so this chapter isnt as grusome as the last one, but te story is moving nicely along and not causing me much difficulties to write. sorry about colin though. i know he was cool and maggie was a sweetie, but this story isnt exactly a happy little fairy tale where all the characters will live happily ever after. its dark, and i wouldnt wanna run n2 any of my unsubs in a dark alley somewhere. they enjoy what they do, and they will continue doing it till they get caught so enjoy!
Reid kept fading in and out of consciousness. He couldn't tell dreams from reality, but both of them seemed equally terrifying. When he did give into the darkness, his mind filled with images of Morgan screaming out from whip lashes and of Markus staring in silence while Reid suffered through unbearable agony. He would never forget Markus' cold eyes, but all of that seemed tame compared to Harold promising Reid that he was going to keep him forever. Harold was waiting for him at every corner of the nightmare, and no matter how hard Reid tried, he couldn't get away. The team had to be looking for him so he couldn't give up, but he didn't know how much longer his mind would last. He had been through so much therapy, and he was proud of how much progress he made. Talking to someone really did help, but now, there was no one to really talk to. The brothers couldn't help, but they needed him. That was reason enough to open his eyes and leave the world of dreams behind.
"Prentiss…" He heard himself saying. She was probably back by now, and Reid so wanted to hear a familiar voice. "Prentiss."
"She isn't back yet," Aedan said quietly. "Are you awake?"
"Yeah," Reid said. His eyes weren't quite open yet, but the throbbing pain coming from his hand was enough to keep him from falling asleep. "Why?"
"You were calling out names when you were out of it," Aedan said. "I don't remember most of them, but you wanted Prentiss and Morgan the most. I thought you were getting delirious. How is your hand feeling?"
Reid cracked his eyes open slowly, and let them get adjusted to the darkness. He missed the light that was left on most of the night, but it was gone along with that terrible music. If he never listened to classical again, he would be perfectly okay with that, but something about the silence was unnerving. Reid was afraid to find out why. His eyes adjusted, and one of the first things he saw was Colin sprawled out on the floor only inches away from Reid and Aedan. Blood was all over his neck, and was covering most of his shoulders. The cause of death was clear. The loss of blood killed this young man quickly, but that wasn't any comfort to his younger brother.
"Oh Aedan," Reid said. "I'm so sorry." Samantha was already dead by the time Morgan and Reid got to Harold's manor the first time, and Susan was never killed there. Reid hadn't once known a victim of Harold, and it was tearing at his heart. Colin was only a kid. He didn't deserve this, and Reid couldn't shake off the feeling that all of this was his fault.
"He wanted to be a police officer like Hugh," Aedan said. "I mean, whenever he could take one of us on some assignment with him, he would always choose Colin. Hugh thought Colin had a knack at it or something. He was just telling me like a week ago than when he got married and had a baby, he hoped it would be a girl. We didn't have any sisters. I mean, he didn't even have a steady girlfriend yet and he was already thinking about babies."
"How long ago did it happen?" Reid asked.
"Few hours I think," Aedan said. "Jack came back down and moved you to the wall, but he didn't say anything to me. He didn't even try to cover Colin up." Aedan was sniffling, and Reid wanted to tell him to try to conserve his energy, but the boy needed this.
"I'm really sorry," Reid said again. He was finding himself at a loss of words. He was devastated at Colin's death. He was getting close to the boy, and he was already gone. It was hard not to think about the terror and fear that Colin felt in his final moments.
"He was just protecting me," Aedan said. "That fat ass was over by me when Colin jumped him. He saved me. He saved my life, and I didn't even get the chance to say goodbye. Oh my God, Colin." The teenager burst out in tears, and all Reid could do was watch. He couldn't even offer the kid a shoulder to cry on. "Where are they going to take him?"
"What?" Reid asked.
"Take him. Fat ass said they were going to take him somewhere. Are they going to leave him in a field somewhere or dump him in the trash like he is garbage? Are they going to throw my brother away like trash?" Aedan's body was trembling, and he was stretching out the fingers that weren't broken like he was reaching out for his brother.
