placement a couple of years ago. The Connecticut Office approached him and he's agreed but doesn't know the real name and nature of the crime at the moment."

"Well, it's comforting to know that the lawyer's acted in this way before. Anything about our rogue?"

"Everything is in place. He's under surveillance. His office is bugged, telephones, computer system, home and there are two agents who are personally keeping a special eye on him. People he has no previous connection with and totally unknown to the Washington area. He's been in Washington over 6 years so he has a lot of contacts and goodness knows what damage the guy has done. But on a good note, our people here all check out…so Roy and Andrea can be brought into the loop…in fact I saw Roy for the later half of the hour I was there."

"Did you tell the Director about Tony and Carl?"

"Yes, I did. He smiled about it actually and said that we had a good team here and Robert knew his limitations. If he had tried to break into the Washington Security then our rogue would have got to know that he was under suspicion and would have been careful to cover his tracks. He's been very clever so far and the Director is very worried about the possible complexity of this password I'm trying to break."

"Yeah, Lisa Torte may have some computing skills but I can't believe they are that good."

" But our rogue has a lot of clever friends. Did you know that his brother in law is working in communications for National Security?"

"Oh this is getting to be a hornets nest. Poor Katie,... she's going to get back and find that we have taken some interesting steps."

Spencer nodded in agreement, "Anyway, Roy is now upto speed about developments and worried that the Public Defender's Office may be contaminated. He directly asked the Director if his people had all been screened and was assured that they had all been checked and found to be clean."

"Oh good because I like Roy and I would have been upset if anything had been found to implicate him," confessed Danielle.

"Yeah, he's a nice guy and totally committed to this work. It will be a relief not to be keeping things from him because he has a lot of experience and a level head," replied Spencer, "Do you know if Robert has completed all the background checks on Duke's lawyer?"

"He's been shut in his office all afternoon and no one has dared to interrupt!"

"I'll go and see how he's getting on when I've finished my coffee. I'll get him chatting about Mordor… that should get him in a good mood, he enjoys a good Tolkein exchange!"

"You know, sometimes I think I'm the only sane one here!" Danielle muttered as she turned back to her backlog of work concerning this case. Spencer grinned and made his way out into the bullpen and bumped into Carl en route to Robert's office.

"Everything's set into place. The Director was very impressed over the actions you and Tony took," he said for just Carl's hearing.

"Yeah! He didn't consider it disloyal?" whispered Carl and suddenly made the connection of where the younger agent had been that afternoon.

"No, he thought under the circumstances that you were being very careful and he felt sure that you would have told him if anything had been uncovered."

Carl nodded, he'd not liked taking the actions they had and felt relieved that the Director understood.

"On a good note, Roy and his people are in the clear," Spencer added and the two men grinned at each other, "Tony back yet?"

"No…"

"Tell him quietly that everything is being taken care of," Spencer said softly, "I've got to see how Robert has been getting on with Duke's lawyer. If I remember correctly, I think he was rather new to the Public Defender's Office…"

Spencer moved on and slipped into Robert's special work area.

Robert was happy to see Reid and even more so after Carl had earlier confessed that he'd told this deputy about their unofficial 'checking'. Reid had just said quietly to Robert that the Director was relieved that he'd not tried to hack into the Washington Office security but to be assured that everything in that corner of the world was under control. Robert had nodded and a shy smile crossed his face.

"Good…but we only did it for the good of the CACU," he stated seriously.

"Yes, the Director and Danielle and I…we all understand that but now just let others in a better position keep an eye on things in that part of the world. Now how's the checking into Scott Hamilton getting on?" asked Spencer directing the conversation to the case that they were to directly deal with.

