"Red?"
Chapter Two: A Means to An End
03x05: Seven Seconds.

*Trigger warning*

The Bau finds themselves hurrying into a mall the same mall where a young girl by the name of Jessica Davis was kidnapped and killed last week. Cases like these got to Eden, Kids, they were the one thing, but murdering and kidnapping such innocent humans was entirely not okay and she hated anyone who did. They enter the mall talking with the officer in charge

" Jim."

" We've been in lockdown for almost 20 minutes. My team's already in motion." Jim explains as he hands Hotch a radio.

" Another female, same age, same time of day, Taken from essentially the same location."

"What makes you sure Katie Jacobs is still in the building?" Morgan asks.

"The mall's got cameras installed at every entrance and exit. Surveillance video confirms Katie entering the building, but no sign of her leaving. Security paged her over the intercom, and their initial sweep came up empty."

"Whoever killed Jessica Davis last week left that mall with her because he wanted time with his victim in privacy." Reid begins.

"Assuming it's the same offender, he wouldn't stray from his M.O. He wouldn't leave here without his victim."

"So if Katie's still under this roof, so is her abductor," Eden says as Hotch nods.

"Garcia, report to the mall's security office. Reid, Morgan, I want you to find the head of security. We need all data from every search team." he turns to the women. "You guys start with Katie's parents. We'll treat the mall like a neighborhood. we'll separate into areas of control. Come on."

"Katie was last seen by her cousin in the arcade about 25 minutes ago. She was wearing jeans, a green shirt, gray sneakers, and ponytails." One agent was taking the trio to the family when an officer walks up.

"Registered offenders located within a 45-mile radius." He hands the paper to Emily and Eden and JJ looks over her shoulder.

"Ok, run this against current and former employees as well."

"Ms. Jacobs' cell phone had Katie's picture on it. Mall security helped us make copies." she hands them each a copy of the photo.

"Ok, we need to get one of these to every search team, every officer, every patron."

The women look over the giant crowd of mall goers. " Potential witnesses need to know who we're looking for, too." the officer takes off and Eden turns to JJ and Emily. "Problem is, our unsub could be any one of them."

"There's her parents" JJ whispers to the two women. They nod and walk over to the family. " Hi. We're Agents Jareau, Hunters,  and Prentiss with the B.A.U. You must be Katie's aunt and uncle. This can't be easy. We're here to walk you through this."

Dostoevsky once said, "Nothing is easier than denouncing the evildoer. Nothing more difficult than understanding him."

The other FBI team was in charge of looking through each store while the BAU tried to narrow it down, and calculate how much time they had and if Katie would be still alive by the time they found her.

"This image was captured moments before your nephew reported Katie missing."

"Oh, god." Mrs. Jacobs Katie's mother gasped, she had silent tears rolling down her cheeks. Her husband was comforting her.

"I know the angle's limited, But is there anything or anyone in the frame that you recognize?"

"Uh... No." Mr. Jacobs shakes his head.

"Katie has asthma. She needs her inhaler."

"H-how could someone have just taken her in front of all those people?" He asks.

"That's what we're trying to figure out."

"How do you plan on doing that?" he was growing defensive and JJ and Hotch could automatically tell.

"We're retracing Katie's steps. We're going over surveillance footage. We're searching every crack and crevice under this roof." JJ continues as he sighs.

"I want to be out there looking for my girl."

" I'd want to be doing the same thing, but when an abduction is reported, the parents are debriefed separately. It's more efficient that way." Hotch explains he and JJ move the two into different rooms debriefing them separately.

The other members of the team were retracing Katie's steps along with her cousin's as well. Prentiss was talking with Cousin Jeremy, and Eden was watching from the sidelines. Maybe it was because he was with his family but Jermey's dad seemed irritated by the entire interview and Eden made a mental note to bring that up to her team.

" So when you and your cousin were going in and out of stores, did anybody try to talk to her?" Prentiss asks.

