Episode: 13x15
"Family quarrels are bitter things. They don't go according to any rules. They're not like aches or wounds, they're more like splits in the skin that won't heal because there's not enough material." - F. Scott Fitzgerald
"Last night in St Louis, 4 roommates were killed in a rental home in what police are calling a robbery turned homicide." Lily said, as she showed the pictures of the new case to her team.
"It's brutal." Luke commented upon seeing the four young people dead and covered in their own blood.
"Yeah. Looks like the two sides of his brain were fighting with each other." Matt agreed. "Left side wanted to rob the place, the right side wanted to cause some destruction."
"Yeah, but both sides got exactly what they wanted." Rossi said. "What was taken?"
"Nothing traceable." Lily responded. "A computer, tablets, cash, jewelry, and the like."
"How long was it before local PD called us in?" JJ asked.
Lily opened her mouth to start an explanation, but in that exact moment Linda Barnes entered the conference room already talking and pulling out a chair in the round table to make herself comfortable.
"They didn't." She explained, as the whole team frowned at her. "I called and offered our services to them, because this is exactly the kind of case the BAU takes from here on."
Luke and Spencer both glanced confused at Lily. Normally picking the cases was her doing. But by the way the woman rolled her eyes at the older Agent and bit down her lip hard, they knew Barnes had walked right over Lily to make this case happen. Both men exchanged a glance. That wasn't going to end well.
"Maybe it's just me, but I need a little help understanding our new case selection criteria." Rossi spoke up, bringing Luke's and Spencer's attention back to the team.
"We want cases with good optics that are also quick and easy to clear." Barnes answered, but not before shooting a glare at Lily. She huffed quietly when the Agent wasn't looking at her anymore. "Here we have 4 victims, young upstanding professionals, all of whom the public can emotionally invest in. The crime itself is contained, and the motive appears to be determined."
"The M.O. is pretty straightforward." JJ said. "Their hands and mouths were duct-taped and they were stabbed repeatedly."
"I see the unsub left a knife. Were there any prints?" Rossi asked.
"No." Lily answered, shortly.
"With this many victims, it could be a team." Luke said, quite uncomfortable with the fact that Barnes was still around.
"Right. Shouldn't rule it out." Spencer agreed, in the same situation as his co-worker.
"You're right." JJ nodded, trying to defuse the tension. "Ok. Wheels up in 20."
"Meet you on the tarmac." Barnes said, as she got up from her seat.
The whole team froze in a second and frowned at the woman.
"You're going into the field with us?" Tara asked.
"Yes." Barnes answered, as it was obvious.
"No offense, but you're not a profiler." Rossi commented.
"True, but I have worked in the field, and a fresh set of eyes might be useful." She argued. Not one member of the team moved. She sighed. "I know you think I'm the enemy, but I'm not. I can be your greatest advocate if you'd let me. Now, you've had some poor leadership in the past, but I know I can help right the ship."
"No. You're wrong." Spencer spoke up so forcefully Lily felt a shiver run down her spine. "Emily Prentiss is not a poor leader. She defined what a unit chief should be. I'm not going to stand here and let you destroy her career like this. If you're going, I'm not."
Everyone's eyes followed Spencer's form as he left the room, all too surprised to do much else. Over the initial shock, Lily shifted her weight from one foot to another, deciding if she should go after her fiancé. JJ gently shook her head, letting her friend know she thought it would a bad idea. Lily sighed, but didn't move.
"You know, the kid looks a little flush. Needs a sick day, don't you think?" Rossi almost spat at Barnes as the woman scoffed.
"Anybody else need a sick day?" She asked. When no one answered, she nodded. "Good. Then as Agent Jareau said, wheels up in 20."
She left the room and the whole team exchanged glances. JJ sighed.
"Ok. Come on, guys, we still have a job to do." She said. "These people deserve justice."
***
"So each of the 4 victims were in their early 20s and rented a room from a house owned by an AGM properties." JJ said, as the team briefed on the jet.
