Gentle chimes filled the room as the clock finally read 8:00 pm. The team had all entered the room. Marjorie sat between Gideon and Mr. Davenport as she turned to the latter to give intructions.

"Remember," she began, "keep your voice calm and agree with everything he says."

The tension in the room thickened as they waited for the phone to ring. Marjorie could see Mr. Davenport becoming more and more visibly anxious.

"He's late," he said.

"He'll call," Hotch told him, "Just try to relax. This is his strategy, he wants you on edge."

Finally, the phone rang. The Attorney moved to sit on the edge of his chair.

"Remember to repeat any important information he gives you to make sure you understand. Try to keep him talking, to reveal something about Trish or about himself," Marjorie explained before clicking the answer button in the machine.

The unsub's voice came through the receiver as he spoke with Mr. Davenport. The blonde agent listened intently in order to process the situation. Then she was caught off guard.

"I want to talk to her," The kidnapper demanded, "I want to talk to Cheryl."

Quickly, Marjorie pressed the mute button, looking to her fellow agents for advice. Most agreed that it was a bad idea to put her on, but Elle thought otherwise.

"No," Gideon said.

Marjorie sighed, "I agree with Elle. The more he speaks the more he reveals."

The older agent was adamant though. As the unsub kept pushing, Gideon called Elle over. She tried to impersonate Cheryl to the best of her ability, but the unsub was too smart for that.

"I have Patricia by my side. I know her voice, therefore I know her sister's. Get off the phone. I want Cheryl. I will give you 60 seconds and if I don't get Cheryl by then, you will never hear me or Patricia again," The unsub threatened.

With that, Marjorie stood up, beckoning Cheryl over. The young girl came forward and sat in her dad's chair. Marjorie leaned closer to her. "Ok, this guy's arrogant. Let him know he's in control, let him guide the conversation. Use your sister's name. Say, 'my sister Trish' or 'her name's Patricia.'"

The kidnapper counted down in the background as the agent spoke.

"Talk about her," Marjorie continued, "Let him get to know her through you. Don't veer off topic. Tell him that you understand him. And, as hard as this sounds, empathize. Let him know that he didn't mean to hurt Trish, that he didn't mean to go this far, and that he can fix it. He has a chance to show that he is a kind and forgiving person by letting your sister go."

Cheryl nodded nervously.

"And if you don't know what to say, I'll tell you," the young agent finished, reaching over to unmute the machine.

After some convincing, the unsub agreed to let Trish speak to them. Or more specifically, to Cheryl. The captive girl's voice was faded and distant. Like she'd been asleep. She stuttered weakly, but one thing stuck out to the agents.

She saw the moon.

Marjorie grew confused at that. She knew this unsub was smart. Way too smart to give his hostage access to the outside world, big or small.

Then, the unsub's voice came back through the speaker, "Have $500,000 ready."

"Let me talk to her!" Cheryl pleaded.

"$500,00 is what I'm owed. The Davenports will wait by the phone. You will receive a call with precise instructions in exactly 15 minutes."

Then he hang up.

Mr Davenport followed behind his crying daughter who ran from the room.

They weren't able to trace the call.

Marjorie sighed rubbing her hands over her face. She rested her head in her hands. "She said she saw the moon," she pointed out.

"She sounded delirious," Gideon added.

"She was sedated," Reid said.

"Could've been a light,"  Marjorie theorized.

Then Morgan spoke up, "If he's keeping her drugged, it might mean he's not very strong. He might have to keep her weak just so he can dominate her."

"Or he's keeping her quiet," the blonde woman guessed.

The team sat in thought. "Has Davenport told us everything about his staff?" Gideon asked Hotch.

The unit chief nodded, "Oh yeah, we have detailed reports, but we should probably revisit background on household staff, aides, and current docket."

More silence filled the air before Marjorie spoke up again, "Guys, she wasn't blindfolded. If she's seen his face, the second he gets that money. . . he'll kill her."

——

When the unsub finally called back, the instructions were clear. Cheryl. Only Cheryl. Everything will be done by Cheryl.

The girl loaded the money into the bag and the bag into the car. Hotch and Marjorie got in an unmarked car to follow quietly behind, unwilling to let her go alone.

Back at the house, Reid was able to track Cheryl's car through GPS. The doctor spoke to Marjorie over the phone, giving her the address which was a rental car lot.

When they got there, all they could do was wait. Marjorie's absolute least favorite part of the job.

"Alright, here's my guess," the woman said. "One of these cars has a set of keys already in the ignition with a disposable cell phone sitting right in it."

"So she switches cars and phones," Hotch concluded.

"Mhm," Marjorie sighed, checking her watch. "5 minutes."

After a long period of silence, they had 2 minutes until the drop. The blonde woman grew anxious, exhaling loudly and rubbing her face.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Hotch asked her.

"I just— something's not right about this. I know ransom kidnappings, and this? This is different. What if he was watching us or listening to us?"

"The local office did a bug sweep."

"Yeah but— cmon you heard that ransom call. It was way too simple."

The man nodded slowly, "Alright, you're the unsub. What would you have done differently?"

"I would've said don't involve the police or the media. $500,000, no consecutive serial numbers on the bills. No marked bills, no new bills. No tracking devices in the money bag. No explosive dyes in the money bag. No tracking devices in the car."

"Why didn't he say any of this?"

Marjorie shrugged, leaning her head back onto the seat. After a moment, it dawned on her, "This was never about the money."

Hotch looked at her, piecing it together as she did. "This isn't a random drop."

"It's a second kidnapping."

Both getting got out of the car, they ran towards Cheryl, telling her to get down. Marjorie pulled her pistol out and fired it at the other car. Hotch quickly followed suit, but neither were successful in slowing or stopping the vehicle.

"Shit," the woman muttered to herself. She made her way over to Cheryl to check on her. She helped the girl up and talked to her too quietly for Hotch to hear from several feet away.

As Marjorie made her way over to him, she somehow didn't notice he had already been watching her.

"I'm gonna ride back with her just in case. You good?"

The man nodded wordlessly, the same stone-face expression.

"Good."

Then, Marjorie Sloan walked with Cheryl to the car, claiming the driver seat for herself.

Aaron Hotchner, in that moment, saw the most potential he had ever seen in an agent. Not just because she was smart and fierce, but she was brave and level-headed and compassionate.

In that moment, the unit chief knew he needed her in the BAU.

_____
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