"I've found nothing suspicious. Comes from New Jersey, both parents are teachers, he's the eldest son, lives with the girlfriend he met at university…she's a teacher of the deaf. Lives on the outskirts of Baltimore and qualified last year and was accepted by Maryland for work in the Baltimore Public Defenders Division. His finances check out, he and the girlfriend seem to be concentrating on paying off the student debts…"

"So your instincts about this is that everything is normal?" Spencer asked Robert and saw the man's face light up with pride because his professional opinion was being considered.

"Yes, I'd say he was clean," he replied in a quiet and steady voice.

"That's great Robert, good job…and sorry that it was thrown at you on a Friday afternoon."

"Hey…it comes with the job…"

"Just want you to know that your work is appreciated," replied Spencer with a smile and left to find Carl again.

"Do you fancy some Saturday morning work? I don't think it will take long," Spencer invited.

"How could I resist after Shields although I think my butt is still numb from those prison chairs," quipped Carl with a grin.

"I just want to lean on him for the password and then see what we get… If he offers more, well it will be a bonus. But Duke has had no visitors so far…"

"Fine do you want me to inform the authorities so they can tell him and his lawyer,"

"Please then we'll see him at 9:15 tomorrow and after call it a day. If I get a password then I want to mull it over. It could take me weeks to crack this but I've got to get it right or I could scare the real powers of the syndicate and risk losing everything."

"See you in the car park at 8:30 and I drive like today?"

"Perfect, I'll go and tell Danielle our plans and then head off home."

Later that evening, Spencer found from his e-mails that J.J. had now been sent to San Francisco for a few months. Garcia was very chatty about events at Quantico and Spencer suddenly felt that he missed his colourful friend, despite the extrovert Dee on the reception desk of his present world.

"Jo, are we doing anything special on Sunday?" he suddenly called from the small study.

Jo appeared at the door, "No, why?"

"I thought about asking Garcia over for lunch…J.J.'s been sent to California at short notice and I think perhaps it might help her to adjust to that change. She and J.J. are close at the BAU and I suspect that Garcia's keeping herself even more to her lair now," he tried to explain. But there was something about the tone of her e-mail that made him think that Penelope Garcia was feeling a little at a loose end and perhaps an unexpected invite might perk her up.

"That would be nice, you always speak of her with such warmth," Jo replied sensing that Spencer wanted to get a feel for what things were really like back at the BAU now.

"Yeah, Penelope's like the big sister I've always wanted. She's totally off the wall but she has a heart of gold and is very sensitive…I think you'll like her," he replied with a grin and began to compose an invite to send.

Penelope Garcia had sat down to eat her dinner and watch a double re-run of 'House'. She had dealt with her e-mails while her low fat version of 'cottage pie' was cooking and she sat back to saviour a few minutes peace. It was strange at the BAU these days and in fact she did far more work for the 'white collar crime' guys who worked on the floor above. She thought that perhaps she would be transferred there if her skills were not being properly used in the BAU. Still she enjoyed the contact with Raymond, the senior agent, who initially came to request her help because they were on a big case and their two analysts were snowed under. It had saved her from boredom and the growing possibility that she was going to start some 'hacking' just for the fun of it.

After two episodes of 'House' she decided to check her e-mail again before going to bed. J.J. had sent a message saying that she liked the team she was now working with and she had a nice apartment. Then Penelope saw the message from her 'Junior G man'. She clicked and read…

'Penelope, Would you like to come over for Sunday lunch this weekend? If it's fine we can take you on a walk round the area but I know you and Jo want to meet each other and I may be banished from the kitchen as you two chat! We are very easy to reach by car and Jo's a good cook. Spencer and Jo.'

She grinned and tapped away an immediate reply saying that she would be there by 11:30 so they would be able to chat away and she'd even walk in the rain!

Saturday was a dull and chilly day but Carl and Spencer were upbeat about their task for the morning. It was a different holding centre for remand prisoners than the one where Austin Shields had been held. However, the procedure was almost identical except Henry Duke was not in chains and this time he was already with his lawyer waiting for the two agents to arrive.