"Looks like they were a nameless, faceless landlord." Tara added.
"But the victims weren't." Barnes spoke up. "Charles Cook taught high school Math. Vicky Wilson worked at a nonprofit."
"Jenny Kyle was in medical school while Ray Murphy was finishing up law school." Luke finished.
"I don't see any red flags in their pasts." Tara frowned going over the files in her tablet once more. "No criminal histories, no incidents of violence. Not even a speeding ticket. They were just living normal, regular lives."
"And surprisingly, none of them appeared to be hooking up." Matt said. "You'd think in those close quarters, that age group, they'd be bound to pair off."
"Looking at their social media, it seems their house was the place to be. They held dinner parties, they hosted game night, they had people over to watch sports." Barnes said.
"That much foot traffic widens our initial suspect pool." Rossi noted.
"Good day." Penelope greeted politely as her face appeared on the small monitor on the table in between the team. "It looks like the house was a lot more crowded than we thought. Three other people lived there, too. I'm sending you their information now."
There was a beep signalizing Penelope had sent them the new information she got. Lily opened up her tablet and started to read the new files.
"So Corrine Jordan's a flight attendant." JJ spoke up. "She was in Zurich during the time of the murders."
"And Rachel Willow is an accountant." Tara continued. "She spent the night at her sister's and then headed straight to the PD after they notified her."
"She's waiting for us there now." Lily said, as she read the email the Detective had sent her a few seconds before.
"That leaves Larry Scanlon, a psychologist at a mental health clinic." Matt said. "He's still unaccounted for."
"Which makes Larry our primary suspect." Barnes said. "He needs to be located asap. Garcia, check all of his recent online activity."
"Ok." She said, before hanging up the video call.
JJ opened her mouth to give the team the instructions on what to do next since she was, temporarily, the Unit Chief, but Barnes beat her to it.
"Alvez, work with the locals to search for Larry." She said, as JJ groaned lowly and Lily sent her a sympathetic smile. "Matt, head to the M.E. while agents Jareau and Lewis set up at the PD. Agent Rossi, you and I will head to the crime scene. Agent Scottley, I want you to work with the local news. I want them to know we are here."
At that, Lily frowned. The media? What did she want with the media in a case like this? And so soon?
"I don't think..."
"That's an order, Agent Scottley. Don't question my orders, you get it?" Barnes interrupted her for the second time that morning.
Lily bit her lip to stop herself from saying something she would regret. She shared a look with JJ and the blonde shrugged gently. Lily looked back at Barnes.
"Yes, ma'am."
***
As Lily started to set up the crime board in the conference room they were given in St. Louis, she sighed when she noticed Barnes standing beside her with the cup of coffee she had asked for to the detective and didn't even thank her for.
"Did you talk to Dr. Reid?" Barnes asked, as Lily continued to pin up the pictures and maps up on the board. "After the way he... Lashed out this morning, that is?"
"I didn't have the time yet." Lily said. "I'm sure he's fine, though. He's just a little stressed."
"Has he been stressed ever since he left prison?"
"Prison has nothing to do with this." Lily was quick to defend her fiance. "He is going to therapy."
"What is stressing him so much then?" Barnes pressed. "Maybe the marriage? Did you set up a date for the wedding already?"
"Not yet." Lily answered, through gritted teeth.
"I see." Barnes nodded. "Do you think that might have something to do with the fact that you work together? Seeing each other all the time?"
"No." Lily answered curtly.
"I hear you have a son."
"Does this conversation have a point, Agent Barnes?" Lily asked, growing defensive again as soon as her baby was brought up in the conversation.
"I just mean to say that maybe if one of you didn't work so much, you wouldn't be as stressed." Barnes shrugged. "And maybe you would've been married by now. And maybe you could spend more time with your son. I'm sure he misses you. He would appreciate having you home more often, I'm sure."
