Before I Sleep
Chapter 51
To Reid, it seemed like coming home. It had been under two weeks since he'd been inside the BAU, but it felt like so much longer. The sight of the bullpen was made all the more welcome when he spied the person sitting at the desk next to his.
"JJ!"
She stood, and smiled, and opened her arms. Reid hugged her close for a long minute, whispering in her ear as he did so.
"Are you okay?"
She squeezed him back. "I'm fine. Just glad to be back."
He released her. "Me too. It feels good to be getting back to normal."
That made her laugh. "We hunt serial killers for a living, Spence. There is no normal."
He conceded with a chuckle. "Point taken." Moving over to his own desk, he sat down, a bit more heavily than usual. JJ took note, but held back her concern.
"I'm so glad Gary is okay, Spence. I know how worried you were about him."
"Thanks. But I'm not sure how 'okay' he is. He didn't say anything, but I could see it in his face. He knows we think Jose is dead, and he's feeling like he should have been able to prevent it."
"Taking on the weight of the world. Gee, I don't know anybody else who does that…do you?" Giving him a look.
A wry smile on his face, Reid acknowledged his own tendency. "Are you saying I'm a bad influence on him?"
She returned his smile. "Never, Spence. He's lucky to have you on his side."
Reid thought back to the events of the day prior. "You know who he's really lucky to have? His dad. You should have seen them together, JJ. They may not have a lot in the way of money, but they've got something far more valuable." He told her about Mr. Wu's support of his son, and Gary's reaction.
JJ was touched. "The love of between a father and a son is a pretty valuable commodity."
"Exactly as it should be."
With that, each of them pulled in their chairs and fiddled with the folders on their desks. But their thoughts lingered on the subject of the powerful relationship between a father and a son. Reid could only wonder how his life might have been different had he been able to receive…..and give….the same kind of respect and support that Gary and his father had demonstrated. For the first time in a very long time, he felt able to entertain the possibility of providing that kind of experience to a child of his own, one day.
And JJ was left to consider the relationship between her son and his father. It was a strong one, she knew. The last thing she would ever want to do would be to disrupt it. Even if there weren't other reasons, that would be reason enough for us to keep trying. Right?
Their individual ruminations were interrupted by Derek Morgan. He'd gone to visit Garcia upon his return to the BAU, and now came down from her tech room with fresh news. Sad news.
"Hey, guys. The lab confirms it. The DNA from the blast belongs to the kid Jose Martinez. And the other to our friend, Zach Jackson."
It wasn't unexpected, but it hit them hard, nonetheless. Each silently uttered a prayer for the boy, and cursed the terrorist responsible for his death. JJ broke the silence.
"So, where does that leave us?"
Morgan had already delivered the information to their unit chief. "Hotch wants to meet. He's calling Hirsch over from DHS. We'll convene when he gets here."
Hirsch was delayed thirty minutes in DC traffic. He arrived to an already-full round table room, and nodded 'hello's to each of the others, stopping when he reached JJ and Reid.
"Dr. Reid, Agent Jareau….it's good to see you back." Then he turned to Hotch. "Shall we get started?"
The BAU unit chief started by filling Hirsch in on what Morgan and Reid had turned up. "So, we can account for the identities of all those killed in the explosion, and we have evidence that Jackson had been influencing Jose Martinez for at least a few months."
Before Hirsch could comment, Rossi spoke up. "The thing is….it doesn't make sense. If he had the kid under his thumb, why not use him to blow up the bus? Why did Jackson blow it up himself?"
That unleashed a round of brainstorming.
"Maybe he wanted to be a martyr." Morgan began. "His living space looked like he'd bought the whole idea of giving up this life for the good of the cause."
"But," offered Kate, "if he was actively recruiting the kids for a terror network, why would he not make sure they were safely delivered to the network? Why blow up the bus with Jose on it?"
"Maybe he didn't care anymore. It's not like the network could come after him for losing one of their recruits." JJ pointed out the obvious.
Hirsch joined in the postulating. "Could it be the kid was supposed to trigger the blast at a later stop? Maybe Jackson was supposed to get off the bus before it exploded."
Hotch gave it consideration. "It's doubtful. The explosion happening directly in front of DHS seemed to be part of the message. Still…." He turned to Garcia. "Get a list of the subsequent stops on the route. Maybe we've been looking at this all wrong."
