Hello to my still loyal readers. This story is coming along despite my hectic schedule with student intern and going back to classes myself. Crazy right? I am getting homework again haha. I am still hoping the story finishes faster than my other ones have taken. No warnings for this chapter except language and a shocking scene at the end so enjoy
"Cutting heads, burning alive and hanging are not punishments, they are only barbarism."
― M.F. Moonzajer, LOVE, HATRED AND MADNESS
Garcia easily hacked into Reid's email without ever being asked to. She didn't even know if she was allowed to, but she wasn't going to wait around for official orders while Reid needed her. She didn't have to go digging around at all. The email was in plain view in the trash folder. If Reid was trying to hide it, he didn't do a very good job. The email surprised Garcia. She was expecting some nameless unsub that the team would have a difficult time tracking down, but their names were right in the email. Garcia had to read it twice to make sure, but there were no mistakes. It was Harold's parents that the boy genius wrote that email to. The Caldwell couple was behind Aedan's abduction, and Reid offered himself up freely for Aedan's safe return. Garcia didn't know what condition the teenage boy was in. She refused to look at the photo that Rossi took, but it couldn't be anything good. The kid was put in a medically induced coma while the doctors fought to keep the swelling down in his brain. That was all she would let Rossi tell her. She wasn't made for that kind of stuff, and she didn't think she ever would be. Her secret in getting through every day was to focus on her work. Busy work kept her mind from wandering into those dark areas that gave her nightmares. She was the only person still left at the office. She stayed behind to check Reid's email while the others sped to meet Rossi at the hospital.
"He sent out an email to Mr. and Mrs. Caldwell. He knew they had Aedan, and he offered to take Aedan's place," Garcia told Hotch.
"Telling Bloom's team right now," J.J. said.
"Is there a reply email?" Hotch asked.
Garcia got the email screen back up, and found the reply email directly above the one Reid sent. "Yes. No signature, but they told Reid to meet him at a park an hour after the email. The park where Aedan was found. Looks like they actually let Reid see Aedan before the drop off. So Reid could make sure he was still alive. Sending you guys both emails now."
"That's how that sweater ended up on his leg," Hotch said.
"Bloom's team is on their way to the Caldwell mansion," J.J. said. "Another team should probably go check out Harold's old manor too. I can see them trying to hide out there. Nobody else bought that manor, right?"
Garcia dragged the email screen to the side and put her skills to the test to find out what happened to that hell on earth. "Um. Manor abandoned by all the house employees shortly after Harold's arrest. Still gets regular maintenance from a small cleaning service once a month, but Harold's parents are the official owners of the property. Doesn't look different at all in these pictures."
"I don't think the Caldwells are expecting us to come so quick," J.J. said.
"Yeah, they just got Reid so they are probably still settling him in. If Bloom's team catches them by surprise, this will be an easy arrest. "
"Does that mean Derek and Emily will get to come back?" Garcia felt so sorry for them sitting all alone in those safe houses without a clue of what was going on. They were probably going nuts with worry.
"I'll give Strauss a call when we get to the hospital," Hotch promised.
"There has to be someone else with them though," J.J. said so quietly it came out as a whisper.
"What do you mean?" Hotch asked.
"Think about it." Garcia pulled up images of the now infamous couple on her computer while J.J. talked. "How old are they? 60s? 70s? Olivia is maybe 100lbs at the most, and her husband doesn't look much bigger. How in the world would they be able to abduct someone like Aedan? There was a definite struggle in his apartment. He was fighting back against his attacker. If he was fighting a 70 year old man, Aedan would have won easily. Someone else is helping them."
"Nobody in their right mind would want to help them murder people," Garcia said.
"Money talks," J.J. replied swiftly. "Remember Markus? He would have done anything to get enough money to take care of his sister."
"Markus never hurt any of the victims," Hotch pointed out. "He didn't help them, but he never physically hurt any of them. I agree with you though. It's not only the kidnapping itself, but the suffering Aedan went through couldn't be caused by an elderly couple."
"Who is it then?" Garcia asked. "Looks like Victor Caldwell's closest living male relative is out in California. Moved there in 2001, and looks like he is still out there with his wife and 2 kids. Olivia's father died before either one of her sons was born. She has no brothers. Has an uncle out in Florida residing in a nursing home."
"Do they belong to any clubs?"
"Maybe they throw extravagant parties like their son used to, and found their accomplice at one of those," J.J. suggested.
"No clubs," Garcia said skimming over articles she found on the couple as fast as she could. "Nothing. No parties or celebrations. They go all out on holiday decorations every year, and neighbors complained because every other house on the street welcomed neighbors to parties except them. Looks like they were basically invisible until Harold's arrest."
"Garcia, can you look up Harold's college classes or see if he made anymore buddies while behind bars. I have a feeling it's going to be a lot harder to arrest this accomplice than the couple."
"On it boss man," Garcia said as cheerfully as she could while ending the call.
It didn't take long to find out that Harold was a loner in college. He didn't date, didn't invite friends over, and he was always home the second classes ended. She couldn't find anything about Harold getting new pals in prison until after he was out on the run with 2 men. Garcia didn't think whoever was helping this sadistic couple was somebody from Harold's past. That would mean they needed to trust a third party with the abductions, and risk being arrested before ever starting. They worked too hard planning the perfect abduction to risk something going wrong. The couple had to previously known the man they invited to help murder the people they blamed for Harold's death.
