"Look at his face and arms." Reid pointed to the corpse's face.
"Scratch marks and bite marks, typical defensive wounds. I believe the forensic team will find the corresponding DNA on Katie's body."
Rossi recounted the scene in a low voice, "Things got out of control. Seeing his companion's violence, he wanted to back out, but the others wouldn't agree."
Hotchner continued, "He tried to escape, was stabbed by his accomplices, and it was too dark outside for them to find him."
"They were worried he would call the police, so they had no choice but to stuff Katie's body into the car, do so things to erase the traces, and dump it further away. And to ensure their escape later, they also forcibly took Lindsay away."
Emily's calm tone concealed her anger.
Jack scanned the surroundings again, finding no further clues, and sighed. "He's one of the killers. What we need to do is continue searching for his friends."
John, standing nearby, was astonished to see how the group had reconstructed the scene so quickly and logically. "You guys... do you usually solve cases like this?"
"They... uh... we're all professional psychologists," Jack patted him on the shoulder.
John gave him a look that said, "Don't try to fool ."
Jack took out his phone, snapped a picture of the corpse's face, and sent it to Garcia with a ssage asking her to perform facial recognition, prioritizing comparisons with the databases of the schools Katie and Lindsay attended.
After saying goodbye to their old buddies at the Wilshire Police Departnt, the BAU team imdiately rushed back to the Southeast Precinct. They needed to act quickly; they couldn't wait for the forensic team or the dical examiner to slowly produce results.
Fortunately, Garcia was incredibly efficient this ti. She had identified the victim and suspect almost imdiately after they got out of the car.
"Douglas Silverman, 18 years old, attended the sa high school as the two girls." Jack affixed a new photo to the evidence board.
The Southeast Precinct sheriff and his detectives crowded into the large office, listening to Hotchner and Rossi assign the next steps.
"The impulsive instincts of teenage males, in this case, were further amplified by drugs and alcohol, making them more vicious, impulsive, and reckless than adult thugs."
"Katie beca the victim of all these factors combined. We believe that Douglas Silverman, out of fear, wanted to back out, but the mastermind attacked him to maintain their authority."
Hotchner synthesized everyone's discussions and analyses along the way, reaching a consensus.
"Your task is to find his classmates, parents, teachers, and those friends he hangs out with,"
Rossi added to his analysis. "He has at least two or three accomplices, and the ringleader is probably in his early twenties, a self-important thug."
"He thinks he's really tough, probably has a criminal record, so minor offenses, petty theft or sothing."
"I have a question" Hannah asked. "If Douglas Silverman was killed by his accomplices shortly after Katie's death, he's been missing for a day or two, so why hasn't anyone called the police?"
Emily replied, "Because it was the weekend. He might have reported it, or his parents might have left town."
Hotchner's face darkened at this remark. "Tomorrow the weekend ends, and judging from the current situation, things are going to get even worse."
Indeed, once the weekend is over, the identities of these suspects could be exposed. Schools will notify parents of student absences, and parents will call the police for their children's disappearances.
And once their identities are exposed, what might these desperate teenagers do to Lindsay, who is being held hostage? It's chilling.
"We could try talking to the Owens and Keeson Vaughn first. Since the deceased and their daughter went to the sa school, maybe they know sothing," JJ suggested.
Rossi nodded. "You two go ask the Owens. Hotchner and Emily, go find the parents of the deceased, Douglas Silverman. Jack and I…"
He glanced at Keeson Vaughn, who was peering through the glass in the conference room.
"…We'll go talk to him."
"So, a few thugs kidnapped my daughter?" Keeson Vaughn examined the photo Jack handed him, scrutinizing the face.
"I don't recognize him. I don't miss any faces, but I've never seen this person before." His tone was quite certain.
"Maybe she didn't want you to see those boys, afraid you'd be angry or do sothing to them," Rossi hinted.
Keeson wasn't angry at Rossi's words. Instead, he said firmly, "There are no secrets between Lindsay and ."
Jack, used to seeing daughter's secrets leak out, didn't believe him at all. "You and I both know that's impossible. Girls and their fathers always have many secrets between them."
"No, you don't understand," Keeson said, looking like he didn't know how to explain it to him.
"She knows everything about . She knows what I've done and why we're living the life we have now."
Rossi found it unbelievable and patiently reminded him, "Ten years ago, your wife died in a car accident. That wasn't an accident, was it? That's what made you a federal witness, right?"
Within the FBI, Rossi's authority was much higher than Hotchner's. Jack guessed that he must have consulted so relevant files and knew sothing about Keeson's story.
Sure enough, Keeson neither admitted nor denied it. "Before she died, I swore to her that I would do everything I could to protect Lindsay."
"Did you tell Lindsay that it should have been you in the car, not her mother?"
Rossi's pointed question startled Keeson. He hadn't expected his secrets to be so thoroughly known, but he only paused for a mont before surprisingly nodding again.
"Yes."
Rossi and Jack both looked astonished.
"I told her we had no secrets. I told her that in the days to co, we could only rely on each other."
"From the age of 10, I started training her, teaching her combat, shooting, and how to protect herself under extrely unfavorable conditions."
As Keeson narrated, Jack quickly conjured up an image in his mind similar to the character Hit-Girl played by Chloe Grace Moretz in the movie *Kick-Ass*.
Okay, that might be a bit of an exaggeration. If Lindsay were really as tough as Hit-Girl, she wouldn't have been controlled by a few thugs, but their personalities should be similar—mature, strong, and rational enough.
But this made Jack even more puzzled. "Since you say that, why would Lindsay put herself in such a disadvantageous situation?"
"Yes, she wouldn't." With Keeson's confident answer, a flash of understanding crossed Rossi's eyes.
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