Chapter 20
It was a scene of much activity as JJ, Emily, and Reid approached the front doors of the hospital. They produced their credentials to the two guards who met them at the doors about to stop them from entering. One guard waved them to go ahead. They walked briskly inside, and were met by Agent Hahmer who had been informed of their pending arrival. He handed JJ the composite sketch of the man who had called himself 'Doctor Sinclair'. Reid and Prentiss studied the sketch as they looked over the blonde's shoulders.
"Has there been any sign of this guy since he got into Hotch's room earlier?" asked JJ now looking at Hahmer.
"No. We've got agents searching every floor in this hospital as well as checking out each member of the staff. Nobody's leaving this hospital unless they've been cleared. Also, two dozen members of the local police department have been deployed here to join in the search. This guy's not getting out of here unless he can fly off the roof."
"Unless he's already gone," said Reid taking the sketch from JJ.
"How do you know that?" asked a slightly annoyed Hahmer crossing his arms over his chest. He had heard of Doctor Spencer Reid of the BAU, and was not impressed at all. Not that he disliked the young agent. He just believed the young man was given breaks to accomplish what others had to work hard for throughout their lives.
"Excuse me?" Reid asked with arched eyebrows as he handed the composite to Prentiss.
"You said this guy might already be gone," Hahmer repeated a bit sarcastically. "I asked how do you know that? You got a crystal ball or something?"
"No. Not at all," Reid explained completely unfazed by the older man's attitude. "All I'm saying is that the UnSub probably had a means of escape already planned beforehand. So by the time you were phoning Agent Rossi, the UnSub had already left this hospital."
Prentiss decided right away to intercede before things escalated. "Agent Hahmer, who is standing guard outside Agent Hotchner's room at the moment?"
"Agents Deegan and Sylvester are, Agent Prentiss."
Emily handed the sketch back to JJ. "I'm going to have a talk with Agent Deegan and check on Hotch." She walked hurriedly toward the bank of elevators. It was true that she wanted to speak with Agent Deegan, but it was mostly to check on Hotch. She needed to see with her own eyes that he was all right. And heaven help their UnSub if he hurt her boss again. She pressed the up button and waited impatiently for an elevator.
Meanwhile, JJ and Reid were listening to Hahmer's explanation of what had taken place outside Hotch's room, and how their suspect had gained access to the unconscious agent. They waited until the man had finished.
"Did either you or Agent Deegan see in which direction the suspect went after he left Hotch's room?" asked Reid. Hahmer shook his head.
"No, I don't. Sorry." He continued to stare at Reid with disapproval.
"No problem," Reid replied. He then looked at the blonde. "JJ, I'm going to go check with the Chief of Security. I want to check the surveillance tape. Maybe I can pick up where our suspect went after he left Hotch's room."
"Good idea, Spence." JJ's eyes followed the man she considered a little brother, and was the Godfather to her son, jog down the hall to the bank of elevators. She then faced Hahmer, her blue eyes blazing.
"Agent Hahmer. I'm only going to say this once so I suggest you listen carefully. "Doctor Reid worked extremely hard to get where he is today. Yes, he was given some breaks, but he still had to prove himself."
Hahmer's eyes widened in surprise. "I never said…"
"You didn't have to say anything. It was plain on your face how you felt when he mentioned that the UnSub might already have left the premises. You're thinking to yourself, how the hell did this guy get into the bureau much less the BAU? I'll tell you. He is a certified genius. It's that ability which made him attractive by the bureau and the BAU. He's also made himself into a damn good agent and is a valuable member of my team. So I suggest you keep your opinions to yourself. Do I make myself clear?"
"Perfectly, Agent Jareau," Hahmer answered quietly. He didn't want any more trouble with the blonde. She might report him to Dave Rossi who would then report him to his boss. And a reprimand would follow.
JJ smiled sweetly. "Good. Why don't you go find out if Agent Prentiss needs any help? I have a press conference to arrange."
Detective Moeller and Morgan climbed out of the vehicle once they arrived at the crime scene. They passed under the yellow crime scene tape which had been stretched across the alley where the dumpster was located behind the restaurant. There were too many uniform officers and plainclothes detectives around the scene. Morgan was the first to spot the stretcher on which lay a body covered with a sheet, lying near the Coroner's van. A plainclothes detective stood beside the stretcher, while a gray-haired man, who Morgan suspected was the medical examiner, was crouched down and holding up one corner of the sheet.
