Lead the Way - Chapter 055 - 4x13 - Bloodline
The Americans have invaded my place! And yet I still find time to update LTW. Am I the devoted to you guys or what?
In other news: HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOUUUUUUUU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR talos13 HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOUU. And as a gift I promise to never let you hear me sing in person :)
Today's chapter is an episode chapter so the Unsub(s), the plot, the dialogue, especially that piece of art that is Kathy's/Sylvia's interrogation is (sadly) not mine. I remember writing this chapter on a balcony in Italy btw. Which is not the point. That would be to tell you that this episode was written by Mark Linehan Bruner.
Lead the Way - 055 - 4x13 - Bloodline
The next morning, Emily was standing in the bullpen talking to Rossi about his vacation in Italy. She missed Rome. Maybe she should take JJ there for a quick getaway before her maternity leave ended. Suddenly Jordan rushed past them to Hotch’s office, interrupting her thoughts.
“Hey.”
“Excuse me. Hey.”
“This isn’t good,” Rossi said.
“Uh uh,” Emily agreed.
In less than ten seconds Hotch was down.
“Dave.”
“What’s going on?”
“We got a missing ten year old girl. Home invasion. Parents were killed in their sleep.”
“What’s our clock?” Rossi asked.
“Eight hours and counting.”
“I’ll find Morgan and Reid and tell them we’re on the move.” Prentiss knew not to waste time.
“Good. Wheels up in thirty.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On the plane everyone got into their personal routine of familiarizing themselves with the case. It was quiet until Jordan stood up:
“We got the uplink of the crime scene photos.” She took her laptop to Emily and Rossi and the team gathered around them.
“This is Jeff and Nancy Hale. Both their throats were cut.”
“Any evidence of abuse?” Morgan asked.
“Nothing.”
“Slitting someone’s throat is quick and efficient.” Somehow Reid managed to make the most gruesome information sound technical.
“That’s because the real target was down the hall.” Jordan looked angrily at Emily.
“She has a name.”
“What?”
“She’s not the target. Her name’s Kate. She’s ten years old.” Emily had heard from Rossi that Jordan might be taking this job too personally. Now she was personalizing the victim. Emily knew someone had to tell her, it was a sure way to get a nervous breakdown. This, however, was not the right time.
“Right.”
“Amber alert in effect?” Rossi tried to draw Jordan’s attention back to her work.
“Since 7 a.m. this morning.”
“With the Unsub’s head start he could be anywhere within a 400 mile radius. Make sure that they’re casting a wide enough net.”
“Got it.”
“Who discovered the bodies?”
“Jim Sheuren, Kate’s biological father. He was supposed to take Kate for the weekend. The police don’t consider him a suspect.”
“Well, we’ll want to talk to him anyway,” Hotch insisted.
“We’re also going to need a list of sex offenders in a twenty mile radius.” Emily said, avoiding looking at Agent Todd.
“What’s the makeup of the Hale’s neighborhood?” Reid asked.
“Mostly white and middle class.”
“We’ll need aerial views of the neighborhood. If Madison County doesn’t have them, talk to Garcia.”
“Dave, you and Morgan go to the crime scene and the rest of us will get up to speed at the precinct.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Good morning.“
“Good morning, sleepy head. Did you have fun last night? I didn’t even hear you come in.”
“Emily let me in. Where is she?”
“Alabama. Saving a missing child.”
Lauren felt somewhat useless - someone else was saving a life while she had slept till noon. She yawned and got herself a cup of coffee.
“So? Did you like her?” She looked at her younger sister. Jenny was wide awake, eager to discuss last night. Lauren, on the other side needed at least another gallon of coffee before she was ready for anything.
“Sure.”
“Oh come on.” She got up from the kitchen table and sat on the couch. She was still holding Henry in her arms, his tiny fists clutched around her long hair.
“Tell me,” she whispered.
“She’s nice. I like her,” Lauren said to shut her up. Sure, she had liked Emily. But there was something about her, that she wasn’t entirely happy with. This was so not the right time to discuss it. “Have you thought about getting a haircut?”
Surprised JJ looked down.
“It might be a good idea.” She laughed. “How about you?”
She had planned on getting some work done today, but given her headache it was out of the question anyway.
