"What do you mean, Christine has disappeared?" Hotch demanded.
"She can't just disappear. She's pregnant," Reid added.
"Yes, she can. The last time she disappeared she was pregnant and we didn't find her for over three years," JJ reminded him.
"Well, according to Sonia, she's definitely gone," Rossi reported. "It seems that this morning, after finishing breakfast, Christine told Sonia she was going into my study to send some e-mails. When Sonia went to check on what she wanted for lunch, Christine wasn't there. So, Sonia went upstairs and checked her suite. There was no sign of her there either. She then checked the entire house. When she couldn't find Christine, she called Luis and together they checked the house again. After that, Luis went outside and checked the grounds, including the garage and the gardener's shed. She's not there!"
"What have you already done?" Blake asked.
"I called Garcia and asked her to get Kevin to cover for her at the office," Rossi reported. "She and Anderson are heading out to the house. Garcia is going to check out my home computer and Christine's laptop, as well as look at Christine's rooms to see if she can spot anything Sonia missed. Anderson will check the house inside and out for signs of an intruder. Then, if necessary, he will get with Luis and decide the best way to search the neighborhood."
"She has been seeing a therapist, right?" JJ asked, looking at Rossi. "I assume you are listed as her contact if any warning signs appear?"
"Yes," Rossi confirmed. "And, her therapist hasn't contacted me about anything."
"The last time I spoke with her about it, she told me that she felt her therapy was going quite well," Hotch announced authoritatively.
"She told me that she felt her experiences had given her new insight, and that she was considering contacting the university to see about updating her credentials so she could begin working at the lab again," Reid countered.
"Okay, guys, back off! Now, I hate to ask this, but how many people know who she actually is?" Morgan asked. "We might be looking at a kidnapping for ransom."
"Who she actually is?" Chief Cruz repeated. "Are you telling me this woman really isn't Christine Nichole Nielson? What exactly are you saying?"
The team exchanged looks. "Chief Cruz," JJ began. "Have you heard of a book called Summer Smiles, Winter Tears?"
"Of course I have!" Cruz looked at JJ as if she were an idiot. "Everyone I know has read it, and most of them have read it twice – Including me!"
"And, the author is?" Blake asked quietly.
"Nichole – u - m - m - m Spencer," Cruz stuttered. "You're telling me?"
"Yeah, Man," Morgan spoke up. "It's her."
"That book was a best seller for how many weeks?" Cruz asked.
"A lot," Rossi temporized. "And, the paperback is scheduled to come out in time for the Christmas market."
"As I understand it, the movie rights are currently being negotiated?" Cruz continued. "Along with a video game? There is a lot of money floating around that lady."
"If someone discovered who she is, that could lead to a sizeable ransom demand," Morgan observed.
"Do we need to involve the locals?" Blake wondered.
"Let's wait and see if Sonia hears anything," Rossi suggested. "She and Luis know what to do if there is a ransom demand. She and I are keeping in close contact and she'll let me know immediately."
"If we do hear from someone, we will need to be very careful with how we proceed," Hotch cautioned.
"Only about 35% of all kidnap victims are returned alive after the ransom has been paid," Reid pointed out nervously.
"Reid, over here," Rossi called out, gesturing for Reid to follow him into the hallway.
After he had led the way down the hallway and into another conference room, Rossi turned to the young agent.
"Spencer, I haven't said anything about some of the 'incidents' you have instigated recently," Rossi began. "I realize that you are trying to gain a tactical advantage on Aaron by unnerving him and, frankly, I don't blame you. I've done some pretty crazy things myself in order to win a lady. However, if you are responsible for Christine's disappearance, I swear I will come down on you so fast and so hard you won't know what hit you! I know people and I will not hesitate to call them!"
Reid paled in the face of Rossi's fury. "Dave, I swear to you, on anything you want me to swear on, that I had nothing to do with this!" he blurted out. "I am just as scared and worried as you are!"
"Okay, Kid," Rossi softened. "We'll go from here. Although – "
"What?"
"I really do need to thank you for deprogramming that computer chip in Aaron's car last Saturday. When he had to cancel their dinner date because he couldn't get his car started, I got to take Christine out to dinner. We hadn't done that in a while, and we really had a good time. I would suggest, though, that in the future, before you do anything like that again, you make sure that you are in a position to step in and take her out yourself."
"Okay - ," Reid still wasn't going to admit to anything.
"And, I also want to commend you on the way you arranged for his laundry to put extra starch in his shirts," Rossi continued. "It was well worth it to watch his discomfort as his neck chaffed for over eight hours that day. It will be at least a week before that rash completely heals up. Now, let's find Christine!"