As Hotch and JJ followed the one-lane, gravel road through the woods, JJ kept glancing around nervously.

Hotch couldn't help but notice. "Looking for something?" he asked the blond agent.

"Hotch, do you know there are bears around here?" JJ sounded worried.

"I assume they are about as anxious to see us as we are to see them," Hotch replied.

"And, I don't like the woods!" JJ added emphatically.

"JJ, everyone is afraid of something," Hotch told her kindly. "You just need to learn to develop a coping technique to help you deal with it."

"Well, maybe I can try picturing the bears naked," JJ tried an old joke.

"That's a start," Hotch agreed, giving her one of his rare smiles.

The small, tidy house was located at the edge of the village. As Hotch and JJ stood looking at it from the road, they noticed the curtain in the front room window moving. Then, the front door opened revealing a sad, tired-looking woman.

"You must be the people from the FBI," she greeted them.

"Mrs. Bear?" Hotch asked as they walked up to the front door.

"Yes," she replied.

"I'm Agent Hotchner of the FBI," he replied in approved fashion. "And, this is Agent Jareau. We'd like to talk with you about your son, Dudley. May we come in?"

The woman stepped back from the door. "May as well," she replied.

As they walked into the tidy living room, JJ got a better look at the woman. Wordlessly, she put her arm around the grieving mother, led her to the couch, and helped her sit down.

"Rough time?" she asked quietly.

"I thought I could deal with anything," the woman replied. "Guess I was wrong."

"This isn't something anyone is ever prepared to deal with," the agent told her. "You just have to concentrate on taking things one step at a time. Eventually – Believe it or not – Things do get better."

"We know this is a bad time," Hotch spoke up. "But, there are some questions we need to ask."

"We need to learn all we can about your son, Dudley," JJ told her gently. "Hopefully, it will help us figure out who did this to him and why."

"He just came home to see me for a few days," Mrs. Bear told the agents. "He wasn't planning on staying long."

"So, this visit wasn't planned in advance?" Hotch asked.

"No," the woman replied. "Dudley got some unexpected time off and decided to surprise me. I didn't know he was coming until I opened the door."

"The other two men who died, Charlie Armstrong and Hunter Black, did Dudley know them?" Hotch asked.

"Well, he knew who they were," Mrs. Bear told them. "But, he wasn't friendly with them, if that's what you mean."

"He was found on the beach," JJ ventured to ask. "Did he go there frequently?"

"When he was home," Mrs. Bear replied. "He took up running while he was in college, and the beach was a flat surface he could run on. I just assumed that's why he was there."

"And, the gulls?" JJ knew this was probably a touchy subject.

"I have no idea!" the woman dissolved into tears. "I honestly don't know what happened!"