magnetic ◊ criminal minds

xxxi.

xxxi. 100
( season five, episode nine )

"PLEASE state your name and rank for the record," Strauss said. Lyra lifted her hands to sign a response. "Spoken," Strauss reiterated, pressing on the record button on the machine on the table the women were seated at.

"Supervisory Special Agent Lyra Lehnsherr," Lyra said aloud, making sure to send Strauss an irritated look for not being able to accommodate her. In this situation, the last thing she wanted was to be speaking.

"How long have you been apart of the BAU?"

"Seven years."

"And have you worked under Agent Hotchner the entire time?"

"No."

Strauss raised an eyebrow, silently prompting her to go on. She did not. Strauss sighed. "You currently report to Acting Unit Chief Derek Morgan, correct?"

"Yes."

"Who took over the position when Agent Hotchner's ability to lead your team had been compromised."

"Agent Hotchner voluntarily stepped down," Lyra corrected sharply.

Strauss pursed her lips, but said nothing about Lyra's tone. "And how would you describe Agent Hotchner's recent behaviour?"

"Stirred."

"Stirred," Strauss repeated.

"As anyone would be when faced with the same situation as Agent Hotchner."

"And do you believe Agent Hotchner should have been taken off the George Foyet case?"

"No. It would have only put him in more danger. Put my team in danger. I believe Agent Hotchner was our best chance of catching Foyet."

"And how exactly did you catch him?"

"You want the full story? Fine."

♢

It had all started when the team had been investigating a series of family murders. When talking to Karl Arnold, Hotch had learned the devastating news that the Boston Reaper was after him, after his family. So, the team had been dead set on finding him before anything could happen.

JJ had gotten Anderson to get as much information on the prints, from where the notes had been sent from to Karl Arnold. She was finding out all she could about the prescriptions and drugs Foyet was having to use.

As it turned out, the letter had been sent from two places; Fredericksberg, Virginia, and Westminster, Maryland.

"There's approximately 115 miles between Fredericksberg and Westminster," JJ stated. "Why mail letters from two cities?"

"Maybe it's purely a forensic countermeasure," Morgan said. "He knows that mailing letters close to home would lead us right to him, so he drives far away to mail the letters to throw off the scent."

"Yeah, the Unabomber did that. So did the 2001 anthrax suspect," Reid said.

"No, there has to be more to it," Lyra signed. This was Foyet they were talking about.

"He could have gone anywhere, but he's trolling the DC area," Rossi said.

"Well, it makes sense to stay close to Hotch. He stuck around Boston to watch Shaunessy deteriorate," Prentiss said. She realized what she said and looked at him sheepishly. "Not that you're-"

"It's all right," Hotch said. "I know he's been watching me. That's part of the reason I stepped down, so he'd think I was falling apart."

♢