Disclaimer: see my profile
a/n hey all, thanks again for your wonderful support of this story. You all rock!
Montana
Mac slammed down his phone. Hotch looked up in surprise. "What's wrong?"
"Lindsay won't leave her home and I can't order them to take protective custody." Mac answered as he rubbed at his eyes.
"I'm not surprised," Hotch said. "She's a very strong young lady. I've only spoken with her once, but she impressed me."
Mac smiled. "I remember the first time I saw her. She was the best young investigator Montana had to offer, so when I had an opening in my lab I wanted her here working with me. That first day she called me sir, and I hate that. She spouted off everything you wanted to know about tigers."
Hotch let a smile drift over his face. "Reminds me of Reid," he mused. "He's had it rough for most of his life, but he manages to hold onto innocence that I wish I still had."
"He's very unique." Mac agreed.
"That's putting it mildly."
"I don't want anything to happen to her and not just for Danny's sake." Mac said softly.
"When Stanley told us that Detective Monroe was next on Casey's list, I thought the same thing that we needed to get her into protective custody. Now I think it's better if we leave them in their home."
Mac raised his eyebrows, "I thought you were all for getting them into a safe house."
Hotch sighed. "You know what happened to my family." He stated flatly.
"Yes… I don't see it affecting your work though."
Hotch stood up and paced to the window behind Mac's desk "When Herbert Stanley told us that Casey wanted to grab Detective Monroe, I reacted like a husband and a father rather then an Agent. I didn't think."
"Hotch…"
"No, it's alright, I'm fine… If we leave the Messers in their home, we have the police and the media that's camped out on their doorstep as a barrier to Casey. Even he won't risk capture or being seen on television at this point. He still has a plan for Detective Messer."
Hotch went back to his seat across from Mac. "I trust you Hotch. If I didn't I'd call your boss and ask for another team to help."
Hotch actually laughed. "She would love that."
"I sense a story." Mac said with a little smile.
"It's a long one that will have to wait for another day." Hotch promised.
They sat in silence for a few minutes while the sky beyond Mac's window filled with the golden pin lights of the city. The sky had gone black in the absence of stars they couldn't see because of those same city lights.
"Mac… It's getting late. Why don't we all get some sleep?" Hotch said at length.
"I can't sleep. Lucy's out there and I can't just leave her alone." Mac responded loudly.
Hotch simply stared at him as the man massaged his temples. "You have a splitting headache. I can see it. When was the last time you got any rest?"
"I can't remember," Mac responded truthfully. "I've never been good at shutting down during an open case and this time, it's even worse now that it's Lucy."
"Would you believe me if I told you I understand exactly what you mean?" Hotch said leaning back on the small sofa across from Mac's desk.
Mac also sat back in his chair as though they were going to have a friendly chat, but he couldn't make his face relax.
"I believe you. You wouldn't be in your position if you clocked out at five every night." Mac said raising his eyebrows at his counterpart.
"No… But I've wondered in the last year if it's worth the cost."
"Yes…" Mac agreed.
"You need to get some rest, we all do." Hotch insisted. "There's nothing more we can do tonight."
"He's right," Stella said.
Neither man showed surprise at her entering the room so silently. "I hate to admit it Mac, but we need some sleep."
"Alright… let's pack it in." Mac agreed.
0000000000
Hawkes and Reid had hit a dead end the night before in finding the weapon that killed Lopez. They met up early the next morning with more sharp force weapons and a dead pig.
"You're getting way too much enjoyment out of that," Hawkes said as Reid stabbed the side of the pig with a giant machete.
The young profiler grinned at his new friend. They had bonded over weapons testing. "I've never done these kinds of reconstructions before," He said enthusiastically. "Usually I'm doing victimology or a geographic profile."
Hawkes raised an eyebrow at him and smirked. "Sounds like fun," he laughed.
"Actually, I feel most comfortable with facts and statistics." Reid informed him.
"I'll bet you do."
Adam burst in on them just as Hawkes was hefting a wicked looking Bowie knife in his right hand. "I found the weapon." He informed them in a high state of excitement.
He showed them the three D rendering of the wound track he'd been working on by pulling it up on the computer. "I wouldn't have been able to get this done without Penelope's help. She's amazing." His eyes lost their focus.
"Hey lover boy…" Hawkes smacked the side of his head. "Stop daydreaming and focus."
"Right…" Adam hit keys on the computer, but his smile didn't dim. "It's called a kukri!" He announced as though they would know exactly what a kukri looked like.
