Police in America

"Look at his face and arms," Reid pointed at the corpse's face. "Scratch marks and bite wounds—typical defensive injuries. I believe the forensic team will find matching DNA on Katie's body."

Rossi quietly reconstructed the scene, "Things spiraled out of control. When he saw the violence his companions were committing, he wanted out, but the others wouldn't allow it."

Hotchner continued, "He tried to run but was stabbed by his accomplices. It was too dark outside, and they couldn't find him."

"They were afraid he would go to the police, so they had no choice but to stuff Katie's body into a car, attempt to cover their tracks, and dump it farther away. And to ensure their escape, they forcibly took Lindsay with them," Emily's calm tone barely concealed her anger.

Jack scanned the area again, finding no additional clues. He sighed, "He's one of the killers. Our next task is to find his friends."

John, standing nearby, was stunned by how quickly they pieced the scene together. "You guys… is this how you usually solve cases?"

"They... uh… we're all professional psychologists," Jack patted John on the shoulder.

John gave him a skeptical look, as if saying, "Don't try to fool me."

Jack pulled out his phone, snapped a picture of the corpse's face, and sent it to Garcia, along with a request for facial recognition, prioritizing the database of the school Katie and Lindsay attended.

After saying goodbye to their old colleagues at the Wilshire station, the BAU team hurried back to the Southeast Division. Time was of the essence; they couldn't wait for the forensic team or the medical examiner to slowly process the results.

Fortunately, Garcia was on point this time. Just as they got out of the car, she had already identified the deceased suspect.

"Douglas Silverman, 18 years old, attended the same high school as the two girls," Jack said as he pinned a new photo onto the evidence board.

The police chief and detectives from the Southeast Division crowded into the large office to hear Hotchner and Rossi outline the next steps.

"The impulsive nature of teenage boys was further inflamed by drugs and alcohol in this case, making them even more brutal and reckless than adult criminals."

"Katie became the victim of this toxic mix of factors. We believe that Douglas Silverman became frightened and wanted out, but the ringleader attacked him to maintain his authority," Hotchner summarized the group's discussions and analysis.

"Your task is to find his classmates, parents, and teachers—identify the friends he hung out with," Rossi added to the analysis. "He had at least two or three accomplices. The ringleader is likely in his early twenties, an arrogant thug."

"Someone who thinks he's a big shot, probably with a criminal record—petty crimes like theft."

"I have a question," Hannah spoke up. "If Douglas Silverman was killed shortly after Katie, he's effectively been missing for one or two days. Why hasn't anyone reported it?"

Emily responded, "It's the weekend. He might have checked in with his parents, or they might be out of town."

Hotchner's face darkened as he was reminded of this. "The weekend ends tomorrow, which means the situation is about to get worse."

Indeed, once the weekend was over, the suspects' identities could easily be exposed. The school might notify parents about truancy, and parents could report their children missing.

Once their identities were exposed, who knows what these desperate teenagers might do to Lindsay, who they see as a hostage? The thought was chilling.

"We could start by questioning the Owen couple and Kison Vaughn. Since the deceased went to the same school as their daughters, they might know something," JJ suggested.

Rossi nodded. "You two go question the Owen couple. Hotch and Emily will speak with Douglas Silverman's parents. Jack and I..."

He glanced at Kison Vaughn, who had been staring out the conference room window.

"...we'll talk to him."

——

"So, a few punks kidnapped my daughter?" Kison Vaughn examined the photo Jack handed him, carefully studying the face.

"I don't recognize him. I wouldn't forget a face, and I've never seen this one before," he said with certainty.

"Maybe she didn't want you to see them, afraid you'd get angry or do something to them," Rossi suggested pointedly.

Kison wasn't offended by Rossi's remark. Instead, he responded with conviction, "There are no secrets between Lindsay and me."

Jack, who had seen his fair share of teenagers keeping secrets, didn't buy it. "You and I both know that's impossible. There are always secrets between a girl and her father."

"No, you don't understand," Kison replied, his expression one of someone unsure how to explain.

"She knows everything about me. She knows what I've done and why we live the way we do now."

Rossi found it hard to believe and patiently reminded him, "Your wife died in a car accident ten years ago. That wasn't an accident, was it? That's what led you to become a federal witness, right?"

Within the FBI, Rossi had access to more classified information than Hotchner. Jack guessed that he must have reviewed some related files and knew about Kison's background.

Sure enough, Kison neither confirmed nor denied it. "Before she died, I swore to her that I would do everything in my power to protect Lindsay."

"Did you tell Lindsay that you were supposed to be the one in that car, not her mother?"

Rossi's pointed question caused Kison to freeze. He hadn't expected his background to be so thoroughly exposed. However, after a brief pause, he surprisingly nodded.

"Yes."

Rossi and Jack both looked shocked.

"I told you, there are no secrets between us. I told her that from then on, we could only rely on each other."

"I started training her when she was ten—combat, shooting, how to protect herself under the worst conditions."

As Kison spoke, Jack quickly imagined a character like Hit-Girl from the movie "Kick-Ass," portrayed by Chloë Grace Moretz.

Well, maybe that was an exaggeration. If Lindsay were as tough as Hit-Girl, she wouldn't have been overpowered by a few punks. But personality-wise, she was probably similar—mature, strong, and rational.

But this made Jack even more puzzled. "If that's the case, how did Lindsay let herself get into such a vulnerable situation?"

"Exactly. She wouldn't." Kison's confident reply made Rossi's eyes light up with realization.

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