"Mark?"
The plainclothes detective turned and extended his hand to Moeller who shook it firmly.
"How you doing, Dan." The two men shook hands. Mark looked at Morgan.
Moeller jerked a thumb in the direction of the agent. "This is Agent Derek Morgan, FBI."
David shook hands with Morgan. "Agent Morgan. Detective Daniel David. You assisting on that case involving Agent Hotchner?"
A pained expression appeared in Morgan's dark eyes. "He's my boss, and yes I am."
Det. David offered a sympathetic face. "Sorry. I never had the pleasure."
To get things back on track, Moeller glanced down at the body while addressing his detective. "I understand we have positive ID from dental records?"
"We do. It's the missing babysitter, Deidre Stimson. Doctor Jamison here is the Medical Examiner. Says she's probably been dead a few days."
"What can you tell us right now, doc?" asked Morgan as the trio approached the Medical Examiner.
"Not much, I'm afraid, without a complete autopsy," Jamison commented as he dropped the corner of the sheet back over the body and got to his feet. He nodded at Moeller and Morgan. "Appears to be blunt force trauma to the back of her head. There are also signs of ligature strangulation. Not sure yet what was used. I don't want to venture a guess as to the cause-of-death until I complete the autopsy."
While he still listened to the conversation, Morgan crouched next to the body. He lifted the opposite corner of the sheet to get a closer view of the body. He winced at the sight that greeted his eyes and he hid his mouth behind a balled fist. The girl's face was covered with deep bruising. Both eyes were swollen shut. Her upper and lower lips were split with dried blood. There were bruises on both arms. Tilting his head a bit, Morgan spotted a thin line of blood around the girl's throat. He lifted the sheet a bit more to get a check out her clothes. They seemed to be undisturbed.
"Hey, doc…" Morgan began. "Do me a favor. During your autopsy, check for signs of sexual abuse." He dropped the sheet and stood up, then put hands on hips.
"Find something?" asked Moeller.
Morgan let out a deep breath. "Her clothes appear undisturbed, but that doesn't necessarily mean she wasn't raped. This guy's a sexual sadist." He looked at the ME. "Let us know what you find."
"You got it," the ME replied as he gave two of his technicians a gesture to load the stretcher into the back of the truck. Morgan and Moeller walked a short distance away with Det. David. Morgan folded his muscular arms across his broad chest.
"Detective, did anybody see anything? I mean, look at this place. This dumpster is located right behind a restaurant."
"A closed restaurant, Agent," David explained to both men. "This place is closed for renovations for the next month. The dumpster's mainly being used to dispose of waste from the remodeling process. The workers knock off at five p.m. for the day, so there was nobody here when she was dumped."
"So what you're telling us is that we have nothing," Moeller stated grimly.
Morgan looked over his shoulder at the activity going on around him. He sadly shook his head. We're missing something. And whatever we're missing, we better find it quick. Hotch's life depends on it.
Emily Prentiss stood beside Hotch's bed gazing down at the sleeping man. She grimaced at the deep and ugly bruising forming both on his face and up and down both arms. The same deep bruising was forming on his throat from the fingerprints. They had all changed to blackish-purple in color. One of his eyes was swollen. With moisture in her eyes and tears hanging from her dark lashes, Emily picked up Hotch's hand closest to her and held it both hands. She felt relieved at the steady beeping of the heart monitor and the rise and fall of his chest. She understood the nasal cannula was helping to make breathing easier, but seeing the rise and fall of his chest gave her comfort. He was alive. Despite all the machines and wires connected to him, he was alive.
Emily had been surprised when she entered her boss's room and found two agents posted on either side of the door. She was aware of the two outside, but not the others. When the door opened, they reached for their weapons. She held up her hands in submission and slowly reached for her credentials. Only then did both men relax and left the room giving her a little privacy. She couldn't really blame them, especially after what happened with the 'Doctor Sinclair' incident. But most of all, she was glad that Hotch had protection, and she was sure the earlier mistake would not be repeated.
