CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX:
FATHER AND SON
( aka 04x07: memoriam )

■ ■ ■ ■ ■

DALLIS HAD TO WONDER if the set-up of William Reid's office reflected the inside of his brain. Everything was entirely impersonal. No photos, no embellishments. A black leather couch was nestled beside the door. Beneath the window was his desk, large and imposing. He sat behind it, using it like a shield against his son and the strangers staring him down from their positions around the room. Dallis had perched herself beside Rossi on the couch, gazing with knitted brows at the shelves lined with thick leather bound books. Next to them was Morgan, who leaned forward in one of the twin armchairs with his elbows pressed to his knees. Reid was the furthest away. He hovered in the path to the exit, ready to leave at a moment's notice.

"You don't look like me anymore," William contemplated Reid. "You used to. Everybody said so."

"They say some people look like their dogs, too," Reid muttered, and Dallis had to swallow back a snort. How she loved when sassy Reid made an appearance. He didn't show his face often but when he did it was nothing if not memorable. "It's attributed to prolonged mutual exposure. Elderly couples, also. They unconsciously mimic the expressions of people they've been around their whole life, so it kind of makes sense that I wouldn't really look like you. I haven't seen you in twenty years."

Dallis wondered if she looked anything like Jackson. She had her mother's hair, her eyes too. When she smiled, the corner of her mouth ticked upward and mirrored the smile Hope plastered on for her children everyday without fail. Dallis didn't keep a picture of her dad to know if she shared his attributes. Whether or not she did wouldn't really change anything.

"So are you in town for work?" William swallowed around the sudden lump in his throat.

It was Rossi who answered. His arm brushed against the back of Dallis' neck from where he sat with it extended across the couch cushions. "We're just wrapping up a case."

"A five-year-old boy was abducted and murdered," Morgan shared, testing how William reacted.

"I read about that," William sighed. "Ethan Hayes, right? That's terrible."

Reid hummed in agreement. "That case got me thinking about Riley Jenkins. You remember Riley Jenkins?"

"Of course."

"I've been having dreams about him for a really long time. But when I came back here for this case, it jogged something and the dreams changed. I saw his killer, and it was you."

"Interesting dream."

Dallis idly tapped the pads of her fingers against her crossed knees. "You don't sound surprised, Mr Reid."

William merely smiled. His teeth had been whitened -- probably from a cheap store-bought toothpaste -- but the front two visibly overlapped. He fixed his tie again, careful to maintain his image when his hand then moved to slick back his hair. "I stopped being surprised by Spencer's mind a long time ago."

"There are certain criteria we consider when looking at this type of suspect," Rossi remarked. "You fit parts of that profile."

William's smile didn't waver but Dallis noticed the rapid flutter of his eyelids as this information hit him. "Me?"

"We just want your cooperation."

"My cooperation--" He cut himself off with a breathy laugh. "You're not actually saying that you think I killed Riley Jenkins."

"We didn't say that," Reid muttered.

"Good. Because that's absurd."

"We understand why you'd think so," Dallis said, tongue in cheek. "But as I'm sure you can appreciate, we have a job to do."

"We'd just like permission to look through your computer, access your records," Morgan added.

William's laughter faded. He clenched his jaw from the effort it took not to raise his voice. "And what would you be looking for? You want access to my files? Get a warrant."

Reid maintained a nonchalant attitude that dropped as soon as the office door slammed shut behind them. The four of them knew the chances of getting a warrant were slim. This was an unsolved case from twenty years prior and they had no substantial evidence that William Reid was involved beyond the dreams of his resentful son and a few other minor details. William must've known this, too, but Dallis couldn't help finding it odd that he'd refuse. If he had nothing to hide, why not let them look through his computer? It would save them a  lot of hassle and it would clear his name in minutes.

While Reid got in contact with Garcia, Dallis joined Rossi and Morgan in the gambling den back at the hotel. Now that her head wasn't pounding like Austin's drum kit, she regarded the slot machines with only mild distaste. While Morgan tried his luck on a few, Dallis and Rossi found a quiet corner to sip on their non-alcoholic drinks and talk.

"I'm thinking of getting a tattoo," Dallis remarked, tearing her eyes away from the tinted windows. She had to admit, she was curious to see his reaction.

Rossi's eyebrows shot up. "Where did this come from?"

