Parker sat next to JJ in the back seat of the car, Derek drove and Gideon sat in the passenger seat.

"Sarah Jean and Jacob Dawes butchered what, 12 girls?" said JJ.

"Thirteen, counting the girl that was just found. Hilary Dickson. Disappeared 15 years ago. Buried her under Sarah's mother's living room."

"You think that was their last victim?" asked Parker.

"Well, that's what we're here to find out."

~~

The rest of the team was in the second car.

"There's nothing about the dynamics of Sarah Jean and Jacob's relationship," Spencer noticed as he read through the file.

He sat next to Garcia, Elle sat in front of him and drove, and Hotch sat in the passenger seat.

"The state isn't interested in dynamics or profiles. They just want this case to go away," said Elle.

"They were caught. They confessed. They got the death penalty."

"You guys do realize that visiting death row is not part of my job description?" the technical analyst spoke up.

"Garcia, this will be the first serial killer couple ever recorded for ViCAP."

"They slaughtered 13 young girls with blonde hair. Hello?" said Garcia, pointing to her blonde hair.

~~

Gideon looked at the picture of Sarah Jean and Jacob. There they seemed like a normal married couple– happy and carefree.

"Sarah Jean Dawes."

"Media called her 'The Ice Queen'," JJ explained.

"That's how they interpreted her demeanor during the trial."

"You see different?" asked Derek.

"No, I didn't say that."

"She killed her two-year-old son and 12 teenage girls," JJ summarized.

"She only confessed to the murder of her son, Riley," Gideon replied.

Parker looked out the window and grimaced slightly. They couldn't understand which mother could–

Of course, the young agent knew that in certain situations people were capable of doing things they would otherwise never do.

"Well, she hasn't cooperated with any requests to interview her," JJ interrupted her thought.

"Well, if she doesn't talk now, she's going to take that story with her to 'Old Sparky'."

~~

A crowd was gathered in front of the prison. On the one hand, people who were happy that Sarah Jean and Jacob only had a few days left, on the other hand, young women with blonde hair, some of which was dyed blonde, and in between, the press.

"Here it is."

"They call themselves the Women of Jacob. Try to look like his victims," explained Gideon, meaning the young women.

"Creepy," JJ and Parker muttered at the same time.

"There's only 12 of them," said Derek. "Should we tell them they're one short?"

"At least I think we'll find Hilary Dickson was by no means Jacob's last victim."

~~~~

"Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed." Genesis 9:6.

MONDAY, 8AM

35 Hours Remaining

"In 1985, there was a string of missing girls reported in Northern Florida. Police subsequently got an anonymous call from a woman claiming to have seen Jacob with some of the girls," said Derek, summarizing the situation.

"Did they ever find out who the anonymous woman was?"

"No."

"Police interviewed Jacob Dawes. Also present were Sarah Jean Dawes and her 2-year-old son, Riley. Police were suspicious. They came back three hours later with a search warrant only to find that Riley had disappeared. They also eventually found the dismembered bodies of 12 missing girls buried in the ground underneath Jacob's workshop."

"Fearing that the police were onto them, Jacob figured Riley would slow them down, so he ordered Sarah Jean to kill him and dispose of the body."

"Sarah confessed to killing Riley, but never admitted her role in the deaths of the girls."

"Yeah, but she never denied it, either," Elle pointed out.

"Well, according to Jacob, Sarah Jean was fully complicit in the targeting, abduction and murder of all 12, and, well, now 13 victims."

"Maybe, but can we trust on that?" Parker asked.

"Prison records show that Jacob is a sexual psychopath. They were inconclusive on Sarah Jean, though. They said her demeanor was more like that of a war victim's."

"And as with all sexual psychopaths, Jacob is obsessed with the idea of the total possession of his victims. He's shown no remorse or guilt."

"Well, Jacob saw Sarah Jean as a possession. Someone to control. To dominate."

"Just so we're clear, they've agreed to these interviews?" asked a man Parker hadn't noticed before.

"Yes, sir."

"Wait. I'm sorry. Who are you, exactly?"

"I'm Sam Shapiro. I'm their appeals attorney."

"Not only have they agreed to them, they were initially requested by them," Hotch explained and handed the documents to the other man.

"Yeah, I can't get them a stay of execution."

"Garcia. Remember, 75% of all communication..."

"It's non-verbal," Garcia finished Gideon's sentence.

"Hotch, Parker, interview Jacob," Gideon instructed the two. "Morgan, Elle?"

"We're not going to get anything new, but..." said Hotch.

"Well, find a new way to ask," Gideon suggested and then addressed Derek and Elle.

"696 Hennessy Street, Jacob and Sarah Jean's home. It's due to demolition. Take a look around."

"OK."

