The Agent and The School Teacher

Chapter Five: The Importance Of Confidentialty

As soon as my plane landed on the tarmac, my worst nightmare came true. I turned my phone back on and my notifications exploded with a series of dings.

Principal killed in his home...

10th anniversary...

Bomb just like the one used in the massacre...

All of a sudden I couldn't breath. I was freaking out. I sat down on a bench trying to calm the panic attack that was starting. This can't be happening. It can't be, not again. Not Principal Givens...

I grabbed my phone out of my pocket, where I had shoved it,  going to call my Dad when a business card fell out and fluttered to the floor. Aaron Hotchner's name was on it. I picked it up, flipping it over and dialing the number.

"This is Agent Hotchner." He answered.

"Aaron?" I asked shakily.

~~~Aaron~~~
"Does anyone remember this picture?" Garcia asked, pulling the picture up onto the screen.

"Hotch and I were there.  That's Principal Doug Givens." Rossi replied. "We had to drag him to safety."

"High School bombing in Boise, right?" Emily questioned.

"School shooter and school bomber," JJ explained, "A kid named Randy Slade shot 3 students and then set off an I.E.D. in the cafeteria via cell phone, killing himself and thirteen kids total, but not before posting all his plans online. It was one of those 'Where were you?' events. My whole campus was glued to the TV."

"Last night, Principal Givens was killed by a bomb modeled exactly like the old one."

"It feels like the unsub wants to attack the man who kept the school together after the bombing. It's a pretty symbolic target."

"Yeah, with the help of Randy Slade's best friend." Rossi added. "Eliza Bartlett might be in danger."

"Did you just say Eliza Bartlett?" I asked.

"Yeah. You didn't meet her, I did most of the interviews with her."

"I have met her. She's Jack's teacher." I explained. "Today is the tenth anniversary of the massacre."

"And today is the first day of a 4-day event to commemorate the bombing at the school."

"Except commemorating it isn't enough for this unsub." Emily stated.

"No. He wants to relive it." I realized. I hope Elizabeth is ok. I'm just hoping that she decided not to go the reunion. "Wheels up in twenty." I walked out of the round table room when my phone rang. It was an unknown number. Please be Elizabeth.

"This is Agent Hotchner." I answered.

"Aaron?" Elizabeth's voice replied, only she sounded shaken. Scared.

"Elizabeth. Are you alright?"

"Not really, no. I know we don't know each other that well, but..." She trailed off.

"You're in Boise, aren't you?" I asked.

"How did you know?"

"We just got the brief. They want us on the case because of Principal Givens. I investigated it the first time, but if I had known that you were a part of it..."

"So, you're coming?" I asked.

"Our plane leaves in fifteen minutes."

"Good. And you're investigating?"

"Yeah."

"I want to help." I raised my eyebrows.

"Elizabeth, I don't know if I can-"

"Please, Aaron. If I don't help, I'm just going to sit around terrified and...please." I sighed.

"I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you." She whispered.

"Elizabeth, I don't want to scare you, but...they said that Mr. Givens was a symbolic target. He held the school together that day and...I'm worried that you may be a target as well."

"What do I do?" I asked. 

"Until we get there... stay at the airport. I hate to ask you to stay there so long, but it will be a lot harder to get that bomb into the airport. When we get there, we'll come and get you."

"Ok. Yeah, I can do that. Thank you, Aaron."

"You're welcome. Sit tight. We'll get there as fast as we can. Feel free to continue texting me if it would put your mind at ease."

"I will. Bye."

"Bye." I hung up, sighing.

"Is everything ok?" Rossi asked, stepping up beside me.

"That was Elizabeth...I mean, Eliza."

"I didn't know you two were that close. I didn't even know you knew each other." I nodded.

"We're friends...sort of. I told her to stay at the airport until we get there."

"Good plan. She'll be safe there." I nodded. "Don't worry, Aaron. She'll be fine."

"Yeah...yeah, I know."

~~~Elizabeth~~~
Aaron and the others arrived in half the time that I did. He texted me and told me to wait outside and that they would pick me up, so I waited by the curb with my suitcase with my back against the wall so that no one could come up behind me. A black SUV pulled up beside me. The driver's side door opened and a familiar face appeared.

"Agent Rossi." I said, smiling nervously. I walked towards him and he hugged me.

"It's been a while." He pulled away, keeping his hands on my shoulders. "So I hear you're a school teacher now? Have a couple of little girls back home?"

"I do, yeah." Aaron came around the car from the other side, stepping up beside Rossi. I leapt forward, wrapping my arms around his neck and not caring about professionalism.

"Thank you for coming." I whispered before pulling away. He nodded, opening the door in the back seat for me while Rossi took my suitcase. "So, where to?"

"We need to go to the police department, but I think we'll drop you back at your hotel first." Rossi said.

"I want to help." I told him.

"You will. But we have to keep the case information private. We can't let that leak out to the public."

"I'm not going to go to the press or anything. Just keep me close so I won't have the chance to tell anyone." I reasoned. 

"I don't know, Elizabeth-"

"You know who my father is, Dave. You know I am perfectly aware of the importance of confidentiality." He sighed.

"Aaron?" Aaron nodded.

"I think it would be safer for her to be with us. She might be a target, after all." Rossi sighed again, but nodded and pulled out of the airport.