Home (Spencer Reid)

Chapter 10

The next day

I was down at my desk in the bullpen, sending an email to my mom.

Hey mom, I hope everything is alright. I'm in the middle of a case, but I thought i'd check up on you. How's dad? Are the nurses taking care of him? I really want to come down and see him. I know it's not helpful to me to think this way, but I know he doesn't have much time left. I miss yo

"Haley?" Hotch called. I looked over to see Mrs. Hotchner walking in, pushing Jack.

"I've been trying to call, but you haven't been answering your cell." She explained. "No, my battery died, we just got back. What's wrong?" He asked. I went back to writing my email.

"A man came to the door with something he said that you would need right away. That... a girl's life depended on it." That got my attention. "He came to the door?" Hotch asked. She nodded.

"Hotch!" JJ called as she came into the bullpen. "This was just delivered to my desk." She said. She handed him what looked like a picture frame with a butterfly in it and some writing. Hotch looked at it. "Everyone in the conference room please." He announced, without looking up.

"My eyes are so heavy I can barely even see it." Elle said.

"I think it's a coded message of some sort." I commented.

"The unsub said we needed a book, didn't he?" Reid asked.

"Yeah a book that inspired many an adventure." Morgan replied.

"It's a book code." I said.

"Each one of these numbers indicates something, for example page 118, line 30, word 3. We need to figure out what the words are and fill in the blanks." Reid examined.

"Yeah, but from what book?" Elle asked.

"I don't know." Reid sighed.

"The problem is it'd have to be the exact same edition of the exact same book that he used." I said.

"We've got a DNA hit on the lock of hair sent to Tori." JJ said, walking in. "Rebecca Bryant, she's been missing out of Boston for almost two years."

Garcia ran in, terrified.

"He...h- he hacked me." She finally got out. "What, how?" Reid looked up. She looked embarrassed. "I..... I was playing a game on my personal computer and somehow he got in through that..." She said softly. "A game? Garcia how could you be so stupid?!" Gideon said. A tear rolled down her cheek. "I'll find a way to identify him." She assured.

"We need Haley to sit down with a sketch artist and get a picture of this guy. We can have JJ set up a press conference and get this out to the world." Gideon said from his seat at the conference table. "The unsub said specifically in his note to me to keep this within the team." I said. "Yeah." He replied. "Get a sketch artist up here" Gideon went back to looking through his file.

"He said we have everything needed to complete the quest." Reid turned around from the white board.

"The unsub's gotta be up there somewhere" Elle said.

"The reporters are on their way." JJ said, getting up and going into the other room.

"Hotch walked in and over to where Elle was sleeping. He gently shook her. "I'm awake!" She sat up. "I'm sending you home." He replied. "No-"

"You need to get some rest, and we won't do anything without you, I promise." He said. "But-" She argued. "That's an order." Hotch countered. She nodded and grabbed her bag.

"Anderson, take Greenaway home." Hotch called to one of the agents in the bullpen.

I turned back to the board and examined it.

"A tape was in the envelope Haley dropped off." Hotch said, putting it into the TV.

A man going to sit down at a desk appeared, but you couldn't see his face. "He moves funny" Hotch commented. "It's like he's injured or something." Morgan added.

"I assure you, you'll all understand in the end why it must be this way. You'll thank me." The man said.

"You are now on a quest. The young girl's life depends on the successive completion of it. As you can see she is quite beautiful, but in distress."

"You will receive an item soon that will help you finish your quest. You will find you will also need a book twas inspired many an adventure like mine." He went on.

"We already knew that." I smirked.

"Believe me when I tell you I truly hope to see you all soon. It will mean a successful.... end to this adventure. For all of us." I rolled my eyes as the video went off and turned back to the board. Gideon got up and left.

"Coffee?" Spence asked me as I continued to examine the board. "Five sugars please." I said without turning away from the board. What? I like a little coffee with my sugar.

He came back with our coffees and handed me mine. I smiled at him.

"I IDENTIFIED THE HACKER!" Garcia yelled. We all looked up.

"That's gonna have to wait Garcia." Hotch looked up from his phone.

"Elle's been shot."