“Sure. Let’s go.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
At the station Emily took the crime scene photos and set up in the interrogation room. She knew if she looked at the bloody images and saw the bodies as living breathing people, she wouldn’t be able to do her job. If she let her judgment become clouded by memories and what-ifs she wouldn’t be able to think about the unsub’s pathology and fantasy or see that the cuts on the throats weren’t quite right. Emily tried to shut out images of what might be happening to a ten year old girl as she worked, or to hundreds more unknown to her.
Jordan walked in, handing her something.
“Are these the autopsy reports?” she asked.
“Listen, about the plane.” If she started apologizing for snapping at Emily without realizing that it was her emotional involvement that needed to be reexamined, they would have to talk. Time was of the essence and Emily didn’t want to waste any of it. She interrupted her:
“Oh no, that’s already forgotten.” She started looking over the reports and noticed that her earlier suspicions were right.
“What are you looking for?”
“The neck wounds. Something’s off.”
“Jeff Hale. Cause of death was a single, deep, smooth cut that severed the carotid artery.” Jordan read from the reports.
“Nancy?”
“Nancy Hale’s death was caused by a series of jagged, shallow wounds that punctured the carotid artery.” There was only one explanation for this.
“Hotch.”
“Yeah?”
“There’s more than one Unsub.”
“Are you sure?”
“Pretty much.”
“That’s good.”
“How do you figure?” Jordan asked.
“More than one Unsub changes the dynamics. Kate’s chances of survival are higher, because they would want to spend more time with her.” Jordan looked sick.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next morning a girl matching Kate’s description had been brought to a hospital. She had been found tied-up on a road after an epileptic seizure. Emily, Jordan and Hotch immediately went to check it out. It was in fact Kate Hale. They identified themselves as FBI agents to a nurse who said:
“Her father is with her. She’s been in and out of consciousness, but her vitals are stable.”
“Any sign of sexual assault?”
“We haven’t tested yet. We wanted to give her time to process.”
“May we speak with her?”
“You should know seizures often come with retrograde amnesia. She might have holes in her memory.”
“Prentiss you should do this alone.”
“Okay.”
When she came to the room, the uniform opened the door for her.
“Thanks.” Inside she found Kate and her father by her side.
“Mr. Sheuren. Hello. I’m Agent Emily Prentiss from the FBI. I would like permission to speak with your daughter.” He nodded his agreement but didn’t move. She had to be more specific. “I’m sorry. I’d like to do it alone, if possible.”
“Why?”
“I need to ask her certain questions and sometimes it’s easier for a girl to answer those questions when there are no men present.”
“I’m her father.”
“Daddy. Please?”
“Alright Baby. I’ll be right outside. “
“Thank you.”
“Hey Kate. My name is Emily.” She sat down on the bed so the girl wouldn’t have to look up all the time. “I’m so sorry about your mom and your stepdad.” She paused. “I’d like to ask you some questions so we can find out who did this. Is that okay?”
“Yeah, it’s okay.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
She asked Kate to get out of the bed. They were now sitting in front of each other.
“We’re going to do what’s called a cognitive interview.” Kate was very scared and Emily tried her best to make her feel safe. She knew it was hard to go through everything again, but it had to be done.
Kate described a man that put her in the trunk of a car. She was led to an RV where a family kept her in a closet with clothes in tinfoil. The sound of tiny bells reminded her of fairies. The mother and father had limited their contact with the girl, while their ten year old son wanted to play with her. When she had had a seizure, they decided to get rid of her and threw her out of the vehicle.
She also said something about the woman calling the boy “Pujule” and suddenly Emily’s worlds collided. She remembered vividly the time she herself had been someone’s Pujule, but she couldn’t tell anyone. Hotch had to know what this meant for the case, but she wanted to keep her private life separate so she decided to lie to her boss.
Outside the father was already waiting for her.
“Mr. Sheuren. You have an incredibly strong little girl.”
“Did he touch her?”
“No. No. Not in that way, no.”
“Thank God.” Emily wasn’t ready to thank anyone yet. Not until they had figured this out.
“She was taken by a family.” Emily couldn’t believe it herself.
“A family?”
“Parents and a little boy about her age. They took her from her house, into a car and then into an RV. A short ride on a road and then into a wooded area.”
“Did she say anything else?” There it was. She pretended that she had to think about it. She hated lying but she was very good at it.
“She said the mother called the boy Pujule. Which I think is a Romanian term of endearment.” She had to make it sound more plausible. “I know I used to hear it when my mom was posted overseas.”
“Get Rossi and Morgan to the closest RV park,” Hotch ordered while dialing.
