The tensions between Colm and Dougal's crews eased as they were interested to hear what Reid had to tell them. They grouped around him as if he were gathering them around the campfire to regale them with an exciting story.
Reid reached in his pocket and a few of the men instinctively put their hands on their right hip. He looked them in the eye and pulled out his cell phone with two fingers quite slowly. "Look here," he said. He clicked open the screen and pulled up the news story he received from Garcia. He showed it to Colm and Dougal.
"Then why kill old Oisin?" Dougal asked. "There was a message in that."
"There was," Reid confirmed.
"But it wasn't from us," Colm added.
"It was for you," Reid admitted.
"They wanted to get your attention." Morgan took a step closer. "They wanted you to know that they were untouchable. That they had all the power."
"But who could that be?" Colm looked around at the group of people he would first suspect to have the gull to pull off a feat like that.
"Someone right under your nose," Hotch finally spoke. "Someone you would never suspect because you never saw him."
Reid's eyes shot open as he turned to his boss. "I know who it is." He closed his eyes once he realized who it was, then hung his head down as chastised himself for not seeing it sooner. He shook off the feeling then looked up. "I have to stop him."
"Stop who?" Alex called out as Reid ran. "Nixer!" She remembered to call him.
Within seconds Reid was back in the Jaguar and pulled down the street. With his phone ready, he placed a call.
"Did you find them? Please tell me they're safe," Garcia answered and asked, desperate for information.
"Everyone's fine."
"Oh good, because—"
"Shut up and listen to me," he cut her off.
Garcia was dumbfounded. He had never snapped like that to her. She thought for a moment to hang up on him and wait until he was ready to speak to her with the respect she deserved. But the next moment she realized that there was most likely a serious problem that needed her serious skills.
"I have a number I need you to trace," he commanded.
She opened her mouth to speak then closed it. "Wait you need me to trace a number? That's all you need these magic powers for?"
"Garcia… focus." He relayed the number to her, and she typed on the keyboard until the flashing red dot on her screen gave her the location.
"I got it!" she announced.
"Is it the Ring of Kerry?" he questioned.
"Yes, how did you know that?"
"Is it where you tracked me the other day when Alex reached out to you?"
"Uh, yes, how did you know that, too?"
"Thank you. I'm sure Morgan will be calling you shortly, you can give him the same information. I am sure I will need some backup," he said. He shifted the gears as he moved out onto the highway.
"You got it," she replied.
"I'm sorry for… before," he said.
Garcia swatted her hand in front of her computer as if shooing a fly. "It's forgotten."
Reid ended the call then tossed his phone onto the seat to his left. He shifted gears again then tightened his grip on the wheel as if that would make him get there faster.
While Colm and Dougal hashed out their differences together, considering they were in possession of the lost apostle statues, Alex, Morgan, and Hotch went after Reid.
Rossi moved toward Garcia after she finished her conversation with the young agent. "Reid is headed to that spot, isn't he?"
"Yes, he is," she confirmed.
Rossi looked up at the female agents going over the latest murder at the table. "Come on; we need to go." He holstered his gun.
"Where are we going?" JJ asked.
"Reid needs us," he replied.
Reid had a lot of time to think as he drove down that long road. As he got closer to the edge of that cliff, he felt anxious and calm at the same time. He knew he would have to face it again and took solace that one day he could move past it. But he didn't want to face the demons of his past. He didn't want to face the death of Jacob Kavanaugh, the boy he killed.
Alex poked her head between Hotch and Morgan from the backseat. "Can't this thing move any faster?"
"Our boy is in a brand-new Jaguar. We are in this thing," Morgan remarked. "We are going as fast as possible. Not to mention that he already had a head start on us."
Alex sat back in the seat with a huff. She hated to wait. She hated not doing something when she needed to. She started to understand what Reid was telling her before about feeling helpless when the other needed them.
Hotch turned in his seat toward Alex. "You need to tell us what's going on, Alex. I don't care that he's your husband. Right now, he's my agent, and I will protect him. But first, I have to know the full story."
Alex nodded to herself as she thought about it.
"We have nothing but time until we get there," Hotch reminded.
"You're right, Aaron." She scooched herself closer to them. "It all started when Spencer was here on assignment ten years ago."
Reid's heart was racing as he pulled over into the dirt along the highway. It was only a short distance from where fate was waiting for him. He trekked up the rocky slope and started toward the cliff that overlooked the ocean.
"Here we are at last. You and me," Jannon said while keeping his eyes on the water. "I was honestly wondering how long it would take for you to put all the pieces together and figure out it was me."
"To be honest, I was a bit distracted," Reid admitted. He steadily moved toward his friend.
Jannon sat on the edge of the cliff face with his legs dangling over the side as if he were fishing. He didn't turn around as Reid approached him, in fact, he welcomed it. He knew his friend Nixer wouldn't stab him in the back.
Reid fixed himself to sit down next to Jannon where they both shared a view of the makeshift memorial down on the side of the road. The one they built together in memory of Jacob Kavanaugh.
"So, did you ever tell sweet, little, old, Mrs. Kavanaugh that you were the one responsible for her only child to be taken away from her? Oh, and so young, not even eighteen. And like that." He snapped his fingers. "He was gone." He shook his head. "Tisk, Tisk. Maybe you shouldn't have gotten him involved in the first place."
Reid sat there silently, as his old friend taunted him with the failures of his past. He felt his fist tighten but let it go. It was best to handle it without violence. There had been too much of that already. "Did you bring me out here to talk about Jacob or the fact that you're The Dullahan?"
"The Dullahan?" he snickered. "Some people just can't let the old fables go. It was so easy to create the fear, and easier still to point the finger in another direction.
"What do you want, Jannon? Why are we here? You know you're going away for all those people you've killed. So, what's this game you're playing at?" Reid questioned.
"Life is a game!" Jannon snapped. "You should know better than anyone. You've been playing games since the first day I met you."
"What are you talking about?"
"I might not know who you truly are, but you are not Matthew 'Nixer' Quinn, if there really was such a person. So, who are you, I wonder? And I hope you didn't come back to Ireland for little ol' me." He gave a cocky grin.