Criminal Minds

Meeting Marcella

Chapter 6

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"Wait Aaron!" Hotch turned around and saw Elizabeth standing next to the door of the hotel room. "Come back inside. Please." She begged. "For Marcella's sake."

Hotch nodded and followed her inside.

"Lazarus is not exactly a codeword." She revealed.

"One of my team member surmised." He sat down and said. "What is it?"

"It's a decoy."

"What?"

"It's uttered or given out when one of the US Ambassadors is compromised." She said softly. "And apparently the US Ambassador to Kabul, Kevin Hartley is compromised. He has been betrayed."

"How is that possible? By an enemy? What has this to do with the situation in the British Embassy?"

She shook her head, "No, the codeword is only used when we're betrayed by one of our people, it's the only way we know who; foreign or domestic, and in this case domestic. The codeword for foreign distress is something else entirely."

"Is that why Emily is over there?" He asked urgently.

"Yes, but she shouldn't have. There is nothing much she could have done because she doesn't know who had betrayed Kevin."

"Maybe she does...that's why she's over there now."

Elizabeth stared at him, "Do you think so? Oh dear...she is in grave danger!" She stood up, "She is...her team is not going to make..." She turned around to face him, "We must warn her and her INTERPOL team."

"It's too late, Elizabeth. The Embassy is under siege."

"I don't understand...both ambassadors are not there."

"What do you mean, there's no one there?"

"Kevin Hartley is en route to Turkey with the British Ambassador, they were supposed meet secretly with the Prime Minister there two days ago." She revealed.

Hotch stood up as well, "Then it is a set up. Emily received a false text from one of her team, and was told to meet in Kabul, so she and Clyde made the trip to Afghanistan together with this source."

"So you think this source is the betrayer?"

Hotch nodded, "He was the one who used the codeword Lazarus."

Elizabeth was shocked, "Emily..."

"One of her team member is the betrayer."

She shook her head, "It's too late. You'd said the embassy is under siege."

He nodded, "Three militia squads, unknown number of hostages in the embassy."

"Can't we get any confirmation from NSA?"

Hotch looked at her and smiled bitterly, "My Deputy Director had said his hands are tied, there was nothing he could do."

She thought for a moment before she said, "I think I still have some influences." She gave Hotch a certain smile. "Let me get Harold's ears on this." She reached into her purse and pulled out her cell phone.

"Deputy Harold Golding?" Hotch stared at her. "You're on first name basis with the Secretary of State?"

She smiled again, "He and I were college buddies, Aaron. I saved his granddaughter's life choking on a hot dog last June, she was three years old at the time."

Hotch arched his brow, "That's...quite a life saving...er...payback."

Elizabeth chuckled, "Indeed Aaron, and it's time I cash it in, a daughter's life for another."

…...

Five minutes later, Hotch peeked into Marcella's bedroom and smiled when he saw his daughter fast asleep, her small thumb stuck in her mouth; so like Jack when he was her age.

"She is a good sleeper, hardly wakes up in the night." Elizabeth said behind Hotch.

He nodded, "She sleeps like my son when he was little. He sucked his thumb." He retreated from the room as both adult left and walked towards the front hallways. "Why the name Marcella? Not that it's terrible one, in fact I like it very much, it suits her." He smiled.

Elizabeth nodded, "I asked Emily about it when she was born in London. Marcella was named after Clyde's grandmother."

Hotch looked surprised.

"Yes...I was shock too, Aaron. As you know, the two of them are pretty close, and when she found out she was pregnant, she asked Clyde to be the baby's godfather. Clyde was reluctant at first."

"He was? Why?"

She shrugged, "I don't know...Emily wouldn't tell me exactly, something to do with responsibility I think." She smiled. "But my daughter can be quite persuasive when she wants and she managed to convince Clyde and I think it had something to do with letting him name the baby."

Hotch shook his head in disbelieve, "Seriously? She'd let him do it? She must be out of her mind."

Elizabeth laughed, "I agree with you, Aaron. Either that or it must be the pregnancy hormones, but I have to say he did a beautiful job with the name though."

He nodded, "Thank goodness."

"Yes, Marcella is his grandmother's name, she had raised him since birth till he was fifteen when she died. They were very close, Emily told me."

He nodded appreciatively, "I see, if it was a boy? What would it be?"

She smiled, "I believe it's going to be Jean-Pierre."

Hotch frowned deeply, "Um...Jean-Pierre Prentiss-Hotchner...dear me, the poor kid. Too many hyphens."

She nodded. "I agree, I'm very glad it turned out to be a girl, my grand daughter."

"And my daughter." He smiled.

Just then, her cell phone rang.

They exchanged looks before she answered.

Hotch watched her, trying to read her facial expression.

"I see, Harold...very well...thank you for your help. Good night."

She sighed and looked at Hotch.

"And?" Hotch frowned.

"It's done. The Secretary of State has put the word to the President...they've been talking to the British Prime Minister who'd accepted our aid, and it will be a joint effort. A Special Task Force Unit is on their way to the embassy as we speak."

Hotch breathed out a sigh of relief, "Thank you, Elizabeth."

"No, thank you Aaron. Without the works of your team, I'd not known of whom this Judas is."

Hotch frowned, "INTERPOL has to be made aware of that fact."

"I'll let you handle it?" She nodded to him.

He smiled at her, "Yes, I'll see to that, and it is getting late, I'll be going now. Have a good night, Elizabeth."

"Good night Aaron, I hope we'll be able to see Emily soon." She waved to him as she shut the door.

…..

End of Chapter 6