Chapter 17: Moles

After talking with the team, Emily had work of her own to take care of. Now that she was able to give them all the information she had and was allowing them to run with it since she didn't have the technology to do it herself, she could focus on her other must-do item.

She left the couch and went to check on Nate. He was still in bed – still in the tent sleeping comfortably. Emily temporarily thought that she should wake him and urge him up to bed, but he looked so adorable and cozy.

"He'll be fine," she told herself and moved into the kitchen.

Emily went through her stockpile of burner phones, pulling out a new one and calling the number for her mother's.

"I've been waiting for a call," her mother picked up the phone, "What took so long?"

"That's how you answer the phone, Mother? I could swear you teaching me phone etiquette."

"Emily! Why has it taken so long to get in touch?"

"I've been… busy. But I'm calling now."

"Is everything ok, dear?"

"As ok as things can be, but I may need your help with something."

"What can I do?"

Emily explained exactly what she needed. "I know it may be expensive, but I have the money to pay you back."

"That's unnecessary."

Emily adamantly stated, "Well, I will pay you back. This is my problem."

"Your problems are mine, Emily. You are my daughter."

Emily read the silent words behind what was said. You're my daughter, I love you, and, despite everything that has pushed us apart in the past, I'd do anything I could to help you now.

"Thank you," Emily said.

"Are you sure this is safe though? For all of you? Given the circumstances, of which I'm sure there's more to than you've told me."

"I don't know," Emily honestly told her. "But it's what needs to be done."

"Ok. I'll make the arrangements as soon as we hang up," Elizabeth assured her daughter.

"Call me at this number from your burn phone once everything is set."

"I will."

"Thanks again, Mom."

"Of course, Dear. Tell Nate I say hello and don't forget to take care of yourself too. You're not invincible."

"Believe me, I know."

Emily was relieved that there was one major thing crossed off her to-do list. She wasn't the only one making big steps.

With Emily's computer, the team was able to see the closed loop security footage from the system set up at the Hadley apartment. That gave them better access to everything. There was no sound except for at the door camera, but they were able to see inside as well.

The team broke into task groups. Garcia was in charge of all things computer related. She had to break down everything Emily set up for her and make the connections that only she could. The work was started, but there was a whole lot there to sift through and make concrete.

Clyde, Derek and Hotch oversaw the files about Bardolino, while JJ, Reid, and Dave looked through close business associates and family. Hotch and Clyde called their connections to get the unredacted files about Bardolino from Interpol, the CIA, and whatever other law enforcement agency whose radar he might have been on; him or his associates.

They were surprised at the sheer volume of it all. It was extensive. By the end of the day, they were determined to have something figured out. Just because they knew Emily and Nate were safe for now, didn't mean that they would remain that way.

Bardolino was worse than they could have predicted and, though suspected of many, many crimes over the years, had never been prosecuted or even arrested. The evidence was nonexistent. The guy was good… But no one was that good without help.

"Human trafficking, drugs, weapons… Is there anything this family isn't involved in?" Derek asked.

"I don't know," Hotch responded, a thick knot in his stomach.

This only added to the already fretted feeling about Emily and Nate's wellbeing. Emily may not have been the original target, but now she was on their radar for sure. Not only was she standing in the way of Bardolino getting his only heir to the family throne, but she was also a high value target. If he got his hands on Emily, he was worried less about him killing her and more about the alternatives. Bardolino was allegedly involved in a lot of black-market stuff… He could easily sell Emily to the highest bidder and let them take care of her for him. As a federal agent with a lot of classified knowledge, she'd fetch a pretty penny and whoever bought her would do whatever it took to learn what she knew.

It was… unsettling to say the least.

Hotch needed a break. He had been getting into Bardolino's head and trying to think as he did, but it was getting to him. Plus, there was something on his mind.

"Derek, join JJ and keep looking through this."

"Sure. What are you going to do?"

"I need to have a little chat with Reid."

Derek snickered and grabbed the files, silently walking toward the rest of the team. He wanted to talk to Reid about his omissions as well, but he'd let the boss take care of that.

"Reid, my office," Hotch said as he stepped out into the bullpen.

Spencer looked around nervously before getting up to follow his boss.

"We need to discuss a few things."

"About Emily?" Spencer asked.

"Yes. About Emily and why you didn't tell us."

"She asked me not to, Hotch. She wanted to reach out when she was ready."

"How did you know how to find her?"

"Well… She… She reached out to me. She assumed we all knew by now and wanted to find out what we knew."

"How did she reach out. Her methods are important. We need to know if she could have been traced." He knew Emily, and he knew that was unlikely, but Hotch still wanted all the details whether he thought they were important or not.

"She sent me a package. No return address. It was a book that referenced a movie that only we liked and could understand," he explained, going into the specifics. "I was able to decipher the message she left and communicated with a burner phone that we used earlier. With that, she gave me specific and roundabout directions on how to get to her."

