Emily, JJ, and Will went to check on Penelope after Amaya and Virginia left. None of them expected their friend to be looking sheepish.

Penelope was in her secondary work room. Before her on the table were Chase McCann's destroyed phone and laptop, both now only somewhat restored. She also had a laptop of her own. The research program was open.

Emily still sighed. "What's that look for?"

"Obviously, Will and I have made progress on McCann's electronics." Penelope said. "That in and of itself is a bit of a lead. I say we get brownie points. The bad news is that I have a lead that will mean sending someone outside."

The rainy weather had only worsened. No end was in sight.

JJ sighed what would not be her last sigh of the day. "Fine."

Emily said, "Is there another lead buried somewhere in there?"

Penelope nodded showed them on her own computer a mugshot of a young Japanese man. He appeared very bored of the circumstances. As if being arrested was no big deal.

"Here we have one Shota Ito. He was arrested in connection for the crimes we're investigating now, and he actually just did two years at the county jail."

"Please tell me there's a middle section to that's missing." JJ said. "Only two years in connection to murder seems a little strange."

"Correct. The authorities couldn't find any solid proof about the murders, but the only 'connection' they found was that he was arrested near the site of Asher Silas' dead body. He also had playing cards on his person."

"And those have been found on each body." remembered Will. "They're a calling card, in addition to the feathered arrows."

Emily put her hands in a 'time-out' position. "What did Ito actually spend time at county for?"

"He had cocaine in his pocket when he was arrested. The good head of administration at the jail even let him out for good behavior. Ito was released two days ago."

"Have you seen anything that could suggest where he could be right now?"

Penelope nodded. "He's unemployed, but there is an establishment in town he seems to hang out at."

JJ asked, "How do you know he's been making purchases if he just got out of jail?"

"The local mayor just okayed a pilot program where every person released for good behavior is issued a prepaid charge card. Apparently, cash in a bad idea."

"How good are those charge cards good for?"

Penelope consulted notes on her tablet. "Ninety days, if the funds are budgeted wisely."

"Where has he been making charges, then?"

"A pool hall called The Dragon's Kin." Penelope elaborated. "It's run by his older brother, Haru Ito."

"Any relatives in the area?" JJ pressed.

"None have come to light during my fact-finding. They are each other's only living relatives." Penelope said.

JJ looked to Emily. "Someone should go check the place out."

Emily nodded. "That's a good idea."

And their eyes fell to Will.

He stood. "Just give me the green light, and I'll get out of here with Primrose."

"Go find her." Emily decided. "Please fetch Luke, too. Bring them back here."

Will exited on the double.

"I'm seeing that you two want to get on that straight away." Penelope spread an arm of indication over the whole table. "There is enough to give a proper update to everyone else."

"Well done."

JJ merely made a humming sound, like she was trying not to swear. It wasn't a sound she made often because she wasn't shy about profanity when her sons weren't around. This was different.

Penelope called her on it. "What is it?"

"I just feel like we're missing something," JJ confessed. "And it's either going to hit us in a hail of bullets, or…"

"Yes?" Emily prompted.

JJ sighed. "Or… this part of the mess actually does lead to June's front door."

"Let's just pray it doesn't go there."

Will arrived with Primrose and Luke in tow. "I found them."

"Good." Emily told him.

Emily spoke to Penelope again. "Send the information for the pool hall to Luke."

This information was followed through on very fast. Penelope also sent a picture of Shota Ito for good measure.

When Luke confirmed the text came through, JJ told him, "We need for you three to go that address and check it out. It's a pool hall. Will can explain who you're looking for and why."

Luke tucked his phone away again. "Anything else?"

JJ shook her head.

So did Emily. "Stay dry."

The others chuckled humorlessly because there was a very slim chance of this happening.

When the rest of the team arrived into the work room, it suddenly felt very crowded.

Matt looked around. "Where did Luke, Will, and Primrose go?"

"They are gone." Emily said firmly. "A lead came up."

"We'll explain that in a minute." JJ confirmed. "Right now, it's time to yield the floor to Penelope."

So they did.

"Whoever it was that smashed McCann's things, they did so with steel-toed boots. Everything was reduced to smithereens at the crime scene." Penelope said. "Will and I were luckily able to resurrect some information."

She then connected the phone to the room's projector with an auxiliary cable. This action in turn displayed the phone screen on the opposite wall. What they saw was a text message.

Spencer sighed as he said, "This doesn't sound good. 'Stay the hell out of our den. $20K should be more than enough.' What's that about?"

"Sounds ominous." Tara shivered. "Is there a timestamp that shows when it was read?"

Penelope shook her head. "I wish. The sending phone was a burner."

JJ rubbed her temples. "Then one of us will have to check in with Will or Primrose about the time of death. At least that will help us narrow things down."

Rossi spoke up. "So that's that. Is there anything else to be gained from the phone, Penelope?"