“Okay. What are we looking at here?”
“I have no idea.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Stop checking yourself out every time we walk past a mirror. It looks great on you,” Lauren said.
“Don’t you think it makes me look kinda young?”
“Since when is that a bad thing?”
“Do you think Emily will like it?” JJ knew how much Emily loved running her fingers through her hair. It made her proud and comfortable in her own skin.
“Emily again.” Lauren sighed.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“I know you better than that. Tell me.”
“It’s just…”
“Yes?”
“You said yourself, you’re not really happy.
“It’s more complicated than that.”
“I don’t care who you’re with Jenny, as long as they make you happy.”
“I know. We’ll see.” She hugged her sister goodbye and watched as she disappeared behind the security gates.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Based on Emily’s conclusion and the information Rossi and Morgan gained from the RV park the team was now looking for a family that perverted the Romani culture. The next morning another girl was reported missing, her parents killed in their sleep. Garcia had found some disturbing news that left only one conclusion: Not only had these killings been going on for almost a century but one of the victims from the seventies was now one of their Unsubs.
“Working theory from 1971 was that a transient killed the family and abducted Kathy Grey,” Garcia said. “Then all leads went cold.”
“How do you watch your family get murdered and then make a life with the people who did it?” Jordan couldn’t wrap her head around this.
“It’s Stockholm Syndrome. You adapt or die,” Rossi explained.
“And now she’s training her son to be a murderer.” Emily was with Jordan on this one. The atrocities human beings put each other through were unfathomable.
“At a certain point once traditions are handed down generation after generation there is no right or wrong. You simply accept the way the world works.”
“The Romani are a closed society. The Unsubs simply twisted and distorted traditions to become entirely insular.”
“Abducting the children keeps the bloodline pure and killing the parents ensures that people will eventually stop looking for them.” A moment later The sheriff walked in, there was an RV on fire, not five miles from the station.
While Garcia put Kathy Grey’s picture from the file from 1971 through an age program, Rossi Morgan and Reid went to check out the RV. Reid wasn’t surprised to find mannequins in the debris. He explained the the theory of the School of Seven Bells that would also account for the bells Kate heard. The people who had abducted Kate were petty thieves and the closest shopping mall was 15 miles away.
Kathy Grey’s aged picture was passed around by Prentiss, Hotch and Jordan and the local police. When an alarm went off the police rushed over to the store in question and Kathy was arrested. She just stood there, almost as if she’d surrendered herself. She was alone.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Kathy I can’t help you if you’re not going to be honest with me.” Emily was the good cop.
“I already told you. I killed them.”
“All by yourself?” Hotch played the bad cop.
“Yes.”
“I know that’s not true.”
“It is.”
“How did you do it? How did you abduct a child and control two adults while you slit their throats?” Hotch barked.
“Oh come on. You know she’s not responsible for this.” Hotch directed his attention at Emily.
“I know we have a string of bodies and she knows where her husband and son are.”
“You are the victim here.”
“No she’s not. She killed innocent people.”
“Her family was murdered.”
“And now she’s killing other people’s.”
“Kathy. This is not your fault.”
“My name isn’t Kathy. It’s Silvia.”
“No. It isn’t,” Emily said much softer. “Your name is Kathy Grey. And you were a beautiful little girl. Your mom and dad were murdered and you were kidnapped.” She put a picture from the seventies in front of her and asked, as if speaking to a child: “Do you recognize yourself there?” She exchanged a look with Hotch. No she wasn’t there yet. “You see?” Still her voice was soft, almost caressing.
“I’m sick of this.” Hotch slammed his hands on the table.
“Then leave us alone,” Emily yelled at him, seemingly protecting the woman.
“Where are your husband and son?”
“Look at me Kathy, don’t listen to him.” More emphatic she said: “They stole your life.” With her hand on Kathy’s forearm she pleaded: “Let me help you get it back.”
“That little girl is better off with my son than any man she could meet in your society!” Kathy burst out.
“I’m sure you raised him very well.” Kathy leaned back down again and Emily didn’t leave her a second to gather herself. “Tell me about your mother.”
“I’ve told you already everything. I killed them all by myself.”
“Where are they?”
“I don’t know.”
“You’re lying.”
“Kathy, look…”
“My name isn’t Kathy!”
“Yes it is. Your name is Kathy Grey. You’re from Vienna, Virginia. Tell me where your husband and son are so I can help you get your life back.”
