Disclaimer: See chapter 1

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Spencer Reid sat at his desk Monday morning working on a consult from Terra Haute when Lana Cross came loping up the aisle with her mail cart. "Good morning Dr. Reid," she said, "how are you and those two girls of yours doing?"

"We're all doing fine Lana, thanks for asking. Reid said as she put his mail in his IN box.

"Yeah," Emily added, "little Joanna was christened yesterday. You should have seen the proud papa showing off his little girl."

"Oh, I'll bet you were just the proud daddy," Lana replied as Reid grinned and then found his shoes interesting. "Gotta go, you take care now, Dr. Reid."

"How come she's never that nice to me?" Morgan wanted to know as Reid shuffled through the usual journals and junk mail that he always got until he came to a brown envelope. It was handwritten and he didn't recognize the handwriting. He hoped it wasn't something from Sharon Webb. He understood that she was grateful but he didn't want his teammates to rib him any more about something that was just plain gratitude. He stared at the envelope a few moments longer until Morgan said, "Well, are you going to open it or just look at it?"

Reid used his letter opener to rip into the envelope which contained a letter and a child's drawing. The picture was of a little girl with blonde hair holding the hand of a man with brown hair. Underneath the drawing, the words thank you were printed in a childish hand. The "K" was backwards. Reid turned his attention to the letter.

Dear Doctor Reid,

Jessica asked me if it would be alright for her to draw a picture for the man who helped her the night of the storm. I told her I was sure Sergeant Tillman would love to have a picture from her. She then told me that she didn't mean Sergeant Tillman, she meant the man with the smiling brown eyes who held her hand. This was news to me so I contacted Detective Townsend and he told me it was you. He also told me that it was you who deduced that it was Myron Wilton who had taken our girls and that they were being held in the storm drains. Needless to say, I was infuriated that Sergeant Tillman was being heralded as a hero and that he had used this terrible situation for his own self aggrandizement. I have made my feelings known to Police Chief Wallace and the parents of the other girls.

Thank you for all you did to save Jessica and the other girls. I apologize that your efforts went unrecognized by the citizens of Topeka. It was a traumatic experience for all three girls and they are receiving counseling to help them cope. One thing that has helped my daughter immensely is the memory of the man with the smiling brown eyes. Thank you for being there for Jessica.

Judge Amy Adderly

"What is it Reid?" Morgan asked as he glanced over at the drawing on the desk.

"It's a drawing from Jessica Adderly and a letter from her mother," Reid replied. He handed the letter to Morgan while Emily picked up the picture.

"Oh Reid, this is so cute," she said. "You have to put it somewhere. Maybe your office at home, to remind yourself why we do this if we ever forget."

"I'm glad Judge Adderly went to the police chief about Tillman's behavior," Morgan remarked after he finished the letter. He looked at Reid for consent before he handed it to Prentiss.

"It sounds like what you did really meant something to that little girl. But then again, you have those eyes," Emily said as she winked at her teammate.

He seemed not to notice as he responded, "I was thinking of Joanna. I kept thinking what I'd want someone to do for Joanna if she was in that position. It seems so different now that I have a child of my own." He looked at the picture again and thought of the card Sharon Webb had sent. His teammates were wrong; sometimes a thank you was just that, a thank you and nothing more.

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The "hot house" was hotter than usual for the beginning of August. The hot Kansas sun must have concentrated its beams on the 1583 acres that made up Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary or that's how it seemed to the inmates who toiled in the sweltering heat of the textile factory even though it was, supposedly, air conditioned. It was more than the heat or the work on the looms that was making Chico Mendez sweat. He was waiting to hear from Lloyd Graham who was taking his plea agreement before the judge this morning. William noticed that the young man seemed more on edge than he had ever seen him. Lloyd's plea agreement had gotten Chico's hopes up and William prayed that it held up in court so Chico could finally be free of bars and walls, of guards and regulated times for every activity but, most of all, free of this oppressive heat that seemed to drain the soul as well as the body.

The call came during the lunch time break. Vince came to get Chico for a phone call. William thought his friend looked a little unsteady as he got to his feet and followed Vince from the room. Chico hadn't mentioned the possibility of his release to anyone but him. He'd told William he didn't want to jinx it.

Chico entered the room with a chair and a small table with a phone on it. Vince handed the receiver to Chico, pressed the lit button for the line and left the room. Chico's hand shook as he put the receiver to his ear. His entire future hinged on this phone call. "H…hello," he said.

"Chico, this is Lloyd Graham, how are you doing?"

"I'm okay sir," the young inmate replied.

"Well, I think you're going to be better than okay. The judge accepted the terms of the plea agreement so you'll soon be a free man."

"Really," Chico said as the tears began to fall, "really sir?"

"Yes Chico, I've spoken to the warden and I have to fax him the judge's ruling when I get it from her clerk. Then he'll start your release papers and in a couple of days you'll leave that place behind."

"I don't know how to ever thank you for all you've done for me," the young man expressed.

"Just go out and make a good life for yourself. That will be thanks enough," Lloyd replied. "Okay, I'll see you in a couple of days."

"Yes sir, thank you again sir," Chico Mendez hung up the phone and wept.

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Sharon gazed at the picture, ignoring the side that showed Allie. Her concentration was on the handsome man with the beautiful brown eyes and those gorgeous brown locks that he seemed to fight a losing battle to control. Had she ever seen someone more perfect? She didn't think so. She looked at the baby in his arms and frowned. She'd have to live with it she supposed. He obviously adored the kid.

This time it was going to be okay. The last time she'd failed because of her wimpy parents. Pressure from the high school and the boy's parents threatening legal action had her parents pulling her out of school and moving away. Did they think moving away would stop her from realizing when fate revealed the right one for her. As soon as she'd seen him she'd known. When that door had burst open and he was standing there, the sunlight around him like a corona, she'd known. She knew now why she'd been chosen by Ray Norman as a victim, why she'd been subjected to the beating and rape; it had all happened so that he would be revealed to her.

This time her parents wouldn't be a problem. Drunk drivers had their uses. Now the only thing standing in her way was the bitch. She turned her eyes on Allie, smiling beside Spencer. She'd wipe the smile off that face.