"Spence, look," Parker said.

One of the vases caught their eye. It was an ordinary vase, nothing special. But Parker noticed that they had never owned a vase before.

Sometimes, when the couple brought each other flowers, they had to be placed in a common drinking-glass.

Parker turned to where they expected Spencer, but he wasn't there. The young genius was standing a few steps away, talking to someone on the phone.

He hung up and turned to Parker. The young profiler could tell by looking at Spencer that this wasn't going to be a pleasant case.

And as it would later turn out, Parker's gut feeling was right, as always.

~~~~~

"Nicholas Faye, of Ozona, Texas, was beaten to death approximately 13 hours ago," JJ began.

As usual, the team sat in the meeting room. Only Hotch and Elle were missing from this meeting.

Parker didn't know where Hotch was, but they did know that Elle was still on leave since she fired those questionable shots the other day.

"Blunt force trauma to the head. He's the second young boy in Ozona to die the same death in the last two months. Local hunter found his body in the woods. The first victim's name, Robbie Davis."

"Were these boys connected somehow?"

"Ozona's population is roughly 2,500. Everyone has some kind of connection."

"Well, if they weren't linked before, they most certainly are now."

"Both murdered by the same offender."

"Who's hunting children?"

~~

Plato wrote,

"We can easily forgive a child who's afraid of the dark. The real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light."

"You guys hear Elle was cleared?" Spencer started the conversation after the jet took off.

"It was self-defense."

"So it was a good shoot."

"Well, she hit what she was aiming for," JJ commented.

"That's not what I meant."

"I know."

"If they cleared her, how come she's not here with us? Or Hotch?" asked Derek.

"Focus on the case," Gideon changed the subject.

Parker opened their file and scanned the papers again.

"Ozona police and autopsy report for Nicholas Faye and Robbie Davis," JJ explained, handing the papers to each of her colleagues.

"Well, the bludgeoning could suggest frustration or rage."

"And with no apparent sexual motivation," Parker noticed. "That's rare when the victims are this young."

"This UnSub seems to be taking pleasure from the kill itself."

"So, if it's not sexual, what's the significance of targeting young males?" Derek wanted to know.

"Most serial killers prey upon specific types to carry out their fantasies of revenge-" Spencer began.

He was briefly interrupted by the ringing of JJ's cell phone.

"– Bundy killed women that looked like an ex-girlfriend who jilted him. Dahmer claimed that schoolyard harassment fed into his fury."

"Okay, so then maybe these kids represent someone who victimized the offender."

"Like a young man from his past."

"Maybe a bully, an older brother. Someone who abused him."

"No, that's unlikely," JJ said, joining the conversation again. "They just found another body. Eleven-year-old girl."

"Why would the victimology just suddenly change?"

"Maybe the girl wasn't the target. Maybe she just got in the way."

"Or the sex of his victim isn't significant," advised Gideon. "The pace he's killing certainly indicates a velocity of change."

"I mean, you can't survive every kid in Ozona. How are we supposed to keep them all safe?"

"Enforce a curfew?" Spencer suggested.

"Children shouldn't have to worry about something like that."

"Tell me about it. The woods were the only thing I was afraid of when I was a kid."

"I can understand that. Woods are scary as hell," commented Parker.

"Seriously? I thought you grew up in a small town?" Derek addressed JJ.

"Yeah, surrounded by woods."

"Yeah, bummer for you."

"Yeah."

"The only thing I was afraid of was the dark," reported Derek.

"Some of us are still," Spencer murmured.

"When we land, Morgan and Reid, go to the new crime scene. The little girl. Parker and I will look at the scene where Nicholas Faye was found," Gideon instructed.

~~

Parker passed the tape with Gideon and the sheriff, looking around. They had no idea where they were, everything looked the same.

"This is where he dumped the body," said the sheriff.

"This isn't a dump site," Parker corrected the man. "Look at the ground. The murder happened right here."

"The autopsy report indicates no signs of a struggle."

"Poor little guy never had a chance. So far into these woods, no one could hear him scream."

"Exactly how his killer wanted it."

"In the last two months, we've lost more children in this town than we have in my entire lifetime. And the others are car accidents. Residents are terrified. I got an eight-year-old myself."

"The victims know their killer. Followed him to this spot," said Gideon.

"What makes you think that?" the sheriff wanted to know.

"Well, the kids went this deep into the woods because they trusted him. He probably stashed his weapon here beforehand, which means we're looking for someone intelligent, methodical–"

"Methodical? He bashed the kid's head in. Looks like a moment of rage to me," the sheriff interrupted the profiler.

"I agree. It's what's confusing. It doesn't make sense."

~~

"– It could be someone you know or it could be a stranger you pass at the grocery store, but it's vital that we keep our eyes open and our children close. Now, as Ozona's guidance counselor, I can only help your children with that "But our police department is working with the FBI gathering information on the case," Mr. Charles explained to the parents.

"To elaborate on that, Agent Jason Gideon."

He stepped aside and Gideon took a step forward.

"We want you to know we're doing everything we can to find the person responsible. Until we do, there are a number of precautions that you'll need to take. So let me go over some of them with you. First and foremost–"

The profiler explained the buddy system to the adults, which Derek and JJ explained to the children at the same time. In short, the point was that the children should only run around in pairs or more.

"Any more questions?"

"Did you ever find his hat?" asked a woman.

"Excuse me?"

"That's Nicholas Faye's mother," Mr. Charles whispered to the profilers.

"The red one that I put on him," explained Mrs. Faye. "He had it on when he left."

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Faye. We haven't," Gideon replied.

"Mandatory curfew at 5:00 p.m. Just make sure you know where your children are."