"You've actually seen her, not just talked with her?"

"Yes."

"What did you tell her when you saw her?"

"Everything."

"And what did she tell you?"

"I shared everything that she told me," he lied. There was one, rather big, thing he was leaving out. But that wasn't truly relevant to the case. The only thing that would tell them was Emily would be willing to lay down her life for Nate. She would have done that whether he was her son or not.

"The timeline you figured out. That came from her?"

"From talking with her, yes."

"What else did she say?"

"Really, there wasn't much to say. I asked her if she recognized the people who attacked James and Dominic. She didn't. I asked about the car crash and her attack. She assured me that she was ok. Her ACL was torn and that will require surgery eventually, but she was seen by a doctor here in the states and he said she was alright. She's supposed to go easy on the leg and relax."

"Which we know she's probably not," Hotch thought.

"And Nate was there too. I saw him. He's a smart kid. He broke his arm, but other than that, nothing was physically wrong."

"Mentally?"

"He misses his dads, but Emily's taking good care of him. He appeared to be as happy as he could be given the circumstances. A little worried and claustrophobic, but he was making the most of it."

"And Emily?" That was the real question, wasn't it? Was she in the same state of mind as she was with Doyle?

Spencer sighed, knowing what Hotch was truly asking, and honestly said, "She's sad after losing her friend and determined to figure this out, but I think having Nate with her is doing her a world of good."

"Do I need to be worried?"

"About her? No more than we all are."

"I suppose her reaching out to her mother shows that this isn't like last time. She's not being a lone wolf on the hunt."

"No… She's not."

"But that doesn't negate the fact that she reached out to you too and you neglected to inform us."

"I… I couldn't."

"You had a responsibility to this team and to Emily's safety to tell us that you talked with her and knew where she was."

"I had a responsibility to my friend, who is not part of this team, to do what she asked. I got whatever I could from her, asked the same questions any one of us would have asked, and knowing where she was wouldn't have done anything."

"It would have given us some peace of mind. We could have put people there to guard her."

He couldn't deny that. The devil's advocate in his mind told him that too. "And attract attention to her? Even so, I needed to do as she asked so that she would reach out again if she needed to."

"I don't appreciate being kept from vital information, Reid. Even if we didn't act on it, knowing where she is could be important." He leaned back in his chair, eyes narrowed as he focused on the younger man. "You're not going to tell me where she is, are you?"

Spencer hesitated and squeakily answered, "No, sir."

"I'll have to respect that. But if she reaches out to you again, you tell us right away. Any information is pertinent to keeping her and that child safe. No more leaving us out. We are a team. We support each other and take care of our own. That doesn't work if we can't trust one another."

"You can trust me," he promised.

"I hope so. Get back to work," Hotch dismissed him. "Leave your burner out in case she calls again."

Spencer nodded and walked away with his tail between his legs. Despite no yelling, it felt like he was being scolded by his father. There was a sense of disappointment which was worse than anger. It didn't matter. He did what he did; what he had to do. He would do it again.

Hotch remained in his office a little longer. He couldn't help the feeling that Spencer was holding something back. He wasn't sure if it was strictly case related, something about Emily, or just something personal, but there was something the genius wasn't saying. It wasn't a problem he could solve right away, though, so he collected his thoughts, and got back to work.

Meanwhile, as the team was working hard uncovering the unsavory details about Bardolino and his obvious corruption, Emily and her mother were making progress on their end.

About two hours after Emily and her mother talked, Elizabeth called back.

"What do you have for me?" Emily asked.

Elizabeth responded, "I spoke to several of my contacts and have come up with some options."

"Lay them on me."

"A friend of Dr. Northup's living in London has privileges at the hospital James is at. I had him look at the scans and all the test results."

"What did he say?"

"I wish I understood it all, Emily, but all I really got was that he's too unstable to travel. His head injury is making it hard for his body to self-regulate. Something like that. Until that's under control, he doesn't recommend moving him."

"But we could, right?"

"Yes. He says that with the right medical personnel and equipment, they could, hypothetically, move him safely in a few days."

"I need him here, Mom. Nate needs to see him… Whether he makes it out of this just fine or if… if he dies… Nate needs to be able to say that he saw him, that he was with him, and maybe have some kind of closure if it comes to that." She wasn't stupid. She was aware of the gravity of his condition. It wasn't good. Not all hope was lost, but they were just hanging on to it.

"Well, Dr. Malkin said that it could take a few days to get everything needed for transportation, and he'd be willing to come along, as long as James is stable by the time they were ready to go."

"And if he's not?"

"Then travelling with him even a short distance could kill him."

"I thought you said there were options here, mom? All I'm hearing is that we have to wait."

