Part of a Team - Criminal Minds Fanfiction

Chapter 87 - Zugzwang

Elijah was laid on the couch with Horatio, honestly trying to have a nap. This whole Maeve situation was stressing him out. Horatio meowed and looked up at Elijah.

"Dont even start, you've already been fed." Elijah stroked him.

Horatio purred and laid down

"That's better." Elijah closed his eyes.

That's when Elijah felt Horatio move onto his face.

"You are.. Impossible." He sighed.

"Elijah?" Reid called as he walked into the house.

"Hm?" Elijah responded, not getting up from the couch.

"I can't get to Meave."

"What do you mean you can't get to her?"

"I've tried calling her, but she won't answer."

"Right- Hang on." Elijah lifted Horatio off his face as he stood up,"So.. She's just gone?"

"Gone." Reid shook his head.

"You don't think.. Her stalker.." Elijah trailed off.

"I..I think we need go tell Hotch."

"Yeah." Elijah nodded, putting a hand on Reid's shoulder,"We're going to figure this out."

Reid nodded slowly.

"I promise." Elijah assured him.

*********************************

Elijah and Reid were waiting in Hotch's office at the BAU, waiting for Hotch to arrive.

"I got here as quickly as I could. What's wrong?" Hotch asked as he hurried in.

"We need to tell you something." Reid sighed.

Hotch looked between them before nodding slowly and closing the door.

"Our correspondence started ten months ago. She wrote me a compliment on my Journal of Behavioural Psych article, and for three months, this is how we communicated because she was scared." Reid handed over the files.

"Scared of whom?" Hotch raised a brow.

"She didn't know, only that he was dangerous. Horribly threatening phone calls, letters, emails, no matter where she moved. It's why I never called her from the same phone Booth twice."

"You don't know what Maeve looks like?"

"Neither of us do." Reid shook his head.

"Or where she works?" He asked.

"No. I know she's a geneticist." Reid answered.

"We don't even know her last name." Elijah sighed.

"Then I have to ask you, how do you know she's missing?" Hotch looked up.

"Because we always addressed our letters to our pseudonyms." Reid told him.

"And you're Dr Joesph Bell?" Hotch asked.

"The real-life inspiration for Sherlock Holmes. And that codename is how I know she's in trouble. The voice on the phone indentified himself as Adam Worth. The American criminal that Arthur Conan Coyle based the character of Moriarty on." Reid explained.

"And what did he say to you?"

"Zugzwang. It's a chess term. It describes the point in a game when a player realizes he'll inevitably be checkmated. He has to decide whether to resign or to play through to the bitter end.." Reid informed him.