Wow, I hadn't realized until now how short this chapter was. Um, sorry? When I was writing this, I had to really think about where I wanted to break things up and this was the best spot. So, I'll put this up a day early and send out the next chapter later this week to make up for it. Until then, enjoy.
Reid followed Prentiss as she entered the apartment of Clark Graham. Detective Parker, Officer Mitchell and Morgan had already cleared it, finding it empty as they had expected. Well, Reid had hoped that Graham would be found, interrogated, willing to talk and then they could go rescue their team leader and Juliet Mitchell. He had hoped, but had expected the outcome that had proved true.
The apartment was small and cramped, with the kitchen consisting of nothing more than a two burner stove and sink. From the cord hanging on one wall opposite the small television, Reid guessed it was a pull down bed which would convert the living room to bedroom. There was a dingy bathroom and a miniscule closet and that was all.
What caught Reid's attention though was the wall covered in photographs. Mitchell and Morgan were already studying the pictures; he and Prentiss went to join them.
Though the photos were taken in a variety of locations, most prominently the barn and fields of Rosa Stables, there was one common element throughout them all: Juliet. There were pictures of her riding both dressed casually and dressed formally in competitions. Other photos were of Juliet working in the barn or sitting on the front porch. Some even appeared to be taken with a telephoto lens with close-ups of Juliet in her bedroom through the window.
"He's been stalking her," Morgan commented.
Mitchell pointed out one picture of Juliet and Tyler from the side as the two had been standing next to each other and staring out into a field. Juliet looked mostly the same, but Tyler Phillips, in addition to looking younger, was also wearing ripped blue jeans and a red tee shirt.
"That was at least two years ago," Mitchell said, frowning. "He's been stalking her at least two years now? Why didn't we notice?"
Reid heard the self blame in the man's tone and words and hoped that Mitchell wouldn't lose perspective.
"It's more than possible that for the past two years, he's been content to hide at a distance, to keep whatever fantasy he has alive," Prentiss explained. "We need to find the trigger that set him off."
"What kind of trigger would cause that?"
Reid quickly scanned through the photos and found a likely trigger.
"These appear to be in chronological order," he began, reaching with one arm to trace the photos' progression like the words of a book. "They started when he was working at the stables and feature Juliet in every aspect of her home life at the stables, including the people around her. Around here, the pictures become less frequent because of his change of job. And later on, I think this is the trigger; it's the first picture that doesn't have Juliet in it. It's connected, somehow, and it's likely for that reason."
Reid stopped on a photograph of the first victim, Peter McCallister, and Tyler as they knew him now. It was dark in the photo and the man and boy were obviously fighting.
"That must be the fight Juliet mentioned, right before Peter went missing and was murdered," Mitchell said. "But why would that be the trigger?"
"We'll have to ask Tyler," Morgan said, pulling out his phone. After a moment, he spoke, "JJ, you at the hospital still? Yeah, I'm on my way to talk to Tyler, he might know what the trigger was for Graham."
"I'm coming with," Mitchell said after Morgan had hung up.
"Let's go. Prentiss, Reid, see what else you can learn from the photos. We're still missing why he thought those victims were threats to him."
Prentiss crouched down and moved a table aside to view more of the pictures. Her movement had caused a folder to slip off the table onto the floor. Reid picked it up and looked through its contents.
These pictures were, if anything, more disturbing. "Prentiss, you need to see this."
He handed the photos over and watched her face. There was a duplicate of the McCallister/Tyler photo, as well as several photos of the other four victims, Roy Phillips and John Mitchell. All those pictured had red X's over their faces. Even worse, the bottom of the pile had pictures of Hotch with similar X's.
"I'm worried," Reid said quietly. He had been holding it back throughout the day, but this had been the first time one of their team had been captured by an unsub since his own nightmare with Hankel.
"We'll find him. We'll find them," Prentiss promised.
"John, I need to know your head is on straight," Parker said to him as John was exiting the car after Agent Morgan at the hospital.
John let out the breath he'd been holding before answering. "My cousin has been accused of murder and attacked with a knife within twelve hours. My sister has been abducted less than twelve hours after that by the man I now know has been stalking her for two years. My head won't be on straight for weeks, but I will not sit on the sidelines now."
"Fair enough, John. But keep your wits about you."
John walked in and found Morgan talking with the blond agent, JJ in the lobby.
"He's been sleeping on and off all day, but the doctors told me he'll make a full recovery," she was saying as John walked up to join them.
"You're talking about Tyler?" he asked.
She nodded. "Your uncle hasn't left his room yet, but I've kept him up to date with everything that's developed as it's relayed to me."
"Thank you for that. I haven't been able to call him as much as I've wanted to."
"We should go see if Tyler can talk with us," Morgan broke in.
John nodded and the three set off for the elevator, riding it up four floors to Tyler's room. The two agents deferred to John as they reached the door, allowing him to walk in first.
He had last looked in on his uncle and cousin around six thirty in the morning before sending Juliet home for a break. Tyler had just fallen back asleep after speaking with his father, so John had brought back coffee before meeting Agent Reid at the station. It had all gone downhill from there.
"Roy, got a minute?"
If his uncle was feeling tired, he wasn't showing it, but that was the way it had always been. Throughout his aunt's illness, whenever John had been home, there had been very little sign of strain on his uncle as the man had supported his wife and been strong for his son and niece. It had only been after Martha's death and as Tyler had gotten more intractable that Roy had even confided in John that he felt overwhelmed.
"He fell back asleep a half hour ago," Roy said quietly, standing from his chair and stretching before walking out into the hallway.
"We were hoping to talk with Tyler," John explained, closing the door behind his uncle so that Tyler's sleep was undisturbed. "We think his fight with Peter triggered Graham."
"He told me it was about his attitude. Peter also told him that Juliet stayed home because of him."
Morgan frowned. "Was that true?"
John exchanged a look with his uncle before nodding slightly.
"John and I thought that Juliet wouldn't go to college because she wanted to stay close to Tyler and make up for him, somehow. Peter is my- was my best friend, so I spoke with him about it. I've been worried about her future just as much as my son's. She might as well be my daughter, now how is this helping to find her?"
"If Graham thought that Juliet would move away, that is what made him act on his fantasy," Morgan explained, taking Roy's growing frustration in stride.
"So that explains why he killed Peter, but what about the boys?" John asked.
"We don't know that yet. What do you remember about Clark Graham?"
"He was a quiet young man. Kept to himself and did his work. I can't believe he's behind all this."
"Did you notice his attention to your niece?"
"No, I didn't." John heard as much self-recrimination as he held for himself. "Is that all?"
"Yeah, we'll keep you updated."
After Morgan and JJ left, John stared at his uncle. "Get some sleep, old man."
"Will you sleep while she's missing?"
"No."