"I'm really sorry." It was Monday morning and Section Chief Matt Cruz was standing at the front of the round table room addressing Hotch's team.
"The CSI team that went through Joe Mac's property and computers could find no trace whatsoever of Dr. Reid. There is nothing to indicate that he was ever in the warehouse or at any of Joe Mac's other properties. And, there is no indication that Joe Mac was even involved with his disappearance."
"And, you yourselves admit that you have no definitive leads on where to find Dr. Reid. Therefore, the full-time search for him is being suspended and the case is being reclassified as 'Inactive'."
"You can't do that!" Garcia burst out defiantly. "My Baby Genius is alive and he is out there somewhere and we need to find him!"
"I'm sorry," Cruz repeated. "But this is coming from a pay grade way higher than mine."
"But we can still continue searching for Spence on our own time, can't we?" JJ was close to tears. "I just know that he is out there!"
"We just need to come up with a better analysis of the situation," Blake insisted. "We need to think even further outside the box."
"We can continue searching on our own time," Hotch assured the team. "However, there are other open cases that have a better probability of being solved and they need our attention."
"Probability? That sounds like something Reid would say," Morgan blurted out. "And, I can guarantee you that if one of us were missing, he wouldn't give up on us."
"Be that as it may," Rossi exchanged knowing looks with Cruz. "I think we need to start working on the new case we have been assigned."
"Rossi – You can't be giving up on my Favorite Genius, too!" Garcia yelled at him.
"I didn't say I am giving up. I am just saying that Chief Cruz needs to know that we are working on our new case," Rossi replied patiently.
"Thank you." Cruz turned to leave the room. When he got to the door, he half-turned to again face the team. "You are assuring me that you are working on the new case, aren't you?" he questioned.
"Most assuredly," Blake told him seriously.
"Of course," Hotch added.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
"Garcia, why don't you brief us on our latest case?" Hotch began as soon as Cruz was out of the conference room.
"If you insist," Garcia glared at him as she stood up, moved to the front of the room, and picked up the remote.
"It appears that spring has sprung in Sandusky, Ohio," she began. "And, in addition to flowers and showers and fluffy baby animals, this is what has also been appearing."
She shuddered and turned away as several pictures appeared on the flat screen.
"Um – m- m – " Rossi began.
"These are pictures of several bodies that have floated to the surface after the lake ice melted," Garcia explained, keeping her back to the screen. "And, it also appears that there are several other unattached and unidentified body pieces included in this rather messy stew."
"After the bodies surfaced, the local police, with help from the Coast Guard, began trying to determine where they may have been dumped into the lake," Hotch took over.
"That search took them to a small public boat landing where further examination revealed this," Garcia pulled up several more pictures.
"Okay, so now we have at least five bodies," Morgan observed. "Three from the boat landing and at least two from the lake."
"Plus, what appear to be some pieces from bodies yet to be located," Rossi was reading from his tablet.
"Sandusky sits on – " Blake was frantically paging through the file on her tablet.
"Lake Erie," Garcia told her. "And, eerie is probably the right term for it right about now."
"That is three women and two indeterminate," JJ was reading. "So we have no idea whether this unsub has a type."
"And, at this point, we can't even venture a guess as to when or where these individuals were murdered," Rossi observed.
"Any missing person's reports?" Blake questioned.
"None that the local police have been able to match to these bodies," Hotch replied. "And, since there is a large amusement park complex in the area that employs numerous people from out of the area during their summer season, as well as attracting visitors from an equally wide area, it is anybody's guess where to start looking."
"This is the part where I miss Reid," JJ spoke up.
"Yeah – He would have all kinds of statistics on the number of people employed there as well as the average number of visitors they get per day," Blake tried to smile.
"Not to mention the size, depth, and average water temperature of Lake Erie," Rossi added.
"Well, it appears we are going to have to get all of that information ourselves," Hotch observed dryly. "Wheels up in 30 everyone."
"And, Morgan, a minute if you please," Hotch called out as the team began packing up preparatory to leaving the room.
"Yeah, Hotch," the big man walked over to stand next to his supervisor.
"I just wanted to say that if you don't feel good it is okay for you to stay behind," Hotch told him seriously. "We can probably get along without you this one time."
"What?" Morgan questioned, confused. "Hotch, what gave you the idea - ?" He studied his boss's face.
"I am just saying," Hotch repeated.
Well, now that you mention it," understanding was beginning to dawn. "I do seem to be developing a bit of a cough." He put his hand in front of his mouth and generated a cough.
"You will, of course, be available to consult via phone," Hotch told him.
"Of course," Morgan quickly agreed. "And, I will stay in close touch with Garcia."
"Good," Hotch gathered up his papers and stood up. "Just so we understand each other."
