CHAPTER 22 – Something to be Thankful For
Dave's hotel
Dave enters the hotel and heads for the elevators. His shoulders slump as he plods across the lobby. He needs to shower and sleep. He grabbed a burger on the way to the hotel, not the best of meals but at least he wouldn't wake up starving.
"Mr. Rossi," the girl at the front desk calls out. "There's something here for you."
He veers over to the desk. The twenty steps feel like a hundred. The girl holds out a thick white envelope. He glances at it, not recognizing the handwriting.
"Do you know who it's from," he asks. He stares at the envelope making no move to take it from her.
She shakes her head. "It was here when I came in."
He slowly raises his hand, gingerly grasping the edge of the envelope as if it would catch on fire. It's heavy. He holds it more firmly in his grasp.
"Thank you," he says absently as he stares at the handwriting. He turns and heads to the elevator and up to his new room.
Inside his suite, he tosses the envelope on the desk. His routine similar to the night before when he entered the new room, only this time he didn't have to pay a valet. He goes into the bedroom, secures his gun in his carryall, strips, and pads to the bathroom to take a shower.
Fifteen minutes later, he strolls out of the bathroom, still naked. He pulls back the covers and crawls into bed. It's still light outside, but he's ready to sleep.
He's out as soon as his head hits the pillow.
Dave stands in the BAU reading a file he found on the edge of Reid's desk. He feels a tug at his sleeve. He looks but no one is there. He goes back to reading the file. Another tug on his sleeve. He swivels around and glares.
"Can you help me," a little girl asks.
He looks down at the little girl, who is covered in blood from head to toe. He drops to his knees in front of her. "Are you okay," he asks. His eyes search for her injuries. "What happened to you?"
She points over his shoulder to his office. Slowly, he stands and turns. Leaning against his door is a bloody axe.
"What did you do," another child asks.
Dave looks at the boy standing in the doorway of the briefing room.
"What," Dave asks. His face a mixture of confusion and horror.
"What did you do," the boy asks again. "You've ruined the file."
He looks down at the file in his hands, now covered in blood. His hands are bloody.
"It's all your fault," the little girl accuses.
"I didn't do anything," he protests.
He turns to look at the girl, except the little girl is gone. Penelope stands in her place. She too is covered in blood. "That's right," Penelope says. "You didn't do anything."
A gun goes off behind him.
Dave jumps. He sits up on the bed and sucks in a deep breath. The room is dark. He throws the covers off and gets out of bed. He pads out to the kitchen and pours himself a glass of water. He drinks the entire glass of water and places the glass on the counter.
"What the fuck," he mutters to himself.
Going back to the bedroom, he grabs his phone to check the time: four-forty-five. He has time to go back to sleep if he wants to. He looks at the phone again and sees Hotch left a voicemail.
"Hey Dave, the locals haven't had any luck finding this guy. I hope you're getting some rest; we're going to be busy the next few days. See you at the office. I'm stopping by the hospital to see Penelope on my way home. Talk to you tomorrow."
Dave closes the phone and sets it on the nightstand. He sits on the edge of the bed and contemplates his next move. This is not an open and shut case and he wonders what in the hell Penelope got herself into.
Later
Dave lays on the bed staring at the ceiling for an hour before he grabs his phone again and dials a number by heart. The line rings several times before going to voicemail.
"Hey, old man, I need your help. Call me back."
He hangs up and puts the phone down, then contemplates the ceiling again.
An hour later, the phone rings.
"I'm not in the bureau anymore, Dave."
"I know. I am," Dave stresses.
"What?"
He can hear the confusion coming through the line.
"Jack called me after you left," he explains. "He asked me to come back."
There is a pause on the line, then Jason chuckles. "This is David Rossi, right? The David Rossi, who swore at me and said he was never returning to this, what did you call it? Overrated aberration of a pre-school?"
Dave sighs. "The one and only."
Jason chuckles. "Wow, did you get the number of the truck that hit you?"
Dave grunts. "I was just as surprised as you are. In fact, it was a much easier decision than I ever though it would be."
"So why are you calling me," Jason asks.
"I need your help."
"I can't – I don't profile anymore."
"I'm not asking you too. Garcia got shot – I need a name. Someone local I can talk to," Dave states. "Someone not in law enforcement. I know you know people."
He hears a sigh through the line. "Is she okay?"
Images of Penelope lying in the hospital bed flash through his mind. "We don't know yet. She'll recover from the shooting physically – mentally, that's still in the air."
