Chapter 2

Matt got Nick on the elevator and then blew in the glass doors of the Bullpen, heading back up the steps to the Round Table Room. Hotch looked at him as Matt came in. "We good?"

"Yup," Matt nodded. "Garcia is in with no questions."

Rossi shook his head. "It's nice to know we're all playing ball together. But where the hell was this before 9/11?"

Matt shook his head. "Don't get me going Dave. The intel was there. But no one wanted to share and we lost how many that day? It was a total failure on the intelligence community's part and they know it. They just won't admit it." He smiled. "At least we're all playing on the same page now." Rossi pointed at him.

"How's Garcia," Hotch asked Matt.

"She's heads down and the intel Nick sent her put her back a bit. I told her take her time," he smiled.

Dave looked at Hotch's files. "So we've got a serial that is hiding behind his bombings, intelligent and well-funded. This should be fun."

"He sounds like a housecleaner to me, targeting low-income housing and hiding behind the boom," Matt said.

"That's my first take," Dave smiled. "But let's not concentrate solely on that."

"Yes dad," Matt said.

Hotch slightly smiled. "You're both right."

Matt shook his head. "All I know is with Nick's intel, our first priority is to figure out where this unsub is going to hit again and save some lives."

"Our first priority is figure out who this unsub is and stop him," Dave said.

"And have more dead bodies while we develop that profile? With the intel we have Dave? I'm sorry, that's the toughest part of this job and with the intel we have, I can't live with that."

Hotch shook his head. "Calm down Matt. We'll do this as a two pronged investigation. If Nick's team gets another hit, you and Morgan work on that. The rest of us will concentrate on building the profile." He looked at Dave and Matt. "But we still do it as a team and work together."

Dave smiled at Matt. "Why he's the boss." Matt smiled. "I get it Matt. It eats at me too. Another body gets us more for our profile. I don't like that anymore than you."

"It fucking sucks Dave. And I know it starts with victimology. I'm in. I just don't like the chance of losing more on my watch now."

Dave smiled. "Hotch and I get that Matt. Let's do our jobs. But you and Morgan have a mandate from the boss. I'm good with that," Dave smiled. "Between our two pronged effort we'll find this bastard."

Hotch's cellphone pinged. He looked at the text. "Garcia is ready."

"I'll get the team," Matt said, moving to the catwalk door of the Round Table Room. He walked out a few steps on the catwalk and whistled. The team looked up. "Prentiss, make sure Garcia grabs Morgan on the way out of her lair. We've got a case." Garcia and Morgan came in the side door. "Never mind; all of you just get in here please," Matt said.

"Baby girl, who was your visitor," Morgan asked.

"Sorry, I can't say," she said blowing by him to get up the steps.

Morgan shared a look with Reid, Prentiss, JJ and Tara and shook his head. He waved his hand. "After you ladies." Reid let them pass as well and then joined Morgan going up the steps.

Prentiss walked in first. "What do we have?"

"A bad one," Rossi said.

"Aren't they all," Prentiss snarked. Dave pointed at her with a sad smile as the team sat down. Hotch stood to Garcia's left.

Garcia grabbed the remote. "Oooo kitten, this one is a dozy." She looked at the team. "Three days ago this low income housing apartment blew up. Fourteen people were killed in what appeared to be a gas leak explosion. Upon further investigation from DCFD, the gas leak happened for a reason. A homemade bomb was attached to main gas line going into the building." The team shook their heads looking at the carnage on their tablets.

Garcia clinked the remote. "Last night, ten more people got killed in this explosion." Garcia ran the video she received from the DCFD arriving on the scene. "Arson investigators found the same signature with the gas line into the building."

"So we've got an unsub that knows his way around gas lines," JJ said.

"Low rent apartment buildings," Reid noted. "Why does this sound like a housecleaner?"

Emily shook her head. "Because that's what he is." She looked at Hotch. "Are they checking former pissed off gas company employees that got fired?"

"They are," Hotch said. "And that will be Garcia's first task after the briefing. But there's more. Through Cob's contact, that I can't say more than that, they discovered this." Garcia put up the first want ad.

"He told the world where he would strike," Tara asked. Garcia nodded and put up the second.

"This bastard is baiting law enforcement," Morgan growled.

Dave looked at Matt, off thinking in his own world. "Can to share those thoughts Matthew?"