"No. Twinkle Toes Anonymous did a real number, sir."

"So talk to us about the laptop. What else did you and Will resurrect?"

Penelope sighed; what she had to say next was going to sound absurd. "Will found the next tidbit. It isn't much, but…"

Everyone said her name together as one. "Penelope!"

"Okay, okay!" she hurriedly unplugged the phone from the cable and swapped it out for the laptop. "One second."

The image projected on the wall was that of the laptop's flickering home screen. It fractured very badly, and they could only just make out what they were seeing.

Matt looked closer. "This is the reminder application. Why use it on the computer? Most people use reminder apps on their phones."

"It probably is on the phone," huffed Penelope. "But it's currently in oblivion, huh?"

Emily patted Penelope on the shoulder as she read the message aloud for herself. "It says 'Dragon's Kin, tomorrow.' That's both specific and not specific enough. But are you kidding me?"

"What?" Rossi, Matt, Tara, and Spencer in wary unison.

JJ rolled her eyes. "The Dragon's Kin is where we just sent everyone else!"

The BAU trio travelled into D.C. using one of the innumerable SUVs from the FBI carpool on the building's grounds. Luke drove. Primrose rode shotgun beside him. Will sat in the back passenger seat. His thoughts were on the Rainers. He just wanted to see them again. And meet the ones he hadn't.

"Here we are." Luke announced after some time.

Will and Primrose watched as Luke parked the car outside pool hall. Even in the rain, something seemed... off. This was further confirmed when they found the establishment to be as tight as a drum. Totally locked. Each of them pulled their service weapons out and took the safety guards off. They didn't want this to be too easy.

"Be on your guard." Luke said warily. "Something is really wrong here."

"That's for damn sure." Will muttered.

"Be quiet." hissed Primrose after looking through a window. "It's dark in there, but I definitely found someone running to the back of the building."

And they ventured around the side. Each person was ready for a fight. None of them had any idea how this was going to end.

Suddenly, Primrose halted. Her body language changed. It became rigid and actually poised for a confrontation. They were close… to whatever it was that was happening.

Just on the other side of the building and not too far from their current position, they heard voices. Lots of them. Shouting. Jeering.

Luke rushed around the corner of the building first and called out, "FBI! Put your hands up!"

Most of the gang ran into the rain-soaked alley for the opposite road. Two more dashed into an open door that led back into the building. Will and Primrose gave chase. Hopefully, they could catch them. A gang beating had been interrupted.

Luke almost went to join Will and Primrose, but there was a problem.

A young man lay at his feet. He had been beaten hard, and was even bleeding out from a few stab wounds. What caused Luke to immediately get on his knees in the dreary weather was his recognition of who this person happened to be.

Shota Ito.

"Who did this to you?" Luke asked.

Ito beckoned to him, even though life was rapidly draining from his body. He would give his dying words if he could. Even if it was to an FBI agent.

His words came out in a rasp. "Ask… June…"

Shota expired before Luke was able to do anything more.

Nearby, Primrose burst through the side door and hurried over to her colleague. Her update was not helpful.

"We chased two of the jackals to a basement, but they got away through another exit. We also found something else. I just want to know about what's happening here." she nodded in indication towards the body.

Luke sighed and joined her under the overhand. "That, my friend, is Shota Ito."

Primrose shook her head in dismay. "Jesus, Joseph, and Mary. Did he say anything?"

"I kid you not, his last words were, "Ask June." Can this get any crazier?"

"Well… yes."

Luke looked at Primrose in exasperation. "How?"

Primrose indicated the building. "We found a literal treasure trove in the basement. So much diamonds and cash. Will is on the horn with Emily now."

Luke immediately realized that as an FBI agent, he was the highest-ranking person at the scene, so he thought like one. "Do you have the number for the medical examiner? We don't usually beat them to the dead body."

Primrose cleared her throat as she pulled her phone from her pocket. "Yes. I'll call Esmé now. My captain, too. Hang on."

Meanwhile, Will was in the pool hall's basement. He and Primrose really had found a treasure trove. They had chased two of the people from the alley into the back of the building and down into a basement, whose entrance had been concealed behind a hidden bookcase. Will would have laughed if this hadn't been so real. This day was turning out to be something else.

It seemed as if everyone from the pool hall had been in this hidden room. Counting the scores of loot on the tables. Will had literally never seen so much money in his life.

But how had the people known they were coming? Had they made a connection through Chase? Why did they have so much money in the first place? And why diamonds? Who the hell used those, outside of people from the criminal underworld?

It all had the markings of one thing.

And Will happened upon it very fast. "Holy mother of God..."

Quickly, he backed out of the room and took a moment to process everything. What had they found?

He withdrew his phone from his pocket and enacted the FaceTime option.

Emily picked up quickly on her tablet. She was in her office.

The team had since dispersed to work on what angles they could. Much of the next phase of the case hinged on any type of update from their people at The Dragon's Kin. JJ had been with her partner, discussing tactics.