Olivia was planning for a peaceful night alone while Reid sat alone upstairs thinking about his terrible mistake. She never got the chance to get into her warm bed though. She turned the television on, and the first thing she saw was news about the McCormick brat being found. She didn't think he would be found so fast, but her little sister was keeping her updated with constant text messages. Aedan still wasn't awake. They left him not able to speak, but a bad feeling was warped in her brain that wouldn't let go. They needed to leave. All of them. They needed to get out of that house.
"Charles!" she shouted from her bedroom door. Her loyal companion was right around the corner waiting for orders. "We need to leave. I suddenly have a terrible feeling that something bad will happen if we don't go. We could stay in Harold's old house, but I don't think we will be safe there. Do you know anywhere we can go? Someplace quiet?"
Charles nodded.
"Wonderful! Give me 5 minutes to pack a bag. I'll wake up Victor. Do you mind so much moving the agent to one of the cars? I was thinking initially he could stay in the trunk, but would he able to breathe? Just make sure he's secured and toss him on the floor in the backseat."
Charles nodded again, and Olivia went to pack a small bag just full of essential belongings that she might need for a short trip away. She didn't imagine that she would be gone longer than a few days, and by the time she did return, Reid would be dead. His body would never be found, and she would move on with her life. She called Victor up while she carefully folded clothes into a bag.
"We are leaving tonight. Meet me downstairs."
"Honey, it's very late and I'm very tired."
"I'm pretty sure the police will be here soon. Don't ask me how i know, but do you want to risk them just showing up? How would you possibly explain the FBI agent locked upstairs? You don't think he would tell them that it was you who picked him up from the park?"
Olivia went into her bathroom, and poured Aedan's blood into a pink thermos that she couldn't remember ever even using. She didn't want her precious glass cups to break on the car ride over to their safe place. She poured it in as carefully as she could, and only one little drop splashed out onto the sink. She licked it up herself. The exotic taste sent a chill down her spine.
"Fine," Victor said. She imagined he was just getting out of bed. She hadn't been to his room in years. They only ever shared a bed together once shortly after their marriage. It was then that she decided she couldn't stand the smell of him, and sent him away to find a new bed. She never looked back on that choice. She never liked sharing her blankets anyway.
She ended the call, and put the thermos of blood carefully in her bag. She couldn't think of anything else she needed from her room so she ran over to where the agent was being kept. She spotted the nail gun that she used on Aedan and put that on the top of her bag. She couldn't just leave that behind.
She left her bag by the door, and walked in to see the progress Charles made in securing Reid. She turned on the overhead lights which temporarily blinded the young agent still handcuffed in the corner. Charles roped the boy's legs tightly together, and was holding onto a black sock that Aedan had most likely been wearing earlier that night.
"We are leaving here tonight," Olivia told him. "It's a shame that you won't be seeing more of this house. It really is beautiful, and the landscaping on the property in remarkable if I do say so myself. We will all be going downstairs quietly using a staircase that the servants rarely have access to."
"And if I start screaming?"
"Oh you won't be doing that honey bee," Olivia said pulling her phone back out. "Let me show you the little surprise I got tonight." She scrolled through her messages until she found one sent to her by Claudia, her younger sister.
"You see, my sister works at a hospital as a nurse in the emergency room. I can't imagine ever having a job like that, but it helps pay for her little addiction to meth. I keep telling her that sooner or later her job will find out, but she told me she only uses during vacations. Pretty sure she uses more than that, but that isn't my little problem."
She pulled up the photo her sister took of Aedan unconscious in a hospital bed with all kinds of tubes on his face. Visible stitching stretched across one of his cheeks, and there was a thick bandage wrapped around one shoulder. He looked better than she hoped he would, but the agent looked like he just saw a ghost.
"I have her do little favors for me sometimes. She always does them for the extra cash so I asked her to keep a little eye out for Aedan, and sure enough she kept her promise. They are giving your little boyfriend blood transfusions right now because he lost quite a bit while he was here. Do you want to know what I asked Claudia to do for me?"
She swiped from the photo to a video. Claudia removed the IV giving Aedan the precious fluids, and replaced it with a narrow tube going directly into some bottle. She moved Aedan's arm off the bed, and Olivia watched the blood drain back out of the boy at a rapid pace. Olivia blacked out the screen and put the phone back in her pocket.
"She's been doing this on and off since Aedan got out of surgery. Since she's one of the only nurses allowed in his room, she can take as much blood as I ask her to tonight. You will let Charles finish what he has to do to get you ready, and you won't make a peep as we leave this house. Claudia can kill Aedan without anyone ever finding out. She's done it before and is willing to do it again. All she is waiting for is my permission."
Reid licked his lips, and stared back at her, but he was nervous. His eyes couldn't hide his fear. "How do I know you won't have her kill Aedan anyway?"
"You don't know for sure, but I did keep my end of the bargain. Aedan was released and is already in the hospital. Claudia said an older man came in with him. She hasn't talked with him, but the guy won't leave. He won't be able to save Aedan once I give the command, but I'm not a liar Agent Reid."