"They won't," Reid said quickly, but without much conviction. "Harold always dropped people off in front of their homes or where they worked. That was part of his signature."
"Colin hated where he worked," Aedan said. "He got a job at the bowling alley cause he thought it would be a good way to meet girls. Didn't really work out how he thought. Most girls that came already had boyfriends or they were with a large group and he was too chicken to approach them. He always thought that I was better at it. I was saving up to get him a better stereo for his car. He didn't think his was loud enough, and I was going to have just enough money to get him that for Christmas. He would have loved it."
"Your uncle will find him," Reid said. He wished more than anything that somebody would move Colin's body. No matter how hard Reid tried, his gaze kept returning to the body. The cold in the basement was slowing down the original stages of decomposition, but there was something about dead bodies that gave Reid shivers down his back.
"Isn't there a whole bunch of stories about people thinking other people were dead and they weren't really dead and then like during the burial the people woke up?" Aedan asked.
"That was more common in the Victorian ages," Reid said slowly. He knew how hopeful Aedan had to be that his brother wasn't really dead. Colin could just be pretending or in a coma or something and wake back up, but that wasn't going to happen. Colin really was gone.
"I just-I don't know," Aedan said. "I don't know. He can't be dead. He was just here. Oh, Colin… Please come back. Please." Aedan leaned his head against his own shoulder to try to conceal his tears. "I'm so sorry Colin. I'm so sorry."
Nothing Reid could say would take away his pain or bring Colin back so he just sat quietly, and tried not to think about Colin or what Harold was planning for him. He was worried about Prentiss. She should have been back by now. Chris left her alone when Harold called him so maybe that was enough time for her to get to a phone or maybe she even got out. That could be why Harold never came back down. She knew where they were, and she was going to be able to bring back help. Reid, Maggie, and Aedan were all going to get rescued.
"Please kill that monster," Aedan said. "Please kill that thing that murdered my brother. I'll kill him myself if he unties me for long enough."
"We need to concentrate on one thing at a time," Reid said patiently. "We need to"
His thoughts were cut off when the basement door opened. Reid stopped talking, and held his breath as Harold casually strolled down the stairs. Reid's arms were aching from being held up for so long, his fingers felt like they were on fire after the nails were so terribly torn off, and he was trying as hard as he could to ignore the constant pain coming from the whip lashes. He couldn't deal with Harold right then. He just couldn't.
"Concentrate on what?" Harold asked.
Reid shot a warning look at Aedan, but he didn't need to. Aedan was already keeping himself quiet against the wall. His knees were up by his chest, but tears were still falling down his cheeks. He couldn't hide his sorrow. Harold's black hair was slicked back, and he showered his body in some kind of cologne that Reid could barely stand. Harold was wearing dress shoes that looked too big for him, dress pants, and a green sweater with a Christmas tree on it. He looked like he was in a better mood than he was earlier, and he was proudly holding a stereo in his hands. He plugged it into the wall, replaced the cd, and turned the classical music back on.
"Isn't this perfect? Little Andy found it when he was playing around in the attic," Harold said smiling. "I'm so happy I let the little man play up there. How have my boys been? I was thinking that later today…" Harold stopped talking and stared. He finally noticed Colin's lifeless body on the floor. Harold shot a closed mouth smile at Reid, and stepped forward. He got on his knees, and pulled the body towards him. "Oh dear, what happened here?"
No one answered him. Reid heard Aedan breathing through his mouth, but Aedan stayed quiet.
"Looks like we have lost one of our guests already…What a shame." Harold pulled the body closer towards him, and rubbed his hand over the gash in the neck. "How long did it take for him to die? Less than a minute, right?"
Once again, nobody said anything. Aedan was squeezing his good hand into a fist, but he knew better than to pick a fight with Harold. Reid remembered hearing about how Harold didn't have any problem biting into his former servant. By the time the team got there, Harold was actually eating part of Markus and with the way Harold was cradling Colin, Reid was afraid that he was going to have to witness cannibalism himself.
