"I don't want to see him, I refuse," I told Reid as soon as the interrogation room door was shut. He nodded and didn't look at all surprised.
"Do you want me to tell him?" Rossi asked, glancing back at my father, who was sitting at the table with his head in his hands.
"He'll figure it out eventually," I said coldly.
Morgan's phone rang as we stepped into the main hallway of the police department. Rossi, Spencer and I waited for him to finish with Hotch before asking, "Is who alright?"
"JJ," he answered us, "She's in labor." I gasped and grinned happily, watching Spencer for his reaction. His eyebrows shot up, but he repressed any excitement or fear he may have experienced.
"They found Gary Michaels, at least what's left of him," Morgan broke the news to Spencer.
"He's dead?" he demanded.
"They dug him up seven years ago when some new construction broke ground in the desert," Derek explained.
"Whoever killed him was smart enough to bury him across state lines," Rossi said, "Vegas P.D. never made the connection," he shrugged.
"How was he killed?" I asked, wondering what we would do now that our likely suspect was dead.
"Well, judging from the fractures, they think he was beaten with something, pipe maybe."
"Or a bat," Rossi suggested.
"Bat?" Spencer asked thoughtfully. I made the connection too, he was thinking of a little league baseball bat. I heard footsteps behind us and I turned around. Dad was being walked out of the interrogation room, carrying his suit jacket. He stopped and looked at me, like he wanted to say something. Spencer grabbed my hand and I held onto it tightly, staring at my father. My face was blank; my father's was a mask of shock and disbelief. By now he had gathered that this was not the first time he'd seen me in eight years. He took a step towards us, and I felt Spencer become rigid next to me. Morgan and Rossi too, were staring my father down. Dad turned and walked out of the building, glancing back at Spencer and me as he walked out the door.
I let out a deep breath and turned around, "Maybe it wasn't Riley's blood on those clothes your Dad was burning," Morgan suggested, his arms still folded across his chest. Rossi and Spencer looked thoughtful as they headed into the Sheriff's office. I stayed outside the office door on one of the benches, feeling like I had a few years ago when I went to the student counselor's office.
A few minutes later the sheriff walked out and I slipped through the door behind him, entering the office. There were crime scene photos of where Gary Michaels' body had been found scattered across the conference table.
"Reid, you wanted to know if your father killed Riley, all signs point to no," Morgan was trying to convince Spencer, "You got what you need."
"What I need is the truth." Morgan walked stepped closer to Spencer, "If this print belongs to your Dad, he could go away for a long time." Spencer stared at him blankly. "You're just determined to nail him aren't you? It doesn't even matter what for," he accused.
"If you don't want to run it I will," Spencer answered sternly. Morgan gave Rossi a questioning look as Spencer walked out of the office.
"My Dad is a murderer Morgan, print or no print," I said suddenly, looking up at Derek and Rossi.
Both of their eyes widened with concern, "What are you talking about?" Rossi asked gently, placing a hand on my shoulder.
"He killed my Mom. He should be punished," I told them, my hands balling into fists. Rossi sat down in one of the chairs and Morgan knelt in front, placing both of his hands on my shoulders.
"Listen Little Reid, I know you want someone to blame, I get that, but your Mom dying wasn't William Reid's fault," Morgan said gently, looking me in the eyes.
I pulled away from him and backed out of the office, "He left. He broke her heart. Bad stuff happens, and she died. I don't see who else's fault it could be," I murmured, and returned to my chair outside the office.
Eventually, Spencer, Morgan, Rossi and I returned to the hotel. We sat waiting in the lobby for a finger print identification. Spencer and I were sitting on the couch, and his leg was bouncing nervously. A loud ring issued from Morgan's pocket and he answered the phone, Spencer looked as terrified as I felt.
"Agent Morgan," –pause- "Oh you did?" he glanced at Spencer and I, eyebrows raised. Spencer stood up, looking anxious. "You're 100% certain?" –Pause- "Ok, thank you," Morgan hung up the phone. He turned to Spencer, "We're going to have to get an arrest warrant," he announced.
"There was a match?" Spencer asked.
"Yeah, but it wasn't your Dad."
Rossi and I drove to the police station, and Spencer and Morgan went to arrest Lou Jenkins, Riley's father. I stared blankly out the window, my stomach twisting in knots. "So how do you feel?" Rossi asked me, glancing over.
I sighed, "I feel terrible. I don't want Lou Jenkins to go to jail; at least I don't think so. He was avenging the death of his little boy…" I trailed off.
"Are you sure you just aren't upset that your father won't be going to prison?" he asked. I turned and looked at him in shock, my mouth hanging open slightly. "Well that's what you wanted isn't it? I mean, like you said, he killed your Mom because of what he did, he should pay, right?" Rossi asked, his voice changed. He was interrogating me.
I shook my head, "I don't know anymore Rossi," I answered softly, and pressed my forehead against the car window.
