CHAPTER EIGHTY-FOUR: MALE-CHAUVINISTIC PRICK !

7x20

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       MORGAN HAD CALLED HOTCH AND TOLD HIM THAT THE TEAM WAS NEEDED ON THIS CASE IN HIS HOMETOWN. His sister had gotten into a car accident and she had claimed to see her and Morgan's cousin — who was proclaimed dead by Morgan over a year ago.

The team was now on the jet as Morgan informed them of what happened with his cousin over the phone. "So, your cousin fled Chicago eight years ago because a co-worker was stalking her?" Emily asks Morgan. "Yeah, a guy named John Hitchens. Cindi and Yvonne came to me and asked me if they should be worried. Her emails and phone logs showed classic stalker behavior." Morgan explained.

       "Multiple messages every hour." Reid read on the file. "Gifts he sent which she later returned. That would enrage a stalker." He explained.

        "But until they become violent, they're smart enough to skirt the law. Human resources at the investment bank wouldn't do anything, and Chicago P. D. couldn't. So Yvonne and I convinced Cindi to move. She contacted us from Charleston on her way to Savannah. And then she was gone." Morgan explained.

        "And Hitchens blew his brains out two weeks later in Chicago. Nice." Casey comments. "That was good enough for the local P. D. to conclude that he'd killed her." Emily added.

       "Except for one major detail. We never found the body. If his endgame was suicide, he wasn't organized enough to dispose of the body that permanently. That's why I never stopped looking. I just didn't think that she would surface right back here in Chicago." Morgan explained.

         "We need to reopen both cases," Hotch told. "Both Cindi's disappearance and Hitchens' suicide. The discrepancies in each would explain her current behavior. Morgan, I need to talk to you when we land."

       The team landed and they headed straight to the PD. They were greeted with Detective Palmer as Rossi had asked what he'd had. "I wish we had more to give you. You know how missing persons cases are." Palmer told.

       "Actually, there's quite a bit here," Reid told. "These were found in Hitchens' apartment after the suicide. Some were blown up from the original film stock."

       "So if Hitchens took them, he didn't zoom in on Photoshop. He's an old-school shutterbug." Casey stated. "Reid and Willows, check Hitchens' photographic background. Even 8 years ago, most people had gone digital." Hotch paired and the two nodded at one another.

         Casey smiled at the man, happy to know that they were working with each other again. Reid threw back a small smile. Since the night Casey got drunk, the two barely ever spoke words. Sure, it was good that they weren't arguing and such, but now it was just... awkward. Though, Casey didn't know what happened that night, she assumed it was embarrassing.

        "The gun Hitchens used to kill himself was traced to this dealer." Rossi stated as he looked at Palmer. "Local guy. Completely by the book. No record." Palmer nodded. "The .44 was the only gun in Hitchens' possession. That's a big gun to kill yourself with." JJ told. "We should talk to the dealer, find out what his mindset was when he bought it." Hotch told.

      The team had soon figured out that the gun didn't belong to John Hitchens, the gun belonged to a Malcolm Ford. Morgan had come back and they delivered the news to him. "So, Cindi had two stalkers." Morgan said.

      "No, only one. Ford fits the profile better than Hitchens." Rossi told. "Ford had multiple assault and harassment charges, all filed by ex-girlfriends and random women he met." JJ added. "And Garcia found credit card purchases for black and white photographic equipment for Ford." Reid told.

       "So this guy killed Hitchens and then set him up." Morgan told. "Behaviorally, it would make sense. If Ford was stalking your cousin, he would have seen Hitchens as competition, so he kills him and he plants the photos to throw off your investigation." Emily tells.

        Morgan looks at Hotch. "Hotch, I want to bring this guy in and question him personally." He says. "Garcia just sent us his address." With that, JJ, Reid and Casey had decided to go with Morgan to his address.

      They arrived at the house, Morgan kicking the door down. The four looked around but couldn't find Malcolm or Cindi anywhere. The place was clear and it looked like they had packed and left.