When Reid didn't argue, she nodded at Charles. The larger man forced Reid's mouth open and stuck the sock in it. It was secured by wrapping a shoelace around Reid's head. The agent was blindfolded with a dark sash from Olivia's coat closet. Charles was smart. She never would had thought of that.
Reid was unhooked, and thrown over Charles' shoulder. Olivia turned off the lights, and led the way downstairs to the garage. Victor, still looking groggy, was already there waiting for them. Four cars were parked in the main garage, but Charles chose an older model Ford to make their getaway in. Olivia always said that car was a waste of money, but Victor kept promising her that the car's value would increase with age. She didn't think it ever had, but she was happy to see that it was finally serving a purpose tonight. Charles put the agent in the backseat, and then took his place in the driver's seat. Olivia chose to sit next to him in the front while Victor was stuck in back with Reid. Somebody obviously needed to sit with Reid, but it wasn't going to be her. She liked to enjoy the sights when she went out on a ride.
"Did anyone see you?" Olivia asked.
"No," Victor said. He buckled himself in and kicked Reid in the back. "We never should have taken him. He's ruining the entire night.."
"He's giving us an adventure," Olivia said. You were always saying that we never do anything exciting anymore. Isn't this exciting enough?"
"No Olivia. Murdering an FBI agent was never in my retirement plans."
"This will bring us closer together as a couple," Olivia said. She didn't know that for sure, but this would be a secret they would need to keep till their graves. "It's something that will we never forget."
"Wait," Victor suddenly said. "Our phones. I think they can be tracked. We need to leave them here."
" Are you sure?" Olivia didn't want to leave her phone. She wanted to keep in contact with her sister.
"Do you want to risk it?"
She sighed loudly, but surrendered her phone. She watched her husband sneak back into the house, but he was back in less than a minute. The car wasn't turned on until Victor was buckled in. Safety first.
The garage opened, and the old blue car crept out of the driveway. Olivia didn't see any gardeners hanging around or maids having a smoke, but she didn't let Charles turn on the front lights until they got to the main road. If the police were on their way, her hired help would honestly know nothing. The adrenaline from what she was doing kept her awake, but she was a little worried too. She had no idea where Charles was taking them.
Rossi was with Aedan when they got to the hospital, and was directed to a waiting room when Aedan was rushed in for emergency surgery. Hotch and the others were already on their way over. Bloom's team were prepping to storm the Caldwell mansion the last Rossi heard, but there was nothing more for their team to do. He was sure that Strauss would get his team involved sooner or later. She was going to need their help. The Caldwell family wasn't stupid, and they were probably prepared for the police to come. No matter what happened at that house, Rossi didn't think Reid would be there.
J.J. ran into the hospital just a few minutes after Aedan went into surgery. Hotch was right behind her with a phone is his hand.
"No news yet?" J.J. asked.
"Not yet," Rossi said standing up to greet them. "Is Garcia coming?"
"She will. She's doing some more research on Harold Caldwell," Hotch said. "The couple couldn't pull this off on their own. Somebody is helping them."
"You think it's a friend of Harold?" Rossi asked. He didn't think Harold really had any friends. He had a problem making deep connections with people so somebody having a relationship with him would be difficult.
"We were thinking originally it was a friend of the couple, but it doesn't look like they socialize much. No parties. No clubs."
"They see people every day," Rossi said. "They have servants, and drivers, and groundskeepers. They are never alone in that house."
"He's right," J.J. said. "I'm going to tell Garcia to send us a list of their employees."
"It will have to be a man," Hotch said. "Aedan is a strong kid. We are looking for a well fit man. Possibly a groundskeeper."
"Agents?" a doctor asked. "You are here for McCormick?"
Rossi stood up. He didn't realize until now that his hands were sweating. He prayed that Aedan was going to be alright. His death would be hard on the team, but it would destroy Reid. "Yes. How is he?"
"I'm Doctor Andrews. I'm going to be his doctor while he's here in urgent care. He will also have a nurse with him at all times. The first few hours are critical for him so I don't want him to be alone. I put everything that came with him in bags for you take with you. There's 6 nails, a sweater, and an old printed up picture. The picture itself is graphic. I'm assuming you've seen it?"
"Yes. That was his older brother." J.J. Said.
"It was nailed to his chest. Each nail measured 3 inches in length, and it was directly in the middle of his chest. I don't know how long the nails were in there, but I'm afraid they will leave a scar. When the nails were removed, they didn't look all that clean so we are watching for signs of infection."
"How do you think the nails got there? With a hammer?" Rossi shuddered. He couldn't imagine someone holding Aedan down while someone else hammered nails into him. And that person now had Reid.
"I think it was a nail gun. I'm not an expert at that, but I didn't find any hesitation marks. The nails just went right in. The nails are in a separate bag so maybe it's possible to track down the machine they came from."
The doctor paused for any questions, but the team offered none. "He had a concussion shortly before he got here. He suffered bleeding on the brain. I'm hoping he doesn't have ant permanent damage, but he is young so he might overcome this just fine. I have him in a medically induced coma to give his body a chance to heal itself. His right shoulder is broken, and part of his skull was fractured. I think that happened shortly before his concussion. He did require a lot of stitching. He had 42 different marks of different shapes and sizes all across his body."
"Whip marks?" Rossi asked.
