Eros

Chapter 7- Prey

They reached the community center, one more popular hunting group to evaluate. Exiting the car, they both walked into the older brick building. Taxidermized animals lined the walls and in corners next to decorative house plants.

Lynn knew where the hunting group met. It was a room near the back. She had been there once with her father, back when the center was more popular. Now it was where all the elderly gathered.

They passed a few doors leading to bingo rooms and one room had a circle of old women quilting.

Finally, they reached the large double doors to the hunting room. She opened it, revealing a room with plush leather chairs, a bar, and seemingly more animals than the rest of the building. Photos, old and new, lined the walls, from hunting seasons in the 40's to the present day.

A few men were gathered here and there in the room, each talking and laughing, and drinking shots of whiskey.

"Lynn, what are you doing here?" A huffing joyful voice boomed begins them and she spun around.

"Uncle Mike!" She walked to him and the old man wrapped his arms around her in a giant hug.

He had a thick silver beard and deep laugh lines and wrinkles near his wet blue eyes. His lips curled in a smiled underneath the layer of hair and his baseball cap was skewed after the embrace.
She let go and turned to Hotchner, still beaming, until she saw his amused gaze, and she brushed her uniform off and straightened her posture, quickly turning away, pink rushing to her cheeks.

"Agent Hotchner, this is Mike Gorslow," she gestured to the man who shook Hotch's hand in a tight grip.

"I'm sorry, Mike, but I can't stay and catch up. I didn't even know you were back in town!"

"I had some business to take care of at the lodge and in the group, I didn't know you would show up," he glanced at agent Hotchner, "are you on a case right now?"

"Yes, I am," she paused. "You were here back when I was in high school right? And before when the hiker got lost in the woods right?"

"I was part of the search party. My friends and I know the woods better than anyone else in town."

"Is it all right if we ask you some questions from back then? We need all the information we can get."

The old man looked at Hotch again and smiled, shrugging.

"Anything for my Lynn."

"Is there a room for a more private conversation?"

"Sure, follow me," he started walking down the hallway, the two investigators in tow.

"Are you sure he'll be able to help?" Hotch asked as they followed the man.

"He used to be the leader of the group back in the day. If anyone has information from back then it has to be him."

They stopped in a room that was off to the side in a smaller hallway. The lights were covered in dust and boxes of files and framed pictures lined the walls.
Lynn fingered through some of the items, looking at old photographs that consisted of rugged mountain men, park officers, and occasionally local hunters. Mike was in almost every photo.

"How would you hunt and prepare a deer?" Hotch asked after they sat down.

"Are you interested in hunting, agent?" Mike asked.

"I'm not a huge fan. Lewisville seems to be hub for the trade."

"We are. Lewey's is a small town but we have trails and cabins that just don't have the same isolation as like other parts of the state."