A Long Way From The Playground

CHAPTER 12

RYLEIGH POV (short just so that we get more information on the mystery woman. We will be spending a good chunk of time in Aaron's POV since he is the one helping with the testimony in court.)

I walk with Emily and JJ over to Dave's office so they can inform him of what they found and I can listen in. As we get closer I can hear Dave on the phone with who I can only guess as being Cece.

"Of course it went well! I taught him everything he knows about giving testimony. How'd the jury react?.....good...ok. Give me a call after the defense has had a go at him." Dave says as we walk inside his dark office, Emily and JJ elect to sit while I lean against the doorframe out of the way of the trio.

"Reid says things are going good at the trial.." and I pause, forgetting that Dr. Reid went with Aaron to the courthouse.

"How'd it go at the hospital?" Dave asks curiously, leaning back in his chair.

"Well our interviews filled in some blanks about the woman who visited Matloff. Uh late 40's to mid 50's with a quiet almost nervous demeanor.." JJ says glancing down at her notepad.

"Sounds like someone who wants to fly under the radar if you ask me. If I was going to see someone and I didn't want anyone to notice me or pay special attention to me I would be quiet too.." I say laughing quietly

"On her first visit she didn't even make it into the room. She just stood in the doorway for a few minutes and then left. Then on later visits-" Emily says looking between us all before I cut her off.

"Let me guess, able to stay in the room for longer periods of time, coming more frequently.." I offer

"Well..not exactly she would read to him.. on more than one occasion she asked the nurses about his condition and they said she appeared concerned with his pain.." Emily continued. I hummed in content and glanced at Dave who had a look to him, almost as if he figured out what I was thinking it sounded like.

"Dave you look like you're thinking the same thing I am.." I say chuckling before crossing my arms over my chest

"Yeah.. it sounds almost maternal.." he says but the girls are quick to shut it down apparently his parents wanted nothing to do with him after the indictment and turns out surprise surprise.

"You mean to tell me, that Matloff was adopted?" Rossi asks in confusion.

The girls nod their head in agreement and my jaw drops open in shock at the new development.

"So there's a possibility that the woman we are looking for could be his biological mother then?" I say quietly and everyone nods. "Did we get any sort of physical description at the hospital?"

"Brunette, brown eyes, dark complexion. One nurse thought she was Hispanic and another thought she was Mediterranean..." JJ said glancing back to her notes.

"Humor me, but what about Native American? Wasn't this guy interested in that stuff years ago?" I say curiously.

"That would explain his interest in the culture.." Emily says quietly

"He's trying to get in touch with his roots.." Dave says and we all move out of his office to get some more information on his birth mother. I shoot Dr. Reid a text giving him an update on everything we just found and head back up to my office.

AARON POV

Everyone comes back inside and court resumes and I take my seat in the witness box again, only this time I'm going to be interrogated by the opposing attorney and he's been getting antsy everytime his phone vibrates on the table.

"Now, my client ran from the police, a behavior that you called a strong indicator of his guilt."

"Yes, that's correct." I answer firmly