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Conversations in a Bar

"There's no ID on the body." Mac said.

"No, but I did find a note in the front of his jeans pocket." Flack said, holding up a note inside two plastic bags. "It was inside a sealed plastic bag as though he was tryin to protect it from something," Flack explained.

"We'll take it back to the lab and read it." Mac said as Stella studied a print on the broken glass behind the bar. "What you got," he asked her.

"I've got lots of prints on the glass. The problem's going to be figuring out when they were left or if they have anything to do with the case."

"We'll check and see how much the oils from the skin have deteriorated and get a time line from that. Take as many as you can from different places in the bar so we can get a good baseline," He said.

"Will do," she removed tape dusting powder from her kit and set to work.

"There's what looks like sand and silt under his finger nails." Hawkes said.

"Sid will take samples. Go with the body and get the trace and his clothes as quick as you can. This just moved up to our top priority."

"You won't get an argument from me." Hawkes said.

He hurried back to the body to supervise the removal to the morgue. "I don't like the fact that he moved a body in here and no one witnessed it." Mac said as he examined the area beneath the body after Hawkes had moved it.

"I've already got a request in for the security cameras from the business up and down the street." Flack said.

"I'm sure we will see him. He wants us to know he was here." Reid said as he continued to study the peso and the arrows.

Mac sighed, "Unfortunately, you don't have to be a profiler to know that." He gave Reid a little smile. "How do we get in front of this guy?"

Reid didn't answer for a long moment. "We don't give him what he wants. If JJ were here, she'd probably be planning a press conference to get the Messers out in front of the cameras. That's exactly what Shane Casey wants so that he can see Detective Messer suffer. I think we need to do everything we can to keep their names and faces out of the press. If Casey can't see the suffering he's caused, he may make a mistake."

"What if he hurts Lucy?" Stella snapped at him. "Did you think what might happen to her if you piss him off?"

"I don't believe Lucy's with him." Reid said calmly. "This clue indicates that he's got her out of the country."

"Why would he do that? How could he smuggle a kid out of New York to Cuba." Flack asked him, disbelief clear in his dark eyes.

"That's what we need to find out." Mac said. "Everyone calm down and work the case. We follow the evidence." He stated firmly. "It's never let us down in the past and it won't this time. We make sure we catch him and put him away for good this time."

"No…" A voice said from the doorway. "He's not goin back to jail, not this time."

Every head turned in the direction of the door to see Danny standing there with Hotch and Lindsay. "When I find that son of a bitch, I'll kill him."

"Danny," Mac said, cutting off Lindsay whose face had gone white. "I know how you feel -"

"No Mac," Danny shouted as he stalked into the filthy, abandoned bar. "You can't possibly know how I feel. I felt sorry for this creep." Danny said angrily as his voice began to break. "I sympathized with him because of my brother. This is how he repays me, by takin my little girl. I want him dead."

"She's my little girl too Messer." Lindsay shouted over her husband. "Why can't you see I hurt as much as you do? Planning to kill Shane Casey in the hearing of two federal officers won't look good for you if you get the opportunity." She grabbed him with both hands on his elbows and shook him.

"Montana…"

"Oh no you don't," She shouted back at him. "Don't you dare call me that Daniel Edward Messer? I'm done catering to your whims and selfish desires that shut me out. We're in this together Messer, together! Do you understand me?" She shouted her face inches from him.

All of the fight had gone out of Danny. He slumped, losing a couple of inches in height. He answered her in a low trembling voice. "Yeah Linds, I get you."

"Good, because we're gonna find Lucy," Her voice crumpled and tears began dropping out of her eyes. "I don't want you to go to jail."

"I can't make that promise to you Linds." He pleaded with her. "Please understand that I can't bear the thought of this happening again."

She studied him, forgetting that there were two FBI agents and her whole team of CSIs standing there with them. "Alright, I'm not happy about it, but I understand how you feel. I'd like to kill him with my bare hands."

