July 24, 2017 - a week since Reid's arrest.
Rossi Manor was a place of elegance and sophistication, one did not eat take-out pizza in David Rossi's kitchen. It simply did not happen, until today. Gone were the parties of excellent food and better company, today the team was scattered on various couches and chairs with half empty pizza boxes and coffee cups. Penelope and J.J. were even eating ice cream straight from the carton, but even that amount of caffeine and sugar couldn't break through the brain fog.
"Please tell me one of my furry friends has a clue what's going on?" Garcia pleaded, her eyes on Michael who was playing with Rossi's dog.
"And why did Emily summon us all here? Where is she anyway?"
"Meeting with the Director," Rossi answered, not looking up from his laptop.
"Wait, what? Why would she need -?"
"Someone got wind that I used the Dr/Dr trick at Millburn, plus Reid's prisoner transport from Mexico wasn't exactly by the book, so we're under investigation for misconduct." Tara sipped her coffee and grimaced. It seemed like such a good idea at the time.
"Who told -?" A buzzing from Garcia's phone and the question died on her lips, quickly replaced with a smile. "Yes I accept the charges. Hey, Reid, how's my Dr. Genius doing?"
Reid's voice filled the room on speaker phone. "Wow, I get a witty Garcia greeting? Even from in here?"
"Anything to get a smile on your face, Boy Wonder. So what can I do you for? How are you?"
"Oh, I've been better."
"Reid, that doesn't answer my question."
"Fiona said you're in D.C.? Why didn't you come to visit?"
"Oh sweetie, I'm so sorry. The morning after your arrest, Emily got a call from the Director. We were ordered home right away or we'd face charges of interfering with an investigation."
"So, you'll come see me on your way home from your next West Coast case, right?" The hope in his voice was almost tangible and it made Penelope's heart break.
"I'm sorry, we aren't allowed. Our visitation application was denied." Silence. Except for the raspy breathing on the other end of the line.
"Reid? Is there anyone else you want to see? Anyone I could call for you?"
"No." He sounded close to tears. "Actually, no, no they're...never mind."
"Reid, who?"
"It's too far, to...never mind."
"Here, let me," Rossi took the phone from Garcia. "Reid, Rossi here, hang in there, okay, Kid. Now that we have a mailing address for you, went sent you some surprises last night."
"Surprises? What kind of surprises?"
"Well that would spoil the surprise wouldn't it? Something to keep that - what did you call it, Garcia? - that gorgeous grey matter working at top notch. And don't use all of that commissary money we sent on phone calls. You call us collect, okay?"
"Commissary money? What could I buy of interest in here?"
"I don't know, ask for the list, I'm sure you could find something to make you more comfortable there. You are in PC, right?"
"Yeah, I'm in Protective Custody."
"You don't sound so thrilled. Isn't that what you wanted last time?"
"Wanted? Who wants to be locked up 23 hours a day? My hour a day rotates between "yard time" in an outdoor cage, 2 showers per week, and..."
"-visitation and phone time, like now."
"Right, like now."
"Speaking of phone time, how much do you have left?"
"17 minutes."
"Okay, back to business. Do you have any idea who Cat could be working with now that Lindsey is in prison? Anyone with a reason to hurt you?"
"No, I mean, yes, but they are in too. Alvez told me Shaw is in Milan which is about 50 miles away….Oh God no!"
"Reid, you are in the state system, Shaw is in Federal. He's not there, you're okay."
"But it's not… it's not that far away what if-?"
"Sounds like you're onto something, Kid, tell me!"
"What if Shaw was working with -? I don't know, but what if he had someone transport bodies across the state line. If they are ID-ed I could -" End up back in with Shaw at FCI Milan! Suddenly finding the ID sounded like just as much a death sentence. "But the rape kit - that still wouldn't -"
"One thing at a time, Kid. We'll look into Shaw. Anyone else?"
"Well he worked with Frazer, Duerson and Malcom in Millburn, but it couldn't be -"
"Why not? Tell me, even if it sounds crazy we can still ask around."
"But if you can't work the case -?"
"We have access to the records Reid, just not the tangible evidence -"
"Or the suspect," he finished bitterly.
"Unfortunately, yes, but we can still help and we will. So what about them?"
"Okay, J.J. remember when Henry wanted me to take him to the zoo for a late birthday?"
"Yes, I remember. I tried to talk him out of it, but he was insistent that he wanted his Uncle Spence to teach him all about the animals. He had a great time, thank you."
"You remember how that day ended?"
"You mean with Alvez taking over, because…" because Reid being traumatized by seeing so many innocent animals locked up had shown her just how much prison had affected him. "He asked me why I was so upset and could the team help?"
"Who asked you? Henry?" Henry didn't even know Reid had been in prison.
"No, Alvez. I thought...I thought it would happen again, that one of them would have someone kill me. That's why I was so eager to move my mom out of harm's way -"
"You mean out of your apartment and to her new facility in Maryland." And here they all thought Reid had finally listened to reason.
"I thought I was being paranoid, but Lindsey got that apartment down the hall and - I was scared, paranoid maybe."
"It's not paranoia if someone's out to get you." You're not crazy. The unspoken message seemed to get across because his voice sounded steadier. "Anyway, he told me how Shaw was moved after he failed to keep his end of the deal."
"The deal to keep you safe?"
"Exactly, I asked him if he could put in some requests for me." His voice dropped, no doubt so no one else would hear. No inmate in prison wanted to hear that someone had the power to move them. Prison may be prison all the same, but like in real estate: location was key. "Malcom has family in southern CA so he's in Lompoc. He was nice to me most of the time, until...until the last day. Dureson restrained me so he went to Atwater, also in CA. But they're 260 miles apart, so -"
"So none of the guards has dual access" - like Wilkins did - "continue."
"Frazier was the one who actually did...that." He'd seen enough severed carotid wounds in his life time, but the image of it actually happening was burned into his retinas. "He went to Florence, in Colorado. But Cat, she, um, she's in Waseca."
"Wasca, isn't that Minnesota?"
"Surrounded by 15 miles of nothing, yes, that's it."
"Anything else at all? What about Lindsey?"
"That didn't go through. She's in Mount Pleasant."
"Wait, with Cat?"
"That's why I was in a hurry to move her. I didn't want them collaborating. But it's okay, Cat was the mastermind and she's gone now."
There was a collective hush around the room, even a pin drop could have been heard. Reid taking Cat away from Lindsey had been the primary motivation, but Reid hadn't known that. After his mother had been found, nothing else had mattered to him at all. "Except that she's done it again."
"But how?"
How indeed.