Essential Listening – The Moment I Said It, by Imogen Heap

0o0

Morgan had pulled her off the search with the news that they'd found the little girl's necklace, and that both he and Hotch had a job for her. She waited in the little conference room off the main mall security office.

Although she was glad to take a break from all the charging around, she couldn't help feeling a little disconcerted by the sudden change in pace.

"You searched their house?" she asked, to keep from worrying about a lost six year old.

"Obvious signs of abuse," said Morgan. "But not at home."

"The uncle or cousin," Grace nodded, slowly.

Oh God…

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about –" Morgan began, but Hotch swooped in and he broke off.

"Morgan, you and Reid concentrate on Jeremy," he said. "Prentiss and I will work on the uncle."

He looked expectantly at Morgan, who glanced at Grace.

"But – uh –"

"She'll catch you up."

"Okay…" said Morgan, shooting her a questioning look.

She shrugged.

Hotch waited until they were alone, before asking, "Anything unusual?"

Grace frowned for a moment, confused, before she realised what he meant. Most things in their line of work were unusual, after all.

"Oh," she said, cottoning on. "Er, nothing related to our case."

He gave her the kind of look that told her he wasn't sure how to phrase the question.

"Any… witnesses?" he asked, eventually. Grace shook her head.

"They didn't see her."

"Right," said Hotch, briskly pulling out an evidence bag. "This is Katie's. Someone ripped it off her and stuffed it in a trash can by the food court. Can you get anything from it?"

Grace took the necklace out of the bag and concentrated. The memory of the gold tasted metallic in her mind.

"Lot of conflict," she said. "Not much else. There'd be more if she'd died wearing it – and really you ought to ask someone unfamiliar with the case to get a read on it."

"A question of bias," he nodded, understanding. "Conflict?"

"As if she wasn't sure how she felt about it," she qualified. "And someone else really hated it."

"So it meant something to someone in her life."

"Her abductor?"

"I hope so." Hotch sighed, frustrated. "The more we find out, the further from finding Katie we seem to get. Go help Morgan – he's got an idea about the cousin."

0o0

"You want me to what?"

Her colleagues shifted uncomfortably.

"We need to determine if his preference is for girls Katie's age, or…" Reid faltered. "Pr-pretty girls in general."

"So you're asking me to walk in there and – what? Flirt with a thirteen year old boy?" Reid wouldn't meet her eyes, so she turned to Morgan. "Do you not think this might be considered, I don't know, kind of inappropriate?"

"Not flirt," said Morgan, quickly. "Just… distract him. Knock him off his game."

"It's the – the pretty girl equation," said Reid, awkwardly.

Grace stared at him. She folded her arms.

"Okay, I'll bite," she said. "What's the 'pretty girl equation'?"

"Any heterosexual thirteen year old boy will be distracted by an attractive woman," Morgan explained. Grace thought she could detect a little wariness in his body language, as if he wasn't sure how she'd react. "Unless his predilections lie elsewhere. If he's distracted by you we can rule out primary involvement in his cousin's abduction. The motive's clearly got something to do with the abuse."

Reid cleared his throat.

"You're the youngest female team member."

"And Jeremy's already met JJ and Prentiss," Morgan added. "He already sees them as authority figures."

"And he'll see me as what, exactly?" Grace asked, eyebrows raised.

He and Reid shared a look.

"I realise this is an unusual tactic," Morgan offered, after a moment.

"Downright skeezy, more like," Grace remarked, looking away, annoyed. She huffed, "But we do need to rule him out – and fast. Alright," she agreed, reluctantly. "How do you want to do this?"

"Kid," said Morgan and Reid. "Go make him uncomfortable."

0o0

Spencer sat down across from Jeremy and considered him for a moment.

Make him uncomfortable. Okay…

"What's going on?" Jeremy asked.

Spencer fiddled with his tie, considering his opening. A good interrogation was like a game of chess, Gideon had told him. The conversation felt like it had taken place long ago, almost in another world.

"Did you find Katie?"

He seemed genuinely concerned, but that didn't put him out of the running. Not yet.

"Jeremy, how old are you?" Spencer asked.

"Thirteen," he said, confused.

"Thirteen," Spencer repeated, recollecting with no fondness whatsoever, how awkward he had been at that age. "Wow. You know, when I was thirteen, I was starting to notice girls, too."

Jeremy suddenly looked like he wanted the ground to open up and swallow him. Spencer knew exactly how he felt. This was an uncomfortable conversation all round. He pressed on.

