Sure enough, there was another body in the morning. "15 year old Mandy Hanson. Same physical type as the others. Short, brunette, found the same as the others, the the poem verse in her pocket," JJ explained. "We still have to go inteview the family."
"I'll go," Amy volunteered. A few years back, she'd had a very good friend by the name of John Hanson. She remembered that he had a younger sister, but couldn't remember the name. She was fairly certain that the new victim was her, however. She was a little surprised to find that the family still lived in the area, and wondered who else was still around.
Morgan noticed Amy's expression. "Amy, do you know her?" he asked.
"I might. I think she's my old friend's sister. His last name was Hanson, but I can't remember his sister's name. If it is her, it'll be hard to get the family to talk. They're very mistrusting and closed off. I was close to him so if it's them they might talk," she explained.
"That's probably the best idea. Reid, you go with her. If she's right they won't like FBI agents in their house, and except for the gun you're not the most intimidating. No offense," Hotch said.
"None taken. Want us to leave now?" Reid asked.
"Yes, the earlier we get this out of the way, the better. JJ, try to control the press. Morgan, Prentiss, go to the ME's office. I know it's probably pointless, but try to find something we can use, even the smallest detail. Rossi, you and I will take the newest crime scene," Hotch said.
Five minutes later, Amy was in the passenger seat of one of the black Chevy Suburbans as Reid drove to the adress. "I've got to say, if you were really good friends with this guy, how did you forget his sister's name?" Reid asked, half curious and half desperate for conversation.
"She was shy, and a full nine years younger than us. Besides, I haven't talked to him in a few years," she answered.
"How many years?" he asked, suspicious.
"Four," she admitted.
"Have you talked to anybody around here since what happened?" he asked.
"Well, no. To be honest once I got out of the hospital I sort of rushed out of here. The last time anybody but my parents or brothers saw me, I was still in the hospital. I left the day after I was released," she explained.
Reid wasn't sure what to say to her. How could she claim she was fine if she was still running from things that reminded her of what had happened? "Running away doesn't solve that kind of thing," he said quietly.
"I am not running away!" she insisted, but even as she said it she knew it was a lie. Reid was saved from having to answer by their arrival at the victim's home. "Nice garden, especially for this time of year. It's got to take a lot of work to keep those plants alive in this cold weather," she said, hoping to turn the conversation to something more pleasant.
"Did you know that more money is spent on gardening than any other hobby in the country?" Reid stated. Amy was silent for a moment, looking at him. "What?" he asked.
"Nothing," she answered. But she couldn't resist. "Why do you know that?" she asked with a smile. Reid just smiled and shrugged. Amy shook her head with a small laugh, starting up the stair to the house. She knocked on the door and was slightly taken aback when it was opened by a familiar face.
"Amy?" John Hanson gasped, surprised.
"I guess I was right," she said to Reid. She turned back to John. "It's actually Supervisory Special Agent Amy O'hara now. And this is Dr. Reid. We're with the FBI," she explained with a small smile.
"FBI? Coming from you, that's a bit of a surprise. What do you need?" he asked.
"We're working the serial killer case," she began.
"Huh. So it took my little sister dying to bring you back here?" John asked, clearly irratated. Amy felt he had a right to be. After all, her friends had been terrified for her safety for nearly two weeks, and then she just ran off without saying goodbye.
"If we could just ask you and your parents a couple of questions it might help us catch the guy who did it," Reid said.
"Really? Didn't you guys get in here five days ago? You guys are the FBI. Why is this guy still killing people?" John ranted.
"Listen, John, we're doing everything we can. But we need your cooperation. We're here for Mandy," she said quietly.
"Fine. But you've got to promise you'll catch this guy," he insisted.
"We will," she promised. With that, he stepped aside and let them into the house. The place was exactly what Amy expected from this family. But the cheery atmosphere she remembered wasn't there, instead the house was filled with an overwhelming sadness.
"I have to say, I'm a little surprised to find you still in the area," Amy commented.
"Actually, half of all Americans live within 50 miles of their birthplace," Reid quoted. John was silent for a moment.
"Guy sounds like a textbook," he commented to Amy. She smiled.
"I was only just transferred to this team from my old unit, but from what I can tell he always sounds like that," she replied, but she gave Reid a smile.
The Hanson parents were in the living room. The older couple was sitting on the same couch, but opposite sides. They recognized Amy instantly. She wasted no time, but got right down to asking questions. "Why exactly did Mandy go out last night?" she asked.
"Margaret thought it was okay for her to walk to her friend's house. I told her it wasn't safe, even brought what happened to you up as an example. But she insisted that we had to stop babying her," Mr. Hanson said. It was clear there was anger and tension among them, but Amy knew this was common for couples who lost a child.
"She'd done it a few times before and she was fine! She's fifteen years old, she's old enough to walk by herself for a few minutes," Mrs. Hanson cried.
"Was," John muttered quietly. "She was fifteen years old." That was too much for Mrs. Hanson, who dissolved into tears.
"What was she like in school? Was she a loner, popular, a good student?" Reid asked, directing his questions toward Mr. Hanson and John.
"She was fairly popular. Her grades were excellent. She could have done whatever she wanted with her life. She had such a bright future," John said. It hurt Amy to see her old friend so broken, but she knew something had snapped in the years that had passed. They would never truly be friends again. He held too much anger at her for that.
"What does that have to do with anything?" Mr. Hanson asked.
"It's called victimology, it helps solve the case if we can determine what kind of victim the unsub looks for, why he chooses them, what they represent," Reid explained.
"What was her friend's name? The one she was going to see?" Amy asked.
"Alicia. Alicia Little. A few months ago, Alicia's parents made her break up with a boy and Alicia hadn't quite gotten over it. Mandy was going to comfort her. Now, Alicia's parents are good people, but that boy was just too old for her," Mrs. Hanson said.
"Wait, her parents made her break up with him? What does Alicia look like?" Amy asked, tensed. Reid realized where she was going and listened intently.
"Why, she and Mandy looked an awful lot alike. Both tiny, brown hair, brown eyes. Their school lives were similar as well," Mrs. Hanson answered. Amy and Reid exchanged a quick look, and both stood up.
"Thank you, that's all we need. We'll contact you if we need anything else," Amy said as they headed for the door. Reid was already dialing the phone.
"Garcia, I need an adress. Alicia Little. Ok, thanks," he said. As soon as he hung up, he was already dialing again. Amy drove this time, heading out as soon as Reid entered the adress into the GPS. "Hotch, yeah, we might have a lead. We're on the way to check it out now. I'll call you when we know more," he said. Finally, they had something. Amy began to have hope they'd solve this case after all.
A/N: Well? How am I doing? Anybody who reviewed the last chapter gets their imaginary cookie. You should have recieved it by now. If not, imagine harder. People who review this chapter get an imaginary cupcake and an imaginary photograph of Reid to carry with them. Review!