"Emily," she revealed, making him scoff and mutter 'of course' as she fought back a smile. "It's hazy but we considered it last night, then decided maybe it wasn't the best idea to mark our skin forever when we couldn't even walk in a straight line."

"But in the light of day, you haven't changed your mind?" Dallis shook her head. She wasn't deterred by tattoos, of course she had to consider work but she wouldn't be the only person on the team who had them. Morgan had intricate patterns on his shoulders that he hid with his fitted shirts. Even JJ had a tiny dedication to her sister on her ribcage. She liked the idea of representing the things she loved forever, it was just a matter of choosing what she wanted and hoping she didn't end up hating it someday. "You like your alcohol, don't you, Dallis?"

"As much as the next person," she shrugged, fixing her lower lip between her teeth.

Sometimes, she feared the loss of control when alcohol worked its way through her system. She wasn't a serial drinker, she could go days without seeing the bottom of a bottle, but when she did drink time slipped away without her realising. Just one more drink would lead her to oblivion but Dallis remained right on the edge.

"You know, I can understand why Reid's taking this thing with his dad so hard," she said between sips of her lemonade, her drink of choice when Rossi had first led them to the bar. "Daddy issues, am I right?"

It was Rossi's turn to fight back a smirk. "Dallis Cohen has daddy issues. Who would've thought?"

"It's not easy when a parent decides they don't want to be part of your life anymore. Every insecurity you develop always seems to lead back to them. Even when they're gone, you feel them holding you back." She tugged at a loose thread on the hem of her shirt. "William chose to leave his wife and son. My dad kicked the bucket, but he would've done the same thing if he hadn't accidentally drowned himself in alcohol. It was only a matter of when."

Rossi's face slackened as he realised how complicated the topic of alcohol would really get if they unpacked the complexities of Dallis' brain. She pressed her lips into a fleeting, uncomfortable smile. Over the rim of her glass, she joked, "Booze, women and glory. Aren't they a wicked combination?"

Rossi leaned forward then, planting a hand on her knee where his thumb immediately started to soothingly caress her skin. At once, the chorus in her head went quiet. "Why don't you tell me what tattoo you're thinking of getting?"

Dallis' eyes glazed over; from his touch or the topic change, she couldn't be sure. "I was thinking my mum's name for the first."

"The first?"

"Oh, I have a whole list of possibilities," she let her spare hand cover his. "If Emily had her way last night, we'd both have tramp stamps."

The sound of someone clearing their throat had both of them instinctively flinching apart. Blushing, Dallis withdrew her hand but after a moment Rossi resumed his grip on her knee, maintaining a confident stare as Reid cast a shadow across the laminate coffee table tucked between their chairs. In his hands was another folder that he held aloft like some kind of shield against their display of affection.

"What's that, Reid?" Dallis asked.

Reid went on to explain how the file had been slipped underneath his door, presenting them with another suspect by the name of Gary Brendan Michaels. At some point, Morgan conceded defeat to the slot machines and dragged over a chair to sit opposite Dallis and Rossi. When Reid was finished, he passed the file over to Dallis, who wanted a better look at this new guy's face.

"Was the envelope dropped off at the front desk first?" Rossi asked, scanning the sullen mugshot over Dallis' shoulder. Just the sight of the man made her sick to her stomach. Pale complexion, gaunt eyes. He leered at the camera as if it was a mirror. It pained her to think he might've been out there hurting more children. Taking their lives before they could truly begin.

"It went straight to my room."

"So they knew what room you were in," Dallis remarked, though she couldn't help but question the timing. Barely an hour after leaving William, they were given a new suspect on a silver platter? Something wasn't right.

"I do have to admit," Morgan said. "The timing of this is a little suspicious."

"You read my mind, Morgan," Dallis muttered, handing Rossi the file. She was over having that disturbed face staring up at her.

"You think you knew this guy?" Rossi asked Reid.

"I don't know. I think so? I'm not sure." Reid went quiet again, then he quickly shook his head. "No, I don't know."

"'Exposed himself to a minor.'" Rossi read aloud. "That's a precursor to molestation."

"And murder," Morgan said. "We should take a closer look at this guy."

"We should also think about looking into hotel security," Dallis suggested. "See if there's cameras in any of the hallways leading up to your room. Might give us an idea who left us this early Christmas gift."

"Not sure it's a gift I wanted," Reid muttered, making Dallis smile sadly.

Morgan's phone started to ring. He answered without having to glance at the caller. "Yeah, talk to me, baby girl."