“Want to see what you did?” Hotch started scattering crime scene photos on the table.
“Don’t show her those.”
“She killed them herself, she can see it again.” He turned to look at Kathy and said: “Serial killers like to relive their crimes. Did you know that?” Kathy swallowed.
“This is Jeff Hale. He died from a strong, precise cut.” He pointed at a bloody picture. “I think that was your husband.” He put another picture on top. “Nancy Hale. Her wound was more tentative. This was your son, right? I’m sure by the time he teaches his own son how to kill his hand will be steady.”
“Okay, stop this.” Emily intervened.
“This is the Robillard family.” He put even more photos on the table. Kathy seemed to lose control. “You wanna see some more?” The new pictures were black and white.
“I don’t know what that is.” Kathy said with a shaky voice.
“Then look closely.” Hotch pretended to lose control and pushed her chair to the table so that she almost fell on the crime scene photos of her own parents. “You don’t recognize your own mother and father?” Kathy started crying, but she wasn’t ready yet. “See? This is the tentative cut your future husband made while he slit your mother’s throat. Where are your husband and son?”
“Kate Hale is only alive because of you,” Emily said as if she was just figuring this out now. “Isn’t that right? Your husband wanted to kill her. And you didn’t.”
“No.”
“How does that make you feel?” She looked to Hotch who still looked stern. She was getting tired of this routine, but she knew it would work eventually. They didn’t expect her to tell them where her husband and son actually were. Her Stockholm Syndrome was far too advanced for that to happen in such a short time. They had a different plan. “To know that he was willing to kill that little girl. That he would’ve been willing to kill you too.” Kathy was still crying but the agents were relentless.
“They murdered your family, Kathy and they took you in, but you were never really one of them. “
“No.”
“You were just a breeder.”
“I won’t betray my family.”
“Your little boy is only ten. There is a chance that he could get out of custody when he’s eighteen but that’s only if we get to him.”
“I love my family,” Kathy cried.
“Then tell us where your son is and we can all help him together.” Rossi came in and handed Hotch a list. He was right. Kathy was ready.
“Scott Woodland. Xander Blancher.” While Hotch started reading the names Kathy looked dumbfounded.
“Come on, give her a second.”
“Max Astab. Chip Jackson.”
“I don’t know who those people are.”
“It’s a list of every known fence in Huntsville,” Rossi said.
“And you’re going to tell us where your husband took the goods to.” Hotch went back to the list right away. “Coles Rasinski. Pete Shernate.”
“Come on, give her a minute to do the right thing,” Emily pleaded for Kathy.
“Matt Thorne. Brent Woodhouse”
“Okay, I can’t stop him, Kathy. This is it. This is your last chance to make things right.”
“Kevin Everson. Mike Fenner. Morris Collins.” At that name Kathy got up and yelled:
“No. I won’t tell you.”
“You just did,” Hotch said dryly. She sighed and recognized her defeat.
“The boy is not with him.”
“Where are the children?” Emily asked.
“I’ll only tell you if you let me see my son.” Emily nodded and Kathy gave them what they needed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Jareau?“
“Hi JJ. Jordan speaking.”
“Hi Jordan. How are you?”
“To be honest, I don’t really know.”
“What’s going on?”
“This case. A family is killing together and abducting little girls to make a wife for their son.”
“I’m not sure I’ve ever heard of this.”
“The team said it was pretty unique.” She sighed. “It’s a lot to take in. The way I see it I can either build a thicker skin…”
“…or quit the job.”
“Yeah.” She paused. “Now you still have three weeks of maternity leave and it’s not worth training someone new…”
“So you were wondering if I could come back early.”
“Pretty much, yeah.”
“I see.” JJ took a couple of seconds to think about it. “I guess I could. I mean, I’m definitely ready to do my job again, but I’ll have to talk to Strauss first. If she’s okay with it, I’ll be back in no time.”
“Thank you JJ.”
“Jordan?”
“Yes?”
“You made the right decision.”
“Did I?”
“If the job starts changing you, you need to decide if it’s that important to you.”
“It is a very important job.”
“With great responsibility and a lot of baggage.” She smiled. “Admitting that you’re not suited for something is as brave as facing the consequences.”
“We should stay in touch.”
“Definitely.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As soon as Kathy saw her boy she took the opportunity to tell him to be strong and that she loved her Pujule. She then said something in Romanian that was later translated as an order not to tell the FBI about his brothers. He wouldn’t even tell them how many more were out there. Their victory didn’t seem very meaningful after this.
