Chapter 8: Fuite en avant
Jennifer Jareau raised a grateful gaze to the youngest agent of the team, as he put a filled cup of coffee right in front of the blonde. She had been so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't even seen him sneak out of the bullpen with her mug in hand.
"Thanks, Reid."
The doctor took a seat across from JJ and sipped absentmindedly at his own beverage, not taking his eyes off his colleague.
"How are you holding on?" JJ raised a surprised eye. From all the members of the team, Reid would usually be the one who needed consolation after a tough case or an intra-team fight.
"I'm upset at her, to be honest. Am I a terrible person to think badly of Em' while she is missing?"
Reid wasn't surprised at her statement. Although he had managed to keep his attitude neutral, he couldn't help feeling disappointment at the obvious lack of trust from the brunette.
"I know what you feel. I'm trying to suppress this thought for Emily's sake, but I can't help wondering."
JJ gave him an understanding look and took a mouthful of the coffee, so hot that it numbed for a moment her throat – although she wished it could also anesthetize the contradictory emotions she was feeling.
"Obviously, I know that you are closer to Emily than I am, so I get your frustration." The young agent continued, looking distractedly at the empty desk next to his own.
"What irritates me most is to imagine what she kept from me when I went through motherhood. I know the feeling, I know the joy and the pain. And she did as though she was a complete stranger to this."
"On the other hand, her experience was probably very different from yours. You didn't have to give Henry away. You have Will, and you are a grown-up woman, not a fifteen-years-old teenager."
JJ expected that Reid would rationalize things, and she knew that the man was right. Giving up Lizzie for adoption probably was the most difficult decision Emily Prentiss ever had to make, not even mentioning her young age at that time.
"Do you think she is okay?" JJ asked. This question had burned to get out for a very long time. When they had met in the conference room, earlier that day, the whole team had focused straight on understanding the brunette's behavior, and finding her. They had purposely pushed the worry and uncertainty away, for Emily's sake.
"I think she is blinded by rage. What would you to if someone harmed Henry or Will?" A familiar voice came up from behind the blonde agent, who turned to find Derek Morgan standing, hands in his trouser pockets, right behind the couple.
"I would hunt the man down and kill him with my bare hands." Such a bold statement coming from the usually quiet and reserved Jennifer surprised both her colleagues. But then again, people could become animals when it came to protecting their family or themselves.
"The question is: how does Emily know whom to be looking for?" All three fell in silence at this question, until Morgan turned to the blonde agent.
"What did the parents say?"
JJ cleared her throat and blinked away a tear that had been building inside of her ever since she had heard the hysterical sobs of Joan Mayers over the phone.
"Well, to say they are shattered is an understatement. Lizzie hadn't even gone missing. She went yesterday morning to the campus for a whole day of lectures, and the parents only began worrying when she didn't come home at night. Before they had a chance to report her disappearance, the police had already found the body."
"When was the last time the girl was seen?" Reid asked.
"I am not sure. The Mayers said that the police had been canvassing the campus and talking to Lizzie's friends, without any result. It seems Lizzie never even made there, which would fit the timing. There are a few hours' drive from Indiana to Washington."
"And did the parents know anything about Lizzie being threatened? After all, maybe we are looking at the case the wrong way." Morgan added, his eyes set on the floor rather than the questioning gazes of his colleagues. Reid, however, was already one step ahead and ready to join the reasoning.
"You think that the target could have been Lizzie rather than Emily?"
"Well, maybe Lizzie felt in danger and went to her biological mother, knowing she was an FBI agent."
"Hardly possible." Reid said in-between two sips of coffee. "Lizzie has been raised by the Mayers. Even if she knew Emily was FBI – which is of public knowledge anyway – she would have turned to her parents. The biological link is not a key here."
Derek nodded and watched as JJ was raising an eyebrow in uncertainty.
"JJ?"
"I am just thinking… this whole thing about family and biological links – maybe it is the key after all."
"Meaning?" This time, even Reid visibly didn't get the point.
"Most of Unsubs seeking revenge would go straight to the point, hit the most direct target, Emily. They would have waited for her to come home and just killed her, instead of taking risks by abducting a family member – who doesn't even live in the same state. They were trying to send a message."
"You think the Unsub lost his family because of us – or Emily? That would fit." Reid answered.
The conversation stopped as Hotch and Rossi walked out of the unit chief's office. Hotch however went straight to the elevators with only a nod to the group. Rossi walked down the stairs to the bullpen, as the three agents were looking up in expectation.
"Where's he going?" Derek was the one to ask, a little frustrated by the lack of communication that had hindered their work since morning.
"Getting his ready bag and making a few arrangements for Jack. Derek, you're flying with him to Kansas. I booked two tickets on a commercial flight leaving in two hours."
Derek raised an eyebrow, waiting for some more explanations.
"Why not use the jet?"
"Well, Strauss has been comprehensive until now, but I doubt she would like you using the jet for a case we are not even supposed to be working." Rossi said with a smirk.
"Is he alright?" JJ asked out of the blue, having watched the dark-haired man disappear behind the elevator doors.
"Don't worry about him. He just needs a bit of action instead of waiting here, arms crossed." Rossi seemed very calm, as usual. The man was a rock, always ready to take the blow for someone else or to offer some friendly support when it was needed.
"He's kicked in a 'protective dad' mode again." Morgan remarked, trying to read Rossi's reaction. The elderly agent obviously knew a lot more than all of them reunited.
"I wouldn't quite put it that way. He's just worried."
"We all are. I'll go get my ready bag."
"I'll have Garcia send you all the flight details." Rossi called after his colleague as the man was jogging to the elevators. Eventually, he turned to the two left agents who seemed eager to get their hands onto something. Although the question was not said aloud, Rossi understood that he had to take things in his own hands.
"Did you reach anything with the parents?"
"Not much. They don't know anything about potential threats to their daughter. They're on their way to take Lizzie back to Indiana." JJ answered, before turning to Reid who immediately caught the message and delivered their latest theory.
"We think maybe the accomplice lost his family because of this unit. It would have been easier to just go for Emily, but they chose to target her closest family." The doctor stopped and raised the pen he had been playing with for the last fifteen minutes. "Which makes me think… Maybe they are now after Emily's mother, wouldn't that be logical?"
"I wouldn't worry for the woman. She has at least five bodyguards permanently watching her back. But I'll give her a call to inform her." Rossi said. His hands were buried deep into his pockets and the frowning on his face showed how concentrated the man was. He couldn't help feeling a little guilty about being the only one to know about Emily's child. He had been the last to join the unit and yet, he had deserved the trust of one of the most reserved member of the team. He just hoped the others didn't resent him for this.
"JJ, have Garcia go through all Emily's files to find a match. Someone whose family was caught in the crossfire, or whose wife filed for divorce after he was suspected or arrested. You get the picture."
"What are we doing?" Reid asked, emptying his mug and standing up.
"Well, I think we have to get back to the bottom of it. Jeffrey Richards. We still don't know the exact reason for his implication. It seems odd, a decorated officer suddenly turning into a criminal. Let's talk to his wife to find out more about the man and build up a profile."
Before following Rossi to make the call, Reid shed one last glance to JJ, who was trying hard not to break. If they wanted to keep their minds clear, they had to keep themselves busy.