Sooner or later, he was going to answer the wrong call with that greeting and Dallis would pay good money to witness it.

"I'm not interrupting boy time at Crazy Horse Too, am I?" At that, Dallis leaned towards the speaker and coughed dramatically. Garcia responded with a sultry tutting noise. "Dallis Cohen, my naughty girl. I've heard all about your wild escapades with Emily last night. One night in Vegas wasn't enough for you?"

Dallis let a lazy smile spread across her face. "Oh, Garcia, call me your naughty girl again. It does things to me." She heard someone clear their throat on the other end of the line. She caught Rossi's gaze on her and raised her eyebrows, appreciating the red tips of his ears while she added, "Hey, Hotch."

"I'm here too," they heard the faint echo of Emily's voice in the background.

"And we have a case," Hotch reminded the both of them.

"Aw," Emily whined with obvious sarcasm. "But we never got to hear about the highlights of the strip club."

"Oh, come on, girls," Morgan grinned. Dallis figured from the quick wink he shot them that he was testing how far he could push Hotch's patience. So far, their boss was yet to break but if anyone could get him to, it would be the Morgan and Garcia duo. "You know that's not my thing. I'm more for in-room entertainment."

"I can't help you there," sighed Garcia. "But I do give good phone."

"Let me hear what you got then."

Giggling, she declared, "Reid, we've been up in your father's business."

The moment of amusement snapped like a rubber band. Reid's thin fingers twitched with the urge to snatch Morgan's phone to his ear. He needed to know everything, even if each word pained him. "What did you find?"

"Well, let me tell you first what I did not find. No kiddie porn, no membership to illicit websites, no dubious emails, no chat room history."

Reid crossed his arms. "What about his finances?"

"We went back ten years," said Hotch. "No questionable transactions that we could find."

"Well," Emily piped up. Reid held his breath in anticipation. "He did buy a ticket to see Celine Dion six months ago, but I think we can overlook that."

Reid's shoulders almost immediately slackened. "He's smart. Is it possible he kept things under the table?"

"Well, of course, but from what we can tell, Reid, he doesn't fit the profile."

Somehow, Reid was both disappointed and relieved, caught in conflict between the two. Nobody wanted to assume the worst in their parent but Reid had convinced himself that the worst case scenario in this instance was about to become reality. Hearing his dad wasn't a murderer, just a shitty person, both punched him in the gut and sent the air rushing back into his lungs. When Emily offered him more information on William's life, he shyly accepted, refusing to look at the three others sitting around him.

"He's a workaholic, he actually logs more hours than we do. He makes decent money but he doesn't spend a lot of it. He has a modest house, he drives a hybrid. He doesn't travel much, he stays away from the casinos, and according to his veterinary bills, he has a very sick cat."

"He appears to spend most of his free time alone," added Hotch. "He goes to the movies a lot and he reads. From his collection of first editions, it seems his favourite author is--"

"Isaac Asimov," Reid said. "I remember that one."

Despite what he said in William's office, he did resemble his father in at least one way.

"He does have one other major interest," Garcia shared. "On his home computer, he's archived a gajillion things on one common subject."

"What?"

"You."

At once, Reid's guard went back up.

"He's got like everything that's been published online. Every article you've been quoted in, pieces you've written for behavioural science journals. He even has a copy of your dissertation."

"He's keeping tabs on you," Rossi offered Reid a gentle smile. "That's saying something."

Reid scoffed. "Yeah, that he googled me. That makes up for everything."

With an excuse about needing air, he shoved past them towards the door. Dallis watched him go, deciding to give him a minute before checking up on him. She stayed with Rossi and Morgan while they asked the others to look into Gary Michaels. Once Garcia hung up with the promise of getting back to them ASAP, Dallis began to head for the door. She could feel Rossi and Morgan watching but they didn't stop her and Dallis would've kept going regardless.

She found Reid sitting on a bench only a few feet away, staring into the busy street like it would open up with all the answers. But the people never stopped, the cars kept driving, and somewhere out there a killer walked free. Dallis sat beside him, wetting the end of a cigarette with her lips. Reid turned his head at the flick of the lighter but he'd seen Dallis smoking before and wasn't surprised by the haze of grey that lingered between them.

"Six minutes," he reminded her, making her chuckle.

"I know."

Apparently, it was something Reid used to say to his mum when he was little. Every time she lit a cigarette, he'd use those two words to remind her she had six less minutes to spend with her son. It didn't work on Diana Reid, it didn't work on Dallis Cohen, but it was the thought that counted.

