Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds and no copyright infringement is intended.
A light snowfall was blanketing Quantico in white when the BAU team arrived at their workplace. "This better be hell and good," Morgan told Reid as they entered the elevator together from the parking structure. "I'm supposed to be getting on a plane to Chicago. It's two days until Christmas, you know."
"I know Morgan," Reid replied, his cane in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other.
"JJ said it was important," Morgan added as the doors closed on the two profilers.
They exited on the sixth floor and made their way into the BAU where Emily was removing her coat. "Feliz Navidad, guys," she said sarcastically. "Don't the unsubs realize it's Christmas.
"Apparently not," Reid said as he hooked the shoulder strap of his messenger bag over his chair, leaned his cane against his desk and started to undo his coat.
Choosing not to go to his office, Morgan deposited his leather jacket over the back of Reid's chair and the threesome climbed the stairs to the round table room which already held Hotch, Rossi, Garcia and JJ who was dropping files in front of each chair on top of a pad of legal paper and a pen. After placing the last file she clicked the remote. "Dayton, Ohio needs our help. Four children in the Dayton area have gone missing in the last four days."
"Four days…and they're just calling us now!" Morgan remarked.
"Have any bodies been found?" Reid asked. "Statistics show that most missing children are killed within the first twenty-four hours."
"No, no bodies have been found," JJ told them.
"Have there been any demands?" Hotch asked.
"No, no demands either."
"Why would he take four at once?" Emily said. "The idea for a pedophile is to spend time with the child until he tires of him or her or until he or she outgrows the unsub's preferance, then he'd take another child, not four at once.
"Maybe he's not a preferential offender," Morgan noted as he looked at the screen that held pictures of the four missing children. "He's taken both boys and girls. Most perferential offenders want only one sex, one particular age group."
"Whatever he is, four children are missing," Rossi stated. "Four days have gone by and the clock is ticking. Just because no bodies have been found doesen't mean they're not out there," he paused for a moment, "somewhere."
"I agree Dave," Hotch interjected, "and I think we need to move fast to save how ever many of those children are still alive. JJ, what have you got for us on these kids?"
JJ clicked the remote and a cute little blonde haired girl around six appeared on the screen. "Dionne Tremblay, age six, was reported missing two days ago but her mother admitted to not having actually seen her for four days, so the local LEOs think that's probably when she was taken."
"What do you mean, 'her mother admitted not having seen her for four days'?" Emily asked, her mouth wide open.
"Dionne's mother, Claire, is bipolar. I guess when she gets in the depressive phase she doesn't notice much. The school called after Dionne hadn't shown up for two days and Claire admitted having no idea where her daughter was."
"And they let this mentally incompetent woman keep custody of a child?" Morgan asked. "Where's the father?"
"In the wind somewhere," JJ answered. "He's not in the picture."
Suddenly they all stopped and looked at Reid. "Uh…custody was probably not an issue if she was taking her meds; it's probably not as noticeable when her condition is controlled by medications. The manic and depressive episodes would reoccur once she went off them. A lot of people feel that psyche meds keep them in a continual fog and that's why they don't want to take them," the young profiler rattled off without a breath. "It wouldn't matter what phase of the disorder she was in if it was strong enough. In the manic phase she'd be on too much of a high to care for a child and in the depressive phase, too low. But…if they managed to get by and kept under the radar nobody would…uh…know."
"It that how it was with you sweetcheeks?" Garcia asked as she reached out and touched his arm.
Reid looked down at the table and nodded. "I think JJ's got three other victims for us to focus on," he said as he looked at the liaison.
"The second child," JJ continued as if there'd been no interruption, "is Danny Lezwicky, also six," a bright little boy with red hair and a missing front tooth appeared on the screen. "He went missing three days ago."
"The third child," JJ clicked the remote again and a little girl with long brown hair filled the screen, "is Lori Skinner, age five, missing two days."
"And the fourth child," JJ said as she clicked the remote for the last time and took her seat, "is Jason Tucker, age four." A blonde head with big blue eyes came on the screen. "He went missing yesterday."
"Oh, you precious little babies, what happened to you," Garcia asked the screen after JJ had seated herself.
"That's what we have to find out," Rossi replied.
"What do we know about the other kids JJ?" Prentiss asked.
"Not a lot yet, I didn't have a lot of time to talk to Dayton PD before I called you all in. All I know is they're all from single parent households."
"How's the press handling something like this?" Morgan asked. "Have they had the parents make any kind of appeal?"
"No, they really are trying not to get the press involved because of one fact."
"What's that?" Rossi said.
"That with the exception of Dionne Tremblay, who they're not sure of the time of disappearance," JJ began, "the last person the others were seen with was…uh," she gave a sheepish smile, "Santa Claus."
"Santa Claus," the team said as one.
"Yeah, Dayton feels that if they mention this to the press it'll be a media nightmare this close to Christmas."
"I can imagine," Hotch said. "There are Santa Clauses on every corner and in every shopping mall. People would stop bringing their kids to see him when they're all probably innocent men. It's a brilliant idea though. What kid wouldn't go with Santa Claus? They're taught not to talk to strangers but this is Santa Claus."
"So let me get this straight," Morgan stated, "we've got four kids missing and we're not sure any of them are still alive and our unsub is Santa Claus!" JJ nodded. "Wheels up in thirty," Morgan sighed, stood and headed for the door.