Elizabeth continued to explain all that she was told, laying out the actual options to Emily. None of them really comforted her.

"But Dr. Malkin is confident that James will be stable."

"Then I guess we should wait. Will you have transportation ready in a week?"

"Yes. We'll use the same pilot as before, but I'll have a medical staff on board as well as the equipment installed, but Emily, we need somewhere to take him."

"I know. Let me handle that part. I have an idea. You just take care of the logistics."

"All the wheels are in motion. The rest is up to you and James."

"I know…" Emily took a deep breath. She just wanted him to be safe.

"The doctor said he is doing better since last night. He's not stable enough yet, but he's not critical anymore."

"That's good."

"He'll fight, Emily."

"He always has."

"And he has you in his corner as well as a little boy pulling for him."

"He does. I just… I want him nearby."

"He will be. Soon."

"I hope so. Nate needs this." She needed to figure this out for him and for herself.

"I think you do too. Listen, I will continue to get everything we need ready and keep in contact with Dr. Malkin. You do whatever it is you are going to do, and we'll keep in contact. I expect updates, Emily. No more days in between talking. Worrying about you has already added grays. I'm going to be paying my stylist double for a dye job."

"You're being dramatic."

"It must be a family trait then."

Elizabeth lightened the conversation and asked about Nate and about how they were feeling. She offered to have Dr. Northup stop by again if needed. Emily assured her they were fine and that she talked with Dr. Northup on her own.

"I'd love to talk more, Mom, but I'm not comfortable staying on the line long. We'll talk again tomorrow. Alright?"

"Alright, Dear. Be safe."

"You too, Mom. Bye."

Emily hung up the phone and tossed it unto the table near her.

"Nate," she called. "Can you come here for a moment?"

His little feet ran toward her.

"Hi."

"Hey, kid. What were you doing?"

"Nothing," he said guiltily.

"Nothing, huh? And what does nothing entail?"

"What?" he questioned.

"What does doing nothing mean?" she reiterated.

"Um…"

"Nate?" She leaned forward. "What were you doing?"

"It's a surprise."

Uh oh… "What kind of surprise?"

"A good one?"

"Nate…"

"Come with me. I'll show you."

Emily nervously stood and slowly followed Nate upstairs and to the playroom. There were art supplies everywhere, papers tossed about the floor. It was a mess.

"What?" she gulped. "What's all this?"

"I made you something. Look."

Nate took her hand and pulled her, gently, toward the play table where the art supplies were most concentrated.

"Here!" Nate grabbed one of the papers from the ground. "It's all dry now. And it's for you."

"For me?" Emily happily asked.

"Uh huh. Look. It's just like the picture Daddy had in my room. I wanted you to have it." Emily felt tears in her eyes. Clyde had yet to bring her the box with all her Nate related things. That same picture was in there.

"Wow. I love it so much, Nate. You did such an awesome job."

"Really?"

"Definitely. I'm going to put it somewhere I can look at it all the time."

He hugged her, and she returned it whole-heartedly. When they released, she took another look at the painting and smiled before carefully bending as much as she could to his level and asking, "What are the other pictures?"

"This one's not done yet," he said, watching over the half-finished painting protectively. He quietly added, "This is for my dad. I have to finish it so I can give it to him when I see him."

"That's very thoughtful, Nate."

"He must be very sad like me because my other dad is in heaven."

"He is," Emily agreed. There was no doubt in her mind that James had witnessed at least part of the abuse and felt the loss of his partner.

"I don't want him to be sad. I don't want any of us to be sad, so maybe this will make him be happy."

"I know it would. He'll love it."

"Am I going to be able to give it to him?"

Emily sniffled and wiped away the stray tear. "Actually, that was what I wanted to talk about."

"My dad?"

"Yes."

"Is he dead too?" His lip was already trembling, tears ready to fall.

"No," she answered quickly. "Nate come here. Let's sit down and talk."

She took his hand and led him over to the bean bag chairs against the wall that she struggled to get down onto.

"Your dad has very good doctors helping him. They're doing everything they can, and I am doing everything I can to bring him here so that you can see him. The doctors say he needs a little more time in London before he can be moved here."

She debated telling him any of this, but she needed to give him hope. She needed him to have something to hold on to and keep him going without the constant worry that he would die too.

"I don't know when exactly he'll be ready, but the moment he is, I will move heaven and earth to get him to you. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"That I'll see him, but he needs to get a little better first?"

"Yes, exactly. Once the doctors say he can be moved, I'm going to have him put into a hospital nearby and the moment that happens, I will take you to him."

"I have time to finish my picture."

"Yes. And I will help you make a whole wall full of them if you want."

"I think that would be cool."

"And Nate? If you have questions or just want to talk about your dads, I want you to know that you can talk to me. I knew them a long time before you were born and they are important to me too."

