timeless, spencer reid [ 1 ]

006. 3rd life

"This message. What did it record?" Jack asks.

"It's the... last moments of one of your daughters' lives." Hotch says.

"Oh, my God." Mrs. Owen sobs.

"If you choose to wait, you can make a public appeal to the media." JJ says.

"Either way, we're still looking for one of your daughters." Rossi says.

"Live appeal. I don't think that's a good idea, Jack." Pat says.

"Why not?" He asks.

"Because we know they're set up to see the reaction of the parent, check for signs of guilt." Pat says.

"Is that true?" Mrs. Owen asks.

"In some cases." Hotch says.

"I'm sorry, Bruce, I can't do this. I'm... sorry." Mrs. Owen leaves.

Everybody else gathers around the desk and Penelope is still on video call. Bedelia sighs, going into the conference room, unable to watch this.

Bedelia sits at the table, looking up when everybody walks in.

"The abduction site is 9 miles north of the dump site on the edge of town." Spencer says. "Both are indicators of a comfort zone, so I'm assuming the kill site is somewhere between these 2 points."

"That's a wide area." The detective says.

"Do a grid search. Narrow it down to wooded areas, industrial sites, abandoned houses. He needed privacy and he needed a controlled environment." Hotch says.

"What's critical right now is a heavy police presence." Rossi says.

"Rossi, in the morning I want you, Reid, and Morgan to search Jack Vaughan's house. Prentiss, Davis, you two and I will go to where the girls were last seen." Hotch states.

+++

"Two girls missing, one dead, and life goes on as though nothing happened." Emily says as they walk up to the movie theater.

"Holiday weekend. What do you expect?" Hotch asks.

"A sense that something's changed." Emily says.

"Do we know what movie they saw?" Hotch asks.

"Whatever it was, they left halfway through to have a cigarette." Emily says and they spot two girls by a movie poster and smoking.

"What do you think they're talking about?" Hotch asks.

"Boys." Emily and Bedelia both answer.

"Think their parents know they smoke?" Hotch asks.

"Mine didn't. And if they saw me dressed like that -- ho ho." Emily shakes her head.

"Two teenage girls free of parents, breaking the rules, and dressed like that for a reason." Hotch says.

"Here comes the reason." Bedelia nods, watching two boys walk up to the girls.

"They obviously don't know them." Emily notes.

"But they want to." Hotch says.

"Do you think they'll go with them?" Bedelia asks.

"Since news of Katie's death? No." Hotch says. They watch the two girls leave the boys. "See?"

"So, brightly lit. No alleys. Wide-open holiday weekend." Emily says.

"Hard to abduct two girls without being seen." Hotch says.

"Unless they knew whoever took them." Emily says.

+++

They pull up outside of Jack's house, and JJ, Bruce, Mrs. Owen, and the detective get out of their car, parked at the Owens' house.