"I don't think so."

"Did somebody maybe compliment her hair or open the door for you guys?" Prentiss was being patient and Jeremy seemed shy,  quiet, and timid which judging by his entire outfit wasnt who he was and maybe his parents made him feel like that.

"He wasn't exactly paying attention."

" Yes, I was." Jeremy practically growls at his dad with gritted teeth and a tight Jaw. 

"Yeah," Richard answers doubtfully. He rolls his eyes.

"You'd think after all my years in retail, I'd hate the mall, but it was convenient."

"She was right next to me, I swear," Jeremy explains.

" And then we split up because I-- I had to shop for my husband's birthday."

"And that's when you got lost in that video game, right?" Richard rolls his eyes at his son. Eden can sense disgust and hatred, but why? That was his kid, he was his child, accidents happen, and it wasnt Jeremy's fault.

"I should have stayed near the kids." Susan was all over the place.

"It's not fair."

"And now I wish we never left the house this morning." She explains trying desperately to cry, Eden can tell it's fake, her Neice has been missing for this long and now she wants to cry, now she wants to show how sad she is in front of the two female agents.

"I'm sure that's how my brother feels, too."

" You know, this may all be a mistake. Katie might just be lost, maybe in some bookstore or something. She loves to read. You know, she could just be in a corner, just, you know-- or maybe playing dress-up in a store or something." Richard explains to Eden and Emily. And for a second she can see the fondness, he has for Katie, and yet he can't seem to show the same fondness and adoration to his son.

Eden was simply observing at this point but, she decided to hang with Reid and Derek next, they were talking with Jeremy.

"Jeremy, we-- we asked your mom and dad if we could talk privately. Thought it might be easier that way." Reid starts.

"'Cause my dad thinks this is my fault." Jeremy had his head down again and Eden figures he blames himself just like his dad does.

Reid being the sweet and genuine person he is shakes his head. "No. Jeremy, your dad is just super upset right now, because times like this, people get emotional."

If only that were true.

"Hey, kid... the moments right before a kidnapping like this are the most important. You gotta understand you're the only one who can help us with that."

" But-- but I can't remember." Jeremy seems defeated like he's already giving up.

"Jeremy, all we need is the last thing Katie did or said before you realized she was gone."

He starts shaking his head, and he beings hyperventilating, the realization just kicked in, his cousin was kidnapped just a few feet away and he can't remember, Maybe it is his fault, Maybe his dad was right? "Jeremy. Jeremy? What-- what, what? What is it? Talk to me. What?"

He stands grabbing at his chest. " I can't breathe.

"Uh, y-you're having a panic attack. Sit down."

"Jeremy, sit down. Sit down." Eden pulls out the chair for him. " I want you to put your head between your knees. Put your head between your knees. That's right. Just breathe. Just breathe." Derek was holding onto the back of Jeremy's head while the trio looked at each other something wasnt right and Eden was going to figure it out come hell or high water.

Eden and Derek leave Reid with Jeremy while they go find Hotch.

"Something is scaring that kid," Eden says as Morgan nods.

"Yeah, or someone." they approach Hotch. "My guess is Jeremy either heard or saw something that could be useful. But the guilt has manifested itself into an acute stress disorder. The kid can't remember a thing."

"Take him back to the scene and do a cognitive interview. Hunters go with." Hotch orders as they nod leaving.

They stop in their track when they hear the Voice of Katie's mom over the intercom. "My name is Beth Jacobs. 45 minutes ago, our daughter Katie went missing. She's only 6 years old. Last month, she started first grade. Katie is our only child, and we love her very much. We just want her back safe. The other day... Katie told me that she was ready to ride... a big girl's bike... without training wheels... and I promised her that she could do that on her birthday. please, whoever you are... I hope you're listening. We just want our daughter back to us safely. Katie is just a little girl. She's just a little girl who deserves another birthday."

//

"So what are you youngsters playing these days?" Morgan asks.