Prentiss smiled as she wiped her eyes with one hand to keep her tears from falling. "You listen to me, Hotch. You will come back from this. You're such a strong man. The strongest man I know. And don't think you're alone because you're not. We're are all here for you. But you need to come back to us and to Jack. He loves you so much. And we're doing all we can to find out who did this to you."
She turned her head at the sound of the door opening behind her, and spotted an agent she didn't recognize looking at her from the doorway. "Everything all right in here?" His eyes glanced around the room before falling back on Prentiss.
Emily turned back toward Hotch and laid his hand gently back down on the bed beside him. She continued to study him. She felt the agent move beside her and look at the sleeping agent. She took a look at his badge. It identified him as Jason Hemminger.
"You new here?" she asked.
Hemminger chuckled. "I was sent with other agents to help in the search."
Prentiss nodded. There was something about this man. Something bothered her, but unable at the moment to put her finger on it.
"Somebody sure worked him over good," Hemminger said. "What happened to him if I may ask?"
Emily moved a strand of raven hair behind her ear. "He uh…he was mugged while out with a friend."
Prentiss felt it was none of this agent's business. Plus, she didn't want the truth about what happened to Hotch traveling throughout the bureau. She understood it was going to be tough enough for Hotch to recover from his trauma without having whispers swirling around him. She glanced sideways at Hemminger and saw him nod slightly. Apparently he had accepted the partial lie she had told him.
"I hope you find whoever did this."
"We will find him. That's a promise. Excuse me." Prentiss let the corners of her mouth turn upward as she turned and walked toward the door. As she opened the door, and stood in the doorway, something made Emily look over her shoulder again. She observed Hemminger standing by Hotch's bed just staring at the Unit Chief. She walked out the door letting it close behind her.
As the agent's back had been turned to her, Prentiss never saw the smirk on Hemminger's face as he continued to stare at Hotchner. He looked over his shoulder and noticed that he was alone in the room. The other two agents would be back in a matter of minutes, so he had to be quick. He leaned over and brought his mouth close to Hotch's ear.
"You don't know me, Agent Hotchner, but I know all about you," he whispered. "And just so you know…I'm going to help make your miserable life a living hell before you meet your maker."
He took a sip of coffee from his Styrofoam cup as he sat in his car behind the wheel watching the activity taking place outside the hospital. He chuckled at all the police vehicles parked outside the hospital, and the uniformed officers and plainclothes detectives going in and out. Oh how he wished right now he could be on the fourth floor watching all the action up close. He would have so loved watching those stupid agents and cops searching for him throughout the hospital. He took another drink of coffee savoring the hot brew.
He was well aware that Daryl Wheaton had been arrested. But he wasn't worried. As long as he had Wheaton's brat, the man would keep his mouth shut. Not that he could tell anybody anything about him anyway. He had seen to that. Even checking the DNA wouldn't help. He had never been arrested for anything anywhere, and so had no criminal record nor had any DNA been taken. He was a virtual ghost.
He smirked when he saw the members of Hotchner's team when they had arrived at the hospital. It was going to be a pleasure to have at Hotchner again and then kill him right under their noses. He had a backup plan in place in the event Wheaton couldn't be counted on again. He always left nothing to chance. And it was that attitude which led him to two people who could help.
One would get him access to Hotchner. The other wasn't as sadistic as he, but that was all right. He smiled as he recalled the man's reaction when he was told the victim was FBI Unit Chief Aaron Hotchner. The man's face practically lit up like a Christmas tree. In fact, he jumped at the chance to repay Hotchner for rejecting his application into the BAU.
The other took a bit more persuasion, but not much. It never ceased to amaze him how money can change a man's mind when alimony and child support payments ate up a good chunk of one's salary.
The two agents who had seen his face when he pretended to be 'Doctor Sinclair,' didn't worry him in the least. It was amazing what a wig, a fake mustache, and colored contacts could do to fool someone. The man thought of himself as a chameleon. He smiled at the analogy. A chameleon. Yes, he liked that comparison very much.
He gazed back to the hospital entrance and saw people setting up for what he assumed was a press conference. Swallowing the rest of his coffee, he tossed the coffee cup out the driver's side window. He started his car, pulled away from the curb, and took off down the street away from the hospital with thoughts of Aaron Hotchner running through his mind.