In other news: HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOUUUUUUUU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR talos13 HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOUU. And as a gift I promise to never let you hear me sing in person :)
Today's chapter is an episode chapter so the Unsub(s), the plot, the dialogue, especially that piece of art that is Kathy's/Sylvia's interrogation is (sadly) not mine. I remember writing this chapter on a balcony in Italy btw. Which is not the point. That would be to tell you that this episode was written by Mark Linehan Bruner.
Lead the Way - 055 - 4x13 - Bloodline
The next morning, Emily was standing in the bullpen talking to Rossi about his vacation in Italy. She missed Rome. Maybe she should take JJ there for a quick getaway before her maternity leave ended. Suddenly Jordan rushed past them to Hotch’s office, interrupting her thoughts.
“Hey.”
“Excuse me. Hey.”
“This isn’t good,” Rossi said.
“Uh uh,” Emily agreed.
In less than ten seconds Hotch was down.
“Dave.”
“What’s going on?”
“We got a missing ten year old girl. Home invasion. Parents were killed in their sleep.”
“What’s our clock?” Rossi asked.
“Eight hours and counting.”
“I’ll find Morgan and Reid and tell them we’re on the move.” Prentiss knew not to waste time.
“Good. Wheels up in thirty.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On the plane everyone got into their personal routine of familiarizing themselves with the case. It was quiet until Jordan stood up:
“We got the uplink of the crime scene photos.” She took her laptop to Emily and Rossi and the team gathered around them.
“This is Jeff and Nancy Hale. Both their throats were cut.”
“Any evidence of abuse?” Morgan asked.
“Nothing.”
“Slitting someone’s throat is quick and efficient.” Somehow Reid managed to make the most gruesome information sound technical.
“That’s because the real target was down the hall.” Jordan looked angrily at Emily.
“She has a name.”
“What?”
“She’s not the target. Her name’s Kate. She’s ten years old.” Emily had heard from Rossi that Jordan might be taking this job too personally. Now she was personalizing the victim. Emily knew someone had to tell her, it was a sure way to get a nervous breakdown. This, however, was not the right time.
“Right.”
“Amber alert in effect?” Rossi tried to draw Jordan’s attention back to her work.
“Since 7 a.m. this morning.”
“With the Unsub’s head start he could be anywhere within a 400 mile radius. Make sure that they’re casting a wide enough net.”
“Got it.”
“Who discovered the bodies?”
“Jim Sheuren, Kate’s biological father. He was supposed to take Kate for the weekend. The police don’t consider him a suspect.”
“Well, we’ll want to talk to him anyway,” Hotch insisted.
“We’re also going to need a list of sex offenders in a twenty mile radius.” Emily said, avoiding looking at Agent Todd.
“What’s the makeup of the Hale’s neighborhood?” Reid asked.
“Mostly white and middle class.”
“We’ll need aerial views of the neighborhood. If Madison County doesn’t have them, talk to Garcia.”
“Dave, you and Morgan go to the crime scene and the rest of us will get up to speed at the precinct.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Good morning.“
“Good morning, sleepy head. Did you have fun last night? I didn’t even hear you come in.”
“Emily let me in. Where is she?”
“Alabama. Saving a missing child.”
Lauren felt somewhat useless - someone else was saving a life while she had slept till noon. She yawned and got herself a cup of coffee.
“So? Did you like her?” She looked at her younger sister. Jenny was wide awake, eager to discuss last night. Lauren, on the other side needed at least another gallon of coffee before she was ready for anything.
“Sure.”
“Oh come on.” She got up from the kitchen table and sat on the couch. She was still holding Henry in her arms, his tiny fists clutched around her long hair.
“Tell me,” she whispered.
“She’s nice. I like her,” Lauren said to shut her up. Sure, she had liked Emily. But there was something about her, that she wasn’t entirely happy with. This was so not the right time to discuss it. “Have you thought about getting a haircut?”
Surprised JJ looked down.
“It might be a good idea.” She laughed. “How about you?”
She had planned on getting some work done today, but given her headache it was out of the question anyway.
“Sure. Let’s go.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
At the station Emily took the crime scene photos and set up in the interrogation room. She knew if she looked at the bloody images and saw the bodies as living breathing people, she wouldn’t be able to do her job. If she let her judgment become clouded by memories and what-ifs she wouldn’t be able to think about the unsub’s pathology and fantasy or see that the cuts on the throats weren’t quite right. Emily tried to shut out images of what might be happening to a ten year old girl as she worked, or to hundreds more unknown to her.
