"So, if I'm not Matthew Quinn, then who am I?" Reid asked.
"You wanted everyone to think you were a hardened criminal, but in all actuality, you couldn't hurt a fly." Jannon stared at him. "It's written all over you. Your bleeding heart practically soaks your shirt. The others were either too stupid to see it or didn't want to see it."
"But you saw it?" Reid questioned.
"Of course, I did. And it wasn't just one instance; there were several. You were always trying to find the peaceful solution. Always suggesting we did things when there were fewer guards or people around so that no one would get hurt. I also noticed that when there was someone, you were the one to subdue them. Could it be that they were a plant and you were just trying to make a show of it?"
Reid showed no emotion as Jannon explained things just as they were. He did the best he could to try to keep things on track. "What does any of this have to do with you killing people, Jannon? It's not my fault you masqueraded yourself as some ghost beheading people."
"You know, I've always considered myself quiet intelligent. I was able to figure things out before anyone else did. That was until I met you. A few years younger than me and I knew instantly that you were a genius. The way you were able to memorize, and process information was astounding. So, what was a kid like you doing in a bar wiping down tables? I figured out pretty quickly that you were observing and listening to anything and everything that went on regarding Casey Ward. Do you think your smarts got you into his gang?" Jannon laughed.
"What are you saying?"
"I set things up, that's what I do." Jannon touched his chest with the tips of his fingers. "I make deals happen." He leaned in next to Reid's ear and whispered: "I made you happen." He turned his head back to the water. "Where do you think you got your nickname? You think those eejits could give such a memorable name? I wanted to see what putting you into the middle of the fray would do, and oh boy, I was not let down."
Jannon brushed his fingers through his hair then picked a string off his pants. "Do you know how many agents and coppers were sent in to try and take down Casey Ward?" He then looked at his clean fingernails searching for imperfections. "Most of them ended up dead. Did they brief you on that before they sent you in? A kid. I bet they didn't. And yet, you were never discovered. You were able to take down the whole thing in record time." He then put his hands behind him and leaned back. "Even when I tried to muck things up for you."
"What things?" Reid titled his head as he scanned through his memories.
"Remember that time we broke into that hotel to rob Simon Blackwell?"
"Yes."
"I was the one who pulled the fire alarm," he laughed.
"You did what?" Reid tried to contain himself. "I almost got shot because of that!"
"I know," Jannon giggled. "The look on your face was priceless. But you see, I had to know what you were capable of."
"What else did you do?"
"There was the car chase out of Cork, the firefight after the bank, that bookstore in Kenmare, and of course there's Jacob, let's not forget about Jacob," Jannon grinned.
Reid's eyes turned cold as he turned to his former friend. "What about Jacob?" he asked slowly. He used every method he knew to keep himself calm.
Jannon leaned in closer to Reid. "I was the one who told Oisin about him."
Reid threw his hands around Jannon's neck and squeezed while his victim tried to maintain his laughter.
"Stop! Nixer!" Alex called from the bottom of the cliff.
Reid kept his hands clamped around Jannon's neck but didn't let go. He wanted to kill him, he could kill him, but he took another breath and released his hands.
Jannon instinctively put his hand around his throat as he coughed. He got up and took a few steps back while Reid remained seated. "You want the violence; you crave it. You always had no problem going after the villains of the world. Well, let me tell you. We are all villains. We are all capable of doing evil, horrible things. Things we must live with. Some of us are better at living with them than others."
"Hey, Jannon, Nixer, why don't you both come down," Alex called out to them.
"I don't think so, love," Jannon yelled back. He turned back to Reid. "So, tell me about Moira, is she a plant too? There's no way for you to look at her like that after just meeting her."
Morgan started up the backside of the cliff, the same way Reid climbed up, while Alex and Hotch tried to keep Jannon's attention.
"Jannon, please come down," Alex shouted.
"Why else would she be here?" Jannon asked. "She's either your partner, here to cover your arse, or she's your mott and is out here because she loves you," he said in a mocking tone.
"I don't have time to deal with this," Reid replied and stood up. He wiped the dirt from his hands and looked to his enemy. "You want to tell me why you did all this?"
"It was you. It was all for you," Jannon replied. "I missed you. You were gone for so long. I needed a way to bring you back. I knew they would drop you back into the fold for something important."
"You started killing people… for me?" Reid questioned.
"Well, first, I helped Colm get his group started. He was just a thug who needed the right men, manpower, weapons, and a purpose. I provided all of that. I sent Dougal his way, too. Once I had them sorted, then I needed to create a monster. Everyone would be so focused on Colm that no one would see me. No one ever saw me. I was always in the background, on the sidelines. You were the only person who ever saw me. But it wasn't the real me, was it?"
Reid watched as the man he knew, morphed into someone else. He saw the same look in his eyes that he had seen in psychopaths and serial killers. He tried to process all the information filing through his brain. He was then able to see all the signs that he had missed, from when they were just kids, to yesterday. He missed what was right in front of him.
Jannon stared at Reid. "I wouldn't do that if I were you." He pulled the gun from his waist but pointed it to his left where Morgan was coming up the rocks. "You tell your friend to back off," Jannon spoke to Reid.
"Hey, Eugene, you better back off." Reid kept his eyes on Jannon.
Morgan stopped for a moment then tried to come up without making any noise. Suddenly a shot rang out, and the rocks in front of his hand flew past him. He stopped.
"Now look, I don't need any of these good citizens driving by on the highway to get the wrong idea about what's going on here," Jannon started. "We have a lot to discuss before it gets dark. And we both know what happened here in the dark," he snickered.