"Did you want to say something?"

"Nope," she shrugged. "Did you?"

He swallowed thickly. They watched as cars honked their horns at each other. On the corner of the block, a group of kids fought over a basketball. A middle-aged woman strutted past with her dog following at her heels, chewing on its bedazzled pink leash. All normal things that were suddenly foreign territory. "I think I wanted my dad to have killed Riley. It justified me hating him. Now I've got no reason."

"You don't need a reason, Spence," Dallis let the cigarette drop to the ground. She put it out with the toe of her shoe, resolving to throw it away when she stood up again. "There's nothing wrong with having feelings. Sometimes they're negative and that's okay. Your dad might not have murdered a boy but he abandoned you when you needed him the most. I think anyone would be hurt by that."

Reid bit down on his lower lip, teeth breaking through skin. "I'm going to have to apologise, aren't I?"

"Well, that's up to you," she said. No one would ever make her forgive her father's ghost. Her grievances with him were hers alone. "If you want him to be part of your life again, it might be worth considering."

"And if I don't want him to be?" his voice dropped into a whisper.

"You've made it this far in the twenty years he missed," she said. "What's another twenty?"

After a few more minutes of sitting in silence, they went back inside but parted ways in the bustling foyer. Dallis retreated to the bathroom and when she came back out Reid was nowhere to be seen. She joined Rossi and Morgan where she'd left them and they ordered the greasiest burger and fries the hotel had on their menu.

"The kid's got until I fit all this in here--" Morgan displayed his burger then slapped his free hand against the rigid panes of his stomach. "Then we're back in business."

"You wave that around anymore and you'll lose all the good bits," Dallis remarked as he dove for a hanging piece of bacon.

But Morgan was true to his word and he led the charge in searching for Reid once their lunch was over. It didn't take them as long as Dallis thought it would. They found him sitting with a blonde woman who had a cigarette perched between her index and middle finger. Smoke rose from the red-stained stick but Reid was more focused on his cards than the hooded lids of her eyes as leaned forward to accentuate her cleavage.

"Tell you what," she purred, oblivious to Dallis, Morgan and Rossi approaching. "I'll put mine out if you buy me a drink."

Reid's shoulders tensed. Instinctively, Dallis sought out Rossi, pumping her eyebrows suggestively. They hung back, eager to hear how he'd respond. It wasn't everyday they got to witness Spencer Reid considering how to flirt.

But Morgan had no shame. He clapped a hand on Reid's back. "Not today, sweetheart. We've been looking all over the place for you. Come on."

The blonde looked ready to argue but kept her mouth shut. Disappointed, Dallis started to turn away but she stopped when the other woman let out a gasp. "You've won two thousand dollars here!"

"Keep it," Reid didn't bat an eye.

"You do realise you just gave two grand to a hooker," Rossi muttered, then grunted when Dallis drove her elbow into his side.

"We don't know she's a hooker," she said. Rossi merely blinked at her. "Yeah, nevermind." She slung an arm around Reid's gangly shoulders, grateful that the heels of her boots gave her a few extra inches of height. "So what was that about, Spence? If you're looking to be charitable with your money, your favourite coworkers won't say no."

"How to stop smoking," he answered her initial question. He gently nudged her arm off his shoulders, falling into step in front of them. "I think I've got something."

Turns out that 'something' was hypnotherapy. He hoped it would break through the chains separating his conscious self from his core memories, and it did, but it came at a cost.

William didn't murder Riley Jenkins. However, he was involved.

Both Reid and Diana remembered seeing him burning bloody clothes in the backyard of their family home, which was enough for Reid and Morgan to head down to the station. Met with a lot of resistance, when push came to shove, they convinced Detective Hyde who worked the case to detain William for twenty-four hours.

"You still think he did it, don't you?" Morgan scoffed as he came to stand beside Reid.

Dallis and Rossi had joined them at the station where they gathered on the other side of the two-way mirror looking into the interrogation room. William sat there, folded arms pressed against the metal tabletop. There was an air of composure about him that Reid was noteably missing for once. To Dallis, he seemed almost bored.

"Why shouldn't I?" Reid retorted just as Dallis' phone buzzed in her pocket.

Excusing herself, she let the door click behind her. She could hear faint voices on the other side but they were soon drowned out by the chaos of the main office; phones ringing, heavy footsteps, the whir of an overworked coffee machine. She went in search of the kitchen, her phone propped between her ear and shoulder.

