Fic: Watchful (Criminal Minds, Reid / Morgan, Prentiss)
Title: Watchful
Pair: Spencer Reid / Derek Morgan
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Not mine, etc
Feedback: Always Welcome.
Criminal Minds Main List
“Okay, final testing. Can you hear me?” Morgan sat down in front of the wall of monitors and spotted Prentiss on the third screen. She was fixing her earpiece more securely under her hair and send a small glare at the nearest security camera.
“I can hear you. I’m going in and if the unsub doesn’t show up, I’ll shove this damn dress down your throat.” She whispered lowly into the small microphone that was hidden in her handbag. “If I don’t get arrested for public indecency first.”
“There’s nothing wrong with the dress, it makes your rack look a lot bigger than it really is.”
“How would you know my chest size?”
“I’m a trained observer. Besides, Garcia spilled the beans on those fillings you normally shove down your bra.”
“I’ll kill her…”
“Let’s handle this first. Hotch and the locals are waiting in the backroom, there’s few men handling the exits and we’re here keeping an eye on you and scoping out possible unsubs.”
“Is Reid there?”
“In a minute, he went out to get coffee.”
“I want Reid.”
“And I’m hurt. I know everything there is to know about pick-up bars-”
“But Reid doesn’t make comments on my boobs.”
“That’s because your mammary glands have nothing to do with the case.” Reid stated from the door and walked into the room. He placed two cups of coffee and a box of doughnuts on the desk in front of the monitors and sat down next to Morgan. “And bureau regulations about unwanted comments of sexual nature are tight.”
“Thank you!” Prentiss send him a small smile through the cameras.”
“Even tighter than that dress.” Reid finished and blushed. “Sorry, I couldn’t resist.”
“That’s okay, even if you tried you couldn’t top Morgan’s sleaziness.”
“I sleaze, because I care.” Morgan grinned and took a sip from his coffee.
“That’s grammatically incorrect-” Reid started, but his objection was cut short when Morgan shoved a doughnut into his open mouth.
“Ready to go in?”
“I’m ready.” Prentiss took one last look at herself in the mirror. “The sooner we get this done, the better.” She walked out of the empty corridor and into the bar. She went straight to the counter and ordered a drink. The bartender, ho had been previously instructed, gave her water and cheerfully coloured food dye in a cocktail glass.
“Let’s see what we got.” Morgan switched some of the camera angles on the monitors. “Maybe we could start by counting out those who don’t fit the profile.”
“Our guy has a low self-esteem and he tries to cover that up by wearing expensive suits, pricey cologne, jewellery.” Reid scanned the male customers on the screens. “That counts out about half of the male clientele.”
“Look at that guy.” Morgan pointed at a man, who was currently trying to chat up one of the waitresses. “That looks suspicious.”
“He’s wearing jeans, not a suit.”
“I meant that hairpiece. If that doesn’t convince anyone on a small screen, how bad is it live? And I think that thing has at one point been alive… rat or maybe an opossum.”
“Morgan, focus.”
“I’m focused. How bout that one?”
“He was sitting there alone when I left to get coffee. If he’s that insecure, he probably wouldn’t even try to pick up women from a bar, he would choose another-” Reid paused when the man in question got up to welcome his companion. A tall, blond man. “I was going to say "venue", but "gender" fits the situation better.”
“Got another candidate?” Morgan leaned closer to one of the screens. “Em, can you hear me?”
“Yeah.” She tilted her head down to whisper discretely into her microphone.
“Lean forward.”
“Why?”
“That bartender was just checking out your rack, give the kid a good peek, so he can focus his job again.”
“Morgan?”
“Yeah?”
“You’re a dead man.”
“That one.” Reid gave Morgan a sharp poke in the ribs. “Other side end of the counter.”
“Too average.”
“Our guy is average. Plain looking middle-aged man, with no distinguishing features.”
“Our guy’s below average. In bar code that guy would be C minus.”
“Barcode?”
“No, bar code. Some rules apply in every bar and club, unless we’re talking about some weird kinky dive. There’s class A people, normally gravitate towards other class A people. Like when we go out and pretty ladies try to follow me to the men’s room. Then there’s B and C guy. They have to dress up and make sure they drive a nice car if they wanna pick up a class A babe. But after last call all bets are off.”
“Did you explain that theory to Prentiss?”
“Yeah, when you were on a coffee run.”
“No wonder she was mad at you…”
“It’s a fact of life. Anyway, our unsub is below C.”
“D?”
“Unattractive guy, who can get dressed and spend a fortune on expensive shoes and watches, but real classy broads don’t look at him. He can do cartwheels in a leopard loincloth and no one notices.”
“Morgan?”
“That’s the real difference between men and women. Even unattractive women find company, because the world is full of desperate men, who are ready to put up with chicks they don’t even like, because it means they get sex on regular basis-”
“Morgan!”
“What?”
“That’s him.” Reid pointed at the screen. “He fits the description, he has tried to approach several women-”
“And dressed up to the nines.”
“Look closer.” Reid tapped few keys and the security camera zoomed into the man’s lapel. “Does that look familiar?”
Morgan squinted to see what Reid was pointing at. A small piece of silver was glimmering against the man’s dark suit.
“A Maltese cross.”
“Like the small broach, that was taken from the first victim.” Reid nodded. “Prentiss, can you hear me? We think we found the guy.”
“Where?”
“Your left, he’s just ordering a drink.”
“Great.” She sighed. “Maybe he’ll resist the arrest, I really need to punch someone.”
“Save that for Morgan, we need to handle this by the book. We’ll let Hotch know, they’ll try to pick him up peacefully.” Reid shut down the contact and dialled Hotch`s number on his cellphone.
“Pretty Boy?”
“Yeah?”
“Save that for Morgan?”
“I had to keep her calm and motivated.” Reid shrugged and brought the phone against his ear. “That was the best guideline I could come up with on a short notice.”