timeless, spencer reid [ 1 ]

082. the company

"Caught us." Emily smiles.

"You know? This is my favorite part." JJ says as the three sit back down. "This is where you hang yourself with your own tongue. So, please, keep talking."

"What are you doing here?" He asks JJ. "You got a baby at home being raised by a man you're not married to. What are you doing here?" He asks.

"Well, it's work. But we make it work." JJ says. "Where's Cindi?"

"Huh. Work. I know all about work. Negotiating who does the dishes, fighting over who folds the laundry. Except Cindi and I never fight. She knows her role." Malcolm says.

"After you beat her into signing a contract." Emily retorts.

"What we have is a bond you know nothing about." Malcolm says. "But I'll tell you about it. If you ask permission."

Emily lets out a small scoff.

"Okay." Bedelia mumbles, rolling her eyes.

"Come on." Emily says, grabbing the file and getting up, Bedelia following. JJ stays in her seat.

"You're curious, aren't you?" Malcolm asks. "You want to know our secret."

After a moment, JJ gets up and the three walk out.

"Please let me go back in there." JJ says.

"No." Hotch denies.

"His guard is down. He thinks he can manipulate me." JJ says.

"We can't give him what he wants. We need to keep him off balance." Hotch says.

"Then let me go in." Derek says, walking in. "I can get in his head."

"The way he got into yours?" Rossi asks.

"Look, I know I have no right to ask this, but please just trust me on this." Derek says. "I can break him."

+++

"We've been clear that he would like all charges dropped." The lawyer says.

"We still have some questions about John Hitchens." Emily says.

"And Mr. Ford has explained that the gun that Hitchens used to shoot himself was stolen." The lawyer says. "He even filed a police report. So, what else do you need to know?"

The lawyer and Cindi walk out of the room. Emily, Bedelia, and Spencer follow. Emily shakes her head at Hotch and Derek.

~ ~ ~

Emily, Bedelia, Spencer, and JJ are gathered by a desk, watching Cindi and Malcolm hug and kiss. The two start to leave.

"Wait." Yvonne calls making the two stop. They turn to her and Derek.

"I can't talk to you." Cindi says.

"No, no. It's okay. I trust you." Malcolm tells her before leaving.

"Baby..." Yvonne walks over to her daughter. "Let me just... let me just look at you." She smiles a little before frowning. She pulls Cindi's shirt down a little to reveal the bruising on her neck. "Oh!" She cries. "What has he done to you?"

"He loves me." Cindi says, fixing her shirt.

"You call that love?" Yvonne asks.

"I have to go." Cindi says. "I have to make him dinner." She walks out. Yvonne walks over to Derek.

"That's not her. That is not my daughter." She states.

+++

"We need to rethink the profile." Rossi says. "This ain't Stockholm."

"It could be battered wife syndrome." Emily suggests.

"No, it's not." Derek argues.

"Morgan, the way they hugged each other, I-- I think she genuinely loves him." JJ says.

"I'm telling you, that's not the woman I know. She wouldn't do that." Derek says.

"Then what is it, Derek? Why would she behave this way?" Rossi asks.

"She said she needed to cook dinner for him." Derek says. "Is this what you cook for your husband?" He asks, holding up the small container of food. "Would you make that for Will?" He asks JJ.

"No." JJ says before letting out a small laugh. "I might for Henry, though."

"Exactly. When I was growing up, this is what Cindi and I ate. This exact brand." Derek says. "Hotch, what did your mom make you for breakfast?"

"Oatmeal and orange juice." He answers.

"What do you make for jack?" Derek asks.

"Oatmeal and orange juice." Hotch says.

"Same brand?" Derek asks and Hotch nods. "She might have been cooking dinner, but it was not for Malcolm Ford."

"You think they have a child?" Emily asks.

"Yes, I do." Derek says.

"We didn't profile that. There's no evidence of one in the home or in their lives." Spencer says.

"Unless Ford keeps the child from her to keep her in line." JJ says. "I mean, that fits the profile."

"It's a stretch." Rossi says.

"It's the only theory that would explain her behavior." Derek says.

"All right, Morgan." Hotch says. "Prove it."