A particular electronic chime brought their conversation to a halt.

"That's your tablet." JJ said in surprise. "Who is calling? Ten to one, it isn't your girlfriend."

Emily chuckled and retrieved the tablet from her end table. She immediately pressed 'ACCEPT' when she saw who was calling. This was going to be good.

"Will, what's wrong?" she asked when she saw him. "You handed me a life-changing case the last time you initiated a video chat."

He nodded. "The sense of déja vù is not lost on me, Emelise. Where is my wife?"

JJ immediately moved into view. "Are you all still at The Dragon's Kin?"

"Yes, but everything has been like a runaway freight train." Will admitted. "Any more news would just make the whole situation a dumpster fire."

"And just what is that supposed to mean?"

Will told them about The Dragon's Kin being closed, and about the scattering of the gangsters. The only reason he didn't mentioned anything about Ito yet was because he didn't know.

"And… there's one other thing…"

JJ arched an eyebrow at her husband. "What else could there even be, Will? You already mentioned gangsters, cash, and even actual diamonds. Only two other things would be missing."

Emily nodded. "Girls or weapons."

"It's weapons, in this case."

JJ blanched. "How many?"

"I spotted a wall full before I backed out." Will said hurriedly. "But… I wouldn't be surprised if there are more. Right now, I'm standing by the stairwell that leads to the room."

"That's good work." Emily told him. "Where are Luke and Primrose?"

"Outside. Prim has probably called our captain by now."

"That's fine. Better an ally to contain it than an outsider. Of course this means she'll probably end up coming to Quantico. Do you think you can handle that?"

Will nodded seriously. "I can do th—"

He was cut off by the arrival of Primrose.

"Will, I—" But she stopped when she saw who he was on the line with.

"It's okay. I have JJ and Emily on video chat." Will showed her the phone. "And where is Luke right now?"

Primrose told all of them the rest of the account.

"What the hell?" JJ and Emily cried together as she finished.

Primrose shrugged. "It's what went down. Don't shoot the messenger. Our captain is also out there now, and so is our medical examiner. I called them both."

"Good thinking." said Emily. "Has Luke provided a statement?"

"He is doing so with an officer now."

"Then please have your captain get in touch with me, and please relay to Luke that I want him to stay at the scene."

Primrose conveyed her understanding. "Because he's FBI. Got it."

She excused herself away and headed back outside.

Will turned his attention back to his wife and her boss. "I'll stay here to secure things and to fight off any potential press, but I just have one question."

JJ seemed to be reading his mind. "You're thinking about June?"

"Yeah. Someone still has to tell her that her only child is dead."

"We have it under control." Emily told him.

Will felt reassured. "Okay. See you two later."

They waved good-bye, and Emily ended the connection first.

"Go ahead and say it." she set her tablet aside again. "I can see those 'judging you' eyes from here."

"You're damn right I'm judging you. 'We have it under control?' That's bold."

Emily didn't miss a beat. "It's better than having Will distracted when we don't have anything solid right now."

JJ simmered back down. "Where is Penelope?"

"Oh, speak of the angel, and she shall appear!" came a voice.

Penelope was walking in to the room with her iPad in hand once more.

"Do you have what we need?" Emily asked her.

Penelope nodded as she came to stand in front of them. "I snooped a little bit more around June McCann."

JJ said with some swiftness, "Did any server detect you?"

"Uh-uh. I was very sneaky. Just like you asked, I looked to see if there was anything besides this godawful rain that would stop one of us from going to see June today."

"What did you come up with?"

Penelope checked the screen of her device. "It has come to my attention that she's undergone emergency surgery."

JJ was taken aback.

Emily wrinkled her nose. "That's unfortunate. What was the reason?"

"Appendicitis. That's going to take time to recover from, given that she already lives with a terrible progressive disease."

JJ absently touched the lower side of her midriff. "My appendix was taken out when I was a kid because it burst."

"Chicken pox, age four." Penelope lamented. "How old were you?"

"Seven."

Emily completed the circle. "I contracted laryngitis when I was ten. My voice was just gone for a long time. Ask my parents."

JJ checked her watch. It was getting on in the day. If they didn't produce any actual progress by four, they would spend the intervening time doing paperwork until five. Clocking out time. It was a standard rule for when they worked cases out of Quantico. She hoped it wasn't going to be a dead-end kind of day. But it probably was.

Oh, well. They could start with fresh eyes in the morning.

So she said to Emily, "How about we deliver the sergeants' updates?"

"Okay." Emily rose. "It's better than nothing."

JJ also got to her feet. "I'm forced to agree on that."

Penelope asked, "What was that about Will and Primrose?"

JJ told her about the part of the conversation she had missed.

Emily just walked behind them a few paces. For only a few moments, she let her mind wander. And of course it landed on Virginia. Maybe she would see her clocktower family tonight.

Wouldn't that be nice?