~~~~

The team was able to present the profile later in the day. Parker stood in the police station with Local PD officers Gideon, Derek, JJ and Spencer.

"Can I have your attention, please?", Gideon addressed everyone present. "Good afternoon. We want to make something clear. Due to the velocity of change, we predict this offender could try to strike again anytime. His confidence builds with every attack."

"Look for someone physically fit, shy, kind disposition, someone you may trust with your own child. Because the killer targets kids, he may be small himself. And although we keep referring to this UnSub as "he", do not rule out a woman," Derek added.

While Parkers colleague was speaking, a pregnant woman with a small boy entered the police station.

"Excuse me," she said.

"Chief. You're going to want to hear this," said one of the officers.

"My son, Matthew, never came home today," she reported worriedly.

"When was he last seen?" asked Gideon.

"His teacher saw him in the parking lot after school."

"Search team?"

"Come on, guys. Let's go."

Everyone started moving. The officers prepared the search team while Derek, Spencer and Parker used the map to get an overview of the area.

Meanwhile, JJ handed the woman a chair.

"So, how old is Matthew?" she asked.

"He turned eight in August."

"They're very resourceful at that age."

"What are you thinking about over here?" Gideon addressed the boy and stood next to them.

"Nothing."

"Well, you look awfully upset to be thinking about nothing."

The boy shrugged.

"You look like you have a secret. Secret's important?" Gideon asked and the boy nodded.

"Is it about your brother?"

"Honey, is that true? Are you hiding something?" the mother wanted to know.

"You want to protect him, right? That's what a brother's for."

"Matty said he was just going to ring the doorbell. At the haunted house. On the hill," the boy finally murmured.

"At Finnegan's place," said Mr. Charles.

"Who's Finnegan?"

"This old guy who lives in that house."

"Forever. Kind of a local legend. Ghost story."

"About?" Spencer asked.

"Supposedly, he watches the kids from his window," the sheriff began. However, he waited until JJ had moved the mother and son to a quieter room before continuing.

"Hunts them, skins them, eats them. Standard."

"Folks have been telling that story since I was a kid," Mr. Charles added.

"Why haven't we heard about this? Fables are often sparked by an ounce of truth. We should exhaust every possibility."

~~

It was already dark when they reached Finnegan's house.

"Sure looks like a haunted house," Spencer commented and Parker nodded.

All the lights were off, but Parker could still see the open window on the first floor of the house.

And even though Parker found haunted houses really fascinating...Parker really didn't want to go near this house.

Which was probably because it was in the middle of the forest.

"Morgan, you and Jones take the front. Reid, Parker and I will cover the outbuildings," said Gideon.

Everyone grabbed their weapon and the investigators split up.

At the first hut they passed, the door was ajar.

Spencer pushed the door open a little further and Gideon took a step into the cabin.

"Clear."

The three profilers searched the other hut– this one was older and seemed to be falling apart.

Spencer was frightened by a stuffed animal head that was stored there.

Then Gideon, Spencer and Parker continued to work their way around the house.

They were standing by the cars, which were parked in front of some kind of garage, when something moved at the house.

"The stairwell," said Gideon.

Parker took cover with the others by the cars and shined their light on the spot.

"FBI, don't move."

"Okay," a light, quiet voice replied.

Gideon stepped closer to the building.

"You Matthew?"

"Yes."

Parker breathed a sigh of relief and, like Spencer, lowered their gun.

"You hurt?"

"No."

"Okay, come on."

Matthew came out of hiding.

"I didn't want the old man to find me," murmured the boy.

"It's all right. No one's going to harm you," Gideon tried to reassure Matthew. "Come on. Let's go."