"The human body really is curious, isn't it?" Harold asked them. He took his hand away from Colin's throat, and used it to open Colin's mouth. Harold didn't hesitate to put his hand inside, and he actually pulled Colin's tongue out as far as it would go. "Just a few hours this pile of meat had hopes and dreams, and now look at it. It's nothing. I'm sure I can feed it to the dog, and she would eat most of it. Don't you think?"
"Leave him alone!" Aedan shouted out.
"Can you really refer to this as a him?" Harold asked. "I mean, he does have the correct anatomy down there, but he can't use any of it. The rest of it is very similar to a dead animal."
"Get your hands off him," Aedan said more calmly. He was still tugging at his chains, but he knew it wasn't any good by that point. "Please. If you want to touch someone, touch me."
Harold stood up, and let Colin fall out of his lap. The body landed with a loud thump of the floor, but it was hard to even look in that direction with Harold walking towards them. Reid instinctively brought his legs over to Aedan to help cover the teenager up a little. He couldn't do much, but he was going to do what he could to keep Aedan safe.
"The same blood that once kept your brother alive is currently keeping you alive," Harold said. His eyes were glowing with delight, and Reid was finding it hard to keep his breathing under control. "If I cut you open right now, you would bleed just like your brother."
"If I cut you open right now, you would bleed too," Aedan snapped back.
"Touché," Harold leaning in close enough for Reid to smell his breath. "But what fun would it be to see you squirm like a fish out of water. Looks like you are a little bit bigger than he was. Do you think you would last longer if you were cut?"
Harold reached out to stroke Aedan's cheek. Reid's heart was pounding in his chest, and as much as he hated to draw attention to himself, he didn't see another choice. He moved his feet against Aedan's leg which caused Harold to back up. Harold looked over at Reid with a hunger in his dark eyes. Reid felt his ptsd symptoms start to come back. It was impossible to hold them in much longer, and the more Harold stared at him, the more his body trembled.
"You do have the prettiest eyes Doctor Spencer Reid," Harold said never breaking the eye contact. He put his hand on Reid's knee, but Reid pulled his leg away. Harold looked shocked that Reid would even try that, and he abruptly stood up. "No matter. What did I come down here to say? Oh yes…Christmas is coming up. It's always been one of my favorite holidays, and I thought it would be terribly rude not to ask my guests what they would like. I saw this morning that my mother is already sending out coded messages with the local paper so now that my finances are coming back, nothing is off limits. What would you boys like?"
Aedan body's felt less tense against Reid's legs until Harold walked back other to his brother.
"Don't put him in a trash can," Aedan said quietly. He looked down when he said it, and Reid's heart dropped for the kid.
"Are you serious?" Harold asked.
"Please. Put him somewhere that my uncle can find him. Just don't throw him away like he is trash," Aedan said. Tears were falling down his face again, but he didn't try to hide them.
"What is your wish Spencer Reid?" Harold asked. He grabbed the handcuffs that Colin was still wearing, and pulled them close to his body.
"Get back to me on that," Reid said. Reid brought his legs back to his side when he was confident that Harold wasn't going to touch them.
"I probably won't be back down tonight," Harold said. "Andy wanted me to watch some of those cartoon Christmas films like Rudolph. I haven't seen them in many years so I will admit that I am looking forward to that experience. I will have to tell you all about it in the morning, and by then, you must have your Christmas idea ready."
Harold dragged Colin's body back over to Reid and Aedan, and put Colin in front of himself so they could see clearly. Reid could only look for a second. He was part of the reason that Colin was dead. If Reid had the strength to get rid of Harold the first time around, none of them would be there. Aedan would have failed that test and Colin would be working in that bowling alley.
"Get a good look at him boys," Harold said. "It will be the last time either one of you will ever see poor old Colin again. When they do find him, they are going to cut him open for the autopsy. I've never been to one, but what an experience that must be."
Aedan was doing his very best to ignore what Harold was telling them. "I love you Colin," he whispered. "You will always be my brother." He tried reaching out for his brother only to be reminded that he was still chained up like a dog. He took a deep breath as teardrops fell from his brown eyes. Harold seemed to enjoy every second of Aedan's pain, and started humming Rudolph's famous Christmas song as he dragged Colin's body up the stairs. Just as he reached the top, he turned around.
