Echoes

Chapter 7

"I've got a sitter for Saturday night," JJ announced to Garcia.

"Great! It starts at 8. Since the place is so small, you two might want to get there pretty early to find decent seats."

"I haven't actually checked with Spence to see if he still wants to go."

"Trust me," Garcia said, "he wants to go."

They were called out on Wednesday to a case involving children. The police in Maine had identified similarities in two recent abductions. The first had been thought to be a family dispute, but the thinking changed when the second occurred.

This time, Reid left the journals home. But his thoughts were with him. On the plane, he couldn't help ruminating about what he'd read the evening before. It had started simply enough, but had become rapidly disturbing.

"Spencer writes that he has a new member of his team, a woman named Emily. The other woman, Elle, the one who seemed so troubled, has left them. Spencer didn't say why, but I get the sense that something happened, maybe something he doesn't want me to know about. He thinks he protects me when he doesn't share the danger he's in, but I can always tell. Mothers always know. He seems to like this Emily. He says she's highly intelligent, multilingual and shares some of his more esoteric interests. It's nice to know he's got a kindred soul as a colleague on his team."

Reid couldn't help but agree with her. He couldn't exactly describe his relationship with Emily, but knew he treasured it. He must have written about his growing friendship with Garcia as well, because his mother commented on it in her journal entry.

As he'd continued his reading last night, he'd noticed his mother's handwriting change abruptly, becoming almost frantic.

"Something's wrong. It's never been more than a day or two between Spencer's letters. This one took almost a week to arrive, and when it did, it said almost nothing….except between the lines. His last letter came from Georgia. He'd been with his friends at a Super Bowl celebration, although I doubt he was actually watching a football game, when they were called away. And then, nothing….for days. This letter came from Quantico. All he says is "everything's fine." I don't think it's paranoia when something really is wrong. I think it's maternal instinct. And I worry all the more because he's not telling me."

He hated to remember that time of his life…..and yet, he couldn't afford to forget it. He'd been beaten and drugged by a mentally ill unsub, killed the man and then fallen into an addiction. Maintaining his hard won sobriety was paramount, and for that, he needed to remember. He'd been so out of it, he hadn't even thought to write to his mother, until Garcia mentioned it in passing. She was the only member of the team with whom he'd shared that habit. When finally he took pen to paper, his mind had refused to grant him the words. And now he realized that his mother had picked up on that immediately.

Pages later, he read, "My son is sick. I don't know what's wrong with him. Is it wrong to pray for a physical illness? Because I fear it is not physical. He has a sickness of his mind, or his heart…..I can't tell which. His letters convey a depression, almost a disgust for himself, that alarms me. He won't take my calls. I was so upset yesterday that Dr. Norman agreed to look at the letters. They worried him as well. He helped me call Spencer's superior, Agent Hotchner. "

Reid's blood pressure fell at that revelation. He hadn't known anything about this at all. He had become aware that the team was worried about him, but had no idea how widespread the concern had been. He was embarrassed to think he might have been a subject of much discussion.

"Agent Hotchner was kind, but not informative. He would say only that Spencer had not been well, but would be getting the help he needed. How cryptic! The secrecy of the government in action. God, if you are still out there, please help my boy. He needs the kind of support I can no longer give him. Please, take care of him for me."

I think maybe He did, Mom. Reid could still vividly recall his out of body experience during his time of captivity, and the burgeoning faith that resulted. He'd relied upon that when he'd battled his addiction, and was rewarded with success.

Upon their arrival to Maine, Hotch sent Morgan and Reid to the school both nine-year-old boys had attended, while he and JJ, Rossi and Prentiss each paired up to meet with one of the families at the police precinct.

"You look like this is getting to you a little more than usual, Kid. What's up?"

Reid was about to shrug it off, but then considered that Morgan might be right.

"I guess I'm relating to it a little more personally now. I've been spending a lot of time with Henry. I can't imagine how it would be if anything happened to him."

"Yeah, they say once you have a kid, nothing is ever the same again. Let's see if we can get a good outcome for these parents."

Reid was about to point out that he didn't actually 'have a kid', but stopped himself. He didn't think he could feel any more connected to Henry if he'd actually been his own.

They met with the principal, the school nurse and the kids' teachers. None were aware of any issues at school or home, and all thought both kids had seemed happy.

That didn't sit right with Reid. "Weren't we told the police were investigating the first case as an intrafamilial incident?"

"Yep, we were. Something's not holding together here. Let's head back to the station. I hope they've had better luck than we have."

They had. Or at least Prentiss and Rossi had. The first child abducted, Daniel, did indeed have some family issues, but they'd never been shared with his school. His biological father had resurfaced after having abandoned him at birth. Neither Daniel nor his school had been aware that his "father" was actually his stepfather. The second boy, Andrew, had an intact family, and Hotch and JJ were unable to elicit any helpful information.

