Chapter 2
On the Plane from Quantico to Vegas
As soon as the plane took off from Quantico and was steadily on its way to Vegas, each member of the team started to read the case file to themselves. Every once in a while, Hotch would steal a glance at Reid; he could sense that Reid was a little tense and troubled. After a couple of hours, Hotch decided that he would talk to Reid and try to figure out what exactly was bugging him.
Hotch set his file down on his seat and slowly made his way towards the back of the plane near his youngest agent. "Reid. Can I talk to you for a minute?" said Hotch in a stern voice.
Reid, apparently not sensing his seriousness, never looked up from his file answered with, "Yeah; go ahead."
"Reid," this time, Reid looked from his file and immediately made eye contact with Hotch. "I want to talk to you about the case. It seems to be getting to you, and I was wondering if you are…"
Reid interrupted Hotch mid-sentence and said, "Hotch, I'm fine. My initial reaction to my resemblance to the victims was pure shock. I'm over it now; Really, I am." With that statement in mind, Hotch appeared satisfied and returned to his seat.
The remainder of the flight was silent, and the plane landed several hours after its initial ascension, around 4:30 P.M.
Las Vegas International Airport
Las Vegas, Nevada
As Gideon, Elle, Morgan, J.J., Hotchner, and Reid stepped off their jet, a tall, husky man with tan skin approached them with two police officers in tow. "Hello. I'm Sheriff Dan Harrell, and these are officers Miller and Kohlmeyer. It is a pleasure to meet you all."
Hotch then introduces himself and his team. "I'm Agent Aaron Hotchner. These are Agents Derek Morgan, Elle Greenway, Jason Gideon, Jennifer Jareau, and Dr. Spencer Reid." After the initial introductions and a couple of handshakes, the team was driven to the local station, where they were given an office to work in. They immediately began working on the case at hand.
Some Local Police Station
50 Miles Outside of Las Vegas, Nevada
As soon as the team was situated, they began to work. Hotch spoke first, "We will divide into groups and examine different parts of this case. J.J., call Garcia and ask her to look up any links between the victims. Also, work on finding any links that would not be on file. We need to know if the unsub is targeting specific victims. Elle and Morgan, visit the dumpsites and the victims' houses. Reid and Gideon, watch the videos, take notes on anything unusual and try to figure out the unsub's motive. I'll examine the dumpsite photos and the evidence gathered thus far. We need to work fast because the unsub only keeps our victim alive for 24 hours before he is killed, and Brandon only has about three hours left."
A moment later, a cell phone rings. Everyone checks their phone, but it is Reid's that is ringing. Reid looks at the caller id and realizes that his mother's sanatorium is trying to contact him. With a sudden look of worry on his face, Reid moves to a different room and takes the call privately. He answers, "Hello? Who is this?"
A deep voice, probably a young man, answers Reid quickly and says, "This is the Las Vegas Mental Sanatorium. We have urgent news about your mother, Dr. Reid. She just sustained a stroke, and before she became unconscious, she called out your name. She is currently at Vegas Memorial Hospital, and we believe that it would help her recover if you paid her a visit."
"I'll be there as soon as I can."
After a few moments, Reid ends the call and approaches Hotch. Seeing the genuine look of worry and the lone tear trickling down the young man's face, Hotch says, "Reid, what's the matter?"
"Hotch, um, can I, um, have a day off?"
"Reid, we're in the middle of a case? What would make you want to request a day off while on duty? What's wrong?"
"Well, my, uh, mom's sanatorium just called and said that she just had a stroke and she wanted to see me. I really want to visit her and make sure that she is okay. Besides, I can get to the hospital in an hour, visit her, and be back here by tomorrow morning."
"Okay, you can go, but I'm sending Morgan with you."
"Hotch, I'll be fine. You need all of the agents you can get on this case."
"You are right, but I'm at least going to send an officer with you. Also, call me if you get the chance." With that said, Reid quickly walked out of the station and is driven away in a patrol car with Officer Miller at the wheel.
Las Vegas Memorial Hospital
Las Vegas, Nevada
After an hour long silent car ride, Officer Miller and Reid finally arrived at the hospital. Miller stayed near the car while Reid made his way into the hospital and up to the front desk. A young woman with kind eyes and short blonde hair said, "Who are you here to visit?" After saying his mother's full name, the woman went to her computer. After a few minutes, she came back and told Reid, "I'm sorry; we have no record of anyone with that name being admitted to the hospital within the last month."
A bewildered and baffled looking Reid said, "Thank you for your time." He then quickly walks out the hospital door.
Outside, as the sun was setting, Reid began to take the long walk towards the patrol car. On his way there, Reid pulled out his cell phone and began to dial Hotch's number. As he was about to press send, two men in black blocked Reid's path. Without looking up from his cell, Reid said, "Excuse me." When they did not move, Reid looked up and immediately became filled with fear.
A struggle then erupted, but the two men quickly overpowered Reid and unarmed him. On of the men then pulled out at a large handgun with a silencer on it and aimed it at Reid's left leg. A shot rang out and Reid immediately fell to the ground with a searing and immense pain in his leg. He was then bound at his wrists and ankles, gagged, and thrown into the back of black truck, which quickly drove away into the night.