He smiled at her and responded, "Ok. Will you help me paint now?"

"Absolutely. Tell me where you want me."

The pair stayed in there for hours making all different pictures together. Mostly, though, they used that as a moment to get to know each other in a new way. Nate shared his favorite memories through the paintings, and Emily tried to do the same, even sharing a few stories about herself and James when they were younger. Nate got a kick out of those.

Overall, it finally felt like Emily was making progress helping Nate feel better. It would seem like a major case break would be coming too.

Garcia had been slaving away going through files and running search after search all day. She even recruited Clyde to help her understand the Interpol databases more thoroughly and much more quickly. It took a lot of will power and a lot of time isolated in her lair, but it was worth it.

"Guys!" Garcia yelled capturing everyone's attention as she ran into the bullpen, tablet in hand. "I did it! I've found the mole!"

"What? Who is it?"

Everyone was anxiously waiting for the answer. Clyde couldn't wait to hear it. After his talk with Emily and the run through about potential moles with the team all ending up dead ends, he was eager to know who betrayed them. So, not only did he want a name, but he wanted to personally handle the situation… with Emily if that was manageable.

"To tell you that, I need to explain a few things."

"We're listening, Baby Girl," Derek encouraged her.

"I went through everything Emily set up, and trust me, there was more than she had time to even put together. Point is, the mole wasn't even on the radar."

"How is that possible? It had to be someone involved on the case."

"Oh… it was. Kind of."

"Please get to the point Garcia," Dave urged.

"Ok… Sorry. So, Emily gave me the skeleton and I had to complete the puzzle. Everyone we originally looked at was written off. All anomalies were accounted for and all coincidences were explained. So, I looked more broadly. I searched for people who were too spotless."

"People who could be covering things."

"Exactly. And I found a few, but only one stuck out to me."

"Who?" Clyde asked.

"Here's where things get complicated… For Interpol."

"In what way?"

"Emily ran the London office, but she also manned a team allowing her to do field work, so there were other higher ups there."

"Yeah…"

"And one of them made it their business to be… involved."

"Involved in what?"

"Everything."

"No more dancing around. Just tell us."

"Ok, so, the name that flagged was Francine Lillard. She's Emily's… I don't know, third in command maybe? The logistics aren't important. What is important is that she's a big wig, and she wasn't playing for the right team."

"How do we know this?"

Garcia explained her work. Francine had her record scrubbed. There were things in the past that, though weren't remarkably interesting or even bad really, were suddenly erased right before she came to Interpol.

"Someone wanted her there."

"That's what I thought."

"Does she know tech stuff?" Hotch asked.

"Well, not as far as I know, but that's where the rest of what I found came in."

"And that is?"

"She and the tech analyst Kurt Wells seemed to talk a lot… Like late night phone calls, steamy texts, the whole nine yards."

"She used him."

"I don't even think he knew what he was doing, and if he did, it looks like he did it for love."

After hearing the rest, she had to say, the picture became clearer. Wells was the fall guy and the pawn, simply used for his knowledge and placement. He was Emily's first hire, someone she built up and worked closely with even though he wasn't in her immediate team. She liked to add him to tech ops and missions when possible, though, ironically, he was not working on all of the connected cases that they found.

"We have our mole and we have her patsy… Now what?" Derek asked.

"Now, I call my contacts and make sure they know what's going on without upsetting our upper hand," Clyde said. "I don't want Wells or Lillard to know that we are aware of their deeds."

"No, we want that to be our ace when we need it."

"Exactly we can use it to our advantage."

"Good. Great progress today. I don't think we can do much more with this right now. We can regroup and start digging more into Kurt Wells and Francine Lillard tomorrow."

Everyone nodded. They found something that would prove pertinent to their plans, but there wasn't much they could do with it yet. The threat was imminent, but not immediate, so their time was best spent at home, waiting for the next step.

Hotch, however, hung around. He headed up to his office once everyone else left. Sitting at his desk, he wondered about Emily. He wanted to talk with her. He wanted to see where her head was at for himself and try to figure out what was up with Spencer. It still seemed like Spencer was keeping something to himself, and Hotch was leaning toward it being Emily related. Honestly, he just wanted to help her. He wanted to physically be there by her side and help her.

"Clearly," he thought, "she didn't think you were any help. Why else would she reach out to Spencer instead of you?"

That upset him a little. He didn't understand why yet. But it did. Though, his opportunity to help was coming.

He jumped in surprise as his office phone rang. It wasn't odd to get calls on it, but it was late and something about it felt different. Maybe he just hoped it was.

"Agent Hotchner," he answered.

"Hotch, can we meet? I need your help."

"Where and when?" Hotch asked, no hesitation. Emily called, and that gave him a sense of satisfaction. Now, he'd help with whatever she asked if he could.