"No, I think they were made with a knife or dagger. The wounds were made for blood letting. Most of them weren't that deep, but they would have bled a lot. It's not my job to guess what was going on with this boy, but it's very upsetting. This boy almost died. He's lost at least 30% of his blood already so I'm having him get blood transfusions through an IV. The worst cut was on his inner thigh, but he had a deep one across his buttocks. I'm pretty sure he was awake for all of this. Both of his wrists are broken as well."
"Was he sexually assaulted?" Hotch asked. It was a question that none of them wanted to ask, but they all needed to know.
"I didn't see any signs of penetration, but there are bad bruises across his thighs and his penis is dark red so there was definite sexual abuse, but he wasn't penetrated."
Rossi sighed. It was great that he didn't have a man or another damned branch torturing Aedan, but what he went through didn't sound much better.
"When will he be awake?" Rossi asked.
"I'll check how he is doing tomorrow morning, but I don't want him waking up tonight. He needs his rest."
"Thank you doctor,* Rossi said. They watched him walk away back to his wounded patient. " I'll stay here tonight with him. I'll just sit outside his room of they don't let me in."
"I'm going to call Strauss now to see if Morgan and Prentiss are free to leave. Reid was always their intended target. I don't see ant problem with our team taking back over the case."
"You don't think the couple will go after Morgan later? He is still one of the only survivors of Harold Caldwell," Rossi reminded them.
"Yes, but he never really wanted Morgan there. Reid even said that in the email. Garcia sent us copies of the letter. We need all the help we can get."
"What do you think Bloom's team will find?" J.J. asked.
"An empty house full of confused help," Hotch said.
"We need to get a full biography of Olivia Caldwell. I think she is the main person behind this. Do you remember how she acted at the trial? She just wanted revenge for what happened to Harold."
"Then why kidnap Aedan at all?" J.J. asked.
"I didn't know," Rossi admitted.
Rossi had more questions than anyone had answers for, but he was distracted. Aedan was on!y missing for a few hours, and he was nearly dead. At this rate, the boy genius wouldn't last until morning. Reid wasn't going to be at that house when the other team got there. The Caldwell couple was gone, but maybe somebody working there could tell them who their helper was.
Rossi excused himself when Hotch and J.J. went to look at the items that came with Aedan. He walked the narrow hallways of the hospital and was directed to the teen's room. He wasn't allowed inside just yet, but it had a window that let Rossi look inside. He saw one nurse writing down vitals, but his eyes were drawn to the boy on the bed with stitches across his cheek. Rossi wouldn't mind staying here all night. Another nurse offered him a chair and he found some magazines to look through while Aedan slept.
Agent Lewis Martin was one of the first to arrive at the Caldwell house. It wasn't as creepy as be thought it would be. He read a lot about Harold so he wouldn't be startled if he ran into any bodies missing tongues, but this place looked pleasant. Most of the lights were already off because of the late hour, but the porch light was on welcoming any guests. Lush grass with tall trees surrounded the property, and Lewis saw a faint outline of a tennis court past a brightly lit fountain. He would had loved to see this place during the day.
"How many stories is this place again?" his partner asked.
They weren't really partners, but whenever Bloom split them up into pairs, Lewis was always stuck with her. Agent Monica Silva. He had absolutely nothing against her. She was nice to look at her with darker hair and hazel eyes, but she was just always on the book with every little thing. She refused to take a single step unless Bloom told them to, and it was annoying as hell.
"Four. Harold Caldwell kept his victims tied up in a basement at his last location, but I don't know how much they will copy their son. Olivia Caldwell never got over the loss of her sons so this is just her way of righting any wrongs." Lewis and Monica were parked underneath one of the large trees with their lights off waiting on word from Bloom. The large house was quietly being surrounded by the rest of his team. If the Caldwell couple were hiding out in there with the agent, they would be apprehended before the night was over. Lewis was already imagining calling J.J. with the good news.
"Everyone in location? Lewis and Monica, approach the front door. We are assuming they are armed and dangerous so proceed with caution. Any questions?" Bloom asked from a walkie talkie.
"No, we are good to go," Monica answered.
Lewis hoped out of the car, and made sure his gun was still as his side. They didn't park close enough for people peeping out the window to spot them, but now it seemed like they had a mile long hike ahead of them. Lewis kept his eyes glued ahead of them for any rustling curtains, but the sleepy house remained still and quiet.
When they reached the front door, he took a minute to admire the patio set of two matching blue rockers with a floral pattern. The house itself belonged in a damn magazine.
Monica rung the doorbell. For the longest time, Lewis couldn't hear anything inside the house. No talking. No scurrying away. It was just silence until he finally heard padded footsteps coming their way.
An elderly man wearing a bathrobe and thick rimmed glasses opened the door slightly. He looked shocked to find the couple standing on the porch. At first glance, it didn't seem like he knew in the slightest what was going on.
"Good evening sir. Is this the Caldwell residence?" Lewis asked.
"Yes," the older man said with uncertainty. "Who are you people? If you are selling something or trying to find new recruits for your crummy religion, you are out here much too late and the Caldwells are not interested. If I see you on this property again, I will be calling the police."
"Actually sir," Monica said pulling out her badge. "We are with the FBI. I'm Agent Silva and this is Agent Martin. Are the Caldwells still here?"
"They went to sleep hours ago. I don't think I've seen them since dinner. What is this all about? Surely it can wait until morning."