Jordan walked in, handing her something.
“Are these the autopsy reports?” she asked.
“Listen, about the plane.” If she started apologizing for snapping at Emily without realizing that it was her emotional involvement that needed to be reexamined, they would have to talk. Time was of the essence and Emily didn’t want to waste any of it. She interrupted her:
“Oh no, that’s already forgotten.” She started looking over the reports and noticed that her earlier suspicions were right.
“What are you looking for?”
“The neck wounds. Something’s off.”
“Jeff Hale. Cause of death was a single, deep, smooth cut that severed the carotid artery.” Jordan read from the reports.
“Nancy?”
“Nancy Hale’s death was caused by a series of jagged, shallow wounds that punctured the carotid artery.” There was only one explanation for this.
“Hotch.”
“Yeah?”
“There’s more than one Unsub.”
“Are you sure?”
“Pretty much.”
“That’s good.”
“How do you figure?” Jordan asked.
“More than one Unsub changes the dynamics. Kate’s chances of survival are higher, because they would want to spend more time with her.” Jordan looked sick.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next morning a girl matching Kate’s description had been brought to a hospital. She had been found tied-up on a road after an epileptic seizure. Emily, Jordan and Hotch immediately went to check it out. It was in fact Kate Hale. They identified themselves as FBI agents to a nurse who said:
“Her father is with her. She’s been in and out of consciousness, but her vitals are stable.”
“Any sign of sexual assault?”
“We haven’t tested yet. We wanted to give her time to process.”
“May we speak with her?”
“You should know seizures often come with retrograde amnesia. She might have holes in her memory.”
“Prentiss you should do this alone.”
“Okay.”
When she came to the room, the uniform opened the door for her.
“Thanks.” Inside she found Kate and her father by her side.
“Mr. Sheuren. Hello. I’m Agent Emily Prentiss from the FBI. I would like permission to speak with your daughter.” He nodded his agreement but didn’t move. She had to be more specific. “I’m sorry. I’d like to do it alone, if possible.”
“Why?”
“I need to ask her certain questions and sometimes it’s easier for a girl to answer those questions when there are no men present.”
“I’m her father.”
“Daddy. Please?”
“Alright Baby. I’ll be right outside. “
“Thank you.”
“Hey Kate. My name is Emily.” She sat down on the bed so the girl wouldn’t have to look up all the time. “I’m so sorry about your mom and your stepdad.” She paused. “I’d like to ask you some questions so we can find out who did this. Is that okay?”
“Yeah, it’s okay.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
She asked Kate to get out of the bed. They were now sitting in front of each other.
“We’re going to do what’s called a cognitive interview.” Kate was very scared and Emily tried her best to make her feel safe. She knew it was hard to go through everything again, but it had to be done.
Kate described a man that put her in the trunk of a car. She was led to an RV where a family kept her in a closet with clothes in tinfoil. The sound of tiny bells reminded her of fairies. The mother and father had limited their contact with the girl, while their ten year old son wanted to play with her. When she had had a seizure, they decided to get rid of her and threw her out of the vehicle.
She also said something about the woman calling the boy “Pujule” and suddenly Emily’s worlds collided. She remembered vividly the time she herself had been someone’s Pujule, but she couldn’t tell anyone. Hotch had to know what this meant for the case, but she wanted to keep her private life separate so she decided to lie to her boss.
Outside the father was already waiting for her.
“Mr. Sheuren. You have an incredibly strong little girl.”
“Did he touch her?”
“No. No. Not in that way, no.”
“Thank God.” Emily wasn’t ready to thank anyone yet. Not until they had figured this out.
“She was taken by a family.” Emily couldn’t believe it herself.
“A family?”
“Parents and a little boy about her age. They took her from her house, into a car and then into an RV. A short ride on a road and then into a wooded area.”
“Did she say anything else?” There it was. She pretended that she had to think about it. She hated lying but she was very good at it.
“She said the mother called the boy Pujule. Which I think is a Romanian term of endearment.” She had to make it sound more plausible. “I know I used to hear it when my mom was posted overseas.”
“Get Rossi and Morgan to the closest RV park,” Hotch ordered while dialing.
“Okay. What are we looking at here?”