While Gideon took the boy away, Spencer and Parker looked around again.

No one was there except Matthew.

~~

Spencer stayed back in the house and waited for the others to make sure Matthew got home safely.

"Did you get anything?" Spencer asked

"Only that Finnegan's house on the hill is like the Bates Motel of Ozona, Texas," Garcia replied.

"Yeah, we heard the legend."

"Reid, seriously, people that go into that house supposedly never come out. Spooky."

"Garcia, could you at least pretend not to enjoy that rumor so much since I have actually entered the house?"

"Sensitive. Sorry."

What Garcia didn't know– Spencer already spent 24 years in a haunted house before.

Well, he wasn't alone, but he still counted.

"Besides, the local police say there are no reports of that actually happening," said Spencer, trying to calm down a bit.

"Yeah, this is true. All complaints filed were false alarms," Garcia agreed with the young genius. "But then there is the matter of his missing wife."

"Wife! What wife? When did she go missing?"

"Almost 50 years ago."

"And no record of her ever being found?" Spencer asked nervously.

"I've got two words for you, my friend. Rear Window. That guy probably chopped that lady up into delicious bite-size little pieces–"

Spencer heard the loud creaking of a door.

"– Think about it. She may have never left the premises. – She may still be in the house."

"Garcia, I'm sitting here in the dark alone. Thanks."

"While you're waiting for a potential murderer to come home?"

Another loud noise caught Spencer's attention and he turned slightly.

"– That's kind of dangerous. That's kind of sexy."

"I got to go."

"You're having creepy fun. I wish I was there."

Spencer hung up and stood up, only to bump into Derek. The young man also almost dropped his cell phone in shock.

"You really are afraid of the dark," commented Derek.

"I'm working on that."

"You should work a little harder."

At the same moment, Sheriff Gideon and Parker entered the house again.

"My deputy got the boy home safe. Turns out the poor kid got spooked by a tree branch," the sheriff reported.

"This whole town's on edge."

"Maybe that's why Finnegan's in the wind," Gideon advised.

Parker looked around the house for the first time. But they didn't get the haunted house vibes. More like, there's a bitter old man living here vibes.

"Hey, that's interesting," Derek said, pointing out the weapons hanging on the wall in the living room.

"The UnSub didn't use a gun."

"But he knows every trail in Ozona. If Finnegan's an avid hunter, why didn't he use it?" Gideon asked the question.

They continued to look around. It didn't take long for Gideon to find a blue backpack under the coffee table.

"Robbie Davis," Gideon read the name written on the backpack.

"The first victim."

The profiler put the first backpack aside and picked up the second, pink backpack.

"'Sarah P.' Sarah Peterson, right?"

"I guess Finnegan brought the kids back here first before baiting them into the woods. But why wouldn't he get rid of the evidence?"

"He considers them trophies."

"When this is all said and done, I'd like to hang his head on my wall."

~~

But that wasn't necessary. The search party found old Finnegan.

And a short time later, Parker found themselves somewhere in the middle of the forest again.

Finnegan was lifted into the ambulance.

"At first blush, it looks like Joseph Finnegan died of natural causes," the coroner reported.

"His heart probably gave out while he was setting this," said Spencer and held up a small animal trap.

"Yeah, karma's a bitch. Those coyotes were gnawing on him for a week."

"Before the second and third murders ever happened."

"This area is off the travelled path," Spencer noticed.

"Yeah, it's a wonder anyone discovered him at all," Parker murmured, rubbing their arms.

"Is it? Those leaves didn't cover him up by themselves," the coroner pointed out and went back to the car.

"He's right. That deputy may not have been the first to find him."

"But our only suspect's been cleared."

"Square one?"

"No," said Gideon. "If Finnegan's been dead all this time, who's living in his house?"

"Let's go."

~~

"Here's a question–" Spencer broke the silence.

The profilers were back at Finnegan's house so they could examine it in daylight.

Derek and Parker searched the shelves while Spencer grabbed one of Finnegan's journals.

"– If a tree falls in the forest, does it make a sound if there's nobody there to hear it?"

"What the hell are you reading over there?" Derek asked confused.

"I was just thinking," Spencer replied.

"The UnSub found Finnegan's corpse in a lightly travelled part of the woods and no one else knew. So he was able to use this house, and no one was the wiser," said Derek and sat down on the armchair.

"Actually, I was referring to Finnegan's wife."

"Spence, what are you saying?" Parker wanted to know and sat down next to Spencer.

