A Voice Cries Out
Chapter 2
Curious about why Hotch would need to speak with her husband alone, JJ watched the interaction from the other end of the plane. Hotch was facing her, his features their usual mask of professionality. But even looking only at the back of him, she could tell that Reid was reacting to something. A stiffening of his spine, the turning away of his head. Hotch seemed to say something more to him, and Reid nodded. Whereupon the unit chief signaled JJ to come up the aisle and join them.
"What is it?" Anxiety was already present in her voice as she looked at her husband, who was staring into the ether.
"There's been another tax attorney reported missing. William Reid."
JJ's eyes flew wide, and then sought Spence's. He felt her gaze on him and turned to look at her as she took the seat beside him.
"Spence?"
He just shook his head, and remarked in a low, soft voice, "He disappeared once before. Maybe he's just disappeared again."
JJ looked back to Hotch, passing an unstated question. Could he be right? Could it simply be a coincidence?
Hotch caught the look and responded aloud. "There's no other indication that anything untoward has happened to him. But his office reports he's never missed a day of work, and his secretary keeps his travel calendar. It was so different from his usual that the office notified the police within hours of his failing to show to work. They'd heard about the other cases from the media."
Reid cleared his throat. "Did the police perform a welfare check?"
Hotch nodded. "Yes. And there was nothing out of place. At least, nothing obvious. No signs of a struggle."
"Was his car there?" JJ joined them in beginning to work this aspect of the case.
"It wasn't…which may be a good sign." Hotch's movement toward the aisle signaled that he wanted to end the conversation. He explained. "I know you may need some time to absorb this. And neither of you has to work this case. It would be understandable if you wanted to step back…."
He seemed to be waiting for their response. The two young profilers exchanged a look and a squeeze of hands.
Reid responded for both of them. "We're in. I need to be a part of this Hotch. After everything…I owe him. From the last case that involved him."
Both Hotch and JJ knew Reid was referring to the cold case that had haunted his dreams back before Henry was born. The case that had Reid erroneously accusing his father of the murder of a young child. The case that, however briefly, turned Diana and William Reid back into a unified front, Reid's mother coming to the defense of his father. That Diana abstained from her antipsychotic medication for the sake of her son understanding his father's innocence had greatly impacted Reid.
He'd apologized. But he'd not forgiven. His memories of the hardships he'd suffered with his mother were simply too vivid for the adult Spencer Reid to forget them. It wasn't until he'd assumed the responsibility of fatherhood himself, and known the uncertainty and the struggle to do the right thing, that Spencer could even begin to entertain the thought of forgiving his father.
And then, with the strong encouragement of JJ, he'd done it. Alone, as a solitary exercise, he'd rid himself of the venom and resentment he'd felt for so many years. He'd forgiven his father for displaying weakness when called upon for strength. For not being able to confront his wife's illness, nor raise his son alone. He forgave William Reid for being who he was.
But he'd never communicated any of this to William. Reid had let go of the poison inside him for his own sake and that of his new family. But he still hadn't wanted William Reid back in his personal life.
Now the man had been inserted right into the middle of his son's professional life. There was, it seemed, no escaping William Reid.
Only Rossi and Morgan had met Reid's father during that prior Las Vegas trip. Morgan's impression of the man had been flavored by his righteous anger at the upset of his 'little brother'. Rossi remembered him as a small man, in every sense of the word.
All of them were appropriately shocked at the idea of a family member having fallen victim to an unsub, no matter how venerated…or unvenerated….that family member was. Linked in via the computer, Garcia gushed her sympathy.
"Oh, my sweet, gentle, baby genius, I'm so sorry! I wish I could hug you right through this screen!"
"Thanks, Garcia."
Reid and JJ sat on the long seat across from the others. Emily reached over and patted her good friend's leg. She had a love/hate relationship with her own mother. But, she knew, although she may have been ignored for her mother's ambassadorial duties, she'd never been abandoned. She could only imagine the emotional turmoil Reid must be experiencing now, possibly having lost someone who had so pointedly tried to lose him.
Hotch felt a word of caution was in order. "He's only been reported missing, so far. We don't know that he's been taken. All of the agencies involved are operating out of an abundance of caution."