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      They had delivered their profile of the unsub, Malcolm Ford. They discovered that Cindi was being stalked by him and was now suffering an extreme form of Stockholm Syndrome due to the captor. He had made her believe in 'the company' and told her that he would kill her and her entire family if she were to leave. So, Ford made her sign her life away and to become a slave to him.

      After delivering the profile, Garcia had called Rossi, Morgan and Casey in a vehicle to let them know about a 911 call. "Garcia, did you get a hit?" Rossi asked. "Yes. A 911 call at a grocery store identifying a couple matching their description. Now, Hotch and the gang on their way, but you guys are closer." Garcia told.

     Morgan swerved the car and Casey spotted him, pointing at the man. They let the sirens run as a police car came up behind them. The three immediately got out of the car and pointed their guns at Malcolm's vehicle.

     "Get out of the car and put your hands where I can see them." Morgan ordered and Malcolm got out of the car and put his hands up. "Put your hands behind your head and get on your knees." Rossi ordered.

     The man did as he was told. "Is there a problem, sir?" He asked. Rossi nodded over at Casey and she went to check the trunk. There was nothing and nobody there. "What do you got, Willows?" Casey shook her head at the sight. "Nothing." She stated.

     "What do you mean, nothing?" Morgan questioned. "The car is empty, Morgan." Casey stated in an annoyed tone. Not annoyed at Morgan, more annoyed that every time they were close, they were scooting farther away from the truth.

      "Morgan?" Malcolm smiled. "Agent Derek Morgan? Ha ha. Well, well." He sinisterly chuckled.

      "Where is she?" Morgan asked. "Where is who?" Malcom asked. Morgan points his gun right at Malcom's head. "Where is she?" He questioned. Rossi puts an arm on Morgan's arm, trying to make him stop. "Derek." Morgan puts his arm down as Rossi arrests him and tells the officer to take over.

        Morgan tries to follow. "Where are you going?" Rossi asks. "I'm going to ride back to the station with him." Morgan told. "Oh, no, you're not. You're gonna stay here processing the scene." Rossi stated. "Rossi, come on." Rossi shook his head, "No." Casey followed behind Rossi and went back to the station.

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     They had known that Malcolm was expecting Morgan to pop in the interrogation room so they had sent in JJ, Casey and Emily to throw the man off of his game. Strong women could definitely tear into this guy's ego.

      The women walked in, acting like they were having a conversation of their own. "So then I get home and, of course, he's still up past his bedtime." JJ said and Casey chuckled, "Seriously?"

      "It reminds me why I'm not married." Emily said. "Oh, well, neither am I, technically." JJ said and both Emily and Casey nod in realization. "Oh, yeah, you're right." "That's true."

      "Willows, you still gonna try out dating? I know it's been—" Emily tries and Casey shakes her head and chuckles. "Oh, no. Not my scene anymore. Besides, I really don't need a man to tell me what to do." Casey tells and Emily nods in understanding.

       "Excuse me—" Malcolm tries but JJ immediately shushes him. "Shh. Uh, the adults are talking. When it's your turn to speak, I'll give you permission. Okay?"

       JJ turns back to Emily and Casey. "So, anyway..." JJ starts again. "Yeah. Any sleep?" Emily asks. "Uh, no. Of course not." JJ tells. "Sounds like a nightmare, ugh." Casey comments.

      "What are we doing here anyway?" Emily looks at the file in front of her "Oh, yeah. Um... oh, okay. So, yeah. Mal, you want to confess now or just go straight to prison?"

       The women look at the man. "Look, my wife and I had a disagreement in that store—" He tries. "Whoa-- wife?" JJ asks. "You're married?" Emily asks next. "To an actual woman?" Casey adds.

       "No, this is about John Hitchens. His suicide is looking more like a murder and the gun traces back to you." Emily tells and they sit in silence for a few moments before JJ decides, "Okay, uh, let's go talk to this wife. He's not talking."

       "I don't know who this Hitchens person is, but if you had anything, you'd charge me already. You're here because of Cindi." Malcolm says and the women look at another in disbelieving guilt. "Caught us." Emily chuckles. "What gave us away?" Casey asked.

