Reid: "Without you in my arms, I feel an emptiness in my soul. I find myself searching the crowds for your face - I know it's an impossibility, but I cannot help myself." – Nikolas Sparks
FBI HQ, 10:00 AM
The BAU team, Hotch, Rossi, Morgan, Reid, Blake, JJ, and Garcia gathered in the round table conference room.
"What's the case?" Reid asked.
Garcia stood up and took the remote in her hand.
"You my friends are off to the rural vacation spot known as Shell Lake Wisconsin; because four days ago, 7 year old Dylan Heartford disappeared from the parking lot of the local restaurant where he'd just had dinner with his family after his second day of second grade."
She pushed a button on the remote and a picture of a small boy with strawberry blond hair and large green eyes appeared on the screen.
"Four days?" Morgan exclaimed. "Most abducted children don't last more than 24 hours so why are we just hearing about this now?" he asked, the frustration in his voice obvious
"The locals tried to handle it themselves and he was found alive this morning, but it's the unusual manner in which the Unsub let him go that has led to us being called in." Garcia answered.
She showed them the crime scene photos of where the boy was found, he'd been wrapped loosely in a white linin shroud and laid out on a blanket. There were words on the shroud and on the brick wall to the side but neither message could be read from the photos.
"He was left in an alley next to another local restaurant called the Lake View Grill and Bar, it's directly across from the beach next to the local campground. He woke up after having been unconscious when he was left there and since this is a tiny, tiny town where everybody knows just about everybody it didn't take long for a passerby to recognize him and bring him home." Garcia continued.
"Just how small is the town Garcia?" Hotch asked.
"The most recent census data says there's only 1347 residents sir…"
"Wow, that is tiny…" Rossi agreed
Garcia nodded. "This place makes Forks Washington look like Chicago…"
"So whoever this Unsub is, they don't stand out, they'd probably have to be local to get away with this in a town so small." JJ pointed out.
"Not necessarily…" Reid said. "Shell Lake is a tourist destination all summer long, usually the camping season ends around the start of the school year but it's still close enough that we can't rule out travelers."
The others nodded in agreement.
"Based on the photos, it looks like whoever is doing this is carrying out some sort of burial ritual and yet leaving the victim alive…" Blake commented.
"What does it say on the shroud written in blue marker?" Reid asked
"Good question, it says: "I looked at your smiling face, you're so weak yet you had such strength" Garcia answered.
Reid and Blake looked at each other questioningly, both obviously confused.
"That's not from any literature that I know of…"
"I don't know where that comes from either."
"Well at the very least, given the care in the way the victim was laid out we know we're looking for a female Unsub." JJ said.
"One who's meticulous and methodical, that's elaborate…" Hotch added.
"If this woman went to all that trouble for a kid she let go she's either gonna circle back for him or go after another boy…" Morgan said.
"Which is why we need to get ahead of this fast, wheels up in thirty…" Hotch said and they all got up.
On the Plane: 11:00 AM
Garcia appeared on the screen of the laptop, as did a picture of a loop of knotted rope with a woven cross at the bottom where the two ends came together, making it look similar to a rosary but yet it clearly wasn't a rosary, in an evidence bag.
"Guy's this was wrapped around Dylan's hand while he was in the shroud… local LEOs don't know what it is or means and frankly neither do I… here's hoping you do…?"
"That's an odd looking Rosary…" JJ said.
"It doesn't look like any rosary I've ever seen." Rossi added.
"That's called a Chotki…" Reid said.
"What's a Chotki?" Morgan asked.
"A Chotki is a woven prayer rope that serves a similar purpose to a rosary but it's used in the Orthodox Church which has been separate from Catholicism since 1054. After the Western Roman Empire fell the Pope tried to increase his power in the church to keep Rome relevant and it led to a fight that ended in mutual excommunications by the patriarchs of Constantinople and Rome. Chotki are most often handcrafted by monks and nuns although some dedicated lay people have been known to make their own" Reid replied. He looked more closely at the photo for a split second and continued. "I highly doubt we're looking for a nun since most in monastic communities are more stable than this Unsub but she's definitely done this before…"
"What makes you say that?" JJ asked.
"Chotki are made by weaving string into very intricate knots and there are several standard lengths. This one is the longest, a 300 count and it's solid white. Novices almost always start by using two different colors of string because it's easier to see and work with, especially when you don't know what you're doing. To make a solid color one this long she'd have to be skilled and dedicated."
"So this isn't something she picked up overnight or got off the internet. Rossi said.
"Not a chance." Reid answered
Garcia spoke up. "Um…guys… another little boy just disappeared, 7 year old Samuel Miller."
The boy's photo appeared on the screen.
"He looks like he could be Dylan's twin brother…" Morgan said.
"These boys are surrogates for someone…the question is who." Blake added.
"When we land, Rossi and Blake you should interview Dylan, see if he can remember any details that will tell us more about the Unsub. Reid take Morgan and take a closer look at the original drop site, JJ you and I will talk to Sam's parents." Hotch said, they all nodded.
