Chapter 3

'The more you are able to understand and appreciate someone else's perspective, the more dimension, depth, and texture you ultimately add to your own'. Rania Al Abdullah

When they arrived in Boston they headed straight down to the Boston PD headquarters where they were introduced to Captain Soloman who had called them in. He took them to the room that had been set aside for them where they made their own introductions before Hotch sent Morgan, Reid and Livie off to the latest crime scene whilst Rossi and Emily headed to the first crime scene and he and JJ stayed to interview the family members who had agreed to come in and talk to them.

Morgan continued to grill Livie about her life in the car and she answered though both other profilers could tell she was avoiding something from her past. "What about siblings" Morgan asked "two sisters" Livie said "well one older stepsister called Alexis, she travelling at the moment, so I haven't seen her for a while. Then I have a baby half sister, well she isn't really a baby but to me she still is. She is nine at the moment; she is called Kaylee and butter wouldn't melt in her mouth. She has those big blue eyes that just have you wrapped round her little finger. She's a really sweet kid"

"Sounds it" Morgan said as they arrived outside the house and they headed up pulling on their gloves as the officer outside lifted the tape for them to pass.

The house was eerily quiet compared to the hustle and bustle outside and Reid automatically began to hunt around searching for something that would tell him about their unsub. Morgan headed to the kitchen whilst Livie followed Reid into the lounge looking at the pictures on the mantelpiece. "A lot of pictures of Stella" she said "she was obviously the centre of their lives". Reid nodded "she was, see how all the adult movies are stacked high at the top and out of reach whilst all the kids movies are at the bottom, they made all her movies easily accessible for her and even left the DVD player in easy reach for her so she could do it herself"

Livie nodded and moved over to the TV and switched it and the DVD player on to find a cartoon movie on, she gave a small smile as she picked up the DVD case "The Lion King" she murmured "you know it" she asked, Reid shrugged "know of it but haven't actually seen it, why have you", Livie smiled "many times" she said "little sister remember… we both love it" she looked at him. "So you never saw this" she asked "no" he said and she raised her eyebrows "what were you doing when you were a kid" she asked and he ducked his head "I preferred to read" he said "and I looked after my mom too" he hesitated before he continued, not looking at her "she was um very sick and has now been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia". He picked up a book and flicked through it until she touched his arm gently and he looked at her as she smiled "sorry" she said and he shrugged "don't be, you weren't to know, I don't tell many people" "well thank you for opening up to me" she said and Reid nodded.

From the doorway to the kitchen Morgan cleared his throat and they both looked round to see him watching them. "Reid why don't you finish off down here and Livie and I will check out the bedrooms" Morgan said, Reid nodded and Livie headed up the stairs after Morgan.

Morgan watched her as she looked around the little girl's room "kept up to date with her age" she said "the reading books are for her age, they are kept at eye level whilst others are kept below" she opened the wardrobe "clothes used most regularly are kept on the low rail that she can reach" she said. Morgan nodded "and you know that because" he asked, Livie looked up at him before she pointed to an outfit on the end "school uniform was kept on this rail" she said "good" he said "what do you think her relationship was like with her parents"

Livie straightened and looked around "good" she said and she picked up a book on the bedside table; The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. "She looks like an advanced reader but I would say this is too advanced for a six year old" she said looking at him "which suggests they are reading it to her"

Morgan nodded again "tell me about her abduction" he said testing her and her eyes glinted as she accepted his challenge. "He came in after killing her parents" she said "he had blood on his shoes… he crept over to her bed and…" she looked at the bed before she touched a red stain "sat down next to her" "yep" Morgan said "neighbours didn't hear any screaming so how did he stop her screams" he asked, Livie thought "he either threatened her or he put a hand over her mouth"

"Which one do you think" Morgan asked, she thought looking around before she looked up "hand over mouth" she said "because if they had had a knife then why not kill the parents with it, and then they could drug her at the same time using a rag soaked in chloroform". "Did they drug her" Morgan asked "didn't the medical examiner find minute burns that could be from chloroform in their nostrils" Livie asked "ah good you even read the ME report" Morgan said with a smile "thought you might have been to busy with Reid"

Livie gave him a look before she stood up and looked around the room again "he likes you" Morgan said and Livie looked at him "you can't know that" she said "I can" he responded "I have known him eight years kid and you are the first person he has ever told willingly about his mother, took a serial killer for us to find out"