"Jennifer Jareau, if you have this baby before we get on the jet..." she said as soon as her call was answered.

JJ let out a laugh that quickly became a groan. "I'm not even at the hospital yet. Which of you told her?"

In the background, Garcia said without shame, "Oh, that would be me."

Holding her phone away from her ear, Dallis reread the string of text messages Garcia had sent her in quick succession, then relayed them into the phone, "She asked me if I'm 'ready to be Aunty Dallis' then followed up by telling me I'd make a hot MILF."

"She's not wrong," Emily crooned.

"Can we please continue this conversation when I'm not in severe pain?"

"Fine," sighed Dallis, filling a glass with water. "But I mean it, Jayj. That baby stays inside you until I'm there."

"I'll try my best."

"I'll send you pictures," Garcia sang out.

"Oh, no, you won't--"

The line clicked with the dial tone, allowing a chuckling Dallis to return her phone to her pocket. She couldn't hide her smile as she returned to the others. Rossi regarded her curiously, caught between watching Reid pace in front of his father and memorising the dip of her cupid's bow.

"Something funny?"

"I'll tell you later."

On the other side of the glass, Reid flattened his hands against the table inches away from William's arms. The sliver of space between them was intentional, a reminder of the distance that snaked between them with every cutting word exchanged.

"It's a simple question," said Reid. "How did the blood get on the clothes?"

"I told you," William retorted. "I'm not going to talk without counsel."

"If you don't have anything to hide, you don't need a lawyer."

"Spencer, please. I'm not stupid." The two men stared at each other, waiting for the next move. "I'm proud of you. You know that?"

Reid's jaw ticked. "I'm not stupid either."

But William wasn't looking for an opportunity to get under his son's skin. In his own way, he meant what he said, or at least he wanted them to believe he did. "No, you've done a lot of good. Other people with your talents, they might've sought different opportunities, the private sector. My God, you could've made a fortune, but you chose to help people."

"I chose to study murderers," Reid scoffed. "Why do you think that is?"

"I didn't do this, Spencer. Why can't you believe me?"

"Like you said, I do have special talents, and one of them is being able to tell when somebody's hiding something."

William withdrew his hands onto his lap, staring at his palms as if they would give him the answers his son was looking for. They could, if Reid's intuition was right, but Dallis couldn't help the creeping trickle of doubt.

"You're angry that I left," William said. "And you're right to be--"

"If you want to make it up to me, tell me the truth."

Seconds dwindled into minutes, draining from the twenty-four hours given to them by Detective Hyde. William levelled Reid with a pleading stare. "I didn't kill that boy, but I know who did."

"Gary Michaels?" Reid tilted his head.

"How'd you know that?"

"That's the whole idea, wasn't it?" Leaning into the space between them, he refused to let the other man break eye contact. He was so close. The truth was taunting him. "Where is Gary Michaels now, dad?"

"Spencer, please. Forget it. You don't want to go down this road."

The feet of Reid's chair scraped against the floor. He marched out of the room without looking back, ignoring William's insistent cry of his name. The door had barely clicked shut when Morgan's phone rang. Hotch was with JJ and the girls at the hospital (cue Dallis' awkward realisation that he heard Garcia calling her a hot MILF) and they had some news, even then, on the elusive Gary Michaels.

"What do you mean he's dead?" Reid exclaimed.

"They dug him up seven years ago when some new construction broke down in the desert."

"Whoever killed him was smart enough to bury him across state lines," Rossi remarked. "Vegas PD never made the connection."

"How was he killed?" Dallis asked.

"Judging from the fractures, they think he was beaten with something."

"What, like a pipe?"

"Or a bat," said Rossi with a nod over Reid's shoulder.

Detective Hyde led William out of the interrogation room, muttering audible apologies for the 'inconvenience' as the two walked side-by-side towards the entry. William spared his son one last unreadable look before turning away. Reid's face dropped.

"Maybe it wasn't Riley's blood on those clothes your dad was burning."

■ ■ ■ ■ ■

THE FOLLOWING DAY, A three-hour drive landed them on the dusty doorstep of Inyo County Sheriff's Department in California. It wasn't exactly intimidating, roughly the size of a cottage with wooden slatted walls that reminded Dallis of a hunting lodge. The lean-to out front provided shade to three police cars, leaving their SUV to bake in the boiling sun. Inside, there were two large rooms. The sheriff greeted them with a curt nod and led them into the one acting as his office.