"When was he last seen? Do we know?" Taking his cue from Reid, Morgan stepped back emotionally and started analyzing the facts.
Hotch had been briefed from the ground. "Last week was New Year's, so it was an abbreviated work week. He apparently took a long weekend, so was off from Tuesday evening."
"And today's Monday. So it could be as long as five days, if he was taken right after work," posited Emily. "Or he could have been taken at any point along the way."
"Or he could not have been taken at all," reminded Rossi.
"Garcia?" Hotch had already given her several tasks.
"Sir! No credit card activity from December 31-New Year's Eve-and that one was for a florist." She seemed to be done, but then they heard a "hmmm" on the other end of the line.
"What is it, Baby Girl?"
"Oh….just that he ordered flowers on December 23 and then again on the 31st."
The romantic implications were obvious, until JJ spoke. "I think the December 23 order was probably the one he sent to us. We got an arrangement on Christmas Eve."
As had happened the prior year as well. It had been the receipt of one of those arrangements that had sent Reid into his crisis of conscience regarding his father, and his ultimate forgiveness of the man.
The others were surprised at JJ's statement.
"He sent you a flower arrangement? Are you back on good terms?" Morgan directed his question to Reid.
"He sends things, sometimes. He sent flowers last year at Christmas, and he sent something when Rosie was born. But he's not back in my life, no." Said with vehemence.
It was a private thing between husband and wife. But now JJ felt compelled to explain, for the sake of the case.
"I've reached out to him a couple of times. Obviously, he wouldn't have known about Rosie if I hadn't. And he's sent a card, or flowers…but he's never called. Never tried to visit."
It had been a point of contention between JJ and Spence. That she would have taken the liberty to contact his father without running it by him had been risky. And he had, in fact, been upset with her. But he'd also realized her wisdom, when William's response had led to the evening in which he'd finally expunged himself of the deep seated anger. It had been cleansing. And it had happened only because of the love of his wife. Recalling that, Reid reached over and squeezed her hand.
Hotch could feel the emotions rising, and sought to tamp them back down. Emotional impetus often served a positive role in a case. But the wrong kind, or the impetus introduced too early, could derail things entirely. He would try to bring them back on track.
"So we know he...or someone using his credit card," Hotch was cautious in his analysis..."was operating freely as recently as five days ago. Garcia, when will you be able to tell us the other recipient of the flowers?"
Not 'will you', but 'when will you'. Garcia heard the vote of confidence in the phrasing, and tried to exude her thanks over their virtual connection. Mostly because she was about to disappoint her unit chief.
"Sir. The good news is that the shop will be open by the time you arrive. The bad news is that they apparently still have a paper system for the delivery end of the operation. So there's nothing for me to look at. It will have to be done via phone or an in-person visit."
Hotch thought for a moment. "All right. Forget the earlier assignments."
He had to walk a fine line here. The BAU was being called in to assist in finding the person who'd murdered Stephen Davidovitch. There was no definitive evidence that the disappearance of William Reid was connected to that case. The unit chief could only justify the diversion of his resources on the theory that William's situation might prove to be connected. He might be the most recently taken victim, and he might still be alive. But until or unless they could connect the two cases, they would have to spread themselves very thin.
"Morgan and Reid, you're with the florist. Dave, JJ….you'll go to his home. Prentiss and I will set up at the FBI office and then go to his place of work. We'll conference via phone after that, and then go back to the original assignments. Unless we've turned up a viable lead."
Reid started to object, thinking the florist would prove to be the least likely to be helpful. But a look from JJ silenced him. Once they'd moved back to their seats for landing, she explained.
"He obviously wants to defuse anything you might be feeling, Spence. And at least I'll be at your father's home. I should be able to pick up on anything significant. If there's something Rossi and I don't understand, I'm sure Hotch will have us send for you."
He knew she was right. He knew Hotch was right. But his psyche told him he needed to be at William Reid's home. Or maybe he was just caught up in emotion.
The young man sat, staring at the floor of the plane and shaking his head, as his wife laid a comforting hand on his back.
"I don't …it's so….ridiculous, JJ. This man won't get out of my life. I don't even know why I care….."
"But you do." JJ wisdom.
Reid leaned forward, rubbing at his eyes before resting his forehead on the heels of his palms.
"God help me. I do."