"She's a nice kid. I wish her well, but I have nothing I can give you."
"Come on! All I'm asking for is a name," Dave retorts. He can feel the anger build. Jason can be a real dick when he wants to be. "I know you have contacts on the street. Give me something!"
"I'm sorry. Don't tell the kids you talked to me."
The line goes dead.
Dave releases a rush of air. He sits up, puts the phone down then punches the pillow.
"Fuck," he yells. He punches the pillow again. 'Fuck Jason,' he thinks. 'It's a good thing he left.'
He gets up and dresses, time to get the day started.
FBI building - Quantico
Dave enters the FBI building with a few others; agents and civilians. He shows his badge to the guard, George Harris.
"Any update on Miss Garcia," George asks.
'She's recovering well, George. Thanks for asking," Dave smiles.
George smiles back. "We sure miss her here. She always brought us coffee and doughnuts on Mondays. But we miss her smile mostly."
Dave's smile wanes. "Me too."
"Happy Thanksgiving, Agent Rossi."
Dave pauses. "It's Thanksgiving?"
George nods. "I can imagine you've lost all track of time."
"I often do," Dave agrees. He enters the elevator and pushes the button. The door closes, he leans back against the wall and watches the numbers over the top of the door. Time was flying by.
BAU
Dave exits the elevator and enters the BAU. The bullpen is dark. He looks at his and Hotch's offices, both dark as well. He's the first one in today, which isn't unusual, however, it feels a little surreal. He flips the lights on from the switch next to the door and heads to the breakroom to start a pot of coffee.
Twenty minutes later he's sitting at his desk a steaming cup of coffee sitting next to him.
His phone rings. "Rossi."
"Hey, it's me," Hotch says in greeting. "You at the office yet?"
"Yeah. Been here for a bit. What's up?"
"Not much," Hotch replies. "I just left the hospital. JJ and Morgan are there, and I think Reid and Emily were going to stop in as well."
Dave grunts. He picks up his coffee, blows on it and takes a sip. "I made coffee."
"Good, I could use some," Hotch tells him. "I'm stopping for food, you want something?"
"Sure," Dave chuckles. "I rarely turn down food."
"I'll be there soon."
Dave sets his phone down and leans back in his seat. He's the only one in the unit not visiting Penelope. He wonders if the others have noticed. He gets so lost in thought that he doesn't realize how much time has passed until Hotch strolls into the room.
"I hope you're hungry," the younger agent announces. He sets a bag on Dave's desk and takes a drink from the coffee cup in his hand.
"What did you get us," Dave asks.
"Burritos."
Dave grabs the bag, rummaging through the contents and pulling everything out onto his desk. Hotch settles into one of the chairs across from him.
"So, I heard you and Penelope had another fight," Hotch says casually.
"Who told you that," Dave replies keeping his eyes on the food in front of him.
"Morgan said he arrived at Penelope's room yesterday and she was kicking you out," Hotch explains. He takes another drink from his cup. "Didn't I tell you not to get kicked out?"
"Yes." Dave grabs a burrito and un-wraps it carefully.
"And?"
Dave looks up.
"You said don't get kicked out of the hospital, I didn't. I got kicked out of Penelope's room," he explains. He opens a packet of hot sauce and carefully spreads it on his burrito. "And even so, I'm going with the idea that she was too drugged up to know what she was saying. She had just woken up. Maybe she thought I was someone else."
"Uh-huh," Hotch says clearly not believing him. He grabs a burrito, tears it open and takes a bite.
Dave watches him and shakes his head. He takes a bite of his own burrito enjoying the flavors of egg, bacon, potato and hot sauce. They eat in silence until they finish. Pausing only to take a drink of their coffee.
They begin cleaning up when Hotch's phone rings. "Hotchner."
He listens intently. "Seriously? They're all for her?"
Dave peers at him, watching and listening intently.
"We're on our way," Hotch growls. He snaps his phone shut. "We need to get to the hospital."
The Hospital
Dave follows Hotch cautiously into the hospital room. Drawing as little attention to himself as he can.
"I don't know," Penelope states, her voice filled with fear. "I don't know who any of these people are."
The room filled with flowers, balloons, and stuffed animals looks more like a gift shop than a hospital room.
"They all just started pouring in," Penelope continues.
"And they are all specifically addressed to you," Emily asks.
Penelope nods. "They seem to be."
Reid examines one particular plant closely. "Birds of Paradise," he murmurs. "That was Gideon's favorite. Who are these from?"