"Excuse me?" Lily frowned as she turned around to glare at Barnes. "You can stop right now."
"Sorry?"
"You will not guilt-trip me into resigning because you feel like I need to be a stay-at-home mom." Lily said. "I am a good mother and I love my son with everything that I have. Close to him or far, I love him. And the reason I do what I do is so that he can live in a safer world than I did. So, yes. You can stop talking to me as if I am a child and telling me how to raise my son or how to handle my relationship, understood?"
And before Barnes could even protest - because they both knew she would -, Lily walked out of the room, leaving Barnes there with a scowl, trying to figure out another way to take Lily down now.
***
"Larry Scanlon died of a drug overdose." Barnes assumed, as soon as they took a look at the crime scene, with Larry dead inside his car.
And, yes, it did look like it, but there was no way they could tell for sure.
"We won't know for sure until we get back his tox screen." JJ said.
"Detective, who found him?" Barnes asked, as she looked over at the St. Louis detective.
"A woman walking by." She said, offering Barnes the note she had in her hands. "She called it in immediately. This suicide note was taped to the steering wheel."
"He confessed to all 4 murders." Barnes said, after taking a quick look at the paper.
"This guy's never had any suicidal tendencies." Tara shook her head, in denial as Lily reached over to grab the note from Barnes and take a closer look at it.
"He must have felt us closing in and panicked." Barnes said.
"Here's the prelim tox screen." The detective said, offering the exam to Barns, only for JJ to reach over and grab it instead.
"Oh. Thanks." She smiled before looking at the scan. "There were no drugs found in his system."
"That's poor planning on the part of the unsub." Tara said. "He should have known."
"I'll get a handwriting analysis done on that note." Lily said, still looking over the letters and words in front of her.
"This was staged, then." The detective frowned.
"Yeah, it looks that way." Tara nodded.
"The analysis will help confirm, but it looks like Larry was set up." Lily agreed.
"And it wasn't by one of his housemates." JJ said.
"Ok, but then by who?" The detective asked.
"Someone who still knew them all pretty well." Tara said.
***
"Ok, Garcia's found Justin's most recent home address." Tara said, as the team reunited in the conference room again. "She's sending it to us now."
"Great." JJ nodded. "Hum, ok, Matt, you and Dave go to his place. I'll get Luke and we'll go to his office. Tara, will you stay here in case we need Rachel again?"
"Sure thing."
"Lily, you handle the reporters?" JJ asked, as the woman nodded back at her.
"Will do." She said.
"Agent Jareau, I'm coming with you." Barnes said, as JJ and Lily exchanged a look.
"Sounds good." JJ said, pulling Lily forward with her so the two of them could walk outside.
As soon as they closed the door after them, JJ pulled out her phone and Lily smiled a little when she saw the ID there. Spencer. He had been trying to get Emily not to quit the job already and Lily had a good feeling about that, especially when JJ smiled as well and put the phone on speaker so they both could hear, while keeping an eye on Barnes so she wouldn't know what they were up to.
"Hey." JJ greeted.
"Hey, JJ. Lily." Spencer's voice rang through the speakers and Lily smiled.
"Did you both look at the file?" JJ asked.
"We did, yes." Spencer said.
"I think a validation strategy looks like the best way to handle Justin, engage him by building up his ego."
"That's exactly what we were thinking." Spencer agreed. "Never insult him, never mention the others. It's all about him and how great he is."
"Matt and Dave are headed to Justin's place now." JJ continued. "Luke, Barnes, and I are heading to his office."
"What did Barnes think about your theory?" Emily asked as Lily sighed as she looked over at the conference room to see Barnes looking over the crime board they had set up.
"Well, you know, she's on board with whatever's gonna solve the case the fastest." Lily huffed.
"We're glad to hear your voice, Emily." JJ smiled a little just as Lily did too.
"Even though you're not really there." Lily said.
"It's great to be heard, even though I'm not really here." Emily responded as they all chuckled.
