Sally POV
Police officers had been canvassing for hours and there was nothing much to do which was frustrating. The team was staring at the boards again which seemed useless but then again nothing I was doing was very useful either. I was running different searches for pregnant women who never gave birth, but every result seemed innocuous until I added something else to my search. I had just set it to search for women who had changed their names or moved whilst pregnant and have no birth records attached to them. I got a ping. I looked it over and I looked like it may be useful.
"Garcia? Can you try and unseal a file for me on a Leah Turpin? You're more familiar with it than I am" I asked, I felt bad for asking it of her. I was her assistant for god's sake.
"Sure thing sweetie" she replied, flashing me a smile that would kill an angel it was so dazzling. That woman is amazing. I went to grab Hotch because I thought he should know. I walked towards the room they were gathered in and I knocked on the door before entering and announced myself with a cough.
"Hotch?" He looked over at me as did everyone else "We may have something. Me and Garcia have been running random searches related to the profile all morning and we finally got a ping" he gestured for me to show him and I led the way to the desk.
"Okay so I ran a search for pregnant women who moved or changed their names but never gave birth. It was a long shot but when I got a result and there was a sealed file attached to it, I thought I better let you know. Garcia is unsealing the file. But yeah. Leah Turpin born 1979. Aged 18 she was in the second trimester of her pregnancy when she suddenly dropped off the face of the earth, she doesn't turn up anywhere" I rambled. I realised how silly I must sound and that it was probably nothing.
"I got that file unsealed" Garcia gulped.
"And?" Hotch asked. He seemed irritated.
"She moved to Arizona and changed her name to Lena Armitage in order to escape her abusive father hence the sealed file. She had reported that her baby was taken out of her while she was sleeping and she blamed her dad who was a doctor. But she dropped the charges"
"Was?" Hotch prompted.
"He died around the time of the first crime. The one where the girl died. She majored in computer science at Arizona State University and she got an administrative job in the morgue of West Valley Hospital, but she was went AWOL a month ago and hasn't been seen since. The hospital has also reported thefts of medical supplies when canvassing was done this morning. Oh god... Three days ago, she found out that she was unable to carry a child because her womb was irreparably damaged" Garcia finished. She seemed shaken by what she discovered in that file and I really don't blame her.
"That's why she skipped weeks and went straight to taking them days apart" I breathed
"Where is she now?" Hotch asked.
"In the wind. She hasn't made any transactions, no online activity. She's gone" Garcia admitted. She looked angry.
"Get local law enforcement and swat to check out her home and contact her family who live local. I want to speak to them. I'll get the team" he said and before we knew it, he was gone.
"Good call my lovely" Garcia praise. Her smile seemed genuine.
Reid POV
"Morgan and I will go and speak to this girl's mother. Reid and Prentiss, her sister and Rossi and JJ I need you here to back us up and be ready to step into action. Oh, and JJ. Hold a press conference and warn all women who fit the victimology to stay with someone at all times" Hotch instructed. Garcia and Matthews had just found a possible unsub.
"Okay" we chorused, and immediately sprang into action. Garcia had texted me the address of Leah Turpin's sister and me and Prentiss went straight to the SUV. Prentiss drove and we were there in no time. I got out of the car and headed straight to the door, Prentiss catching up with me as I rang the doorbell. The door opened and we were greeted by a woman with a baby on her hip. We flashed our badges.
"I'm Supervisory Special Agent Prentiss and this is Dr Reid. We'd like to talk to you about your sister" Prentiss introduced us. The woman nodded slowly.
"Come in..." She said nervously and she led the way to the living room. She put the baby down in a play pen and sat across from us on the other sofa.
"When was the last time you saw your sister?" I asked.
"Ten years ago, at our dad's funeral" she answered flatly. I could see the confusion in her eyes. She wanted to know what this was about.
"Were you aware that Leah was pregnant when she was eighteen?" Prentiss inquired and Amanda seemed genuinely heartbroken for a moment.
"Why are you asking that? That was years ago." She spat, clearly touchy over the subject.
"We believe your sister may be involved with the recent abductions that have taken place in the area" I explain calmly.
"You mean...? Oh god. No…" She sobbed.
"I'm sorry but we really need to know this" Prentiss prompted her.
"Yes. I was. I was the only one..." she let out a small sob "I told my dad. I was mad at her and it just came out...and then two days later my dad said something that scared the hell out of me. He said, 'Problem solved' and he had a horrible gleam in his eyes and then Leah woke up and she was in pain, she realised what had happened; what he'd done to her. She left and we haven't spoken a word to each other since... I don't... I don't blame her" she relayed.
Her posture was defeated, and she just looked terribly unhappy.