~~~~

Gideon and Spencer picked Sarah Jean up from her cell to take her to the room where the interrogation would take place.

The side walls of the room were only made of bars, so you could see the corridors.

"A doctor and so young. Your mother must be very proud," Sarah said to Spencer as they entered the room.

"Sarah Jean. Sarah Jean," they suddenly heard a voice.

A small group of people walked down the hallway including Hotch, Parker, several guards, and Jacob, who had spoken. They had to stop for a moment until the door opened in front of them.

The blonde woman slowly turned towards Jacob and took a step closer to the bars.

"You look so fine, baby cakes," said Jacob. "This was meant to be. Our names will live forever."

They heard a quiet hum, and Parker opened the door.

"Let's go," they said.

When Spencer heard Parker's voice, he looked away from Sarah to his partner.

It was strange to see them on one side of a grid. Normally the pair were always on the same side of the grid. But it was reassuring for Spencer to know that he would see Parker again in a few minutes without bars between them.

"It's a beautiful thing", Jacob continued.

"Let's go!" Hotch repeated a little louder.

The group moved on.

"It's a beautiful thing."

When Jacob was gone, Sarah Jean turned to Gideon.

"You designed that to happen. Did you learn anything, Agent?"

~~

Parker entered the interrogation room first, it looked exactly like the one where Spencer, Gideon and Sarah Jean were.

The young agent sat down at the table next to Hotch and placed the case file in front of them.

Jacob sat down across from the agents and spread-out playing cards on the table.

"You want to see a trick?" he asked Hotch.

He hadn't really noticed Parker yet and kept looking at Hotch.

Parker actually didn't think it was that bad. If they were honest, Parker didn't know why Gideon wanted them to help Hotch.

"Pick a card."

"You're a diagnosed psychopath," Hotch said, not responding to Jacob.

"Sexual psychopath," Jacob corrected him, as if Hotch had insulted him. "Now pick a card."

"How many other girls did you kill?"

"Do you ever smile?" Jacob asked a counter question. "I mean, it's hard to trust a guy who never smiles."

"Are there more bodies?"

"If I told you that, what would I have left for myself?"

"You can help these families get closure before you die."

"Oh–"

Jacob pretended to think about it.

"–pass. Come on. Just one trick."

Jacob picked up the playing cards again.

"It's a good one. Pick a card. Come on. Just one card."

"Dude, just answer his question," said Parker.

This drew Jacob's attention. He initially looked at Parker irritated, then it changed to a wide smile.

"And who are you?" asked Jacob.

The older man leaned forward slightly and Parker instinctively backed away.

"I'm Agent Gallagher," the young agent introduced himself.

"Do you have a first name too?"

Parker didn't know how to answer that and looked at Hotch uncertainly. The older agent glanced at Parker, nodded, and turned his head back to Jacob.

"Parker. My first name is Parker."

"Parker," Jacob repeated.

The man pulled his chair to the side a little and was now sitting right in front of Parker.

"You know what Parker? You remind me of my Sarah Jean."

The young agent was surprised but didn't show it. They were aware that Jacob would try to upset them or Hotch.

"Really? Why?"

"I see the same sparkle in her eyes that I saw in her. The same madness hidden behind a mask."

"That's not true."

"Oh no, no, it's the truth and we both know that."

"You don't know me."

"How many other girls did you kill?" Hotch tried to draw Jacob's attention back to him.

But Jacob didn't care. He had found the agent he could easily trigger, and he was enjoying himself too much to stop.

"Oh, I do know people like you, Parker."

"Bullshit," Parker hissed.

Jacob had no idea what he was talking about.

Parker tried again to steer the conversation back to the original topic, but Jacob ignored it again.

