ENCHANTED | derek morgan

010. pink peonies

"Hey, beautiful." Derek's voice snaps Kayleigh out of the trance she had been in. Derek looks at her misty, lost eyes as he grabs her hand.

"I'm okay,"

"Still, you stick with me. I know you struggle with these cases," She smiles softly, about to respond but pausing as the car stops.

"She's been missing twenty-one hours." Spencer states as he, Elle, JJ and Gideon all exit the SUV.

"We're going to go meet with the lead detective at the park where the girl was last seen." Hotch informs him from the drivers window.

"We need to know everything that's being done." Gideon replies and Hotch nods, driving away. The trio arrive at the scene and meet with detective Charlotte Russet, who was on scene at the start of the investigation.

"Put out a citywide alert. We've got multi-agency law enforcement running canvass.
Body and evidence grid search is up and running on foot with canine units. Talked to the press twice, gave them a description
of the SUV and the suspect and formed a round-the-clock volunteer-manned hotline service." She explains as Kayleigh looks around, seeing a few locals scattered around the scene.

"Did you run a background check on these volunteers?" Derek wonders, obviously on the same thought process as her.

"Ongoing, but no red flags yet. I had to make a call on this one, you know? It looked like a family thing."

"Any witnesses?"

"Witnesses have her talking to a white male, mid thirties, carrying a leash, right about there." Detective Russet informs as she points to an area of grass.

"Just a leash? No dog?" Kayleigh hears Hotch add as she fixes her sunglasses.

"No dog."

"Lost dog is a common ruse. Especially with children." She points out as they continue walking.

"A short time later, a green SUV sped out of the parking lot over there. We have an Amber Alert on it."

"According to preliminary reports, mother and daughter had an argument during soccer practice?"

"Billie wants to spend more time with
her father. It's a pretty fresh divorce. I get the impression that our victim is in the middle of it."

"UnSub could've been hunting during practice. A crowded park at four p.m.'s
a target-rich environment." Hotch acknowledges as Kayleigh hums.

"Angry, upset little girl needs someone to talk to." She adds to the thought as Russet looks at her.

"How would he know she was upset?"

"Finding vulnerable kids is what these guys are good at." Hotch responds as Russet answers her wringing phone.

"Russet. Yeah. Where? We'll be right there."

"Uniforms just located another kid who might have talked to the suspect yesterday. It's a couple of blocks from here." She tells the trio, watching Hotch nod.

"Let's go." Derek encourages, all four of them walking towards a car.

-

"Good afternoon. I'm Detective Russet.
This is Special Agents Hotchner, Alden and Morgan from the FBI." Russet introduces as they approach a small group of children playing with a basketball and some drawing with chalk.

"Hi, you guys." Kayleigh smiles brightly as all of the kids stand in front of the four.

"Can I see your gun?" A boy forwards asks as one of the mothers from the side walks over.