"Do you have any idea where your sister may be? She's gone missing and we believe she may be in the area" I explained, hoping she would understand the seriousness in my voice.
"Well there's only a few places she would go. The old bowling alley shut down a few years ago and has been abandoned ever since and then there's Ray's apartment. He was the father of her baby. He died six months ago" she finished.
"What's his full name?" I rambled quickly. Getting to my feet. I need to call Hotch.
"Ray Armitage" she said softly. I walked back out the front door and dialled Hotch's number as Prentiss bid Amanda goodbye.
"Hotchner" he greeted.
"We have two possible locals. The sister knew about the whole thing and blames herself, but we need a strategy" I reeled. I walked back to the SUV and got in the passenger seat as Prentiss followed.
"I agree. Meet me back at the precinct in ten" Hotch replied and then the line went dead. We sped back to the precinct and within minutes we were there. Hotch took the floor and gave everybody their assignments.
"JJ, Reid and Matthews you can handle the apartment, Me, Rossi, Prentiss and Morgan will take any available officers and go to the bowling alley"
Sally POV
We were riding in the SUV to the apartment, the ride was slightly awkward on my part because Reid was there, and I was having a silent argument with myself over my ridiculous feelings towards him. I was tuning out the conversation going on in the front of the car, so I was gazing out of the window watching Texas roll by.
"We're here" JJ said as she put the SUV in park and undid her seatbelt. I nodded and got out of the car swiftly. We entered the building quietly our hands hovering over our holstered weapons until we got to the door. Reid knocked loudly and began to speak.
"Leah Turpin! FBI!" We waited a moment before JJ bust the door open. Our weapons in hand we checked each room one by one.
"Clear" Reid called as he swept the small bathroom.
"Clear" JJ shouted from kitchenette.
"Clear, although you may want to check this out JJ" I hollered from the bedroom, that place had more computers than Garcia's office.
"I'm gonna go out in the hall and call Hotch, okay?" Reid let us know as he made his way to the broken door.
"Yeah" we replied in unison as we were both transfixed by the plethora of hardware before us. I sat at in the chair and turned on the monitors, JJ looked over my shoulder at the screens. Suddenly the door to the bedroom slammed and we whipped around to see the unsub holding a large knife in her hand.
"JJ NO! I yelled, but to no avail. She sprang forward towards the unsub and tackled her, they both grappled for the knife. The screamed and kicked until JJ was straddling the unsub.
The unsub thrashed around until she found the knife with her right hand. I rushed forward and pushed JJ off the unsub just as the knife was driven forward.
"Sally!" JJ screamed. Time had slowed down as I cast my eyes downward, I saw the knife sticking out of my side before I passed out.
I blinked slowly, the light was bright and my whole body felt heavy. I tried to push myself up but I barely moved an inch.
"Woah there newbie, you just got stabbed in the side. I wouldn't try moving just yet" somebody cooed.
"Morgan? I whispered groggily, still trying to make my eyes open.
"Yeah kid, go back to sleep. The doc said you shouldn't wake up for another few hours" he replied quietly.
"M'kay" and I drifted back into my morphine induced slumber.
As I came back to the land of the living for the second time, I felt tons better, my eyes opened when my brain told them to and I felt a little stronger.
"You're awake then..." Hotch trailed as I turned my head towards him.
"Seems like it" I replied snappily. He looked angry so I glanced down and saw the remote that controlled the bed. I pressed a button to make it sit me up and got comfortable before I looked back at him.
"What do you have to say for yourself?" He demanded.
"Getting stabbed hurts like a bitch?" His face contorted with anger at my words so I swiftly changed my tune "I should have checked the closet and it was stupid of me to miss it but when push came to shove Hotch it was my side or JJ's chest and I figured I had a better chance at surviving this than JJ would a knife to the heart" I explained, his face seemed to relax a little but I could still feel his contempt.
"You realise I won't be allowing you in the field with us for at least twelve weeks" he said, getting up from the chair beside my bed.
"Yeah... I get it. But Hotch, I couldn't stand by and watch JJ get hurt because of my mistake. I had to act, she has so many more people who rely on her, she has a kid and she's an important part of the team whereas I'm just the newbie. What I did was may have been impulsive and I may have put myself in danger, but it was for all the right reasons" I looked down at my blanket and fiddled with the corner of it, expecting him to leave. I looked up and he was still there, staring at me.
"Every member of this team is equally important whether they have been part of it for ten years or ten minutes. Keep that in mind. I'm going to let the team know you're awake" he chastised before leaving the room. I felt like a child and I knew that I had to buck my ideas up if I wanted to make a career with the BAU.