"Oh, almost forgot. Our cook has tragically gone to meet her maker early today," Harold told them. "It wasn't by my hand. She was a better cook than either one of the gentlemen living with me, but I found her deceased in the kitchen so unless I find a replacement, it might be a while before you see any more glasses of water."
"Maggie is dead?" Reid asked.
"Unless you know how to successfully remove a bullet from someone's head and patch up the damaged brain?" Harold asked. "If you do, I can have her brought to your care immediately."
It was hard to believe that Maggie was dead. The sweet woman was probably killed right before or after Colin was. Her family was going to have a horrible Christmas that year. Reid wanted to ask who killed her, but he held his tongue. It wasn't Harold so that left Chris or Jack. Reid was so worried about Prentiss though. Jack took her hours away, and he didn't mention her when he tied Reid back up to the wall, but Harold would have told them if she was dead.
"Don't you fret my beautiful friend," Harold said smiling. "Our time together will come soon enough. I'm thinking tomorrow will be a perfect day for us to get reacquainted. Don't you agree?"
"Harold, this is between me and you," Reid said. Reid didn't know what he was doing, but if he could stop all of this right now, he was going to. "It doesn't involve Aedan, Maggie, Colin, or even your friends upstairs. Just me and you. Let Aedan go."
"I'll see you tomorrow Spencer Reid," Harold said licking his tongue across his lips. "Please know what you would like for Christmas by then. Come on now Colin." Harold turned off the lights as he left the basement with Colin leaving Reid alone with the still crying teen. It was going to be a long night for both of them.
Prentiss kept an eye on the clock on the wall, but she felt like she was checking it every 5 minutes. Jack tied her to the bed just a few minutes after she got there, and time passed slowly as all he wanted to do was read a book he found in the nightstand. Every time she tried to speak up, he threw something at her head so she learned to keep quiet. She knew how narrowly she escaped rape from that fat slob, but she kept wondering if she would be back in the basement if she never left Chris. What was happening with Reid and the brothers? She wanted to be with Reid when Harold went back down there. Reid needed her, and she was sure she could do something to help calm his nerves. It was late when Jack finally left the room, but he didn't do so on his own accord. Harold was calling him, and it sounded urgent from the sound of his voice. It was probably about killing that poor woman, and Prentiss used the time alone to try and find a way to weasel out of the chains holding her. She twisted her wrists and hands every which way, but all that accomplished was small cuts and bruises around the cuffs. She pushed her feet underneath the bed. If she was lucky, she was going to find something that she could defend herself with. At first, all she could feel against her legs was dust and old magazines. It was disgusting, but it didn't take long for something cold to touch her bare feet. She got a firm grip of it with her toes, and pulled it back in her direction. She found a very small silver knife. It wasn't going to hurt anyone. The blade was dull, but she was sure that if she stabbed Jack in the shoulder, that could bring him down enough for her to get the gun.
She kept the weapon hid behind her, but the hours kept passing and Jack didn't come back. Was he in the basement with Reid? Where else would he be? Jack would only be with Prentiss or helping Harold with the others, but what were they doing? What could be taking this long? Bad scenarios kept running through her mind, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. Did Harold need help because he was planning on killing Reid and brothers? Were they already dead and they were trying to find the easiest way to dispose of the bodies? Once those images were in her head, she couldn't get them out. Reid couldn't be dead. He couldn't.
Jack didn't get back to the room until after midnight. There wasn't blood on his clothes, and he didn't look all sweaty like he was lugging bodies around. He didn't even acknowledge her after being gone for so long. He found the book where he left it, opened it up, and plopped back on the bed to continue reading. Harold would have loved to tell her what he was up to, but not this guy. Prentiss was still having a difficult time figuring him out, but she didn't have much of a choice if she wanted to save her friend.
"So where did you go?" Prentiss asked cautiously. She tried turning around to see him, but she didn't have that much freedom.
