DISCLAIMER: I do not own Criminal Minds, nor and I making any money from this story.
A/N: Hey guys... Back for chapter two! Thanks to those who reviewed and added!
WANTED – Chapter Two
"What the hell, Man." Morgan said, slamming his case file closed. "We have nothing to go on."
"Apart from the DNA evidence on the third victim..." Prentiss said, sadly.
Before anyone could speak, the conference room door flew open and Garcia entered the room. "What is happening?" She demanded. "Why did Reid just leave with two Police Officers?" She stood next to the white board and crossed her arms.
"Garcia," JJ began, now sitting next to Prentiss, but no other words would follow.
"Sit down, Garcia." Hotch said softly.
"Is he ok?" Garcia asked, noticing the worried looks on everyone's face. She sat down in the seat Reid had recently vacated. "What's going on?"
"The third victim in the case we were looking at had her supposed attackers DNA under her fingernails." Hotch explained. Garcia didn't speak, but continued to stare at him. "The match came back as Reid's."
"No..." Garcia said quietly, as if to herself. "No." She said again, this time louder. "There has to be a mistake. A false match or something." She looked around the table.
"The victims were all shot with a .38 Revolver." Rossi added quietly.
"And?" Garcia asked, her voice sounding harsher than she meant it too.
"Reid..." JJ cleared her throat. "Reid uses a .38." She said, her voice barely a whisper.
"And?" Garcia asked again. "So do lots of people!" Her voice was beginning to waver as she fought back tears. "Do you even have a ballistics comparison yet?" She shook her head. "Oh God, you think he did it?" He asked accusingly, looking around the team.
"No!" Prentiss said defensively. Morgan remained silent but had a look on his face as if he was unable to believe Garcia would think that of them.
"The evidence is telling us one story," Rossi said, "But it makes no sense!" He finished, frustrated. Reid wasn't capable of killing three women. There was no way Rossi was going to believe it.
"I just, I don't..." Prentiss sighed. "I don't want to be the one to ask the question." She looked at her hands and played with her fingers.
"What question?" Garcia asked, still trying to process what she'd been told. She looked around the group again. "What?"
"How did his DNA end up on the victim?" Prentiss said quietly, as if she were ashamed to be asking the question. "And..." She sighed and looked up, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "How did he get that scratch down his neck? It wasn't there yesterday." She looked down at her hands again and closed her eyes.
"No," JJ said. "He wouldn't..." She shook her head. "This is Reid for God's sake!"
"The kid doesn't even shoot UnSubs!" Rossi added.
"All this talking isn't going to help Reid or help us figure out what's going on." Hotch said, loosing his patience with the team. It wasn't there fault, he knew that. They were in shock. He was in shock. But he only knew one way to help. "What do we know about the victims?"
"Well," JJ began, before Garcia cut her off.
"When were the first two victims killed?" She asked, picking up a copy of the case file.
"The first victim was thirteen days ago." JJ answered.
"You guys flew out to Dakota two weeks ago today!" Garcia said, looking around them again.
Morgan nodded. "The second victim was found eight days ago." He put down the case file he'd just picked up. "We were in Arkansas then." He shook his head. "Reid couldn't have killed the first two victims."
"What time did the coroner put the third victim's death at?" Prentiss asked. "Reid was with Morgan, JJ and me last night until..." She looked at Morgan and JJ. "Midnight?"
JJ nodded. "About that, yea." She confirmed.
Hotch flicked through the file until he found what he was looking for. He sighed. "Two this morning." He said, not looking up.
(((((())))))
The journey into Washington DC was, for the most part, undertaken in silence. The two officers – the blonde one was called Rothbarth and the dark haired one Clarridge – had chatted to each other about this and that. Occasionally they had included Reid in the conversation.
He sat in the back of the squad car, still un-cuffed. His mind had been trying to process what had happened. He'd been arrested, he knew that much. But for murder? He tried to remember what he'd done when he'd gotten home the night before. He'd said goodbye to Morgan. Walked with Prentiss and JJ to Prentiss' car and said good bye. Walked JJ to her car and then gone home himself on the Subway. He remembered all that, so why couldn't he remember what he'd done after he'd opened his front door?
His hand went to the scratch on his neck. Why couldn't he remember?
The car came to a halt and Reid looked out of the window. They were in a parking lot, but he couldn't see a station anywhere. The lot had a few empty police vehicles in it but was deserted of any people. It was behind a long row of buildings, concealed from the road.
"Here we are." Rothbarth said, putting the car in 'park'. Reid looked but still couldn't see a station anywhere. Rothbarth noticed this. "Through the alley." He explained, pointing in the direction of the station.
Clarridge got out of the car and opened Reid's door. "This way." He said, holding Reid by the arm. He heard Rothbarth get out of the car and jog to catch up.
