Disclaimer: I own nothing but my typos:)
Thanks for the reviews and follows. So far no one has guessed the unsub- there are a few clues in this chapter. Do you know who the unsub is now?
She came into Derek's office with Emily and before she could show him the watch, Derek said, "gather the team into the conference room—we have an emergency."
He grabbed the photos and put them in the folder, "come with me." He took her arm and they power walked to the conference room.
"Derek what is wrong with you?" she said trying to keep up with him
"Someone's been watching you, us—trailing you. They've been in our home."
"What are you talking about?" she asked as if he was crazy.
He showed her the folder. She put the watch down and opened the folder; it was picture on top of picture of her. Her getting dressed, close ups of her breast and neck, her hands trembled as she continued to look through them.
"Who would do this? She said as she looked at the pictures of her.
"That's what we are going to find out."
The team comes in; Derek pulls out the board and start talking. She is flipping through the pictures as they discuss suspects and motives. This picture of her pregnant with Izzy, how did they get that? Pictures of her on Penn Campus? Alone talking to Frank, her student, her with Reid, Stella, and Derek. All of these pictures are sexually suggestive or questionable The University picture looks grainy as if they were from a surveillance camera and they zoomed in.
"About 10 minutes ago, I just received a folder of what seems to be a mix of surveillance and intimate photos of Penelope. I know we are on a case but – but I think Penelope has a stalker."
"Is this about the watch, Emily asked.
"Watch?" Derek asked
Penelope didn't look up from the pictures and she said "I received a watch today with a note that said our time had finally come or our time is here, or something to that effect," as she continued to study the pictures.
She looked up at Derek and said, "I thought it was from you but it was way too expensive. It's a highend 6 figure Tag Heur watch."
"A swiss watch," Reid, said to no one in particular.
"Is this the first gift?"
She was still looking through the pictures half present in the conference room.
She was so focused looking at the pictures of her in the shower, that she didn't hear the conversation around her. Personal moments, she thought. She felt so exposed, wearing her nighty. Close ups of her mouth, neck, and eyes. There are a lot of pictures of her mouth, putting on lipstick bra with her bra on. Tears sprung to her eyes and she Emily tapped her. As a tear hit a picture Hotch took them away from her he said, "Kevin we have to run these for prints."
"Could they make a copy for us first." she asked to no one in particular.
"Yes" he said sadly
"What did the card say?"
"Penelope?"
"Our time has come or our time is now."
She got up and walked to the window, I wonder if he is watching me right now, she thought. "There are cameras in our house," she whispered.
"Baby, it ok," Derek said as he crossed the room.
"There are cameras in our house," she said in her normal voice, "I mean those pictures are not from outside. They are crisp, clear, with high resolution."
"How did he get in our house?"
"How could the unsub have been in my house, in DC, Chicago, and Pennsylvania at the same time. OMG do you think it's a group? Where are the kids? Can we even go home tonight? Am I freaking out – I think I am. What do you think? I just can't think right now—my mind won't work." She said frantically.
He wiped her tears and said, "Hey don't worry. We will find this guy."
She wondered if she would soon get a picture of that too. Her emotions were in flux and she wanted to just run somewhere and hide.
"We are just going to take a deep breath and figure this out baby."
"What did I do to"
"Look at me," he said, "you didn't do anything"
Emily and Rossi share a look of indifference to that statement.
"I must've"
"You did nothing," he said looking at her "and when I find this son of a bitch he will wish he wasn't breathing."
He kissed her forehead and brought her back to the table
"What other gifts did you get and the dates," Emily asked as she waited to write the information on to the board.
"The watch is all I know of," she said hopelessly
"When the watch arrived you mentioned flowers"
"Yeah, Derek sent me flowers"
"I didn't send you flowers- - when did this happen?" he asked worried.
"I sent you a picture of -Ok, well at 2pm I came into my office and it was filled with flowers—I assumed it was from you since my birthday was the next day and I think I still have the pictures," she said looking through her phone.
"Yeah, this is the one I sent to Derek and this is of the office," she sent it to Kevin who put it on full screen
"A spread like that is pricey – especially in a major metropolitan city. This unsub must feel unworthy of you or the need to impress you with things. How much is that watch?" Rossi asked
"I'll look it up," Kevin said.
"Did any other presents come that you assumed were from someone else?" JJ asked
"I don't know."
"Ok, who sent you birthday presents?" Hotch asked
"Franklin sent me wine and cheese –delivered to our house but," she said realizing the error of her ways, "I never confirmed and then I got another bottle of wine at the office."
"Same day?" Emily asked
"No wine and cheese was the day before too."
"Any other gifts?"
"No"
"What about Stella?" JJ asked even though she knew the answer.
"Oh, well that was before – he gave me a book, E.E. Cummings complete works and true blood season 2 - on June 7th."
"Ok so September 23 and September 24 are important days to the unsub. Maybe you met him that day or the triggering incident happened," Emily said.
"We should add June 7th too since that may prove to be relevant later," Derek added.
