Disclaimer: See first chapter.

Nooks and Crannies

"Research is the process of going up alleys to see if they are blind." – Martson Bates

Unsure what to make of the brazen woman whom he had inadvertently ogled, Reid, adjusted the gun he had replaced in his holster only moments ago. As Morgan and Hotch approached the open door, he sighed dejectedly; sure that Hotch would reprimand him for his unprofessional behavior. He groaned inwardly, if only I wasn't such a klutz. Maybe they didn't see everything, he thought hopefully.

"Well, ya'll gonna come in or let all the flies in Rubin County in?" The woman turned a questioning glare in their direction.

"Ma'am," Morgan smiled as he holstered his weapon, "we're searching for a seven-year-old boy who may've witnessed a crime near here." He ambled easily toward the open door, ahead of Reid who stood a little rooted to the spot, smooth, he thought; let Morgan swoop in to save the day.

Hotch holstered his weapon, stepping around Reid to enter the home. Reid, shaken out of his momentary stupor, followed with his head down. The inside of the house had not fared much better than the outside Reid noticed. It too was ramshackle and run-down. Reid wondered briefly why such a beauty would continue to live in such squalor.

"I know it ain't much, but would ya mind shuttin' the door?" She threw back as she made her way into what Reid supposed was the living room. He quickly turned around to push the decaying door shut. It took a bit of effort and he felt a sliver cut into the palm of his hand. Wincing slightly, he sucked at his hand.

"Here, let me get a needle for that, name's Savannah Leigh, but ya'll can call me Savannah," she held out a hand for Reid, pulling him into the living room and depositing him on the raggedy sofa. Morgan chuckled softly and shook his head, Hotch just stood there taking in what he could see of the house, a slight frown on his face. Reid sat, a look of chagrin, on the lumpy tweed sofa, his legs dangling in front of him. Can this get any worse? He thought embarrassedly as he ran a hand through his hair.

Savannah came back with a sewing needle, a wet washcloth, and some hydrogen peroxide. Kneeling next to Reid, she pulled his hand into hers, dipped the needle into the flame of a candle sitting on a coffee table next to the couch, and began working at the sliver in his hand. Hotch cleared his throat.

Looking up briefly from her work, Savannah Leigh looked in his direction, "Now, what was that you were sayin' about a missing boy?"

"Yes, his name is Aiken Randall and he has been missing for over a day and a half. Have you seen a kid near the area?"

"Aiken Randall? As in Aiken, Braden, and Molly Randall?" Savannah momentarily stopped working at the sliver in Reid's hand to look fully at Hotch.

"Um, yes," Hotch looked down at the picture he held of the young boy, "he is about 4 feet tall, has a slight build, wears glasses, has dark brown hair, hazel eyes, and a freckled face."

"I know what he looks like; they come over all the time. What did you say happened to him? Where's Molly? Braden? Steve?" Savannah's eyebrows furrowed in concern as she continued to cling to Reid's hand, the needle stuck at an odd angle in his flesh.

Hotch looked up from the picture, compassion in his eyes, his voice softened as he spoke, "I'm sorry Ma'am, Braden and Molly were murdered and it appears as though Aiken witnessed the murders. He got away from police custody and we have been searching for him. Steve is at home, in case Aiken returns. Do you know of anywhere he may have gone?"

"Take a look around the house, he could be hiding here. I've been gone a couple days, I'll help look when I'm done with this," Savannah returned to work the sliver out of Reid's hand. Morgan exited the living room and started up the rickety stairs. Hotch took a left toward one of the bedrooms, looking under the bed, in the closet, and behind the curtains. She worked feverishly at the sliver, finally sliding it out of his hand and pouring hydrogen peroxide over the wound, stopping the flow with the washcloth.

"That should be better. I'll go get you a band aid," Savannah smiled softly as she stood and went into the bathroom to retrieve one. Coming back with a 'Superman' bandage, she placed it over the cut, "Sorry, Braden, Aiken, and their cousins came over all the time, I made sure to be stocked up on band aids that they'd like."

"So, did you babysit them?" Reid asked softly, wondering what connection this woman had with the family.