Reid was about to speak when he realised his lips wouldn't move. He tried to turn to get the attention of either of the Officers but his body wouldn't co-operate. Everything started to go black. He heard one of the officers shout, but he couldn't make out what. Then he heard a noise he'd recognise anywhere. A gunshot. He had time to register that it wasn't him who had been shot. Seconds later, everything was black.
(((((())))))
The door to the conference room bust open for a second time. "Agent Hotchner, a moment." Strauss walked out of the room back to her office without waiting.
Hotch looked around the team and followed the Section Chief to her office. "Ma'am?" He said as he entered.
"Sit down, Agent Hotchner." She said, sitting herself. Hotch sat opposite her. "I am aware of the allegations and evidence acquired against Agent Reid and, until further notice I am removing your team from the field." She looked him up and down quickly. "You shall remain at Quantico and be based here until further notice."
"Ma'am, the case..." Hotch began but was cut off.
"I cannot have you investigating a case where one of your team members in the prime suspect."
"We weren't in DC for the first two murders," Hotch said, "Reid couldn't have..."
"Agent Hotchner," She cut him off again. "You're team will remain at Quantico until I say other wise. I'm sure your team has pressing issues they wish deal with here from the BAU." She placed her hands together on top of the desk. "Aaron," she sighed. "You know I can't allow you to work this case thorough official channels. And if you get questioned about anything, it's on your head."
Hotch nodded. Had Strauss just given his team permission to stay in Quantico and work Reid's case? Albeit unofficially? "Thank you, Ma'am." He said.
Strauss went to speak when her phone rang. "Erin Strauss." She said, answering. She spoke a few 'yes'' and 'no's' before looking up at Hotch. Her face was stern as ever but her eyes were full of worry. "I understand." She said before hanging up.
"Everything alright, Ma'am?" Hotch asked.
Strauss pursed her lips before sighing. "The officers that were escorting Agent Reid to the station, they..." She shook her head as if not understanding the situation. "They've been shot. One's in a critical condition. The others stable." She looked up at Hotch, brow furrowed.
"And Reid?" Hotch asked,
"Gone." She replied simply.
That one word made Hotch's stomach sink. Gone? Where? Why? How? Hotch excused himself and headed back to the boardroom.
(((((())))))
"What did Strauss want?" Rossi asked as Hotch sat back down.
"We're staying in Quantico 'til this is sorted out. She's allowing us to unofficially work Reid's case."
"Hotch?" Morgan asked, noticing that the Unit Chief hadn't made eye contact with any of them since he re-entered the room. "What's happened?"
"Reid's gone." He said simply.
"Gone!" Garcia shouted.
"What do you mean, 'gone'?" Prentiss asked.
"The two officers that were escorting him have been shot." Hotch said, still not looking up.
"What!" JJ said, looking frantically around the group. "Reid wouldn't do that!"
"Shot?" Rossi asked.
Hotch nodded, eventually looking up at the team. "One's critical, one's stable." He raised his eyebrows and let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. "And Reid's gone."
Morgan swore. JJ, Garcia and Prentiss just sat silently in shock.
"This doesn't look good." Rossi said, more to himself than anyone, after a few minutes silence.
"I..." Morgan ran his hand over his face. "I hate to say it, but, erm..."
"But what?" Garcia asked, curtly.
"Are we..." Morgan sighed, unsure how to ask the question. "Are we sure he's ok? I mean, you know... that he's not..." He shrugged awkwardly. "Sick."
"Sick?" JJ asked.
"Sick how?" Prentiss asked, not understanding.
"He means like his Mom." Hotch explained, understanding perfectly what Morgan had meant by the word.
"What?" JJ and Garcia asked in unison. "You think Reid is schizophrenic?" Garcia continued.
"I hate to say it," Morgan said. "But it would explain why he can't remember. Why he would do something like this maybe?" He looked around the group desperately. "I don't want to believe that Reid did this, I don't. But you have to admit it's starting to look more like it." Garcia made a noise but no words followed. "I know Reid, our Reid, would never do anything like this, but if he's altered..."
"We would have noticed." JJ said, bluntly.
"She's right." Prentiss said. "At least one of us would have picked up on it." She looked around the table. "Right?"
"Then what else is there?" Hotch asked.
"Look," Rossi said. "As much as I hate to say this, the evidence that he's guilty is starting to get a little overwhelming." His tone remained gently, "Now he's AWOL and two cops are in the hospital?" He rubbed his chin with his open palm. "I genuinely don't know what to think anymore."
And as much as it pained them to admit it, not of them knew what to think anymore.
(((((())))))
Soooo... did he do it? What do you think? Will try and update soon! Hope you enjoyed!