Disclaimer: Criminal Minds and all its characters belong to CBS. I own nothing. I do not own anything you recognize.
Previously on Criminal Minds- Spencer sat up and determinedly met Rossi's gaze. "I'll twy."
CM
Agent Hotchner strode into the cramped interview room and shut the door. He gazed at the older couple, quickly profiling them. The tall, jet black haired man's designer suit and Rolex watch screamed wealth. And from the way he held himself and the expression on his face it was clear he hailed from old money. You didn't perfect a haughty sneer like that overnight. The mousey little woman standing beside him was much the same. 'This is going to be fun.' Aaron thought as he approached the couple. Keeping his own expression neutral, the BAU leader stepped up to the sharp-dressed man and extended his hand. "Mr. and Mrs. Hastings, I'm SSA Hotchner. Thank you for coming." He greeted, shaking the older man's hand. "I know this is a difficult time for you and I appreciate your taking the time to come in for an interview."
"Vincent Hastings, senior Vice President of the Covington Corporation" the man with thinning hair introduced. Wrapping an arm around the petite woman's shoulders, he added. "My wife, Harriet, head of the women's auxiliary of New Sanders County."
"Nice to meet you ma'am" Hotch smoothly fibbed before motioning towards the table and chairs in the middle of the room. "If you'll both take a seat, we'll get started."
Mr. Hastings strode over to the table and pulled out a chair for his wife. Being careful not to get hit by her wide brimmed hat, he helped her lower herself into the metal folding chair before taking a seat next to her. "Agent Hotchner, what methods are you using to ascertain the identity of our daughter's killer?" he questioned. "Do you have any potential suspects? Are you interviewing them as we speak?"
"Mr. Hastings, I'm not at liberty to discuss the investigation. I can assure you, however, that we are doing everything in our power to bring the criminal responsible to justice." Hotch deftly evaded.
Mr. Hastings' sneer became more pronounced. "If you didn't wish to bring us up to date on our daughter's case, why did you bring us here?" he angrily inquired. "My wife and I have a house full of mourners and funeral arrangements to make and I don't appreciate you wasting our time."
"Mr. Hastings, I understand this is a bad time for your family but this interview is needed." Hotch declared. "Learning about your daughter's life here is very important. You may have potential evidence whether you realize that or not. She may have said or wrote about someone or something that could lead us to the unsub, or murderer."
"How dare you insinuate my wife and I are withholding information!" Mr. Hastings ranted as he jumped out of his chair.
"Mr. Hastings no one is accusing you of anything." Hotch calmly stated, holding up his hands in a placating motion. "I'm sorry if you took my statement that way. I merely meant that your daughter may have said something that didn't seem important at the time but could help us solve her murder."
"It still sounds like…"
"Vincent, sit down" Mrs. Hastings commanded.
Mr. Hastings swiftly reclaimed his seat causing Hotch to raise an eyebrow. Mr. Hastings may wear the pants in the family but it was clear from that interaction that Mrs. Hastings is the actual head of the household. Using that new information, the BAU leader turned his attention to the lady in the room. "Mrs. Hastings, what can you tell me about Maria?" he asked.
"Maria was a wonderful little girl. She was a parent's dream; not a minute's trouble. She was smart, beautiful, and athletic. And she loved to help other people." Mrs. Hastings extoled. "I always thought when she grew up, she'd go into a noble field such as physician or lawyer. So you can imagine my shock when she announced she was going to college to be a high school teacher. I tried my best to dissuade her from that horrible choice especially when she informed me that she wished to work in a run of the mill public school. I told her she had too much potential to squander it working at such a menial job but nothing I said or did managed to sway her. She had her heart set on it. Maria thought she could change the world."
Hotch nodded. He remembered feeling that same way when he'd set out to be a lawyer. He wondered if Maria's view of teaching had become jaded before she had been killed. Hopefully not. Pushing that thought to the back of his mind, Hotch continued his interview. "Did your daughter ever mention a student she was having trouble with?" he inquired.
"No, all her students loved her. She made learning fun for them." Mrs. Hastings replied, dabbing at her eyes with her lace handkerchief. "Truth be told, I think several of the young men in her classes had a crush on her. There were three or four times in the last three years that she walked into her room to find a bouquet of roses or a box of chocolates on her desk."
