Disclaimer: See chapter 1
-------------------
The team, with the exception of Reid, was back at the precinct. Reid had gone to the hotel to shower and change after his inspection of the bomb site. Bryer and Morgan were examining the bomb fragments from each of the previous blasts. "Definitely the same person," Morgan noted.
"Yeah but the design doesn't fit any of our known bomb makers," Bryer told him. "And," he added, "none of them is a woman. Are you sure this Reid guy is right about this?"
"Well Ken, let's put it this way, he's seldom wrong. The guy's a genius and what his mind can do would astound you. If he says he thinks it's a woman, I'd give it serious consideration."
"It's just that bombs are not usually a woman's thing but okay," he said skeptically.
--------------------
Hotch, Rossi, Prentiss and JJ were in the conference room at the DPD precinct. "Garcia, try to find anything that these three buildings had in common." Hotch ordered. "I don't think it has anything to do with the people."
"On it sir, back to you in a bit," the computer tech clicked off.
"What do you think two houses in white picket fence neighborhoods and an apartment building have in common?" Rossi asked.
"I don't know," Hotch admitted, "but there's some connection in the mind of our unsub."
"What about the builder? They were fairly new houses and the apartment complex was still under construction. Maybe they had the same builder," Prentiss suggested.
JJ quickly punched the numbers for Garcia. "This is your spiritual guide through the information superhighway, speak and be recognized."
"Garcia, we were wondering if the same builder built all the buildings," JJ said.
"Way ahead of you sweet girl and I thought I might be on to something. The two houses were built by Fieldstone Construction but the apartment complex was built by Fairway Construction."
"Okay, thanks Garcia, it was a thought," JJ sounded deflated.
"What was a thought?" Reid said as he walked in the door. His dust and soot covered clothes had been replaced with grey dress pants combined with a light steel blue shirt and a grey sweater vest under a black jacket. A blue and grey striped tie completed the look. He'd combed his unruly brown hair back off his face.
"That the same company had built all three buildings," Prentiss told him.
"I'm going to get Garcia to look into this Fairway Construction Company," Reid said. "From what I saw there was no way that building would have been up to code, not even close. The guy must have the building inspector in his pocket. No wonder he had the winning bid."
"Do you think that could be part of it?" Rossi asked. "Do you think a competitor is trying to sabotage the company. A construction company would know about explosives."
Morgan peeked his head in the door. "Hotch, Bryer and I are going over to the site to see if we can get some fragments for comparison. Maybe we'll get lucky and find something we can use." Hotch nodded and the pair headed out of the precinct.
Reid pulled out his cell. "Garcia," he said after dialing, "Look up everything you can on the Fairway Construction Company. Who owns it?" He could hear her fingers tapping frantically on her keyboard, coaxing her babies to respond.
"It's owned by Elaine Bergner of Toledo," Garcia said over Reid's phone which he held out for the others to hear.
"She's a woman," JJ said.
"But would she blow up her own building?" Prentiss argued.
"Have there ever been any complaints or lawsuits against the company Garcia," Reid inquired.
More typing on the keyboard and then, "No sweet boy, sorry. They've only been in business for about a year."
"That's an odd way for a new business to conduct itself. Usually they establish themselves and then they start cutting corners," Hotch responded.
"Maybe they were already established," Reid pondered. "Garcia can you dig into Elaine Bergner's background?"
"Angel face, I thought you were going to ask me something difficult."
"Sorry Garcia, I'll try and do better next time."
"Now that's very interesting," Garcia said slowly.
"What Garcia, what's interesting?" Reid said.
"Elaine Bergner is the maiden name of Elaine Fieldstone. She's married to Henry Fieldstone who owned Fieldstone Construction, the company that built the first two houses."
"Garcia were there any…" Hotch began only to be interrupted by the tech.
"There were three lawsuits against Fieldstone Construction. One by an Archibald Timber, his roof leaked due to substandard materials. Fieldstone's insurance carrier settled. The second was by a David Sparrow, his floor almost gave way due to improper support beams and joists. The insurance settled again. The third was by a Denise Chartier, oh dear…"
"What Garcia?" five voices said at once.
"She lost her husband and four children in a fire due to faulty wiring. She was away at a conference in Philly at the time. She got a huge settlement from Fieldstone's carrier which subsequently dropped him."
"Garcia what do you have on her?" Rossi asked.
The team could hear the tech's fingers at work and soon she replied, "Before the fire she worked for the public relations firm of Morris, Thurman and Paul in Toledo. After she lost her family she quit her job and literally went off the grid. She also got a large payment from her husband's life insurance policy. She must pay cash for everything because I can't find a paper trail for her. I got bupkis."
"Revenge," Prentiss said. "She's trying to destroy the man she sees as killing her family. She doesn't really intend to hurt anybody but him."
"I think it's more than that," Reid said. "I think she's destroying these buildings in an attempt to save the people inside. I think she doesn't want the same thing to happen to these people that happened to her family. She's always tried to strike when no one would be inside."
"She sees herself as an avenging angel or a vigilante," Rossi said.
Hotch's cell rang, "Hotchner."
"Hotch, it's Morgan," he could barely hear what the profiler said over the noise in the background.
"Morgan, what's happened?"
"There was a bomb still in the building that hadn't detonated. I guess the dogs didn't find it. It just went off a few minutes ago."
"Morgan, are you alright?" the unit chief asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine, some bumps and bruises but Bryer, he's in rough shape Hotch. I'm on my way to the hospital with him now."
Hotch closed his cell. "We can add attempted murder of a federal agent to the charges."
-----------------
Linda turned on CNN to hear, "I'm Wolf Blitzer and you're in the Situation Room." After discussing the latest trend in the economy and President Obama's newest approval rating he told the viewers that the Behavioral Analysis Unit of the FBI had been called in to assist the police in Defiance, Ohio in apprehending the perpetrator of a wave of bombings that had rocked the city of 17,000. "Suzanne Malvo has some breaking news for us on this story. What have you got for us Suzanne?"
The camera panned to a beautiful brunette. "Wolf, we've just learned that one of the federal agents in Defiance has been seriously injured when an undiscovered bomb exploded in an apartment complex. We'll update you on his condition as reports become available."
Linda's hands began to shake. Oh God no, it couldn't be him. The television screen showed an ambulance arriving at the ER in Defiance but she couldn't tell who they were bringing out. She could see another man get out of the ambulance and her breathing hitched. It was Agent Morgan. He had insisted on staying with Spencer when he was in Nichols' house. He had kept vigil by Spencer's hospital bed. If anyone would ride in the ambulance with him it would be Morgan. Was it her Spencer they were wheeling into the ER. She stood with her crutches, her shaking hands and leg barely able to hold her up and paced the room. She should go. She should go to him. Maybe she could help. She was a doctor after all. What if she couldn't help? She, of all people, knew doctors could only do so much. Tears slid down her cheeks. This was all her fault. Why had she signed his return to duty?