"I like... D.O.A." Jeremy perks up at the mention of video games. His smile was wide and Eden felt a bit better.

"D.O.A.? As in "dead on arrival?"

"It's "Dead or Alive." Eden and Reid say at the same time. Eden shrugs.

"It's a good game."

Jeremy nods a big smile plastered on his face.  "Yeah, it is."

"What do you like so much about it, Jeremy?"

"The close combat. It's all about timing, and how well you know your enemies. Plus I'm good at it." Jeremy replies.

"Hm. Yeah, I bet you are, kid. So, uh, what was the first game that you walked to when you came in here earlier?" Derek asks. He takes them to the game. "I'm gonna ask you to close your eyes for a minute, all right? I want you to go back to when you first walked into the arcade a little earlier. Can you remember that?"

"Yeah." He nods touching the game with both hands.

"You're doin' great, my man. Ok, in your mind, I want you to try and picture what it sounded like in here. Picture what it smelled like. Was it crowded?" Derek says.

"It was loud."

"Were the people loud, or were the sound effects loud?" Reid asks.

"Both. Some kid was yelling at his game," he explains  he stays quiet for a bit but then he starts to freak out again, he starts to duck his head down low,

Shaking his head back and forth.

Spencer watches intently as does Eden. "What's making you so uncomfortable, Jeremy?"

He explains how Katie was crying, "What was she crying about?"

"I don't remember. I-- I couldn't hear."

"Ok. Jeremy, go back to the video game." Jeremy's face smiles automatically.

"I was winning."

"And how'd that make you feel?" Morgan asks.

"Awesome, proud of myself, kind of embarrassed." Jeremy's smile fades.

"Embarrassed? How?"

"Like people were watching me." His face turns into fear like he was worried, and he turns to look behind him with his eyes and clothes.

"Why were you self-conscious, who was watching you?"

Jeremy shakes his head. "I could smell her shampoo."

"Katie's?"

"No."

He explains how Katie wanted Ice cream.

"So Katie was asking for ice cream?" Derek asks.

"Yeah."

"Was there something else?" Reid speaks up.

"No."

"You did good, kid."  Derek pats him on the back

They head back to Hotch seeing him holding  up a necklace that was found in the trash by the search and rescue team. They found it tossed in the trash the clasp was ripped.

"The clasp is damaged like it was ripped off of her neck. Then they tossed it in the trash. If the abductor just wants to fulfill his urge and move on, he wouldn't take the time. This is motivated by rage. It's personal." Hotch explains he hands the evidence bag with the necklace in it to Derek and Eden who both inspect it.

"David Westerfield kidnapped Danielle Van Dam out of revenge when her mother rejected him."

"This may not be related to last week's abduction after all," Hotch says and he sends Reid and Derek to check out Jacob's house. See if they could get a feel of who would do this and why

"We need to separate the boy and his father, into 2 rooms. Now." Hotch orders and before he can even get to the other room Eden stops him.

"You know when Emily was talking with the family Jeremy was timid, couldnt even look her in eyes, the mom, Susan she just started, but I dont know it didn't seem authentic and then The dad seemed annoyed, pissed off but when we got him alone, he seemed to talk about Katie with such fondness and adoration and I dont know something isn't quite right," Eden explains and Hotch nod he knew there was a reason she belonged on this team, so she got to interview Richard the uncle.

"What's going on here?" Richard was pacing hands on his hips.

"We're questioning Jeremy in another room."

"I know that. Why?" He sasses rolling his eyes, there it is again, that irritation, why would Jeremy be irritating to him? Sure kids can be annoying at times but even when his name was mentioned and he is irritated.

"We suspect that he may know something."  Eden studies Rciahrd's features, having a woman's presence was throwing him off. But there were two, Eden and Emily, and Eden was staring at him intently.

"About Katie?"

"From you, Mr. Jacobs, we'd like to know more about your son," Hotch explains

"What would you like to know?" His voice was soft as if he was trying to seem genuine but it wasnt working.