"I wish it could sir. Do you know how many employees are currently on the property?" Lewis asked.
"I think only about 13 are here now. Most are already in bed. More of us come first thing in the morning."
"Ok sir, please get all of the employees evacuated right now. More information will be given to you later, but I need everyone who works here to get out of that house in the next few minutes."
"Minutes? Ma'am, they are all sleeping!"
"Do you need help waking them?" Monica asked the flabbergasted door man.
"Have everyone exit through the front door. The rest of our team has all of the other doors surrounded so it is safest with this door. Do not wake up the couple of the house," Lewis said.
"Did they abduct that federal agent? Is that was all of this deal is about? I knew it. I fucking knew it. Their son did it so of course it runs in the family. I should have quit last damn year. Guess I gotta quit now though. I mean, if you're arresting my employer, that's it. That's it for all of us. Did you know Lizzie is trying to support her sick mother? And Miles has three kids! What's going go happen to him? We need this work."
Lewis didn't know if this man was begging him not to arrest this deadly couple because he needed a job or what, but Lewis felt this was just wasting valuable time. Bloom was going to be over here soon if things didn't start moving along.
"Sir, you will either wake them up now or I will do it for you," Monica threatened. Lewis was the first to admit that making Monica mad was a bad idea. The door man took the hint and left leaving the door open.
Monica stepped back to let Bloom know the employees were coming out while Lewis took a step into the house. The only lights on were the ones the door man lit on his way back to the servant quarters. It was still eerily dark up the two flights on stairs leading to the second level. He couldn't tell if the couple was still sleeping or not, but it was complete silence in the old house until a single file of servants walked to the front door.
Nine of them were women. Five were men so the man holding open the door had his guess off by one. All were dressed in the night clothes. One of the older ladies was actually wearing a night cap, and a few of the younger women came out still holding their pillows like they were preparing to go back to bed in a few minutes. The last one out was the first man they met.
Monica led the group further away from the house, but Lewis held the original man back.
"What did you say your name was sir?"
"Frank. Frank Blackburn. I've worked for this couple for the past 20 years. I have nowhere else go go."
"What is your position?"
"Usually just the doorman. Greeting guests. Hanging up coats. Deliver messages to the couple from other workers or outside folks. I call on workmen when something needs repaired."
Lewis led Frank outside to join the other workers, but if something was going on in that house, his bet was on that Frank knew more than he was saying. "Are these all the employees outside now that stay the night here?"
Frank looked at the tired people hidden behind one of the cars. "No. Missing one. Weirdo usually got special privileges though. He never bunked with us downstairs."
Lewis watched Bloom run over the front door with her gun held out in front of her. "Who is the last employee then? How do you know he is here?"
"Because he never leaves. Even when he gets vacation time, the fool sticks around here waiting at Olivia's hand and foot! He scares the rest of us."
Lewis was all ears now. He knew there had to be a third person involved. There was no way some elderly couple could subdue someone like Aedan. "What's his name?"
"Not none of us know his real name. Or even where he came from. Scary ass man just showed up here one day looking for work, but none of us ever hear him say a single word. We don't even know his name. Some of the younger girls gave him a nickname they heard from some superhero movie and that has come to become what is known as in our group. We call him the Juggernaut."
There were at least two movies that Lewis could think where that name was used, but neither character were very likable people. "He is upstairs now?"
"Olivia gave him a room next to hers so she could call on him in the middle of the night if she needed something. We all thought she was having some steamy affair at first with this man, but none of us think that anymore."
"Why not?"
"We think she is a little afraid of him too. She don't come right out and tell us, but we can see it in her eyes. This fellow is bad news. If a lady with a serial killer for a son with some killer instincts herself is afraid of this guy, that tells a lot. I wouldn't want to be home alone with him."
"What does he look like?" Lewis asked. He was getting ready to call Bloom to warn her about a potential dangerous worker living upstairs.
"Some of the girls will tell you he's 12 feet tall. I myself am gonna guess closer to 8 or 9 feet, but this guy is big. Black hair. Black eyes. Got no ring on his finger so he's not married. Wish I could tell you more."
Lewis nodded. " If he isn't upstairs, would you mind talking to a sketch artist so we can get a clearer image of this guy?"
"No problem, but you better pray he isn't hiding upstairs."
"Why not?"
"Last year, he caught some poor soul that broke in during a rain storm. We found that fellow dead the next morning."
Lewis had so many questions swarming his thoughts. He couldn't remember hearing any missing people cases lately. "How do you know this guy did it?"
"When we told Olivia about the body, he started laughing. That was the one and only time I ever heard his voice."
Lewis pulled out his phone to call Bloom. He didn't know how much of this story was actually true, but it was enough to make him nervous. If there was some large man hiding out in the shadows, his team needed to know about it.
Rossi wasn't keeping a close look at the time. If he did, he would probably go nuts. He did check his phone to make sure of any new developments or to see if he was needed anywhere. He didn't blink an eye when he found out that the Caldwell couple wasn't home. They weren't stupid. It was stupid of any of them to think the couple was. They knew exactly what they were doing, and probably ditched the house soon after Reid's abduction. What interested Rossi was hearing about the mysterious large man the other employees referred to as the Juggernaut. Who was this man? Garcia was already sending complete lists of all the people employed by the Caldwell family, past and present, but what if he wasn't on those lists? It already sounded like this man didn't want to be found. The feeling was stronger than ever that this guy was the missing link in the abductions. From the search so far of the house, there wasn't any sign of this giant of a man or the couple. They were just gone.
