[Criminal Minds] years before love

"Hello, James Payne, Director." Hotch looked at the well-behaved people in the interrogation room with somewhat complicated eyes.

"You are?" The other party looked up at him, leaning forward slightly with his arms on the table.

"FBI, Aaron Hotchner." Hotch looked at him across the long table.

Payne was silent for a moment, "Should I call a lawyer?"

"Of course you have that right." Hotch glanced at him, "but I suggest we don't have to put up barriers for each other."

"Sounds familiar." Payne smiled mockingly, looking down at the table, "but I have nothing to say, I killed my son, that's all."

"Payne, we know some things, and would like you to tell me some others." Hotch was noncommittal, pushing George Bassand's photo over, "If you insist that you murdered your son, then I think you could tell me who it was too. "

Payne froze in confusion, "I'm afraid I can't tell you, I'm pretty sure I haven't seen him."

"And this one?" Hotch went on to put the calendar on it.

"I have absolutely no idea what you're trying to do, Agent." Payne looked at him suspiciously.

"Doesn't it look familiar?" Hotch slowly moved over the photo of his son's death scene, and in the textbook in the corner, he circled the calendar on purpose.

"What is this!" Payne reached for the photo, staring at the red circle.

"You tell me." Hotch easily pulled the photo out of his hand. "Payne, it doesn't look like you want to know the truth, I can only assume you already know it."

"What the hell is going on here?" Payne looked at the other crime scene left on the table, then at Hotch.

"Payne, we both know you didn't murder your son." Hotch stared at him, slowing down his speech, "So, you want to protect whoever killed him?"

"I did kill him," Payne murmured. "I know I killed him."

"Payne, the laboratory has re-examined the evidence. Based on the analysis of traces of gunpowder, fingerprints on the gun, blood distribution, pharmacology and toxicology, and time of death, etc., their final conclusion is that your son committed suicide." Hotch leaned down and pulled closer The distance between the two, "No matter what you say, this is unquestionable. And you are completely obstructing justice now."

Payne gave a wry smile, "Agent Hotchner, do you have any children?"

"No." Hotch answered him.

"So you won't understand." Payne sighed a long time. "That's my son. I always thought he was a...happy kid despite his disobedience. When I got there, you know what I saw, blood , pills all over the floor, booze...like, like I never knew him. I knew what killed him, whoever ended up doing it."

Hotch narrowed his eyes and grabbed him, "Why did you rush over?"

"He left me a note saying he loves me. It's not right, I know my son, he doesn't love me, he hates me." Payne buried his head in his hands, "He doesn't call back. I tracked down His car... if I go any faster it's all my fault. You can never imagine..."

"Maybe." Hotch said softly, hesitating for a moment, then patted him anyway, "but maybe I can understand your son."

"That's impossible." Payne wiped away tears, "Agent, are you trying to tell me that you have... fallen to this point? We all know how strict the FBI's qualification review is."

"Of course not." Hotch handed over a tissue, knowing full well that he didn't end up in a worse place because of a bad accident.

"So, how can you understand him?"

"Payne, that's the effect, not the cause. I'm not going to deny that what you did played a part in getting your son to end up on this path, but it wasn't murder. I'm more concerned now. , without this, he might not have died." Hotch pushed the calendar forward again, "Payne, help us find out where this came from, find out who pushed your son over the edge of the abyss or organize."

Payne was silent for a moment, "I'm still a suspect in custody, what can I do."

"Oh, the prosecutor decided not to prosecute you for obstruction of justice considering the actual situation. You are free." Hotch paused and asked suddenly, "Can I ask why you didn't confess this to Agent Rossi?"

"David?" Payne was still in a daze, and looked up at him. "My son is dead, the matter is over, why should I bring David to investigate this kind of - I thought at the time - other than tell him that we are actually Going through a messy case that doesn't make any sense?"