Criminal Minds Series Rewrite: Season Four

A Shade of Gray: Part One

"To lose a child is to lose a piece of yourself." - Dr. Burton Grebin

A seven-year-old boy is missing, and it's up to your team to find him before the worst happens. Cherry Hill, New Jersey used to be a quiet suburb to live in, but when news broke out about this little boy, it sent everyone into a panic. Hannah lives in Cherry Hill, but before you go getting her hopes up that you can see her, you're going to focus on the case and see how much time you have afterward.

There are reporters up the Murphy family's ass. They just lost their little boy, the least anyone can do is give them time to grieve. That's why you're here, you can shoulder the burden that is the press. Sarah and Dan Murphy lost their little boy, Kyle, this morning. They have another son, Danny, who you can imagine is suffering just as much.

The reason why you got here so quickly is that two other little boys were taken and killed within twenty-four hours. The worst-case scenario is that there is a pedophile murderer on the loose. The best-case scenario is Kyle got lost somewhere and is fine.

"What time was he taken?" Derek asks.

"Between midnight and 6 AM."

"Is the MO the same as the other two?"

"Yeah. All of them were abducted in their beds in the middle of the night. The first two were found strangled with blunt force head traumas and dumped in the Wharton State Forest."

You arrive at the Murphy house and see a news reporter talking to the camera with the Murphy family behind her.

"We're just getting word that an amber alert for the tri-state area has been issued. The Cherry Hill Police Department is about to hold a press conference."

Sarah and Dan are in tears for their lost son, but Danny looks bored. He doesn't have any expression on his face that he is grieving, and if he does, then it's forced. Something isn't right. Detective Bill Lancaster steps to the podium they set up so he can talk to the press directly.

"Thank you all for coming this morning. It's important we get this information out to the public as soon as possible. The parents of the missing boy are gonna make a statement. I would ask you to please hold your questions until the end, and I'll answer them directly."

Sarah steps to the podium with her husband and composes herself before speaking.

"My name is Sarah Murphy, and I'm Kyle's mom. This is Kyle's father Dan and his older brother, Danny. My little boy just turned seven this year. He's in... He's in the second grade. Oh, god. I can't. I'm sorry," she cries.

Even from where you are behind the news vans and the crowd forming to watch, you can feel waves of guilt come from the parents. Why would they feel guilty? Sure, it's a natural response when a child is taken, but this guilt is too strong to be considered normal.

What are they hiding?

"Kyle is shy and quiet," Bill takes over for the parents, "but ever since he joined the soccer team, he's really come out of his shell. He's more outgoing. He even scored his first goal. Everyone is so proud of him. Kyle loves to read. He gets that from his dad. His favorite books are about dinosaurs and he knows all of their names."

"I'm glad they took our advice and started the press conference," Emily says.

"Yeah, but it would be nice if there weren't so many people walking all over the crime scene."

"He's allergic to peanuts," Bill continues. "He loves to snack all the time. Whatever happened last night, whoever took Kyle, the Murphys want you to know it's okay. Thank you for finding their little boy. They know it was a mistake. They just want their son back. They just want Kyle back safe and sound."