Essential listening: frgt/10, by Linkin Park

The SUV sped along the main road through Cherry Hill, New Jersey.

SSA Derek Morgan eyed the enormous Amber Alert sign as they passed it, travelling bang on the speed limit. They didn't want to alarm the family any more than was necessary, and slamming on the lights and sirens – or 'blues and twos' as his British colleague insisted on calling them, despite the fact they had more than two audible tones and also flashed red – would do just that.

This kind of case was every agent's nightmare: a child abduction. Not just that – the third in a series. They knew from the bodies of the first two victims what this kid was in for if they didn't find him in time. And they didn't have a whole lot of that.

Chafing at the traffic laws, he turned to SSA David Rossi, who was looking grim and focussed in the passenger seat. "What time was he taken?"

It was SSA Emily Prentiss – rereading the files in the backseat – who answered. "Between midnight and 6 a.m."

"Same M.O. as the other two?" Derek asked.

"All abducted from their beds in the middle of the night," Rossi told him, with the ghost of a sigh.

Although they had all been with the BAU long enough to know the odds for this kid were slim, as senior agent Rossi had been working these kinds of cases for decades (the break he had taken to build up his rock star, true crime writing career notwithstanding).

"First two were found strangled, with blunt force head trauma," he read aloud, and then closed the file, resigned. "Dumped them in Wharton State Forest."

"He kept them for forty-eight hours," mused the aforementioned British agent, SSA Grace Pearce, from beside Prentiss. "We treat this as if Kyle's alive until we know otherwise."

All four agents turned their attention to the radio, which Derek had stuck on a news station, in case there was a traffic alert en route:

"The Amber Alert for the Tri-State Area has been issued. The Cherry Hill Police Department is about to hold a press conference."

They were still ten minutes away.

0o0

By the time they pulled up, there were people everywhere: news crews, members of the public, the family themselves, all milling around.

"Glad they took our advice and started the press conference," Prentiss remarked.

Rossi raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, but it would be nice if there weren't so many people walking all over the crime scene."

"And they complain about coppers and their size nines," Pearce grumbled.

Derek nodded. Forensically speaking, this was a horror show.

On the lawn in front of what had been a quiet family home, Detective Bill Lancaster (who had identified himself during the press conference they had listened to in the car and had taken over when Kyle's mother, Sarah, had broken down) was reading the statement JJ had helped the department and the family prepare from the jet. The Murphys were openly weeping, Dan Murphy cradling his inconsolable wife in his arms. Their oldest son, Danny, stood beside them, looking uncomfortable and uncertain.

"Whatever happened last night, whoever took Kyle, the Murphys want you to know it's okay," Lancaster read aloud to the clustered journalists. "Thank you for finding their little boy. They know it was a mistake. They just want their son back. They just want Kyle back, safe and sound."

"What's the theory on what happened to Kyle Murphy?" one of the journalists asked, with no concern about what that question might do to the family.

"We're just hoping that he's lost," said Lancaster firmly. "And whoever finds him will bring him back home, soon."

Another young woman spoke up. "Uh, this case is similar to two other cases in Camden County. Those boys were abducted and found in the woods."

Lancaster glanced behind him at the Murphys, who looked wretched.

The journalist failed to take the hint. "You really don't think there's a connection?"

"Bloody vultures," Pearce muttered under her breath. She rolled her eyes.

Derek crossed his arms, aware he was in her eyeline and would take the movement as a mild check on her behaviour.

She had been a little more snarky of late, quicker to grumble. It wasn't surprising, really, given what she had been through*. The cast on her wrist wasn't the only thing she still carried from her time in Peachtree City.

Pearce glanced in his direction and he caught enough of her expression to know she knew what he was trying to tell her and that she thought he was being an idiot. When she wanted to be, she could be the very picture of professionalism. She wouldn't cause trouble here. There was a seven year old out there somewhere who needed her not to.

"We're not ruling that out," Lancaster assured the press. "We'll keep the public informed of any leads. If you have any further questions you can contact me at the station. Thank you for coming."

The four agents waited patiently for Lancaster to shepherd the distressed Murphys back inside before navigating through the dispersing press line towards them.

"That was fast," he remarked, when he reached them.

"We don't have a lot of time," said Derek. "Can you show us around?"