A flashing light drew Rossi's attention away from the magazine that he hadn't really been reading. He wasn't going to make much of it. It was probably the reflection of some tool the nurse was using to help poor Aedan, but something didn't feel right. He stood up and pretended to walk towards the bathrooms, but stopped just past the window curtains. He peaked inside, and saw a single nurse with her cell phone out taking photos of Aedan on the bed. Could this be for his medical records? Rossi didn't know, but something was off about the whole situation. Nobody should be taking photos on their personal cell phone of a patient in the Intensive Care Unit.
He went over to the nurse's station with his own cell phone in hand. Only one woman was currently there, and she looked overwhelmed while she worked on her computer.
"Excuse me, ma'am. Can I please get the names of all of the nurses working on Aedan McCormick? I'd like them as soon as possible."
He already had his badge pulled out so he was well prepared for her to tell him no, but she didn't. She glanced at the badge, and sighed. He was sure he was interrupting her busy work schedule, but he didn't feel this could wait.
"Yes. There's 4 nurses assigned to him right now. The doctor doesn't want him alone in these first few critical hours so the nurses provide the patient with this extra support. Looks like we have Cici Austin with him tomorrow morning. She hasn't seen him yet. Um, Beatrice Higgens will spend the afternoons with Aedan. Jane Pickford has him in the early evenings. You probably saw her a little today, and his night nurse is Claudia Shelley. She is the one with him right now. None of the nurses are male due to the recent sexual abuse of the patient, the doctor didn't think that would be a good idea."
Rossi nodded. Claudia Shelley. He hurried back to the hospital room, and glanced inside without making his presence known. She was off and about doing something with the tubes. She could have just been changing them, but Rossi wanted to know for sure who this woman was. He dialed Garcia.
"Hey. I need you to look up somebody for me. Can you do that?"
"All I need is a name," Garcia's cheery voice rang out from the other side.
"Claudia Shelley. She is one of Aedan's nurses. I just want you to tell me who she is. Is she married?"
"Give me like two seconds, and here we go," Garcia said. Rossi was always amazed about how fast that woman worked. "OK, let's see here. She isn't married. No kids. No boyfriends. She has a social media that hasn't been touched for the last decade. She's worked as a nurse for the past 20 years, but it looked like she took a break from it last year. Doesn't say why. Put down family problems on here...hold on. Rossi, is she still with him right now?"
Rossi looked through the window and saw the woman, once again, taking an unflattering photo of Aedan. "Yes."
"Get her out of that room right now," Garcia said, her voice raising. "Her sister is Olivia Caldwell. Oh my God. Please hurry."
Rossi hung up the phone just as Hotch and J.J. were rounding the corner. He met them before they got to the room.
"Olivia's sister is a nurse working with Aedan," Rossi whispered as fast as he could to get the information out. "She's been taking photos of him all night. I don't know what else. I think she is sending them to her sister."
It was once in a blue moon that Hotch truly lost his temper, but this was one of those times. He pulled his gun out without asking any questions, and pushed the door open in Aedan's room. Rossi was right behind him. The nurse screamed and dropped a tube that she was holding. Dark blood seeped out onto the floor, and Rossi saw the tube wasn't connected to an IV. The blood was coming out of Aedan's arm.
"Step away from him," Hotch commanded. "Keep your arms where I can see them." The woman, shocked out of her mind, stepped away from Aedan with her hands raised.
"We need a doctor!" J.J. shouted from the hallway.
Rossi circled around Hotch to make sure the woman wouldn't try anything funny as she walked towards him. She didn't. Catching her off guard worked to their advantage, and Hotch had her handcuffed as soon as she left the hospital room. Rossi didn't know what to do about the tube. He was afraid to touch it and make something worse, but luckily, Aedan's doctor was just the next room over. He heard the commotion, and didn't need directions from J.J.
"What's happened?" he asked walking in the room.
"Doctor, we found that nurse taking photos of the patient and I'm pretty sure this thing isn't supposed to be here."
A look of confusion spread across Andrews' face as he stepped forward to look at the tube with blood still dripping from it. "Oh my God," he said. He put a pair of gloves on, and ran over to see it closer.
"What is it? Do you know?"
The doctor got on his knees and pulled out something that had fallen underneath the bed. It was a large vial, already mostly full with what Rossi guessed was the teenager's blood. "Did you see her doing this?"
"No," Rossi said. "I saw her holding the tube, and taking photos. She was taking a vial of his blood?"
The doctor easily disconnected the tube from Aedan, and re-hooked the proper IV in it's place. It was an easy enough fix, but why would the nurse want his blood? It didn't make sense. If her sister wanted Aedan dead, surely there were easier ways to go about killing him.
"There's six more vials under the bed," Andrews said. "I don't understand."
"I'm sure there's going to be more vials in her bag," Rossi said. "Can you tell me how much more blood Aedan has lost?"
"Yes, once I see all of the vials. She was trying to kill him?"
"Yes," Rossi said. "Her sister is the one that kidnapped him. We're going to make sure she never sets foot in a hospital again."
