Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Criminal Minds but Faith Lawe and the plot.

Author's Note: Hi people, so again, I'm up for suggestions for the title and would much appreciate if you guys would please leave a review after reading, thanks!


The woman was rather petite, just above average height at 5'5" with silky, auburn hair she kept tied up in a practical ponytail. Her eyes were a sparkling green that bordered on bright emerald, her lashes thick and dark and her nose straight, she looked as nonthreatening as an average civilian. She was dressed in a black leather jacket over a black blouse, dark, white-wash jeans, and black stiletto boots. She smiled pleasantly, warmly, "Hi, Uncle Trent." Sheriff Duvall chuckled delightedly, "I haven't seen you since you were a baby. How's your daddy doin'?"

"He's doing fine, he's holding down the fort at the firm. Dad sends his greetings and Mom says to stop eating so many donuts and get some exercise." Duvall laughed again, "Agents, Faith Lawe. Faith, Agents Hotchner, Jareau, Reid, Prentiss, Morgan, and Rossi." Hotch wasn't sure he liked where this was going. His wariness must've showed in his expression because Faith Lawe turned to him next with a soft, sincere smile, "Agent." There was a disarming sense of charm about her, but that made Hotch even warier.

"Faith's daddy and I go way back, I asked for his help on the case, Faith is here as a favor to me." Hotch said nothing, he and the others knew that though this was a federal investigation, they needed the full cooperation of the sheriff and the townspeople if they were to get anywhere in the case. They also understood what she hadn't said out loud; folks in a small town didn't like outsiders, they especially didn't like the federal government and were therefore far more likely to talk to a P.I. rather than FBI agents. Lawe kept eye contact and didn't look away, she wasn't being confrontational but she certainly wasn't being submissive. Hotch finally looked away at the sheriff, "She's a civilian involved in a federal case…"

"I'm just here to help, Agent Hotchner, I'm not here to make your job any more difficult than it is. It's your case; I won't do anything against your orders."

Hotch was not happy.


Jamie ran down the slide, his dirty blond hair jostling with his movements his jeans with holes in the knees. He was careful not spill any of his juice or get any mustard on his shirt because then his mommy would get mad. He kept running up and down the slide because sometimes when he did it just right his sneakers would squeak.


Rossi wouldn't be the first of law enforcement to distrust a private investigator, but there was something so bluntly honest about Faith Lawe that he was actually inclined to take her word at face value. The others were as well; they all shot glances at Hotch to see what the Unit Chief's final verdict would be. In the end, they split up and he left Faith with JJ to head back to the tiny excuse of a precinct. The two women ended up setting up shop under a large canopy by the woods just off of the sheriff's office. There were only 3 deputies so agents were called in from the closest FBI office for reinforcement as well as state patrol. Faith helped JJ pin the pictures to the white board with the magnets while JJ arranged files. There were no dates on the photos so Faith simply arranged them by sex and then by age within the groups, which was how she usually arranged her own cases. It was when she stood back to look at the board that she noticed something, "Agent Jareau, do you notice anything with the victims?"

"JJ and no, not really, just that there are more little girls than boys."

"Faith. Exactly. I don't know how familiar you are with probability statistics in math, but I remember taking a stats and probability AP class in high school and the one lesson I actually remember is one about coin tosses. Let's put this simply, what are the chances of you landing heads versus landing tails?"

"50-50," JJ answered hesitantly wondering if that was a trick question.

"Right, but if you do the math, you have a higher chance of landing tails than you do heads. I can't remember the exact numbers, but the ratio of boys to girls is about right. Maybe that's why there's no victimology, because he sets his sights on two targets then flips a coin to choose his victim." Faith was deadly earnest, it wasn't even like Reid's thinking-outside-the-box ideas, she was sure.