Lily nudged JJ however, when she noticed Barnes walking out of the conference room. Quickly, JJ put her phone off speaker and placed it to her ear instead.
"Hum, we gotta go." She said. "Talk to you later."
***
"Thanks, Penny." Lily said, as she turned off her phone and walked into the conference room after their leads about Justin had led them nowhere. "Garcia hasn't been able to find anything that proves Ray and Corrine were a couple, so either they were really smart at hiding it or they weren't together and the connection is all in Justin's mind."
"Real or perceived, it's Justin's trigger." Rossi said.
"Yeah." Lily nodded. "Garcia was also able to track down Corrine's car to a long-term parking garage at the airport. That's where she usually parks for work."
"Well, Justin might know that, and if he does, there's a good chance he'll be there waiting for her." Rossi said.
"Corrine's flight is about to land." Barnes said. "We better get moving. Detective, have your team clear out the garage, help set up a perimeter."
"Copy that." The detective nodded.
"Discretion is important." Barnes insisted. "Justin has to think that he's in control. If he doesn't, he may flip out and we risk having to shoot him. I want him in custody alive. Justin will have his day in court."
"Ok." JJ spoke up. "Dave, you and Matt meet Corrine on the tarmac and bring her to Barnes and I at the mobile command center."
"Agent Scottley, you call the local papers." Barnes said, as Lily frowned a little. "I want them there when we take Justin in custody."
"But we need discretion." Lily argued. "You said it yourself."
"Justin needs discretion." Barnes said. "The Bureau doesn't."
"I don't think it's a good idea to have any type of coverage at all." Lily said. "Justin can't suspect anything and if we have journalists and reporters all around..."
"You'll handle that part, I'm sure." Barnes interrupted Lily with a condescending smile that had the woman's stomach turning. "As the liaison, that is."
Biting her tongue, Lily nodded her head, a fake little smile of her own toward the older woman.
"Yes, ma'am."
***
Everything was going according to plan. Well, everything but the fifteen reporters that Lily was trying to keep hidden and away from Justin as the rest of her team worked to talk him down. She really wished she could just send them all away - it'd be better for everyone, after all- but having them here had been Barnes' order, so she couldn't. Instead, what she did was try to appease them all while hearing the commotion behind them.
"Justin." She heard Luke calling. Good, she thought, just a while longer now and Justin would be talked down. "I'm with the FBI."
"Your plan and execution were pretty flawless." Tara praised, coming out at Justin with Luke. "We'd love to know how you came up with all this."
"Hey, let me see your hands." Luke called as Justin groaned, but pulled his hands out of his pockets.
"He has a gun!" One of the reporters called, pointing at Justin as Lily looked back for a second only to notice that, indeed, Justin had a gun, pointing it to his own throat.
"Please, if you could just wait a moment..." Lily pleaded, trying not to let the reporters distract Justin.
"We just want to talk, man." Luke said, clearly trying to calm down Justin. "That's it. We just want to talk."
"That's all we're gonna do, right, just talk?" Justin asked, sounding desperate.
"Absolutely." Tara said. "You're the one in control here, Justin."
"Then I want to talk to Corrine."
"But the only way we can do that is if you put down..."
"I want Corrine now!" Justin yelled, interrupting Luke. "And if you don't bring her to me, I'll kill myself right here. Get her."
"Put the gun down." Tara said.
"I want to see Corrine!"
"You put down the gun and walk us through your plan, every step." Luke said.
"Only you can tell us everything we need to know, Justin." Tara said.
"Justin!" Barnes' voice called, causing Lily to frown as she took a look over her shoulder, gasping when she noticed her bringing forth Corrine. "I brought Corrine like you wanted."
"What the hell is she doing?" She whispered to herself, her split of a second of distraction that all hell broke loose and some five journalists rushed past her and closer to Justin. "Oh, no..."
Lily rushed after them, but she had been too late and Justin already noticed them, smirking a little as he turned to Corrine, clearly trying to attract even more attention as he pointed his gun to Corrine instead.