"Been rumours of bodies buried up at the Barker Ranch for years." He perched himself on the edge of his desk. "On account of that's where Chuck Manson had his hideout. When we dug this one up--" He swept a hand across the various crime scene photos for Gary Michaels. "We went ahead and had him typed, thought maybe it could be related."

"Well, it's a good thing you did," Morgan said. "Might never have ID'd him otherwise."

Dallis grazed her fingers across the photo in front of her; a set of broken glasses, the metal temples pierced through the lenses. Everything about Gary Michaels' murder was done with intent to cause suffering. This was a crime fuelled by rage. Emotion that tightened around the throat like a noose. She scanned the set-up of the construction site, chewing on her lip as her thoughts struggled to scramble themselves into a semblance of sense.

"So why all the fuss over a dead pervert?"

"We think he may have killed a boy in Vegas over twenty years ago," she said.

"Oh, is that how he ended up in the ground?" he scoffed. "Revenge?"

"Possibly," answered Rossi without looking up from his own selection of photos. As soon as they'd arrived at the station, he'd removed his suit jacket, rolled up his sleeves and got to work, this quiet force that separated Reid and Morgan's opposing opinions.

"It says here you have a fingerprint in evidence," Dallis stated. "Lifted from the victim's broken glasses, right?"

"We ran it up the flagpole a couple of times but nothing ever came up."

So Gary's killer wasn't in the system, which didn't help them much.

"That was then," said Reid. "Now we have something to compare it to."

Morgan rolled his eyes. Reid returned his stare, daring him to openly challenge him. Dallis wanted to grab both of them by the collars and bang their heads together.

"A suspect?" the sheriff sat to attention.

Morgan shrugged. "We're going to want to run it through AFIS, too."

"That's a lot of taxpayer dollars being spent to solve a public service murder." With a glance down at his watch, he headed for the door. "If you ask me, the guy got what he deserved."

"He's right, you know," Rossi remarked once he was gone. Reid rounded on him. "We don't have to run this print."

"Of course we do. Whatever Michaels did, he deserves a fair trial."

"Reid, come on," Morgan sighed. "You wanted to know if your father killed Riley and all signs point to no. You got what you need."

"What I need is the truth."

Morgan brandished the picture of Gary's crushed skull in his face. "If this print belongs to your dad, he could go away for a long time. You're just determined to nail him, aren't you? It doesn't even matter what for."

Reid forced the picture aside, meeting Morgan's stare unflinchingly. "If you don't want to run it, I will."

Dallis rounded the table until she was standing between them. With one hand on Morgan's chest, she nudged him back, then carefully appraised Reid. "Both of you need to calm down. Reid, I know this is important to you, but let's remember who else we're doing this for. There's a dead boy involved, you remember him?"

"Fine," Morgan grunted, then followed the sheriff out the room.

Men, Dallis rolled her eyes. She quickly got back to work.

"Have we thought that maybe Gary's murderer was involved in construction?" She considered after scanning through more photos.

They were reaching the bottom of their stack of evidence and Dallis certainly wasn't looking forward to the long trip back. She stretched her legs out on the empty chair beside her, making the most of that comfort before she was wedged into the backseat of their SUV again.

"I know you don't want to consider other options, Reid," she said. "But from the dates we've got here, this particular site was being worked on at the time of Gary's murder. What made them choose here out of everywhere to hide a body?"

"Well, it's over state lines," Rossi reminded her. "It's isolated, the ground was already dug up. Could've just been opportunistic."

"Maybe."

She decided to shelve it for the time being. If the print came back and it wasn't William, then she'd consider pursuing it again.

■ ■ ■ ■ ■

DALLIS WATCHED OVER ROSSI'S shoulder as his pen moved effortlessly across the newspaper spread out on his lap. Most of the crossword he'd started was filled out already but there were a few words missing. She traced her finger over one of the empty columns, fighting against the urge to rest her head on his shoulder.

"Chameleon," she said.

His eyes glittered. "I knew that, but thank you, Dolcezza."

The moment was over as soon as it began. Morgan answered his phone after the first ring, bracing a hand against Reid's shoulder when he rushed to wait beside him. They'd spent twenty minutes sitting in the hotel foyer after returning from Inyo County. Was this finally the moment that would put Reid's mind at rest? They listened anxiously to Morgan's side of the conversation. He didn't give much away until he hung up.