He chuckled as he lifted his right hand away from the back of his left to view the shiny penny, "Tails again, hmm…" he chuckled lightly, turning to see Kelly and Jamie heading down two different paths. He eased his truck forward, just beyond the view of the schoolhouse and parked again, getting out with a lollipop in his hand, "Hey, your name is Kelly, right?"


JJ could only stare, the idea was ludicrous and at the same time the strangeness of it all was the only thing that made sense. Even Reid had been baffled by the lack of pattern in the unsub's campaign, but as he was oft to point out, the human brain was wired to seek out patterns and Faith had found that missing link.

"But how does he pick his targets?"

"It's a small town, it should be safer because everyone knows everyone and strangers stick out like a sore thumb, but the unsub's smart he probably took some time to blend in, insinuate himself into the town and likely has a job that allows him freedom during the day, then he drives to the little schoolhouse and waits. The unsub is a white male in his mid thirties and in pretty good physical condition. He's non-confrontational, quiet and unassuming, very charming, and fairly enigmatic; it's how he gains the children's confidences. He likely drives a red pickup, an older model and uses candy to lure his victims into the cab of his vehicle."

JJ glanced at the other woman: the team hadn't put together an official profile yet and Faith hadn't been on the jet with them.

"Don't look so surprised, I am a certified profiler."

"But you said you were a private investigator, I thought only Quantico offered classes…"

"I am not FBI, but I did take the classes at Quantico, I graduated a couple years before Agent Gideon took over as instructor, as regretful as that was." Faith said no more on the matter and began studying the case files Garcia had sent over.


Hotch, Emily, and Sheriff Duvall did a lap around town to talk to the victims' families and were met with staunch refusal once they flashed their badges. It took a lot of coaxing and convincing on Sheriff Duvall's part to get the townspeople's cooperation.

"I'm sorry ma'am, I know how hard this is on you, but we need to ask some questions," Emily told the woman gently.

"You don't know anything," the woman replied scathingly. Her eyes dark and red-rimmed and her clothes slightly rumpled, she looked every inch the grieving mother.

"I know that you're in pain, I know that you wouldn't wish this upon anyone else, and I know that this killer won't stop until we catch him." Hotch's firm tone must've gotten through to her because Mrs. Miller finally stepped out of the doorway and onto the porch.

"Molly, did Luke tell you about something unusual, something different, like someone new?" The sheriff asked.

"No, Luke hasn't… everybody knows everybody in this town. My baby boy didn't say anything…"

"Mrs. Miller, I know this is really hard, but did Luke mention anything, anything at all, something that he usually wouldn't care about or be interested in?"

"He said something about a candy man, but Mark owns the only convenience store in town and gives candy to all the youngsters."

"Thank you, ma'am, if you remember anything else, please let us know."

"You get some rest, Molly; we'll catch the bastard yet." Mrs. Miller said nothing else and retreated back into her home.

Hotch and Emily exchanged grave looks.

"He's given himself a name already."

"The Candyman."


Morgan and Reid had gone to the first crime scene with the first batch of state troopers to arrive while Rossi had been led to the second crime scene by the sheriff's deputies.

"This is outside of town and just over state lines," Morgan observed.

"Why would he do that, there are plenty of backwoods surrounding the town, why would he purposely drive over an hour and bury the body here?"

"He's meticulous, maybe he figured he could throw off the law enforcement if the bodies weren't buried in the same area."

"Or he's challenging authorities, specifically the FBI."


"I think we're ready for a profile," Hotch said as the rest of the team neared, they'd stopped just outside the sheriff's office. They rounded the office structure to the tent-like command center in the back where JJ and Lawe set up camp.

"Did you find anything?" JJ asked in her customarily quiet voice.

"Nothing much except the unsub introduces himself as the Candyman to his victims." They caught the quick glance JJ threw at Faith Lawe.

"What?"

"You should hear Faith's theory; it makes a lot more sense than what we've come up with thus far." JJ explained, mainly to Hotch.

"What theory?"

"How he chooses his victims."