1 | Undeniable Chemistry [S. Reid]

xxv. manganese

"HE'S SMARTER THAN YOU thought." JJ muses as they look into the interrogation room where Barrett, is being questioned by Emily and Spencer.

"He never says the word water. He always talks about the inlet." Hotch points out.

"Well, he's a local kid. He knows the specifics about the island." Derek reminds him.

"He's getting sloppy." Hotch corrects him, making Willow tilt her head.

"You think it's all an act?" JJ asks, making Willow cross her arms over her chest.

"Barrett's never said her name. He's fidgety, looks like he's a submissive, but he's not entirely weak." Willow hums, making Hotch nod in agreement.

"He doesn't have the looks or confidence to pull this off, so he calls Syd to seal the deal." Rossi says.

"We saw the pictures. Kate rejected Barrett." Derek breaths out, slight frustration evident in his voice.

"What pictures?" JJ asks, making Derek hand her Pearson's phone, which is filled with pictures of him and Kate.

"How does Barrett pass a polygraph?" Derek asks Hotch.

"Even if he didn't kill her..." Hotch trails off.

"He'd have to make sure she's never found." Rossi finishes off for Hotch.

"He's got a boat." Willow says, making Hotch shake his head.

"The locals checked it. No sign Kate was ever on it." Hotch tells her, making her sigh.

"Wouldn't a boat have GPS?" Derek asks no one in particular but before anyone can answer, JJ jumps in.

"That's Kate's phone. There, in the backseat. Kate's mom has that right now." JJ says, as she shows the picture to Derek.

"You sure?" He asks her, making her nod as she points at the phone.

"Yeah. They recovered that from her room." JJ informs the team, making Hotch look back at interrogation room.

"So she made it back." Hotch says to himself.

"Kate's cell phone was left in the car and then later turned up in her room." Derek says, making Hotch look up at Willow.

"Willow, go get Spencer and Emily. Meet us in the briefing room." Hotch instructs her, and she nods, before walking out. She walks up to the door next to the room she was in just now, and opens it slightly to pop her head in.

"Hey, uh, there is something you guys should see. Briefing room." Willow says, biting her lip, in a nervous habit, before she leans back and waits for them in the hallway. Emily is the first to walk out, followed by Spencer. All three walk together to the briefing room, where the others are waiting for them. Hotch then proceeds to explain to everyone what they had just discovered.

"How?" The detective asks, concerning Kate having made it back to her room.

"We figure most of the story's true. That's why they never changed it." Hotch answers the question.

"They did drop Kate off at the hotel. Pearson took Barrett home, just like they said. But then because Barrett was rejected, he circled back to punish Kate." Emily explains to the detective.

"Well, why would she let him in?" He asks her.

"Because he had this." JJ answers as she shows Kate's phone, which she got from the parents.

"No sign of a struggle in the room." The detective points out.

"Barrett lured her outside, maybe drugged her, took her to his boat." Willow explains, with a slight shrug.

"He was obsessed with the inlet. He knew the traffic patterns there, when the fishermen were coming in and tourist charters were going out." Spencer adds to her point.

"The blood from the catch attracts hundreds of sharks. It's a feeding frenzy out there that time of night." The detective lets them know.

"We asked him if he killed her. He didn't. Asked where her body is. He doesn't know." Emily says, as realisation hits the them.

"Technically, those aren't lies." Spencer says.

"How can you prove this?" The detective asks as he looks up at Hotch.

"We'll get them to admit it. Derek go back to Pearson. JJ, Spencer and Emily, you're on Barrett."
The four agents nod at his instructions, before they all go to the interrogation room.