"Did she ever find out who the gifts came from?" Aaron asked, perking up at the information.
"No, they were always sitting on her desk when she arrived in the morning." Mr. Hastings answered. "Maria thought it was a student at first but when it continued after that first year, she revised her assumption to a fellow teacher or a custodian."
Nodding, Hotch jotted down a few notes on his legal pad. "What about her colleagues? Were there any disagreements or maybe bad feelings between Maria and other teacher? Maybe one of her fellow teachers was jealous or angry over an imagined slight?"
"As I said before Agent Hotchner, Maria didn't have an enemy in the world." Mrs. Hastings stated through gritted teeth. "She had no problems with anyone, student, or teacher. Nothing Maria did warranted her being murdered like common street trash and I resent you implying otherwise. Now, if there are no other questions, my husband and I need to be going. We have arrangements to make."
"I just have one more question, ma'am." Hotch said, knowing this might be the straw that broke the camel's back. Taking a deep breath, he slowly let it out before asking, "Were there any arguments or altercations with parents during the three years she worked as a teacher?"
CM
A shout drew Morgan and Prentiss' attention to the closed interview room door. Glancing at each other as the screaming continued, they both unsuccessfully attempted to stifle grins.
"Man, I'm so glad I'm not Hotch right now." Morgan commented with a snicker. Turning back to the file in his hand, he strategically placed it in front of his mouth. "It sounds like she's reading him the riot act."
"Yeah, I wonder what he said to get her that riled up." Emily muttered, highlighting a few parts of the paper she was holding. "Hotch usually has them eating out of his hand. Well, the women anyway."
The profilers startled as the door to the interview room slammed open. Looking up, they watched an irate man and woman storm out of the station and then turned to stare at Hotch as he stepped out of the doorway. Chuckling at the irritated expression on their boss' face, the two waited for their friend to get even with them before pouncing on him.
"Interesting interview, Hotch?" Morgan teased.
"That's one word for it." Hotch huffed.
"Did you at least learn anything useful?" Prentiss prodded.
"Yes, Mr. and Mrs. Hastings should never go out in the rain." Aaron answered, the corners of his lips twitching at the statement.
"Not go out in the rain? Hotch, what the heck are you…" Morgan stopped as the light bulb went on. "Dude, did you just make a joke?"
Hotch's smirk was his only reply.
"Derek, for a profiler you can be awfully slow on the uptake sometimes." Emily said, patting the muscular man's arms consolingly.
"Ha ha" Morgan deadpanned, rolling his eyes. Hearing his cell phone buzz, he quickly snatched it off his belt. He glanced at the screen before breaking into a wide grin and flipping open his phone. "Perfect timing as usual, Baby Girl" he softly answered. Derek switched the phone to speaker and held it out to make it easier for the others to hear. "Whatcha got for us?"
"Please tell me you've got some good news." Emily begged.
"Well, I've got some news for you but I wouldn't exactly call it good." Garcia replied, fingers clicking away on her keyboard.
"Garcia, just tell us what you found." Hotch ordered, his no nonsense expression coming back out.
Oh okay" the BAU's tech goddess answered. "We already knew the victims didn't live anywhere near each other so I started with the usual paper trail but that didn't turn up any connection. None of the victims shopped at the same shopping center let alone the same shop. So I moved on to potential school connections. They never worked together however they did have two colleagues in common. Ms. Joann Gilbert and Mrs. Shirley Tombs worked with all four of our victims over the years. Ms. Gilbert retired last year and Mrs. Tombs retired the year before."
"Great work, Pen!" Prentiss praised. "Send us their addresses and we'll go talk to them."
"Not so fast, my lovelies" Garcia warned. "Mrs. Tombs moved to Florida to be closer to her son after she retired. I checked her credit cards and cell the days of the murders and the records prove she was in Florida all four days. As for Ms. Gilbert, she died of a massive heart attack two months after she retired."
"Talk about crappy luck" Emily muttered.