Matt shook his head. "I agree with everything said here so far. But I keep tripping over one thing. Besides being a housecleaner," Matt said looking at Morgan and Prentiss, "this unsub likes the boom and fire. He might have a connection to a fire department in some way that is coupled with the gas company connection." Dave proudly pointed at him.

Morgan looked at Aaron. "So wherever the intel is coming from, they're watching the want ads?" Hotch nodded. "So what do we do know about that? I can't sit on my ass knowing they're people we can save instead of getting more bodies and working the profile more."

Hotch looked at him. "Welcome to the club; Matt has expressed the same frustration and I agree. This is a two pronged case. Morgan, you and Matt, if we get that hit from Matt's contact, which we hope our unsub keeps doing, is on you two. You'll coordinate with Metro PD and FD. That is the two of yours top priority. You follow that lead. The rest of us will work the profile." Morgan and Matt nodded their heads at each other.

Rossi shook his head. "Dave," Hotch asked.

He shook his head again. "If this unsub it that bold about placing a want ad, advertising where he's going to hit, he's showing classic narcissistic tendencies. He's bragging with the want ads. How far did the DC police search the area?"

"Rossi," JJ questioned. Matt and Hotch dug through the reports.

"Jayje, if he's doing the want ads, boosting about his next hit, he's left messages."

"Only a two block canvass," Matt said.

Hotch shook his head. "Matt contact Metro PD. We need to canvas the two scenes with a wider search. You, Morgan, Reid and Tara take the first scene. Dave, Emily, JJ and I will take the second." Matt was already pulling out his cellphone.

-00CM00-

Matt pulled the SUV up to the curb of the site. Four Metro PD officers were waiting on them. "How the hell do we narrow this search down," Tara asked. They all got out and shook hands with the officers.

Morgan looked at Matt deep in thought. "Think like the unsub," Matt said.

"Cob?"

Matt smiled. "One of the first lessons Rossi taught me. If our guy is a housecleaner as we suspect, where would he leave a message," he asked, looking at the others.

"Gideon taught me the same thing," Reid smiled. "We check the alleys behind the building."

Matt pointed at Reid with a smile. "You and Morgan go south," he thumbed. "Tara and I will go north." Matt looked at the four Metro PD officers. "Jake and Jamaal, you're with us."

Morgan smiled at the other two. "You're stuck with us. But you heard the man. We expand this search." Those four headed out as Matt, Tara and the Metro officers went the other direction to head into the alley.

Tara looked at the remains of the burnt out building. "Damn," she said.

"No shit," Matt said.

Joaquin Alverez shook his head. "Jamaal and I were first on scene that night. We wanted to save people. But by the time we got here, the building was fully engulfed in flames."

"We get it kid," Matt said, rubbing his shoulder. "Just cover the next couple alleys going away from the crime scene with sharp eyes and holler if you see something."

"You got it Agent," Jake said.

Matt and Tara looked up to see Will and his partner walking into the alley from the next side street. Will smiled. "Our boss decided if y'all are helping us on this case, you should have a friendly face to look at from Metro PD."

Matt smiled and shook his hand. "Most welcomed Will." Will introduced his partner. Matt and Tara shared handshakes with Lisa Gomez.

"Good to have you on board Will," Tara smiled, shaking his hand. "The friendly face sends volumes of messages to us from Metro."

"We want this bastard as bad as you," Will said.

Matt smiled. "Fan out; you know the search parameters. You two go east and west with the side alleys." Will and Lisa took off.

Less than a minute later, Lisa hollered at Will. "I think I've got something." Will sent out his shrill whistle. With all the parties of the team and officers involved in the search, Matt and Tara immediately recognized it and came running with the Metro PD officers joining them.

Lisa pointed. "That what you're looking for?"

Matt and Tara looked at the message as Morgan, Reid and the other two officers joined them.

Matt took a picture, sent it to Hotch and then called him. "Hotch, check cross alleys three blocks away from the scene and two blocks down going south."

Matt and Morgan shook their head at the spray painted message. "All the whores, junkies, HIV people need to die," Matt read.

"Definitely a housecleaner," Morgan said.

Matt shook his head. I'm beginning to agree with Dave. This is a huge narcissist that likes his bragging. He's just trying to send us on that different road to throw our profile off. That speaks to his intelligence." His cell rang with Hotch's picture. Matt showed it to the rest. "Got ours," Hotch said. "Exactly where you said; this guy is meticulous."

It was the same message.

Reid shook his head. "I'm beginning to agree," he said. He looked at Matt and Morgan. "You two might get busy. Don't forget your Kevlar."