"What are Jeremy's interests are," Emily asks.

"Uh, computer. Likes to be on the computer. Spends hours at a time. What's going on?"

"Who does he socialize with?" Hotch asks.

"I don't know. Kids at school, I suppose." Richard shrugs.

" You live under the same roof, but you can't name any of his friends?" Eden takes note of his posture, of how his hands are immediately removed from his pockets.

"He spends hours in his room listening to that metal music I don't understand."

"Has he always been this distant with you, or is this something new?" Emily asks as Richard just shakes his head.

" Well, I guess-- I guess it's always been like this. That's why I don't find it odd." Richard sticks his hands back in his pocket. He was becoming closed off.

"Well, we did some checking, and, uh... we found out that Jeremy, at the ripe age of 13, has a record."

Richard simply shrugs. " For stealing, 6 months ago. We knew that."

"And that didn't strike you as odd?"

"He stole earrings for a girl he liked. When I was his age, I-- I probably did the same thing." Richard slouches his shoulders down, head slightly tilted, he was trying to come off as a relaxed parent now, that he understood his son was just being a boy doing boy things.

"He must have wanted to make an impression on her, make her feel special, because we checked the record, and they were very valuable."

"We reprimanded him." He nods as if he was trying to convince himself of the lie he was telling.

"What was her name?"

"Who?" Richard asks.

"The girl Jeremy liked so much he stole for."

"I-- I don't know. We're his parents. He's 13 years old. If he hadn't been arrested, we probably wouldn't even know that he was interested in girls." He explains as everyone can find out how concerning that how weird it is for his son to be arrested and he simply doesn't ask him any questions about it.

Hotch then leaves the room and Eden follows she stops him before he can too far. "I think he was molesting her."Hotch shakes his head hesitant. Granted she was still piecing her theory together.

"I mean think about it, he said that Katie loved to read books and draw pictures. She loved to dance her favorite color was orange. He knows all this stuff about Katie and nothing about  his son, he didn't even know he was interested in girls." Hotch nods and walks off he comes back with the necklace and the two reenter the room

"Mr. Jacobs, have a seat." Richard takes a seat. "Did, uh, Jeremy and Katie spend a lot of time together?"

"Our families spend a lot of time together. He likes his cousin."

"Does that make you jealous?" Hotch asks.

Richard's face showed surprise genuine surprise for the first time. A real emotion. "What? Why would it? Why would it?"

"We found that in the trash. How is it that you know your 6-year-old niece likes to read books and play dress-up, but you don't know the first thing about your son?" Emily asks arms folded over her chest.

" Typically molesters only pay attention to the children that they're grooming, ignoring even their own."

"Katie wore that necklace because you told her to because you told her she was special. As if the sexual abuse wasn't enough." Emily continues Hotch comes around the table.

"Is that when it started?"

Richard looks up at Hotch. "When what started?"

"When you gave Katie the necklace when she started wetting the bed when her parents came to you and Susan wondering why their daughter locked herself in her room. Was that when it started? Is that when the molestation started?"

Richard stands up from his seat. "This is ridiculous."

"Couldn't help yourself, could you?"

"You're crazy!" He yells as Hotch starts following him around the room.

"Like so many little girls before."

"I-- I wanna get outta here." He yells.

"You started spending more time with her and telling her she was special." Hotch was yelling quite loudly.

"I'm not listening to you." he shakes his head.

"You knew it was sick, your brother's daughter." Hotch was angry he was pacing the room practically charging at Richard.

"Shut up!"

"Did she outgrow your preference?"  Hotch causes Richard to stumble into the table.

"Shut up!" He yells again,

"Did she get too old for you?"

"No!" Richard takes a deep breath, he turns to the right seeing Eden and Emily standing there glaring at him." No. I may have done some things that... you couldn't possibly understand, but I would never hurt Katie." Richard takes a seat in the chair,  as Hotch waves Eden in Emily over to the door where he was standing.