"Corrine." He said as Lily could see the girl shuddered. "With everybody gone, we could have finally been together. But you had to call the cops."
"Justin..." Barnes warned, clearly regretting her decision now.
"I did this for us and you spit in my face!" Justin yelled, firing his gun as everyone gasped and Corrine fell back to the ground and Tara shot down Justin.
"The vest caught the bullet." Barnes said, as everyone rushed to Corrine.
Lily managed to push back the reporters a little and JJ and Matt glared at Barnes, who took a step back from Corrine.
"Ok, so that's gonna leave a nice little bruise for you, but I think you're gonna be ok." JJ said, trying to sound reassuring to Corrine. "You think you can get up?"
"I think so." Corrine mumbled.
"Ok, Matt here will help you." JJ said, as Matt helped Corrine up to her feet gently.
"We got a medic waiting." He said, as they walked away.
"You went around us?" JJ practically growled as she turned to glare at Barnes. "What the hell was that?"
***
Out of everyone that should be angry in that jet, Barnes was the last one in the list. But, of course, she was the one who was.
"Those reporters caught everything." She yelled, throwing her bag aside as she turned to glare at Lily. "Do you have any idea how it'll look when this goes viral?"
"It was your idea to have them there." Lily argued as she stood her ground, glaring back at Barnes. "I told you I..."
"I had a plan." Barnes interrupted the woman. "Nobody was going to die."
"If you followed our validation strategy..."
"It wasn't working." Barnes said. "It was moving too slow."
"It takes time to unfold." JJ stepped up behind Lily for support.
"No! No, this is on you." Barnes said as she pointed at both JJ and Lily. "Justin's blood is on all of you. I will make sure that my report says so."
"Then let me tell you what my report will say." JJ growled back at Barnes. "That we agreed on a theory to engage Justin based on our profile, which was working until you went rogue. And in doing so, you risked the life of a woman we had already saved and forced us to kill our prime suspect."
"Why don't we show the video to the director and let him decide?"
"I think that's a great idea." JJ nodded firmly. "You just tell me when to be there."
***
"Who's up for drinks at O'Keefe's?" Rossi asked, as soon as the elevator doors opened and the whole team breathed out in relief.
"I'm in." JJ raised her hand with a second of hesitation.
"Oh, that sounds great." Tara nodded too.
"Yeah, it sounds great to me, too." Luke said.
"The kids are asleep. Wife could use a second alone." Matt said.
"Oh, please, count me in." Lily practically pouted playfully.
"Did someone say O'Keefe's?" Penelope asked as she rushed over to meet the rest of the team in the hall, throwing an arm around Lily's shoulder. "Where have you guys been? You're 20 minutes late."
"Our flight got delayed." Luke smirked as Penelpe shook her head
"Hum, ok. Cool, guys." She said. "The radar did not report any weather."
"Yeah, it wasn't weather." Lily admitted. "Unless you count hurricane Jareau."
"Oh, I'm not up to speed." Penelope pouted. "I hate it when I'm not up to speed."
"JJ ripped into Barnes before we took off." Rossi smirked as JJ rolled her eyes. "Mama Bear has got bite."
"She's lucky I didn't throw her off the jet." JJ said, as the whole team started to make their way to the bullpen.
"Where's the old battle ax now?" Penelope asked.
"Probably upstairs licking her wounds." Rossi said.
"Linda Barnes is a fighter." Matt said. "She's not finished by a long shot."
"Well, let's just say I'm glad we won this round." Rossi said.
"Uhum, I'm so proud of you." Penelope smiled at JJ before gasping when she noticed no one other than Emily and Spencer standing there in front of her. "Oh! Shut the front door!"
"You feeling better, kid?" Rossi asked, as Spencer smiled.
"Much better." He nodded, looking over at Lily as she made her way toward him. "Thank you."
