Disclaimer: see my profile.
A/n thank you for your patience with this update. Real life got in the way for a while, as well as a bit of writer's block. Thank you all again for your kind support.
It was Monday, and a night had passed since Matthew appeared out of nowhere, and the team had decided it was time to be proactive and go after Diane before she made her move.
"What's the plan?" Morgan asked Hotch
"We have to find Maeve." Reid blurted out.
"That's easy," Garcia said as her fingers flew over her keyboard. "I found Dr. Maeve Donovan. Oh, it looks like she burned her credit history. She's a smart cookie."
"She'd have to be to capture Pretty Boy's attention," Morgan teased.
The tenseness in the air cracked a little, and everyone relaxed a bit. Matthew attempted to keep a straight face and failed miserably. He chuckled and said. "Nice one, Derek."
"I am so confused by the two of you," Rossi said.
"Me too," said JJ and Alex.
"I've got Dr. Donovan's address. She just moved into a new place. The apartment's in her parent's names." Garcia said.
"Wow," Matthew said. "I'm impressed."
"Why," Spencer said. "You have a Garcia on the show, right?"
"Well, yes, but her computer skills are all Hollywood magic. I've never seen a legitimate hacker in action."
Garcia beamed at him as Morgan shook his head. "Thanks, sweet – I mean Matthew.
Morgan laughed and then flinched away when Garcia backhanded him in the midsection. "Watch it."
"Sorry, Baby Girl."
"Reid, you and Alex go see Maeve. The rest of us will split up and figure out how to deal with Diane." Hotch ordered.
"Perhaps I better stay out of sight when Maeve arrives," Matthew said. "I'm sure she's nervous and afraid, seeing what would look like twins to her eyes."
"Matthew's right," Hotch said. "Also, we need him to fill us in on Diane."
Spencer gave Matthew a look, and Matthew nodded his head. "All right, let's go."
CMCMCMCMCMCMCMCM
"Don't you think we should call Maeve before we knock on her door," Alex said. "We don't want to frighten her."
"Ah, yeah, I guess you're right. We'll need to find a pay phone." Reid responded as Alex drove them across town to Maeve's apartment.
"I'm sure you know exactly where to find one."
"Um, yeah. Take the next left, then a right, and there's one on the southeast corner."
Alex took them to the payphone and stayed in the SUV while Reid made his phone call. She watched his facial expressions and body language. She could see that the conversation didn't go well initially, but finally Reid relaxed and smiled.
"Everything okay," Alex asked when Reid climbed back into the passenger seat.
"You tell me," Reid said.
"It looked to me from the body language that you had a tough time convincing her but got there in the end. What did you tell her?"
"I respected her wishes, but I couldn't bear it if something happened to her, and I wouldn't take no for an answer."
"I imagine you came to an understanding, or we wouldn't be heading in her direction."
"Maeve wasn't happy, and I thought she might hang up on me once. I don't know what I will say to her, however. We can't exactly tell her the truth."
"I trust that you can handle it," Alex said.
"Thanks."
Alex almost smiled at the sarcasm in Reid's voice as she piloted the SUV down another side road to Maeve's apartment building.
"Garcia said it's an old building they're refurbishing."
"Looks like it. Let's go." Alex agreed after parking.
They hurried into the building and up the stairs. The interior appeared as though the workman had been there recently, and Reid thought they might be there now had it not been almost noon. Alex knocked on the door and smiled at Reid as they waited for Maeve to open.
"Hello," said a shaky voice behind the door.
"It's Spencer," Reid said
"How do I know you're Spencer," Maeve said. "You sound like him, but it could be a trick."
Reid sighed, thought for a minute, and then said. "You do not need to know precisely what is happening or where it is going. You need to recognize the present moment's possibilities and challenges and embrace them with courage, faith, and hope."
"Thomas Merton," Reid heard Maeve say with a gasping breath. Maeve opened the door only wide enough for Reid to see the security chain in place.
"Hello, Maeve. I have my teammate Alex Blake with me."
Maeve shut the door, and Reid heard the clink of the chain dropping, and then the door opened wide. "Come in."
Reid momentarily forgot about Alex as he drank in Maeve. She was slender, with long wavy brown hair and sea-blue eyes. Her face had a peach and cream complexion, and her smile made his heart slam against his rib cage.
"Thank you for letting us help you," Reid managed to say as Maeve led them to her living area.
"I have a bag packed, just as you advised," Maeve said.
"Good."
"Where are we going?" Maeve asked as she picked up her suitcase and her purse.
"There are apartments at Quantico for those transferring to the Witness Protection Program. You'll be safe there until we find your stalker."
"Will you be there," Maeve asked Reid and then blushed bright red. "Of course not. You have your apartment, I assume."
Reid reached out to take her suitcase. "Yes, I do, but I plan to stay close to you if that's okay. I'll be at work until we figure this out."
"All right, um – what are we doing first?"
