Chapter 7

The door to the empty conference room opened, and JJ walked in with a faint smile on her face. She maintained the smile when her eyes fell on Mr. and Mrs. Meadows. The middle-age man had both of his arms around his wife's shoulders holding her close against him, her head resting on her husband's shoulder. The couple's eyes shifted up to the blond with eager expectation when she walked into the room.

"Is there any news on our daughter, Agent Jareau?" Mrs. Meadows asked, a handkerchief clutched against her chest.

"Please, call me Jennifer," the media liaison said as she sat down on a chair across from the couple. She rested her arms on the table with hands folded. "And to answer your question, we're still trying to locate her, Mrs. Meadows. Try not to worry."

The older woman smiled through her tears. "Please, call us Cecil and Dorothy," she said patting JJ's hand.

JJ gripped the woman's hand. She paused for several seconds. "Only if you call me Jennifer. I'd like to ask you a few questions about your daughter to help us get to know Clarissa."

"What do you want to know?" asked Cecil, his eyes focused on the blond. He liked the young woman, and believed his wife did as well. He found her easy to talk to unlike other law-enforcement officers he had spoken with over the years. She was genuine and not phony.

"Well…" JJ adjusted her position before she began. "Why don't you begin by telling me about Clarissa? What kind of person is she? What does she like to do for example?" She made sure to keep speaking about the missing woman in the present tense.

Cecil smiled. "She's our oldest, y'know. Most nineteen-year-olds want to be on their own and don't care about anything or anybody. But not Clarissa. She's a good girl. Never gives us a moment's trouble. We have two other daughters; Abigail seventeen, and Lorelei fifteen. Clarissa took it on herself to look after her sisters from the moment we brought them home from the hospital. She adores them with all her heart. She wanted to set an example for her sisters to follow."

"Everybody likes her," Dorothy added. "She will call us twice a day. Even if only to let us know what she is doing, or to ask about us. We never worry about her. Whenever she is late getting home, she will always call and let us know where she is so we won't worry."

"Sounds like a responsible young lady," JJ replied with a genuine smile and blue eyes twinkling.

"She is," Dorothy smiled. "It is so unlike her when she didn't show up to meet us for lunch, and didn't call to say she is running late. At first we didn't worry because her car is in the shop, and she had to rely on public transportation. And from personal experience, when you rely on public transportation, you always have problems."

"And as far as what she likes to do," Cecil added. "She likes to read, go to the movies, listen to music. Her studies at UC Santa Barbara are very important to her. That's the University of Santa Barbara," he explained at JJ's confused look. "She's a sophomore there. Just made the Dean's list last semester, in fact."

"You must've been very proud," JJ's smile widened. She liked these people and secretly prayed things would work out for them regarding their daughter.

"We are," Cecil smiled in response.

"She loves to play the piano and is pursuing a Bachelor of Music degree," Dorothy explained. "We bought her a used piano when she decided to pursue a music career. This way she can practice her playing. She wants to be a concert pianist. She is really very good."

The blond paused as she organized her next question. "Did she have a problem with anybody? By that I mean like a current or ex-boyfriend, a fellow student, teacher, or perhaps a neighbor?"

"Nobody comes to mind," Cecil said. "As my wife said, everybody at school and in the neighborhood likes her. Nobody ever said a bad thing about her."

"She doesn't have time for dating much," Dorothy added. "And the few boys she did go out with she wasn't serious about."

"Did any of the boys she went out with resent her breaking up with them?"

Dorothy shook her head. "No. I mean, the relationships weren't serious from the beginning. She always makes sure the boys know she isn't interested in a relationship. From what I can tell, they seem to understand. She always parted with the boys on a friendly basis. In fact, she's still friends with the boys she went out with."

"I'm going to need a list of the boys she went out with if you don't mind," JJ said.

"Why?" Cecil asked, eyes narrowing. "You think one of them might have done something to our daughter?"

