Disclaimer: See chapter 1
"Do you think the murderer's still watching you?" Fletcher asked the frightened little girl.
"I know he was. There was a hidden camera in my room. My mommy and daddy just told me in the lounge. The police are taking it out right now."
Fletcher's eyes grew wide, so that's why the lounge had been closed and CSI techs dressed up as electricians had gone into the girls' dorm. "Macy, how did they know the camera was there?"
"I don't know. Mommy said they got the man and they wanted to ask me questions because they thought I saw something."
"Did you see something Macy?"
"Fletcher, Macy, into your classrooms now," Mrs. Winters interrupted, her hand on the door knob waiting to close her door.
"Yes Mrs. Winters," Fletcher said as he entered her classroom leaving Macy to dash into Mr. Forman's math class.
"The Humes say Macy won't talk to us and they don't want to push her. After what's happened, she's pretty frightened," Hotch told the rest of the team.
"Do you think Curtis' arrest for the child porn will get us a warrant for his office or his truck Hotch?" Morgan asked.
"He continues to deny the murders and we don't have any evidence to the contrary. Dave also made a good point in that Curtis doesn't fit the profile," Hotch said. "If Curtis was going to kill you'd think it would be little girls that reminded him of his sisters or loose women that reminded him of his mother or grandmother. Let's see what a judge has to say."
"What if Doug Hay knew something? That would have given Curtis a motive wouldn't it?" Reid interjected.
"It would have given him a motive for Hay, yeah," Prentiss agreed, "but what about the other two?" She stood up and paced the room stopping in front of the photographs of the dead men. "I mean if he wanted it to look like part of a serial killer's ritual, would he pick two men he could actually be connected to? And with his work at the school would he have had the time the unsub obviously needed to stalk his victims?"
The other team members couldn't help but notice the scowl on Reid's face as he considered Prentiss' logic. "Look Reid," Rossi said, remembering Reid's relentless attitude in Las Vegas when he was determined to pin the murder of a child on his own father. "I know you want it to be Curtis because of his betrayal of the trust that you and all the other parents put in him. But before we put a fork in him, I think we need to be sure. Right now, I for one, am not."
"I'm going to see about that warrant," Hotch said, rising and leaving the room.
"Grab a tray for me and find me a seat, will ya?" Fletcher asked Jamal. "We ran from the room so fast this morning I forgot my history book. I need it for first period." Fletcher took off in the opposite direction from the dining room to the dorm rooms. He slid his key card into the slot and entered the dorm dashing down the hallway to his room. He dropped off the books from the morning's classes on his desk and dug out his history textbook. "Okay mac and cheese, here I come." He turned toward the door and then turned back to see if the glimpse that had caught his eye had been correct. He moved towards the window. The yellow crime scene tape was still up, though he wasn't quite sure why. What more could they glean from the area? At this moment, instead of being in the dining room enjoying macaroni and cheese, Macy Hume stood in the middle of the crime scene tape.
Fletcher found his eyes darting all around the parking lot. Macy had said there had been a camera in her room and her parents had told her this morning that someone had been watching her. He and Jamal had seen the lounge was closed and CSI techs were entering the dorm, Fletcher surmised. He was sure Macy was not being a hysterical little girl. She was scared with good reason. Oh well, he thought as he watched Macy standing out in the brisk fall weather without so much as a sweater covering her slight form, there was no other answer. He threw his history book on the bed and ran down the corridor of the dorm. When he reached the foyer, instead of turning right to the dining room, he turned left to the back door and the faculty parking lot.
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Hotch reentered the conference room. "Judge Decker is signing the search warrant. As soon as we get it we can search Curtis' truck and his office. I'm having the truck towed in to the impound lot. Rossi and Prentiss, go and search that, Morgan and Reid, you've got Curtis' office at Weinthorpe. JJ and I will stay here and run point with Garcia."
Detective Judd poked his head in the door handing Hotch a piece of paper, "Warrant's here."
Hotch handed Reid the warrant as he and Morgan headed out the door.
"What are you thinking?" Morgan asked as they drove through the midday traffic.
"I was thinking about Fletcher. How much is too much Morgan? He's eight and he's already been on the periphery of three separate incidents involving violent death. How do I protect him?"
"That's probably every parent's biggest challenge, how to protect their kids from the world without locking them up," Morgan responded. "There's no easy answer and I'm afraid it's not something you're going to find in your arsenal of books."
"You're right about that," Reid agreed as he looked out the window of the SUV.
"But hey, look at it this way, he's better off than he was a few months ago," Morgan attempted to reassure his friend.
"Is he? Back in San Fran he had Theresa and this school stuff wouldn't have happened," Reid replied.
"Look, maybe it wouldn't have but I don't think Fletcher would trade that for what he's got now. I think he's secure in your love for him and in this odd little makeshift family we got going on here."
"I hope so Morgan, I certainly hope so."
"Macy, are you okay?" Fletcher approached the little girl slowly. He could see her teeth chattering as the cold breeze seemed to rip right through her.
"I…I h…had to come out h…here. I d…don't know why."
"Maybe you should come back inside. It's cold out here." Fletcher slipped off the thin nylon jacket he wore with his navy cords and his blue and white striped polo shirt. "Here," he stood behind Macy. "Put this on, you're shivering."
The girl slid her arms into the jacket. "Thank you F…Fletcher."
"It's okay Macy. You'll get through it. I'll help you."
"Oh Dr. Reid, you're back again. How nice to see you," Mrs. Halliday said as she batted her eyelashes at Reid. Morgan rolled his eyes and it took all his inner strength to keep from laughing. Reid produced the warrant. "Oh…oh dear, we heard about the camera, of course, so hard to believe, and those men were here this morning to remove it but," she looked at the warrant again, "oh dear!"
"Tee he he," Morgan snickered after they'd closed the door on the smitten secretary and he donned his latex gloves to begin his search of an oak credenza against one wall of Tim Curtis' office. "How nice to see you," he repeated Mrs. Halliday's words in a high pitch shrill. "Oh man, you've got her girdle in a knot."
"Shut up Morgan." Reid began searching through the drawers in the principal's desk. He looked at the desktop. "Here's the newsletter," he picked up the piece of paper and pulled a plastic bag from his pocket shaking it open and placing the newsletter inside. He then secured it with red tamper proof tape and marked it with the date, time and his initials.
"No knife here," Morgan said as he finished with the credenza.
"Nothing in the desk either," Reid added. "Maybe Rossi and Emily will have better luck with the tr…what the…?" Reid walked toward the window that looked into the parking lot. Fletcher and Macy Hume stood within the crime scene tape. He dashed from the room.
"Reid," Morgan called after him running behind.
"Macy, let's go inside. You'll feel better. The teachers will be wondering where we are." Fletcher attempted to convince the frightened little girl.
The pair turned toward the school just as the back door burst open. Reid was striding toward them with Morgan on his heels when Macy began to scream. "Macy, what's wrong?" Fletcher asked.
Macy raised a shaky hand, pointing it at Reid and screamed, "It's him, it's the killer!"