"You two seem to be on pretty good terms," Hotch observed as he followed Joel out the door.
"We are," Joel confirmed. "What happened wasn't her fault and it wasn't mine. Maybe we don't talk that often or constantly keep in touch, but we are family. And, family sticks together."
"What exactly did happen?" Hotch was emboldened to ask. "Laurel has never said anything about her family or about her late husband."
"First, I need to know something," Joel stopped and stood looking at him. "Are you serious about marrying my sister?"
"Yes!" Hotch affirmed. "And, before you ask, I am a widower with a thirteen year old son, and he is also very much in favor of this marriage. I have a steady job with the FBI, and I also have a law degree from the University of Virginia. And, I passed the State Bar Exam for the State of Virginia on the first try. Laurel and I have known each other for almost eight years now, and we're both sure about this."
"And," he added. "I would never, ever hit a defenseless person – Never."
"Okay," Joel breathed a sigh of relief. "You made it past the first test."
"Now," he continued. "You need to understand that Laurel and I were raised in a family that values boys but not girls. It had nothing to do with anything either of us did, it was just the way things were."
"So, growing up, you were the favored one?" Hotch guessed.
"That's right," Joel admitted. "And, that was part of the problem. No matter what Laurel did, it wasn't good enough. She got good grades, worked hard around the house, held down jobs to pay for her college, but she never got any recognition for it. I, on the other hand, just bumbled along through life and got constant praise and encouragement."
"I've always thought that that was the reason she got involved with Bradley Mercer." Joel paused to catch his breath.
"From what little I have seen and heard, his background appears to be rather – different – from yours," Hotch observed.
"Oh Yeah," Joel told him. "Very different. And, I think that was part of the original attraction. However, what Laurel didn't realize was that that difference included using physical force as a way of solving disagreements."
"How did she meet him – Again, if you don't mind my asking," Hotch said. "I just can't picture her being picked up in a bar or anything like that."
"You're right again," Joel confirmed. "After Laurel finished her four year degree, she took a year off to work before starting law school. She was working in the office of a local construction company when she met Bradley. He was one of the day laborers on their current project. Now, you need to understand that Laurel had never really dated. It was always school and work with her. She was paying her own way through college and taking it quite seriously. So, when he began paying attending to her, she wasn't sure how to handle it. I think she finally agreed to go out with him just to get him off her back."
"And he took advantage of her," Hotch guessed.
"I suspect so," Joel replied. "I think they actually went out several time before he made his move, so to speak. You see, at that time Lois and I were busy planning our wedding so I was focusing on that and not paying much attention to my little sister. All I know for sure is that he accompanied her to our wedding and then, several weeks later, they announced that they were married. It wasn't long afterwards that they moved to Houston. Supposedly he had a job lined up down there."
"You didn't know about his abusing her?" Hotch asked.
"If I had, he would have had a visit from me," Joel replied. "But, it wasn't until after they were living in Houston that I began to suspect that something like that was going on. However, every time I tried to ask Laurel about it, she would dodge the issue. I think she was embarrassed to admit it. Then, when she took Paige and left Bradley, I figured that was the end of it. It took me a while to realize that she was actually hiding from him."
"But, you didn't keep in touch," Hotch observed. "Or, at least, that's the impression I get from Laurel."
"You can thank my mother and the Mercer family for that," Joel sighed. "That Mercer woman sticks her nose into everyone's business, and Mom just couldn't keep her mouth shut about anything. Laurel didn't trust her not to tell anyone where she was living. This is a small area and if Mom had started talking Mrs. Mercer would have heard about it in no time."
"After Dad died, Lois and I moved back in here to help Mom out," he continued. "And, we quickly found out that Mom was also quite adept at eavesdropping. So, while Laurel would contact us from time to time, usually from a pay phone, she was always careful not to say anything about exactly where she was."
"You never told her that Bradley Mercer was dead?" Hotch questioned.
"Until recently, we never knew ourselves," Joel admitted. "Both Lois's and my families are buried in the Fairfield City Cemetery so we never visit the county cemetery. And, apparently, the Mercers brought the body back rather quietly – No service, no obituary in the paper, nothing. From time to time we heard rumors but never got around to checking them out until about a month ago."
"Makes me wonder if they were hiding something," Hotch mussed.
"Knowing them, I hate to guess what it is," Joel shook his head.
"Dinner!" the call floated across the yard. "Come and get it or I will feed it to the dog!"
"I think that's our two minute warning," Joel commented with a smile. "If you still have any questions, we can talk again later. And, don't think you're off the hook. I still have some questions for you."
"You have a dog?" Hotch looked around the yard as they walked back towards the house.
"No," Joel smiled. "We have had some guinea pigs and hamsters from time to time but never a dog. It's just that threatening to give someone's dinner to the guinea pig never sounded right."
Hotch chuckled.