“I have no idea.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Stop checking yourself out every time we walk past a mirror. It looks great on you,” Lauren said.
“Don’t you think it makes me look kinda young?”
“Since when is that a bad thing?”
“Do you think Emily will like it?” JJ knew how much Emily loved running her fingers through her hair. It made her proud and comfortable in her own skin.
“Emily again.” Lauren sighed.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“I know you better than that. Tell me.”
“It’s just…”
“Yes?”
“You said yourself, you’re not really happy.
“It’s more complicated than that.”
“I don’t care who you’re with Jenny, as long as they make you happy.”
“I know. We’ll see.” She hugged her sister goodbye and watched as she disappeared behind the security gates.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Based on Emily’s conclusion and the information Rossi and Morgan gained from the RV park the team was now looking for a family that perverted the Romani culture. The next morning another girl was reported missing, her parents killed in their sleep. Garcia had found some disturbing news that left only one conclusion: Not only had these killings been going on for almost a century but one of the victims from the seventies was now one of their Unsubs.
“Working theory from 1971 was that a transient killed the family and abducted Kathy Grey,” Garcia said. “Then all leads went cold.”
“How do you watch your family get murdered and then make a life with the people who did it?” Jordan couldn’t wrap her head around this.
“It’s Stockholm Syndrome. You adapt or die,” Rossi explained.
“And now she’s training her son to be a murderer.” Emily was with Jordan on this one. The atrocities human beings put each other through were unfathomable.
“At a certain point once traditions are handed down generation after generation there is no right or wrong. You simply accept the way the world works.”
“The Romani are a closed society. The Unsubs simply twisted and distorted traditions to become entirely insular.”
“Abducting the children keeps the bloodline pure and killing the parents ensures that people will eventually stop looking for them.” A moment later The sheriff walked in, there was an RV on fire, not five miles from the station.
While Garcia put Kathy Grey’s picture from the file from 1971 through an age program, Rossi Morgan and Reid went to check out the RV. Reid wasn’t surprised to find mannequins in the debris. He explained the the theory of the School of Seven Bells that would also account for the bells Kate heard. The people who had abducted Kate were petty thieves and the closest shopping mall was 15 miles away.
Kathy Grey’s aged picture was passed around by Prentiss, Hotch and Jordan and the local police. When an alarm went off the police rushed over to the store in question and Kathy was arrested. She just stood there, almost as if she’d surrendered herself. She was alone.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Kathy I can’t help you if you’re not going to be honest with me.” Emily was the good cop.
“I already told you. I killed them.”
“All by yourself?” Hotch played the bad cop.
“Yes.”
“I know that’s not true.”
“It is.”
“How did you do it? How did you abduct a child and control two adults while you slit their throats?” Hotch barked.
“Oh come on. You know she’s not responsible for this.” Hotch directed his attention at Emily.
“I know we have a string of bodies and she knows where her husband and son are.”
“You are the victim here.”
“No she’s not. She killed innocent people.”
“Her family was murdered.”
“And now she’s killing other people’s.”
“Kathy. This is not your fault.”
“My name isn’t Kathy. It’s Silvia.”
“No. It isn’t,” Emily said much softer. “Your name is Kathy Grey. And you were a beautiful little girl. Your mom and dad were murdered and you were kidnapped.” She put a picture from the seventies in front of her and asked, as if speaking to a child: “Do you recognize yourself there?” She exchanged a look with Hotch. No she wasn’t there yet. “You see?” Still her voice was soft, almost caressing.
“I’m sick of this.” Hotch slammed his hands on the table.
“Then leave us alone,” Emily yelled at him, seemingly protecting the woman.
“Where are your husband and son?”
“Look at me Kathy, don’t listen to him.” More emphatic she said: “They stole your life.” With her hand on Kathy’s forearm she pleaded: “Let me help you get it back.”
“That little girl is better off with my son than any man she could meet in your society!” Kathy burst out.
“I’m sure you raised him very well.” Kathy leaned back down again and Emily didn’t leave her a second to gather herself. “Tell me about your mother.”
“I’ve told you already everything. I killed them all by myself.”
“Where are they?”
“I don’t know.”
“You’re lying.”
“Kathy, look…”
“My name isn’t Kathy!”
“Yes it is. Your name is Kathy Grey. You’re from Vienna, Virginia. Tell me where your husband and son are so I can help you get your life back.”
“Want to see what you did?” Hotch started scattering crime scene photos on the table.
“Don’t show her those.”