"Besides," Danny began," who knows if I'll even be there when we catch him. Look at all the back up we go standin here with us." He looked around at the people he considered family and the FBI agents he didn't know, there was something about them, especially the one called Hotch. "One of them might slap on the cuffs and that'll be good enough for me."

Lindsay kissed him in front of all of them, not caring that they stood in the middle of a crime scene. "You shut me out again Messer and I will make good on my plan to kill you and get away with it."

"Oh hoo…" Spoke up Flack with his patented smart-ass tone. "Can I watch Monroe?" He said with a wink.

"Why not?" She shot back. "I might need a witness to speak up for me."

"Be happy to," Flack grinned.

"If you're done, we have a killer to catch." Danny said dryly, but he stood up straight and tall again.

"I know that look Danny," Stella said. "Casey better watch out."

"I'll do whatever you think we should do," he turned back to Hotch.

"I was just saying to Mac that I think we should keep the Messers out of the press." Reid began.

"But don't you think we should make a plea like other parents." Lindsay said looking at Reid as if he was some kind of strange life form, or nuts.

"I agree," Hotch said. "Casey is a sadist and convinced of his power over you and Danny. If he sees you on the television crying and pleading for your daughter, it'll only make him feel more powerful."

"Alright… The only thing you'll hear from our lips is no comment." Danny said firmly.

"What will the press and the rest of the city think about our silence?" Lindsay asked.

"That don't matter baby," Danny circled his arm around her shoulders. "Let them make of it what they want to. I don't care… We love Lucy. She's our little Bella Luz," He reminded her and she snuggled into his arms.

"Then let's get back to the lab. You two can't be in there while were working the evidence." Mac cut off Danny firmly. "I want you two to get some rest and turn off your phone at home."

"I can't just sit at home." Danny began."

"You can and you will… I will keep you informed." Mac said.

Danny finally agreed, "I'll take Lindsay home and shut off the phone." He promised.

Garcia's fingers moved over the keyboard of her laptop with the skill and grace of a concert pianist. Adam couldn't help but look over at her from his workstation. He'd never seen anyone get so involved in his or her work. He thought that a bomb could go off and she wouldn't notice.

He wondered if all the techs at the FBI dressed the way she did. She wore an orange blouse that he'd heard Stella call a tunic with a bright yellow skirt. The bottom of her skirt had ruffles that met in the middle and made their way up to her waist. She had dark blue frames on her glasses and coopery hair. She was the most beautiful hacker he'd ever seen.

"Why are you staring at me?" She suddenly said without turning to look at him.

"Um… I was just wondering how you can tune out everything like you do."

He had some rock and roll music playing to help him concentrate as per usual. He hadn't considered how it might affect his visitor. He reached over and turned it down.

She looked back at him with a smile that lit up her face. "Don't worry about me. I'm on a mission."

"Did you find out anything about Shane Casey?"

Even though they'd been through every database Adam could think of, they hadn't been able to think of anything off the grid that would lead them to Casey.

"Not yet but I am working on it."

Her phone beeped interrupting their conversation. "Speak fortunate mortal," she commanded.

"Garcia," Reid said. "I have something that needs your particular talents."

"I'm your woman," she shot back.

"Can you hack into the Pennsylvania Corrections system and find out if Shane Casey had contact with any inmates connected with the Cuban underworld."

"Why do you insist on asking me to do things with that tone that says you doubt my abilities?"

"Okay… I'm sorry for my tone. Will you please get a name for me?"

She smiled around her next words. "Of course I can my handsome junior G Man. I'll call you when I get something." She hung up and turned around to see Adam staring at her with his mouth hanging open."

"Why are you trying to catch flies?"

"Oh…" He shut his mouth with a snap. "Sorry, I couldn't help but overhear you. Sorry…" He said again.

"I talk to everyone that way. It's a good thing I have an understanding boyfriend." She turned back to her station and began to work.

"Just my luck," he said under his breath. "The best looking hacker I've ever met walks into my life and she's taken.

He sighed and went back to his work trying to keep his mind on the evidence he had to process, instead of on his abysmal love life.