Chapter forty-four
Edward G. Bunn Intercultural Center
Georgetown University
Washington DC

Spencer

"Oh my god," Morgan said when they finally made it to the building.

Spencer quietly agreed. This was a circus, a mess of DC Metro, FBI, first responders, and who knew what else. "There they are." They traced the edges of things until they got the rest of the team. "Are you okay?" He asked Blake

She nodded, "Yeah, not a scratch."

"That's not what I'm asking."

She managed a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "I will be."

"What happened?" Morgan asked.

"He happened." Rossi said, nodding down to the young, clean cut male in the long coat, the body that had everyone's attention. "Multiple witnesses said he came into the building and stopped to look at the floor map. A security guard asked if he could help him and he asked for room 213. The guard told him, he thanked the guard, and started walking away. The guard must have seen something; he put his hand on his weapon, and the guy shot him. Then he started aiming for the women in the room as he walked toward the stairs. Eight wounded; two critical and we lost the guard."

"Aiming for the women?" Hotch asked

"Having a woman die violently in front of witnesses got you more conversion points in that gamr." Rossi replied.

"This is as far as he got?" Morgan asked.

Blake nodded. "I heard the commotion, came out to see what was going on, announced FBI, he...grinned at me and fired and I just had to..."

"213 is your room." Spencer said. "Do you recognize him at all?"

She shook her head, "No, not at all. And no one is holding any grudges against me, not that I know of."

"Any ID on him?" Morgan asked.

One of the DC Metro detectives came over. "Not a thing. Just this." He showed them a plain index card with a bible reference on it. Lev. 10:20 "Mean anything to you?"

"If a man commits adultery with a married woman, committing adultery with a neighbor's wife, both the adulterer and the adulteress must be executed." Spencer said. "He thought you were an adulterer?"

Blake shook her head. "Sean and I have an open marriage, but we've always been like that. It's nothing new. If Sean felt like I was cheating on him he'd make us an appointment at a counselor, not hire a hit man. Could he be one of the Black Knights?"

"Could be," Morgan said. "He fits the MO, clean cut, no ID, bible verse."

"In that case maybe he wasn't after me." Bake said. "My syllabus is online; I had a guest speaker scheduled for tonight." She nodded toward Spencer.

That was a disquieting possibility. "But why adultery?"

"I think we know." JJ and Will walked up to them. "They found his car; counterfeit plates, nothing in it but more guns and ammo and this." She was holding a well worn and marked up bible in a cloth cover.

"We're going to want to analyze that." Rossi said.

"But why would they think I was committing adultery." Spencer protested. "I'm not married."

"This is why." Will told him. He opened the cover and pulled a folded paper out of one of the pockets. "It's a church bulletin from Liberty Vision Ministries."

"They probably mail out thousands of those." Morgan pointed out. "That's not enough to link them."

"Yeah, but this might be." Will turned to the back page. "I hereby publish the banns of marriage between Pastor Bryan Goodwin of Mineloa, TX of and Miss Susanna Holman of Basco, Illinois. This is the first time of asking. If any of you know cause or just impediment why these two persons should not be joined together in Holy Matrimony, ye are to declare it."

"Oh hell no," Spencer protested. He was about to say 'she said she would marry me' but this wasn't the time or place.

"She can't have agreed to that." Blake protested.

"They practice arranged marriage." Rossi replied. "Her parents probably agreed for her."

"That might be why her parents isolated her, why her father was protecting her." Hotch said. "He knew he wouldn't be able to say no to Goodwin."

"It's another culture." Will pointed out. "Not that different from where I'm from. Poaching on another guy even before the wedding is adultery."

"But why go after him?" Morgan asked. "Why not go after her."

"I think I know." Spencer replied. He pulled out his phone. "Garcia?"

"Is everyone okay? Tell me everyone is okay!" She fluttered on the phone.

"We're fine, Garcia. Is Bellflower house considered a medical group home at all?"

"Yeah, Mrs. Knox is an LPN, why?"

Spencer looked at the group. "Every service we've contracted for her so far has been a form of medical treatment. All the records would be kept secure under the HIPPA laws."

"Meaning without realizing it we effectively took her off the grid." Rossi nodded. "So they're targeting you instead."

"I prefer it that way." Spencer told them.

"Yes, but let's not make it easy on them." Hotch said. "As soon as we head back to the office we'll see about some kind of protection, preferably for you both."

Bellflower House
3625 Yuma St. NW
Washington DC

"What?!" Susanna was visibly shaken by the news.

"It doesn't mean anything." Spencer moved to sit beside her, to calm her. "Your father doesn't have that kind of power over you any longer."

"I…I know, I just…" She was still upset. It was understandable; he thought as he pulled her into his arms, in her world, her former world, fathers controlled their daughter's lives to the extent that she would not have been able to say no. But here she could.

"Miss Holman, unfortunately your medical issues prevent you from being a candidate for Witness Protection." Hotch said. "As a consultant to the NCTC we can assign a guard to you 24/7. We interpret this last incident as a direct threat."

"Whatever you think best." Susanna replied. "I can't go back there."

"All right. We'll work it out with the management here."

"What about you?" Susanna asked Spencer once Hotch and Rossi moved away.

"I'm getting a bed." He replied. "Morgan is sleeping on my couch until this is over. We'll find some reason to get into Goodwin's compound, I know we will."

"Good." She nudged his elbow until he let her nestle into his arms. "Did you tell them?"

"Not yet, but I will if you want."

"It's too early to make a fuss, but family should know. And they're family." She tipped her head up at him. "If you still want to, now…"

He pressed a kiss to her temple. "I will never hold anything done to you without your permission against you. Nor will I ever hold anything against you that you do to survive." He told her honestly. "If anything happens do what you have to do to keep going, because I won't ever stop until you're home again."

She smiled a little, nestled back into his arms, and sighed. "Yep, my knight."

Yes, he thought, I am.