Reid paces back and forth in the living room. Which of these many pieces of paper are the business records? Which…he stops and suddenly looks up at the ceiling.
"None of them. He wouldn't keep the business records with these records."
He races up the stairs and steps into the office. He sees the neatly organized piles that Emily had created. He knows better than to touch them. Instead he studies the room. What doesn't belong? What is out of place? He'd found the Shakespeare blind but there had to be something else. The unsub wouldn't risk having these records with him but he'd do his best to hide them in case he was caught.
"What doesn't fit? What doesn't fit?" he mumbles over and over as he slowly turns and studies the room.
"What are you doing?"
Reid leaps in fear as Rossi walks up behind him.
"Geezus, Rossi! A little warning next time!"
Rossi can't help but grin. "Sorry, kid. You're not messing with Emily's system, are you?"
Reid grins. "Do I look like I have a death wish? It dawns on me he'd separate the business records from the records we've accessed. Yes, we can see his clients but we don't see his earnings. And without that we can't trace his bank accounts. And without that- -"
"- -we can't trace him," Rossi concludes. "Good thinking. So, what are we looking for in here?"
"I have no idea."
Rossi glares at Reid. "Great. Let me know when you find it."
Reid laughs. "He hid his black book of codes in a Shakespeare book. His financial records would be even less apparent."
"Under drawers?"
Reid shrugs. "Worth a shot. Just don't mess with Emily's piles."
Rossi grins. "I know the routine."
The two men carefully pull out all the drawers, checking for false bottoms in them and anything taped under them. No luck. They start to carefully check each book on the bookshelf. Still no luck.
Rossi shakes his head. "We're still looking at this wrong. Has anyone been up in the attic since the Tobbin boy was rescued?"
Reid shrugs. "I think just a forensic team to get the sheets and pallet."
"The unsub hid the entrance so well Emily nearly missed it. He kept his most valuable possession, the boy, up there. Maybe his financial records, too."
Reid nods. "Good idea. We need to get JJ back here."
"Why JJ?"
Reid raises an eyebrow. "Because I may be skinny but I am way too tall to move around easily up there."
Rossi chuckles. "Good point. Call her. Just to be thorough, I'll check the other rooms to see if anything seems out of place and could be hiding the records."
Reid nods, already dialing JJ.
"Yeah, Spence?" she answers.
"Rossi and I think the unsub may have hidden his business records up in the attic. You're the right size to check it out."
There is a grand pause. "Are you calling me short, string bean?"
Reid laughs. "Not at all. I'm calling you perfectly suited for an import mission."
JJ grins. "Nice one. Garcia and the computers are secure. I'm on my way. Be there as soon as I can get through traffic."
"Great." Reid hangs up as Rossi walks back into the office.
"Nothing in these rooms. And I know the basement too well; there's nothing down there. Let's check the rest of the house."
Reid nods and follows Rossi downstairs to carefully pick through that level of the house.
JJ tries to call Hotch to let him know that Garcia is secure and that she is on her way back to the house to help Reid and Rossi. It goes straight to voicemail. She hangs up and tries Emily. Same thing.
Women's intuition kicks in and she doesn't like what it's telling her.
She tries Hotch once more and leaves a message.
"Hotch, I'm heading back to the house. Garcia is secure with the computers at the office. Call me when you can."
She hangs up and keeps driving. Her free hand toys with her phone, as uneasy feeling settling in her stomach. She hits dial again. She shakes her head when she gets Emily's voicemail on her personal phone, too.
"Em, call me. Please. Or text me. I just…please, just call me. I'm fine but I feel like you're not. Call me, okay?"
JJ pushes the gas down a little harder. She wanted to get to the team. Maybe they'll have heard from her wife and boss.
"Talk to me, Baby Girl," Morgan says as he answers.
"I traced those two companies. One raises money for a charity by buying stuff and reselling it. Totally legit with like 8 years of awards and kudos and such."
"Okay. And the other?"
"That is, I believe, our unsub," Garcia tells him. "It first appears 4 years ago with seed money from another company that has since disappeared and was only around for 4 years."
Morgan nods. "Avoids certain business taxes if it dissolves before 5 years are up."
"Right."
"Who is the owner?"
"Oh, that would be a man who was a highly decorated soldier…in the second World War."
"Son of a bitch. And the first company?"
"Also a World War II vet."
Morgan rubs his eyes. Think about it, Derek, he coaches himself.
"Garcia, were the men in the same unit?"
Garcia types a little. "As a matter of fact they were. They were in the 82nd Airborne together."
"Interesting."
"Why is that interesting?"
"They always say if you're going to lie, keep it simple. This unsub keeps records with the sort of precision the military would be impressed with. You've found 8 years worth of records."
"Morgan, I love you, but if you ask me to search any member of the military that got out of the service 8 years ago I will never speak to you again."
Morgan laughs. "Not any military member. Check members of the 82nd Airborne." He thinks a second. "No, wait! Check anyone who washed out of jump school. It's an insult to use heroes as blinds. That could be revenge."
"Ooo, good thought. Will take me a while to hack what…I mean, to investigate what you need. Will hit you back soon, hot stuff!"
Morgan hangs up and starts to profile the unsub in his head: not necessarily a pedophile himself, in his 40's, organized, sociopath, smart enough to pull all this off but not good enough for Army special forces.
"Because he can't take orders," Morgan mutters. "He's got to be in charge and in control. We've destroyed his control center. SHIT!"
Morgan whips out his phone and calls Hotch. He gets voicemail.
"Damn it!"
He calls Rossi.
"Yeah, Morgan?"
"Rossi, get Banner into protective custody! If I'm right, the unsub will want revenge almost as much as he'll want his stuff back."
"You're right. Damn it. Pete just called. He's almost here. We'll go get Banner as soon as he arrives. Have you heard from Hotch and Emily?"
"I tried to call Hotch but got his voicemail."
"Okay. JJ is on her way here to search the attic. Reid thinks, and I agree, that the unsub may have hidden his bank information up there. Could be why the trapdoor was so well concealed."
Morgan nods. "That fits with what I'm thinking. Look, I'm heading your way. Garcia has the information from the auction of the potential unsub. I'll explain more when I get there. I'll try to get Hotch and Emily to meet us at the house. We need to prepare for the unsub to make a move to get his stuff back."
"Right. Okay, Pete just arrived. We're going to go get Banner."
Morgan hangs up and hurries out to his SUV. He uses lights and sirens to clear traffic ahead of him. He tries Hotch and then Emily several times.
They never answer.
