Chapter 22: Faculty Dinner
The Benjamin was Dave Rossi's favorite bar. It was a Marine bar, once upon a time. It's where he met his first wife Carolyn. All the best musicians and bands played there. It may have seen better days, but for Dave, it was still the Benjamin of old. He looked at through the eyes of nostalgia. When he sat down at a table and drank, he felt at home.
Perhaps that's why he arranged to meet Harry Kabotchnick at the Benjamin. Rossi had known Harry off and on for ten years. Harry worked in intelligence. First for department of defense, now for Homeland Security. At least, that's what he told people. Rossi knew him well enough to know Harry would tell him what he could and obfuscate everything else.
Harry came in and sat across from Rossi.
"Hey, Harry, what are you drinking?"
"Club soda."
"What, are you on duty?"
"I'm just about always on duty these days, Dave."
"You should have told me."
"I just did. Come on, you wanted to talk, so let's talk."
They chatted about a few minor things, then a waitress brought Harry's Club soda.
"So, are you gonna ask me for the update, Dave? Or should I just start?"
"Direct as always Harry. You have a line on Agent Jareau?"
"The cheerleader?" Harry had a habit of giving people nicknames. He always claimed it was so he could refer them covertly, if he needed to.
"I don't know that she was ever a cheerleader."
"I read her file. Valedictorian. Soccer player. But she looks like a cheerleader. You want to know what she's doing right now?"
"No one can convince me she's doing press releases for the Pentagon."
"No one poaches someone from the FBI to do press releases."
"So what's going on?"
"Not a clue. But, if the was an executive grab like you said, from high on the mountaintop, it won't be anything obvious."
"What do you mean?"
"Stop acting dumb Dave, you know what this is."
"Some one recruited her. For a job. For a specific mission."
"No shit."
"Why?"
"How would I know? Dave, I'm the part of the totem pole that sticks in the ground."
"Does this self-deprecating, aw-shucks act actually fool people?"
"Not everyone's a profiler, Dave. Assume for the moment I either don't know or can't tell you."
"That bodes well."
"Why do you want to know? Are you worried about her? Or do you just want her back?"
"Well, we are down two agents."
"You didn't answer my question, Dave."
"We need her back. I'd like to bring them both back, but it's too soon to ask the other one."
"Oh right, you said the other one left the world of serial killers to the vaulted halls of academia. What was his name again?"
"Reid. Dr. Spencer Reid. Has he come across your radar?"
"Only because you asked about him. I asked around, some people are trying to recruit him, but I don't think anyone has gotten anywhere."
"Doesn't surprise me."
"These two agents, are they a thing?"
"Why do you ask?"
"Two agents, one forced to leave and the other resigned. It's an obvious inference."
Dave laughed. "No. She's married and he's …"
"Yeah?"
"Just started seeing someone."
"You don't say. You think it'll last."
"Hard to say. Getting back to Agent Jareau…"
"Dave, if someone recruited her, it wasn't something mundane."
"Why her? I mean she's good at her job but…"
"What was her job?"
"Media Liaison."
"Not just media though, right? Liaison with everyone … local FBI offices, police departments, every local law enforcement that wanted the BAU's expertise, right?"
"True."
"That's a unique skill set right there. Plus, doesn't she help decide who you go help in person?"
"To an extent, sure."
"Wouldn't that require some profiling skills?"
"I guess. I never gave it much thought."
"And she's been there what, six years?"
"Yeah."
"Odds are, then, she's picked up somethings about profiling, just through osmosis."
"Maybe."
"But she doesn't look or smell like a profiler."
"So?"
"If it was me, and I had a situation that needed a delicate touch, she's the kind of person I want. All that and looks like a cheerleader. People will let their guard down around her. You won't get her back until the jobs done, in my opinion."
"I was afraid of that, "Rossi said.
Harry looked at his watch. "All right Dave." He drank his club soda. "I've got to go. There is no rest for the weary."
"Harry, about Dr. Reid."
"Yeah?"
"No one is trying too hard to recruit him."
"What, he's just a profiler, right?"
"No. He's a genius. I surprised no one spirited him away."
"The people in my world wouldn't want him. Guy like that makes too much noise."
Harry walked out of the bar and called a number on his cellphone. "So," he began, any word yet."
"It's a little early. They're still at the dinner."
"I meant the vultures descending on their place."
"We've got eyes on them."
"Good. Keep watching. Make sure that's all we do."
"I've got it."
"Good."
Spencer Reid was not comfortable at the dinner. Rubbing elbows and making small talk was not his comfort zone. If it wasn't for Emily…
When she was near him, he felt calm. She was a good buffer between him and everyone else. She was charming to the other professors, professors' wives, and the dean. He wasn't certain, but he thought she was actually enjoying herself. He didn't think she liked formal events like this, but she was actually glowing tonight.
The roughest part of the night was when she went to the bathroom and he was left alone.
"Dr. Reid?"
He turned around and saw a brunette woman, slightly older than Emily.
"Dr. Blake?" Dr. Alex Blake was also a professor in criminology, forensic linguistics was her specialty. He was a guest lecturer in her class before.
"I thought that was you. I heard you were teaching on campus this semester."
"Yes, well, I .."
"I also heard you left the FBI?"
"I did."
"Really." She had the look of a mother, waiting for her son to explain why he broke curfew.
He shuffled his feet. "I just felt I wasn't doing much good there."
"I see. So, does that mean you might be interested in co-teaching next semester? I'm looking to teach a course on linguistic profiling."
Reid smiled. "I think I would like that."
Reid felt a familiar arm reach around his torso and a kiss on his cheek, "Hey handsome."
"Dr. Blake," Reid said, "this is my girlfriend, Emily Prentiss."
"Pleased to meet you," Alex said, and shook Emily's hand.
"Likewise." Emily's eye narrowed thoughtfully, "Blake…didn't you write a paper recently regarding male and female pronouns in manifestos?"
Alex smiled, "You read it?"
"It was invaluable on a case we were on last year."
"On a case?"
"Oh, I'm in the FBI."
"Like Spencer was?"
"That's right. The Behavior Analysis Unit."
The next few minutes included a discussion of a variety on communications unsubs sent to authorities, from ransom notes to bomber manifestos. It was interrupted when Emily's cellphone made a noise.
When she looked, she saw a message on the phone. It read "They have come and gone."
She smiled. The bait was taken. They would need to leave soon.
They had to be careful not to leave too soon. Just in case they were under surveillance here as well.
"Is there an emergency?" Reid asked.
She smiled and shook her head. "JJ says they have come and gone. We should stay a little longer, you know, to politic some more professor."
He rolled his eyes. Alex had moved to a different part of the room.
"so, "Emily said, "do you know her well?"
"I guest lectured for her a few times. She wants to co-teach a course next semester."
"See, it's not so bad, winning friends and influencing people."
"You are enjoying yourself."
"Showing off my genius boyfriend? Absolutely."