From the moment Spencer stepped into the room, he knew something wasn't quite right about the Murphy family. Sitting down on the couch across from the husband and daughter, he watched their postures, the way they held themselves.
"Did Sarah have any friends? Anyone who might have--"
"My wife was very shy." Johnathan Murphy replied. "She hardly ever talked to us, much less anybody else."
"Did she ever mention anyone she'd met somewhere else? They would have been incredibly invested in trying to...help Sarah."
"I'm not sure what you're implying, Agent--"
"She talked to Marissa a lot." Brynn put in. Spencer watched as John reached out and put his hand on her arm, curling his fingers around her skin. To the untrained eye, the gesture might have seemed protective, but Spencer saw the true nature of it; possessive.
Trying to control his frustration, Spencer leaned forward. "Who is Marissa?"
"Marissa Thomas, she was my wife's sister, but they got into a fight a couple months ago."
"You said they talked a lot?" Spencer asked Brynn. She glanced over at her father, then back down at her hands in her lap.
"A couple times a week, maybe." John answered again. Spencer clenched his teeth. He knew if he lost his temper at the man without any evidence to take him into custody, he would only take out his anger on Brynn once they returned to their house.
Spencer's phone buzzed in his pocket, and he pulled it out to check it. A message from JJ lit up his screen: I can get the dad out of the room.
Glancing up, he saw her standing at a desk close by tge window. He made eye contact with her and turned away as she started over. Once she reached the room, she faced Johnathan Murphy. "Mr. Murphy, you need to come sign some papers."
John looked down at his daughter, then to Spencer, then stood and left tge room. JJ nodded at Spencer before shutting the door. Spencer cleared his throat and readjusted his stance, trying to make himself come off as less imposing.
"Brynn, what is your aunt like?" He asked gently.
Brynn seemed to be trying to melt into the couch. She crossed her arms over her chest. "She's nice," she answered in a meek voice.
"Do your aunt and dad get along?"
"I--um...I can't--"
"Brynn...your dad...he does things, doesn't he? Things you don't like..."
"My dad would never hurt me." She denied on cue. "He loves me, he feeds me and puts a roof over my head."
"Does he ever buy you gifts?"
"I...yeah, I-I guess...he bought a-a necklace..."
"Brynn," Spencer sat forward and tried to meet her eyes. "You can tell me. If you tell me, I can take your confession to some people who can take your dad away. I can make sure he never does those things again."
She shook her head. "No, I-I want to go home."
Spencer sighed, looking up to see Morgan waving him over. "Let me go talk to my partner, okay? I'll be right back."
He walked out of the room and closed the door, leaning back up against it. Morgan looked angry. "Leslie Donner's husband definitely abused her. I don't think he touched their son, but..." He released a heavy breath. "What about the Murphy family?"
"He abused his wife, both physically and mentally. He cut her off from the outside world, forced her to sever toes with her sister."
"I'll text Hotch, tell him we should bring in Sarah Murphy's sister. What else is bothering you, kid?"
"I don't think he limited the abuse to Sarah." He nodded at Brynn, still sitting in the room behind him. "She was quiet and reserved until I asked if her father had ever hurt her before, and then she defended him in the strongest tone yet."
"You think she was groomed."
Spencer nodded. "I think Johnathan Murphy has been molesting his own daughter."
Morgan shook his head. "I might be able to get through to her." He said after a minute. "Is JJ still with him?"
"Yeah, she's doing the paperwork now. Should we take him in? I think this qualifies as probable cause."
"We'll wait until she tells us, but tell JJ whatever happens not to let him leave the building." Spencer nodded and quickly texted the message to JJ. After about another minute, he received a message back, showing she understood and promised not to let him out of her sight.
"I'll go talk to her. Wait out here for a minute, I'll let you know if I need you." Morgan opened the door and walked inside. Spencer watched from the window, unable to shake the odd feeling of protectiveness he'd begun feeling towards Brynn Murphy.