In his Grasp

chapter 10- a bunch of maybes

The team of agents sat around the large, long wooden table in the medium sized room. Each agent was reviewing the case file and what they had so far. The only sound you could hear was their breathing and the occasional flip of the page.

"Guys.. I think I have an idea on where Reid could be." JJ said.

Hotch immediately looked up from his file, the rest of team followed not even seconds after.

"Well, share with the class." Emily added.

"Hotch said earlier that the victims were taken within a 10 male radius leaning on the city of Blaine. Blaine is next door to St. Paul.." JJ trailed.

"Garcia said that the traced call was somewhere in Blaine, what if Reid is on the edge of that city?" Morgan finished.

"Exactly." JJ said, slightly nodding her head. A small smile crept on her face, she began to think they really figured this out.

"But that's very vague," Rossi pointed out. "We have no idea what direction and St. Paul has quite the square footage. How are we supposed to know where Reid could be?"

"Well we know if Reid is in a basement of some sort he's not in a neighborhood. He would be heard by others surrounding him it would have to be in a secluded place." Prentiss added.

"That's true but what if Reid isn't in a basement at all. An abandoned building like a warehouse of some sort would be just as sufficient." Hotch suggested.

Morgan pulled out his phone and called Garcia.

"Finally you called! I was beginning to think you guys forgot about me. Did you find Reid yet?"

"Well that's what i'm calling you about baby girl, we think we have a lead. And once we find this son of a bitch i'm putting his head on a stick."

"What do you need me to do?"

"How many houses are on the edge of Blaine/St. Paul that are extremely secluded?"

"Ahhh one second," You could hear the furious typing of Garcia keyboard from a mile away, "I have four results."

"That's great mamas, are any for sale or abandoned?"

"Nope all are currently occupied."

"Okay that narrows it down. We know Jason lives in an apartment so he would have no way to access someone's home especially if they're living there. Can you do the same search but for warehouses or maybe storage units?"

"I can do anything, and... there are 2 currently un-used/abandoned warehouse's. Results came up for 1 abandoned storage unit."

"You did great Garcia." Hotch chipped in. Garcia slightly blushed.

"Now go and find my junior g-man! I'm sending the locations to your phones now. Garcia out." And with that she was gone. Garcia had showed her team that she was fine but still worried. In reality, ever since she found out Reid was taken she had been sobbing hysterically in her office. Fortunately, she had a young Kevin Lynch to comfort her.

"This simplifies things severely, Reid is highly likely to be in one of these three locations." Rossi added.

"Rossi, you're coming with me. We are going to the storage unit with a few extra officers for backup. Morgan, Prentiss, JJ I want you guys at that first warehouse, you will also have a few extra officers. If Reid is at neither locations all of us are heading to the second warehouse with S.W.A.T. and we're storming the place. Let's get a move on."

The agents rushed out of the conference room, collecting their things and extra officers, then heading to their government issued vehicles.

The car ride with Hotch and Rossi was silent. Neither agents had anything to say, all they could do was think.

"Aaron, I know what you're doing. Stop doing it." Rossi said, breaking the silence.

"What are you talking about?" Hotch shrugged it off with his stern face and nonchalant attitude, but deep down he knew that Rossi knew. Hotch was blaming himself for Reid's kidnapping.

"Oh come on don't act clueless. I'm a profiler too you know. You can't blame yourself for Reid's kidnapping. It's not your fault."

Hotch finally broke. "It is Dave. I knew he was having nightmares, I knew he wasn't in the right state of mind and yet I sent him into the woods alone with no backup. I mean not even an extra patrol car following him, just by himself." Hotch looked off the empty road for a second and into Rossi's eyes, "The kid's barely 25. We just celebrated his birthday. If something bad happens to Reid, I would never be able to forgive myself."

"I knew he was having nightmares too Hotch. If anything i'm just as much to blame if not more. Reid's a big boy now and he can handle himself. We act under the impression that he's alive and unharmed, this is exactly how we will find him."

Hotch smiled slightly, and so did Rossi. It appeared to be contagious.

Rossi and Hotch soon arrived to the warehouse to find it empty, nothing but a few squatters. Morgan, JJ, and Prentiss had the same outcome. The agents had all hoped Reid would be in the last warehouse.

When they had arrived, Morgan led the way. He pulled out his weapon along with his flashlight and made sure his FBI vest was strapped on tightly. "Let's move in." He said to the SWAT team as they were all led into the building.

Morgan, including the rest of his teammates saw Reid laying on the floor with a Jason Gacy on top of him, hands around his neck.

"FBI Put your hands up and step away from him!"