"Why are you hiding a toy knife thing behind your back?" Jack asked without looking up from the book. He flipped the page, and fell back further into the pillow.
Prentiss didn't let go of the weapon. It wasn't going to be a surprise anymore, but she could still use it. "Is Reid alright?"
"Is he your boyfriend or something?" Jack asked.
"He's more like a brother. Can I see him?" Prentiss asked. Jack could tell her anything he wanted her to hear. The only way to prove that he was still alive was to let her see him.
"He's fine."
"Then let me see him," Prentiss argued.
Jack put the stupid book down, and swung his legs off the bed. He was wearing black boots with what looked like snow on them. His jeans were dirty, but he didn't seem to care. He strolled over to her with his hands in his pockets, and studied every inch of her with his raptor eyes.
"What would I get out of it?" Jack finally asked her. "I don't do something for nothing, and a favor like that isn't going to come cheap."
"Whatever you want," Prentiss said without a second thought. She really would give anything she had to bring the boy genius back to comfort and safety of the team. Seeing him again wasn't exactly saving him, but it would give her the strength to keep fighting. She was going to get all of them out that hell hole.
He unhooked her from the bed, and pulled her right against his body so his mouth was against her ear. "Five minutes."
"Time me," Prentiss answered.
Jack opened the door, and guided her down the flight of stairs. They passed Chris' room, and her captor unlocked the basement door. At first, Prentiss couldn't see anything. Jack held onto her so she wouldn't trip on her way down, and he did turn on the light when they reached the bottom. The boys were all so quiet so Prentiss was afraid that they really were dead and that this was some sick joke set into action by Jack, but they were still there. Aedan and Reid were still sitting side by side against the hard wall with their arms raised above their heads. She didn't wait for permission from Jack. Prentiss ran over to Reid, and saw dried blood all over his left hand. She bent closer, and saw that every single nail from that hand was missing. She had never seen anything like that before. It was hard to believe her eyes, but her attention was drawn back the trembling body of her friend. It was much colder down there than it was upstairs, and she couldn't tell Reid was shaking from the cold or from fear.
"Oh my God, Reid," Prentiss said. She wanted to put her hands around him and hug him tight, but she couldn't. Her arms were still handcuffed, but she was able to put her face on his shoulder. His skin felt warm against hers, and she heard her friend crying softly.
"I thought you got out of here," Reid told her. "I really was hoping."
"What happened to you?" Prentiss asked. "Your hand…When did that happen? Did Harold do anything else?"
"Colin is dead," Aedan whispered.
Prentiss didn't even think to look around at the other wall, but when she did, Colin wasn't there anymore. There was blood on the floor near where she was sitting, but she thought it came from Reid's hand, but that didn't make much sense the more she thought about it. There was too much blood. The blood had to have come from Colin.
"What about your hand?" Prentiss asked.
"It doesn't even hurt," Reid said. "You need to get out of here Emily. Please. I know you can find a way out. You can get the team here." She wanted to tell him that she probably had less of a chance of getting out than Reid did. Jack kept her tied up most of the day, and even now, she could see his shadow standing near the table. He wasn't going to give her any kind of chance of leaving, and she was nervous thinking about what he had planned for her.
"They are probably already on their way," Prentiss said as quietly as she could to Reid. "The lady who owned this house is dead, and Harold is going to want to get rid of her body. Where is he going to leave her? She lived here, and even if she did have a job, Hotch is going to figure out who she is and that will lead them right here. The team will be here soon."
Reid's mouth dropped open and he stared at her with such hope in his eyes.
"Hold on," Prentiss said. "I'm pretty sure Hotch is going to shoot Harold in the head the second he sees him. You just need to hang on." She felt like she was lying to him, but she had to say something to keep him awake. She had no idea what Harold was going to do with that woman's body. He wasn't stupid, but maybe he would leave the body to the care of Chris. That guy would be the kind of person to leave Maggie's body outside for the world to see.
"Just got about a minute left," Jack called out to her. "Don't you want to say anything to the kid or do you care what happens to him?"
