start a riot, criminal minds [ 3 ]

026. spencer

Penelope, JJ, Luke, and Madelyn are all by JJ's desk. 

"What's wrong?" JJ asks, noticing Emily and Rossi's expressions as they walk up.

"Reid is in jail." Emily states.

"What?" Madelyn asks.

"Jail?" Penelope asks.

"In Mexico." Emily adds.

"Why the hell is he in Mexico?" Madelyn asks.

"I don't know. I didn't talk to him." Emily says. "The call came in to Cruz from their lead investigator."

"What's he being held for?" Luke asks.

"Drug possession." Rossi informs. "With intent to distribute."

"No." Madelyn denies. "No. He-- he doesn't touch drugs. He-- he wouldn't. Not after-- no." She states.

"What type of drugs?" Luke asks.

"Cocaine and heroin." Rossi states.

"Oh, my God." JJ mutters.

"This can't be happening." Penelope says.

"We need Lewis and Walker here ASAP." Emily states.

"Yeah. I can call them. I can do that." Penelope says.

+++

"This has got to be Scratch." Tara states. "He was laying low. Now we know why."

"Crossing the border as a fugitive is a huge risk." Luke says.

Madelyn paces the floor of the jet, her hands clasped on the back of her neck as she gnaws on her lower lip. It took Emily some convincing to let her come along given the five month pregnancy, but Madelyn swore the only way she wasn't getting on the jet is if one of them shot her.

"The reward is greater." Emily says. "He's been punishing the team. Now his target is Reid."

"Peter Lewis dropped off the map after attacking Tara's family." Stephen says. "Maybe he's been hiding in Mexico this whole time."

"We also have to consider this isn't related to him." Emily says.

"Who else would it be?" Rossi asks.

"Drug cartels." Luke says. "Could have threatened Reid and used him as a mule."

"Agreed. This could simply be a case of bad luck." Rossi says. "Reid was in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"The kids are safe. Spence's mom is safe. The home nurse he hired said all is stable." JJ assures.

"Oh, thank the stars." Penelope sighs in relief.

"How long did he tell the nurse he'd be gone?" Luke asks.

"Uh, 3 days." JJ says.

"That sounds reasonable. After the Palm Springs case, Reid said he had to get back to Houston to talk to his mom's doctor." Emily says.

"Mads, he say anything to you?" Luke asks.

"I-- I haven't talked to him since we wrapped up Palm Springs case. He-- he said he was gonna go to Houston and-- and try to get her back into a facility and that he'd figure everything out and we'd be okay, and-- no. He-- he didn't mention Mexico."

"Well, Houston is only a 5 hour drive from the border." Tara says.

"Usually I can read him. I can't believe I didn't pick up on any of this." JJ says.

"He didn't want you to, and there's no way you would have guessed he'd end up in Mexico." Stephen says.

"The question is, why did he go down there?" Tara questions.