Aware that, in child abductions, every second counts, the team was getting frustrated.

"Garcia,", Hotch ordered, "we need something. Look at sex offender registries, look at reports of runaways. Go back six months and give us anything within a 25 mile radius."

Reid was busy at the maps, plotting the boys' homes, schools, and possible abduction sites.

"Maybe add in any places they frequented…ball parks, video arcades."

JJ left to get the interview transcripts for that information.

"You know," Prentiss began, "since we have the issue of that bio dad showing up, add his location in. And maybe the grandparents as well."

As more and more information was charted on the maps, they became less and less readable to the team…..all except for Reid. He was in his element. But he still wasn't finding what he needed.

"Do we have the grandparent locations for Andrew?" Hotch had a hunch, courtesy of his experience as a parent.

"I don't think we got that information. I'll speak with them." Rossi left to find the family in another conference room.

JJ was curious. "Hotch, what are you thinking?"

"Let me get that information first. I don't want to confuse the situation if I'm wrong."

With Rossi's return, Reid marked the locations for both sets of grandparents for both boys. He saw the connection at the same time as Hotch.

"Andrew's maternal grandparents live in the same adult housing development as Daniel's paternal grandparents. They may very well know each other," Reid observed.

"Hotch?" Prentiss wanted his opinion.

"I think this might very well have a family connection. What if Daniel was abducted by his biological father? And what if Andrew was taken as a companion for him?"

Rossi was nodding. "You may be on to something there. Daniel's dad might have known about Andrew through the grandparents. If you're right, the good news is that we'll probably find them alive…..but only if we find them before he starts to get desperate."

"Hotch," Morgan asked, "what made you think of it?"

"It's what I would have wanted for Jack…..a friend."

When they got back to Quantico, JJ invited Reid home for dinner with herself and Henry. Especially after cases involving children, she felt a need to snuggle her son, and she realized that Reid was beginning to feel the same way.

"Those poor grandparents. They had no idea what had gone on with their son and their grandson. Thank God they cooperated in showing us that camper by the lake." JJ was decompressing as she made dinner.

"And thank God both boys were okay. I don't know how parents cope with these kinds of things." Reid had interrupted his playing with Henry to join her in putting together a salad.

JJ smiled. "You really are starting to feel it, aren't you?"

"Feel what?"

"Some serious Henry-love. I can see it."

"That's nothing new. The little guy stole my heart a long time ago."

And then said 'little guy' joined them in the kitchen, demanding attention.

"Mommy, pick a card, any card."

"I guess I don't have to ask what you and Uncle Spence were up to."

Henry was a little wound up after dinner, excited about having his family home from their case. By the time he went down, both JJ and Spence were too exhausted to move from the couch.

She sensed he'd stayed because he had something on his mind.

"Are you okay?"

"JJ, I need to ask you about something."

She was curious. "Okay, shoot."

He knew this would be a sensitive topic between them, and was a little hesitant.

"Back after Tobias Hankel…..back when I was…using dilaudid," he'd been looking away but flashed briefly to meet her eyes, "was anyone hurt in any way because of me?"

She was taken aback. "What brought this on?"

"I was reading my mom's journal about that time. She could tell even from my letters that something was wrong. She even called Hotch."

Watching at her reaction, he could tell that she hadn't known about that either. Their unit chief really was able to keep a secret.

"I realize I must have been more out of it than I thought. I know I've apologized to everyone before, but I never really knew if I'd done anything…bad."

She shook her head. "There was nothing horrible, Spence. We just all hurt for you because you were so clearly not yourself."

She paused for a long moment, and shifted to face him. There was something that had been bothering her for a long time as well. She caught his gaze and held it.

"Spence, I'm so, so sorry about not telling you about Emily." As he put his hand up to stop her, she insisted, "No, let me finish. It was wrong of me. I knew you were hurting, and I should have thought about the dilaudid."

Now he did interrupt her. "No, JJ. Of course I wish you'd been able to tell me. But please don't ever think my temptations are your fault. What I do or don't do is, and will always be, my responsibility. It was unfair of me to lay that on you. I'm the one who's sorry."

She teared up. "Can we both be sorry?" Heaving a sigh, she added, "Do you know what a weight has just come off my shoulders? I'm so glad we talked about this, finally, Spence."

"Me too." Followed by a huge yawn.

"You're exhausted. I can make up the guest room for you if you're too tired to drive. We'll throw your go bag clothes in the laundry and you can have them for the morning."

As tempting as that was, Reid knew he needed to go….for a host of reasons.

"Thanks, JJ, but I think I'll be okay. I don't want to wear out my welcome."

"Well, all right. But don't forget about Saturday night!"

That got a grin. "Wouldn't miss it for the world."