Reid's eyes lit up. "A kukri is a curved knife that can be used as a tool or as a close combat weapon." He pointed out the oddly curved blade on the screen. "The cutting edge is inwardly curved in shape and is the icon of Nepal. It was, and in many cases still is, the basic and traditional utility knife of the Nepali people. Very effective when used as a weapon, it is a symbolic weapon for all Gurkha regiments throughout the world and the Nepali Army signifying the courage and valor of the bearer in the battlefield. It is a part of the regimental weaponry and heraldry of the Royal Gurkha Rifles. It is a part of many traditional rituals among different ethnic groups of Nepal, including one where the groom has to wear it during the wedding ceremony. It is known to many people as simply the "Gurkha blade" or "Gurkha knife" It's an ancient weapon still in use today."
"Do you know everything?" Adam asked.
"Leave him alone and tell us what else you found." Hawkes prodded his friend in the shoulder.
"That's it except that the blow was struck while Lopez lay on the floor." Adam said confirming Sid and Hawkes' suspicions. Adam appeared disappointed that he didn't have anything else to add to the case.
"So where did Casey get an ancient weapon like that?" Hawkes asked.
"I'm going to ask Garcia to dig up any report of stolen ancient weapons. I'm sure it'll be a short list." Reid said as he left the room.
Adam jumped up. "I better get back to the lab."
"Going to see if your girlfriend's okay?" Hawkes teased him.
Adam blushed pink in the cheeks, which clashed with the red and blue pattern Hawaiian shirt he wore over a white tee shirt with a pair of brand new blue jeans.
"She has a boyfriend." He protested.
"You win some, lose some," Hawkes clapped him on the back. "And, I didn't see a ring on her finger so…"
Adam's face lit up like the New York skyline at night. "Yeah… I didn't see one either," He enthused.
"Let's get back to work." Hawkes slapped him on the shoulder. "You'll have to wait till this is over to make your move lover boy."
000000000
Stella and Garcia sat in the break room with a couple of cups of coffee. All of them had gotten by on five hours of sleep, so strong coffee was on the menu.
"They flirted for a couple of years before they got together." Stella was telling Garcia. "They both thought they were pulling something over on us, but you could see it in their eyes."
Garcia smiled. "One of my best friends at in the BAU is hotter than July in Death Valley. We flirt all the time but we don't mean it. I think sometimes people think we do."
"I remember the first time I could see that Danny really liked her. We had a case involving a chef that killed a woman who'd ruined his first restaurant with what I'm sure was a frivolous lawsuit. He had this event for the rich and bored. He served all kinds of bizarre cuisine like fried tarantulas, grasshoppers and worms. Danny brought in a selection of this stuff after the case ended for us to try. We all declined except for Lindsay."
Penelope nearly choked on her coffee. "She ate that stuff?" She asked in disbelief, her eyes widening behind the red frames she wore that day.
"Yep… so did Danny," Stella laughed. "The rest of us had pizza. It was then that I knew he'd fallen for her."
"I hope I get to meet her. She seems like someone I could like." Penelope said.
"She's the best and she loves Lucy."
Garcia put a hand on Stella's arm. "We are going to find her. I have searches running on my computer that will give us something soon."
"I hope you're right." Stella said raising her cup to her lips.
Garcia sighed. She smoothed her hair absently with a hand that wore a ring with a large red stone shaped like an oval.
"My computer's never let me down yet." She told the other woman. "Now… While we're waiting, tell me more about Danny and Lindsay. "
"Well, Lindsay's from Montana. That's how we all knew he had a crush on her. He called her Montana. In the beginning I think it was something to annoy her but then it became a pet name."
"Yeah… I know what -"
Garcia was interrupted by Reid who'd come into the room looking for her. "What did you say?" He demanded of Stella.
"Oh no… I know that look." Garcia said. "You just made the connection." She said, excitement growing in her stomach.
"I don't know anything yet, but I need you to look into thefts of ancient weapons from museums or private collectors."
She didn't bother to ask why, because this was Reid talking. She knew it would come together soon.
He left the room without explaining his outburst to Stella who put her hands on her hips and turned to Garcia. "What was that all about?"
"He gets like that when he's found some crucial piece to the puzzle." Garcia said proudly, the red stars hanging at her ears shook as she unconsciously nodded her head.
"What are we waiting for?" Stella said, leading the other woman from the room.
0000000000
Reid hurried down the hall to the conference room Mac and Hotch were using for their base. "Hotch…" He said out of breath. "We have to call Rossi right now."
"Slow down Reid and tell me what's going on." Hotch ordered.
"I think the cases in Montana and here are connected."