"Not at all. We just like to speak to everybody who knows her. Besides, we find a child will often tell things to a friend they wouldn't tell their parents." JJ paused for a few minutes. "You told me your daughter went missing earlier today. Can you tell me what she was doing when you last heard from her?"

Dorothy let out a deep breath. "She had a lot of errands to run before she met us for lunch. She wanted to buy gifts for several of her friends at school, her sisters, and her grandparents. She also offered to pick up the gifts we wanted to get for her grandparents as well. Their fiftieth wedding anniversary is coming up, and we didn't have time to pick up the gift, so she offered to do it for us."

"Did you hear from her at all during that time?"

"The only call we got was while she picked up the gift we selected for her grandparents," Cecil said.

"When you spoke with her, what did she say? Did she sound frightened? Upset? Under stress?"

Cecil shrugged. "She sounded fine to me. She said she was about to leave the store, and would catch a cab to our place. We figured she would call us when she was on her way home to meet us for lunch. When we didn't hear from her, we tried calling her but the call went to her voice-mail. After waiting half an hour, we tried again but the call went to her voice-mail again. After the third try, we decided to come here. Our other daughters are home with the understanding to call us if they hear from her."

"Agent Jareau…Jennifer, can I ask you a question?" asked Dorothy.

"Of course."

"We've been reading about the two murders. Do you think our daughter…that is, is it possible our daughter…I guess what I'm asking is if there's a chance she's dead?"

JJ paused for a minute recalling Hotch's words to her before she met with the couple. She allowed another smile to appear. "No. Unless we find a body, we believe she is alive, and you must hold onto that also. Right now, your daughter is considered missing. But keep in mind we will do everything we can to find her and return her to you safe and alive."

The couple stared at the agent for several minutes. In the end, it was Dorothy who broke the silence after looking at JJ's gold wedding band.

"Jennifer, do you have children?"

"I have a one-year-old. His name is Henry."

"Then you understand how we feel. As one mother to another, do you believe our daughter is alive?"

JJ swallowed the building lump in her throat. "As one mother to another, Dorothy, yes I do. The people I work with are the best. If anybody can find Clarissa, they can. " She saw the couple exchange looks with each other before looking at her again.

"Thank you," Cecil added.

"Hotch, I know why the Unsub changed his time frame with his kills," Reid said. He became excited as his hazel eyes looked in his boss's deep-set dark brown ones. Hotch looked across at the younger man.

"What is it?"

"Before we arrived, his first two kills were two weeks apart. Since we've been here, he killed Thomas Gannon the same day he killed Shannon Carstairs. I believe us being here is the reason he's changed his time frame for killing."

"But why change his time frame just because we're here?"

"That I haven't figured out yet. The only thing I am positive of is that there's something about us being here that's caused him to speed up his killing time frame. The BAU's presence is the stressor."

"Care to make an educated guess then?"

Reid stared at his boss. He didn't make 'guesses,' educated or otherwise. And for Hotch to ask that question, the Unit Chief had to believe they needed help finding their killer.

"Sorry, but I don't make guesses. I base my answers on statistics and probability."

Hotch sighed and rubbed his forehead. He felt the start of a headache. "I know, and I'm sorry for asking. It's just that we have nothing. Nothing to tell us who this guy is. I was hoping by now we would at least have a motive for these murders, but we don't."

"I know," Reid agreed. "I can't help but feel we're missing something. Something right in front of our faces." He rubbed his chin and his eyes narrowed. "Y'know, Hotch, something just occurred to me."

"What?"

"Well, and hear me out first. What if…what if getting the BAU here to help with this case is the Unsub's motive."

Hotch mulled over what his youngest agent told him. If true, this would not be the first time. The Unit Chief had to admit that he agreed with Reid that the BAU's presence was the reason their killer had moved up his time frame. And if true, they needed move fast. Of course it wouldn't be something as easy as the killer wanting them to find and stop him. It never was. But whatever it was, Hotch felt he wasn't going to like the answer. He looked at his subordinate.