Before she left, Morgan questioned the hypothesis. "But what about the drones? Could they have been reprogrammed so quickly, that they would show up at a place that hadn't been the primary target?"
Garcia turned from the doorway. "Yes, they could. They're actually pretty easy to program. It's essentially a GPS, with some micromanipulation of whatever is on board. That can even be done with a video game console controller." With a little wave or her fingers, she headed off to accomplish her research assignment.
Reid had been silent during the exchange. Now he spoke up. "You know…maybe we have been wrong about this. Maybe we've been looking at the wrong unsub….or terrorist, I guess. What if Zach didn't know about the explosive being on the bus that day? What if it was triggered by someone else?"
"Someone not on the bus?" JJ wanted clarification.
Reid nodded. "It's possible to detonate C4 using a cell phone."
"But we know the explosive was in a musical instrument case. That makes it likely the boy was carrying it," pointed out Hirsch.
"Right. He probably was. But I think we need to consider that there was someone else in the network that Jose had contact with. And it would have to be someone higher up in the chain, if they were going to take out one of their own operatives. It's possible Zach Jackson had an enemy in the ranks. Or maybe they didn't trust him any longer, for some reason." The more Reid spoke about it, the more convinced he became that he was right.
Within another few minutes, the others were convinced as well. Garcia had returned with information from two fronts.
"Okay, so the route. After the bus goes by DHS, it passes six other federal buildings, but they're all just minor storage facilities and overflow offices. So I looked for anything else of interest….you know, places where there might be large gatherings of people, or some corporate body that might be a good target. The only thing that comes up is a park, but the only seating area within it is a full block deep to where the bus goes by."
"So there are no other likely targets on the bus route, meaning it's unlikely the bomb was triggered prematurely," summarized Kate.
"It's not out of the realm of possibility that Jackson triggered the bomb himself." Morgan was reluctant to entirely dismiss the idea. "But I'll grant you that it's sounding less likely."
Reid's tone was confident. "We need to figure out who is next up the chain from Zach Jackson."
This time, Rossi accompanied Reid to meet with Gary Wu. The senior profiler took a rare stint in the driver's seat of their SUV.
"I don't do this for just anybody, kiddo."
Reid was apologetic. "Kimura didn't say either way, but Hotch won't let me drive."
"That's because Morgan told us what happened when you two were at Jackson's apartment."
Immediately, Reid was in whiny little brother mode. "What? What did he say? I just needed to catch my breath, that's all."
"And, the day before that, you just needed to sit down, so you wouldn't pass out."
Sulking now. "He said he wouldn't tell anyone about that."
Rossi gave him a look. "Well, maybe he thought Mom and Dad needed to know."
"Which one are you?" It was out before he could stop it. "Sorry. No offense."
Rossi waited a beat before replying. "None taken." He glanced briefly over at his younger colleague. "No one is questioning your abilities, young Spencer. Nor your valor. You've proven yourself beyond what anyone could possibly expect, these past few weeks. But you're also a member of a team. And, if you're not at your best, it's important for your team to know that, and plan accordingly. In this business, we all depend on one another for our lives, as you well know."
In that awkward space between praise and chastisement, Reid had trouble making eye contact. "I know. And I'm sorry."
"And I'm grateful. For your life, and the life of young JJ. You saved her, Spencer. For that, I thank you. And, if you don't mind my presuming to say it….I'm proud of you."
For the past twenty four hours, Reid had been ruminating on the relationships between fathers and sons, wondering what kind of father he might have had, had William stayed. And wondering what kind of son he might have been. Unexpectedly….providentially, maybe….he was given a taste of each, in this exchange with Rossi. And he savored it.
They arrived at the Wu family restaurant just as a text came in from JJ. She, Kate and Morgan had arrived at the youth center. They would re-interview each of the participants and staff, specifically seeking out information about another adult who might have been seen in conjunction with Zach Jackson.
GOOD LUCK WITH GARY. TELL HIM IT WASN'T HIS FAULT.
WILL DO. BE CAREFUL.
The stakes had risen across the board, for both the terrorists and those hunting them. With the BAU aiming directly up the chain of command, it was assumed this new round of interviews would be considered a challenge to the terror network's hierarchy. Things could get very dangerous, very quickly.
