Valentía (Spencer Reid Slow Burn)

What Fresh Hell?

Summary: The team learn an eleven-year-old girl was abducted twenty hours ago and statistics say that virtually all children her age die within twenty-four hours in these situations. Meanwhile this case reminds Zoe drastically of her past and childhood, more than she wants it to.

Warning: Statistics of missing preteen children, Zoe is traumatized by what happened to her 1998, Mention of a heart attack, Statistics on Metastatic cancer in the Lymph Nodes, PTSD, Pedophile UnSub, Mention/Implication of child pornography, Mention/Reference/Hint/Implication of child sexual abuse; Talk of Transposition of Great Arteries; Mention of youthful heart failure; Mention of Heart condition; Mention of surgery; Flashbacks; Description of faded scars, Zoe being violent and somehow not getting in trouble.

"The most dangerous strangers are the ones we thought we knew well."

January 7, 2006

"Missing child in Wilmington, Delaware. Eleven-year-old Billie Copeland was last seen on the playground at 4:30 yesterday afternoon." JJ told the team.

"That's twenty hours ago. Child Abduction Response Plan says we get notified immediately. What happened?" Hotch asked as Zoe stared down at the file in front of her with a distant look in her eyes.

"Well, there was reason to believe that she was with her father. Her cell phone shows a call to him at around the time of the disappearance." JJ explained.

"So, they've since ruled him out?" Gideon asked.

"He called the mother about an hour ago."

"That doesn't mean he isn't involved." Gideon said.

"He's on his way to the family home so you can talk to him there. But, the local police are now considering this a stranger abduction."

"Twenty hours late?" Morgan asked.

"Long-term stranger abductions of children Billie's age are rare. They represent only half of one percent of all missing cases per year. But they are usually more likely to be fatal. Of the children that are abducted and murdered, 44% die within the first hour. From that point forth, their odds of survival greatly decrease. 75% are gone after three hours. Virtually all of them are dead after twenty-four." Spencer said.

Zoe's thirteen stab wounds all along her torso throbbed.

"Which means we have just under four hours to find her." Alexander said.

"Shall we go?" Gideon said.

They started to gather their stuff when Gideon came up to her.

"Zoe, you can stay behind if you want?"

"Why would I do that?" She asked, sharply as everyone else filed out of the room.

"Well, this case may be a bit sensitive for you." Gideon said.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." She lied, sharply and speed-walked out of the room.

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The poet W. H. Auden wrote, "Evil is always unspectacular and always human. And shares our bed and eats at our table."

JJ, Alexander, Gideon, Elle, Spencer, and Zoe got out of the car once they were at Billie's house.

"She's been missing twenty-one hours." Spencer updated.

"We're going to go meet with the lead detective at the park where the girl was last seen." Hotch said