       The women sit back down again. "You know what? This is my favorite part. This is where you hang yourself with your own tongue. So, please, keep talking." JJ tries.

      "What are you doing here? You got a baby at home being raised by a man you're not married to. What are you doing here?" Malcolm says to JJ, making Casey scoff at the man and JJ smirks, "Well, it's work. But we make it work. Where's Cindi?"

      "Huh, work," Malcolm says. "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."

       "Yeah and we all know your role and that's being the male-chauvinistic prick that we all know you are." Casey stated, glaring at the man. "You beat her into signing a contract."

       "What we have is a bond you know nothing about. But I'll tell you about it. If you ask permission." Casey scoffs at Malcolm's words.

        "See, this is the thing with men like you. You think you're the big guns, you bring home the bacon and you only use women when it's in your favor." Both Casey and Emily scoff. "Yeah, we don't need this." Emily nods, "Come on."

       The two women stand as JJ remains seated in front of Malcolm. "You're curious, aren't you? You want to know our secret." With that, JJ stands and follows the two out.

      Once the door closes, the women walk over to Hotch. "Please let me go back in there." JJ tells. "No." Hotch says. "His guard is down. He thinks he can manipulate me." JJ tries. "We can't give him what he wants." Hotch tries.

      "What if we pull the truth out of him?" Casey questions. "We need to keep him off balance." Hotch says and Casey sighs.

       "Then let me go in." Everyone turns over to Morgan speaking. "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. I can break him." Morgan practically begged.

      With hesitation, Hotch let Morgan in the room and didn't get much out of Malcolm. Cindi had showed up with a lawyer and bailed Malcolm out and assured to everyone that she loved Malcolm. It didn't make sense to Morgan to why she left and if Casey were being honest, it didn't make sense to her either.

     "We need to rethink the profile. This ain't Stockholm." Rossi stated. "It could be battered wife syndrome." Emily thinks. "No, it's not." Morgan shakes his head. "Morgan, the way they hugged each other, I--I think she genuinely loves him." JJ tells. "I'm telling you, that's not the woman I know. She wouldn't do that." Morgan tells.

       "I gotta agree," Casey spoke, making everyone look her way. "She left Charleston out of the blue and completely cut ties from everybody. You don't just up and love somebody that does that. She may think she'll lose everything if she gives in."

        Morgan began to think it out. "She said she needed to cook dinner for him." Morgan held up a can of Spaghettio's that he had found in the store where the 911 call took place. "Is that what you cook for your husband?" He faces JJ. "Would you make that for Will?"

       "No," JJ shakes her head. "I might for Henry, though." Morgan nodded, "Exactly. When I was growing up, this is what Cindi and I ate. This exact brand. Hotch, what did your mom make you for breakfast?"

       "Oatmeal and orange juice."
       "What do you make for Jack?"
       "Oatmeal and orange juice."
        Morgan nodded, "Same brand."

    "She might have been cooking dinner, but it was not for Malcolm Ford." Morgan stated. "You think they have a child." Emily tells. "Yes, I do." Morgan nods. "We didn't profile that. There's no evidence of one in the home or in their lives." Reid says. "Unless Ford keeps the child from her to keep her in line. I mean, that fits the profile." Casey added on.

     "It's a stretch." Rossi shrugs. "It's the only theory that would explain her behavior." Morgan said, determined. "All right, Morgan," Hotch said. "Prove it."

      Morgan called the lawyer up that Cindi had and discovered some pretty nasty things about him and basically gave up the hiding space for children. It had been a cabin up the road little ways ahead. Successfully, they had gotten the children to safety and found Cindi and Malcolm there. They had arrested Malcolm and Cindi and her son were reunited with their family.

kind of a filler chapter
lowkey only did this bc of the scene with jj and emily😫
anywayssss
i hate my fucking life🤭🤭
only four episodes and four extra chapters and we're done😭 not much spasey in this episode but it's okay lol
-mya </3