Emily carded a hand through her hair and chewed her nail anxiously. A thousand questions were running through her mind, all laced with a growing feeling of dread. Dread that they had missed something three years ago, something that could have prevented all of this. It was a dread that had been clawing at her mind for the last 5 hours.
After several failed attempts to get through to Strauss, only to discover that she was in a meeting, the wait was doing her head in. Of course then she had been informed in no uncertain terms that the information she wanted was classified, and that anything related to it could only be discussed over a secure line. Now that was all very well in theory but trying to get access to said secure line in a busy FBI field office without the urgency of an active case to back her up had been frustrating to say the least.
But here she was now, waiting to be transferred through to Strauss so that she could finally get some answers.
It was all she could do not to sag in relief as someone picked up on the other end.
"Agent Prentiss, I wasn't expecting a call from you. Is Jennifer alright?"
"Yes, ma'am. As well as can be expected, although it is Agent Jareau I'm calling about."
"Do continue." Strauss replied curtly.
"Ma'am, I need to know more about JJ's assignment during her year away from the BAU. Evidence has come to light suggesting there may have been more to her disappearance than Ian Doyle." Emily didn't see the need to bring up Morris's role; it wasn't a good idea to go around throwing accusations left, right and center without solid evidence.
"Agent Jareau was transferred to act as a Press Liaison to the State Department, I don't see how that could have had anything to do with her disappearance."
Emily allowed her frustration to color her voice only slightly, as difficult as that was, "Ma'am, with all due respect, you and I both know her transfer to the State Department was a backstop. I know that she suspected a mole within her new team. Ma'am, please, any details you can give me may be crucial. I just need to know that my friend is safe." Her voice caught on that final word; after everything that had happened, there was no way she would let any further harm come to her friend.
She heard Strauss sigh on the other end of the phone.
"I understand, Agent. As you know, Jennifer's transfer was a backstop. Instead she was assigned to oversee the interrogation of female prisoners at an overseas US operations base. I can tell you that she excelled at her post but it was not without its difficulties. She trusted the wrong people."
"How so?" Emily prompted.
"As you said, she suspected a mole within her unit. She began working with a man, Michael Hastings, to uncover this inside man. Unfortunately, after his death, evidence emerged revealing him as the mole she was looking for."
"How did he die?"
"He was killed after their truck hit an IED. He died at the scene, Jennifer was hospitalized with severe head injuries and a broken clavicle. They had been en route to an external facility for enhanced interrogation of our own people. We concluded that Hastings' contacts had realized he had become a liability and sought to silence him before he could give up any information."
"What was the evidence implicating Hastings?"
"A cell phone was found on his person with numerous calls made to a prepaid burner cell with an Afghan area code. A thorough check of his financial revealed an account through which he received regular payments from a shell company known for its ties to terrorist organizations."
