Beauty and the Genius

Chapter 3

"A popular theory among leading astrophysicists estimates that the hypermatter reactor would need about 10 to the 32nd joules of energy to destroy a planet the size of earth. Now, Lucas said it took 19 years to build the first Deathstar right? But if you look at the new essential chronology, there's a test-bed prototype for a super laser that spans..."

Morgan got up from his desk.

"Where are you goin'?" Spencer asked him.

"Taking back the last five minutes of my life."

Spencer pouted and Gwen patted him on the shoulder. She wasn't interest in Star Wars in any way, but Spencer looked so happy when he was talking about it.

Morgan was heading towards Rossi's office.

"You can't go in there," Spencer told him.

"Don't you want to know about this guy?"

Emily raised her hand and got up from her desk. "I do."

"You've got it all memorized. His books, his bio." Spencer turned to look at Gwen. "Never mentioned you before."

Gwen shrugged. "Well, he likes to keep me a secret. What with all the bad guys out there." It was part of the reason he'd trained her extensively in self-defense. Gwen calmly followed them to her father's office, cradling her coffee cup in her hands. She and Spencer had stopped there this morning.

"Yeah, books that have sold over a million copies," Morgan said.

"So?" Spencer asked.

"There's a million reasons not to come back if you know what I'm sayin'."

"Has your father said why he came back?" Spencer asked Gwen.

She shook her head. "He's a very private person sometimes. Go on, dazzle me Sherlock." Spencer's cheeks turned pink as he entered the office.

Her father chose that moment to walk up. He looked at the group of profilers in his office and then at his daughter. "You approved this?" he asked her.

Gwen shrugged and gave him a small smile. "I just wanted to know what they'd do."

Rossi shook his finger at her. "Piantagrane(Troublemaker)."

"Sempre, papa (Always, daddy)."

"Huh. Taupe walls," Emily said, "That's a negative color. Cold, distant. You know, emotionally, taupe is linked to loneliness and the desire to escape from the world."

"I just figured the guy's walls would be covered with plaques and commendations," Morgan said.

"Huh. Maybe he doesn't want to be reminded of past victories. It's a new chapter for him."

"Well, whatever happened to the moratorium on inter-team profiling, guys?" Spencer asked.

"Come on, Reid, team? I don't think this guy knows the meaning of the word," Morgan said.

Gwen was barely holding back the urge to punch Morgan in the face.

Morgan pulled out one of Rossi's pieces of artwork. "Oh, I found something. Looks like some type of religious art. Original, maybe? Definitely expensive."

Spencer took it from Morgan. "It's Renaissance art. If that's original..."

"Is it?" Emily asked.

"I don't know, it's kinda hard to tell. It means he's into the classics."

"What else?" Morgan asked.