ABLOCATE ▇▇▇▇ VOLUME ONE
━━ ❛ 𝒈𝒐𝒅'𝒔 𝒈𝒐𝒏𝒏𝒂 𝒄𝒖𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒏 ❜

chapter no. 016!

❝ THE CONNECTIONS. ❞
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     LIAR—A WORD USED TO DESCRIBE SOMEONE WHO TELLS LIES. IT'S ALSO A WORD USED TO DESCRIBE SOMEONE WHO INTENTIONALLY DECEIVES ANOTHER. Oftentimes, lies serve one of three functions: instrumental, interpersonal, or psychological. In the case of Joseph Arthur, his lies served as interpersonal moves of manipulation. In a way, he was playing chess: the more lies he told, the closer he got to checkmate. He'd lied more than both of his associates combined, which was something Cara Valentine hadn't expected. She anticipated him to play mind games with the FBI, but he did the opposite. He cooperated. He opened his mouth wider than anyone else—wider than she had.

     Pushing through the interrogation door, Cara stormed out, hot with anger. Before she entered the room, she'd been filled with an escapable fear. Now, as she left, she was prepared to dropkick someone.

     "What's wrong?" Spencer asked before anyone else could, brows scrunched together. He made his way to her side.

     Noticing how close he'd gotten, Cara stepped away and shook her head. "He's a lying douchebag. That's what's wrong," she snapped, running a hand through her hair. Aside from Spencer, this was the most emotion she'd displayed in front of the F.B.I. However, she'd prefer them to see her angry than anything else.

     "What'd he lie about?" Morgan asked, crossing his arms.

     Cara's eyes flashed to his briefly. "Arthur never needed my father, he needs me," she put it bluntly.

     Hotch looked in her direction. "He didn't need Ross Valentine because of what he knew, he needed him because somebody else does. Your father isn't crucial to their endgame," he deduced, and she nodded.

     "That means the possibility of the Founding Fathers still being alive is greater than we thought," Rossi stated, looking at him.

     Cara turned her head and glared at the man behind the two-way mirror. The feeling that something else was going on crept back. "Something isn't right," she muttered, ignoring the strand of hair that fell into her face.

     Footsteps approached. In her peripheral vision, she saw Agent Jareau had joined her. "What do you mean?" she asked, eyes trained steadily on the Red Scorpions' leader.

     "Arthur was being truthful when he said my father was alive, but he was lying about not knowing why the others would lie. He knows why. Owen and Farell wouldn't lie if it wasn't part of the plan, and they wouldn't lie if Arthur wasn't going to either. Something happened to cause him to change course. They don't need my father to reach their goal. They need me. My father is needed for something else—something that isn't part of the plan. Owen insinuated the Founding Fathers aren't dead. So, let's say they're alive. They would be the ones who need my father—not Arthur, Farell, or Owen—which would make sense. Those three aren't the ones in charge. They're simply carrying out orders given to them."

     It was silent until Blake asked, "Does the song Oh, My Darling Clementine have a sentimental meaning to it? Or a hidden message? He sang it to you and called you Clementine, the supposed woman who the song is about."

     Cara spun around and met the woman's stare. "Both," she answered. "Michael Le told me when I was a kid that I reminded him of that song. He would sing it to me when we were alone. I was under the impression only the two of us knew about that, but it turns out we're not. I assume Le told Arthur. After all, he was Le's first pick to be the new leader and his favorite member. The similarities between the two of them are uncanny. Arthur purely sang the song to get a rise out of me and see if I was smart enough to pick up on what happened to my father."

     Spencer frowned, shoving his hands into the pockets of his pants. "But the song isn't about your father in his eyes. It's about you."

     "To Le, yes. To Arthur, no." She inaudibly sighed and shook her head. "Ruby red lips above the water, blowing bubbles soft and fine, I was no swimmer—my father is near a body of water. The only body of water connected to the Red Scorpions is the San Pedro River. Which is, coincidentally, right across from Fairbank, Arizona. The location of what was supposed to be our new headquarters."

     Rossi held a hand up in the air. "Wait, how do you know he was talking about your father? He could have sung that as a taunt," he argued.

     "Everything they do has a meaning behind it, whether it's blatantly obvious or hidden. The Surrey Six killings, the code, the two circles, the ritualistic killings, my arrest, Paradise Lost. All of it has a meaning behind it. Those lyrics have meaning to them. A meaning Arthur knew you all would never figure out."

     Morgan was skeptical. "But you made the connections?"

     Cara nodded, shrugging as if it were obvious. "My entire life has been built around them and trafficking narcotics. Do you genuinely believe I wouldn't be able to make a connection to any of what they say or do?" she retorted, raising a challenging brow. Morgan didn't have a response for that.

     Silently staring at her, Spencer's brow furrowed. His eyes were moving from left to right, trying to read and profile her to the best of his ability, but he was coming up short. And she noticed.

     "What other connections were you able to make?" Hotch asked slowly, eyeing the blonde too.

     "Remember how I said that I represent Sin to them?" The team nodded. "In Book Two of Paradise Lost, Sin meets her father, Satan, at the gates of Hell. According to the book's established rules, when you first die and get to Hell, you arrive in the woods in front of a gate made of sticks. However, between you and the gate, is a river you must drink from before you can cross over. Once you cross over, you discover there are two circles of Hell: Limbo and then Hell. Satan crosses over and meets Sin, who is holding the key to the gates. She opens them for him to pass through on his way up to Heaven. The second lyric Arthur sang: Then the miner, forty-niner, soon began to peak and pine, Thought he oughter join his daughter, now he's with his Clementine. They left my father behind in Fairbank to be ablocated. He's going to be leased to someone and that someone is most likely the Founding Fathers or one of them.

     "Those lyrics from Oh, My Darling Clementine had two meanings. The first one refers to how they left my father near the San Pedro River, where the river can be interpreted to represent the gates of Hell. The second one refers to how my father is being ablocated. Sin meets her father at the gates of Hell and is holding the key. My arrest is the key to the mission and my father is passing through in Fairbank to make his way into the hands of Michael Le, Matthew Johnston, Shirzad Konaam, and Hennessy Lu," she finished, nearly out of breath. That was the most she'd spoken since her arrest.

     Spencer frowned, his honey-against-copper eyes still on her, causing her to shift uncomfortably. Agent Jareau was leaning her chin on her hand while she stared at Arthur with noticeable bags underneath her eyes.

     Everyone on the team was understandably drained. Anyone would be if they worked this case.

     Blake was gazing at the ground in deep thought; Rossi rocked back on his heels, his eyes closed. Looking at the Unit Chief, Cara saw how he was already staring at her. She raised a brow questioningly and he averted his line of sight. Moving her eyes to Morgan, she noticed that he was watching Spencer again.

     "I've got to hand it to you, Cara," Agent Jareau spoke, her attention never once leaving the mirror. "You might be the reason we close this case. For good."

     Cara was a little taken aback. Her head turned in her direction.

     "She's not wrong. When we close this case, it'll be because of your help." Spencer said softly, shooting her a small smile. "You've impressed all of us."

     Cara wasn't used to flattery or recognition for doing good. Doing something morally good was punishable and wrong. This was the first time in years she did good and didn't get brought to Death's knocking door.

     "Uh, you're welcome," she cleared her throat awkwardly, growing more uncomfortable than before.