Hotch interjected "first step of victimology is to create a time line and a comfort zone."
Victimology Penelope said to herself, but the room heard her. "I have to get some air and talk to Sam's team."
"Penelope you can't go anywhere by yourself – you need," Derek insisted.
"I need 10 minutes – please" she said and then she added, "Alone."
As she left to get air the team continued to analyze data and come up with a plan.
"Our time has finally come—the unsub feels like they're and inevitable. Fated almost and that she wants it as well. It must be someone in her life right. They know her taste and what gift to send," Reid said.
"These pictures are intimate and sexual, it as if the unsub want us to question everyone in the pictures," Emily added. "Every man in her life is a suspect."
"Or he sees every man in her life as competition." Reid added
"It's as if he want to provoke jealousy from you Derek or shame the victim," Rossi said.
"We should bring in Stella," Derek said definitively, when the faces in the room were perplexed he followed up with "she was only with one of them, we have to bring him in Hotch."
"We can't tip our hand, Morgan we need to review the facts and then come up with a profile."
"Yes," Rossi said, "like who had access to the house, who were her students, who were her past lovers and acquaintances."
"She has a right to privacy guys—we all have skeletons in our closets," JJ said defending her friend.
"But not all of them are threatening us JJ," Emily said
"We can't make her a victim too—" JJ said.
"What should we do then JJ?" Derek snapped
"We have to find this person before –" Hotch started
"It ends up in abduction," Reid said, "87% of all stalking case had the end goal of abduction. 62% of them were able to accomplish that. and 40%-"
"No more statistics," Penelope, said as she re-entered the room with Agent Anderson, "it will only freak me out."
"We are running the prints but here are a copy of the photos."
"Thanks," Penelope said taking the photos from him, "I will create a timeline of these—ok."
The room nodded as they walked on eggshells around her, Rossi continued to toss out questions.
"Who had access to the house—we need to generate a list."
"We also need a list of the students in your class."
"I can do that too," she said, "my class roster has been sent to your phones."
"We sent a team to the house to check for bugs and cameras."
She put the first couple of pictures up in chorological order and when it came to Stella and her picture kissing in the kitchen she said, "Stella came over to the house June 7th which was a Monday"
"June 7th,"Morgan asked, "after our trip to Chicago?" he asked accusingly. She knew what he was asking and just ignored it.
"He hasn't been in the house since."
"Kitten, this isn't the Spanish inquisition"
"It feels like it," she said, "but I know that I'm the victim here - so fire away"
Emily starts the interrogation, "We are going to need you to make a list of all your friends her and in California, don't forget ex-boyfriends, acquaintances, and indiscretions. Nothing is insignificant."
"I've only had 3 boyfriends, Roger in High school, Jackson, and Derek,"she refocused herself back to putting the pictures in order and said, "I had a, uhm an exploration phase between Jackson and Roger but I can't give you names and addresses."
"What about your students, anyone take an interest in you that was abnormal. A student who took all you classes? And visited during office hours?" Reid asked.
"I am a senior thesis advisor so there is going to be contact that isn't just teacher student. I mean we have an end of year party for our students in the computer science department and Stella and I do one for our class. I attend fundraising events for the university where I meet head of pharma companies and technology firms who want to give us money for research—but nothing stands out. I just sent you a list of the students I advise."
"They are all men," JJ noted.
"Computer Science can be a boys club."
"Any professors or colleagues who make you feel that way? Or are too interested in your work?" Hotch asked.
"Bradford, I guess, but he isn't jealous of me – we both want the same tenure position at the school. So we are kind of rivals, you know competing for the one spot. He thinks I will get it because I am the only woman in the department."
"You should put Stella up there too," Derek said.
"He isn't a suspect," she said.
"Why not – he could be a scorned lover who has become obsessed," he offered the room.
"We weren't lovers," she said defensively.
"We are including all indiscretions," Emily reminded her gently. "Do you have any others?" Emily asked as a follow up question, "I'm sorry but we have to ask."
"No," she said as she continued to put up the pictures. "Well there was William, we - he was my partner at Rise and he is doing time in California. William Breen."
"What was the nature of the relationship?"
"We were friends, colleagues and business partners—Jackson, my ex, always though there was more but it was truly platonic from my end."
"I'm putting up only the PG pictures," she said once she got to the shower pictures.
"Is that date, September 23 or 24, significant to you at all? Did anything of note ever take place while you were in DC?"
"No last year, I worked," she said trying to remember something special while looking it up on her phone, "The year before that we were in Chicago, visiting your family for the impromptu Reunion—Cindy's home coming. And the year before that I can't remember—do you Derek."
"Back to Stella -Did Stella give you presents?" Rossi asked
"No, well he would order books for me—if he came across something sci-fi with computer elements."
"No birthday presents," Emily asked
"Yes, hot dogs, chocolate and a trinket for my office."
"This year he gave you a book right and DVD" Emily asked
"Yes, an E.E. Cummings book and dvd."