Penelope shakes her head. "They didn't sign the card."
"Do you have all the cards," Hotch asks.
JJ hands him a large stack of cards, each encased in a separate Ziploc baggie. "We tried to be careful of fingerprints but who knows how many people may have touched them."
Hotch sorts through them.
"What do you think, Hotch? Could this be from the unsub," JJ inquires.
Hotch looks around the room at the large number of items perched on every available space. He shrugs. "That's a lot work to send all of this. They came from different places. There are a couple of cards that came from the same shops. But the signed names are different."
"That could be easy to track," Morgan points out. "Even if he paid in cash, someone would have to remember a guy buying multiple items for the same person but signing different cards."
"That's something to look into," he agrees. He hands the cards to JJ. "Can you split these up by shop name, it will make it easier. Make sure you have all the cards for each store together."
JJ takes the cards and begins to separate them into piles.
"Morgan and Emily, you take one half," Hotch orders. "Dave and I will take the other."
Morgan looks at Dave sharply. "I didn't realize you were here."
Dave shuffles forward and glances at the cards. He picks one up off the pile and looks at it closer. He picks up another card and looks at it. His head spins. He moans aloud.
"You okay," Hotch asks.
Dave looks up slowly to see all eyes on him. "Yeah. Can I see those? Please."
Penelope hands him a card. He scoops up the rest from the edge of the bed putting them in a singular pile.
"I just…" JJ begins as she watches him.
Dave flips through all the cards and starts to chuckle, but not in a humorous manner.
"You want to share with the class," Hotch demands.
Dave looks up and sighs. "These aren't leads. None of this is from the unsub."
"What?" Morgan asks.
"How do you know," Emily demands.
"You know these people," Reid inquires.
Dave smiles at Reid and points his finger at the younger man. He shuffles the cards into a neat pile and holds them out to Penelope. "I told you, I have a large family."
She blinks at him. "This is all from your family?"
He nods. "My sister Sophia came to see me yesterday. I told her you were in the hospital. She must have told the family. I'm sorry."
Penelope takes the cards from him. She stares at them for a minute then holds them close to her chest and looks up at him. "I only met a few of them. They barely know me."
"You've met Dave's family?" JJ inquires.
Dave looks around to see the team eyeing both him and Penelope curiously.
"Briefly," Penelope answers softly. She catches Dave's eye. "I still don't understand."
"Apparently Momma speaks highly of you," he tells her with a wry smile.
She looks around the room. "What am I going to do with all these plants? I'll kill them."
Dave shrugs. "You could give them away."
"There are lots of older patients in the hospital who probably don't get visitors," JJ suggests quietly.
Penelope smiles. "Yes. Ooh, and kids. I'll keep a few things but maybe some kids would like some of the stuffed animals?"
"I can check around if you'd like," JJ offers.
"Thank you." Penelope nods. She looks at Dave. "Will you tell them I said thank you?"
"I'm sure Momma left a message for you on your phone," Dave tells her. "You should call her when you feel up to it."
"I will. How's Poppa?"
Dave shuffles nervously and glances at the others who are silently watching this exchange. "He's good. He's climbing the stairs and sleeping in his own bed."
"That's amazing. I'm so happy to hear that."
"You should keep the Bird of Paradise," Dave suggests. "It's a nice plant. I remember Jason talking about them."
"We should head back to the office," Hotch orders. He gestures for Dave to step out ahead of him. "Now that Dave's family has decorated the hospital, we should get back to work."
"Christmas must have been hell for you," Morgan teases as Dave walks past.
"It wasn't when I was a kid. But my wallet takes a hit now," Dave replies.
In the SUV
Dave and Hotch ride in silence in the SUV. JJ and Emily were returning later in another SUV, as were Morgan and Reid.
"You introduced Penelope to your family," Hotch says as he stares at a traffic light. "When you were taking care of your parents? I remember Penelope asked for a three-day weekend."
Dave nods out of habit. "She showed up at my cabin. I had no idea she was coming."
"Huh," Hotch says mostly to himself. He glances at Dave. "Just how much time have you spent together since you returned to the Bureau?"
Dave chuckles. "Not as much as I think you are suspecting."
Hotch stares at him for a moment, then turns back to the light. "Haley and I dated for ten years before we got married. I was in the hospital for a week with pneumonia at one point. I got one card and a phone call."
"Yeah?"
The light changes and the SUV moves forward. Hotch glances his way again. "That visit must have been something special," the younger man muses.