"I was curious, but – uh," he chuckled. "I was, like, really awkward, so it was super hard for me to talk to them – and I – uh – I found that incredibly frustrating."

"Why're you telling me this?" Jeremy asked, blushing crimson. He'd folded his arms in front of his chest and retreated back behind his fringe.

"'Cause I think I understand you," Spencer told him. "You're – uh – you're in the arcade, a pretty girl walks in and – uh, you get distracted by the – uh – the scent of her hair, right?"

Jeremy was avoiding his gaze now, chewing hard on the inside of his mouth. Clearly, Spencer had touched a nerve.

"I guess," Jeremy allowed. "So what?"

He chuckled again.

"So you're – you're becoming a man," he said. "it's – hah – believe it or not it happens to all of us. There's nothing wrong with that at all."

"Never said there was," said Jeremy, who looked like he couldn't decide if he should be afraid or confused. He went with defensive.

"And these video games that you play," Spencer continued, scooting his chair forward and leaning on the table. "These cool video games allow you to – um," he looked right at Jeremy, who looked away. "To explore your violent side, right? So, I mean, clearly you're intrigued, but my only question is whether or not you've acted on these curiosities? You've – uh – experimented yet?"

Jeremy cast around for a way to make the conversation stop.

"Shouldn't you be looking for my cousin right now?"

Spencer considered him for a moment.

"I am looking for your cousin right now."

"Why are you asking me these questions?"

"Why are you avoiding them?"

Jeremy didn't answer. Behind him, beyond the glass, he saw Morgan and Grace take up position by the door, waiting for his nod.

Not yet, he thought. Not just yet.

"Hey Jeremy, do you know what I do for the FBI?"

"No," he muttered, with the barest shake of his head.

"I study human behaviour," Spencer told him. Jeremy began to inch his chair away from him, clearly on edge now. "Like, uh – the way you're pushing your chair away from me? It tells me that what I'm saying is making you uncomfortable." He leaned on the table, making up the inches of distance Jeremy had gained. "Like – uh – like you're trying to distance yourself from me. Maybe what I'm capable of reading about you."

"Whatever," Jeremy murmured, chewing on his cheek again.

"Case in point," Spencer said, nodding at him. "You bite your inner cheek. It's uh – it's a nervous tic, like you're – uh – holding onto something. You're doing it right now."

Jeremy held his mouth still, staring at the far wall.

"You were also doing it at the arcade."

He watched with some satisfaction as Jeremy's eyes slid over to him, involuntarily.

"I think you were doing it maybe – I don't know – maybe because you remembered something more than what you told us."

"No," Jeremy quickly denied. Too quickly. "I told you everything."

"I don't know," said Spencer, slowly, crossing his arms. "I don't think you told us everything."

He met Grace's eyes through the glass; she slipped into the room. Jeremy whirled in his seat, clearly hoping for salvation.

"Don't mind me," said Grace, and walked straight to the drinks machines.

"Jeremy," said Spencer, and the boy turned back towards him, evasive and clearly afraid. "I think something else happened in that arcade. Something – something you haven't told anybody yet."

Jeremy squirmed.

0o0

Morgan folded his arms.

Grace had left the door just open enough that he could hear every word of the interview going on inside. From the way Jeremy Jacobs was hunched over, Reid had hit the nail on the head. He watched his fellow agent stare the boy down for a few, long minutes until Pearce made her approach.

She was right, this was unorthodox, but it was their best shot for ruling Jeremy out quickly.

She dropped a can of soda in front of Spencer, then another in front of Jeremy, commanding the boy's full attention. Finally, she extracted a third can from her back pocket and opened it, taking a long drink.

Jeremy was staring at her; Spencer was watching him.

"Figured you boys could do with a drink," she said.

"How's it going?" Spencer asked, leaning back and letting Jeremy stew.

"No luck," she said, with just the right amount of heaviness to keep Jeremy hoping and make him really worried. "The rapid response teams are clearing floors pretty swiftly, but if Katie's some place we can't see, she may not be able to call out."

Even though he had his back to Morgan, he could see Jeremy squirming. Either he felt guilty about what he'd done, or he was genuinely upset about his cousin. Pearce leaned against the table, her hand inches from Jeremy's. The back of the boy's neck began to turn pink.

She moved away, settling on the edge of the table, just behind Reid.

"Have you been able to remember anything else, Jeremy?"

Jeremy shook his head, not saying a word. Reid's eyebrow twitched upwards; something about the set of Grace's jaw indicated that she didn't believe him either. He wondered whether Jeremy could tell.

