Cardigan, Criminal Minds¹

𝒍𝒙𝒙𝒊𝒙. fire and rain

CHAPTER SEVENTY-NINE: FIRE AND RAIN !

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       IT HAD BEEN ABOUT A MONTH SINCE THE UNDERCOVER CASE. The rest of the team had been out on a day off and Casey was still in the office. She was currently working on paperwork when suddenly, her phone began to ring. She checked the Caller ID and smiled once she saw who was calling. "Hey, you." Casey smiled.

"Hey." Saywer's voice picked up on the opposite line. "What's up?" Casey asked. "Uh, nothing much but I think I'm gonna need you and your team down here and soon." Sawyer told and Casey paused. "Why?"

Sawyer had explained the situation to Casey and Casey had decided to bring it over to Hotch. The case that Sawyer brought her seemed to be a little odd and it was definitely something the team needed to look into.

Casey rapped her knuckles on the doorframe and catches Hotch's attention. "Hotch?" Casey walked in the office. "May I speak with you?"

"Sure, have a seat." Hotch offered and Casey decided to sit down. "Uh, Sawyer— Officer Gunthey..." Casey corrected herself. "He invited us on a case. And you should be getting a call any minute now. A girl has gone missing."

Hotch looked up. "For how long?" Suddenly, his cell phone rang before he could answer. "Hotchner." Hotch took a pause. "Yes, I— Really?" He looked up at Casey. "We will be down there soon. Thank you."

"Did you find out?" Casey asked in curiousness. "Two hours ago, a young girl was found near the lake. Down in Pennsylvania. She drowned in the lake." Hotch informed. "Do you think it pertains to the other case?" Casey asked. Hotch shrugged as he stood up. "Possibly. What do you have?"

After speaking with Casey, Hotch called the rest of the team in as they set up in the roundtable room. The team had all joined the roundtable room and JJ was the last to walk in. "Hey, guys." Hotch greeted the team.

"What's going on? Did a case go through to Hotch?" Garcia asked. "Well—" Hotch paused and looked towards Casey. "Actually, this one came to me. And Hotch, technically. From Sawyer. In JJ's hometown." She held the remote up. "Stephanie Moore. She had just been reported as missing."

"For how long?" Morgan asked.

Hotch and Casey looked at one another before Casey decided to answer. "Twelve years." She told. Everyone looked at one another in confusion. "Twelve years?" Emily asked. "How come we're just hearing about this?" JJ asked.

"Stephanie's mother, Joni, had come to the police about it before when Stephanie first went missing, but they never had anything to go on so the case turned cold. And recently, Joni had scrounged up her own money and decided to go to the police and demanded a detective and the FBI to get involved." Casey explained.