"Whoever ripped the necklace off Katie did it in a rage, and he just seems... broken."

Eden thinks for a moment his wife Susan's voice playing in her head. Hotch walks out the door as Eden stands there thinking. "One minute, I'm having a lighter engraved for my husband, and the next minute, Katie's name is being paged."

She turns to Richard. "You know, for probably the most stressful day of your life, I haven't seen you light one cigarette."

"I quit over a month ago." He was looking down at the ground with wide eyes, this broken disengaged look in his eyes.

The wife's voice plays in her head again. "You'd think after all my years in retail, I'd hate the mall, but it was convenient."

She races out of the room Emily is hot on her tail. "Where's the wife?"

"With JJ and Morgan in the food court."

"I know who took her I know what happened." Eden's brain wasnt catching up with her mouth, all these voices were playing around in her head, and she was remembering things all at once. Is this how Reid felt, cause if so she didn't like it?

The two make it to JJ and Morgan, Eden was still stuck in the thought process,

"What is happening?" JJ asks looking at Eden with Concern, her face was scrunched up like she was in pain, like something was hurting her, her fingers were moving quickly like she was typing.

"I dont know she said she figured it out, she knew who took Katie and she wanted to come here,"

Derek places a hand on her shoulder. He cups her face. "Red?" she looks at him, her olive green eyes sharp and shimmering like a marble in the sun, "Slow down breath." he takes a breath as does she. "Your brain is going to overload, what do you need? Huh?"

He had seen this look in her eyes before, this exact look when she was stuck in thought. When her brain was moving so quickly that her body didn't know how to respond. She was like a computer, she just needed to take a second to reset. It happened, to the smartest of people. Reid for example, would go down the rabbit hole of facts a few days out of the blue and end up not eating or sleeping or drinking and Derek would have to peel him off the floor, spoon-feed like a child, and get him back to a functioning state.

She takes a breath, looking at her surroundings Derek's face was directly infront of hers, she takes in his face, how to warn he looked from up close, how dark his skin was, how smooth it was, how pretty his eyes were, they were so dark with a small hint of light brown, his lips were pink and smooth and she closes her eyes for just a second before opening them "I don't think the aunt is telling us everything,"

"Okay? That's a start." Derek nods Both hands were now cupping her face.

She takes another breath, "the lighter."

Derek furrows his brows "What Lighter? Red?"

Eden shuts her eyes, trying to snap herself out of this trying to get her brain to work properly. "Engraved Lighter"

Emily's eyes go wide."The lighter for her husband yeah she said one minute she was here getting a lighter engraved for her husband."

Derek turns back to Eden "Good, Red, Good.. what else?"Eden just starts shaking her head angry that the words won't come out. "Okay, Prentiss go talk to Susan."

Emily just nods taking Susan to the side while Katie's parents are yelling trying to figure out why. All why Eden is losing her shit. She takes Susan away when she wasnt answering any of her questions and the parents start freaking out more, JJ can barely hold the mom back. Eden is seated in a chair while Derek gets the dad under control he then gets Eden  water and helps her drink it before she finally gets herself together.

"Where is Susan?" Eden was looking around

"Prentiss is talking with her, but you have to tell us what you know so she can get Susan talking."

"She said that they came here because she was getting a lighter engraved for her husband, but Richard said he hadn't smoked in a month, she said working in retail made the mall convenient, meaning she worked in a mall. Maybe this mall even, then there's the fondness, Richard adores Katie to the point where he believes that Mosleting her is helping her, is his way of showing that he loves her, Hotch said the Necklace was ripped off in a rage and that out of everyone here would be mad at Katie?" Derek hangs his head down in a sigh as Eden just looks at him strangely. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No, Not at all Babygirl, We need to get you in there with Emily." Eden nods.

