Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Faith and the plot.

Author's Note: Sorry I haven't updated in a long time; I have had SEVERE Writer's Block, I promise the updates will be absolutely regular from chapter 9 to 14 (those are already written) then it's kinda up in the air. I wouldn't mind a few suggestions for the title either. Thanks! Read and Review!

Even Hotch had to admit that Faith's theory was the only logical explanation to the unsub's inconsistent choice of victims.

"He doesn't live in this town though, he's insinuated himself into the town's activity but it's highly unlikely that he lives here," Reid supplied thoughtfully.

"So the unsub is careful, and smart, smart enough to have not called attention to himself until these last two kidnaps. What made him become careless?" Rossi mused.

"He's bored." They all turned to look at Faith, she stared at the whiteboard impassively, she continued, "He's outwitted the law enforcement in all the other cases, he wants a challenge. He's not just toying with the parents and local police anymore; he's decided to test his skill against the FBI."

Hotch raised his right hand to his chin where his fingers naturally curved about his lower jaw and nodded, "He's become increasingly confident with each of his successes, he's arrogant and ruthless, so that makes the DVDs trophies he uses to taunt the victims' families."

"There's no question that he'll be at the victim's funeral; question is whether he'll be able to resist meeting the parents."

"He knows the place is crawling with cops, you sure he's gonna come?" Sheriff Duvall leaned inconspicuously towards Rossi.

"It's because we're here that he's guaranteed to show up." Sheriff Duvall still seemed a bit disbelieving, but Faith's reassuring nod from the other end had the Sheriff straightening, resolving to play his part. Rossi again had to wonder about small towns, the type of trust the people had in each other. He would bet his entire fortune that until yesterday, Duvall had never even set eyes on Faith Lawe, and yet, one word from her carried far more weight than an explanation from anyone else. Evidently the trust the sheriff had for his friend extended over to his friend's daughter.

Hotch mentally sifted through the crowd closest to him when Lawe caught his eye. He followed her line of sight and signaled the others: the unsub was making his way to the front of the procession. He watched the P.I. comb her fingers through her hair and look around inconspicuously as though looking for a familiar face even though he was likely the only one that noticed her target destination never ventured far from the unsub.

"I'm sorry for your loss, such a terrible thing to happen." The grieving parents and those close enough to hear that comment unanimously vocalized their agreement.

"Has there been any progress with the police?" As they predicted, the parents responded with the same answers Faith had subtly coaxed into them yesterday. And as expected, the unsub's mien turned to stone with displeasure.

Faith felt someone at her elbow and turned to see JJ with a worried expression. She followed JJ off to the side, "He took another child." It wasn't a question. JJ nodded, "Garcia just called and told me that a little girl was reported missing last night in the next town over."

"The parents didn't know she was missing until they got home from work." Again, another statement. Again, JJ nodded, "Her parents are divorced and the little girl lives with her mother. They live close enough to the school that Kelly can walk to school and back home when her mother has to work." Faith shot a sharp, assessing glance back at the mingling crowd. JJ could practically see the wheels turning in her head.

"He'll take another child – from this town, if we deny that last night's kidnap had no connections to this investigation."

"What are the chances she'll survive?" JJ didn't like the odds of this gamble.

"Not high," Derek joined them, "but Faith's right, it's the only way to get the unsub. I don't like it either, JJ, but it's all we got."

The profilers grouped together as JJ held the press conference.

"The little girl's survival odds are slim, but not impossible; chances are, once we ID the unsub we'll find his records and place of residence, that should give us clues if not the girl herself."

"Why didn't you explain that to JJ?"

"She's your teammate, you tell me."

"Point taken."

"And before you say it's against the rules, I'm not part of the BAU." The team members exchanged uneasy glances, wondering how much she'd gleaned from them. But Faith's attention was already elsewhere. She'd fallen silent again as she bent over the map on the table, face expressionless, eyes serious.

Hotch didn't have to profile her to know that though Faith Lawe had been the one to suggest putting a little girl's life on the line to catch the unsub, she was far from the cold, heartless bitch everyone believed her to be. If anything, she was more worried than anyone else. He watched her soundlessly slip away into the shadows of the woods and followed her.

He caught up to her a little ways off from the town.

"I'm not sure I made the right decision."

"It was the only choice we had, I would've done the same," Hotch said neutrally. They came to a stop under the shade of a large tree and she leaned against the trunk, pensive.

"You and I both know that she might die, or already be dead, because of the press conference, but she will die for sure if he slips away again. It's why you made that judgment call in the first place."

"Maybe, but I don't have to like the fact that I've put the lives of two innocent children on the line," Faith replied grimly. She took the moment to observe the man in front of her from beneath her lashes and came to the conclusion that he was indeed an enigma: he hadn't hidden his dislike for her from the get-go, yet he was being sympathetic right now, which kind of seemed to go against his nature too.

"Aren't you hot? It's gotta be at least 100 degrees and you've been in that monkey suit ever since you got here." Though it was a rather abrupt change of subject, it didn't surprise Hotch in the least; Faith Lawe wasn't someone who liked to show any weakness. He didn't even deign to respond to that question and turned back to town.

Night had fallen and an uneasy peace had settled over the tiny town. Inside every home now was a plain-dressed state trooper or FBI agent from the local branch. Hotch and the others had hidden themselves strategically to cover two exits per team. And just for show, there was a state trooper squad car right outside of town. Rossi volunteered to partner Duvall, and Emily, Faith, and JJ took another SUV, and Reid was with Morgan while Hotch hid nearby. Everyone was sitting on pins and needles having to wait while a child's life hung in the balance.

"Target confirmed, headed towards unit A."

Emily and JJ sat a little straighter in their seats while Faith waited for the unsub's truck to pass them before pulling out after him, headlights off.

"He's heading towards the river," Emily reported through her phone. Faith said nothing and kept her eyes on the truck.

They had only one chance, Faith was not going to waste it.

Hotch and the others, following Emily's instructions, found the other SUV and the unsub's truck fairly easily.

"We're about to hit a rural area," Reid informed them. Duvall sat, grim-faced, knowing that the case was now coming to an end, but perhaps not a happy end.

"We'll get him." They'd trailed him to a farmhouse just across the river when Duvall suddenly cursed, "That son of a bitch! The Jacksons bought this property a couple years ago, they rent the farmhouse out to tourists."

"That's how the unsub picked his first victim."

Hotch never took his eyes off the farmhouse, even when his phone lit up, "Garcia, what do you have?"

"Mark Peters, 32. His records are clean, not even a parking ticket. His last known address was…uh, this isn't right."

"Garcia?"

"He…the last known address was torn down and a shopping center was built on top of it. His father was a top plastic surgeon and his mother was the CEO of her family-owned, international shipping business."

"Busy people."

"Yeah, uh, his parents sent him to a prestigious boarding school when he was three and he only saw them once a year on his summer break. His parents were constantly traveling but it says here his mother committed suicide when he was 12, OD'ing on sleeping pills, says here the boy was in a coma when they found him. His father died a year later in a car accident."

"What car accident?"

"According to the reports, police suspect he fell asleep at the wheel and went off the side of the road into a lake, his body wasn't found until a fisherman saw the car in the lake 2 days later."

"Thanks, Garcia." Hotch tucked his phone back into his suit pocket.

"Those were his first victims. His parents."