Carl took the lead like before and made the introductions, "We are here to see if you would like to say anymore about the young girl who died and the other men, Mick and Kevin," Carl said evenly.

"I've told you all I know, I made my statement. I didn't give that girl anything to eat or drink and certainly didn't administer any drugs," Duke firmly asserted, "Look, I keep telling you people, and the police, this is the first time I've ever been involved in anything like this… I've made one hell of a mess of my life with that one mistake."

Scott Hamilton quietly sat beside his client and felt a little sorry for Henry Duke as he had done everything that had been requested of him by the FBI and the police and had been a model prisoner. However, there was something about this Saturday visit that now set him on edge. Hamilton remembered the younger agent from the day that Duke was arrested and he'd been assigned the case. This Dr. Reid was quiet but persistent and he didn't think that he would be wasting his time coming here to interview his client unless he had a very good reason to.

Hamilton felt out of his depth with this case, it had turned into the murder of a juvenile aswell as the abduction of a minor and under age sex. He consoled himself that at least Henry wasn't involved in the abductions or murder side of things but he had participated in sex with a minor. However, Hamilton still felt uncomfortable representing this client but his boss, Trudie, had told him to get use to it because he needed the experience of such cases. She had listened to his moans about being unsympathetic towards his client but she had told him firmly that he wasn't supposed to have a bleeding heart for every client. Trudie assured him he'd soon toughen up and that this was a good one to start with as the defendant did look to be on his first appearance before the courts.

"Oh I don't think you're that innocent Mr. Duke," challenged Spencer Reid softly.

Scott Hamilton was suddenly very alert; the alarm bells began to ring in his head and he began to concentrate on the men in the room.

"I don't know what you're getting at," Duke replied in an unruffled manner.

"Oh I think you do. I'm sure that you have heard about Brian Rankin being attacked on Christmas Day and his subsequent death. It looks like an unprovoked attack from the prison surveillance footage but we know differently don't we, Mr. Duke?"

"I don't know what you're talking about…I don't know of, and didn't know to be precise, a Brian Rankin," Henry Duke firmly stated but the men in the room had noticed the prisoner's voice had sounded a little agitated and he had begun to fidget on the chair. Carl smiled and Spencer observed him calmly taking his time before he delivered the next statement.

"But Mr. Duke, we know that you went to Brian Rankin's special club, the illegal one with the under age girls. You've already said that you liked to watch girls dance at the Silver Bear Club. But this club was a bit more exclusive, you could only attend by special invitation and it cost a lot of money and always in cash. We know that you always drew out a lot of money from your account on the day that this special venue was going to be open…Or perhaps you have another reason for the regular withdrawal? But be careful because we do have evidence that you were a client at this special club. We know about the little extras that went on there…the personal lap dancing and the time spent with the girl of your choice alone. Tell me, do you like the dark Latino type or was that a first with Vikki?"

Henry Duke's face suddenly contorted and a different man was seen to the one that had been known since his arrest.

"I don't know what you're trying to pin on me but you're bluffing!" he angrily said as he leaned across the table towards Reid.

"Mr. Duke!" Hamilton intervened, "Mr Duke, this is not the way to talk to these two agents and it's certainly in your interests not to withhold any information. As I've told you before, co-operation goes a long way in these cases," the lawyer soothed but he wondered just what the CACU had on his client. He'd heard about the Rankin attack and his office was full of speculation and gossip over the lax prison regime that had lead to such an incident.

"Mr. Duke, I know about the Torte Spares site," Spencer said in his soft calm voice and Carl watched the prisoner's eyes widen in disbelief, his defiance seemed to dissipate as he sat back speechless on the hard wooden chair.

Hamilton looked at the two confident agents and read the situation.

"Mr. Duke, do you wish to discuss this matter with me alone?" he suggested turning his attention on the man who seemed to now be very nervous. Hamilton thought he could smell the fear that the man was emitting beside him.

