Chapter 02

BAU Headquarters
Quantico, VA

Hotch

"I'm sorry Aaron." Unit Chief Cruz said. "There's nothing I can do."

"Dr. Reid has been missing for five weeks." Hotch replied. "So far we haven't had a single lead."

"Which is part of the problem. Everyone knows he has a tendency to...wander. And frankly he hasn't made a lot of friends on the Senate committee. Cramer is even pushing back against the Director on this one; he will not let us open a formal investigation until there's some evidence of foul play."

"Reid disappeared from his hotel room in the middle of the night..."

"...and took his badge, gun and wallet with him. With no sign of a struggle. That speaks to leaving under his own steam."

"And there has been no hit off him since. Nothing on his credit card, no use of his phone, no one has run his ID..."

"...which only means that he's hiding from us."

"He fits the victimology of the case we were working on. Youthful, well-educated Caucasian male..."

"...and five years older than the average victim in the case. Even though he appears and reads as younger." Cruz sighed. "I'm sorry Aaron, I truly am. But it would damage the credibility of this unit if we forced ourselves upon a local office that specifically told us not to be there. Especially if it turns out that the agent we're looking for is up for disciplinary action when we find him. My hands are tied."

"I know." Hotch sighed as Cruz moved on.

After a few Rossi joined him. "Anything?"

"No. No help. And Morgan and Garcia don't have anything." Hotch shook his head. "Now I wish I hadn't written him up for the times when he followed his own lead."

"If wishes were horses. He's strong you know. He'll figure out how to contact us."

"I hope so."

"Still nothing?" Garcia asked the face on her screen.

"Not a word." Morgan replied. "And I'm losing my help here."

"Whyyy? I thought Sheriff Johnson was all over this."

"He was before the fires started up. Now that's his priority. I can understand it." But he didn't look happy.

"Look, Spencer is strong. He'll be okay."

"I was right next door, Penelope. And I didn't hear a thing."

"That just means this Unsub is good. But we're better. We're going to find him. And we're going to bring him home...to meet his new godson."

"Godson?" That finally got Morgan to smile. "Heyyy! JJ finally did it, huh?"

"Yeah, only a week late instead of two weeks early."

"Is she good?"

"Yeah, everyone is. I'm going to go say hi after I get off work. We have a couple of hours, maybe I can bring her good news."

"I wouldn't get my hopes up."

"I refuse to let them go down."