1 | TREPIDATION. [SPENCER REID]

TWENTY THREE.

TWENTY THREE ; COULDN'T EVEN DETECT-

It wasn't unusual for there to be tension laced within events of a case. Everyone was always on edge, never knowing when they'd find something that could turn the investigation on it's tail, never knowing if they were going to solve the mystery in time to save the victim.

This case was no exception.

If the team's suspicions were correct, they couldn't trust the people that were supposed to be on their side. They had to be aware of who they were talking to and what they were telling them. They had to be aware of the mass mutiny that could ensue. They had to be aware of the notorious and famous member of the Horsemen lurking in the halls of the prison.

The room that the team had been placed in only seemed to get smaller as they dug deeper into this case. All the boards had photos tacked to them, files splayed across the tables of the room. Quinn's index finger tapped against her thigh as she flipped through papers beside Kate, listening to Derek spew his concerns to Hotch. "There's a couple more guys we should talk to," he told his unit chief who continued to pin photos to the bulletin board. "So far no one knows anything, and if they do, they're just not talking."

"Maybe this has nothing to do with gang-related activity," Aaron mused as he turned to face his team.

"One thing they all have in common is no love for Hightower or Rivers," said Kate.

Quinn nodded in agreement. "His voice had a teasing tone until he spoke about those two," she noted. "Pure hatred after that."

"This could be personal." Morgan shrugged leaning against the table that Kate and Quinn sat at. "Maybe someone had a beef with those two."

The girl's eyes followed Hotch as he neared Spencer who was intently scanning the piles of files that had stacked up on the table at which he was stationed. "We need to complete our profiles. The answer's in there," he told the genius. He motioned to the files. "How much time do you need?"

Spencer's brow furrowed, gaze flicking up from the papers before him and calculating the time that it would take. "Uh-" he shuffled through the files, sighing, "a hundred and twenty-six minutes, approximately?"

"Hurry," Hotch directed him, turning to Morgan as the man spoke up.

"We should go help finish those interviews," he said, hands on his hips. Kate nodded in agreement, motioning to Quinn to follow. She let out a light-hearted groan, making the woman grin softly.

"I'll join you in a minute," Hotch replied, turning to leave the room. "But first I'm going to go outside and check in with Garcia." The team went their separate ways, Morgan, Callahan and Quinn walking in silence down the hall. All that was heard were the quiet sounds of the prison systems working.

Derek and Kate exchanged a knowing glance as they walked in front of Quinn, Kate's eyes traveling back to her. Quinn scrunched her brows together, unsure of what to think of the conversation that was about to occur. They pulled Quinn in between them, smirks written across their faces as they looked down at her.