"Is there any significance to those gifts?" Reid asked
"Hot dogs where my craving when I was pregnant—we always thought it was odd. The trinkets were like bobble head of famous scientist. The book E.E. Cummings, my favorite author and DVD I like true blood. My department head gives wine and we normally have cake at the end of the day."
"Department head?" Emily asked so she could put it up on the board.
"Franklin,"
"We will call the local PD and get a team for your house," said Hotch.
"Guys, are we getting ahead of ourselves? I don't need a goon squad trailing me," she said to a room of 6 protective dads.
"Penelope this is serious he has been trailing you for months and he as escalated to gifts and – he will make try to make contact," Reid said as if it was inevitable.
"Maybe we should bring Stella in for questioning," Derek said again.
"He is not in the country and he isn't capable of—"
"He arrived 4 days ago," Kevin interrupted her and told the room
"That's when the first gift appeared," Reid said.
"Guys, I know him and it isn't him—he isn't computer savvy enough to pull this off. These pictures are from campus and government street cameras—he would need to be a skilled hacker to do that. Then he would need to sneak in my house and install over 10 cameras—I mean he doesn't even have a Facebook page," she said miffed that they were even considering him.
"Neither do you," JJ said
"But we aren't allowed to," Penelope said annoyed.
"And he was in your house remember that impromptu dinner," JJ said.
"Most stalkers are people that we know who have an incident that triggers a break," Reid added to support Stella being a suspect.
"What would've been the trigger?" She asked.
"Your rejection obviously," Reid replied quickly
"Dammit," Derek said punching the table, "Why are you defending him."
"I'm not I—but pictures of me in Chicago, home, DC, and Philadelphia—that just seems a bit much for someone that you see every day – He had access to me." She said, "I'm not a profiler but this seems like the behavior of someone not apart of my life or appearing to stalk me. Like I said, I'm not a profiler but something seems off…"
"She's right," Rossi said, "the language and the photos seem too text book it lack the emotion and where is the trying to contact her. He never called or anything."
"Maybe because he has access to her already—hence Stella," Derek said.
"Well the photo time line is done."
"What was the extent of your relationship with Stella" Hotch asked
"We work together for 5 years our relationship remained platonic till June 2nd then we went on a date I guess, and then we decided to remain friends and we are only friends. We prepared for the upcoming semester, he went to Sweden, his father died, and his mom was in the hospital, hence the reason I've been teaching the class myself. Well with the help of 2 philosophy TA's."
"Did you date anyone else?" Emily asked again
"No," she said
"Did anyone have an interest in you?" Emily asked
"No," she said frustrated, "I'm not the criminal here guys – I didn't fuck someone who is obsessed with me. I did not lead anyone on—I didn't ask for this."
"Hey," JJ said, "no one is saying you did."
"It feels like it and I and I'm innocent here – the relationship I had with Stella was when we were separated and I did not have any other relationship outside of that and we, Derek and I, reconciled quickly after that. I did not have an inappropriate relationship with a student or the FedEx guy. I am just as surprised as your are. These dates mean nothing to me," she said playing with the envelope the pictures came in when a DVD fell out.
"What's this?"
The note on the DVD said,
If she were mine she would never stray – she would know better.
She deserves better.
She read it aloud to everyone before she put in the DVD. It was a grainy video of her office. The video was of Stella kissing her. She is grabbing the credenza as he pushes his body into hers. She moans again and she stops the video immediately and says oh my god. Her world is officially crashing around her. Derek punched a wall and ran his hands over his head.
Her phone rings she ignores it like she usually does when she doesn't recognize the number.
"Who was that?" JJ asked.
"I don't know I sent it to voicemail," she said looking over at Derek.
Rings again.
"Kevin prepare a trap and trace on her mobile. Answer and put it on speaker."
"Hello," Penelope says.
"Sweet P.," says a distorted voice
"Who is this?"
"You don't remember. I thought I made an impression. I could never forget you, I love your mouth. I'm not like the others I just want to kiss you and make you mine. Simple and sweet like you."
"Others?"
"Your husband, you boyfriend, your mentees—heck your mailman," he laughed
"Who is this?"
"You will know soon. Did you get my presents?
"Why are you doing this?"
"Did you get my presents?"
"Why are—"
Click and the line goes dead.
"He wants control Penelope you have to" – Hotch said as the phone rings again.
"Try and keep him on the phone for as long as possible, his phone has bounced to 25 towers and we need to triangulate him," Kevin said.
"Sweet P. Did you get my presents?"
"Yes,"
"You are a quick learner. I like that." he said "Did you like the flowers- I think freesia are your favorite or are they hyacinths?
"Did you really call me to discuss my favorite Angiospermae? (Species name for aromatic plants)"
"Tsk, Tsk"
"Anomatheca verrucosa"
"Is that how you keep them in line—emasculate them with your brain and then seduce them with your body?"
He continues, "those techniques won't work on me baby girl, but you can try - I thought Freesia were your favorites—you look beautiful in green, by the way- till we meet again."
Click.