"We spent a couple of hours at my parents' house," Dave explains. "All my sisters were there."
"You must have told them a lot beforehand," Hotch points out.
Dave sighs. "Honestly, I don't have to tell them much. They read me better than all of you combined. And they all talk to each other – constantly. They are much better negotiators than any of us."
"Hmm," Hotch hums. He nods. "You and I come from very different families."
Back at the BAU
Both men grab another coffee and confer in the briefing room.
"So, the DC police have nothing," Dave says incredulously.
"They're struggling to find something," Hotch replies.
"What's next?"
"They want to send a sketch artist in to talk to Garcia. The doctor wants them to wait a few days, she's still pretty groggy."
"We don't have time to wait," Dave replies impatiently.
"I know," Hotch nods. "And I agree. Morgan and Reid are there. They can assist with the process; help her stay focused. Or as focused as someone on morphine can be."
"Yeah, people say the weirdest things when they are on those drugs," Dave sighs.
"Yes, they do," Hotch says roughly. "Especially to people they care about."
Dave raises an eyebrow.
"Just pointing that out," Hotch smiles. "Whatever she said to you, don't take it too hard."
Dave grunts.
A knock on the door interrupts the two men.
"Come in," Hotch calls out.
The door opens and Agent Anderson pokes his head inside. "I'm sorry to interrupt, sir. Agent Rossi, that woman is back."
He nervously looks over his shoulder for a second. "And she brought reinforcements," he whispers loudly.
"What woman," Hotch questions.
Dave stands and peers through the partially opened blinds. "What the hell?"
A large group of people mill about the bullpen. Dave looks at Hotch. "I think we're being invaded," he says blandly.
"I see that," Hotch murmurs in reply. "You going out there?"
Dave bites his lip. "Do I have to?"
"Do I," Anderson asks.
Dave chuckles. "My sister is quite scary at times."
He heads for the bullpen as Hotch falls in line behind him.
"David," Sophia bellows as soon as he exits the office. "Come show us where we can set up."
"What the hell is this," he asks as he navigates the ramp.
"Watch your language, there are children present," Sophia scolds. Her eyes land on Hotch. "Agent Hotchner, so good to see you again. I hope you don't mind us bringing dinner."
"Dinner," Dave repeats.
"I told you to call me Aaron," Hotch reminds her firmly.
She smiles at Hotch before turning to her little brother. "It's Thanksgiving, fratellino, you couldn't come to us so, we came to you."
Dave looks around and takes in the faces of his brother-in-law and his nieces and nephews.
"We brought enough to feed the whole team and a few others as well," she tells them. "Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes… the ducks that were in your freezer."
"You stole my ducks," he accuses.
She smiles and pats his cheek. "Poppa sends his thanks."
Dave grunts.
"Now, where can we set up," she asks.
"How about you set everything down on whatever cleared surface you can find for now," Hotch suggests. "We can grab the tables from the breakroom and if we need more space, we have folding tables in the supply room downstairs."
"Excellent," Sophia smiles. "I see why you are in charge and not my brother."
In seconds, every desk in the bullpen has something sitting on it. And just as quickly, Dave is inundated with hugs and kisses from the various members of the family. The adults introduce themselves and their children to Hotch.
"Hello, Davey," Gio greets as he pulls his brother-in-law in for a hug. "How are you?"
Dave squeezes him. "I could be better."
Gio nods thoughtfully. "You will be."
"Hey Tio David."
"Mia! How are you," Dave asks as he pulls his grandniece in for a hug.
"I'm good," she replies.
"How's life at NYU?"
"Busy," she laughs. "I can't believe that I'm graduating soon."
"What are your plans after graduation," Dave questions.
"I'm interning for the friend of one of my professors," she grins. "Female lawyer, lives in Boston."
"Okay… and then?"
She shrugs. "I've applied to Harvard Law and George Washington University. I'm still waiting to see if I've been accepted by either one."
"I can't imagine either one of them not accepting you," Dave replies.
"I'm sorry, did I hear George Washington University over here," Hotch asks as he steps closer.
"You did," Mia smiles proudly. She holds out her hand. "Mia Peretti."
Hotch shakes her hand. "Aaron Hotchner, Juris Doctor from GWU."
"Oh sweet! Can I pick your brain?"
Hotch chuckles. "Just leave some for me."
"Davey," Sophia interrupts grabbing Dave's sleeve. "We need to set up some tables."
"Okay," Dave replies.
"I'll help you," Hotch offers.
