Note to Readers: The Edgar Allen Poe poem is called Sonnet--To Science.
"What do you mean? Gone?" Rossi questioned.
Hotch reverted downcast eyes to the floor, "There are signs of a struggle. Albeit there isn't much to go on, it's safe to assume that he did not leave his home of his own free will."
He could hear Dave's voice hitch, "Did he leave anything behind?"
Hotch glanced back at the bedside table. "His glasses and cellphone are here," he stepped closer to see if there was anything else, "He unplugged the clock."
He picked it up and examined it. A logo caught his attention. "It has memory storage. It can probably tell us an estimate time when he was abducted." He bent down and plugged the cord in the outlet. The time, 3:17, blinked to life. He wrote it down on a notepad he had found on Spencer's desk.
"Morgan and I are going to look around, I'll call you back," Hotch stated.
"Alright, I will be awaiting news," Rossi agreed, then the line went dead. Hotch returned his phone to his pocket and marched back into the living room.
"Anything?" he directed the question at Derek, although he didn't look exactly at him. His eyes were busy taking in his surroundings. Derek stood from his crouched position, "Should we be alarmed by this, or...?" he held a syringe in his now gloved fingers.
Hotch shook his head, "No, we would have seen the signs if he was using again. He would be on-edge and cranky. He would be more alert and not carelessly leave evidence like this laying around." Derek looked at him and frowned, "What happened to the 'no profiling your teammates' rule?"
"We are profilers, it's kind of hard not to." Derek looked away, Hotch was right, of course. He nodded grimly, "Right. So what do we do now, Hotch?"
Hotch scanned the area once more before answering, "Let's get a crime scene screw over here. We need this area sectioned off, and they can find any evidence that we may have missed."
Derek agreed and placed the syringe on the kitchen counter, "I'll contact them."
He stepped into the hallway to make the call. Hotch figured this would be the perfect time to tell Rossi that they would be leaving shortly.
He answered on the second ring, "Rossi."
"Dave, Morgan and I are leaving soon, we called the crime scene investigators to take over from here."
"Thanks for telling me. Drive safely."
Hotch ended the call and met with Derek in the hallway, who was also finishing his call. "They'll be here in ten minutes. Do you want to go now or wait for them?" Derek asked his superior.
"We can wait."
11:21, BAU Office
20 minutes later, they found themselves in the elevator on their way up to the bullpen. Hotch looked to Derek, noticing his overall gloomy vibe. He cleared his throat, causing Derek to focus his attention on him. "We are going to find him. Don't worry," he tried to reassure the younger agent.
"Don't worry? Hotch, he's like a brother to me," Derek protested. Hotch quieted him with a simple, "I know."
The elevator's movement slowed and there was a quiet ding as the doors swished open, revealing a distraught and concerned Emily. "Is Reid okay?" she asked as they stepped out.
Derek would have answered, but Hotch spoke before he had a chance, "We need everyone in the briefing room."
"When?" she questioned.
YOU ARE READING
Pretty Boy- A Criminal Minds Fanfic
Fanfiction"Who are y-" With a swift backhand to the face, Spencer was silenced, yet again. The force interrupted his balance and he swayed a bit before falling onto his back. The man stood above him, weapon pointed at his head.
