Balfour-Lee Oswald Foxworth was related to JJ because he was actually Sandy Jareau's ever-so-slightly younger twin brother. He ran the family textile business with their other brother and his grown sons. He'd always had a soft spot for children, and JJ had plenty of stories from her childhood to back that up.
As for his wife, Sarahjane, she was one of the kindest people JJ had ever known, and as for her occupation, she was the principal of the local high school and loved it, having been in academics for her entire adult life. She invited JJ down to Alabama by train once when she was younger, so she could get away from everyone who was giving her grief about joining the FBI. JJ needed the time away to clear her head, and by the time her trip was over, not only was she happier with herself and at peace, but she also followed through on her descision to follow through on what her heart was telling her because Sarahjane had ecouraged her to never give up. When it came time for JJ's graduation from the FBI Academy, Sarahjane was there, cheering very loudly.
In short, JJ loved her aunt and uncle very much. Talking to them about their only child's last days was going to be tough.
"Jenny? Balfour and Sarahjane are here."
Captain Ryder was on the threshold of the conference room that she'd cleared for JJ to use for her interview. The Foxworths were with her.
"Thank you." JJ told her kindly.
Ryder left, closing the door behind her and JJ beckoned to her uncle and aunt, expressing her condolences about Tinsley again before giving them a hug. They were thankful and hugged her back; they'd never had any daughters of their own, but JJ was as good as one to them, so they'd always treated her like their own.
The couple noticed her baby belly right away when they sat on the love-seat across from the armchair that JJ was occupying; now that she was in the 'safe zone,' she was no longer hiding her expectant condition from the world and her clothes were more form-fitting.
"You're pregnant, Jenny?" Sarahjane asked.
"Uh-huh." JJ felt very proud as she framed the shape of her middle for them to see. "I've never been so happy."
"How far along are you?"
"Thirteen weeks with twins."
They congratulated her and then Balfour-Lee nodded towards his niece's cast. "What happened to your arm?"
"The babies' father is what happened to my arm, but it's all water under the bridge now because it was a really bad relationship, and he's dead now. The only good thing he ever did was give me babies to mother."
"So things are better now, it sounds like?"
JJ nodded again, smiling at his concern. "Oh, yes. I have a beautiful girlfriend—who is also pregnant—and I love her very much. If she doesn't beat me to the punch, I'm going to ask her to marry me in a few months."
JJ's good news brought a little bit more joy to the Foxworths in this bleak time, but for the sake of why they were gathered in the first place, JJ steered the conversation in a more useful direction. At least it was going to be easy because except for herself, her mother, and her brother, the rest of their Alabama family was local and saw each other all the time.
"Is there anything either of you can tell me about the last time you saw Tinsley?"
JJ's elders thought about it for a minute, and then Balfour-Lee said, "He was about to retire early."
"DeLilah didn't mention that." JJ remarked. "We spoke to her today."
"DeLilah didn't know because Tinsley was going to surprise her." Sarahjane said with a sad smile. "Tinsley returned from Iraq a few weeks before DeLilah got pregnant with baby number four, and he was offered a job at the hardware store because they're friendly with veterans readjusting to civilian life. DeLilah teaches art at my school, so she has a job, too, but Tinsley was just about to accept a more permanent position to be close to her, Hattie, Talley, Anna, and the baby."
Knowing the town like the back of her hand, JJ inquired, "Is the hardware store the one down on Main Street? O'Riley's?"
"That's the one." Sarahjane confirmed. "Tinsley missed Annalynn's birth because he was in Iraq, but since was eligible to sign up for the army when he turned seventeen and successfully enlisted, he had enough seniority to retire without any technicalities."
JJ nodded in understanding, taking mental notes.
"I'm only asking this next question because I have to, but do you know of anything, besides retirement plans from the army, that was new in Tinsely's life?"
Balfour-Lee had the answer to that. "DeLilah was encouraging him to get involved in some kind of social club, so he'd have something that was just for himself."
Her own prime hobby being long workouts at the gym when she wanted to have something just for herself, JJ gave another nod of understanding.
"Was he able to find something?" she wanted to know.
"Yes, and it's especially for veterans, actually." Balfour-Lee turned to Sarahjane. "Dear, do you remember what it was called?"
Though Balfour-Lee and Sarahjane were very attentive to the lives of the rest of the rest of their family in Montgomery, they still had their own lives to live.
