Chapter 2
JJ and Emily stood looking at the un-named body from the casket on the autopsy table. The coroner had identified the body had died from a broken neck after a possible fall. He showed the agents various other fractures and lacerations on the body consistent with a fall. He was happy there was no indication of foul play. The embalming had been done professionally by a well-practised person—the ashes were unremarkable and, in his opinion, had been cremated professionally.
"We can only hope we get a result from the DNA or Garcia's search of your fingerprint," Emily commented. "Thank you for your help." Emily thanked the man
walking out of the morgue, JJ's phone rang. "Jareau."
"Hello, cupcake; how was date night?" Garcia asked
"Perfect, thanks to Garcia, Jennifer made it perfect a special sushi banquet, it was special Penelope. Jennifer has set the bar high for our next date night." Emily gushed after JJ had put her phone on speaker.
"I knew it! I have a name for your body Mr Simon Inngs reported missing 12 and a half years ago. He was 25 years old, a little bit of a loser. He was into drug dealing in a small way, according to the police. They thought a rival dealer had killed him." Garcia reported, "bye my southern belles." She signed off
Emily and JJ sat in the SUV and sat thinking about the latest findings. "There is still nothing indicating anything we need to investigate. We can hand Inngs over to CC and Kline to investigate further. While we wait for the DNA results, I would like to look around a funeral home and investigate the security they have to see how easy it would be to add extras to somebody's casket before the funeral. I've always wanted to see how they embalm somebody, sad I know, sweetheart." Emily smiled
"We will speak to the detectives to see if they can suggest one," JJ suggested
EJ
CC had suggested the towns oldest family-run funeral home, the silent night mortuary and crematorium. Emily had googled the funeral home to find 100% positive reviews and some genuine reviews. They all called the Luttrell family angels and were so attuned to the needs of their families.
"Emily, Jennifer, this is Andy Luttrell and her youngest daughter Macy. Andy, this is Special Agent Emily Prentiss and Jennifer Jareau." CC introduced everyone
"What can we do for the FBI?" Andy Luttrell smiled
"We are looking into the casket that we found with extra occupants in and would like to look around to see how easy it would be to sneak in?" JJ asked
"Of course, follow me." Andy motions for them to follow
Emily is surprised when Macy Luttrell slips her hand into hers and starts to skip along with her
"Hello, pretty lady, what is your name?" Emily asked, smiling down at her new friend
"Hi, my name is Macy, and I'm age 13. Your friends pretty will you both play with me later?" The bubbly 13-year-old asked.
Emily bent down to Macy's level and smiled "of course we will, but we have to work first, will that be ok?" Smiles Emily
Macy nods and hugs Emily around her neck. "Hello sweetie, my name is Jennifer,
I would love to play with you and Emily later after we have finished." JJ gives Macy a hug and smiles.
Watching the two agents with their daughter is Andy and her husband Robert just smiling at the interaction between the two agents and her daughter.
"Robert, this is Special Agent Jennifer Jareau and Emily Prentiss. They would like a tour of the place." She smiled
"Good to meet you agents, and please stay and have a meal with us. It's the least we can do; it's very kind for you to take the time to play with my daughter." Robert smiled
Emily and JJ both accept the kind offer.
EJ
"This is my oldest daughter Mave. She is my right hand around here. She is just placing Mrs Robinson in her casket ready for her family to view the body tomorrow." He explained
"I have often had nightmares about being buried alive in a coffin." Shivered Emily "looking at that casket just makes it more horrific, not exactly roomy." Emily laughed
"I take it, sweetheart, you want to be cremated when the time comes?" JJ asked her wife
Looking up, Emily and JJ can see puzzled faces on Robert and Mave Luttrell. "We are married. Jennifer goes by her maiden name at work to save any confusion, especially out in the field." Emily explained to the two confused tour guides
"You know how to win any argument now, Jennifer, and you just need a punishment casket." Mave laughed
Emily looked pale and just gave JJ her don't even try woman look. They watched how Mave used a special hoist to lift the body from the trolley into the casket. She fussed, straightening the shroud and brushed Mrs Robinson's hair, making it look like she was sleeping peacefully.
"She looks beautiful. You have done a good job; the family will be pleased." JJ praised Mave's work
"Thank you." Mave blushed at the compliment
Robert Luttrell showed Emily and JJ the security around the caskets. All windows and doors had alarm sensors, and a CCTV camera pointed at the door. The whole external aspects of the building and entrance had impressive coverage with no blind spots they could find. Emily agreed with Robert it would be challenging to bring a body into the funeral home. He explained he weighed his caskets each day when they contained a body just in case a staff member had added something. All five non-family members of staff had worked with him for years, he explained.
"Could you walk us through the cremation process, please?" JJ asked
On the way to the cremation room, they walked past Angie Luttrell.
"Agents, this is my middle daughter Angie. She does all the makeup and reconstruction of damaged faces. Clients call her a Picasso with morticians wax and a bit of blusher. They often tell her she is wasted with the dead and should work in TV or Film." Her farther gushed
"I could use your skill sometimes." Smiled JJ
EJ
"This is our crematorium, the deceased arrives, and we identify the body and only when complete do we move them to the wooden cremation container. This is where we recycle the original casket and keep them for poorer families that can't afford a full burial or cremation. We give it to them free of charge, so we don't break the law. The cremation container goes into retort [cremation chamber] and is burnt at 1,400 - 2,000 degrees for about 1.5-2 hours. Then we use a magnet to check for any metal we have missed then we grind the remains to make ashes. The ashes are placed into a receptacle as chosen by the family. All receptacles are stored in our vault, which is alarmed. As you can see, no one can sneak in and add a body or ashes in my funeral home." Robert tells Emily and JJ
"We are only here for a look at your procedures and security. We don't think you have anything to do with this case. Your actions are commendable about the caskets, so nothing for us to say about that." smiled JJ "now I believe we promised a 13-year-old some of our time." She smiled
EJ
"HIGHER! HIGHER!." Screamed Macy
JJ pushed her as hard as she could; Macy was screaming in delight. Emily and JJ had spent the last hour playing with Macy on her play set in the garden, being watched by Angie and Mave while Robert and Andy made dinner in the kitchen.