Rossi left the shaken up doctor before more questions could be asked, and found Hotch with J.J. In one of the conference rooms with the nurse. They were waiting for Bloom's team to arrive. Claudia sat restlessly in a chair across from Hotch, and when Rossi got a better look at her, it was clear something was wrong. Her skin was just showing faint hints of forming scars, and her teeth looked frail. This woman was a drug addict.
"Where is your sister?" Hotch asked
"I don't know where she is. Did you check the house?"
"She's not there," Hotch said. "Where is she?"
"Why were you draining Aedan's blood?" Rossi asked.
"I don't know," Claudia said looking down at the table. "I don't even know who the kid is. She asked me to bring her some blood of his tonight, and was going to pay me $100 a vial so I did it. I need the money."
"You know that he's already getting blood transfusions because of how much blood he's already lost?" Rossi asked.
"I needed the money," Claudia repeated.
"So you were willing to murder a teenage boy for some money," Rossi said.
"Look. I don't know where Olivia is. I don't know where Victor is. She was going to meet me here after my shift to get the blood and pay me. That's all I know."
"How long have you been using?" Hotch asked.
Her eyes grew wide. "Oh my God. You can tell? Please don't tell my boss. Please don't. I really need this job. I didn't marry someone rich like Victor. Please!"
"How long?" Rossi asked.
"I can't remember! I really can't. Look, I'm sorry about what I was doing to the kid. He's not dead, and I won't ever do it again."
"We know you won't," Hotch said standing up.
None of them said goodbye to her as they went out leaving her alone with her rambled thoughts.
"I think she was telling the truth," J.J. Said.
"Maybe we can lure Olivia out using her sister's cell phone," Rossi suggested.
Olivia's cell phone was found at the house placed neatly next to her husband's phone, and from what they could tell, the Juggernaut didn't have a phone. They could text on her phone all day long, but it wouldn't mean much if Olivia didn't have her phone with her. It was possible that Olivia had a secret number in case of emergencies, but it didn't seem that way. Claudia was another dead end in this twisted family.
The drive wasn't as long as Olivia feared it would be, but Charles drove them deep into the woods on outset of the city. She would never be able to find her way back out without assistance, and she wasn't even blindfolded. The large trees became one mass of darkness as Charles drove them further away from the comforts of home. She never knew he lived out here before. She hired a hermit to work in her million dollar mansion. He got the job done. That was all she ever asked him to do so she wasn't complaining. He was going so far out of his way now just to help her. This kind of loyalty wouldn't go unnoticed.
Reid stayed quiet for the most part. She didn't like that. She knew the skinny twerp on the floor was the smartest person on his little team. She wouldn't put it past him to be memorizing every turn they took. She didn't like that, but she was confident he wouldn't ever get out. Even if he ran away, he would lost for the rest of his life in the unforgiving woods. His body wasn't meant for any kind of outdoor labor.
She felt bad to leave her cell phone behind, but Victor reminded her that they could be easily tracked. There was no way around it, but she transferred most of the images of Aedan onto her tablet. She had no hope of any reception out in the woods, but she would still be able to tease Reid with those photos. She felt naked without having her phone at her side though. She didn't know if Victor felt the same. He stared out the window at absolutely nothing the entire journey. Conversation was limited to listening to Charles' deep breathing or questions she heard coming from her own mouth.
Olivia didn't know why that Charles never spoke. She asked countless times, but she couldn't get more out of him than a few grumbles. She didn't even know who recommended him. Just one day, he was there for a job and was hired on the spot. Victor assumed he was one of those deaf and dumb fellows for a while, but he could obviously hear just fine so Olivia was thinking he had some kind of speech disorder. Maybe he couldn't speak at all or the disorder was so bad that he was afraid to speak. She was never one to delve into the lives of her helpers. She had enough problems of her own to deal with.
Charles pulled up beside an old looking cabin. There weren't any lights on, but she could see the house itself was two stories tall. There was an old rocking chair that sat out front, but Olivia didn't think this house was even as big as her garage. Beggars couldn't be choosers her mother always told her. She got out of the car carefully because there wasn't any smooth pavement beneath her feet. Be grateful she kept telling herself. They wouldn't be gone long. As soon as this bratty kid was dead, they could go home.
"Okay. This will keep the police away. Charles, would you mind getting the agent set up somewhere? I don't mind where, but just make sure he is contained well. We don't need him running away tonight."
Charles didn't acknowledge that he heard her, but he went around the car to collect Reid. She got her tiny bag out, and was the first one at the front door. She pushed it open, and cringed when the old wooden door rattled from the movement. She found the light switch on the wall, and when she flicked it, bright light illuminated the living room. It looked better inside than it did outside. There was a matching sofa set with a floral pattern in front of a stone fireplace. The place wouldn't be half bad if it was dusted a little. Maybe after they were done, Olivia would offer to get this cabin cleaned up for Charles.
"I'm going to go find my room," Olivia said going past the staircase into a bedroom area. She only saw one bedroom back there with a tiny bathroom next to it.
"Guess we are back to sharing a room," Victor joked walking up to her.
Olivia didn't answer,. She didn't answer and she didn't move. Victor took the hint and went back out into the living to make a comfortable sleeping area on that couch. She opened up the door to her new room, and turned the lights on.