"She was rumoured missing, perhaps killed almost 50 years ago, when in actuality, she left Finnegan for another man. He writes about it in these journals. How he would look out the window on a daily basis to see if she would come home. She never did. He never recovered. He ended up turning into a recluse that people in town misunderstood."

"That's really sad," Parker muttered.

They could understand Finnegan.

If Spencer just left like that... l et's just say, it would be almost impossible for Parker to move on.

"Found something," Gideon drew attention to himself. "Come here."

Derek, Spencer and Parker followed the older profiler into the kitchen.

There were several food wrappers on the table.

"Provisions delivered by the church to every elder's doorstep," explained Gideon. "Each one dated after Finnegan died."

"So the UnSub ate everything?"

"Almost everything. Unopened bowls of creamed spinach thrown into the trash. Each one wrapped with duct tape."

"One with each tray."

"So we're looking for a guy who really, really hates spinach?" Derek wanted to know.

"Who doesn't?" asked Spencer.

"Ritualized. Meticulous. Organized."

"He would eat with the same particulars."

Gideon's cell phone started ringing at that moment.

"Pull prints. Have Garcia run them for a match," the older profiler said before he left the room to make a phone call.

"I'm calling Penny," Parker explained.

Due to the reception, they also went outside and updated the technical analyst.

~~

Some time later, JJ, Derek, Spencer and Parker sat together, eating something and waiting for news from Garcia.

"Why the woods, JJ?" Derek asked.

"Hmm?"

"Your fear. You said it was of the woods."

"Uh, I used to be a camp counselor when I was a teenager in the woods up in Vermont," the young woman began to say. "I had the night shift. Tuck the girls in and turn off the lights. You know, the typical drill. Everything seemed fine, all the kids were asleep. You know, nothing seemed out of the ordinary until I noticed that there was some blood on the hallway floor. So, I followed the blood trail out to the camp director's cabin. Walked up to his bed and he was just lying there underneath his covers, dead. Someone stabbed him. I ran out of there so fast. Out the door, down the hall. I just... I remember it being really dark. Once I got to the door, there was another counselor there. I guess she heard me scream. They caught the caretaker on his way out of town. I guess he still had the knife on him. Anyway, I guess that's probably when I decided I didn't like the woods."

Derek and Spencer looked at JJ, unsure if they believed her story.

Parker, on the other hand– Well, Parker stared straight ahead – caught up in unpleasant memories.

"You're serious?" Derek's muffled voice came through to them.

"No," JJ scoffed. "No. I can't... You fell for that? Come on. I don't know why I'm afraid of the woods. I just... I am. Why is he still afraid of the dark?"

"Yeah, Reid, why are you still afraid of the dark?"

"Because of the inherent absence of light."

"Oh!"

"JJ, that was pretty good. Just know that paybacks are a bitch," Derek warned her jokingly.

"I'm shaking," said JJ.

Then her eyes fell on Parker and the grin disappeared from her face.

"Parker?"

"Love," Spencer also addressed his partner with concern.

Parker blinked, shook their head slightly and looked back at the others.

"Yeah?"

"Are you okay?"

"Of course. Why not?" Parker assured. "Anyway, I'm going to go get some fresh air."

The young agent stood up. Spencer put his coffee mug on the table and followed them outside.

JJ and Derek exchanged confused looks before Derek's cell phone rang.

Garcia told the profiler that there were two different fingerprints on the plastic trays.

From a child– none of the victims and Mr. Charles, the local guidance counselor.

Derek wanted to tell Parker and Spencer and found them outside the police station.

"Of course this case in particular triggers you. The children were about the same age as you when–", said Spencer.

"Hey guys. I don't want to interrupt you, but we might have our UnSub."

~~

Fifteen minutes later, the profilers and the sheriff were at Mr. Charles' house, 3725 Briarwood Road.

"Are you sure about this? Charles?" the sheriff asked.

"Born and raised in Ozona, knows the territory, works with children," said Spencer.

"Highly organized, slight in stature, injected himself into the investigation," Derek added.

"Anything happened in the last six months that would have changed his life?" asked Gideon.

"His wife walked out on him and his kid."

"There's your stressor."

"Guys, he's on the move."

Mr. Charles left the house with a sports bag and leisurely strolled to the car.

"Mr Charles!"

The man froze momentarily in his movement.

Parker hoped the man would simply put the bag down and raise his hands.

But no– He ran off.

"Don't do it!"

The investigators quickly caught up with him and while Parker was handcuffing Mr. Charles, Derek searched the sports bag.

There was only a red cap in the bag.

"What's this? What's this? What's so important about the hat?" Derek wanted to know.

"Nicholas Faye was wearing it when he was murdered," said Gideon.

