Chapter 02
Week 02

There was no contact in the first week. And there was no contact in the first half of the second week. As near as they could tell Spencer Reid had just disappeared off the face of the earth.

The results came back from forensics. They found no anomalies in or on Reid's car. And they found no anomalies in or on the burned out van. They were able to track down the shop that had printed the magnetic sign on the side of the van only to find that it had been paid for in cash and the shop didn't have security cameras. The clerk described the man who bought the sighs as a white guy, average height, portly, grey but balding, moustache and beard; kind of average all around. The best sketch he could come up with was too average to be of any help.

About midway through the second week a decision was made. Dave Rossi took it upon himself to fly out to Vegas. At Bennington Sanitarium he stopped to brief Dr. Norman on the situation, and then allowed himself to be escorted to a quiet corner of the day room. There he approached the figure in the window seat. "Excuse me." He said quietly. "I don't know if you remember me. I never found out if you prefer Mrs. Reid or Dr. Reid."

"Of course I do." Diana Reid replied. "Dave Rossi, you work with my son. You're his friend. Please, call me Diana." She sighed and gestured to a nearby seat. "He's in trouble, isn't he?"

Rossi accepted the offer. "I'm afraid so. How did you know?'

"He stopped writing. Which means someone is preventing him from writing; he would never stop on his own. And now you're here. I assume you're trying to help him."

"We are, but unfortunately at the moment we have nothing to go on. Until he returns I'll be the contact for Dr. Norman, if you should need anything."

"Thank you. That's very kind."

"We know you two are close, has he told you about or written about anything that was troubling him at all?"

Diana thought a moment. "No." She replied. "There's been nothing troubling in his life since that girl he was so interested in died. He never told me how but I know that wounded him deeply."

"I remember. He seemed to have recovered quickly though."

"Oh no, it took months." She told him. "He was aching with that loss for a very long time. He just wanted to get back to work right off; he said it took his mind off the pain. But for the past couple of seasons he's been better. At least he sounded more hopeful about finding someone, for good this time."

"Had he?"

She thought a long moment. "No. No, I don't believe that he had. He was hopeful but he has yet to find just the right girl."

Rossi took a deep breath. "I know he wrote to you often and I know those letters are deeply personal but if we have any hope of finding him…"

Diana nodded. "I know. And I'm sure you'll be careful with what you find in them." She looked out the window again. "He's not dead. A mother would know if her child was dead. I would know if my son was dead."

"I have no doubt of that."


Rossi returned two days later.

There was nothing in those letters.

They were not contacted during that second week.