HEAT WAVE // spencer reid

MUSE: Part 2

Chapter Song: Daddy's Girl - Natalia Kills

After discussing the findings with the coroner, they decided to join the rest at the crime scene, suspecting that the nanny might have known the unsub.

In the SUV, Spencer asked Castle how long she would be shadowing him on his cases. She responded, "For as long as it takes, you never know when inspiration strikes." Reid, with a hint of sarcasm, asked, "I thought I was your inspiration?" Castle, with a playful wink, replied, "Oh, Dr. Reid, you are and in so many ways." Morgan, overhearing the banter, jokingly asked Castle to go easy on him.

Upon arriving at the crime scene, they presented their FBI badges to the cops securing the area. When the cop looked at Castle with a bit of skepticism, she confidently declared, "Adrienne Castle, VIP." Morgan added, "She's with us."

—-

As they walked towards the apartment complex, Adrienne's gaze lingered on the park, and she remarked, "This brings me back." Reid, curious, inquired if her family had park getaways.

Adrienne shared, "Sorta. My dad did movies back in the day, and Alek's mom was on a Broadway tour. When they had time they would take us, but mostly it was me and Alek." Reid found it odd, noticing a certain distance in her tone.

Adrienne explained, "My dad got married when I was nine. Along came Alek, but they didn't last. She's okay; she is present in his life, but theater is her calling, so dad took custody."

Reid respectfully delved into Adrienne's family history, "what about your mother?" she sighed "you're FBI, you tell me." Then she revealed, "No clue, my dad doesn't like talking about her. All I know is that it was a one-night stand" Reid, with genuine curiosity, asked how she ended up being raised solely by her father.

Adrienne recounted, "One night, he got a call from the nearest hospital. There was a baby that had just been abandoned, but his name and number were left as an emergency contact." She continued, "When he arrived they told him the mother was never seen, but she only left a note that specified that he was the father and how to find him. He asked for a paternity test but stayed with me in the hospital. The test indeed came back a match, and he took full responsibility of me. And here we are."

"Wow" softly interjected Spencer while processing the information. "Yeah, he acts like a teenager but he stepped up for us" Castle answered sincerely.

As Reid listened to Adrienne's story, he gave his opinion, "I think he did a great job" she looked at him as he continued "statistically 40% of children in the U.S suffer from abandonment, and out of those 71% find it hard to properly function in society; you are a promising young woman and Alek seems like a good kid." Adrienne smiled at the nerdy compliment.

Castle confesses, "I think you also successfully outsmarted the stereotype," before he could say anything she explained "You are my muse, I had to look you up... sorry about your mom... and dad"

Surprisingly he didn't took it the wrong way "it's fine" he muttered. Instead Reid, went back to her life history and asked, "Have you ever wanted to meet her?"

Adrienne contemplated for a moment before responding, "When I was younger, I did. Now, I don't know." The complexity of emotions surrounding family history unfolded in their conversation, creating a unique connection between Spencer Reid and Adrienne Castle.

Reid, absorbing the information, realized there was a complexity in Castle beyond the surface.

Changing the topic, Adrienne asked, "Anyway, Dr. Reid, you're in your 30s and single. You've ever been married or engaged?" Reid quickly responded, "No, never been."

Adrienne teased, "Too bad, you'd be good at it. You have an eidetic memory; that's like a relationship miracle." Reid chuckled, acknowledging the unique advantage his memory offered.

Castle's curiosity persisted, "But you've been in relationships?" His expression shifted, and he softly replied, "Once." Before Castle could delve further into the subject, Emily and JJ joined them, interrupting the personal conversation.

Emily reported, "The victims only coincidentally were in the same building but never had contact. Oddly, the families of the victims they worked for knew nothing about them other than their work."

Reid, intrigued by the peculiar circumstances, questioned, "So, they were essentially strangers to their own employers?"

JJ nodded, "Exactly. It's as if their work was the only connection between them."

Adrienne interjected, "Not such strangers from what we got from the forensic report." Reid, recollecting Dr. Parrish's findings, relayed the information, emphasizing that the nanny had engaged in consensual activities before her death. Emily, considering the possibilities, stated, "Most likely, she knew the guy." JJ added, "And from her schedule, she was here when it happened."

Recognizing the need for more information, they decided to regroup with the rest of the team to look into the building's tenants.