Chapter 28
Week 34
But before the last week-end in November there was one more hurdle to get through. "Why didn't Spencer come?" Henry asked his godmother at the end of a very long birthday.
"Oh, he'd be here if he could, sweetie." Garcia replied, hugging him tight. "And he'll make up for it and for Halloween too, I promise."
In the kitchen JJ sighed. "Is this penance?" She asked Will. "Am I going to have to explain to Henry that the monsters took his godfather away because Mom told a lie?"
"I hope not." Was all Will could say.
Week 37
The week-end after Thanksgiving dawned bright and cold. As soon as the GlobalSafe shell corporation had booked the private jet from DC to DuBois Garcia's screens lit up. By the time Kipling Harris boarded his plane they were already waiting for him.
Because they had enough evidence to show that child pornography had been produced on the farm the IIU team was still involved in the case. The plan was that once they found the farm the BAU team would take over Spencer and Laura's side while Katie and her people would look after Lizzy and start building her end of the case. The plus side of this was that they had a team that had no relation to Reid whatsoever, which made them perfect for tailing Harris. "Where are you?" Hotch asked from the command post at the airport.
"At a big box shopping center," Katie replied. "It looks like Harris is getting their supplies."
They waited. They waited while the IIU team followed Harris around and reported on his every move and purchase. They waited through the feed and tack store, through the garden center, through a used books store. They waited through an auto parts store and through a camping and sporting goods store and through Radio Shack. They waited through Wal-Mart and Target and Starbucks. They waited until they were about to start ripping out their hair from the frustration.
Finally, his truck completely loaded, Harris tied a tarp over everything and left the shopping center. "He's on the move." Garcia reported. "It looks like he's heading west on I80."
"That's going to take him back past the airport." Hotch said.
"Shall we join them?" Rossi asked.
Within moments Kipling Harris was trailing a brace of FBI agents, all carefully avoiding being noticed. Thankfully it was a fairly busy highway. They followed him west, around the town of Brookville, until he took the exit onto Highway 36. "Okay, Katie, your car and mine will follow from here." Hotch said into his phone. "Everyone else hang back at this truck stop, give us a chance to get ahead."
They continued north, passing through the impossibly small town of Sigel, and then continuing past small farms and settlements. Eventually he crossed a river. They hung back even further. "Okay, he's over the river and turning….right, he's heading east along the river on State Route 2006." They followed the river's gentle curves, through pleasantly forested lands all glorious with fall until Garcia spoke up again. "Okay, he just turned left onto Dark Hollow Road. He turned away from the river on Dark Hollow Road."
"There is nothing out here." Morgan said. He, Rossi and Hotch were sharing this car, JJ and Blake we a distance back with the IIU team. "We need to let him get further ahead."
They did, but only for a few minutes. "Okay, he just turned again, this time right onto Blood Road." Garcia told them. "Blood Road is a dead end."
"We've got him." Hotch said. "Let's go."
They hurried now, as quickly as they could. "Okay there are three farms on Blood Road." Garcia told them. "It looks like he's heading for the two at the very end."
They were hidden by the foliage until the very end, when they spotted a truck laden with supplies parked in front of a yellow house on the right. Beyond it they spotted a white barn with a red roof and solar panels. "That's it." Rossi said.
They pulled up and got out just as Harris made it up the steps. "Kipling Harris!" Hotch called, "Freeze! FBI!"
But Harris didn't freeze. His eyes widened and he bolted in the door. "Damn it!" Morgan growled.
Then they heard the racking of a shotgun.
Then someone else called "FBI!" This time from inside the house.
Then they heard the boom of the shotgun being fired.
They ran up the stairs and Morgan kicked open the door. "FBI!" He called out, pointing his weapon at the tall man holding a shotgun in the doorway across from him.
And he stared into the cold, dead eyes of his friend.
.
Note: End of Part 1