JJ and Emily finished on the playset to sit down and promised they would pop around tomorrow afternoon to play again as they were waiting for reports, so they had the entire afternoon free. Macy was excited about her playdate and asked if they could play hide and seek. Both Emily and JJ happily agreed.
"Dinner, come in and wash up," Robert shouted to his kids
"It smells wonderful Andy, what have you made for us?" JJ asked
" crawfish followed by my famous Gumbo. If you have room after I have made apple pie." A proud Andy told her guests
"I'll help you with your crawfish if you need any?" Macy announces
Emily play Whispered to her, "I've never had crawfish, so I will need your help."
Macy escorted Emily and JJ to the dining table and sat between the two women, proudly announcing she was their crawfish expert. Emily and JJ leaned down, giving her a hug and a kiss on her head. A glorious meal was had by all, especially JJ's and Emily's attempts at eating their crawfish. The two agents were sent back to the hotel with some apple pie for later. They thanked their hosts for a marvellous meal and promised Macy they would be back tomorrow for their play date.
"Thank you for everything." JJ and Emily told the Luttrell family as they drove off.
"What a lovely well-grounded family. I always thought undertakers would be cold and distant." JJ remarks
"I hope the DNA results don't come back until later tomorrow or even the day after tomorrow. I enjoyed playing with Macy. It makes me feel all maternal. " Smiled Emily
"Why do you want kids, Emily?" JJ asked her wife
"I think I do, sweetheart," Emily replied honestly
EJ
Sat in the hotel room, they had Hotch on speaker, updating him on what they had found out at the funeral home. Their thoughts about it most likely being other funeral directors trying to increase their profits.
"We want to wait for the DNA results from the legs before we fly back to Quantico if that's ok with you, Hotch," JJ asked
"That's fine, JJ; it's quiet here. You need to catch up with your paperwork when you both return. I will see you both soon." Hotch told them both
"Good night, boss man," Emily said goodbye
"You, Jennifer Prentiss, are so much in trouble, you bad, bad girl." An annoyed Emily tells her
JJ looks confused at her wife, shrugging her shoulders. Emily points at the empty Tupperware bowl in her hand and her apple covered fingers.
"Whoops, in my defence, it was Soo good. I couldn't stop. SORRY!" A contrite JJ apologised.
Emily can tell she is fibbing because she is almost laughing while she apologises. She bursts out laughing and places a piece of the pie in front of her on a napkin.
"Thank you, but you're still going to pay for that, sweetie." Smiles Emily eating her pie.
EJ
The following morning Angie sat at the Luttrell breakfast table. " I want her as my new dolly mummy. I've been bored. You let them play with Macy yesterday day. I could have tea parties and dress-up parties as long as you tell Nicole to leave her alone let her play with the other one. I don't like her. P-Please mummy." Her daughter begged
Andy looked across to her husband and just shook her head NO and mouthed their Federal agents. Mave just looked across to her mother and whispered, ' we could make it work' and looked lovingly across at her sister. Angie and Macy were the Achilles heel of the other members of the family. They would do anything for her, even if it were for Nicole.
Andy took Macy and Angie in to help her wash the breakfast plates while her husband and Mave talked about the kidnapping of two federal agents and how to get away with it.
"They could lose control of their SUV while returning to their hotel. The SUV ends up deeply submerged in the swap, and the gators take their trapped, unconscious bodies from the SUV. We leave ripped, bloody clothing around the seating area. The police and feds believe the bodies have been taken into the swap, never to be seen again." Mave suggested to her father
Robert smiled at how devious his eldest daughter could be at short notice. He nodded and started to hash out details as they only had three hours before the two agents returned for their promised play date with Macy.
Macy came running around the corner to the arriving SUV waving at JJ and Emily. They both waved back, smiling back at their young friend. Macy opened JJ's door for her, leaping onto her lap before she could unfasten her seatbelt.
"You came back." She smiled
JJ hugged her tightly "we always keep our promises." Smiled JJ rubbing her head gently
"I believe we have a game of hide and seek to play, don't we." Emily smiled
EJ
Two tired FBI agents walked back to the house with a still bubbly Macy after running around for the past two hours.
"What do you feed her, Andy? She's like unstoppable?" Emily asked smiling
Emily's phone started to ring, and she noticed the caller I.D was from the M.E.
"Agent Prentiss." She answered
"The DNA result is back from your spindly legs. They belong to a Miss Connie Westbury, age 21. She went missing 15 years ago from witness protection before she could give evidence at a Mob trial. I have the US Marshals Service sending the case file to you at the police station." The M.E Told her.
Emily told JJ about the DNA results and turned around to say goodbye to the Luttrell family. Both ladies had just turned around when they got hit with a white powdery substance blown into their faces by Mave and Andy Luttrell. Emily and JJ had inhaled a powder called devil's breath which made them into very pliable people unable to act on their own without instructions. They were non-brain eating zombies for the next four hours, enabling their disappearance to be performed with their willing help.
"Agents, pass me your weapons and credentials." Mave Luttrell ordered
Without hesitation, Emily first, then JJ handed over the requested items and waited for further instructions. They both stood rooted to the ground, looking calm and relaxed. Taking the SUV keys from JJ, Andy and Robert drove the FBI SUV away from the funeral home.
"Emily, Jennifer, please follow me into the casket room," Mave ordered