Morgan, about to shake his head, looked at Matt. "Cob?"

Matt shook his head. "Morgan, we need DCFD on alert with this as well if my source cracks a want ad code. Their response is going to be key to saving lives. Along with Washington Gas to hopefully shut down the gas line before there's an explosion; we've got a helluva lot to coordinate. And more importantly, get them to buy in on our profile."

Morgan shook his head. "And then there's the electric company; we'll need Dominion Power in on this as well."

Reid looked at them. "We're delivering our profile to a lot of people."

Morgan shook his head. "That we have to convince with our profile to get them to buy in and get a rapid response." He looked at Matt.

"So we build a rock solid profile and get them on board." He looked at Morgan. "We do not make enough money doing this job," Matt sadly said, shaking his head. He looked at Will and Metro PD officers. "Your CSU's on the way?"

Will looked at him. "You know better."

Matt smiled. "Yes I do; thanks Will," he said, rubbing Will's shoulder.

Matt pulled out his cellphone and called Hotch. "We need to get back to the BAU and do some work. We've got too many people to convince to buy in on our profile to get their rapid response. It's gotta be rock solid to get that buy-in if we're gonna save lives."

Hotch looked at Rossi. "Dave just told me the same thing." Rossi nodded at Hotch. "Once the CSU's get on scene, it's Metro PD's case. Then head back to the BAU."

"Got it Hotch," Matt said, ending the call.

Twenty minutes later, Matt and Morgan got in their SVU. Matt hit a speed dial number on his cell phone, pulling his seatbelt around him. Morgan buckled his seatbelt. "Hey Nick, its Matt. If your team hits on anything, I want to know ASAP as well as Garcia." Morgan looked at Matt as he listened. "Our team is going to build a solid profile. But to a get rapid response, I need you and your team in." Matt listened a few seconds more. "Thanks Nick; I appreciate that. And yes, you'll be more than welcome on the profile briefing. I'll keep you personally in the loop." Matt smiled. "Thanks Nick."

Morgan looked at Matt. "This Nick the same guy that you took into Garcia's lair?"

Matt nodded. "And your security clearance is high enough that I can tell you this. He works for Homeland Security." Matt looked at him. "Beyond that," Matt said, smiling at Morgan, "sorry partner."

Morgan looked at Matt. "You have a higher security clearance than me?"

Matt smiled at him, pulling away from the curb. He looked in the rear view mirror to see Reid and Tara following him. "Hotch, Dave and I have top clearance. Sorry bro." Matt looked at Morgan.

"And I don't?"

Matt smiled. "With Em's work with Interpol, hers is higher than yours," Matt said, looking at Morgan. "Sorry; just the bottom line."

"What is top clearance," Morgan asked.

"Details to security issues I can't share with my wife." Matt looked at him. "Far less you. Hotch, Dave and I are a '10' in security clearance."

"And Emily?"

"She's a nine," Matt looked at him, heading to the freeway towards Quantico.

"And me?"

"Sorry dude, you're an eight." Morgan looked at him. "Derek it's not about you; it's about national security. You don't really want to know what Hotch, Rossi and I know about that subject. It keeps me awake at night. All I can tell you is that after nine-eleven, we've all learned to share and work together. That's what is happening on this case."

Morgan looked at him. "I can live with that. But you've ranted about that more than once. You, Hotch and Rossi have buy in on the cooperation thing?"

Matt looked at Morgan. "Nick is a classmate of mine from the Naval Academy. I trust him and his word." Matt got on the freeway and looked at Morgan again.

Morgan smiled. "I'm in Cob. I like sleeping at night. My little guy is finally doing that."

Matt smiled and rubbed his shoulder. "Fatherhood is an amazing thing."

"Yes it is," Morgan smiled. "And I get it more why you do the job; and Hotch came back after losing Haley. Being a father puts an amazing prospective on serving. We're working our asses off to make the world better for our kids."

Matt deeply smiled at Morgan. "Welcome to being a dad Derek."

Morgan rubbed his shoulder. "I've got some great mentors to follow in their shoes."

Matt shook his head. "Derek, you did amazing work filling in for Hotch with the Foyet case. I can't thank you enough for that."

Morgan smiled; and then looked at Matt. "You and I are on the frontline if you get a hit from your source?"

Matt nodded. "You heard Hotch."

Morgan smiled. "Then let's get a profile together, get the cooperation we need for a rapid response and save some lives."

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