Hidden Family Secrets
3
Chapter 3: 2005
Another day later, Alyssa Sanders woke up in the early morning, screaming. Her father Mark ran into her bedroom, eyes wide and worried.
“Ally? Honey, what’s the matter?” he demanded urgently, sitting on her bed and hauling her into his arms.
He stroked her damp hair back off her face and she burrowed herself into his chest for warmth and comfort.
“What’s the matter?” Mark repeated, softly this time.
Alyssa sniffed and then sat up, placing a small amount of distance between them.
“I’m scared for Rosalie” she whispered, rubbing her eyes with small fists.
Mark sighed and nodded.
“I know, sweetheart. But you know that Derek and Aaron will do all that they can to get her back. They’ll find her and you’ll have your best friend for the rest of your life” he murmured to her, forcing a semi genuine smile onto his face.
Alyssa smiled shakily back at him and slowly lay down again, settling her head onto her pillow and gradually letting her eyes close. Mark bent and kissed her forehead before standing and walking slowly back down the hallway to his own room. Worry about his daughter and Rosalie Morgan never left his mind, though.
Morgan, Hotch, Emily, Gideon and Spencer sat in the Quantico Police Department with solemn faces, staring blankly at the wall across from them.
“Can we find him yet?” Morgan asked wearily, rubbing his eyes with the pads of his thumbs.
Emily looked over at him and sighed quietly, leaning forward to rest her head in her hands. Hotch glanced briefly at her and then shuffled the papers he held in his hands.
“Well, we have the profile, Morgan. He’s a male, between the ages of thirty five and forty five, with easy means of getting round. He must appear normal to observers, so he can take these children without raising anyone’s suspicions. He’s probably quite good looking, so the girls are more willing to trust him. He probably resembles a father like figure to them and just looks like he might even work with their own fathers. He lives nearby, as he has only kidnapped girls from schools in the Quantico area. He probably treats them nicely, at the very least hospitably, making them feel all right until he loses interest in them and kills them. They most likely stop showing him any real fear and so he gets bored with them. It’s time to get Garcia on the line, people” he said firmly, clapping Morgan on the shoulder.
Morgan raised his eyes slowly and then flipped open his cell phone. He quickly dialled Garcia’s number.
“Any news of your baby girl, sugar?” she asked, as soon as she picked up.
Morgan turned the speaker on so they could all hear. He sighed heavily.
“No, Penelope. Thanks for asking though. We need you to cross check males in the Quantico area, between the ages of thirty five and forty five, who maybe lost their families, or just their daughters in the past ten years. The unsub has a fairly stable job that pays well enough; it lets him take time off to find the girls, watch them for a few days, about a week, and then kidnap them from their elementary schools. Can you do that, Garcia?” he asked, his voice sad and heavy.
“Yes, sure thing, Derek” Garcia replied quietly, and they could hear the noise of tapping computer keys.
They all waited in a tense quietness, envisioning her answers to their most pressing questions.
Finally she answered.
“There are three in the immediate area, guys. Thomas Johnson lost his whole family in a house fire five years ago, and that included his ten year old daughter Megan and her twin brother Joseph. Demetri Tomlin killed his own daughter ten years back. Her name was Tatiana and they were fishing on a holiday in Tennessee, and Demetri strangled her with the fishing wire. And then there’s Cameron Davis; he’s really sad. His wife divorced him two years ago and took with her their nine year old daughter Hannah. He hasn’t been seen at work for months” she informed them quickly, narrowing down the facts fast and efficiently.
Spencer stood up and glanced toward the white crime board they had set up. The title ‘Motive’ hovered over the words ‘loss of own child or children’. He then looked back at Hotch, who then also stood and nodded at him.
“I think so too, Reid” he mumbled, tapping the table with his fingertips.
“We have to find this Demetri Tomlin” Morgan said, his voice low and hard now.
Gideon eyed him with interest, silent since the beginning of the exchange.
“I agree, Morgan. But we still have to go slow with this” he said somberly.
Morgan shot him a look that very clearly told every one of them I will not go slow with this case. My daughter is missing and I want her back NOW.
He stood up and faced Spencer.
“You with me, Reid?” he asked.
Spencer blinked, looking slightly like the fabled deer in headlights.
“Sure, Morgan” he said, sounding vaguely shocked.
“Thank you, Penelope” Morgan called, before snapping his phone shut. “Let’s roll.”
Rosalie sat on the edge of the lower bunk bed, swinging her legs back and forth. The man had stolen her shoes from her and her feet were freezing, though the rest of her body was still comparatively warm. She sighed and then yawned, holding the horrible doll to her out of enforced habit rather than any need of her own. She had been in this place for nearly three days now, she thought. Considering she didn’t remember the actual event of the child napping. She rolled her eyes up to gaze at the filthy ceiling. She thought that he must keep the remainder of the house clean because he didn’t smell bad when he came to bring her meals, three times a day, in perfect timed order. Breakfast at eight o’clock, lunch at twelve o’clock and dinner at six o’clock. Rosalie hated to think that once she was found and her dad took her back home, she might have to readjust to eating at random times of the day when her dad was home with her, or just eating on her own with guards stationed outside the house, back and front, at whichever time she felt hungry.
She shrugged and changed her focus to the floor below her. She continued to swing her feet, sucking her thumb as it was nearing six o’clock now, and he was sure to arrive very soon and see her. She didn’t like him; she wanted to see her dad again. He had always taught her to be strong, but she couldn’t take it for very much longer.