"I don't think you could have been any more gentle about it. The kid is just grieving. It's a normal reaction, Spencer. Worry about the kids who don't."
They were on their way to join the others at the youth center.
"I know. It's just…..it shouldn't have happened. Jose shouldn't have been killed, and Gary shouldn't be carrying guilt about it."
"And Jose shouldn't have bounced from foster home to foster home, to group home, to who knows where. And he shouldn't have been abused or neglected in his family home. None of it should happen, ever. But it does. You just haven't been as close to it before."
Reid moped a bit longer, before conceding. "I guess." And then fell into a long silence that took up most of the rest of the ride. As they neared the youth center, Rossi drew him out.
"Spill, kid. I can tell you're chewing on something."
He was. "It's just…..if we're thinking Jackson was targeted by his own network, and not just collateral damage…..why? We profiled he might have lost their trust, but…that would mean…." His voice trailed off as he lapsed back into his internal analysis.
The BAU founder looked sideways at his younger colleague. "How about you spell it out, for the non-genius in the car?"
Reid did. "Think about it. What would make a terror network stop trusting one of its members?"
"If he'd lost the faith, maybe. If he'd started to get involved in his life again, or reconciled with his family."
"Or…."
"Or…..if they thought he was working with the other side."
"Exactly. And what is 'the other side' of terrorism?"
Rossi gave the genius another quick look. "We are. This whole operation." He wrestled with it for a minute. "We need to call Hotch."
Reid already had his phone out. But he wasn't calling their unit chief.
"Morgan, you and the others need to get back to the BAU. Something urgent just came up on the Lauren Reynolds case, and we need to meet."
Reid couldn't see the expressions passing over Morgan's face as he digested the sentences. He didn't have to. The same expressions were passing over Rossi's. He could only hope his 'older brother' would realize he was speaking in code, and not presume that his brain had become more addled than they'd thought.
The younger man was grateful for the tone of trust when Morgan took only a couple of extra beats to respond.
"No problem, Pretty Boy. We're almost done here anyway. We'll finish out these last few and head over."
Rossi held his tongue until Morgan closed the call. "Lauren Reynolds?"
"DHS has been surveilling the youth center for months. Since the blast, it's a good bet they've had parabolics set up outside, and who knows what they've planted inside. I didn't want them to know what we suspect."
"Lauren Reynolds, the mole." Rossi gave an appreciative nod. "Good thinking, agent. Now, do you think we can let our boss in on your plan? Or were you thinking of hijacking the team?"
Reid blushed. "Sorry. I just wanted to get them out of there. If the network thinks Zach Jackson had turned on them, they might wonder who else he was taking along with him. They might be targeting the others as well, the ones the team is interviewing. The whole center might be in danger."
As Rossi detoured them from the youth center and back to the BAU, Reid called their unit chief and filled him in on the situation.
"I think DHS might have turned Jackson, that they might have been using him. And that the terror network found out, and made sure he was on board the bus the day of the explosion."
"So you're saying you think DHS knew, and didn't share the information with the partner agencies that were investigating him?"
It sounded more like something the CIA or NSA would do. But it made a perverse sort of sense.
"Maybe they couldn't let on that they had a mole within the network," posited Reid. "We came into this pretty late. They've been working this information stream for a very long time."
Rossi chimed in. "Reid's right. Especially because it all seemed to be coming to a head, they couldn't risk having their man on the inside found out."
As maddening as it was to have a partner agency withhold information, Hotch understood what his teammates were saying. But he also understood something else.
"But, somehow, he was found out. And it didn't come from us."
Reid understood his superior's tone exactly. Because he'd already reached the same conclusion.
"If our investigation didn't reveal Zach Jackson to be a DHS mole, if that's not what uncovered him to the terror network…..then it had to be someone within DHS. Someone who knew he was a mole…and sold him out to the terrorists."
Rossi let out a long, slow, whistle.
"That's quite the theory, my young friend. You're saying you think someone…..would have to be someone pretty far up the ladder, I would think…..you think this 'someone' is actually a terror cell operative who's climbed the ranks within DHS, and is sabotaging from within."
Reid knew it sounded like the stuff of bad spy novels. But he couldn't shake the feeling that he was right.
"I do."
