A/N: Who was at the door? Could it be..? Thankyou for your reviews, keep 'em coming, and thank you my dear editor frog for beta reading my story!
FBI agents Jason Gideon and Derek Morgan stood outside the door of a small modular house. The surrondings were calm and a few children played in the back yard of the house next door. On an ordinary day they would have been in school, but this was no ordinary day. There was a killer on the loose and the whole town was walking on egg shells.
The two agents waited for the resident to answer the door. Gideon turned around and eyed the yard before him. "They don't seem to be too fond of gardening." The dandelions were multiplying all over the lawn, slowly turning it a bright yellow.
Morgan threw a glance over his shoulder. "I wouldn't be too preoccupied with my lawn if there was a murderer roaming the streets."
Gideon shrugged and opened his mouth to say something more, but never had the chance. The distinct clatter of a lock opening caught his attention and he once again turned to the door.
The young brown haired girl who opened the door a chink looked a bit confused when she saw the two agents on her porch. "Yes?"
"Hello, I'm agent Jason Gideon, this is agent Morgan." The two men held up their credentials for the girl to see. "We have a few questions we'd like to ask you. May we come in?"
The girl looked at the identification badges and nodded. Closing the door, she unhooked the safety chain from its place and re-opened the door, inviting the men into her home. "My name is Penny Harrow. What can I do for you gentlemen?" She smiled as she closed the front door behind her, securely re-locking it.
"Are your parents home?" Gideon looked around in the quiet house.
Penny shook her head, making her brown bangs fall into her face. "No, they're in Seattle on a business trip, they won't be home until next Tuesday."
The older agent frowned a bit at this. Why hadn't she called her parents when the murders began, telling them to come home? He looked at the smiling girl, trying to read her. "So you're all alone?"
Penny's smile widened. "Oh, gosh no! I wouldn't dare to be alone with a psycho out there! My boyfriend is living with me until all this is over." She lifted a jacket from the floor, hanging it on a hook sticking out from the wall. "He's such a slob. He's just out getting pizza. Can you believe they stopped delivering when all this started?"
Gideon attempted to lead the meaningless conversation into more relevant areas. "Has there been another FBI agent here recently? Young, tall, a bit distracted?"
"Oh, Dr. Reid!" The teenage brunette stated nodding. "Yes, he was here yesterday. We talked for a while and then he left. He was going to talk to some more people, he was in a bit of a hurry, I think."
"How long did he stay?" Morgan asked the young girl standing casually in front of him.
Penny frowned as if trying to remember. "About… half an hour?"
"And then he left?"
Putting her hands in her pockets, the teenager tilted her head slightly. "Yes. Why, is something wrong?" A look of worry came over her brown eyes.
"He's missing." Gideon didn't even face the girl as he answered her question. He was busy looking around the room. Something wasn't adding up right. "Are you remodelling?"
The question took Penny by surprise. "What?"
"It looks like you're about to change carpeting. There are still green edges by the baseboards." Gideon took a few steps into the living room, examining the missing carpet from a distance.
The ever smiling teenager followed his lead, walking slowly into the larger room. "Yeah, my parents didn't like it, so my dad tore it out last week. Then this business trip came up, and they had to leave it half done." She frowned. "It was green and disgusting, so it's really great to get rid of it."
Gideon nodded silently as he turned back towards his colleague. "Well, I think we're done here."
The younger agent tuned in to the nodding, and began walking towards the entrance. As he unhooked the safety chain and opened the door, he turned to face the teenager coming up behind his older partner. "Thank you for your cooperation, Penny." He pulled a card from his pocket and handed it to her. "This is my number. Call me if you hear anything about anything, okay?"
Penny nodded and stuck the card down her jeans pocket. "I will." She followed the two agents out onto the porch. "I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help. I hope you find Dr. Reid really soon."
The men nodded in agreement, and started their walk down the garden tiles leading to the street. Gideon was still frowning. Something in that home bothered him, but he couldn't pin point what it was. It had been different from the other families they had visited that day and the day before. The girl had not seemed frightened or out of place, but was very calm and clear. This was not a common occurrence in a town that harboured a serial killer. He tried to shake it off as they set their sights on the next house on the list, clear across town.
Penny watched the dark SUV drive away, standing in the partially shut doorway. Stupid feds. I could feed you shit with a spoon and tell you it was chocolate, and you'd eat it. She smiled to herself as she closed the door, securing the chain over the post.
Not even a second after she had let go of the chain, the loud sound of a violent crash roared though the small house. It came from the basement.
Penny's eyes darkened. This was going to cost him.
A/N again: And the wacko wasn't caught. Now what punishment will Reid get for trying to alert his team members..? Stay tuned! R&R!