"Not exactly, they liked to come over and play. When my grandpa was still alive, he'd play soldier with them," Savannah laughed, but caught herself as she thought of what little Aiken, whom she had just gotten to know over the past year, had gone through, "I've been working at getting this place into running order, but it has been a slow process and the boys have come over to help nearly every day this summer, their Mama, Molly has had me over to dinner weekly, knowing my kitchen ain't quite in running order."

"Oh," Reid felt at a loss for words as he stared down at the 'Superman' band aid. What could he say that would be a comfort to this woman?

"I guess we could aid in the search, there are about a zillion places one could hide in on this property," Savannah tugged Reid to his feet, and to his credit, he didn't stumble as he stood. He followed her out of the living room and into what he could only assume had at one point in time been a functioning den, but now looked like more of a cluttered room in which a tornado had swept through. Nevertheless, they searched the room, not turning up Aiken; they walked into the laundry room.

Here, Reid could tell, some progress had been made. It was immaculate and orderly, unlike the rest of what he had seen. Looking into the washer and dryer, the baskets, in between the appliances and every conceivable hiding spot did not reveal the quarry of their search. A bit discouraged, they left the laundry room and stumbled into the pantry. Savannah reached for the overhead light, Reid clinging lightly to her arm so as not to lose his footing. Thank goodness the guys aren't around for this, he quickly shook himself as he let go of her, eyes trained firmly on the ground, not wanting to make the same mistake he had made earlier.

"Sorry about that," he apologized, his face turning crimson.

"No worries," Savannah smiled, pulling his face up toward her so that he wasn't looking at the floor, "I doubt if he would be hiding down there," she admonished as her eyes swept the pantry for any sign of Aiken. Not finding the boy, she shut off the light and they left the pantry, Reid noting that she smelled faintly of lavender and vanilla.

Knowing that Hotch and Morgan had both gone upstairs to search, Reid and Savannah continued onto the cellar. The stairs creaked beneath their weight as they walked down into the murky darkness that was lit by a single bulb. It was dank and musty smelling, causing Reid to sneeze and bump into Savannah who led the way.

"Sorry," he mumbled as he regained his footing. They continued their way down the stairs and when they finally reached the bottom, Reid let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He had never really liked walking into dark places, and this one was just way too creepy. He doubted that a frightened boy would hide here, but even so, they had to look.

"This isn't a place I have ventured into much," Savannah said apologetically, "It has been last on my list of things to do since I found out that I inherited this place from my grandfather. We were never all that close, but I was his only living relative, so he left it all to me." Turning, she bumped into Reid and accidentally hit him in the chest with her arm as she swept it around. Having caught a spider web in the process, she inadvertently smeared it in the young agent's hair and proceeded to try to wipe it out, much to his embarrassment.

"Reid? Savannah Leigh?" Hotch called from the top of the stairs leading to the basement. Oh great! Reid thought to himself, now Hotch is gonna catch me in the basement with this beautiful woman's hands all over me, just what I need. He felt like slapping himself on the forehead and groaned inwardly. Would this day never end? Not until we find Aiken. And he sure isn't here in this basement.

"Yeah, we're down here," Reid called tentatively up the stairs, "I don't think he's here." He turned to see Savannah's eyes locked on his own, "Um…perhaps we better get upstairs," he said while awkwardly removing her hands from his hair. Just how much of this did Hotch see? He wondered.

As they made their way up the stairs, Reid leading the way this time, he couldn't shake the feeling that Savannah was watching him a little too close from behind. Was that her hand that brushed his hips? He swallowed hard. I am on a case, there is a boy who is scared and lost, and here I am thinking about a girl I've just met, what the heck is wrong with me? He chastised himself. It was a sheepish Reid that greeted Hotch and Morgan when he and Savannah had made it to the top.

Morgan grinned wolfishly, which caused Reid to blush a deeper shade of red. Hotch had a look of concern on his face, "Reid are you okay? Do you need to get that hand looked at?"

"No, it's okay Hotch, we didn't find Aiken in the den, laundry room, pantry, or basement."

"There are still many hiding places to look at outside," Savannah pointed out, leading the way out through the back door.