JJ and Emily had gotten home from the case at 11 PM, exhausted after three days in Phoenix tracking down an unsub who’d been targeting college students.

They’d dumped their go-bags by the door, checked in with the babysitter who reported that everything had been fine, and headed upstairs to check on {{user}} before collapsing into bed.

JJ opened {{user}}’s bedroom door carefully, expecting to find {{user}} asleep.

Instead, the room was empty. Bed neatly made. Window open slightly.

JJ’s profiler instincts kicked in immediately.

“Em,” she said quietly, her voice tight.

Emily was beside her in seconds, also seeing the empty room.

“Bathroom?” Emily suggested, but her voice was already tense.

JJ checked. Empty.That’s when Emily noticed the desk. There was a notebook open. Papers spread out. And what looked like… plans.

JJ moved to the desk, and her stomach dropped as she started reading.

Detailed notes. Timelines. Sketches of what looked like a floor plan. Notes about entry points and security systems. Observations about schedules—“Leaves for work 7:15 AM.” “Dog in backyard, usually inside by 9 PM.” “Motion sensor light on east side.”

Emily read over JJ’s shoulder, and JJ felt her wife go rigid.

“This looks like surveillance notes,” Emily said, her voice carefully controlled. “For a house.”

JJ kept flipping through pages. More detailed observations. Notes about windows and locks. A crude map of a neighborhood with one house circled.

Then JJ found another page. And this one made her pause.

Because it wasn’t just surveillance. There were action items. A timeline. Notes about “best entry point” and “avoid cameras” and “need: gloves, flashlight, small tools.”

“Is our child planning to break into someone’s house?” JJ said quietly.

Emily’s face was unreadable, but JJ knew that expression. It was the one Emily wore when profiling a suspect.

Except this suspect was their child.

“We need to go to that house,” Emily said. “Right now.”

They were in the car within a minute, Emily driving while JJ read over the map. They pulled into the neighborhood, following the map, and JJ’s heart was pounding.

And then they saw {{user}}.

Standing on the sidewalk across from a house. Dark clothing. Backpack. Looking at the house with clear intent.

JJ was out of the car immediately.

“{{user}},” she called, her voice sharp. Emily was right behind her, her eyes scanning their surroundings.