Sarahjane looked to her niece, feeling sheepish. "I'm afraid I don't recall the name of the group, Jenny, but perhaps you and your people could check at the Veteran Center."
"We can do that." JJ told her. "I have one last question to ask, and then I can let you go."
"What is it, my sweet?"
"Where's Uncle Ellis, Aunt Maggie, and Duffy, Samuel, and Connor?"
Ellis-Kane was the older brother of Balfour-Lee and Sandy, but only by a year. Magnolia 'Maggie' Foxworth was his wife (although she'd been his companion since they were teenagers), and she was also the company bookkeeper. Duffy, Samuel, and Connor were their sons. In the long run, Ellis-Kane and his family handled all of the company's international affairs, and the five of them always travelled in a pack.
"They were all on a trip to Hong Kong and left the second they could. They're all flying back right now, and by the time they get back to Alabama, they'll have been flying for over a day."
A sudden thought popped into the older woman's head and, being able to read his wife like a book, Balfour-Lee raised an eyebrow at his wife when he saw the twinkle in her eyes.
"Sarahjane, is this really the best time to bring that up?"
"Oh, stop it!" Sarahjane admonished. "I wasn't going to say anything specific to her, but I just want to know if she knows!"
JJ cleared her throat in a pointed manner. "Still here!"
They turned back to her.
"Jenny, how much have you talked to Archer since you've been here?" Sarahjane asked.
"I only saw him once today, and I introduced him to my girlfriend. I also asked him about why he's all the way down here instead of in Missouri, but other than that, not much."
"You really should talk to him about life in Drexel when you get a chance."
"Okay, I w—Uncle Balfour?"
The man had suddenly had his own thought, and he was trying to make sense of it, but he came back to reality when he heard his niece call his name.
"Sorry." he apologized. "I just remembered that Tinsley had words with your old bully, Oscar Lee."
"Did he, now? Do you know what these words were about?"
The old man thought about it for a moment. "He works at the hardware store, too, and it's promotion season. That miserable son of a gun told Tinsley that he didn't deserve anything more than part-time already when he's been at the store a lot longer than him."
"When was that?"
"Last week."
"Does DeLilah know?"
Balfour-Lee shook his head. "He didn't keep a lot of things from her, but I'm guessing he did this time because he didn't want her to get upset. Does this help? I'm sorry I only just remembered."
JJ offered him a kind smile. "It's a big help, and that's actually it for the questions. Will one of you please help me up?"
They both did, and JJ proceeded to walk them over to the elevators, where Derek and Emily were seeing off the families of the other victims.
When they were gone, JJ turned to her colleagues.
"Did you guys learn anything useful about Arthur Bradshaw or Nathaniel Xavier?"
Derek spoke first. "Bradshaw was a bank teller and married with two school-aged kids. Last time he was heard from, he was driving on his way to work. It looked like a carjacking because his car vanished the same time he did."
Emily raised an eyebrow. "Has the car been recovered?"
"Yeah, but in a surprisingly unrelated plot twist, they found his car up near Nashville in the hands of a carjacking ring."
JJ pinched the bridge of her nose briefly. "Anything about starting a job, getting a raise, or any kind of promotion recently?"
"His wife did mention that he just got a big promotion."
"Any run-ins with Oscar-Lee? Tinsley actually worked with him."
Derek thought back to the interview and then gave a nod. "They were friends, way back when, and they ran into each other at the market not long before he died, and Oscar made a remark about how he was at the bank that about how he'd noticed a poster with Bradshaw's picture on it, announcing that he was the new bank manager."
"How did you get that much information?"
"Bradshaw's wife, Carly, was there, and she told me about it just now."
JJ nodded and turned to her girlfriend.
"What did you learn about Nathaniel Xavier?"
"He was very, very ordinary, and he just began a job in the deli at the market where Oscar saw the Bradshaws."
"And let me guess—he saw the exchange, huh?"
"Bingo."
Derek jumped in. "But he told Xavier not to tell and still went after him? Yikes!"
JJ wrinkled her nose. "We need to all regather in the conference room; I need to share some things that my aunt and uncle said."
"Hotch, Rossi, Reid, and Ryan should all still be there." Emily said, motioning for the others to follow her as she began walking. "Come on."
The others followed her like obedient puppies.
Their long day had just gotten longer.