Duke shook his head and took a few minutes to weigh up his position. He was in a mess, whoever had given Vikki the drugs had miscalculated but where were Kev and Mick? They had got well away before the raid on the house. Just how safe was he in the prison system? They had got at Rankin and now this young agent was saying that they knew he attended Rankin's illegal club so that would blow his defence out of the water. Were they bluffing? But part of him knew that they had to know quite a lot if they were aware of the Torte site. They had confiscated all the computers of the men arrested with him and obviously someone got suspicious of the pictures on the external drives or one of the men had talked…perhaps that's why Rankin had been silenced.

The four men sat in silence each wrapped in their own thoughts.

Carl was content to observe and appreciated the quiet measured pressure that Reid employed. This physically slightly built man was very dangerous but suspects looking at him probably only saw an open, almost boyish, face and gangling figure. Carl thought that Reid was a superb actor at hiding his true abilities behind the shy smile and surprisingly soft voice, which could sound so hesitant and lacking in confidence when it served his purpose.

Spencer knew he had the weak link but if Duke wouldn't co-operate then he would lean on 'Terry' Leith who was not one to want to be implicated in a murder either…Leith was a watcher and recorder but not a man to physically harm. His child porn was extensive but…

"I need to talk to my lawyer for a bit alone," Duke said breaking into the younger agent's thoughts.

"As you wish," answered the unruffled Dr. Reid and he and Carl pushed back their chairs and left the room to take a walk down the corridor and review their tactics.

They went to the end of the corridor and finding themselves alone, because no other prisoners were being interviewed at that time, they began a whispered conversation.

"What do you think?" Carl asked.

"Oh, he's lost his confidence because we've blown his 'first time' plea. I think we just need to imply that if we know he was frequenting Rankin's club then so did others and Rankin was taken care off, so he needs to be careful…"

"Yeah, he looks ripe for the harvesting of information. So you got any plans for this weekend?" Carl suddenly asked changing direction because he couldn't see anything else they could do except wait for the lawyer to convince his client to co-operate.

"Got a friend coming for lunch tomorrow so I left Jo planning a low fat meal as Penelope has been loosing weight and we want to encourage her. Jo's pretty careful about what she eats but she likes to make a special effort when we have guests. It doesn't really matter for me because I can eat anything! I bet by the time I get home Jo will have done the shopping and prepared things so very little needs to actually be done tomorrow except cook what she has prepared today… I bet she'll be making a dessert today," he replied letting his mind linger on the possibilities.

"Women…they are so organised. I sometimes wonder how I lived on my own for so long…Oh here comes our rookie defender."

Spencer turned and saw Hamilton walking up the corridor towards them.

"I think my client is ready to speak to you gentlemen again but he's a bit concerned about his safety."

"Well we can understand that, Mr. Hamilton, but this is not the same holding centre as where Rankin was placed," Carl replied implying that the lax regime had contributed to Rankin's demise.

The three men returned to the room and the guard, who had remained with Duke while his lawyer went to find the agents, now quietly left as the men once more took their positions at the worn table.

"Your lawyer says that you're ready to answer my questions?" Spencer stated mildly.

The young man before him stared hard into Spencer's eyes as if trying to read his mind but Duke nodded his assent.

"Who introduced you to the illegal Rankin club?"

"Fred," he replied but showed no indication that he was going to give any more details. The name didn't surprise either agent considering Frederick Cooper's role in meeting up with Jessica and her subsequent rape.

"Did he also get you involved with the Torte site?"

"Yeah, he said for a fee I could get access to a secure site where I could find some good material."

"So what did it cost you?"

"Four thousand," he said reluctantly.

"Cash?"

"Yeah…once on the site you could pay by credit card."

"So you gave Fred the cash and he gave you the external hard drive."

Duke smiled, "No, so you don't know everything," he taunted and snorted disdainfully at the thought of being the one who could send them in the wrong direction.