Lancaster nodded, and the two women peeled off to interview the family while he and Rossi checked out the crime scene.

"You should've taken this off-property," Rossi commented mildly.

"Yeah, well the truth is, I wanted to do this down at the station, but Danny and Sarah didn't wanna leave the house in case Kyle comes back," he said, leading them up the garden path to the front door. He pulled a photograph out of his inside jacket pocket. "That's Kyle."

Derek took it and immediately turned it over, spotting some writing on the back.

'To Uncle Bill, Love Kyle' was scrawled on the back in blue biro.

"Uncle Bill?" he queried.

"We're friends," he admitted. "And neighbours. Dan and I grew up around here."

"You know, your involvement in this case could be a conflict of interest," Derek told him, though he knew from experience that no one in his team would be able to drop something like this, if they were this close to it.

He glanced at Pearce's back as she and Emily headed towards the front door.

We never do.

"I appreciate your concern," said Lancaster, coming to a halt. "But I'm – uh – not going to stand around while Kyle's still out there. I know the other two cases. I didn't wanna admit this to the press, but um… there's no doubt in my mind that Kyle's the third victim."

Rossi gave him a hard look. "You know what we're looking at. Ninety-nine percent of abducted children are killed in the first twenty-four hours."

Lancaster nodded, looking like he understood this sad fact all too well.

"I know," he said. "I'm gonna check on them," he added, pointing in the general direction of the family, who were staring out of the window at the crowds of people in their front yard, looking harrowed.

"We saw the pictures," Rossi reminded Derek quietly. "We know what this guy does to little boys."

Derek looked at the ground for the moment. They couldn't give up on this kid. "Rossi, Kyle Murphy might be the one percent that makes it."

"Could take a miracle."

"For his sake, let's hope we get one."

The other man nodded and together they walked around the back of the property.

0o0

To lose a child is to lose a piece of yourself.

Dr Burton Grevin

0o0

When Emily and Pearce got inside, the family were being comforted by neighbours or relatives. It was hard to tell which, but there was hugging and everyone was tearful and distressed, so they hung back for a minute or two until, mindful of the rapidly diminishing forty-eight hour clock they were working within, Emily caught Dan Murphy's eye and he managed to persuade people to leave as he piloted Sarah and his older son towards the couch.

"Dan Murphy," he said, shaking their hands.

Behind him, young Danny sat stiffly on the three-seater while Sarah Murphy took a handful of something – possibly aspirin, possibly a sedative – from a bottle on the coffee table. Emily didn't blame her. This kind of horror did things to people.

"Agent Emily Prentiss," she said.

Pearce shook hands, too. "Agent Grace Pearce."

"May we ask you some questions?" Emily asked.

Dan gave his wife a look of assessment before agreeing. He looked helpless and exhausted. They all did.

"I think so," he said. "Come in."

They took seats across from the battered family.

"Thank you all for speaking with us," said Grace. "We understand that this is awful, but we need to ask you a few things."

"We cannot stress enough how much time is of the essence, here," Emily added, taking out her notebook.

Grace was neglecting hers, focussing on their body language instead of their words.

"Abductions from the home are rare," Emily continued. "And that allows us to narrow down the suspect pool."

"What makes them unusual?" Dan asked.

"Abductions are typically about timing and opportunity," Emily told them, skirting the line between being honest with these people and adding to their already not inconsiderable distress. "A child walks home alone, or gets separated at a shopping centre."

"Home abductions take planning and dedication," Grace added. "This is a sophisticated, high-risk crime, which points to a more mature, patient individual."

"Whoever did this has good social skills," said Emily. "They're highly functioning and they have a steady job. He wouldn't look out of place to you, and you wouldn't be alarmed if your children were talking to him. So, he may be wearing a uniform, like a delivery man or a mail carrier. Have you noticed anyone hanging around the neighbourhood, talking with children?"

"Nothing comes to mind," said Dan, apologetically.

Sarah was simply staring off into space, trying to escape the nightmare they had found themselves in, but she managed to speak. "No. No, I don't know."

"Mrs Murphy?" Grace asked, as the woman clutched her head as if her pain had turned physical as well as emotional.

"Do you wanna take a break?" Emily asked.

She opened her eyes, looking very ill indeed, and said, "I think I need – need to lie down."

"Yeah," said her husband, giving her hand a squeeze.