"Are you in a relationship right now? I bet you are, a pretty, little thing like you. I guess it is this boy, who was with Sarah Jean. I mean, the way he looked at you. What's his name?"

Jacob looked at Parker amused, actually expecting an answer, but this time it was Parker who didn't respond.

"Well, he's not good enough for you anyway, he looks like a pipe cleaner no sorry a beanpole–"

Now Parker saw red. The young agent jumped up from the chair and leaned on the table.

"Don't talk about him like that! Or I swear to God I will–" Parker added in a calm tone- too calm.

They couldn't finish their threat because Hotch interrupted Parker. He ordered the younger agent to sit back down so they could continue the interrogation.

"So I was right, wouldn't be the first time," Jacob commented, completely unfazed by Parker's threat. "You are like Sarah Jean."

"I am not. Now tell us, how many girls did you kill?"

"So, there's never been a situation where you just wanted to pull the trigger? No matter if it was someone like me, or someone like Mr. Pokerface here."

Jacob nodded in Hotch's direction.

Parker was about to say no. Saying that they would never intentionally hurt someone, but then–

"Parker, put the gun down."

"He attacked Spence."

"Put. The. Weapon. Away."

"Interesting," Jacob said, addressing Hotch. "Did you know about that? I bet that's why you hired Parker and the boy. To prevent them from becoming like us."

"Parker already said they weren't like Sarah Jean," Hotch said.

The younger agent was surprised that Hotch commented on this. He had stayed calm until now because he knew Parker could handle it.

But the corners of Jacob's mouth only twitched upwards.

"That's not a 'no'. Let me tell you something. Sarah Jean did what she did because she loves me. And little Parker here will also do things they didn't think possible because she obviously loves that boy. You can't change people. It's just a matter of time before–"

Parker couldn't listen to this anymore. Without saying anything they got up and left the room. They needed fresh air.

~~

MONDAY, 9PM

24 Hours Remaining

"You okay?" Spencer asked as Parker entered the room, still upset.

The profilers watched the recordings of the conversations. Fortunately, they concentrate more on the conversation with Sarah Jean, so not everyone noticed what had just happened.

"Yeah, why do you ask?"

"They died as a result of my neglect."

"This letter suggests to me that an innocent woman is about to be executed for crimes she did not commit."

Sarah Jean had written a letter to her mother apologizing.

"Well, I can tell you right now, it's not enough to get a stay," said Shapiro.

"You want facts?" asked Gideon. "Reid."

"Human sexuality is a complex dynamic of three components, biological, physiological and emotional. Jacob's needs were informed by the emotional and sexual abuse that he received at the hand of his mother."

"Long-term repetitive abuse informed the template of his love map, something we refer to as a signature. Jacob was an only child..."

"Thus he was alone when the abuse occurred. So in order for him to fulfil his fantasy, he has got to be alone with his victims."

"If I told you that, what would I have left for myself?"

"He said, "myself." If Sarah Jean was present, it would have destroyed his fantasy", Parker explained.

"She confessed to killing her son."

"Yes, true, but we're also convinced that she was the anonymous caller that made the phone call that nailed Jacob."

"Guilt-ridden, filled with remorse, she called the police. That's not the profile of a woman who would then kill her child."

"What else do you need?"

"Evidence."

"If we prove Jacob killed Riley, would that get a stay?"

"Absolutely."

On one of the screens they saw the footage of Sarah Jean in her cell.

It showed her taking one of the pictures she had painted off the wall.

"She protects the painting. She protects the boy," Gideon murmured.

"What?"

"The paintings are a statement. We need to figure out what they say."

~~

TUESDAY, 1PM

8 Hours Remaining

After another conversation with Hotch, Jacob had supposedly revealed the location where Riley was buried. But given the size of the bones, it quickly became clear that it wasn't Riley.

"Guys, the body's ID's coming through," said Garcia. "It's not Riley Dawes. It's Ashley Farley. She was 14 when she was killed."

"Why would Jacob give us another victim?" asked Spencer. "It completely goes against his need for power, manipulation and control."

"Taking the secret of an old victim to his grave satisfies that need."

"Yeah, but, why give it up? What's the payoff?" Parker asked.

"Sarah Jean's the payoff," Gideon explained. "Sarah Jean will be his last victim. That'd be the ultimate of control."