Spencer and Derek were in the interrogation room with Lou Jenkins when we arrived at the station. I sat waiting with Rossi, supporting my head with my hands, hunched over in the chair. I saw three people rush past me and looked up, it was Diana and William Reid, accompanied by an officer to the interrogation room. I got up and followed after them, just in time to hear Diana announce, "Spencer, it was me."
Diana, William and Spencer Reid were shown to another office. I waited outside the door, my ear pressed to the crease, and I listened to Diana recount the story of the night Lou Jenkins murdered Gary Michaels. I heard Dad explain to Spencer how Diana's involvement in the murder and the knowledge of what had happened had slowly torn the marriage apart.
"You could have come back," I heard Spencer say, he sounded upset, and I desperately wanted to be in that room.
"We could have started over."
"I didn't know how to take care of you anymore," my father said, "When I lost that confidence there was no going back."
"What's done is done, at least now you know the truth," I heard Diana console her son.
"I was wrong about everything, I'm sorry," Spencer said, his voice was weak.
"I am too Spencer," my father said.
The door opened in front of me suddenly and I jumped back, Diana was walking out. She shut the door and looked at me in surprise; there were tears forming in her eyes. "Sara, if you'd like to go in, you're more than welcome," she told me.
I nodded and gave her a slight smile, "Thank you Diana, it's been very nice to meet you," I told her, putting my hand on the doorknob.
She smiled down at me, "Take care of my son."
I nodded, "I will," I assured her, and pushed the door opened.
I stepped inside the room, keeping my eyes on the floor, and closed the door behind me. I stood there for a moment and Spencer stood up and put an arm around me. "Hello Sara," my father greeted, rising from the couch as well.
"Hi," I said quietly, raising my eyes to meet his. He looked lost, so I started. "Eight years," I stated. He nodded and looked down at the floor. He sat in the chair Diana had occupied and motioned for me to take the couch. I pulled away from Spencer and the two of us sat down across from him.
"I'm sorry I didn't recognize you," he started, staring at me, "I know that must have upset you," he said apologetically.
"Very perceptive of you," I said coldly, "Perhaps you've also perceived that Mom's gone."
He nodded and looked at me sadly, "I'm so sorry, Laura was a good person."
"I know," I snapped.
"You look like her," he told me and I nodded. "She was the cutest little girl, Spencer," he told my brother, "Your hair was lighter then, and you didn't have glasses. You look like Spencer actually," Dad said, smiling a little.
"I get that a lot," I told him, my face still blank, emotionless.
I leaned forward on the couch, sitting on the edge, "So did you ever look up Spencer?" I asked him, already knowing the answer.
He nodded, "Yes, I saved some articles about his FBI career," he answered truthfully.
"What about me, Dad? Did you ever look me up?"
He took a breath and leaned back in his chair, "No."
"And, uh, why is that Dad?" I asked. He stayed silent. "Oh, I know, maybe because the second family wasn't that important. Or maybe because I could never have been as good as your first child? I was no genius, nothing special, right? Maybe it's just because I wasn't worth the time!" I suggested sarcastically, anger boiling up in my chest.
Dad took a breath, "I don't have an answer for you, I'm sorry," he said, crossing his arms.
"I want to know why you left."
He shut his eyes and sat for a minute before starting, "Do you remember our trip to Las Vegas?" he asked. I nodded, watching him skeptically. "I wanted to find Spencer, to check up on him. But when I got to the house where we used to live, another family had moved in. I asked around, and Lou said that Spencer had gone away to college, Diana had gone to a hospital," he stopped there and I nodded for him to continue. "I felt so guilty, so terrible for being a father like that. I started doubting every decision I made with you, Sara. Your Mom and I started arguing, and our family started falling apart. Laura Ryan was nice, smart, I knew she could take care of you, maybe find someone else. So I left."
I shut my eyes, absorbing what he'd told me. "She tried, and she tried hard. She wanted to find someone else, but she was fixated on you," I opened my eyes, "You know she got addicted to her prescriptions? It kept getting worse. She wanted to move on, she met lots of guys," I said angrily. "There was this one guy, Rich. He was great, like this one time," I stopped to laugh sarcastically, my father's eyes growing dark, "This one time he hit her! Can you believe it? So I just… chased him from the house with a gun! How 'bout that?" I asked, raising my arms in mock surprise.
"I'm so sorry," he whispered, pressing his hands to his head, as if trying to keep it together by force.
"Yeah, me too. Sorry I had to come home to find my mother dead. But hey, if that's what you thought was best for me, oh well," I said quickly, glaring at my father.
"I hope that one day you can forgive me," he begged, his voice now a whisper.
I stood from my seat, and my demeanor changed. "I forgave you a long time ago Dad. And it's taken a long time to forgive myself for letting her die. But I will never forget it." I walked to the office door and stopped, "I do want to thank you though," I said quietly.
My father's eyes widened, "What on Earth for?"
"For Spencer. He and his team are the best family I could have ever asked for. So next time you read an article about one of those agents, know that you have them to thank for taking care of me," I told him. I reached for the doorknob, "I missed you Dad," I whispered sadly. I walked out of the office and didn't look back.