timeless, spencer reid [ 1 ]

109. the return

"Chicago has one of the largest gang populations, over 100,000 active members. Last year 61% of all homicides were found to be gang related." Spencer informs.

"Well, it makes sense. I mean, the kid runs away from home and finds himself out on the street. Then some knucklehead gangbangers come along, recruit him, and promise him protection. Next thing you know, he's got the "family" that he never had." Derek says.

"Garcia, we need a list of active gangs operating in the area." Hotch tells her.

"Copy that." She replies.

"We need to hit the ground running. If this is some sort of mass gang initiation, it could be the first of a series of attacks." Hotch says.

+++

"Go ahead, mama." Derek tells the blonde.

"I pulled this video footage from across the street from the diner. I managed to get a partial plate off the car." Penelope says. "I'm running it now." They watch the video.

"Garcia, can you pause it?" Spencer asks and she does so. "Rewind it a moment just after Gavin steps out of the car." She does so. "You see that? The driver didn't wait around for him to enter the diner before he drove off."

"Well, maybe he sensed something was up." Derek says.

"Why not wait around to make sure everything went as planned?" Spencer questions. "I mean, what if something went wrong and the mission had to be aborted? How would the driver let him know inside?"

"He couldn't even if he wanted to. Gavin didn't have a phone on him." Bedelia says.

"Maybe that's why the driver drove off. He knew that Gavin wasn't planning on leaving the diner alive." Spencer says.

"This was a suicide mission." Derek realizes.

+++

Bedelia is going over the file, her head in her hand as she flips through it.

"Hey." She looks up as Spencer walks in with a bag and a drink. "I got you a gift."

"You left for food?" Her eyes light up.

"Mm-hmm." Spencer nods and smiles at her, putting the bag and drink down. "Hot chocolate." He puts the drink down.

Bedelia opens the bag, grinning at the sandwich.

"Thank you. You are a lifesaver. I did not want to be surviving off of candy and chips." Bedelia says, reaching up and putting her hand on the back of his neck, pulling him down. She kisses his cheek before turning back to her food.

"You're welcome, my love." Spencer kisses her temple.

Bedelia lets out a content hum, a soft smile resting on her face.

+++

Blake walks into the room where Rossi is staring at the crime board and Spencer and Bedelia are sitting at the table and studying the file

"I know that look. The wheels are turning." Blake says, the couple glancing at her to see her talking to Rossi.

"I've seen this before." Rossi says. "Muzzle flash burns. We'd occasionally see this on POWs in Vietnam."

"So someone held a gun to his head and repeatedly fired blanks." Blake says.

"That's incredibly risky, especially considering the margin of error when you're holding the barrel of a gun to someone's temporal bone. The discharge alone can cause the skull to shatter." Spencer informs.

"Which means not only did this person want to put the fear of God into Gavin, but he knew exactly how to do it without killing him." Rossi says.

"The poor kid was tortured." Blake says.