"Wait. You're suspended." Penelope said as she turned to look at Emily. "How did you get... Did you sneak in? Did you do a secret ninja-type move? Tell me. I have to know."
"I, hum, I have one of these." Emily smiled, showing off her visitor's card. "I'm Reid's visitor."
"Oh, well, welcome to the BAU, Visitor." Tara smirked as everyone chuckled.
"It's a great place you've got here." Emily joked before smiling at the group again. "Did I hear something about drinks?"
"Yes." Luke said. "And I am buying the first round."
"You heard the ma..."
"Agent Prentiss, Agent Reid, I'm happy to see you." Barnes said, as she approached the group before they could walk out. "Agent Jareau, I didn't get the opportunity to tell you how much I enjoyed your speech on the jet. But you're wrong that I'm here to shut down the BAU, because I'm not. This unit is the crown jewel of behavioral profiling. I couldn't shut it down if I wanted to. But I can help restructure it. The director watched the airport video, and he felt, as I did, that we were in public and your validation strategy was failing."
"You already met with him?" JJ asked.
"Yes. I've known him a long time." Barnes said. "He answers my calls."
"I haven't even had a chance to file my report." JJ said.
"He agreed that events should have unfolded quicker, and because they didn't, the suspect died." Barnes said, as all of the team stood there, half surprised and half offended. "Now we need to ensure that mistakes, like the ones you made today, never happen again."
"Mistakes we made?" JJ scoffed.
"That said, Agent Prentiss, your suspension is lifted. You'll be reassigned within the Bureau." Barnes said. "Your new post has yet to be determined."
"What?" Garcia gasped.
"Agent Lewis, you will also be reassigned." The woman continued. "Agent Reid, you will be a full-time professor with our exchange program. Agent Rossi, the FBI deeply appreciates your service, and the director wishes you nothing but the best in your retirement. Agent Simmons, Agent Alvez, you will remain here at the BAU. Garcia, your loyalty to the team is appreciated, but it feels like a fresh start in a different department would be best."
"Fresh start?" Garcia said, clearly in the verge of tears. "I don't want a fresh start. I need I need to be here."
"I'm fired, aren't I?" JJ asked, only to have Barnes shaking her head at her.
"No." She sais. "You're the conditional unit chief of the BAU. Congratulations."
"There's no such thing."
"You're right. There wasn't. But I was able with the director's approval to create a new position just for you. I won't be going into the field with you anymore, but you will run every decision past me, big and small, before you act." She smirked at the woman before turning to Lily. "Now, for you, miss Scottley..."
"Agent Scottley." Lily corrected.
"Not anymore." Barnes said, as Lily gasped. "You can hand me your badge and gun, please."
"I'm sorry?" She scoffed.
"What? You can't fire Lily!" Penelope yelled, outraged.
"Yes, I can. And I will." Barnes continued, unaffected. "I've talked to the director about your poorly done job today out on the field and he agrees with me that, on top of not being the best liaison you could be for this team, you are also impulsive and too emotional for the part."
"Excuse me?" Lily shook her head, ignoring Spencer's gentle hand on her back to try and calm her down. "I am impulsive? My decisions? I've been trying to tell you all day that we shouldn't have talked to the media, that the case was supposed to be kept on the low. You didn't listen to me. And I only did what you told me to do because those were orders of yours!"
"Don't raise your voice at me." Barnes warned, as Lily just laughed drily and walked closer to Barnes.
"I can do what I want! I don't work for you anymore!" She said, glaring at the woman as she grabbed her gun and badge and shoved them into her hands as Barnes stumbled back just a little. "You want impulsive? I'll give you impulsive... Here is my gun and badge. Make good use of them. And since I don't respond to you anymore and none of my team will be in trouble for something I say for now on, here's one last message: if I ever have to see your face ever again, which I hope never happens, don't you dare bring my son into the conversation, because I swear to God, I'll end you, Linda Barnes. You have no idea what I'm capable of."