It wasn't terrible. In fact, there was something charming about it. The room featured a twin size bed against one of the walls. It had light blue comforter on top with a blue teddy bear leaning against one of the pillows. A large plaid armchair was placed near the window, and a small dresser was just across from the bed. Olivia couldn't remember the last time she slept in a bed that small, but it would have to do.
She tossed the teddy bear on the armchair, and put her bag on the bed. This couldn't be the room that Charles slept on when he actually slept here. It was probably just some guest bedroom. The bed was soft when she sat down on so this was much better than the couch her husband ended up with. She stretched her arms to wake up her muscles, and decided to check out what the upstairs looked like. It was late already, but she did want to see how Reid was tied up and if the room he was going to die in was suitable.
"Want a snack or something?" Victor asked.
"You can't cook. What the hell are you talking about?" Olivia asked. She got married to this man when she was only 20 years old. She knew he couldn't cook. That posed another problem for the couple though. She couldn't cook either. She would just have to deal with that later.
"No, but there's about 4 bags of chips in here and it doesn't look like they even expired yet. I'm going to have a few myself. I'm hungry."
"No, I'm just going to check in on the agent, and then I'm going to bed. I'm exhausted. Guess I'm not used to that much excitement in one day."
Victor nodded and went back into the kitchen. She didn't know what his true intentions were, inviting her to eat like that, but she wasn't going to buy it. Their relationship was over. It ended a lifetime ago.
She counted thirteen steps to the upper level, but there weren't many doors to choose from. There was an open sitting area that could probably be used as a game room, but it was bare for now. There was only one way to the rooms so she went down that path. The first door was just another bathroom. The second room was a closet, but there were curious noises coming from the last room. She couldn't quite place what those noises were.
"Charles? Are you back here?"
She didn't expect an answer, and she didn't get one. She pushed the door open and nearly screamed. She didn't see Charles, but Reid was hanging from a rope connected to a wooden plank from the ceiling. The rope was tight around his neck, and the agent was straining for his feet to touch the ground, but his face was already turning a deep shade of purple. The black cloth was still wrapped around his face, and his arms were still in cuffs behind his back. He was choking, and was trying as hard as he could to loosen the rope. Charles had enough courtesy to take the sock out of his mouth, but that was probably just to listen to the agent's desperate gulps for air.
Reid was dying. That was all there was to say. Charles brought him up here, wrapped a rope around his neck, and hung the young man from an overhead board. There was no way she was going to let Reid die that fast.
"Cut him down!" Olivia screamed. "Get him down right now!"
Charles crept out of the shadows, and severed the rope from Reid's neck with a single strike from a hunting dagger. Reid's body dropped the floor with a loud thump, and Olivia ran over to get off the damned rope. Reid was trembling, and sweat was dripping down his forehead. Did he know how close he came to death? He was gasping for deep breaths, but could never quite seem to get the breath deep enough.
"Get the rope off him. Now!" Olivia commanded.
Charles carefully cut the rope away from Reid's neck, and Olivia was upset to see a large red circle around where the rope used to be. The red marking stretched all around his neck, and looked worse than any rope burn she had ever seen. Was this going to scar? Reid was still gasping, but it was calming down.
"Don't you ever do something like that again," Olivia said. "He's going to die, but not like this. I don't mind you have having a little fun, but nothing happens to him without my permission. Do you understand?"
Charles grunted.
She didn't know if that meant yes or not, but she was too far gone to just release Charles from his duty. She was stuck with him, but she would make sure he wouldn't ever be alone with Reid again.
"Just tie him up and then go to bed," Olivia said.
Charles obeyed her, and dragged Reid over a heat radiator and tied Reid to one of it's pipes. Olivia took the wrapping off from around Reid's eyes, and threw it on the bed in the room. He needed to see. The bed, unlike in her room, didn't have any blankets on it. It was just a filthy mattress on a bed frame. She would hate sleeping there.
"Go to bed Charles," she said again.
Charles didn't look like he wanted to, but he left the room. Olivia had no idea where he was planning to sleep, but she didn't care.
Reid was circled up against the radiator still breathing heavy. He looked like a rabbit caught in a trap. In many ways, that's exactly what he was.
"I'm so sorry about what happened," Olivia apologized. "It won't happen again. You are going to die up here, but not in a way as needless as hanging. I don't think this will take more than a couple of days, but it won't start until tomorrow morning so until then."
"You can't control him," Reid finally said.
"What?"
"He knew you didn't want him to kill me," Reid said. "That's why he did it when he didn't think you were coming to check."
Olivia didn't reply. She turned off the lights, and went back downstairs to her own room. Was the agent right? Charles did surprise her, but he still did her bidding. This was going to work out. It had to.
She didn't see Charles when she got downstairs, but Victor was reading a book on the couch. "Victor? Where did Charles go?"
"Outside. He didn't say where he was going. Obviously. Everything alright upstairs?"
"If he comes back in, would you mind just telling me?"
"Whatever you say dear."
When Olivia laid down in the bed, she couldn't sleep. She just stared at the window, listening for any noises announcing Charles coming back home. The house remained silent. She fell asleep listening to an owl calling into the night.
Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. Its going to get more exciting later on, but still testing the waters as to what the Juggernaut is capable of. Do u guys like him? Please review! Oh, and RIP to the titanic victims. Its the sad anniversary of the sinking tonight. till next time my friends xoxoxox