"Sorry," said Mrs Murphy.

"Oh, no," said Emily hurriedly. "It's okay."

She couldn't begin to imagine what this poor woman was going through right now.

"Can you manage, or –" Grace offered, half rising from her chair, but sank back into it as the stricken woman managed to convey, through a stuttering wave of her hand, that she would prefer to tackle this alone.

"Are you able to continue?" Emily asked Dan, as Grace watched Sarah walk unsteadily away, ready to go after her if it looked like she might fall.

Dan nodded unhappily, looking wretched. "Sure."

"Danny, you and Kyle – you always walk to and from the bus stop together, right?" Emily asked.

Dan put his hand on his son's knee, comforting him.

"Uh-huh." He made himself meet their gaze. "Yeah."

"Have any strangers talked to you or your brother recently?"

Danny looked at his knees, shaking his head. "Bus driver asks us questions, sometimes," he said. "I don't know."

Emily dutifully noted this down.

"You're doing great," said Grace, since the boy looked increasingly visibly upset.

"What time of day do the boys usually play outside?" Emily asked.

"Uh, well they both have practice – after school," said Dan, brokenly. "But lately Kyle's been – into video games, and Danny loves building model airplanes."

"That actually tells us a lot," said Emily, though he hadn't actually answered the question. She pulled out a second pad of paper and pen and passed them to Dan. "Uh, we are going to need you to make a list of anyone who's been in or around your home in the past six months. Whoever took Kyle has probably been in this house before. He watched the family routine. He knew exactly where everyone slept, and he got Kyle out without anyone seeing or hearing anything."

Both father and son looked distraught at this, and Danny gave a big sniff, trying not to cry.

"Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I go play now?"

"Yeah, go to the family room."

"I'll go with you," Grace suggested. "You can show me those models."

"Uh, sure," said Danny, trying surreptitiously to rub tears from his eyes.

They were most of the way across the room when he asked, "How'd you hurt your arm?"

"I got kidnapped by a bad guy," said Grace, without hesitation or the slightest tremor in her voice, though Emily knew it must have cost her.

"And you escaped?" Danny sounded impressed, despite how distressed he was.

"I got rescued. Same as we're going to try to do for your brother."

The door closed behind them.

"He… doesn't really understand what's going on," Dan said, rubbing a hand over his face.

"That is probably for the best," said Emily gently. "Mr Murphy, we are going to do everything we can to find Kyle."

He nodded, his hand pressed to his mouth and still weeping. "Thank you."

0o0

In the heart of Cherry Hill Police Department, Doctor Spencer Reid taped the smiling school picture of seven-year old Kyle Murphy to the one of the boards they had been allocated and then re-taped it because it wasn't entirely straight.

Their Unit Chief, SSA Aaron Hotchner had spread his files out over the desk behind Spencer and pulled out his laptop. SSA Jennifer Jareau had been liaising with the local officers who had worked the original case. She hurried over, clutching a large volume of paper.

"After the first two abductions, Cherry Hill Police compiled a list of all known sex offenders in Camden County," she said, dropping the two reams of print-outs. "There are over four hundred. Thirty-nine within a thirty mile radius of where the boys were taken."

Both Hotch and Spencer reached for a stack, which had each offender listed by name, address, offence and previous penitentiary.

"They have been knocking on doors," JJ continued. "They have been conducting interviews and they haven't been able to come up with anything."

"They should have called us earlier," said Hotch, without a trace of recrimination. It was simple pragmatism. "There are a lot of these men we can eliminate right away."

"Right," said Spencer, grabbing a white board marker from the box they had brought with them.

"No one new to the area," said Hotch, behind him. "This unsub knows this area, that takes time. Victims are three males, so cross off anyone who targets females."

Spencer nodded, writing the elimination criteria on the board and privately wondering why anyone would approach information like this and not do that first.

"We can eliminate anyone whose preferential age is under seven or over eleven," he said aloud, briefly using the end of the marker to scratch his nose.

"These boys look nothing alike," Hotch observed, reviewing their photographs. "So, discount anyone who has a very specific type. If their victims have only brown or blond hair, they're off the list. Our unsub's taste is more broad."

"It looks like his preference is based more on age than physical characteristics," Spencer commented.

