Never Together Nor Apart

[Chapter 65]

[Emily is 33 weeks pregnant (8 1/4 months); JJ is 20 weeks pregnant (5 months); Lily is 22 weeks old (5 1/2 months)]

Hotch's POV:

"Two years ago, 12 year old Adam Morrissey vanished on his way home from school from Franklin, Virginia. At the time, he was living with his mother, who had just gone through a bitter divorce," Garcia clicks to show pictures.

"I remember this. His mother and local authorities believed he was abducted by his father and taken to Mexico," Dave states.

"Yes. And then three months after that, 13 year old Jimmy Bennett went missing from Richard, Virginia, 75 miles away. He was in foster care because both of his parents were drug addicts. He had run away once before, so police assumed that it happened again," Garcia adds onto Dave's statement.

"The cases were thought to be unrelated until last night," I tell.

"That is when prison guards at Fletcham Correctional Center intercepted an incoming package containing the clothes both boys were last seen in," Garcia displays more photos.

"DNA samples from skin cells found on the clothing were confirmed to match the missing boys, so we know the items are authentic," I note.

"And there's dried blood on the clothes. That's not a good sign," Morgan adds.

"Who was the package being sent to?" Reid wonders.

"Antonia Slade," I press my lips together.

"You don't say," Rossi says surprised.

"She was a serial killer captured 15 years ago, right?" Kate looks for confirmation.

"The Runaway Killer. She was a clinical social worker, and she started this runaway hotline in order to lure her preferred victims, young teens, to her home. Gideon was on that case," Dave gives the rundown.

"It says here that she lived with her long-time lover Phil Garmin, who shot himself when police arrived. They found nine bodies—five girls, four boys—wrapped in plastic, encased behind the drywall of her basement. All victims had been shot in the back of the head," Reid skims over the old case file.

"It drove Gideon crazy that she never talked about the murders after her arrest. She never explained why she did it," Dave continues.

"And she never has," I point out.

"Any information on the package itself?" Morgan asks.

"The package was postmarked in Roanoke. The return address was the prison. When police went to question the post office, no one could recall who sent it," Garcia replies.

"Ok, I'm going to ask the obvious question here, but do we really think these boys are still alive? Based on the clothes, I'd say it doesn't bode well," JJ frowns.

"Well, there is the timing of the package. I mean why send it now, two years after the kidnappings, if the boys have long been dead?" Reid questions.

"Someone might be trying to replicate one of Antonia's crimes," Dave offers.

"The boys were too young when they were taken, but they'd be the right age now. What if Antonia's orchestrating this entire thing from behind bars?" Kate suggest.

"We need to talk to her," I order.

*time skip*

"You must be Agent Hotchner," A taller man recognizes.

"Yes, Sir," I answer, "this is Agent Jareau."

"Pleasure. I'm the warden here. Bart Shulman," he introduces.

"How long has Antonia Slade been in solitary?" JJ asks.

"Four weeks. We found a road map of the state in her cell. She claims that's a groupie sent it and we missed it during mail inspection," He explains.

"Would you send a copy of her mail and visitor log to our analyst in Quantico, please?" I ask.

"No problem," he answers.

"Thanks."

"Does she have a lot of groupies?" JJ wonders.

"More than you'd think. Yeah, every so often some sick son of a bitch shows up outside our gates hoping she'll see him," he responds.

"And does she?" I question.

"No. No, other than her lawyer when she was first incarcerated, she refused to see anyone until now," He begins walking towards her cell.

"Open the gate," A man shouts.

A buzzing noise goes off before we step inside.

"Did she say anything when she agrees to see us?" I ask.

"Yes. She'll only see you one at a time. She insisted on it, says too many people make her feel claustrophobic. She's in C-306 and you remember not to take anything from her or give her anything," he gives me the usual speech.

I walk down the hallway, leaving JJ behind to ask the warden further questions. I finally walk up to cell 306 and wait for it to be opened. I walk in and listen as it shuts behind me.

"Ms. Slade, I'm Aaron Hotchner with the FBI," I introduce myself.

Her back faces me as she writes in a notepad. She pauses at my name, then continues her writing.

"There are two boys missing in Virginia. Adam Morrissey and Jimmy Bennett. Do you know anything about them? A box with some of their clothes was delivered here addressed to you. Do you know who sent it? Antonia, I realize you have no reason to help us. But you did agree to see me, and that tells me you have something to say," I pause periodically throughout my talking, waiting for her to speak, "alright now you hold all the cards. You're the only one who can break this case open, and we need your help," I continue waiting.

She rips a piece of paper of the notepad and crumbles it, throwing it at the bars behind her. She stands up and walks back towards her bed and lies down, never making eye contact with me. I move the paper out of her reach and get the warden.

"She threw a piece of paper towards my feet. I know she had written something on it but I can't see what. We need that paper," I inform.

He enters the cell and takes a moment before coming back out, paper in hand. He hands it to me, giving me something to go on. I spot JJ beyond the second security bars and hold up the paper, showing her we have something.

Emily finally is on maternity leave and now we have Kate as her replacement. Kate was actually one of the only "replacements" I liked when she first came, everyone else I had to get used to before I liked them 😂

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