Searching For Answers (We Can Make This Work sequel)

Chapter 18

** JJ's P.O.V. ** 

"7th victim Natalie Hare, Coroner said she died about 17 hours ago" I sighed as I stood over the woman's butchered body 

"Where's she from?" Morgan asked 

"Right here in Cedar Rapids, the unsub is staying close, this is obviously his comfort zone, he didn't even scatter the body in a different state, he must know we're here, he's devolving" I stated 

"JJ the M.E's report just came, we couldn't see it at first because of the dirt and cuts that covered the bodies but our unsub is cutting out the hearts of these women" Prentiss gritted her teeth as she read the report 

"God" I cursed the ground as I walked away 

With Spencer god knows where, and Hotch not here either, things were beginning to become overwhelming. Not to mention the sights of these women being butchered, in our faces all day, things were getting hard. I turned back to Prentiss and Morgan. 

"I have a feeling this guy has been in the system before, no way has this just randomly boiled within him over night. He's been through and seen some very traumatic things, most likely neglected and he's rebelled, no doubt!" I said trying to piece together everything in front of me 

I whipped my cell phone from my pocket and dialled Garcia's number. 

"How can I help my humble highness?" Garcia answered 

"Hey Penelope, I need you to search the prison system for a man say in his thirties, with a string of offenses starting from juvenile offenses to more serious things, and look out for someone who could have been reported as a cannibal, we can't rule that out" I said in a serious tone 

"Uggggh gosh, too much information there Jaydge" Garcia replied in disgust as I heard her fingers hit the keyboard 

"Okay I've got 5 names, oh wait 2 are dead, so 3 names, I'm afraid yours truly cannot make it shorter. We've got Tom Mills, Billy Jordan and Mike Grimes. Each with a long string of convictions, each" I could hear Garcia take a sharp intake of breath "each a cannibal" 

"Thanks Garcia, have any of those been through the foster system?" I questioned 

"Yes actually, surprisingly only one, Tom Mills, his mother dropped him off outside a church when he was 7 and she was never seen again, as for little Tom, he was passed from foster home to orphanage almost every 6 months, he attacked the other kids with sharp items and was found carving" Garcia stopped once again as she hesitated "dead animals" she blurted  

"That's our guy JJ!" Prentiss said  

"Tom Mills has just been spotted 15 minutes from here heading North on West Creek bridge, he has a hostage" Morgan said as he ran towards us following us to the car 

We drove for about 20 minutes, we heard over the radio the name of the hostage being transmitted, her name was Maddie Rhodes. As we passed the bridge just 8 or 9 yards ahead the police had Tom surrounded. He was in the car holding a gun to the woman beside him. 

"JJ we have to talk him down" Prentiss said 

"You can reason with him JJ, he will listen" Morgan tried to persuade me 

"Then what Derek? I say one wrong thing and he blows her head off and puts another bullet through his own skull!" I spat 

"JJ you're our only hope of getting that woman out alive!" Prentiss said softly 

I turned away, holding my head in my hands as I kicked the ground beneath me, my hands shook and my heart raced but I knew I had to do this, I just couldn't fuck this up! 

"Get me the megaphone" I said sternly 

Prentiss got the megaphone from one of the police and handed it gently to me 

I took a deep breath before beginning to speak 

"Tom, I know you can hear me, my, my name is Jennifer Jareau" I started shakily "I work for the F.B.I, as a Special Agent but also as a communications liaison, for the behavioural, uhh" I hesitated knowing I was getting nowhere so I regrouped my thoughts and tried again "Mr Mills, I- I want to talk to you about letting Maddie Rhodes go, I mean I want to ask you to, uh see I'm not a hostage negotiator, uh I've never done anything like this at all ever, but um sometimes circumstances" I realised once again I was heading swiftly down the wrong track as I lost my thoughts again. I felt Prentiss' gentle touch on my shoulder, took another breath and spoke again. 

"look, you can tell I'm not a hostage negotiator, but I am a mother, and I- I know what your mother did to you when you were little, what she was, what she made you watch, what she let men do to you and it makes me so.. it's just not fair, and no one can make that better, I wish I could I do, but, if I, if I could somehow go back there and you know make what was happening to you stop, I could just pick you up and just tell you that it'll all be ok, that's what moms are supposed to do, they're not supposed to be the cause of your pain, they're supposed to make it go away, they're supposed to hold you and tell you everything's going to be alright, they're supposed to tell you thunder is angels bowling, and that it's ok to be afraid of the dark and it's not silly to think there might be monsters in our closet and it's ok if you want to climb into bed with them just this once, cause it's scary in the room all alone, they're supposed to say it's ok to be afraid, not be the thing you're afraid of. But most importantly they're supposed to love you no matter what! what happened to you wasn't fair and it's not right, but um, I'm supposed to empathize with you, sympathize, understand, but I can't, that would be a lie. The truth is I don't understand, what you've done, I don't sympathize you killing people all these years and I especially don't understand you taking Maddie. What I can do is tell you what a mother should tell you, that you can't take away your pain by hurting someone else, that it doesn't make all the nights you spent scared and alone any better if you scare someone else the way you're scaring Maddie, what happened to you, it isn't fair, but what you're doing to her isn't fair either and if anyone should understand what that feels like it's you! You have the power, you can do what you want to do, but for once, you can choose to use that power to do for Maddie what should have been done for you, you can choose letting her go, you can choose teaching her that yes there are monsters and it's ok to be afraid of them, but it's not ok to let them win and it's not ok to be one." I huffed a breath as I finished 

Tom slowly exited his car, holding his hands above his head, letting the cops take him away 

"You did it JJ" Morgan sighed as he pulled me tight for a hug 

"You were amazing Jaydge" Prentiss said as she joined the hug