Hotch was doing his best not to pace in the small room in the back of the police station. The compact office was quickly becoming his own self-imposed prison, but he dare not leave it. While the team had managed to solve their current case before someone else became a victim, they certainly hadn't made any friends while doing so, and he didn't want to bring any unnecessary attention to himself. Considering the "brotherhood" that always seemed to exist in these small towns, they had had to do a lot of digging, pleading, and yes, even blackmailing, to get all of the information that they needed to solve this case. It certainly didn't look good on the sheriff in this community and made the mayor look even worse. Hotch didn't know how the man would win another term in the upcoming mayoral election after all the uproar, much less escape any official punishment for his part in what had potential to be a fairly large scandel.
And, as usual Rossi had been right in the middle of the noise. After the mayor's cover up and virtual attack on JJ, the older agent made sure that everyone within hearing distance knew that it was the elected official who had jeopardized such a crucial case for his own political gain, not the BAU. It had actually been JJ to discover that the mayor was lying when she had asked him some pretty standard questions before appearing on the local news station for, what was normally, a routine press conference. No one was surprised. JJ was vital to the team and to the success of their cases, as was every other member. However, her role tended to be behind the scenes. She was the foundation that each of their cases seemed to be built upon - from when she initially chose and then presented a case to the team to interviewing and caring for the families of the victims, as well as arbitrating between her own team members and the members of the law enforcement that they were working with. As was often the case in high profile cases, things could get pretty heated between her colleagues and the local police. JJ had a knack for smoothing over the ruffled feathers of everyone involved and getting the investigation back on track, seamlessly and without time wasted. When it came to getting information out to the public, JJ made sure to be concise and detailed, never embellishing on anything that would have the potential for scaring the public unnecessarily. When JJ went after something, she usually found a way to get it. She was most certainly the glue that held this group together.
And, in cases where Hotch was nervous and concerned, she was the one to calm him down, ease his mind. Unfortunately, she wasn't here to ease his mind now, as she and Rossi were the cause for his current concern.
After what seemed to be hours, Hotch's cell phone rang in his waiting hand. "What do you have, Garcia?" "Well, my super-agent, I'll tell you what I have. Nothing. Zip. Nada. I haven't been able to find a signal for JJ's or Rossi's phone, much less a signal for their car. It's as if they've disappeared. And, before you say anything, I know that they haven't because that's not possible and my inner diva tells me that they're fine." Hotch shook his head, not bothering to interrupt her. It always amazed him how Garcia could say so much with so little oxygen.
"Garcia, how is it possible to not find their signals? Even if their batteries had died, wouldn't you be able to track their sims cards?" "Normally, sir, I'd be impressed with your tech savvy. However, right now I'm unable to come up with witty responses while I'm trying to find my bestie, not throw my keyboard across the wall, or question my amazing abilities. It's as if someone knows that I'm looking for them."
"Wait, Penelope. What do you mean? Are you implying that someone's blocking their signals somehow, like with some kind of device?" The pit in Hotch's stomach began to grow deeper, gnawing at his ribs. "That doesn't make sense. This case is officially closed. There's no reason for someone here to be involved in something against us. Even with the awkwardness, there's no reason to suspect anyone of anything other than wanting us the hell out of here."
"I get what you're saying, sir, but something is rotten in Denmark." Even through the phone, Hotch could hear Garcia's fingers clicking feverishly on her keyboard. "Garcia, hang on a minute." Hotch ordered as he placed her on hold to text the rest of the team to meet him back at the station ASAP. "Currently holding, sir." Garcia continued to do her best to find her friends, even hacking into some governmental agency sites to try to track their phones. Of course, she didn't tell Hotch that. Of course, he never asked how she ever got her information, either. It was a beautiful, symbiotic relationship that the two of them shared. When Hotch placed the phone back to his ear he heard Garcia's whispered "Damn."
"What's wrong, Garcia?"
"Well, sir, I just checked another source on a hunch and I think we may have a problem." Even through the phone, Garcia's nervousness was palpable. "Source? What source, Garcia?" The agent didn't like where this was heading. "Well sir, I don't have time for detailed explanations and you're going to have to trust me on this one. But, I think we need to be looking for Detective LaMontagne."