"Well, this case is off the books because we don't have the evidence we need for an arrest," Alex said as Maeve locked her front door.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I – "
"It's not your fault. We have a plan," Alex assured her.
CMCMCMCMCMCMCMCM
The weather shifted when Morgan and JJ reached the apartment building where Robert Putnam lived. The sky was rapidly changing from blue and cloudless to grey and stormy. A cold north wind tossed the trees along the street.
Garcia had provided them with his address and a full accounting of Robert Putnam's life until that moment. They also had as much information as she could find on Diane Turner.
Garcia's task would've been more difficult without Matthew's help.
Morgan's phone beeped just as they were pulling into a visitor's space in the parking lot. "Hey, baby girl."
"I just got off the phone with Robert Putnam. He thought I was an old friend of Diane's and told me she was at work."
"You're the best," Morgan said.
"Thank you, chocolate thunder. Call me if you need anything."
"Will do."
Morgan looked at JJ. "Let's go."
"Do you ever wonder how we'd do this job without Garcia," JJ asked as they hurried through the increasing wind and gathering shadows.
"I don't want to think about it," Morgan said.
When Robert Putman opened the door several minutes later, he stared blankly at them. "Yes."
"Mr. Putnam," Morgan and JJ pulled out their id wallets and showed their badges. "I'm Agent Morgan, and this is Agent Jareau with the FBI."
"Um, what did I do?" Said Robert, who held a cup of coffee in one hand. His dark eyes swept over them suspiciously.
"Nothing," Morgan said. "We're here about Dr. Maeve Donovan. May we come inside?"
"I guess."
He led them to the living area. "Would you like coffee?"
"No, thank you. We're here to speak to you about Diane Huntington."
"Diane. Um, she's not here right now."
"That's fine, Mr. Putnam," JJ said. "We have reason to believe that Diane is the person stalking Dr. Donovan."
"What? No. That can't be right. I met Diane after Maeve broke up with me and went into hiding."
"Mr. Putnam –" Morgan began.
"Call me Robert. I can't believe this."
"Robert, Diane's real name is Diane Turner. We believe she targeted Maeve after she rejected Diane's doctoral thesis."
"But that's absurd," Robert said, and he ran a hand through his dark hair. "Besides, Diane is a woman."
"Yes, but ten percent of stalkers are female."
"This is all too much," Robert said. "Look, I don't believe that Diane – "
"Robert. We can prove it to you. Don't you have photos of yourself and Meave sent to you by the stalker?"
"How do you know that?" Robert said, and his eyes narrowed. "You can't possibly –"
"We're profilers with the Behavioral Analysis Unit. Almost all stalkers take photographs of their victims either for themselves or to send as a threat."
Robert blew out a breath. He stood up. "I'm going over to that chest of drawers. I don't have a gun hiding there, so don't shoot me."
Morgan looked at JJ, who shrugged. "Okay."
Robert brought the photos to JJ, who took them and studied them. She showed them to Morgan, who nodded. "It's eyeliner obscuring Maeve's face," JJ told Robert, who looked dumbfounded.
"So, it is a woman, but how did you get her name."
"We have Maeve in protective custody now, and she gave us the names of her rejected doctoral candidates, and we found her," JJ said.
"She is the only one living under an alias, so we're sure she has something to hide."
"I can't believe this is happening. I was upset after Maeve broke up with me, and – oh my god. How did she worm her way into my life." Robert put his face in his hands.
"She took advantage of you, and now it's time for us to stop her," Morgan said. "We're here because you know more about her than we do."
"Of course, I'll help you in any way I can."
CMCMCMCMCMCMCM
Hotch and Rossi entered the parking area of Mclean Junior College. The first drops of rain from the developing storm began to tap the windows of the SUV. Rossi's phone beeped, and he spoke for a few minutes to Morgan.
"Okay, thanks. We'll see you in a few minutes."
"Did they get it," Hotch asked?
"Yes. Anderson is on his way with Sharp to take Mr. Putnam to a safe house for the duration, and JJ and Morgan are on their way. Mr. Putnam said that Diane had an early day. She should be leaving in about thirty minutes. Garcia's sending us the make and model of her car and the license plate."
Hotch nodded and turned his eyes back to the parking lot. They watched the rain increase until it nearly obscured the windshield. Hotch turned on the engine and engaged the wipers.
"So, what do you think about Matthew?" Rossi asked.
"I don't know. Matthew knows more about us than we know and is helping Reid. I can't find it in myself to be suspicious of him."
"It's odd if Diane worked with a partner given what we know about her, but yes. You're right about him."
"Maybe all of this is a dream," Hotch said.
Rossi looked over at him and rolled his eyes. "You don't believe that, Aaron."
"No, but – there she is."
Rossi looked out the passenger's window to see a woman with long brown hair sprinting through the rain to a small white car. She didn't notice them sitting two rows away from her. Rossi threw up a quick prayer of thanks for the distraction of the rain.
Hotch put the SUV in gear when Diane pulled out of her parking space. Rossi got on the radio. "Alright, everyone, she's on the move."