~~

Back at the police station, Derek took over the interrogation, Gideon and the sheriff monitored the interrogation, and the others could do nothing but wait.

Spencer was fiddling with his handcuffs, explaining to Parker what he was doing to distract them.

"You know, it's bad enough his mother left, now his father's in custody, and we've got to take the poor kid into Child Services," JJ muttered as she entered the school number.

"It's the law," Spencer replied.

"Yeah, and so is jaywalking, but I don't have to like it. –Yeah, good afternoon, this is Agent Jareau with the FBI. We're going to be picking up Jeffrey Charles in about 20 minutes if... Okay, I see. Thank you."

"What is it?"

JJ didn't answer the question. She rushed out of the room.

Parker and Spencer followed her until she stopped near Gideon.

"Jeffrey never arrived at school today. His father said he was sick."

Gideon grabbed his phone and told Morgan.

He then sent JJ, Parker and Spencer back to Mr. Charles' house.

"– and Parker?"

The young profiler stopped and turned back to Gideon.

"You okay?"

Parker turned his head and saw Spencer and JJ getting their jackets. They thought for a moment and decided to tell Gideon the truth.

"I will be."

"Good."

~~

At first glance there was nothing suspicious in the house.

It was tidy, even Jeffrey's (James son) room was unusually tidy for a boy his age.

At second glance, a few things caught your eye when you took a closer look around the kitchen.

For example, the EpiPen that was on the kitchen table.

Parker picked it up and quickly realized it hadn't been used yet.

"Weird," they muttered. "Does James have allergies?"

"None that we know of," JJ replied.

So the EpiPen belonged to Jeffrey, Parker thought, putting the EpiPen back on the kitchen table.

"Whoa. I think I just found something," Spencer reported.

The young genius stood in front of the refrigerator. It was filled with dairy products– sealed with duct tape.

Spencer called Gideon and reported what he had found, then closed the fridge again.

Then Paker remembered the spinach at Finnegan's house.

"Guys... It's not James..."

"... It's Jeffrey."

~~

They had already feared it because they hadn't found Jeffrey at home...

But there was another kid reported missing, an eight-year-old girl, Tracy Belle.

She was last seen getting off her school bus on Fuller Road– which was next to a playground/park surrounded by woods.

So the profilers, the sheriff and some field units found themselves on Fuller Road.

"You know, after his mom left, Jeffrey probably resented the fact that his dad spends more time at work with other kids than with his own," said Derek.

"Took out that rage on any kid he viewed as having what he didn't."

"So, Tracy's mom said the bus would have dropped her off here after school. She was supposed to walk home with a neighbour," JJ reported.

"That's most likely when Jeffrey approached, but where would he have taken her?"

The investigators looked around.

"There's such heavy patrolling in this town. How'd he manage to take a little girl without being seen?"

"Because we taught him," Derek reminded his colleague. "Nobody's going to think anything of two kids walking together. The buddy system, remember? In the process of educating the public, we educated a killer."

"When it's off-season from baseball, where would a 12-year-old kid hang out?" Parker asked.

"The park."

"Surrounded by woods."

"Let's go."

In the park they found a baseball glove and a blue and purple backpack.

"It's Tracy Belle's," Spencer said and picked up the backpack.

"Jeffrey's got her in these woods. Split up!"

Parker ran through the forest, hoping that they would find the girl in time.

Then the young agent heard screaming. They turned right and ran as fast as they could.

Parker was there first. Jeffery tried to hit Tracy with the baseball bat and the girl crawled away from him in panic.

"Don't!"

"Hey!"

Gideon had appeared next to Parker.

He pulled Jeffrey away from Tracy and took the baseball bat from the boy.

Meanwhile, Parker checked on the frightened girl.

"Are you okay?" Parker wanted to know and helped Tracy get up.

"Yeah."

Parker quickly got Tracy out of there and by the time Jeffrey was put in the police car, she was already in her mother's arms.

Their were so deep in thought again that Parker didn't notice JJ move up next to them.

"Parker? Wanna get out of here?"

"Hell yeah, I'm done with the woods for some time."

~~

"Thomas, what–"

"Parker run!"

Without hesitation, the six-year-old child turned around and ran. They trusted Thomas and Parker had to promise to listen to him in order for them to even go.

As they ran, Parker turned around and the child only dimly saw a large, black figure appear between the trees and knock one of the teenagers to the ground.

Parker was scared.

The trees all looked the same and the forest was huge. Parker was aware, even at this age, that they were lost–

Parker jolted awake as their head hit the ground.

"Fuck–" the young adult hissed.

They got up and– of course– Spencer was still sleeping peacefully.

Shaking their head, Parker crawled back into the bed.