"Garcia what about…"
"Her family" the tech wizard smoothly finished. "I'm way ahead of you, Boss Man. Ms. Joann Gilbert of Franklin North Carolina was an only child. Her father died when she was twelve. Her mom sold their house a few months later and moved the family to California to get a fresh start. Ms. Gilbert grew up, went to college, and spent thirty-five years teaching middle and high school literature. She never married or had any children of her own."
"I can't blame her for that. After dealing with kids all day, she probably didn't wanna go home and handle more." Morgan observed.
"Yeah, not to mention she would've had a hard time naming them." Prentiss threw in. "I bet after a few years of teaching, there wasn't a single name that didn't raise her blood pressure."
Morgan snorted.
"Focus people" Hotch sternly instructed, even as a smile split his face. Seeing the profilers attempting to stifle their giggles, he nodded and turned his attention back to the team member on the phone. "Garcia, did Ms. Gilbert have any other family?"
"None close by or even close to her. Her mother died fifteen years ago and what little is left of Ms. Gilbert's relatives all still live in and around North Carolina. She didn't have much if any contact with her cousins from what I've found."
"Alright, what about students? Were there any children that had all four as teachers?" Hotch questioned, knowing it was a long shot.
"Yes sir" Penelope cheerfully answered. "Sixty-seven children have been pupils of all four teachers."
"Sixty-seven?" Derek shouted incredulously.
"That's right, Sugar Plum" Garcia gleefully intoned.
"Isn't that a bit high?" Prentiss inquired.
"Not really, the victims taught upper elementary or higher so they had several different groups of students throughout the day." The tech analyst explained. "The number actually would have been a lot higher if it were not for Ms. Hastings only teaching for three years."
Morgan mulled over the information for a few moments before asking, "How many of those students flunked out or dropped out?"
Penelope's fingers flew across the keyboard as she searched for the needed number. "Thirty-four" she read a few seconds later.
"That's still too many to work with." Emily sighed. "What about the stressor? Did any of the remaining students suffer some sort of trauma four months ago?"
"Let's see." Garcia mumbled as her fingers flitted across the keys. "Seven lost their jobs, two had run ins with the police, one was in a horrible car wreak, one guy got dropped by his longtime girlfriend, and one of the girls…Oh my! One girl committed suicide."
Hotch jumped on the potential clue. "Details?"
"Ummm, okay Amy Beyton, eighteen years old, hung herself in the bedroom of the home she shared with her mother. It appears she was attempting to turn her life around. She had cleaned up her act and was planning on going to college. She needed to get her GED first but she wasn't having much luck. According to her mom, she was so devastated after she failed to pass the GED test for the second time that she locked herself in her room. By the time her mom got the door opened, it was too late." Garcia related.
"That could be the stressor! That would be enough to push any parent over the edge." Morgan said. "It all fits, Hotch: the choice of weapons and the scrawled messages written in the victim's blood. They all point to either a student or a parent with a grudge."
"Just one little problem with that, my Caped Crusader" Garcia interrupted. "Amy's mother has been wheelchair bound for the last four years."
"She could have gotten a friend or another family member to do it for her." Emily tossed out.
"True" Hotch agreed. "Garcia, send us the mother's address. I'd like to pay her a visit. Send the addresses of the other eleven, also."
"Yes sir, they should be popping up on your cells momentarily." Penelope replied. "Garcia out."
"Alright, let's split the list of potential unsubs. Morgan, you and Prentiss take the last six names." Hotch ordered. "I'll take the first six."
"I'll go with you." JJ said as she walked up to the group.
"JJ, what are you doing here?" Derek questioned. "I thought you were watching Reid."
"Rossi and I decided one of us needed to get back to work. And since Spence has a death grip on Rossi's shirt, it had to be me." JJ relayed with a smile.
Aaron smirked at the image of a tiny Reid holding Dave hostage. He hoped JJ had thought to snap a photo of the scene. That's one picture that definitely needed to be in Spencer's baby book. "How is Spencer?" he asked as they started down the hall.
"Not good. His fever was almost a hundred and two by the time we got to the hotel." JJ answered. "Rossi and I managed to get him to eat a few spoonfuls of soup and swallow some medicine before he fell asleep but even that was a struggle. His stomach was starting to bother him by then."