Livie looked at him "he seems a bit lost" she said gently "yeah" Morgan said "I guess he is, his biggest fear is that one day he too will become schizophrenic, and I think sometimes he looses himself in that fear" Livie sighed and picked up a toy dog from the pillow of the little girl's bed "I guess we all get lost at some point though right" she asked and Morgan nodded "come on lets go see the main crime scene"

They headed down the hall into the master bedroom which had been left as it was after the forensics people were finished with it. Their eyes combed over the room with the large bed in it which was still covered in rumbled sheets that had been kicked around as the mother and father of Stella Davis had struggled to breathe. "The report says they used pillows" Morgan said flicking through the file "so they didn't bring their own weapons" "they must be strong" Livie said "I don't think it is that easy to suffocate someone is it"?

Morgan shook his head "not at all" he said "to hold someone down as they put everything they have into fighting you requires a lot of energy, not to mention nerve"

He looked around "so we have two unsubs" he said "one of them has to be dominant and the other submissive" he grabbed two pillows and chucked one to Livie "the dominant one would take the father" he said moving over to the side of the bed that the father had been found on "because he wouldn't want his follower to mess it up, a big strong male is more of a problem than a women so he would have his accomplice take out the mother"

Nodding Livie moved to the other side of the bed "we would do it at the same time" she said "so that one of them does not wake the other" Morgan nodded in agreement "and we can't risk them waking up the kid" he added.

"So we suffocate the mom and dad" he said and mimed doing that as Livie did the same before she looked down "the mother struggles and knocks a lamp off the side" she said "and tries to get the phone but passes out before she can reach it" she said looking at nail gauges in the wood of the table near the phone.

"The dad managed to knock the clock off the side" Morgan said "which gave us the time of death at about 3am, he is struggling hard maybe he is getting away so I grab the lamp and use it to knock him out which explains the blood" they both looked at the blood on the bed and floor and how it moved back out of the room.

Both of them stepped away from the bed dropping the pillows "Now that is out of the way" Morgan said looking at his file "I leave you ransacking the drawers for valuables whilst I go for the girl"

Both of them moved back down the hall towards the little girls room and Livie paused in the doorway to watch Morgan move in and sit on the edge of the bed "I drug the girl" he said "and then I lift her" carefully he followed the foot prints "I carry her out where I meet you and we go down the stairs together and… leave through the back door because we don't want to risk being seen with the girl"

"How did they get in" Livie asked and Morgan paused looking at the file "unknown entry point" he said. "They came through the garage" Reid said appearing beside them "the lock is simple to pick and the garage has a window large enough for someone to climb through, the catch is very dodgy on it" he added.

"Good work pretty boy" Morgan said looking around "I think that is all we are going to get from here for now so let's get out of here"

They headed back to the car fending off reporters who had gotten wind of their arrival and were asking for a quote but they ignored them all and headed back to the headquarters.

They arrived back and were introduced to some of the detectives who worked for Boston PD before they headed to the room they had been given "why are you introduced as doctor" Livie asked as she helped Reid set up their whiteboards "because everyone feared that calling me a FBI Special Agent would make people not take me seriously because of my age when I first started and I never changed it" Reid said "ah" Livie said "well I like it, suits you" Reid reddened.

Rossi and Emily returned at that moment and they told them what they had found out from the first victims house "they were quick and efficient" Rossi said "it was too clean, cleaner than I would have expected for a first time so I am thinking those cases with similar MO's must be them after all". Everyone looked at each other before Morgan pulled out his phone and called Garcia who responded quickly with "He who seeks the Queen of All Knowledge, speak and be recognized"

Livie raised her eyebrows looking around "it's a Morgan and Garcia thing" Emily explained smirking "right" Livie said as Morgan grinned "hey baby girl listen I need those magic computers of yours" "alrighty my magic computers are ready and raring to go" she said, "I need you to look across the country for any cases of similar MO, they might not involve killing the parents at first, that might be an escalation but look for anything similar"

"Ok hang on a mo, how far am I going back" she asked and they could hear her fingers flying across the keyboard. They all thought "the crime scenes suggest the unsubs to be fairly young" Rossi said and Morgan nodded in agreement "go back ten years to start with Garcia"

