Police in Los Angeles

Jess had already anticipated how tough the investigation would be, with various forms of non-cooperation and cold shoulders inevitable. "Do we have his recent address?" Rossi asked.

"Francis Gorin has a house outside the city. I'll send the address over shortly. Wow, he actually has a wife, but they don't live together," Garcia reported.

"Diana Gorin, living in Shelby, only a few hours' drive from Great Falls," she added.

Rossi politely thanked her, "Thank you, Garcia. When we get back, have Jack bake us some delicious pizzas."

Jack: "???"

"Notify the police to summon Francis's wife immediately. Emily and I will visit his neighbors. Reid, you'll have to go to the local police station alone," Rossi restructured the assignments, and everyone prepared to depart.

"Reid, are there any of the cupcakes I put in the fridge this morning left? I saw you put them all in your bag before we left," Jack suddenly asked.

Reid quickly clutched his satchel, looking a bit nervous. "There are two left. Emily and Jess each took one."

"Give me one, and I'll make you a pineapple pizza when we get back."

Ignoring the death glare from a certain Italian for the affront, Jack took a cupcake from Reid and called Jess over to the car.

——

When Jack and Jess arrived at a small grocery store off the highway outside the city, the husband of the fourth victim, Angela Miller, who had disappeared that morning, was there with their five- or six-year-old son, accompanied by local police.

"Angela Miller had bought a lot of things and went back to the car first. Her husband took their son Mike to the restroom. When they came out, she was gone," explained a middle-aged white officer in a cowboy hat, looking displeased.

Jack and Jess had heard on the way that the officer hit by the grenade had just died in the ICU.

Jess offered her condolences, "I'm sorry about your colleague..."

"He was a seasoned officer, worked here for 15 years," the officer replied. "But at least people here can breathe a little easier now that that animal is dead."

He removed his sunglasses and wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Of course, except for the Miller family," he added, glancing at the helpless father and son by the police car.

Jack adjusted the shape of the cupcake in his hand, trying to restore it to its original form after being slightly squished in Reid's bag. "Jess, you talk to Mr. Miller. I'll take the kid aside."

The little boy was heartbreakingly well-behaved, staying quietly by his father's side without crying or making a fuss. Jack offered him the small bribe, drawing his attention away, and led him to the shade of a nearby tree.

"Please describe what happened at that time," Jess asked the grieving father and husband.

Mr. Miller was very young, just in his early twenties. Judging by his attire, he seemed to be from an ordinary working-class family, but both he and his son were very clean and tidy, contrasting sharply with the dusty environment around them.

Instead of answering Jess's question directly, he countered with his own, "The person who took my wife, he's taken other women too, hasn't he? He's a serial killer, that's why you're here."

"No, we're here to find your wife," Jess replied honestly.

"You believe she's still alive?" The husband's expression was a mix of anxiety and hope, clearly aware of the previous cases.

Jess hesitated, unsure if she should give the family hope at this moment. "Unless we have concrete evidence otherwise, we assume she's alive and continue the investigation," she finally answered.

"That's why we called the FBI," the middle-aged officer interjected.

"I believe you've replayed the last moment you saw her over and over in your mind all morning, blaming yourself for letting this happen. We need every detail of those memories and scenes," Jess spoke softly, her words seemingly soothing his anxiety.

"Will you help me bring mom back?" Little Mike's innocent eyes looked up at Jack, his words making Jack's heart tighten as if gripped by invisible hands.

"I'll do my best," Jack replied, feeling a bit at a loss. The Miller father and son reminded him of the Lawson family he encountered early in his career, the previous owners of his current house. 

The scenes were eerily similar. Back then, he saw a family already broken, and all he could do was lend a helping hand. But now, with the Miller family, he wondered if he could stop the tragedy before it happened.

Jack felt confused. He didn't even know if Angela Miller was still alive. Although he had changed the course of events before, he hadn't watched much of the *Criminal Minds* series and had no recollection of this case, making it hard to tell if this was part of the original plot or something this world had crafted.

Is this the kind of psychological pressure the original protagonists had to endure? Jack felt a heavy weight on his heart.

After playing with Mike for a while and waiting for Jess to finish her questioning, Jack took the boy back to his father.

"Any useful information?" Jack asked as he drove Jess to the police station to meet up with Reid.

Jess shook her head, "This place is too remote. Mr. Miller didn't even see the suspect, and the grocery store's surveillance only covers the interior."

"Even if it had footage, it wouldn't be much help. We're looking for the missing victim, and the suspect is dead. Let's hope Rossi and Hotchner have better luck."

As she spoke, both of their phones rang simultaneously. Rossi and Hotchner were calling.

Rossi and Emily, who searched the suspect's house, didn't find much—just some old videotapes. Francis Gorin hadn't lived there for a long time.

However, Hotchner had an unexpected breakthrough. He didn't find much at the explosion site and went straight to the police station, where he encountered Diana Gorin, the suspect's wife, who had been summoned by the police.

Diana Gorin's appearance surprised both Hotchner and Reid. She closely resembled the missing women, including her black hair. She admitted that Francis had been abusive and sadistic, but several years ago, she had sought help from the militia and driven him out.

Diana also revealed a location: a small farm her parents left her, which Francis had forced her to hand over after they married.

"Let's check it out," Jack said, hanging up and turning the wheel, driving towards the address Hotchner had sent.

___________________

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