"We're going to have to get an arrest warrant."

Dallis sat forward. "There was a match?"

"Yeah," he nodded, though he only had eyes for Reid. "But it wasn't your dad." He dipped his chin towards Dallis. "Your theory about construction? Dead on. It's Lou Jenkins."

Oh.

On their way to pick up the man in question, they pieced the story together -- well, everything they knew. William was yet to truly fit into the picture but there was no way else to look at it. Gary Michaels raped and murdered Lou's son, so he tracked him down and punished him for it.

When their SUV pulled into the yard where Lou and several others were hard at work, Dallis stopped and observed the man who was yet to notice their presence. She hesitated at the thought of arresting Lou. He'd broken the law, yes, and this was her job, but she couldn't entirely blame him for wanting Gary to pay.

"Oh, God," Rossi groaned. "What is he doing here?"

They weren't the only police presence on the scene.

"We notified your Captain about this, Detective," he said as Detective Hyde approached, boots crunching against gravel. "It's all legit."

"I'm not trying to stop you. I just want to be the one to bring him in. It'll go easier. He's my friend."

Reid scoffed. "We figured as much. You, Lou, my father..."

"You slipped us the Michaels file, didn't you?"

Detective Hyde lifted his shoulders in a shrug. "You were after the wrong guy."

"But you knew who the right guy was all along," Rossi said. "And what Lou did to him."

"Wasn't any evidence."

Dallis raised her eyebrows. "Did you even look, Detective?"

His silence was an answer itself.

Morgan huffed. "If you want to link him up, go ahead. But he rides in with us."

"Appreciate it," he said, then he was off towards Lou, who quickly realised that fighting would be fruitless.

Now that they had Gary's killer, the rest of the pieces started to fall into place. With Morgan and Reid interrogating Lou, they came to the conclusion that the grieving father determined his son's killer when Diana came to him with her concerns.

Gary Michaels didn't start with Riley Jenkins. He approached Spencer Reid first.

After that, Lou looked into him, found out he had a history, and took the law into his own hands. He had Diana show him where Gary lived then burst through his front door, baseball bat in hand. Diana followed him and it was her bloody clothes that Reid saw his father burning. William was protecting his wife and son, but the trauma that followed ripped them apart.

Dallis was just glad Reid could close this door to his past and they could go home.

The jet was landing in Quantico when Dallis checked her phone and found a picture of a sweaty but smiling JJ holding a baby wrapped in a soft blue blanket.

"No!" she cried.

At once, she had three concerned men gravitating towards her. As Rossi's hand ghosted her back, she waved her phone in their faces.

"I missed it."

With soft eyes and a smile to match, Rossi said, "We can go to the hospital right now and see them, Dolcezza."

Every minute spent on the road dragged until they started to feel like hours. With the setting sun at her back, Dallis led the charge through the emergency room doors, demanding the details of JJ's room from the startled receptionist with a pointed flash of her badge to fast-track. The entire time, she had Rossi, Reid and Morgan trailing after her in amusement. She left them in her dust when she finally had the room number, bursting through JJ's door like she'd run a marathon.

"Aunty Dallis is here," she declared.

"You mean the hot MILF?" Garcia pumped her eyebrows.

"Pen, please, there's young ears present."

Beaming, JJ accepted Dallis' kiss of greeting on her temple. She pressed her head beneath Dallis' chin, displaying the sleeping picture of pure innocence in her arms.

"Oh, he's perfect," Dallis breathed, ghosting the gentlest of touches across the dip of his button nose. Rosy cheeks, tiny fingers. This was everything Dallis ever wanted. She was so happy for JJ and Will she could've cried. It wasn't too late. She could feel the tears burning. "Congratulations, JJ. You too, Will."

JJ let out a watery laugh. "At least someone has congratulated me--" She glared at Reid's hand as it shook Will's own. "How is it that I just went through fifteen hours of labour and you look worse than I do?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Reid scoffed. "You look beautiful."

With a not so subtle flick of his eyes, Will put out the suggestion of coffee, clearing the room so that only Reid remained with JJ. As Dallis fell into step beside the new father, she realised she didn't even know the name of their family's newest addition.

"So what's the little guy called?"

Will smiled. "Henry."

"Henry LaMontagne," she tested the name on her tongue. "It's got a nice ring to it."

"That it does."