"No," Dave waves him off. "You chat with Mia before she explodes. I've got some strong boys over here to help."
"Dom, Vinnie come help me with the tables." Dave heads towards the breakroom. He is followed by not two, but four, strapping young men. They enter the breakroom. "We might need a few chairs too."
"We got this, Tio," the one with a high and tight haircut states.
Dave turns quickly and looks at him. "Tony! I thought you were on sea-duty."
"I got back on Monday," he grins. He grabs the end of one table. Dave moves to grab the other end but is gently nudged to the side.
"Strapping young man here, Tio Dave," the boy grins. "Let us do the lifting."
Dave reaches over and messes his hair. "Thank you, Vinnie. How's college life."
"It sucks." He starts laughing. "Actually, it's great. I wouldn't be studying to be a teacher if I didn't like school."
Dave nods. He looks around, the other table has already disappeared. Tony and Vinnie begin to maneuver their table out of the room.
"Have you talked to Becky," Dave asks Tony.
"She's in the other room," he replies.
"I thought she was in Texas," Dave frowns.
"She came home this morning for the holiday," Tony grunts as they shuffle into the other room.
As they approach the glass doors one of them opens. Emily takes a step in and comes to an immediate halt as she spots the table. "What the hell?!"
"Language," Vinnie scolds as he passes her.
She stands there looking bewildered as JJ peers over her shoulder. She watches the table pass by her eyes land on Dave. "Rossi, what is going on?"
"You are just in time for dinner," Dave replies. "Come meet my family. Or at least part of them."
JJ pipes up. "Your family is here?"
Dave nods. "And they brought food."
"It does smell wonderful in here," Emily muses.
The girls follow Dave further into the bullpen where organized chaos is in full orchestration. They stand to the side and watch as Sophia instructs the placement of the tables. In moments, the food is removed from the desks and organized on the tables. Plates, cutlery, and drinks are brought out as well.
"We should hire your sister to cater lunch," JJ suggests.
"We'd all get fat," Dave replies.
Emily shrugs. "I'm okay with that."
Hotch comes down from his office and joins them. "I just spoke to Reid; he and Morgan are downstairs. Penelope is resting and will probably be out the rest of the day. She's still groggy from the meds."
"Davey," Sophia calls out from the mass of people. "Everything is ready, can we say grace before digging in or is that not allowed here?"
Dave looks at Hotch. "Is that allowed, boss?"
Hotch shrugs. "I don't see why not. Anyone who doesn't want to participate doesn't have to, or they can step out for a moment if it bothers them."
"If what bothers them," Reid asks breathlessly as he and Morgan rush into the bullpen.
Everyone looks at them. Dave raises an eyebrow. "Did you run up the stairs?"
Reid nods as he gasps for air.
"We heard there was food, so we hurried," Morgan explains.
"There is," Hotch replies. "First, we are saying grace and then we eat. Any objections?"
Each member of the team shakes their head.
"Who's saying grace," Vinnie asks.
Everyone looks at Dave. He shakes his head. "Gio is the patriarch here. If you would, please?"
Gio nods. "My pleasure, Davey." He clasps his hands and lowers his head. Most of the others including Dave, Morgan, and Emily, follow suit.
Gio speaks. "Dear heavenly Father, thank you for bringing Anthony and Rebecca home to spend time with their families and for looking over our young attending school and starting businesses. Please bless them with prosperity. And thank you Father for looking after Poppa Rossi, for making him stronger day by day and allowing him to spend more time with all of us on this Earth. We ask you Father, to watch over Penelope, to provide her with a speedy and a full recovery. We also ask that you give Davey and his team the guidance and strength to find the man responsible and bring him to justice. Let your righteousness flow through them in their endeavors to bring about peace for their family. Bless us, oh Lord, and these, thy gifts, which we are about to receive from thy bounty through Christ our Lord, Amen."
Dave and several of his family members cross themselves at the end. "Thank you, Gio."
"Okay. Davey, bring your team over here and dig in," Sophia orders. "We have the traditional American holiday foods as well as our favorite Italian dishes."
"Ladies and gentlemen of the BAU, dinner is served," Dave announces formally. "Come fill your plates my before my family gets to it."
He waves each member of the team ahead of him. Mia hands each of them a plate and cutlery as they form a line. They all dig into the food, grabbing a spoonful or two of everything. Mia hands Derek a second plate, which he gleefully accepts.
