8.) Skeptical

"There's been a string of abductions in Olympia, Washington, going back nine months." JJ started the briefing, as we all sat around the table. I could barely keep my eyes opened, let alone listen to anything she was saying, because I was so tired. "Four women in all, blonde, blue-eyed, early twenties." Her soothing voice was putting me to sleep, until I felt someone gently nudge me. I jerked a little, glancing at Reid, who was holding in his smile. We had been secretly seeing each other over the last few weeks, aside from Derek being the only person that knew about us. He assured us that our secret was safe with him and so far...he's kept his promise.

"When were they taken?" Hotch asked, as I straightend up in my seat.

"Nine months ago." JJ responded.

"So she was the first?" Emily chimed in.

"Yeah." JJ held up her trusty remote, showing us a picture of a woman, who looked as if she were wrapped up like a mummy.

"Looks almost mummified." Rossi said

"Uh, not exactly." JJ said.

"Frozen?" Derek questioned.

"Embalmed." I scrunched up my face, scratching the back of my neck. This was a first...for me anyways.

"Were all the bodies found that way, or just that one in particular?" I asked.

"Just this one, at the moment, but it wouldn't surprise me if there were more out there." JJ said.

"It says the victims were abducted about three months apart. He's rotating his victims out." Reid said.

"There are gonna be more bodies out there." Hotch said. "Wheels up in twenty."

~~~

"So if I wanted to embalm a body, well what's the process?" Emily asked, as we all sat quietly on the jet. I was trying to get some much needed rest, but that was impossible at the moment. Something was nagging at me and I had no idea what it was.

"Start with some nose plugs." Derek answered, making me laugh a little.

"The blood is drained through the jugular vein and replaced with embalming fluid, through one of the two major arteries. It usually takes a few hours." Reid explained. Ugh, he's so smart and sometimes I found his smartness to be a tad bit intimidating.

"Then you'd need special equipment, training." Rossi said.

"Knowledge of the human vascular system would also be a plus."

"A doctor maybe?" JJ voiced.

"A nurse, technician, somebody with a background in mortuary sciences." Hotch said.

"Now, there's a major they didn't offer at my school." I said.

"Personally the whole thing seems weird to me. Embalming, I mean." Emily said.

"Some people like to look good for their funeral." Derek said.

"But it's not them, it's just a shell. Polished and painted. I just want to be cremated."

"The question is why somebody would embalm the body of someone they just murdered?" Hotch questioned.

"He wants to hold on to them. It's a possession issue." Rossi said.

"Maybe they have a history of abandonment." I said.

"Maybe, but eventually even an embalmed body will decay and he finds himself in need of new victims." Reid said. "And we all know the odds. Ninety percent of all abduction victims are killed within the first thirty-six hours." That sent a cold chill down my spine, even though I shouldn't be surprised.

When we arrived at our destination, Hotch sent Reid and Morgan to the crime scene, JJ and Rossi to the police station, and Emily and myself were with him. We were talking to the local detective, who was taking us to where our most current victim was taken.

"These women were taken as they left work. High-end spa, nice restaurant, jewelry store." Hotch said.

"If he patronizes these businesses, then he's got money." Emily said.

"It narrows the profile a little."

"It says in here they recovered her necklace, amethyst, broken chain?" I said, reading over the file.

"Right here, right next to the car." The detective said.

"Did you process the necklace?" Hotch asked.

"We couldn't get anything off of it. Just some hair in the clasp. Hers."

"I'd like to take a look at it. Melanie here can see what others missed, maybe she can find something that will help us."

"Yeah, well, I gave it back to her mother." He told us, as Hotch glanced at both me and Emily.

"Isn't it a little premature to be returning evidence to the family?" Hotch questioned.

"There were special circumstances. She hired someone. Guy by the name of uh...Stanley Usher. He helped find a kid in Portland a couple of years ago."

"Private investigator?" Emily asked.

"A psychic." He said. Out of nowhere, my heart just dropped into the pit of my stomach. Why? I have no idea. Emily glanced at me, along with Hotch, as I absentmindedly shrugged my shoulders.

"What does that have to do with the necklace?" I asked.

"Apparently he can read personal things...their aura. I don't know." The detective seemed skeptical, as if he didn't believe in that sort of thing.

"So what did he tell her?" Hotch asked.

"He told her that...that her daughter was still alive." He said.

"Do you happen to know where this...psychic lives?" I asked.

"Melanie..." That was Hotch's warning voice, which means that I've overstepped, but I didn't care. I wanted to meet this guy. No...I needed to meet him.

~~~

I was starting to feel anxious. More anxious than usual, as I stood back and listened to JJ and Rossi interview our missing girl's mother.

"I've told the police everything I know. You shouldn't be here. You should be looking into the clues." The mother said, trying to keep her composure.

"Right. Clues from Brooke's necklace." Rossi murmured.

"Yes Sir. It's called token object reading or-" The man began, but Rossi cut him off.

"Psychometry. Yeah...you're not my first." He glanced at me, making me squint my eyes a little. What did he mean by that?

"A person's energy makes an impression on everything they touch." Mr. Usher explained. "It allows me to connect with them. Unfortunately, there are hard parts as well."

"Hard parts?" JJ questioned.

"Interpretating what you're seeing." I said. He furrowed his eyebrows a little, slowly nodding his head.

"Wait...do you...are you?"

"Yeah, I am."

"Did you get anything else? Uh...about her condition?" JJ asked.

"Only that she felt weakened...tired. I don't know, uh...heavy." He said.

"Heavy? Can I talk to you?" Rossi said, pulling the man away. What the hell was his problem today? They shared a few brief words, before he walked back over to where I was.

"Let me guess...you wear gloves to stop yourself from seeing things, right?"

"Yeah, something like that. I used to um...think they were daydreams, until my grandma told me that it was something else. Something special." I told him.

"Oh. Does your grandmother possess the same abilities as you?" He asked.

"No. She just senses things. To my knowledge, I'm the only person in my family with this ability." He nodded, staring hard at me. "Are...you okay?"

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to stare, it's just...you look awfully familiar."

"I just have one of those faces, I guess." I said, laughing a little. He chuckled, holding out his hand.

"May I?" He asked. I nodded, removing my gloves, gently placing my hand in his. In a flash, I saw him laughing and talking, with a woman who looked A LOT like my mother. They seemed so in love, but in another flash...things took a turn for the worst. I could see his stuff being thrown out and my heart literally dropped. That was my mother!

I quickly pulled my hand away from his, stumbling backwards a little bit.

"You knew my mother? How did you know my mother?" I asked him.

"You're Michelle's daughter? I didn't even know she had any kids!" He said, holding his hand up. "Michelle and I had a fling a long time ago, but things ended abruptly and I haven't heard from her since then. That was almost...twenty-five years ago!" I didn't think my heart could drop three times in one day, but it could and I was officially sick to my stomach.

"No way...you're my father?!"