"He's trying to show his superiority to us. Sort of a 'look what I can do' mentality."

Reid shrugged. "We've often met Unsubs who liked nothing better than to show their superiority over the FBI and the BAU. It wouldn't be the first time." He paused. "Moving up his time frame might be his way of showing us how many people he can kill before we stop him."

Hotch's shoulders sagged as if the weight of the world was on them. "Then let's stop this bastard before the body count gets any higher," he added. He and Reid looked up when the door opened. JJ walked in and closed the door. She was holding a sheet of paper. Hotch was about to speak when his cell vibrated. Reaching inside his jacket, he removed the cell, checked the caller ID, and pressed the phone to his ear.

"Yeah, Dave?" he asked aware the others were watching him and waiting. Hotch's expression didn't change as he listened to what Rossi was saying on the other end. "From what you're telling me, the only victim who received any form of contact from the Unsub was Thomas Gannon and I'm curious as to why. Morgan's on his way back. We'll compare notes when you, Morgan, and Prentiss get back." He ended the call. "What happened with Clarissa Meadows' parents, JJ?"

She handed Hotch the sheet of paper on which were five names, then recapped her conversation with the couple as Hotch read over the names. "What is your opinion? Is Clarissa Meadows missing?"

JJ sighed. "In my opinion, Hotch, she is. But whether our Unsub has her is hard to say. These names are of boys she dated and broke up with before she disappeared. I asked her parents to give me the names even though they said the breakups are amicable. I've got Garcia running a check on them."

"Good." Right now they couldn't afford to dismiss anybody. Hotch watched his media liaison sit beside him. Her blue eyes looked sad. He knew something was troubling her. "What's wrong?" he asked.

JJ looked her Unit Chief in the face. She never could hide anything from him and wouldn't try. She licked her dry lips. "Hotch, I hated lying to that nice couple about their daughter when they asked me if she might be dead. I mean, how do you do this day after day, case after case?"

"Do what?" Hotch asked.

"Look a family straight in the eye and tell them their child is still alive when everything in your heart tells you they might be dead. Doesn't it ever bother you?"

Hotch let out a deep breath. "Of course it does. But what I have to keep telling myself is until there's a body, that person is alive. And hope is what every parent, spouse, or family member needs. If we believe their loved one is dead, they will believe it, and then what's the point? Hope is what they look for, and hope is what we give them until it's taken away by the Unsub." He and the blond remained silent for several minutes. Hotch knew his answer wasn't perfect, but it was the best one he had to give. And he believed it himself. If he didn't, he couldn't do this job. "Until proven otherwise, we can't say for a fact the Unsub has Clarissa Meadows," he added.

"So what do we do? Hotch, we have a missing girl who may or may not be the next victim of our Unsub," JJ pointed out.

The Unit Chief replied with a sigh. "That's why we're going to ask Detective Parsons to have his men look into her disappearance until we're sure. Right now we treat her disappearance as a missing person." He looked at the media liaison. "JJ, see if you can find Detective Parsons for me."

"Right away." JJ opened the door and just avoided Morgan. "Sorry," she said as she slid past the black agent and out of the room. Morgan, meanwhile, closed the door behind him and sat down in the chair JJ had vacated. Sheer exhaustion showed on his face as he ran a hand over his head. He looked at his boss and shook his head.

"What happened?" Hotch asked the agent.

Morgan let out a deep breath. "Justin Carstairs couldn't tell me much, Hotch. He and his sister did speak on a daily basis. But according to him, she never said anything or anybody was bothering her. And as far as he knew, there were no threatening phone calls or mail. And we never found anything when we searched her apartment. But he did tell me he offered to let her stay with him when she started her new job until she could afford a place of her own. In fact, he told me he expected her to move in with him a few days before she died, and became concerned when he didn't hear from her."

"That must have been rough," Reid said.

"Yeah," Morgan agreed. "I felt sorry for the guy, losing his only sibling like that. Where's Emily?" he asked not seeing the brunette.