"Don't even think about lying to us," Spencer interjected with razor sharpness to his tone of voice and the grin that had come across Duke's face disappeared. Spencer Reid continued, "The external hard drive was then delivered by the Torte Spares Special Delivery service but you were a bit frustrated weren't you because you then had to pay a bit more for the personalised password."

Duke couldn't stop the jolt that went through his body along with the realisation that someone really had talked. It wouldn't have been Fred but perhaps this was why Rankin had been killed.

"So…why all the show of interviewing me on a Saturday morning when you know all this?" the prisoner probed.

"Because what I want from you is your personal password," Reid stated with a cold edge to his soft voice that was like a scalpel cutting through a festering abscess.

"My password?"

"Yes, each one is personalised for the user…a nice security touch that. But you would like to co-operate with us as it is the first time that you are to appear in court, even if Agent Miyake and myself believe that you have been involved in the 'under age' sex scene for some time."

"And if I told you I don't remember it?"

"I wouldn't believe you as I think you enjoyed the site so much that you were a regular visitor, everyday for several hours a day. I think that code sequence of upper and lower case letters and numbers are burned into your soul by now."

Reid reached into his jacket pocket and took out the notebook. He studiously turned to a clean page and reached into his inner pocket again to retrieve a black ballpoint and pushed both towards the prisoner.

"Why don't you try to remember," Reid encouraged the prisoner.

"And if I say I can't remember?" Duke tried again.

Reid smiled, "Oh your lawyer would advise you to co-operate. But if you don't then I have to still submit a report about the time I've spent here and that would have to get passed on as a failure to co-operate, which the judge might not take too well when considering your sentence. You can hardly plead innocence, Henry, we arrested you at the scene and you did admit to the sex or perhaps we should call it statutory rape because you were well aware that those girls were under age. Of course, here people might think that you have co-operated because we did come on a Saturday…They might even think you asked to speak to us…"

"Agent!" Hamilton jumped in.

"Mr. Hamilton I was merely pointing out what other people here might think…Were you suggesting another meaning?" Spencer asked in his soft innocent voice and big steady chocolate coloured eyes turned fully on the young lawyer.

Hamilton was not happy but this man had not said anything overtly threatening. He stared at these two experienced men and felt that he was floundering and wished Trudie had been at his side.

"Well you know that my computer has nothing on it," Duke suddenly stated.

"Yes, but we both know the significance of the pictures from the New England holiday in the Fall of 2006 and I need your password to find out what you have been looking at. If you don't help us then I will make sure that your sentencing will reflect that you did not co-operate. I already have passwords so its only a matter of time before your personal one is broken...It's up to you...co-operation might lead to less time spent in prison."

"I want a prison where I can get proper counselling," Duke suddenly began to bargain.

"Really, well that's special treatment and such counselling programmes for sex offenders are only offered by some of this country's more forward looking prisons. You have to show that you would benefit by being on such a programme. Now if your lawyer could state that you co-operated all along then that might help to sway things in your favour," replied Reid in a gentle and reasonable tone.

Hamilton breathed carefully, calming his own beating heart that was threatening to plunge him into a panic attack. He began to mentally question his ability to do this work; it was one thing to study law but the actual practice at the bleak end of offences was another matter.

But the situation was suddenly resolved for him when his client suddenly picked up the ballpoint and wrote a sequence of letters and numbers on the small white page.

"I've got a headache, I need to lie down," Duke suddenly stated.

"Sorry to hear that, Mr. Duke. I hope that you'll be feeling better soon," said Spencer rising and Carl followed suit.

The two agents walked silently back to the car; Carl once again took the driver's seat.

"Good morning!" he stated with a smile, " I'm thinking that you bluffed your way with the bit about the delivery of the external drive and paying extra for the password?"

"Yeah it was an educated guess but I think the cost for the site keeps the clientele more up market. But that lawyer isn't going to last long unless he toughens up…He's inclined to believe his clients too much."