"Gideon, check this out. Guess who used to be the Farleys' house cleaner?"

"Sarah Jean," Parker guessed, even though they didn't have to guess.

"10 points for Hufflepuff," Garcia confirmed.

Gideon started moving and told Parker to accompany him. Unsure why they should come, Parker followed the older agent to Sarah Jean's cell.

The woman sat on her bed and ate her last meal. It was a menu from a fast food chain.

"My last supper. Like some?" Sarah Jean asked as Gideon and Parker entered the cell.

As the door closed behind Parker, the young agent turned around. They immediately felt small, powerless.

The cell was too small for three people and Parker was very happy to be able to leave whenever they want.

"Look, came with a toy."

Sarah Jean put the toy down before her eyes fell on Parker. The agent had stepped through the small cell and was looking at the self-painted painting up close.

"Oh, this is Agent Gallagher," Gideon introduced his colleagues. "I hope you don't mind that they're here too."

"Of course not," Sarah assured Jean. "What do you think of the pictures?"

"They're really beautiful. You're talented," Parker replied.

"Thank you very much."

"May I sit down?" Gideon changed the subject.

"Please."

The older agent sat down next to Sarah Jean.

"Ashley Farley. You cleaned her parents' house. Remember?"

"Fondly."

Strange, thought Parker. Sarah Jean seemed so calm, too calm. It seemed like she had made peace with herself and the situation.

The young agent couldn't imagine being so calm in a similar situation. They thought that a woman who allegedly murdered her son would be different and not like that.

But there was the matter of Sarah Jean not murdering Riley.

"We found her buried beneath a children's gazebo. At another house Jacob renovated. He put her there."

Sarah Jean gasped in shock; she didn't know anything about it. The woman stood up and went to the bars.

"I might as well have brought her home to that bastard."

"The high reeds. The river," said Gideon and pointed to the picture on the left. "This here, what is this, a basket?"

"The boy in the painting is what, 10?" Parker asked cautiously.

"Maybe more. Is that how you see him, or how he is?"

"I only have a few hours left," replied Sarah Jean. "I'm respectfully asking you to leave."

"Where is he? Where is Riley?"

The woman turned away from the agents.

"Please see Agent Gideon and Gallagher out."

The cell door opened and without another word, Parker and Gideon left Sarah Jean alone.

~~

"Garcia, pull up the interview with Sarah Jean," Gideon asked her when the two agents were back with the others.

"What is it?" Spencer wanted to know.

"Exodus 2:3."

"Moses?"

"Hebrew sons were supposed to be drowned. Moses' mother sent him down the Nile in a basket."

"Where's he buried?"

"All that matters is that he's safe."

"Where is he?"

"He's in a better place."

"Jacob didn't bury Riley anywhere. Sarah Jean had already taken care of him."

"Then she killed him."

Spencer and Parker realized what Gideon was thinking at the same moment and looked at each other.

"No, she sent him somewhere where she believed he'd be safe."

"He's alive."

"We're running out of time. This is the proof we need to save Sarah Jean."

"Check all police and hospital records dating back to September, 1990."

"You know, you should check local newspapers, too. See if anyone reported any abandoned babies," Spencer suggested.

"Yeah, I don't give a damn where the governor is. We may have found proof that Sarah Jean is innocent," Shapiro spoke to someone on the phone.

"She really only had a maximum of three hours between police visits," Parker began.

"It was 4:00 p.m., so traffic was pretty heavy. Whatever she did with Riley, it had to be local," Spencer added.

"1990. Three babies were abandoned in September," Garcia reported.

"Two-year-old boys?"

"None."

"Why doesn't she just tell us where Riley is?"

"She'll protect him for as long as Jacob is alive."

"Look, they're being executed within an hour of each other. What hope do we even have of finding him in time?" JJ pointed out.

Parker hated it, but JJ was right. The chance of finding the boy to save Sarah Jean was very small.

"You know, it's quite possible she doesn't even know where he is anyway."

"No. She'd know. We've got to get into her cell," said Gideon and left the room again.

~~

Behind one of the pictures, the agent found a photo of a boy, a teenager. It was cut out of a newspaper.