Hotch nodded. "Let's make a discussion pile of more organised offenders, anyone who's been arrested for stalking, breaking and entering, burglary."

Spencer turned back and looked at JJ. "How are we doing so far?"

"Uh, with these parameters we can probably cross off half the names," she said, skimming through the list.

"Good," said Hotch, as Spencer reapplied himself to his task. "Let's keep going."

And then maybe Kyle Murphy has a chance.

0o0

"I cleared our techs out of here," said Lancaster, leading Dave into Kyle's bedroom. "What is it you're lookin' for?"

Dave surveyed the scattered, broken toys before glancing up at the detective.

Might as well teach him, if he won't take himself off the case, I guess.

"Certain behaviour. What happened here will give us a clue about the unsub." He crouched down to examine the disarrayed bedclothes. "Kyle's sheet and blanket were pulled apart and off the bed." He moved further in, his eyes on the mess on the ground. "Toys, stepped on and broken. Kicked out of the way. There was a struggle."

Dave frowned and opened the file he had carried with him from the car.

"That's consistent with the first two abductions," he observed. "The boys woke up and fought, but…" He closed the file, perturbed. "This looks a bit more chaotic than the others. When we're finished, have the techs come in again and look for any trace of blood or fibres. He may have gagged Kyle."

"In the other two cases, the boys were struck in the head," Detective Lancaster reminded him. "What if he used the weapon to scare him?"

"He could have," Dave acknowledged. "He would have had to act quickly in order to keep Kyle quiet."

0o0

JJ stirred the UHT milk into her crappy PD coffee, waiting for her friend to pick up.

"Tell me things, sunshine," Technical Analyst Penelope Garcia said, as soon as she answered.

"I need your brain and your computer," JJ told her.

"They are one and the same!"

Even though she was thousands of miles away in Quantico, JJ could tell her friend was smiling. It was a comforting thing to know that, no matter how dark things got, somewhere in the world, Garcia was making things a little bit brighter.

"Gimme your question!"

"I emailed you ten names."

"Yes, you did," said Garcia, who had just discovered this.

"Uh, track their movements and spending habits," JJ asked. "Start with their phone records and then go to their bank accounts. We're interested in the days the boys went missing. Uh… did they talk more or less those days, did they spend any money?"

"Okay, dregs of societal dirt, show yourselves..." There was a pause as Garcia worked her magic. "That's interesting."

"What is?"

"Well, one of dregs has not a lick of cell phone activity, credit card purchases or cash withdrawals for two consecutive days in both November and February."

Feeling her heart rate pick up, JJ put her coffee down and pulled the list towards her. "The fifteenth and sixteenth of November and the twenty-first and twenty-second of February?"

"Yeah, those are the days," said Garcia, sounding spooked. "What does that mean?"

"They coincide with the days the first two boys were abducted," JJ told her grimly. "He was too busy with them to make any calls or spend any money."

Ignoring the horrified silence, JJ went to find Hotch and Reid.

0o0

"Our tech guys found this dishrag and a glass of water," said Lancaster, as Dave followed him into the kitchen. "Kyle's fingerprints were all over it."

"So, he wakes up thirsty, comes to the kitchen and gets some water," Dave reasoned.

"When we got here, the deadbolt on the French doors was unlocked," said the detective, pointing it out.

It was in the family room, a section of the kitchen that had been made more comfortable. Dave could imagine them all relaxing there.

"That must have been his exit," said Dave.

"Rossi!" Morgan called, from the basement. "I got somethin'."

Dave trotted down the steps and around the shelving unit to find Morgan picking through broken glass from the small window at the back.

"This window was definitely broken from the outside," the younger agent observed. "Given the size of it, the unsub would have to be real slight to get through." He turned to them. "What did you find upstairs?"

"Signs of a struggle. Looks like Kyle was abducted from his room," said Dave. "The unsub went out through the family room door."

"So, he finds a safe, quiet place to break in," Lancaster said sadly.

"Everything about how Kyle Murphy was taken is consistent with the previous abductions," Dave remarked heavily.

Which means, if he's still alive, the poor kid is going through hell right now.

Morgan's cell phone rang and he answered it. "Yeah, Hotch?" Dave watched as his eyebrows shot skywards. "Okay, we're on our way. They got a shortlist."

0o0

*See Moments of Grace – Season Four, Act Five: Secrets and Lies.