"Well, perhaps he'll get out of criminal law and find another niche," suggested Carl good humouredly and felt the drive back to College Park was just perfect even if the weather was murky.

When Spencer entered his home there was the smell of cooking although he knew Jo was in the study because he had seen her at the computer as he parked his car in front of the garage door. In the kitchen he noticed a fruit crumble cooling on the counter top. He opened the fridge door and saw a freshly made trifle on the middle shelf and then he checked the freezer and was happy to see two new large tubs of ice-cream, one chocolate mint and the other vanilla. Jo had obviously been shopping and cooking but he wondered what they were going to be eating for lunch.

Arms suddenly wrapped around him from behind and squeezed his waist. "So you're hungry?" Jo said in a stern voice but he knew that she was suppressing laughter.

"I had an early start and I've worked quite hard," he said feigning insult.

"Really, I thought you said last night that you believed this morning would be 'a bit of a push over'" she replied quoting the very words he had said.

"You were actually listening to me?" he asked incredulously.

"What else would I be doing at gone midnight even if I did think I'd succeeded in distracting you earlier to take your mind off the case." she replied hugging him from behind.

"Well you did but then I couldn't sleep because this case is getting to be quite a tangle. I've really got to get this bit right or I could totally throw away everything that has been building up for the past year. It has been carefully handled so far and I don't want it to be me who blows it!" he said suddenly serious and Jo began to understand that there was a lot that her husband had not said and it was worrying him.

"Peter Bishop is on his way," Jo suddenly announced and moved round to face him.

"What?" Spencer replied totally thrown by this sudden change in direction of their conversation and his thoughts. But Jo had achieved the desired effect; Spencer was beaming his happiness at the news.

"Peter rang this morning asking if he could sleep on our couch this evening because he could only get to his girlfriend's home by an indirect route due to all the flights being booked for the Christmas and New Year period." Jo explained as she watched her husband's mood change and he was looking so much younger than a few minutes ago.

"Doesn't Becky live in Wilmington?" Spencer asked trying to retrieve the conversation he had with his friend from his Nevada University days when living in the Bishop household.

"Yes, but he could only get a flight to Washington today and then he thought he'd stop off and see us en route because he would be so close. Becky's family are not expecting him until tomorrow…Sunday lunch with the parents apparently…the first time…"

"Wow…Becky must be special," Spencer agreed with his Jo's 'knowing' look that shone from her black eyes.

"Mmm. Anyway, I assured him he could have the comforts of the spare bedroom and I'd feed him with lunch when he arrived and dinner tonight. His flight was getting in at 12:28 so I told him to call when he was on the train and one of us would meet him at the College Park station."

"Oh this is wonderful, you'll like Peter…Great Star Trek fan! What are we having for lunch?" Spencer asked cheerfully.

"Home-made cheese pizza with black olives and an assortment of peppers, onion and tomatoes it's all prepared… I'll cook it so it will be ready for when he walks through the door. Tonight its chicken breasts stuffed with brown rice, green peppers and mushrooms with a basic salad. You can have the trifle for dessert."

"What are we giving Penelope tomorrow?" he asked and his stomach began to rumble a little at the thought of Jo's cooking.

"Home-made 'penne primavera' with apple and plum crumble for dessert…I got some more ice-cream for topping."

Spencer smiled it was going to be a really good weekend.

The telephone ringing broke into their thoughts and Spencer strode into the study to answer it.

"Spencer Reid," he intoned seriously hoping that it was not the CACU.

"Hey Spencer great to hear you, I'm on the train heading your way."

"Peter…I'm on my way, Jo's already organised home-made pizza for lunch."

Suddenly the house was quiet again and Jo went into the kitchen and set the coffee machine working and laid the table before turning on the oven. She was delighted that Spencer seemed so happy about the fact that this weekend they were entertaining. It was something Jo felt he needed to break the hold that this present case had on the man she loved.

End of Chapter 12