CASSIDY
The moment I stepped back into the precinct, I tried to seem as cool, calm and collected as possible, although, it didn't help that Spencer and I hadn't yet figured exactly what our relationship was. We were now past the "friends with benefits" part, so what came next, neither of us knew.
GENERAL
Cool. She needed to remain cool. By the time JJ, Emily and Morgan had returned from their respective tasks, Cassidy had gone out and bought everyone coffee and some food, knowing that none of them had eaten since they left Quantico.
"Coffee anyone?" Cassidy offered as the team stood in the conference room, Hotch seemingly shocked by her sudden change in attitude.
She placed the food down on the table and watched as everyone grabbed the coffees with their respective names on it. Within the hour, two more bodies were found.
"Ecstasy isn't exactly an appetizer." Rossi spoke as the team sat in the conference room, each of them drinking the coffee at their own pace.
"You know, Kimberly Sullivan said she and her brother were drinking wine the night he died." Spencer reminded the team, looking between Cassidy and Hotch. She checked the image of the wine bottle that had been consumed.
"It's almost empty." Cassidy gasped, watching as Rossi and Spencer nodded.
"The unsub wants to increase his body count. He doesn't care who he hurts." Spencer showed the team a picture of the little bottle that was taken to the crime scene to see if the wine was tainted.
"Tell us you found something." JJ hoped as Penelope's face showed up on the screen.
"How about a sequel to "The Grapes of Wrath"? I tracked the wine bottles both Erik Sullivan and the Hatchitt family were drinking, and look out, 'cause those bottles were in cases shipped to the Edinburgh." Penelope explained, not shocked by her digging.
"Why would someone at the bar drug the wine?" Derek questioned as they all looked at the tainted liquid in the small bottle.
"Maybe it occurred at the bottling plant?" Emily asked as she looked to Penelope, who shook her head.
"There's no way to track where a specific case is going to until after it's been offloaded." Penelope exhaled.
"Yeah. And it doesn't explain the rave victims." JJ shrugged her shoulders.
"It would if we're dealing with two unsubs." Spencer brought up a solid point, a point that Rossi nodded and agreed with.
"One who alters the drug, another who doses the wine." Rossi continued Spencer's train of thought.
"But if someone at the club is spiking the wine, how is it ending up in the hands of two Manhattan parents and one underage boy in Harlem?" Cassidy questioned, confused.
"Garcia, did any of the wine victims make transactions at the Edinburgh?" Hotch asked, putting down the file in his hands.
"Nothing that's obvious. I'll keep checking. Beep, beep." Penelope smiled before the call went dead, her face disappearing from the screen.
"Okay. So...we have 5 overdose victims we can connect directly to the Edinburgh, a club that condones drug use. The answer is there." Hotch exhaled, leaning back. She could tell that he was stumped and didn't know how to proceed.
Calm. She needed to remain calm. As much as Cassidy wanted to question her dad, Hotch refused. He knew that something would go wrong if she tried to question him. The next thing she knew, Hotch threatened to take her off the case if he caught her in the interview room talking to her dad. Cassidy wanted to be involved, so her and Spencer stood in front of the glass, watching as Hotch sat across from his brother.
"I heard about those parents. I want to help. What do you know?" Sean insisted, watching as Hotch clasped his hands together, placing them onto the table as he kept calm eye contact with his brother, who leaned back.
"We think somebody at the Edinburgh is dosing bottles of wine with tampered Ecstasy." Hotch insisted, clearly not on board with giving his brother sensitive information.
"Why? To murder someone?" Sean seemed shocked by Hotch's revelation.
"Well, if they know the drugs have been tampered with, yes. If not, they could be using it as a date rape drug. Does that sound like something Thane would do?" Hotch questioned.
"Yeah. I've seen him do it. But he freaked out when he saw what happened to Anna. He definitely didn't know. Who do you think it could be?" Sean asked, his face full of shock and confusion.
"Someone farther up the supply chain. Thane might know who it is." Hotch raised his eyebrows, Sean clearly knowing something.
"I could help you find out." Sean offered, clearly wanting to be involved, Hotch scoffed, confused.
"How's that?" Hotch questioned.
"I know the guy. I can ask him where he gets his drugs." Sean insisted, Hotch shaking his head.
"Then that might tip off the real unsub." Hotch reminded his brother, who rolled his eyes. He seemed adamant in wanting to help catch the real killer.
"Well, couldn't you put a wire on me? I can do it without making him suspicious." Sean offered, Hotch continuing to shake his head. Spencer could tell that Cassidy was getting nervous and upset at the idea of her dad putting his life at risk. He knew that Cassidy wanted so badly to go into the room and deny her dad the chance to help, but he gently grabbed her wrist, stopping her. He looked into her eyes.
"Cassidy, no. I don't want you being thrown off the case." Spencer exhaled, refusing to let Cassidy go.
"No, Sean. You have no training. I'm not gonna do that. And if Thane knows more than we think he does, it's too risky." Hotch denied Sean's request, leaning back. Before long, Hotch stood up, collecting the file. Before he left, Sean looked up at him.
"I'm telling you, I can do this. Just give me the chance." Sean basically begged as Hotch exhaled, seeming to actually consider his brother's request.
Collected. She needed to remain collected. Cassidy, Hotch, Sean and a woman from the precinct sat in a van. Hotch and Cassidy both had FBI bullet-proof vests on and earwigs in their ears. Sean sat opposite them with no shirt on while a woman started the process of putting a wire on his body so he could get relevant information. Cassidy's heart raced as she watched her dad be wired up.
"Once you tell Thane that the police questioned you, you'll have his attention. Ask him what you're supposed to say to them if they want to talk to you again. We need some idea of how the operation's organized." Hotch informed Sean, who scoffed.
"He's not gonna just give that up." Sean rolled his eyes.
"Well, if you create the right circumstances, he might." Cassidy glared at her dad, trying to keep herself from refusing to let him risk his life. But alas, she couldn't. Maybe her dad was the only person who could really help.
"The Edinburgh's had a lot of attention right now because of the deaths, and that's not good for business, and you need to make the situation sound as bad as possible." Hotch reassured his brother.
"Yeah, but won't he panic?" Sean looked like he was starting to regret his choice.
"Well, without jeopardizing your safety, that's exactly what we want him to do. Even with the spotlight of the investigation, the club still needs to make money. And that means continuing to sell the drugs. Thane's already on edge. Somebody's probably pressuring him to make all this go away. Which is why he'll be desperate to know what you've said to the police. Thane needs somebody on his side right now, and the more that you can assure him you're a team player, the more he's gonna confide in you." Hotch explained, continuing to reassure his brother.
"How do you feel?" Hotch asked, Sean looking between Cassidy and Hotch, a hint of fear in his eyes.
"Fine. I'm ready." Sean smiled, nodding.
"All right, good. Let's do it." Hotch nodded, the operation starting.