memento vivere - supernatural & criminal minds

chapter 25

Chapter 25
A Parliament of Fowls

The paper pinned to the board was the last in their series of enigmatic clues. It had been delivered half an hour ago by Hotch’s wife, Haley, with their son Jack in tow. A man had brought it to their door with a message that a girl’s life was at stake. The couple had left to speak in Hotch’s office, and with Gideon still brooding elsewhere, only a sliver of their team was left.

Jude studied the paper from her seat. Numbers were scrawled across it in groups of three separated by dots. The team’s contemplative silence was broken by Spencer, “I think it’s a coded message of some sort. The unsub said we needed a book, didn’t he?”

“‘A book that inspired many an adventure,’” Morgan quoted, swinging his legs off the table.

“Then it’s a book code. Each one of these sets of numbers represents a particular work. For instance,” Spencer crouched and pointed to the second line, “page 118, line 30, word 3. We need to figure out what the words are and fill in the blanks.”

“Okay, but from what book?” Elle asked.

“It wouldn’t just be the book,” Jude said. “We would have to have the exact edition of the exact book he used. The print varies by edition.” Her focus shifted to the doorway as JJ entered with a stack of papers in hand. 

“We just got a DNA hit on the lock of hair,” she told them, splitting the stack in two and passing it out. Jude turned in her chair so Morgan could see the file. “Rebecca Bryant, she’s been missing out of Boston for two years.” JJ taped a photo of a young blonde woman to the evidence board.

Morgan pushed the papers aside. “Okay, but how the hell are we supposed to figure out which book this code is copied out of?”

“He said we have everything we need to complete the quest, right?” Jude stood to pace the room. She twisted her hair, which felt grimy from the flight and still smelt of smoke, into a bun as she walked. “So the answer has to be up here somewhere. Maybe we can figure out the book from the other objects he delivered.”

Spencer started to reply, but was cut off by Gideon striding into the room. “JJ, get some reporters here as soon as possible. Just say we need help on a new case.” He left as quickly as he’d arrived, leaving a confused quiet in his wake.

“Press conference?” Morgan spoke for all of them.

“The unsub said to keep the quest within the team,” Jude pointed out, leaning against the wall. “What happens if we don’t follow his rule?”

***

All their evidence had been moved from the boards to a cluttered collage on the table. They had been poring over it for what felt like forever. Jude could probably recite the transcript of the unsub’s tape from memory. At least the coffee had returned a spark of life to her, however small. She could not say the same for Elle, who was asleep on the couch behind her.

“Wesson.” Jude drew her eyes from the Hermit tarot to Hotch in the doorway. Spencer and Morgan took no notice of him. “How long has she been out?” he asked, nodding to Elle. 

Jude glanced down at Spencer’s watch. “Almost an hour.” She returned to her work while Hotch gently shook Elle awake. He whispered that he was sending her home, and Elle’s mutters of protest turned Jude’s head. “Elle, we’re not any closer than we were before you fell asleep. Go get some rest.” It took Hotch pulling the ‘it’s an order’ card, but Elle reluctantly went.

An hour later, the only progress the team had made was to add more empty coffee mugs to the collection on the table. Jude glowered down at her notepad as if she could intimidate it into giving her a clue. Her lists of evidence and ideas were now surrounded by scribbles of flowers, which only served to make her frustration slightly more festive.