"That's Riley. That's her son. Isn't it? Someone tell me it's him, please," Garcia asked.

"JJ, distribute this photo to the press. See if anyone recognizes this boy," said Hotch.

"Do I say who we think he is?"

"No, just put him out as a missing person."

"OK."

"Soon after, there was a small beep."

"What does that mean?"

"It means Jacob is being moved to the execution chamber."

Hotch left the room while Parker took a closer look at the original photo.

"She cut around the photo so no one can read the text."

"He was two when he disappeared. This boy's 16 or 17. If it's Riley, it would mean it's a recent photo."

"Once Jacob's dead, you think Sarah Jean will tell us if this is Riley?" asked JJ.

Parker would like to know that too, but they had a feeling that Sarah Jean would take her son's whereabouts to her grave.

"Excuse me," Parker muttered.

They grabbed a photo of the teenager and rushed out of the room.

~~

When Parker reached the witness area of the chamber, Jacob was strapped to the chair.

They knocked on the window and held the photo up to it so Jacob could see it.

"Riley," Parker said simply. "You lose, bitch."

The young agent put on a smile and gave Jacob their middle finger.

"No!"

~~

Despite Jacob being dead, Sarah Jean wouldn't tell them where Riley was. So the team had to hurry to find it out.

"The only people Jacob allowed Sarah Jean to know were the families she cleaned for."

"Sarah Jean worked for wealthy families, all of whom lived in Hampton. Let's go over all the families in the state of Florida who were looking to adopt in 1990 and let's see how many lived in Hampton."

"Families looking to adopt? Hundreds."

"How many from Hampton?" asked Parker.

"Three families. The Jameses, the Kopples and the Sheffields. Looks like the Sheffields removed themselves from the list in October 1990 and then moved out of Hampton."

"That's one month after Riley disappeared. Where'd they go?"

"Keystone Heights. We got a match on the photo. It was in the local daily news."

Gideon and Hotch wasted no time and ran out of the room to stop the execution.

"Call Morgan and Elle. Tell them to get to the Sheffield house."

"Byron Sheffield."

"'Local cello prodigy, 17-year-old Byron Sheffield, won a scholarship to play cello.'" Garcia read the caption.

"Wow."

~~

Morgan and Elle were at the Sheffield house in time, Riley or Byron, as he was now called, was there too.

The two agents were about to take the boy away when they were told to come back.

Sarah Jean gave her son away to give him a better life. He would live a completely normal life without knowing who his parents were.

This was her gift to Riley– Byron.

~~

The rest of the team were already on their way to the car when Parker packed the last files into their bag.

"Everything okay?"

Parker turned around, startled, and saw Gideon standing at the door.

"Of course, why not?" replied the young agent and shouldered her bag.

"Do you want to talk about what happened in that interrogation with Jacob?"

"Not really," Parker replied. "I lost it, I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

"Sure?" Gideon asked.

No, but Parker didn't want to admit it. Gideon, of course, noticed the younger profiler's hesitation and stepped into the room.

"You know, Jacob was right about one thing. You and Sarah Jean have certain similarities–"

Parker's head snapped in Gideon's direction.

"I am not–"

"Sarah Jean did everything she could to protect the person she loves most. Wouldn't you do the same?"

"Yes, I would," Parker had to admit.

"You did," Gideon reminded his colleague. "In high school. You nearly broke someone's arm."

Parker had to smile as they remembered that.

His name was Mike Rogers. He was a few years older than Parker and Spencer. And made the mistake of making fun of Spencer.

"He deserved it," Parker said.

They would have really broken the boy's arm– without guilt.

It wasn't Parker's first fight.

"Gideon, why did you take Spence and me under your wing?" the young agent changed the subject.

Parker had had this question in his mind for a while but had never had the opportunity to ask Gideon.

"I saw potential," the older one answered the question cryptically.

"What potential?"

Gideon couldn't answer the question because the prison warden suddenly appeared. He was glad to see the two agents still here.

Apparently, Sarah Jean Parker had left one of her pictures behind. It was the picture with the river and the basket.

The prison director said goodbye and left the two agents alone again.

"The others are waiting. Ready to go home?" asked Gideon.

"Yup."

Albert Pine said,

"What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others and the world remains and is immortal."