Emily made a face. "It sounds like Rossi and Reid are in for a hard time." She commented, opening the police station door.
"Another reason to get this case wrapped up fast." Morgan said. "Pretty Boy needs us with him, not running around the state chasing an unsub."
Hotch nodded his agreement. Stopping at his SUV, he pulled out his keys and gazed over the hood at his team members. "Why don't we meet at the hotel after we're finished?" he suggested. "That'll give us time to grab a bite to eat and spend a little time with Spencer."
"Sounds good to me" Morgan responded.
"Me, too" JJ and Emily chorused.
"Alright, see you then." Hotch stated. Opening the SUV door, he climbed inside and started the engine. After making sure JJ was safely seat belted in, he pulled out of the parking lot and headed for the first house on the list.
CM
Hours later, four weary profilers trudged down the hall to Hotch's hotel room. After an afternoon of interviewing person after person, they were all more than ready to look in on their little boy. Remembering JJ's earlier comment about Reid's symptoms, the group had eaten at the hotel restaurant before going up. They didn't want to chance the smell of food making the toddler sicker than he already was.
Shuffling up to the door, Hotch lighted knocked before using the key card to open it. He held it for the others and then walked inside behind them. Glancing over at the bed, Aaron frowned at the sweat slicked bangs covering his littlest agent's forehead. He hurried over and gently pressed the back of his hand on the boy's head. "How high, Dave?" he softly asked without taking his eyes off the sick child in front of him.
"One hundred and two point one" Rossi worriedly replied. "It was down for a while but it started going up again a half hour ago. I gave him some more medicine at six forty-five so it should start to go down again soon."
"Has he thrown up?" JJ questioned.
"No, but I've been waiting for it. The nausea has only gotten worse as the day's gone on." Dave informed her.
"At least he's peacefully sleeping" Morgan observed as he stepped up beside the bed. Noticing the youngster's fever glazed eyes staring up at him, he sighed. "Or not" Seeing Reid weakly raise his arms, the big brother quickly scooped the toddler up and cradled him to his chest. "Hey kid, you feeling any better?"
Wrapping his arms around his best friend's neck, Reid buried his face in Morgan's shoulder and shook his head.
"I'm sorry Pretty Boy" Derek muttered as he sat down on the bed and scooted back to lean against the headboard. "Anything I can do?"
"Jut tay" Spencer rasped around the thumb in his mouth. Closing his eyes, he sighed as Morgan started softly rubbing his back.
The group watched as the toddler melted into the older man's embrace. Seeing Spencer relax back into sleep, they smiled.
"I think we'd better be going." Aaron whispered, handing Morgan the toddler's blue blanket. "Spencer won't be able to sleep with all of us here moving around."
"Hotch is right." JJ quietly agreed.
"I'd like to stay for a while if that's alright." Emily said, moving closer to the bed.
"That's probably a good idea." Dave stated. "Morgan's going to need a hand because Spencer is not going to be letting him go anytime soon. Trust me."
"Alright, Prentiss you stay with Morgan. The rest of us will go back to the station." Hotch decided as he headed for the door. He held the door for Rossi and JJ and then started to follow. Stopping in the doorway, he turned back to the two guardians. "Call me immediately if anything changes."
"You've got it, Hotch" Emily promised the worried father.
Aaron sighed. He really didn't want to leave his youngest. But they were on a case and he was the head of the team. Besides, Reid was in good hands. Morgan and Prentiss would take good care of the tiny agent until he could get back. Assured that the toddler was safe, the BAU leader glanced back at his ill charge one more time and then strode out the door. The sooner they solved this case, the sooner he could return.
CM
Hotch stared at the board full of evidence. After hours of pouring over interview notes and crime scene reports, they were no closer to finding the unsub than they were when they started. The suicide had been a promising lead but that had turned out to be a dead end. The girl's mother was angry over her daughter's death but she was upset with herself, not others. And with no other family members in the area that particular student and her family were ruled out. Maybe Garcia…his cell phone ringing brought Aaron out of his thoughts. Hoping his tech analyst had found something, he swiftly flipped open his phone. "Hotchner" he answered.
"Hotch, it's Prentiss" Emily called into the phone. "Morgan and I are headed to the ER with Spencer."