Another day later, Alyssa Sanders woke up in the early morning, screaming. Her father Mark ran into her bedroom, eyes wide and worried.
“Ally? Honey, what’s the matter?” he demanded urgently, sitting on her bed and hauling her into his arms.
He stroked her damp hair back off her face and she burrowed herself into his chest for warmth and comfort.
“What’s the matter?” Mark repeated, softly this time.
Alyssa sniffed and then sat up, placing a small amount of distance between them.
“I’m scared for Rosalie” she whispered, rubbing her eyes with small fists.
Mark sighed and nodded.
“I know, sweetheart. But you know that Derek and Aaron will do all that they can to get her back. They’ll find her and you’ll have your best friend for the rest of your life” he murmured to her, forcing a semi genuine smile onto his face.
Alyssa smiled shakily back at him and slowly lay down again, settling her head onto her pillow and gradually letting her eyes close. Mark bent and kissed her forehead before standing and walking slowly back down the hallway to his own room. Worry about his daughter and Rosalie Morgan never left his mind, though.
Morgan, Hotch, Emily, Gideon and Spencer sat in the Quantico Police Department with solemn faces, staring blankly at the wall across from them.
“Can we find him yet?” Morgan asked wearily, rubbing his eyes with the pads of his thumbs.
Emily looked over at him and sighed quietly, leaning forward to rest her head in her hands. Hotch glanced briefly at her and then shuffled the papers he held in his hands.
“Well, we have the profile, Morgan. He’s a male, between the ages of thirty five and forty five, with easy means of getting round. He must appear normal to observers, so he can take these children without raising anyone’s suspicions. He’s probably quite good looking, so the girls are more willing to trust him. He probably resembles a father like figure to them and just looks like he might even work with their own fathers. He lives nearby, as he has only kidnapped girls from schools in the Quantico area. He probably treats them nicely, at the very least hospitably, making them feel all right until he loses interest in them and kills them. They most likely stop showing him any real fear and so he gets bored with them. It’s time to get Garcia on the line, people” he said firmly, clapping Morgan on the shoulder.
Morgan raised his eyes slowly and then flipped open his cell phone. He quickly dialled Garcia’s number.
“Any news of your baby girl, sugar?” she asked, as soon as she picked up.
Morgan turned the speaker on so they could all hear. He sighed heavily.
“No, Penelope. Thanks for asking though. We need you to cross check males in the Quantico area, between the ages of thirty five and forty five, who maybe lost their families, or just their daughters in the past ten years. The unsub has a fairly stable job that pays well enough; it lets him take time off to find the girls, watch them for a few days, about a week, and then kidnap them from their elementary schools. Can you do that, Garcia?” he asked, his voice sad and heavy.
“Yes, sure thing, Derek” Garcia replied quietly, and they could hear the noise of tapping computer keys.
They all waited in a tense quietness, envisioning her answers to their most pressing questions.
Finally she answered.
“There are three in the immediate area, guys. Thomas Johnson lost his whole family in a house fire five years ago, and that included his ten year old daughter Megan and her twin brother Joseph. Demetri Tomlin killed his own daughter ten years back. Her name was Tatiana and they were fishing on a holiday in Tennessee, and Demetri strangled her with the fishing wire. And then there’s Cameron Davis; he’s really sad. His wife divorced him two years ago and took with her their nine year old daughter Hannah. He hasn’t been seen at work for months” she informed them quickly, narrowing down the facts fast and efficiently.
Spencer stood up and glanced toward the white crime board they had set up. The title ‘Motive’ hovered over the words ‘loss of own child or children’. He then looked back at Hotch, who then also stood and nodded at him.
“I think so too, Reid” he mumbled, tapping the table with his fingertips.
“We have to find this Demetri Tomlin” Morgan said, his voice low and hard now.
Gideon eyed him with interest, silent since the beginning of the exchange.
“I agree, Morgan. But we still have to go slow with this” he said somberly.
Morgan shot him a look that very clearly told every one of them I will not go slow with this case. My daughter is missing and I want her back NOW.
He stood up and faced Spencer.
“You with me, Reid?” he asked.
Spencer blinked, looking slightly like the fabled deer in headlights.
“Sure, Morgan” he said, sounding vaguely shocked.
“Thank you, Penelope” Morgan called, before snapping his phone shut. “Let’s roll.”
Rosalie sat on the edge of the lower bunk bed, swinging her legs back and forth. The man had stolen her shoes from her and her feet were freezing, though the rest of her body was still comparatively warm. She sighed and then yawned, holding the horrible doll to her out of enforced habit rather than any need of her own. She had been in this place for nearly three days now, she thought. Considering she didn’t remember the actual event of the child napping. She rolled her eyes up to gaze at the filthy ceiling. She thought that he must keep the remainder of the house clean because he didn’t smell bad when he came to bring her meals, three times a day, in perfect timed order. Breakfast at eight o’clock, lunch at twelve o’clock and dinner at six o’clock. Rosalie hated to think that once she was found and her dad took her back home, she might have to readjust to eating at random times of the day when her dad was home with her, or just eating on her own with guards stationed outside the house, back and front, at whichever time she felt hungry.
She shrugged and changed her focus to the floor below her. She continued to swing her feet, sucking her thumb as it was nearing six o’clock now, and he was sure to arrive very soon and see her. She didn’t like him; she wanted to see her dad again. He had always taught her to be strong, but she couldn’t take it for very much longer.