"Okay yeah I can do that." he smiles at her and they practically run to the room where Emily is holding Susan, she steps inside seeing Emily staring at Susan. Derek gestures for Emily to leave. It was now just Eden and Susan together.

"What did you do with Katie?"

Susan makes an annoyed face. "Why would you ask me that?"

"You and Richard have been playing the happy family when the truth is you've been separated. Why else didn't you realize he hasn't had a cigarette in over a month? He has no use for a new lighter." Eden explains.

Susan shakes her head. "Richard and I have been trying to work things out."

"Did you believe that getting rid of that little girl would take away his sickness?" Eden's voice was calm never wavering she was cool as a cucumber or at least cooler than she was ten minutes ago.

"You're not making a bit of sense."

"Did it occur to you last week? After you saw on the news that a little girl was snatched from a local mall and found dead 3 days later?" Susan starts chewing on the inside of her cheek, just like Jeremy did when he was nervous, " Did you duct-tape her mouth, too? You know, if you do that to someone with asthma, they can die. But I guess you already figured that out."

"This was not supposed to happen to my family."

Eden slams her hands down on the table. Her voice was still calm, " It didn't just happen, Susan. You took her, a 6-year-old vulnerable child who trusted you, who trusted your husband. You need to tell me where she is."

" I don't know what you're talking about." Eden walks over to a different table she pulls out one of the dolls that Derek found ins Katie's room. And Holds it up infront of her face.

"This is how Katie sees herself, self-loathing, dirty, and disgusting. That is what your husband made her feel." she puts the doll down on the table. "Those nights that she would stay at your house, and he would sneak into her room and tell her not to make a sound."

"No, please don't do this."

"Do you have any idea how terrified she must have been, how confused, while you lay awake protecting an animal who will always have those urges and always has?" Eden was now raising her voice a slight octave,

"Don't. Please don't."

"There's nothing left for you to protect, Susan. Instead of shielding her from more pain, you blamed her for your own." Eden was now yelling, she learned this tactic from watching Hotch and Gideon countless times.

"No, no, no."

"Yes, you did. You have robbed Katie of her childhood, are you gonna steal the rest of her life from her as well?" Eden was close to Susan's face.

"No! Enough!" Susan starts to sob.

"Where is she?" Eden asks Voice back to calm Susan just sobs muttering about a storage room full of supplies that were down in the basement it was labeled storage room thirteen, Eden tells everyone where the room is over the radio. They get to Katie and she flatlines for four minutes before she coughs and wakes up. Eden arrested Susan she was walking her to a patrol car outside while Derek, Reid, and Jeremy were watching.

"Is Katie gonna be all right?" Jeremy watches as they are arresting his mom.

" She will eventually."

"I heard her call my mom's name. That's what I remembered before." He finally admits. As the two agents nod.

" We get it, kid. That's your mom."  Derek watches the red-haired woman intently.

"What's gonna happen to me now?"

"I don't know, Jeremy, but, uh, we're gonna make sure you're all right, ok? Let's go." Reid and Derek lead him away. He had a right to ask Both of his parents were being arrested. And he didn't deserve that, he didn't ask for that.

Eden was walking to her car it had been a long day, she gets all the way there and realises that she left her car at home that she caught a ride in on the train today, so there she stood in the parking lot hating herself for going down into her brain spiral, she forgot. It wasnt like her to forget but she stored so much information in her brain that sometimes it would freeze, and sometimes she would get so backed up and turned around.

"Hey, You okay?" she knew that deep voice anywhere.

She curses but turns to face Derek, arms at her side. Keys to her house were clutched in her hands. "Yeah, I just....I didn't take my car."

"You want a ride?" the two just stare at each other like they both know the answer but neither wants to admit it.

"I..."

Derek just opens the passenger door looking at it. "Get in the car Red." he has this teasing smirk on his face and she just smirks back walking over and climbing in.

G. K. Chesterton wrote, "Fairy tales do not tell children that dragons exist. Children already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children that dragons can be killed."

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