Chapter 09

Parson Plantation
Grindstone Island
St. Lawrence River
New York state

October 2011

Something didn't add up. The woman back on base had been quite firm about not wanting to discuss the issue. She had shut down hard enough to make it clear that the subject of pregnancy was taboo. Or was it pregnancy? "Five, do you know where babies come from?" Emily asked.

Five looked at her like she might be a bit dim. "From their mother's bodies." She said.

"Yeah, but do you know how they get started?" Five considered this and shook her head. "Right. Okay. Now I have noticed that men and women are kept pretty far apart most of the time here."

"Yes. Men to men's work, women to women's work. You're not supposed to spend time alone, although sometimes you get a few minutes here and there." She said it like it was a special thing.

"Right." Pregnancy wasn't taboo here, but sex and sexuality were. Spencer had said that couples could relate openly, which had provided some relief among the groups. Paring off was apparently forbidden although love always seemed to find a way. But then where did all of these kids come from? There were too many for the Overseers to keep up, even the most devout rapist wasn't that active. While Emily considered this she'd been looking around at the different beds and cupboards. One caught her eye. "Who's bed is this?" She asked.

Five looked over. "2711. She's the schoolmistress."

"Schoolmistress?" This shelf held a small stack of books, as well as larger handiwork baskets. There was even a notebook and a box that looked to hold pens and ink.

"Yes. She teaches the little girls like the schoolmaster teaches the boys. Master Parsons likes everyone to know their letters and numbers; he says that makes us better workers."

"Good for him." Emily wasn't going to poke through private belongings, or evidence. Schoolmistress, maybe Spencer knew her. Maybe she would tell them more. But right now she just had Five to work with. The people back on base had been relieved to hear that the Masters and Overseers were gone, and that they could live openly as couples and families, but what had relieved them even more. "Five, what can you tell me about the Night Barns?"

"Nothing." Five replied. "I'm too young to be called out for them. They call you out when you turn twenty-one, I'm only nineteen."

"Call you out?"

Five nodded. "After everything is cleaned up after dinner we have quiet time. You know, when you can come in and mend anything, wash up, brush your hair, that sort of thing. That's when the Overseers come to the door and call out numbers who have to go with them to the Night Barn. When they come back its lights out."

"But you don't know what happens in there? No one's ever told you?"

"No, we're not allowed to talk about it."

"Did the Overseers tell you that?"

"No, no one does. You just don't. If you ask too many questions Housekeeper tells you to stop because you're making people upset."

Housekeeper. Emily couldn't put her finger on it, but this was setting off all her instincts. "Can you show me where this Night Barn is?"

"Sure." Five got up and led her out of the bunkhouse and down the covered walkway to another building. It was also long and low, this time made out of cinder blocks with a tin roof. But when they opened the door the distinctive reek of smoke came out of it. "Oh!" Five covered her nose with her apron and backed away.

Emily pulled out her flashlight and shone it around the interior. Sure enough, it was completely charred. The solid walls and metal roof had kept the fire from spreading but it had intensified the flames. Nothing remained in there but charcoal and soot. "Wow." Emily said.

"That was deliberate." Hotch said behind her. She turned and saw him and Seven standing there. Hotch nodded to a barrel that reeked of turpentine that had been discarded nearby.

"Destroying evidence?" Emily asked.

Hotch turned to Seven. "Do you know who tried to burn this building down?" He asked.

Seven shrugged. "Foreman ordered it, I heard him say. Don't know who actually did it."

"How much do you want to bet that the fires reported on the other farms were the other Night Barns?" Emily asked.

"Very likely." Hotch replied.

Candlewood Suites
Watertown NY
Outside Ft. Drum Military Reservation

"They didn't attack the Masters." Rossi said. It was later that day. Most of the team was meeting in their suite, only JJ remained at the hospital with Seaver and was on a video link. "They didn't attack the Overseers. They didn't attack the big houses or the Overseers' homes or even the whipping posts. All their rage was concentrated on those buildings. Which means that all of the shame in this community was concentrated there as well."

"But we don't know what went on in there." Hotch said. He looked over at Spencer. "Did you ever see what was in there?"

Spencer didn't look at him, didn't look at any of them. He was all but huddled into a ball, looking down at his hands, pulling away from everyone and everything. "Yes." He said.

"Can you tell us what went on in there?" Hotch asked. But Spencer only shook his head. "All right. Have you called your Mom yet?" He made it sound like an afterthought as only Hotch could.

"No."

"Why don't you." It was a dismissal, but one carefully couched so as to show no sign of displeasure. Spencer took the hint and went to the other room.

"Okay, could these be rape shacks?" Emily asked as soon as Spencer was out of earshot.

"He said he wasn't raped." Morgan replied.

"Yeah, but it fits the way he's acting."

"No true slave owner would lower themselves to catting around in the slave quarters." Rossi said. "They'd bring their victims back to someplace comfortable. Same thing with the overseers."

"So what went on in there?" Morgan asked. "It has to be some kind of torture; the entire community hated those places."

"I don't know. But the only one who might be willing to tell us isn't talking."

"There might be someone else." Emily said. When we were out there our guide said that there was another schoolteacher, 2711. She taught the girls while he taught the boys."

"Co-worker. Maybe friend?"

"She was the only woman there with a stack of books."

"That would be someone Reid would get close to if he could."

"I think I'm going to go interview her."

"Andi Swan's people are here, see if someone from her unit can go with you." Hotch said.

"That'll work." Emily nodded and found her phone.

"I'm going back to the hospital." Rossi said. He looked over at Morgan. "What are you going to do?"

"Keep working on Mr. Wizard. Maybe if I can get him to calm down he'll tell me what's going on."

"Good luck."