"It's okay," she said, lightly. "Situations like these are always stressful – we know you're trying to do your best for your cousin."

She leaned forward, over Reid's shoulder, to retrieve her can of soda from the table. The move, he suspected, had been intentional, designed to make Jeremy feel like he was trusted, like the agents were being candid with him. It also allowed him (and Morgan, for that matter) an improved view, as it were. Not that Pearce was wearing anything provocative, but when you were thirteen, a little thing like that wouldn't matter at all.

Jeremy leaned forward, too, unconsciously; Grace's proximity was having the desired effect. It looked like they could rule Jeremy out as Katie's abuser.

He frowned. Her proximity seemed to be having a rather more unexpected effect on Reid, too. The younger agent was colouring, slowly, as his colleague leaned over him, her hair possibly tickling his neck. He glanced at her, moistening his lips.

Morgan tried not to laugh.

0o0

Grace nodded and turned away, job done.

She glanced at Morgan, who seconded the nod and departed, heading to Hotch or JJ to update them. Jeremy toyed with the top of his drinks can. He was definitely holding something back, as Reid and Morgan had said.

Maybe she could scare it out of him.

"Have you heard of Jamie Bulger?" she asked, wedging her feet in the back of Reid's chair. The other agent glanced in her direction, but stayed quiet. They needed to use every angle they could, here.

"No," said Jeremy, frowning.

Grace nodded slowly, taking her time.

"Maybe it's a more of a British thing," she reflected. "Growing up, every kid my age knew that name. 12th of February 1993," she continued, soberly. "Liverpool. Little Jamie Bulger, two and a half years old, went shopping with his mum."

Jeremy blanched. He could guess where this was going, whether he'd heard of 'Baby Jamie' or not. Her father had followed the story every night on the ten o'clock news, thinking that Grace was safely tucked up in bed. She, like most of her friends, had crept downstairs every night, fascinated and horrified in equal measure (as only a child could be) as the story of Jamie's final tortured hours had unfolded.

"She only looked away for a moment," Grace said, recalling the powerful sense of horror she had felt even then. Jeremy couldn't take his eyes off hers as she spoke, as if hypnotised. "Two lads, not much older than I was then, lured him away. About forty witnesses saw them walk him through the shopping centre and away along the canal, but everyone assumed they were looking after a little brother. Nothing in their behaviour stood out."

She met Jeremy's gaze, giving him a hard look.

"I'm not going to tell you what happened to that little boy – it's not a pretty story. The point is, we understand how short a time it takes for a child to be led away from the person they're with, no matter how grown up or careful they are. And that sometimes it's the people you least expect who can't be trusted."

Jeremy swallowed hard.

"Jeremy, was there anyone in the arcade you'd had problems with before?" Reid asked. The boy turned to him, wide-eyed, and shook his head. "Any kids who looked like trouble – who you, maybe, knew instinctively not to speak to?"

Another negative.

"Okay," said Grace, thinking aloud. "What about people Katie might trust?" she asked. "Older girls, maybe, who might be nice to a little girl who doesn't like being in an arcade yet? Someone who didn't mean to hurt her, maybe, but who she would feel safe going for an ice cream with – until they get bored of having a little girl with them and just leave her there?"

"There were a couple of girls near the racing games," he offered, eventually. "But Katie wouldn't have gone anywhere with someone she didn't know. She's smart."

"So it has to be someone she does know?" Reid asked.

Jeremy paled.

0o0

"He's not going to tell us, is he?" Grace asked, frustrated.

Jeremy had clammed up again and they'd left him to stew a little more. There wasn't any point putting him under further pressure.

"No," Reid sighed. "I don't – I don't think he's involved. Which means –"

"He's protecting someone," Grace finished, with a huff of frustration. "Probably one of his parents."

She swore.

"You know, even if we do find Katie alive, this family is going to be in ruins before we're done."

Reid nodded sadly. For a moment, Grace thought he might be about to speak, but he seemed to think better of it, looking back into the security room where Jeremy was doing a credible impression of Not Freaking Out.

"I should get back to the search teams," she said, but the door to the security office banged open before she could move.

"Pearce, you're with me!" Morgan bellowed. "Katie's aunt just confessed to takin' her," he added in a much quieter voice, mindful of Jeremy's proximity.

"Where –" Reid began to ask, but Morgan was already on his way back out of the door.

