The Prey

9. Mutual Feeling

The conference room is bustling with paper sound and keyboard clicking. Scrapping pen on papers. Each one of them trying to fill in more and more in this case. They know they're almost on the edge of the closing line. That's why it seems harder now. This is the calm before the storm.

"Our survivor turned out not to be so weak like what we saw," Garcia pulled their attention to the big screen in front of them, "Meet Isla Harper. A part of a special task force, three times's serving in Iraq as a sniper, a deadly one. Her body count is kinda awesome if I might say. She was deployed to Iraq for 42 months without any break upon her own special request. She was completing her sniper military training, 3 years after she went to the WitSec program"

"42 months deployment in Iraq without break in between. That's suicide." Emily scrunched her forehead.

"There's more," Garcia clicked next, "After her return to the States, she was recruited by our government as an undercover agent, known by the code name Lone Wolf. Her task is to eliminate every dangerous terrorist, State enemy, and international fugitives. And she never has any failure in every task she's given." Garcia explained in an amusing tone. "She is stated as one of the most effective hitman agents,"

"No wonder Luke got a very good blow on his face before," Tara chimed, they really need a good laugh after all. But it seems inappropriate, they choose to chuckle instead.

"I guess that's the part why now she decides to hunt her hunter down," Matt said again.

Garcia snapped her fingers to him, "And her status is still active."

The team's eyes widened, "You mean she's still an active hitman?" 

Garcia nodded again, "That's why they put her on M.I.A for her cover-up. This also means, whoever she kills later, we have no authority to arrest her. She's literally untouchable. This is one of the reasons Barnes doesn't want us to know. She got a licence to kill."

"And how do you know this?" Reid opened his mouth finally.

"I have my ways, golden boy!" She winked at him. "And I also found out about the victims' relationship in this case." This one really eats them inside, and they're waiting for Garcia's explanation. "All of the abducted victims, Melinda Lanes and Ashley Harada, are a runaway jury. They pleaded guilty to Howard Albert crimes. And the judge sentences him to the death penalty. The third victim, which is our survivor, is the key witness. But weirdly, our fourth victim, Paige Mitchell wasn't one of them. Why? Because Paige Mitchell didn't exist."

Reid scribbled something on his note. "It's an alias or an anagram? Perhaps?"

"Not anagram," Garcia clicked her laptop again, "It's an alter ego, from our dead man's beloved long-term girlfriend, Miss June Waters." She ended her presentation, sat down beside JJ.

"Paige is having split identities?" Rossi asked in confusion, "Which one is the main identity then? Or I may say The Hunter is June Waters, and the bait is Paige Mitchell. Am I right?"

"You are right, my favourite Italian man."  Garcia stood up and strode out from the conference room, back to her office.

"Where's Luke? He isn't back here yet?" Tara asks Matt when she's realized that gloomy man was nowhere to be found since yesterday after they separated at the crime scene.

"He is waiting for Ava in her apartment. He's sure she will come back to get something from there." Matt answered while texting his wife. Then he put the phone on the table.

"I hope they're not gonna kill each other," Tara mumbled, remembering when Luke got hit by her. At that time she was still drugged. Imagine now when she's completely sober. And the fact of her outstanding job, guess how much damage she can do to him.