The Boss' Niece (Spencer Reid)

83. Rescue mission

Derek, Emily, Rossi, Matt, Tara and JJ breached the location that Penelope had given them. They had S.W.A.T. with them, which made the search easier. They didn't find anything, except for Theo's dead body, which concerned them. If he was dead, that meant that all their focus would be on Cassidy.

———
(In A Truck)

Cassidy sat on a chair, her wrists and ankles strapped to the arms and legs of the chair so her chances of escape were slim. She didn't care that she had been kidnapped. What she really cared about was the fact that she hadn't been able to comfort herself or her unborn son by holding her belly.

"Spencer has really been tested since we last saw him. Locked away with those he's been chasing. He came out of that different. I know he was fond of Theo. He was his student and trusted him. But he betrayed us, and loyalty is everything." Merva spoke as he sat opposite Cassidy, who glanced between him and Meadows with hatred in her eyes.

———
(At The BAU Office)

"We've got teams searching concentric circles out to a 20-mile radius." Anderson informed Emily, who nodded as she and the team sat in the conference room, trying to come up with a plan.

"That's good. There's a chance they're gonna lay low instead of risking getting on the road right away." Emily smiled, watching as Anderson left the team alone.

"You know, I hate to say it, but for a second, I thought Theo might have counted as our 300th." Matt exhaled.

"They didn't take his hyoid." JJ shook her head.

"Cassidy said it all happens at 10:23." Penelope breathed as she sipped a hot coffee.

"But it's past that. So what did she mean?" Spencer asked, confused.

"Could be a clue here. They got sloppy since they left in a hurry." Rossi shrugged his shoulders.

"Okay, well, we can't be that far behind them." Emily shook her head, shocked by how much improvisation this cult has done since Merva was in custody.

"I know, but there's easy access to 3 major highways, and we don't know which way they went." Tara reminded them.

"Right, but they're in tractor trailers. That means we can track them through weigh stations." Derek suggested, Emily's face lighting up almost instantly.

"No, you won't be able to. I hacked the AVI, the Automated Vehicle I.D., and created clean histories for each of the trucks so they wouldn't have to stop. So as long as they're within the legal weight, they'd get a green light. I did that. I wanted to see Cassidy, so I did that. I did the wrong thing." Penelope started to cry.

"But there's got to be a way to trace an electronic weigh station bypass. They're transponders, like a carpool lane. Each one is assigned..." Before Emily could continue, Penelope stopped her.

"No, no, you won't be able to. I used old registrations, nothing legit. It's all untraceable. I tried to leave a trail, but I couldn't. There wasn't enough time. This is my fault. We're not gonna be able to find Cassidy in time, and it's all my fault." She glanced at Spencer, who exhaled, reaching out to hold her hand.

"Penelope, it's gonna be okay." He smiled.

"How is it gonna be okay? They killed Theo and we don't know where they're going." Penelope sobbed.