timeless, spencer reid [ 1 ]

073. hope

They walk into the round table room where Penelope and Hotch are.

"7 years ago yesterday at Manassas, Virginia, 8 year old Hope Kingston was abducted from her front yard while playing with a friend." Hotch says. "She's been presumed dead."

"A few hours ago, her mother, Monica, disappeared from a parking lot after attending Garcia's victims support group." Derek says.

"It's not uncommon for unsubs to reach out and contact relatives of victims. Jordan van der Sloot extorted $25,000 from Natalee Holloway's mother in exchange for information." Spencer says.

"Do we think both abductions were related?" Rossi asks.

"I found a letter signed by Hope inside Monica's car." Derek says.

"The anniversary could have been the trigger. We can't rule out the possibility that Monica committed suicide." Rossi says.

"No. No, Monica would-- would never hurt herself." Penelope argues. "She-- she still thought Hope was alive."

"Is the father in the picture?" JJ asks.

"No, he died in a car accident right before Hope was born." Penelope says.

"There's no postmark, which means this letter was obviously hand delivered." Spencer says.

"Reid, do a full linguistic analysis. We need to determine authenticity." Hotch says.

"There's a butterfly drawn next to Hope's name. That has to mean something." Spencer says.

"There was no sign of struggle at the scene. What if she went willingly?" Emily asks. "He could have approached her and had Hope with him."

"That would certainly get her attention." Rossi says.

"Still, it's pretty high risk to abduct in such a high traffic area. The parking lot was right next to a strip mall." Spencer says.

"Any witnesses?" Bedelia asks.

"I was the last person that saw her." Penelope says.

"Unless we have reason to believe otherwise, we should assume that the same unsub is responsible for both abductions. Let's get started." Hotch says.

+++

"So this letter Monica allegedly received from her daughter contains no indication of female authorship. It lacks expression of emotional attachment." Spencer says.

"The unsub wrote it?" Hotch asks.

"I believe so. The language used is inconsistent with that of a 15 year old held in captivity for 7 years." Spencer says.

"Uh, I just got a hit on someone who matches Monica's description at a gas station 17 miles outside of Manassas." Penelope says. Bedelia, Hotch, and Spencer walk over.

"Hope's not with him." Hotch says.

"It looks like they're having a conversation." Bedelia says.

"She's cooperating. Garcia, can you get any closer?" Hotch asks.

"No. No, I can't get a good look at him." Penelope says.

"Look at his body language. He's shielding himself from the cameras." Spencer says.

"He knows where they are. He's protecting his identity." Hotch says.

"Why isn't Monica asking for help?" Penelope asks.

"She doesn't want to draw attention to herself." Hotch says.

"She leaves, but the unsub stays?" Bedelia questions, watching Monica walk out of the gas station.