"Alrighty this might take a while so I will buzz you back when … oh". "Uh oh I didn't like the sound of that" Emily said moving forward. "Um well…" Garcia said "you aren't going to like this guys". "What is it Garcia" Hotch asked staring at the phone with his arms folded "there have been kidnappings and killings across the country for the past eight years from many different states, all the girls were between the ages of 3 and 9, they happened in sprees; seven victims in one state then they would move and kidnap seven more and then move to another, after the third state they would stop for the rest of the year before they would appear somewhere else"

Everyone looked at each other in surprise before Emily asked "how many states and cities have they done this year Garcia" "this is the third" the tech analysis said softly "meaning you have to get them or…" "we lose them for another year" Hotch said "send all that over to our tablets Garcia and good work, see what else you can dig up for us". "Your wish is my command" Garcia said "all the info there is on these scumbags I will get for you sir, over and out" and with that she hung up.

Everyone looked around again "um how come no one has connected these cases before now" Morgan asked looking a bit pissed. "You know that states don't often share cases Morgan" Hotch "yeah but this is huge" Morgan protested "I know" his boss said "but there is nothing we can do about it now Morgan except find Stella and stop these men before they hurt anyone else ok" Morgan nodded slowly and picked up his tablet and began to flick through the cases that Garcia had just sent over.

Reid continued to set up his geographical profile whilst Livie went with JJ and Emily to interview some of the family members including Stella Davis' aunt and uncle who were praying for her safe return. He glanced through the glass at her and saw her listening to Emily who was speaking gently and reassuringly to Stella's aunt and uncle. There was something in Livie's eyes almost a sense of familiarity and regret.

They headed to their hotel not much later wanting to catch up on their rest ready for the next day. Reid settled himself in his room as usual well used to all this travelling. Once he had settled he began to read the case files that Garcia again and just like everyone else, the more he read, the more desperate he was to catch these unsubs for what they had done to so many girls.

It was late when he stopped reading and looked around, he decided to go out and get some coffee rather than use the hotel stuff which he knew from experience did not taste that good. He rode the elevator down pondering the case in silence before he stepped out into the lobby. He headed straight for the doors before he paused as he heard a gentle laugh and he looked over to see Livie curled up on one of the sofas talking to someone on her phone smiling as she listened to what they were saying.

She spotted him standing there and grinned to him beckoning him over as she spoke again. "Sounds like fun little one make sure you whoop his ass ok … yeah I always whooped his ass at laser tag… yeah Lexie did too" she smiled "anyway munchkin it's late and I have to go… yes I promise I will come visit you soon, don't worry Lexie and I have something fun planned for you… no it won't be a surprise if I tell you" she laughed again "ok talk soon Kale, love you baby girl… ok bye honey."

Slowly she hung up and looked at him "you're up late" she commented "was going for coffee" he said and she smiled "yeah it kinda sucks here doesn't it" he nodded "you are also up late" he noted and she smiled "well Kaylee likes to talk regularly so she calls every Wednesday and I call every Friday, there was very little reception in my room so I bought the call down here" he nodded "it is Monday" he said and she looked at him "who calls on a Monday" he asked and she ducked her head "not part of the schedule" she said "I just needed to talk to her"

"Because she is near the age range of the victims" Reid asked. Livie shrugged "and I just wanted to hear her laugh, it is one of those sounds that just makes you feel happy, do you know what I mean." Reid reddened before he nodded ducking his head as he thought of her laugh. When he looked up she had her head ducked and was staring at the floor her knees drawn up to her chest with her arms wrapped round them. A very defensive posture that he had seen surviving victims make many times.

"Are you ok" he asked and she looked up at him almost blankly "yeah" she said "this case just brings up painful memories that's all" he looked at her "from where" he asked and she gave him a weak smile "lets just say neither of us had… easy childhoods Spence" he ducked his head at the little nickname she had just given him "but you have a loving mother and siblings and a stepdad" he said "it sounds pretty nice to me"

She sighed "I didn't have that until I was thirteen, before then it was just me and my mom, we were so close" she paused and a smile slipped onto her face "I never knew who my father was but I didn't care because I had my mom, sometimes it was so easy to forget that she was my mom and that she was responsible for me, she was more like my best friend than anything else"

Reid smiled gently "sounds nice" he said "it was" she said softly "but things change" "yes" he agreed "they do". For a few moments they sat in silence before Livie looked up at him "come on then" she said and she leapt to her feet "where" he asked "well you wanted coffee and we are in Boston" she said "lets go explore." "Um I don't know we have to be up early tomorrow" he said awkwardly. She gave him a look as she tugged him to his feet "I am not suggesting we walk the entire way round Boston, lets just get out of the hotel and clear our heads" Reid made to protest but she had already grabbed his hand and yanked him out of the hotel.