Hotch told Morgan what Garcia had discovered, and that Prentiss was interviewing Dr. Dracut and Thomas Gannon's father. Morgan shook his head.

"So you feel either Denser or Dracut could be our Unsub?" he asked looking at Hotch.

"They both fit the profile even though Dracut admitted he was at fault and didn't blame the Gannon family," Hotch replied.

"And Denser?"

"We haven't located him yet. Garcia's still looking."

Morgan chuckled. "If anybody can find a person, it's Baby Girl." A smirk appeared on his boss's face at his term of affection for their tech analyst. A wide grin broke out on his own face.

Both men and Reid turned when the door opened and in walked JJ in front of Parsons. The man's face showed how much this case had affected him as it had the others.

"Thank you for coming, Detective," Hotch said. A tight smile appeared on the Detective's face.

"I was coming to see you anyway, Agent Hotchner, before I ran into Agent Jareau." Parsons reached into his jacket and removed his notebook. He flipped through several pages. "Agents Rossi and Morgan asked me to have my men check with the florist shops in town about the Dahlias."

"What did you find?" asked Morgan removing his sunglasses.

"Keep in mind we're still checking, but so far, my men haven't found any shop that has sold either the flowers, or the bulbs. But we're still checking."

Hotch sighed. "Have them keep checking." Parsons nodded and made a notation in his notebook. Finished, he looked at the Unit Chief.

"Will do. Uh, Agent Hotchner, Agent Jareau said you wanted to see me about a missing person?"

"That's right," Hotch shifted in his chair. "A young woman by the name of Clarissa Meadows, nineteen, has been missing for several hours. We're not sure if she's been taken by our Unsub at this point, but we would appreciate your men looking into her disappearance."

"What makes you think this Unsub might have her?" Parsons asked. His lack of enthusiasm at having his men stretched thinner than they already was seen on his face, and did not escape the profilers.

"We're not sure," Morgan explained sensing what Hotch did. "But we will treat her disappearance as if he does until we know otherwise."

"And if that turns out not to be the case…" Hotch continued as he crossed his arms. "…. wouldn't it be better to search for someone who turns out in the end to only be missing, then to ignore it and find out later you were wrong?"

Parsons let out a deep breath and let his eyes look at the profilers before he nodded. "I'll inform the men to begin a search for Clarissa Meadows right away," he added.

The man whistled as he rinsed out the back of his truck using a hose. A smirk appeared as the dirt washed away. He still had to dispose of Clarissa Meadows' body but he would not do it today; it would be too soon and careless on his part. No, he would wait twenty-four hours and then dump the body where it would be found. He couldn't wait for the reactions of the police and the feds. He chuckled at the image of the feds and the cops running around totally bewildered. The thought was amusing. Just as amusing as the letter and phone calls to Thomas Gannon.

To him, it was a stroke of genius. He believed the mistake he made before with Hotchner was sending him the same letter he had sent those attorneys. This time, he sent one letter followed by two hang-ups to one victim. It would throw the agents and the cops off track. A grin appeared when he thought about the letter he would send to the FBI the same day he dumped the body. He wished he could see Hotchner's reaction when that letter arrived. He guessed he would just have to fantasize about the man's response.

Once the back of the truck was clean, he turned off the hose and tossed it near the house. Next he had to clean the secret room and get it ready for his next guest. The girl's body was in an empty tub waiting to be cleaned inside and out. In addition, her hair still had to be washed before he got rid of her. But after Hotchner was dead, he would leave the secret room in whatever condition it was in because at that point he would not give a damn. He would want the room found. In fact, he wanted the feds to see evidence of how much their leader had suffered. Let them see the blood splattered walls and table; the bloody machete, carving knife, and crowbar. Let them see it all and understand what Hotchner endured before death. But first, everything had to be perfect for his arrival.

Walking back to his home, he climbed the steps and entered the residence. He had things to do before he began preparing for Aaron Hotchner's impending arrival in a few days.