Eros

Chapter 11- Ties That Bind

Uncle Mike sat in the interrogation room, his face red with anger as Agent Morgan and Rossi sat across from him, asking him questions about the earlier night and the town's past murders. He huffed in defense and countered their every question and accusation.

Ever since Lynn's father passed, Uncle Mike had stepped up in her life, becoming another father figure to her. He wasn't even her real uncle- he had been a close family friend that she called uncle since being a child.

Pictures of the earlier night flashed in her head. Mike couldn't have done this. He was too kind of a man- too happy, all the time she saw him.

"I can't believe you're following this line of questioning," Lynn turned to Agent Hotchner who stood by her side, the both of them watching the interrogation unfold.

"I'm sorry Lynn," he looked into her eyes, sorry, but determined, "he fits our profile. He has a strong connection with you, he's an avid hunting buff, and has stayed in the town for the whole duration of the murders. He has no alibi for last night either. He knew your friend group-"

"And so did many other people in my life. My teachers, my employers- do you think anyone of those people is the unsub?" She placed her hands on her hips.

"I know my Uncle Mike, Hotch-"

"See, he's not even related to you. He's inserted himself into your life, and maybe he had an obsession with his sister and it transferred to you."

"I was barely born before Harriet died. How would that work? We should be investigating Harriet's life, now that we know who she was-"

"And we will after we rule out Mike as a suspect. I know it's hard Lynn, but we can't rule someone out just based on feeling alone. You're too close to this."

She turned her head, her eyes sharp despite the weariness in her face.

"I know Agent."

She looked back at Mike and the two agents in the other room, and he noticed her shoulders slouch.

He stepped closer, tempted to place his hand on her shoulder, but merely stood at her side.

"You need to rest Lynn. After the ordeal you went through last night- please, trust us. You need a break from this, why don't you find Paul or Kevin?"

She side-glanced at him questioningly, surprised to hear Kevin's name on the Agent's lips, but sighed in defeat.

Lynn started towards the door, but stopped and turned back to him.

What would she say? The way she looked at him, it was almost as if she wanted him to come with her... but she shook her head, not realizing the feeling herself.

"I know it's not him. I know."

With that, she exited the room, leaving Agent Hotchner to take another look at their new and only suspect so far, unable to shake off the feelings of doubt she had created within him.

They had no hard evidence. He had no alibi for the earlier night, other than being at home alone. But the red cheeks, the sweat on the older man's brow- Mike Gorslow may have not murdered that night, but he was hiding something, something that made him sweat and impatient in his seat.

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Lynn sat back down into her office chair, the case files and paper from the earlier week cluttered about her desk, unimportant artifacts from a whole other time. So much has happened since the bodies were uncovered. If those college kids had never found the bodies, maybe Susan and John would still be alive. Maybe the unsub wouldn't have had the sudden need to destroy lives again- or maybe the unsub would have found a way to start the whole thing up again, or kill Lynn and Kevin and the other couple more quietly. No FBI agents around to investigate and interfere. No Agent Hotchner and his incredibly dark eyes.