When the Levee Breaks

Nothing can bring you peace but yourself.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

SIX

Morgan tried blissfully to ignore the smell of rotting garbage. It seemed to linger on the drivers, though they were a fair distance from the trucks themselves.

'Steven have any enemies?' It was the classic question – one that they always had to ask. In this case, though, he wasn't sure it was going to do any good.

'Nah. Steve, he's a great guy, you know? Not the smartest of folks, but he had a great heart.' Steven's colleague had been quite forthcoming, if a little obnoxious. Steven had no enemies, no-one who might want to humiliate him for some reason, no skeletons in the closet.

'When was the last time you saw Steven?'

'Yesterday afternoon. He asks me if I wanna go grab a pizza with him. Hang out, you know? I woulda said yes, but I've got my kids this week. The ex is in Hawaii, tearing it up with some executive guy.'

'Tough break.' Morgan gave a sympathetic smile.

'Not as tough as the break Steven's getting, I'll bet,' he said. 'Please, find him Agent Morgan. No-one deserves the shit that's happening to these people. Especially not Steven.'

Prentiss had stayed behind at the police station with JJ, keen to re-examine the profile. While escalation was probable, it was also possible that they had gotten the profile wrong.

'Why escalate now? Some kind of stressor, maybe.'

'Natural progression?' suggested JJ, not looking up from the files she was studying. Without Reid, their finding a connection between the victims would be a much slower process. JJ, unable to do field work, was perfectly suited, albeit disgruntled.

Something in JJ's words struck Emily. Maybe it hadn't been the unsub's first escalation. Maybe he had been building up all along. The profiler pulled out her phone and called Garcia.

'This is the Batcave. What can I do for Gotham City today?'

'Unsolved kidnappings in Ridgeview. Cases in which the victim returned, but with no memory of their disappearance.' To Garcia, Prentiss seemed uncharacteristically terse.

'And hello to you too, Emily. That sounds like an episode of Passions. And, kidnap victims, no memory. Four cases, sending them now.' Prentiss heard a mouse click in the background, and the subsequent beep from her own laptop on the desk.

'Thanks Garcia. Goodbye.'

'Ciao.'

Prentiss printed off the four cases, storing the folders carefully in her bag. 'I'm going to go check out these kidnapping victims,' she told JJ.

'Be careful,' said JJ.

'Yeah,' replied Prentiss in an offhand manner, but JJ was no longer listening.

Steven Carmichael lived alone in a small one-bedroomed flat. He too had been abducted while taking out the trash. In this case, though, the bins were in the basement parking lot of the apartment building. It was difficult to get in – or out – without a keycard.

'The unsub could live in the building,' suggested Rossi.

'If that's the case,' said Hotch, 'He's getting sloppy. It could explain the change in victimology, though.'

'Three hundred people live in this building,' Detective Walters commented. He had been talking to the building owner, who was shaken at the incident. 'I got a list of names.' He handed the list to Hotch, who pocketed it.

'Do we need a key to use the elevator?' Hotch asked the building owner. 'I'd like to speak to Mr. Carmichael's neighbours.'

'No,' replied the building owner with a touch of annoyance. 'The security system's been acting up. You just need to hit the panel in the right way, and it'll send you to wherever you want to go. Security cameras are down too.'

Hotch and Rossi shared a look. Their unsub didn't necessarily live in the building after all. 'And the door to the building?'

'It's busted as well. I called our security company last week, but they haven't called back yet. I think they've got a new guy, or something.'

'What's the name of the security company?' asked Hotch.

'Gordian, I think.' He pulled out his wallet, and checked the business card. 'Yeah, Gordian.' He gave the card to Hotch.

He and Rossi stepped off to the side. 'If the unsub's running the risk of being seen, even with the cameras not working, Mr. Carmichael is either pretty important to him, or he's getting desperate.'

Rossi nodded. 'Do you want the neighbours, or the security company?'

'I'll take the security company,' said Hotch firmly.

Rossi nodded, unsurprised. The two left the parking lot in silence.

Prentiss confronted the secretary of Prime Holdings Ltd. She had been waiting almost half an hour for Angela Morrison, Head of Accounting, to finish whatever it was she was doing.

'Mister Clark,' she said, looking at his temp badge. 'I'm with the FBI; I need to talk to Miss Morrison regarding an ongoing investigation. Could you please get her in here?'

Clark shrugged. 'I called her office, but there's no answer.'

'Uh huh,' Prentiss was unconvinced. 'Which way is her office?'

Clark pointed vaguely to his left.

Not even pausing to say thank-you, Prentiss went off in the direction of Angela Morrison's office.

A/N: Nothing much to report this chapter, except to encourage you all to review, even if you have no criticisms. I just love reviews. Cheers, tfm.