“She killed them herself, she can see it again.” He turned to look at Kathy and said: “Serial killers like to relive their crimes. Did you know that?” Kathy swallowed.
“This is Jeff Hale. He died from a strong, precise cut.” He pointed at a bloody picture. “I think that was your husband.” He put another picture on top. “Nancy Hale. Her wound was more tentative. This was your son, right? I’m sure by the time he teaches his own son how to kill his hand will be steady.”
“Okay, stop this.” Emily intervened.
“This is the Robillard family.” He put even more photos on the table. Kathy seemed to lose control. “You wanna see some more?” The new pictures were black and white.
“I don’t know what that is.” Kathy said with a shaky voice.
“Then look closely.” Hotch pretended to lose control and pushed her chair to the table so that she almost fell on the crime scene photos of her own parents. “You don’t recognize your own mother and father?” Kathy started crying, but she wasn’t ready yet. “See? This is the tentative cut your future husband made while he slit your mother’s throat. Where are your husband and son?”
“Kate Hale is only alive because of you,” Emily said as if she was just figuring this out now. “Isn’t that right? Your husband wanted to kill her. And you didn’t.”
“No.”
“How does that make you feel?” She looked to Hotch who still looked stern. She was getting tired of this routine, but she knew it would work eventually. They didn’t expect her to tell them where her husband and son actually were. Her Stockholm Syndrome was far too advanced for that to happen in such a short time. They had a different plan. “To know that he was willing to kill that little girl. That he would’ve been willing to kill you too.” Kathy was still crying but the agents were relentless.
“They murdered your family, Kathy and they took you in, but you were never really one of them. “
“No.”
“You were just a breeder.”
“I won’t betray my family.”
“Your little boy is only ten. There is a chance that he could get out of custody when he’s eighteen but that’s only if we get to him.”
“I love my family,” Kathy cried.
“Then tell us where your son is and we can all help him together.” Rossi came in and handed Hotch a list. He was right. Kathy was ready.
“Scott Woodland. Xander Blancher.” While Hotch started reading the names Kathy looked dumbfounded.
“Come on, give her a second.”
“Max Astab. Chip Jackson.”
“I don’t know who those people are.”
“It’s a list of every known fence in Huntsville,” Rossi said.
“And you’re going to tell us where your husband took the goods to.” Hotch went back to the list right away. “Coles Rasinski. Pete Shernate.”
“Come on, give her a minute to do the right thing,” Emily pleaded for Kathy.
“Matt Thorne. Brent Woodhouse”
“Okay, I can’t stop him, Kathy. This is it. This is your last chance to make things right.”
“Kevin Everson. Mike Fenner. Morris Collins.” At that name Kathy got up and yelled:
“No. I won’t tell you.”
“You just did,” Hotch said dryly. She sighed and recognized her defeat.
“The boy is not with him.”
“Where are the children?” Emily asked.
“I’ll only tell you if you let me see my son.” Emily nodded and Kathy gave them what they needed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Jareau?“
“Hi JJ. Jordan speaking.”
“Hi Jordan. How are you?”
“To be honest, I don’t really know.”
“What’s going on?”
“This case. A family is killing together and abducting little girls to make a wife for their son.”
“I’m not sure I’ve ever heard of this.”
“The team said it was pretty unique.” She sighed. “It’s a lot to take in. The way I see it I can either build a thicker skin…”
“…or quit the job.”
“Yeah.” She paused. “Now you still have three weeks of maternity leave and it’s not worth training someone new…”
“So you were wondering if I could come back early.”
“Pretty much, yeah.”
“I see.” JJ took a couple of seconds to think about it. “I guess I could. I mean, I’m definitely ready to do my job again, but I’ll have to talk to Strauss first. If she’s okay with it, I’ll be back in no time.”
“Thank you JJ.”
“Jordan?”
“Yes?”
“You made the right decision.”
“Did I?”
“If the job starts changing you, you need to decide if it’s that important to you.”
“It is a very important job.”
“With great responsibility and a lot of baggage.” She smiled. “Admitting that you’re not suited for something is as brave as facing the consequences.”
“We should stay in touch.”
“Definitely.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As soon as Kathy saw her boy she took the opportunity to tell him to be strong and that she loved her Pujule. She then said something in Romanian that was later translated as an order not to tell the FBI about his brothers. He wouldn’t even tell them how many more were out there. Their victory didn’t seem very meaningful after this.