A while later
Dave kicks back in his chair and surveys the people around him. Hotch is deep into a conversation with Sophia and Gio. Morgan is chatting with Marco and his wife Gloria. JJ and Emily are laughing with Anthony and Becky, who keeps a close eye on the two little ones, Marcus and Frannie. Meanwhile, Reid holds court telling stories to Mia, Dominic, and Vinnie.
Dave tilts his head to the right and smiles at his companions, Angela and Mike with their toddler, Ava. "How's the business going," he asks amiably.
"It's going really well," Angela replies. "We brought some of our signature goodies with us for you to have. I put them on your desk."
Dave looks over his shoulder at his closed office door. "In my office?"
"Yeah," she nods as she shifts the toddler in her lap. "Uh, Aaron let me in there."
Dave nods. "Ah."
"Thank you again for the help," Mike says. "We really appreciate it."
"You're welcome," Dave smiles. "I believe in you guys. I know you'll have the best coffee shop in town soon."
"Well, word seems to be getting around," Mike states. "We get people who call us and ask if we will hold some items for them."
"The tartufo di Pizzo are a top seller," Angela pipes in. "We have Panna Cotta, tiramisu, Cassata Siciliana…"
"Oh, that's one of my favorites," Dave cuts in.
"I remember," Angela smiles. "I put in extra of those."
"Va bene famiglia, tempo di pulire e andarsene," Sophia orders. "Davey, I brought containers for you and your friends to fill up and keep for later. Gloria, can you get those please?"
Gloria pulls out a bag and hands a large container to each BAU agent. "There are plenty here if you want a second one," Gloria tells them.
"Grab as much food as you want," Sophia announces.
They each fill a container or two and stand back as the family moves in to clean up the leftovers, pick up trash, wipe down all the surfaces and return to tables to the breakroom. In a matter of minutes, they packed up and head out the door – giving hugs and handshakes to everyone.
Dave hugs and kisses each member of the family. He holds his sister closely. "Thank you," he whispers in her ear. "We needed this."
"You're welcome, fratellino," she says as she holds him tighter.
As the family crams into the elevators, the team waves good-bye.
"How many sisters do you have," Morgan asks.
"Three," Dave answers swiftly. "Isabella, my second sister – her family is around twenty members. My youngest sister, Irene has only one child and two grandkids."
"Thank God they all didn't come," Hotch states. "We would have run out of room."
"And stomach space," Emily quips. "I am so full."
BAU - Several days later
Dave steps out of his office and heads towards Hotch's office. He stops as the younger man comes out and heads towards him.
"You look like crap," Dave teases, even though he feels like crap as well.
Hotch hands him a file. "Well, 4 days, no leads, I feel like crap."
Dave glances at the sketch on top of the file as they walk together to the briefing room. "Any word from the hospital?"
"She's out of the ICU. Doctor said she could go home in a couple of days," Hotch informs him. "Reid and Morgan are replaying it with her and they'll keep us posted."
Dave holds up the file. "We can always round up the three million guys the sketch looks like."
They enter the briefing room as JJ hangs up her cell phone. "That was the police. They took the sketch back to the coffee shop, restaurant, came up empty," she tells them.
"I even ran it through vicap," Emily states. "No hits."
The four of them stand around the table.
"No luck with the rental car companies. No prints at the scene. No shell casings. The cell phone the guy used to call Garcia at work was a disposable," Hotch lists. Hotch walks around the table towards the evidence board. Dave stares at the pictures that have burned into his memories. "The guy's a cipher."
The Briefing Room - later
Reid and Morgan enter the room. Reid's already talking as he sits down. "He knows enough to use legal terminology, but he's not an actual working lawyer."
Morgan pulls out the chair next to Reid and sits down. "I think we're looking at someone who failed out of law school or didn't pass the bar."
"Did Garcia say if he gave any details about the cases he was supposedly working," JJ asks.
Reid shakes his head. "No specifics."
Hotch crosses his arms. "If he failed out of the system, it could explain why he's got a working vocabulary and not much more."
"It could explain his anger," Emily offers from her seat at the table. "Even in his lie, he rails against other people's incompetence."
"Well he's clearly a narcissist," Dave says. He squeezes the back of the chair. "The clothes, the watch, the subtle hints at where he went to school. He's faking humility when he's saying New Haven and Cambridge instead of Yale and Harvard."
Hotch turns to his left. "JJ, we need an analyst who can, uh, put our information through the legal databases."
"I'm on it," she nods as she spins and walks out the back door.
End Chapter 22
