The Boss' Niece (Spencer Reid)

30. Casting doubt

Lester stood up and walked over to Hotch.

"Now, my client ran from the police, a behaviour that you called a strong indicator of his guilt." Lester questioned.

"Yes, that's correct." Hotch nodded.

"Were you aware that he had an outstanding warrant at the time of his arrest?" Lester asked.

"Yes. I believe it was for an automobile accident, a hit and run." Hotch explained.

"So isn't it possible that Mr. Matloff fled - not because he was guilty of murder - but because of this other warrant?" Lester put his hands into his pockets.

"Yes, it's possible." Hotch nodded, trying to remain calm.

———

Garcia sat in her lair, rolling her eyes.

"Right. 54, native American. Ma'am, I have all that. What I really need now is identifiable information. Yes, I know what a closed adoption means. Do you know what a court order means?" Garcia spoke to the lady on the phone, very annoyed.

"We don't have time for court orders." JJ whispered to her.

"You know what, ma'am? I am done being nice. If you look to your cursor, you'll notice it's moving on its own. That's me hacking your secure network." Garcia smirked, typing away at her computer.

"Now I got her file, now I got her social, and now, 'cause you're grumpy, I'm gonna send your boss these Jamaican vacation photos." Garcia chuckled a little bit.

"Check you out- no tan lines." Garcia laughed as she hung up the phone, turning around to face JJ.

"Nina Genesee, married in 1978, changed her name to Moore, current address Madison Heights, Virginia." Garcia explained.

"Madison Heights? No, I called this woman. She said she wasn't the one. Said she'd never even been to Roanoke." JJ looked at the screen, confused.

"Why would she lie?" JJ asked, scoffing.

"And why hasn't she tried to see him since he woke up?" Garcia questioned.

———

Hotch continued to be questioned by Lester.

"So, you've stated that it was your profile of the killer that led you and the police to my client's door that night?" Lester asked.

"Behavioural analysis was a factor in our investigation, yes." Hotch nodded.

"And was Behavioural Analysis also a factor in the Olympic park bomb case in Atlanta?" Lester was clearly trying to achieve a goal, apart from freeing Matloff.

"Yes, it was." Hotch nodded, confused.

"And was that suspect you identified, Richard Jewell, ever convicted of the bombing?" Lester asked.

"No, he was not convicted." Hotch shook his head.

"Because he was innocent. Your profile led you to the wrong man." Lester insisted.

"Jewell was not the perpetrator, but if you look at the real Olympic park bombing, Eric Rudolph, you'll see that our profile was dead on." Hotch explained, defending himself.

"Well, how about if we look at the Baton Rouge killer? Your unit said that he was white and living in the city. He was black and from the suburbs. You said that Dennis Rader, the BTK killer, was divorced and impotent. He turned out to be married with 2 kids." Lester explained.

"Having been wrong on those cases, isn't it possible that you were wrong about Brian Matloff?" Lester questioned, crossing his arms.

"No." Hotch sternly spoke, starting to feel a little defensive.

"The fact is, Behavioural Analysis is really just intellectual guesswork. You probably couldn't tell me the color of my socks with any greater accuracy than a carnival psychic." Lester chuckled, uncrossing his arms before moving back to his seat.

"Charcoal gray." Hotch spoke up, Lester seeming intrigued by the fact that Hotch was even guessing.

"Well, look at that. He got one right." Lester chuckled to the jury, lifting up his pants to reveal his charcoal gray socks.

"You match them to the color of your suit to appear taller. You also wear lifts, and you've had the soles of your shoes replaced." Hotch continued, watching as the jury looked between him and Lester in shock.

"One might think you're frugal, but in fact, you're having financial difficulties." Hotch tilted his head a little bit, seeing how much his accusations were affecting Lester.

"You wear a fake Rolex, because you pawned your real one to pay your debts. My guess is to a bookie." Hotch clasped his hands together again.

"I took this case pro-bono. I am one of the most successful criminal attorneys in the state." Lester became defensive, feeling the stares of the jury.

"Your vice is horses." Hotch glanced down at Lester's belongings.

"Your BlackBerry's been buzzing on the table every 20 minutes, which happens to be the average time between posts from colonial downs." Hotch tried not to smirk.

"You're getting race results. And every time you do, it affects your mood in court, and you're not having a very good day." Hotch leaned back a little bit, watching as Lester looked a little panicked.

"That's because you pick horses the same way you practice law- by always taking the long shot." Hotch finished.

"Well, you spin a very good yarn, agent, but as usual, you've proven nothing." Lester scoffed.

"If I'm not mistaken, the results from the fifth race should be coming through any minute." Hotch looked down at his watch, shortly hearing the buzzing of Lester's BlackBerry. Hotch raised his eyebrows, watching for Lester's reaction. Lester himself looked embarrassed.

"Why don't you tell us if your luck has changed?" Hotch smirked, but only slightly.

"Your honour, this is-" Lester began to defend himself, but the judge shook his head.

"What do you want me to do? Either show us your BlackBerry or cut him loose, counsellor." The judge instructed.

"Nothing further." Lester gave up. Hotch looked over at both Cece and Spencer, seeing the smiles on their faces.

"Wise decision. Court will be adjourned until 9 AM, tomorrow." The judge announced.

———

JJ and Emily got into contact with Nina and arranged a meeting with her. After chatting for a while, JJ and Emily looked at the older woman.

"Mrs. Moore. Did he ever send you anything? Any gifts?" Emily asked as she and JJ sat on the couch.

"I wanted to throw them away, but...I couldn't." She handed the pair a few items that she had received over the years.