Slowly they walked side by side down the road until they came to a coffee shop where they each bought a warm beverage and continued their walk in silence enjoying the sights until Reid questioned "um what is laser tag". Livie laughed "it is a game my dad has played with all of us, you wear a vest and you have a little gun and you have to try and shoot the other person's vest, very fun, our dad has had on going competitions with us all, first to one thousand wins, Kaylee and he have just passed 500, so dad won't go gentle on her anymore" Reid smiled "sounds fun" he said and Livie nodded "did your dad not play with you" she asked.

Reid shook his head "No my father abandoned my mother and I when I was ten and he was a lawyer so he worked an awful lot before then, he never contacted me again after he left and I only met up with him again a few years ago" "sounds tough on you" Livie said. "Was a bit" he said "but I got through it, I graduated school when I was twelve and had completed my undergraduate degree by the time I was sixteen and after that I was just focused on my learning and it was easier, facts I find are simpler than people"

Livie stopped and stared at him "wait a minute you graduated high school when you were twelve" she said and he nodded "so what did you do between getting your degree and joining the FBI" she asked and he shuffled his feet "I um got three doctorates and two bachelor degrees" he said and Livie stared "wow Spence" she eventually managed "you really are a genius". He reddened again and wondered how she managed to make him blush so easily.

"So why did you join the FBI" she asked and he paused to think "I don't know" he said "I guess I wanted to make a difference and this felt right" he looked at her curiously "what about you". A small smile slipped onto her face as she looked down the street "when I was thirteen I … well something happened to me and I struggled to get over it and in the two years it took for me to get over it I saw two psychologists, one of them was for a proper like session but the other worked with my friend's dad at the FBI in DC, he worked as a forensic psychologist and he gave the occasional profile. Anyway he was kind to me and he helped me get over what happened to me, he helped me stop being afraid of the demons who taunted me and then he showed me what he did, how he got into a criminal's mind and it fascinated me, I realised that psychology had really helped me and I wanted it to help other people but I wanted to do something with crime so … here I am"

Reid nodded "does what happened to you still hurt you" he asked and she looked at him "from time to time" she said softly "do you ever talk about them" he asked "because Freud's talking cure is very useful for helping people" he said "more depression than trauma though" she pointed out with a smile, she looked at him before she softly said "I tell people what happened to me yes, I feel that they should know because it has made me who I am so people should know" she paused and looked away "but I wait until I know the people and I know they wont judge me because of it or label me as weak". Reid stared at her uncertainly not sure of what to say "I don't think you could ever be classed as weak" he eventually said before he ducked his head.

He waited a moment before he looked up to see her smiling at him "thanks" she said and he nodded uncertain of what to say again. "Come on" she said softly "lets go back so we can get some sleep and find Stella" she turned and headed back towards the hotel and Reid quickly followed her "you know the chances of us finding her alive after 48 hours is very slim" don't you" he said "she has been missing 54 hours now". Livie looked at him "I know" she said "but I know that she will still be fighting, she won't give up" she ducked her head and muttered so quietly that Reid nearly missed it but just caught it "we never give up"

The rest of the walk was completed in silence until they arrived at the hotel and rode the elevator up to their floor and they walked down the hall until Livie paused "well this is my room" she said as she pulled her key card out of her pocket, she slotted it in and opened the door before she smiled at him "goodnight Spence" she said softly "until tomorrow". He gave her an uncertain smile before he managed to stutter out "g goodnight… Livie" and with another smile she closed the door.

He stood there for a minute before he moved to his own room and he paused outside to look back at her closed door before he too whispered "until tomorrow"

"The story of life is quicker than the wink of an eye, the story of love is hello and goodbye...until we meet again" Jimi Hendrix