Running

Chapter 6

"Eleanor, you need to tell us exactly what Raymond did to you. We already have the town out searching for him, the second we know anything we'll be going after him. But you need to tell us what happened right now," Hotch states.

Slowly and uneasily I give the team a summary of my encounter with Ray. From the questions to the beating.

By the end of my speech Reid's eyes are wide and horrified as he stares at me.

"So there was no provoking his attack?" Hotch asks.

I shake my head. Which really, is only half the truth.

Thankfully, Hotch doesn't question farther. Instead we go over everything that the others have determined.

Miller walks in with the file and passes it to me silently. I motion for Hotch to continue as I briefly look through it. Just looking at the reports sends a shiver down my spine.

Every now and then I can sense Spencers gaze as Hotchner speaks, but I ignore him.

We've come up with a profile. Our suspect is in his mid twenties to thirty's. Lean build. Tall. He's somebody no one would expect, and someone nobody would be directly afraid of. He blends in easy. He also possibly has a bad experience in his childhood. Wether it be to his own rape and molestation, or a siblings, even abuse, or just the overall sense of not being wanted by his family, and he's using this chance to prove himself worthy.

Moral of the story. The suspect very possibly is not my father, although they'll still bring him in for the attack and rape on a federal agent. However, they don't yet know that Raymond Grace is my father.

The time is now 3:45pm, but Hotch sends me to the hotel to go get changed.

I exit the room, file in hand, and pass it to Miller on my way out. Although, in my attempt to get out undisturbed, I fail.

Right as I step out of the glass double doors three women begin to walk up to me. All with the same brown hair. Rachael, accompanied by my other younger sister, and mother.

I roll my eyes and swallow the lump in my throat.

"Nora..." my mom starts.

"No, Marilynn, I'm sorry, but I'm too busy to talk right now."

"Oh my god Nora," Rachael groans. "Give it up! The past is past-and what did any of us ever do to you!"

"Try what this town did to me-the people. That is what's wrong. I'm here on a case, and if I wanted to speak to you-any of you right now, I'd find you myself, or better yet, I never would've left in the first place."

"Honey, you were sixteen when you left, you weren't thinking straight-" my mom begins.

I point a finger at her. "Don't dare tell me I wasn't thinking straight-I did the best thing I could've possibly done at that time, and that was leave."

She shakes her head, but her face is dismissive. As if she doesn't even care.

Rachael scowls at me. "You know what, Seth is right! You are just a coward, and you left because you were scared. What he did to you was your fault! Because you didn't stop him!"

She's referring to our father, but to my benefit, she refrains from saying his name out loud to where others could hear.

My mouth drops open. "Oh yes, Rach, because me, a twelve year old, could get him to stop-shut up!"

I try to walk past her but she grabs my left arm, the injured one. A sharp pain rips through my entire body and a strangled scream comes out of me as I slap her hand away. An involuntary tear leaves my eye as I take a step back and cradle my arm.