Grace followed, at some speed. They joined Hotch and Director Franklin, along with one of the search teams, all running towards one of the vast seasonal storage 'closets' out the back of the mall, an area that had yet to be searched. Katie had been tied up and gagged for several hours now, and with her asthma…

The music hit her when they reached the third floor – a cheery Disney tune that caught Grace's breath. If she could hear that, then –

"No, no, no, no, no!" she cried aloud, turning her run into a flat out sprint, following the sound. She tore through the random junk in the storage closet, wrenching tables out of the way and climbing over a giant foam clown face that looked like it belonged in a museum of the damned. Morgan and Hotch were hot on her heels.

"Alright, take it apart guys – every box, every shelf!" Hotch ordered.

The happy little tune in Grace's head increased in volume as the search team burst into the room behind them, all yelling Katie's name. Grace clambered over to a series of lockers in the very back.

"Morgan, give me a hand –"

Together, they lifted a large metal filing cabinet out of the way of the very last locker. Hotch pulled open the door.

"I got her!" he yelled, bending down. "I got her!"

He and Morgan lifted her out, as gently as they could, her small frame half concealed under a couple of emergency blankets and an Easter Bunny costume.

"Alright, we need a medic!" Morgan shouted, turning to the search team, who scattered in search of the paramedics they'd had on standby for hours. "Somebody! Move! Let's go!"

Her heart thudding dully in her chest, Grace watched as Hotch knelt over the tiny girl and gently peeled back the duct tape covering her mouth. She could see another little girl, too, a couple of paces behind Director Franklin, the perfect replica of Katie Jacobs, crystallised at six years old.

She heard someone radio JJ and tell her to get Katie's parents up here fast, and then realised it was her. The world around her seemed oddly muted, except for the small, watchful child behind Director Franklin's legs; her corporeal counterpart wasn't breathing.

"I can't find a pulse!" said Hotch, urgently. Morgan took Katie's head in his hands, laying down gently, making sure there were no head injuries. "Dip her head back, open her airways up," Hotch instructed. "Ready? One – two – three –"

The echo intently watched the two agents give her CPR, the music of her afterlife filling Grace's head.

Two paramedics shuffled them out of the way in a business-like fashion. In a matter of seconds, Katie's body was hooked up to a portable heart monitor, and oxygen mask swamping her tiny face.

"Come on, Katie," said Hotch, still continuing gentle chest compressions.

Morgan had been pressed into service holding a drip – one of the paramedics was attaching it to the little girl as the other supplied her with air. Grace looked on, helpless, as the heart monitor gave out its shrill, endless tone.

"Come on," she hissed, under her breath.

Hurried footfalls made her glance up – JJ and Katie's parents ran into the room and froze, terrified, pulled up short by the sight of their pale, motionless child, that long, awful sound filling the air.

"Katie?" Beth Jacobs cried.

"Come on, sweetie! Come on, sweetie!" Katie's father urged. "Wake up."

Her mother started to cry.

The hearts of the entire team were beating as one, now, willing the little girl on the filthy carpet of the storeroom to breathe –

Grace closed her eyes and the world seemed to squeeze for a moment. She opened them in time to catch a glimpse of Katie's echo winking out of sight – on the floor, a second after, the heart monitor beeped – then beeped again. Katie coughed.

The entire room took one, desperate breath of relief along with her.

Grace closed her eyes again, aware of the slight prickle at their corners.

That had been close.

0o0

They stood with Jeremy in the cold night air, watching his parents being marched, handcuffed, to separate police cars. His mother, currently being piloted by Emily, looked particularly defeated. Spencer wondered whether there was anything any of them could say that would begin to make this okay for him. He rather doubted it.

"Is Katie gonna be alright?" Jeremy asked and Morgan nodded.

"She will eventually."

They watched as the boy met his mother's eyes, felt the chasm opening up between them.

"I heard her call my mom's name," he told them, open for the first time in hours. "That's what I remembered before."

The agents shared a glance.

"We get it, kid," Morgan assured him. "It's your mom."

"What's gonna happen to me now?" he asked, as though the question had only just come into his head.

Explaining what his father had done to Katie had been one of the hardest things Spencer had ever had to do.

"I don't know, Jeremy," he said, honestly. "But – uh – we're gonna make sure you're alright, okay?"

Morgan beckoned to him as the car from social services pulled up.

"Let's go," Spencer said, putting a brotherly arm around the boy's shoulders and walking him away from both his parents.

Seeing both parents arrested on the same night – especially given their crimes…

Jeremy had a hard road ahead of him. The least they could do was try to set him on it safely.