Killer Queen

Chapter 21

     Pulling up to the house, everything looked quiet. No sounds or lights came from inside, and it really did look like no one had been living there for quite a while. Morgan busted the door open, leading the agents inside. They fanned out quietly, but found nothing all throughout the house. Everything was quiet and dusty, just as an abandoned house would have been.

The team regrouped, almost defeated. They all desperately wanted to find Logan before it was too late. According to Spencer's calculations, he would only keep her for a few more days. They recalled the case that Logan's mother was a victim in, and went from there.

"Besides severe torture, that seems to be the only thing that he did to his victims before dumping them in a nearby river. Between the video and these pictures, Logan's father is trying to completely replicate what the unsub did to Molly." Spencer put the file down and took a shaky breath. They had gone back to the BAU to go over everything they already knew to see if they could figure out anything else of use. "Like mother, like daughter, I guess."

Tension in the room was high. Aaron Hotchner was trying his best not to get angry as he listened to Spencer, Penelope Garcia on the verge of tears, JJ with her eyes closed in the corner of the room. Derek Morgan was missing in action, as was Emily Prentiss, until they walked in, Emily after Derek, as if she was forcing him to be present.

Penelope sat up quickly, her eyes glued to her laptop in horror. "Guys. There's another one."

Quickly, everyone got up to see the video that had been sent to the woman. She covered her hand with her mouth as she saw Logan tied up in the same chair, in the same dark area. Just like before, the man crossed over the camera to where he could barely be seen.

When the screams started, Garcia had to excuse herself quickly. JJ left soon after, but the reason behind it seemed unknown. Maybe she wanted to comfort Garcia while hiding her true horror from the rest of the team. Reason or not, no one stopped her.

Even though he didn't want to, Hotchner watched the video carefully, trying to pick out anything and everything that could help them find Logan. If he was alone, he knew that the tears would have no problem falling freely. However, he had to be strong for the team. He had to be strong for Logan.

The video seemed to be going on for hours until it stopped. The last image of Logan stayed up on the screen. Her head hung low, glistening tears staining her face. She was bloody and bruised, fresh cuts all over her body. It took everything in Hotchner to not burst out and throw something.

"When I find this guy, I'm going to make him wish he never messed with us," Derek snarled.

Hotch gave him a look. "When we find him, I want everyone to stay level-headed. Going in there with anger is not going to help anybody, especially Logan. Have I made myself clear?" After a second, Derek gave his boss a nod. "Good. Someone make sure Garcia's okay and then I want her to dig up everything on Aaron Gardener. And whoever is in a good enough mental state, I need someone else to analyze the videos with me." Emily nodded, volunteering herself. "Reid, can you figure out how much longer these videos will come until this guy doesn't need her anymore?"

Everyone had their missions and dispersed from the room. Hotch took a deep breath, raking his hands through his hair, before sitting down at the table with the laptop. Emily sat down next to him, notebook in hand. Hotch started the video.

Aaron seemed calm as he worked, muttering curses every time Logan moved and made him mess up. Logan had dropped her joking manner, trying desperately to get him to stop each moment. With a stiff movement, his hand covered his mouth as he watched, only to cover his reaction from Emily.

A hand set down on Hotchner's shoulder. He looked over to see Emily giving him a reassuring smile. "Hey, it'll be alright. I'll do this. Have a little time to yourself." She grabbed the computer and left the room, making sure to close the door behind her.

Finally, Aaron Hotchner was alone. He raked his hands through his hair as he leaned over the table in front of him. He knew that keeping the truth about him not being Logan's real father was a mistake. He knew that she would eventually find out, either by herself or he would have to tell her. And then he'd have to explain that he had adopted her, too.

Hotch didn't know what made him feel like he should have brought her into his family, but he knew that she was already like family. Her and Jack had gotten along so well the first time they met, and Jack was so happy he finally had a sibling. Even though she wasn't around all the time, Logan still made time to play with him, always offered to drop him off at his friends' houses, and insisted that she made the family food whenever they were all home. It hadn't even been a year and she was fitting in like it was made to be.

A smile creeped up onto Hotch's face. Logan deserved the world, but the world didn't deserve her. And she definitely didn't deserve this. Wherever she ended up, Hotch only wanted the best for his adopted daughter.

The door to the room opened again. Hotch lifted his head to see what it was. Garcia stood there with a smile on her face. "What is it, Garcia?"

"I think we found something."