"I'm telling you, it's real!" The man said, getting more and more indignant.

"Noble, you need to calm down," Prentiss tried.

Fruitless, it turned out because the guy, Abraham Noble, just flat out ignored her and continued insisting that it was real. It didn't matter what she said, he refused to listen. She wasn't even sure what he was talking about. He had only been picked up because his neighbours and coworkers had said that he had been acting really squirrelly, and he technically worked alongside their victims. So, they had picked him up. Something Emily was now starting to regret, or at least regretting volunteering for his questioning because, seriously, this guy was just too much. She didn't know if he was even a worthy subject because he kept going on and on about something being real (was he having hallucinations?) and not letting her get a word in edgewise.

Until she said this. "I can see it's real. Can you tell me what this is?"

He positively beamed at her acknowledgement. It made him look a bit unhinged. Which was nicely paired with his unhinged rambling. He hadn't even seemed to pick up that he hadn't actually shown her anything, nor had she seen anything. She was really starting to lean towards hallucinations. The question was, where they the sort to lead towards a psychotic break and kill their victims or just more minor stuff related to being a stressed out researcher at a university?

"It's a new gemstone, that's what it is," he said proudly.

Emily had to admit, that made her pause for a moment in confusion. That was not where she expected that to go though she wasn't really sure where she expected that to go. Not to gemstones, anyway.

"A new gemstone?" She repeated because what else could she do?

"Yes. I, Abraham Noble, have discovered a new gemstone."

He looked so proud of himself, kind of like Henry when he had drawn what he considered a masterpiece despite being a bunch of scribbles. The problem was, unlike when Henry was showing off, she didn't know what to say to this man.

"Right. Um."

Seriously, how was she supposed to spin this in order to get him talking? Did she agree with him because he was delusional? And that was probably the best way to keep him calm? Or did she treat him like he was lying to stop him feeling all smug and like he got one over them? He did seem very earnest about this so she was leaning towards him just being delusional. Surely if someone had discovered a new gemstone then it would be all over the news? Or even in research papers or something?

"I have! I, Albert Noble, have discovered a new gemstone."

"You've already said that."

"I didnt think you heard me. You didn't say anything. Too stunned to speak? I would he if I was in the presence of someone who had discovered a new gemstone, which you are, because I, Albert Noble -"

"Have discovered a new gemstone. Yes. I've heard."

Emily sent a helpless look at the two way glass. Why was she always the one to interview the weirdos?

[xxxxxx]

"Is it even possible that this man could have discovered a new gemstone?" Rossi asked from his very deliberate choice to be behind the safety of the two way mirrors.

And yes, he was allowed to feel safer here because Noble was starting to thump on the table every time he spoke. From his experience, that meant the man would probably end up throwing his chair about at some point if he didn't calm down. Yep, he definitely preferred to be on this side of the glass. He was getting too old to have chairs thrown at him.

"Technically, there could most definitely be gemstones that we have yet to discover."

"But the chances of this guy?"

"A billion to one," Reid answered instantly.

"Is that your exact odds?" He joked.

"Im trying to be more conversational," he pouted.

"Didn't Prentiss tell you that that didn't work?"

"Yes. But that's just one person."

"Well, let me be the second."

Reid sulked for a moment before looking in at Emily again. Noble was gesticulating wildly and the tension in Emily's shoulder implied that she was closer to contemplating murder than to telling him off again.

"Should one of us go in there and rescue her?"

"Hell no," Morgan answered immediately. "It's not my turn to deal with crazy."

[xxxxxx]

"Look at this, you can't tell me that you've ever seen anything like this," Noble bragged, dumping a handful of sparkly stones onto the interrogation table.

Some fell off it and he went scrambling for them like they were pieces of gold.

"Im not even sure what these are," Emily said, picking one up and inspecting it.

Sure it was sparkly and all, it looked pretty enough in that uncut, I found a cool stone on the beach kind of way.

"Because you've never seen them before."

Which she supposed made sense, with the logic he was using anyway.

"And no one else has."

He looked so proud when it sounded like she agreed with him.

"Exactly."

He looked like he was going to launch into a whole explanation on these "new gemstones" when she noticed her phone flashing and held up a hand to stop him.

"Wait," she said as she read the text from Reid, eyebrows shooting up. "Save your explanation for a few minutes. We have an expert from Arizona willing to hear about this."

He looked intrigued, which she was grateful for as she had been listening when he ranted about how the local university didn't appreciate him when he went to them of his news. She was also grateful for the fact that Reid had a big network of specialists ready to hand because she had no clue how else to get through to this man. Who would hopefully turn up soon. What were the chances that he was a visiting lecture in this town? Something was actually going their way for a change.

Thankfully, he didn't take long. Apparently, he had just arrived at the university when Reid had called.

"What is this about a new discovery?" The man asked as he was being ushered into the interrogation room.

"Yes. I, Abraham Noble, have discovered a new gemstone." He said, puffing out his chest, all previous antagonising attitude gone.

Emily sighed heavily and gave into the urge to bury her head in her arms. This was going to be a long day.