Prentiss didn't want to take her eyes off of Reid. She was so afraid that when she did, she would never see him again, but she did care about Aedan. She didn't know him that well, but she didn't want anything else to happen to the poor kid. When she looked at him, all she could see was a scared little boy trying his very best to act brave and strong. His eyes were red from crying, and in a way, he was more alone than Reid was. Reid knew that Prentiss was never going to leave him. Aedan's brother was obviously killed in front of him. His uncle was trying to find them, but the only friendly face he had anymore was an agent that he just met.
"Oh Aedan," she said scooting towards him. "I'm so sorry about Colin."
"At least he is away from here," Aedan said. "They can't hurt him anymore."
"No, they can't," Prentiss said. She could just see the kid's broken fingers, and the marks on his body were almost identical to the ones that Reid had.
She leaned in to offer him the same awkward hug that she had with Reid, and to her surprise, Aedan accepted it. He pulled as far as he could, and dug his face in her shoulder. She wanted to pat him back and assure him that everything was going to be alright, but she couldn't. She wished to God that her hands were free, but Aedan didn't seem to mind. He was crying feely on her shoulder, and he was shaking almost as badly as Reid was. Hell was too good of a place for the people doing this to Reid and Aedan. They were suffering so badly, and there wasn't one damn thing she could do to stop it.
"I'm sure your uncle will be there when they find us," Prentiss whispered. He nodded his head in agreement, but he didn't say anything. She could have kept hugging the boy, but she knew very well that her time was up. She reluctantly broke the hug, and Aedan went right back to the fetal position she found him in. He stopped crying, but despair was written all over his face.
"I'll be back when I can," she told Reid. She wanted to tell him to look after Aedan, but he couldn't even look after himself. If she was down there, she would go out of her way to keep them both safe, but she couldn't. Jack was already pulling her to her feet before she could get another word out.
"Good night boys," Jack said. He turned off the light when they got by the staircase, and Prentiss thought it was a miracle that she was able to make it up without falling over. She kept tripping over her feet, but Jack made sure she didn't fall. He opened the door for her, and tried pushing her out but she held her ground.
"Can you leave a light on for them?" Prentiss asked when she saw the second light switch at the top of the stairs. "Please. Reid doesn't like the dark."
"That wasn't part of the deal," Jack said pushing her out with more force.
He slammed the door behind them, and locked it back up leaving Reid and Aedan, once again, alone in the dark. He guided her back to his room at the end of the hallway, and tied her back to the edge of his bed. He didn't say one word during this entire process which scared her, but she was still more concerned about Reid and Aedan. They were literally living in a nightmare where monsters really did lurk in the dark. She didn't see where they put Maggie's body when they were down there. It was no longer in the kitchen so they moved it, but she couldn't figure out where to. They might be keeping it in storage or something like they were doing with Colin's body. She did want to know where they hid poor Colin. She wasn't eager to see the body or find out how the poor kid was brutally murdered, but he deserved a proper burial.
Jack came back in the room about 10 minutes later with rope for her feet. He got on his knees, and tied her legs tightly together. She was expecting some vicious attack so this came as a surprise. She still had her pants on, and Jack didn't once try to touch her sexually. He untied her from the bed, and pushed her out in the hallway and directed her towards the bathroom next to the bedroom. The light was already on, and Prentiss could hear water running. The room itself was small with the bathtub being directly next to the toilet. Cream colored tiles decorated the sink, and pretty seashells were along the rim of the mirror. The bath didn't have any kind of curtain to keep the water from splashing out, but there was a pink rug to step out on.
He stuck one of his fingers in the filling tub water, and smiled to himself. He took a firm hold of her shoulders, and forced her into the tub. The cold hit her at once with a stinging sensation over her toes. He pushed her into a sitting position, and chained her to the bar that was used to help people from slipping when they were taking a shower. The water rushed around her, and it didn't take long for her pants to become completely soaked, but he didn't turn the water off. He let the water rise higher and higher until it was covering most of her waist. When he did turn it off, he grabbed one of the buckets near the sink, and dumped a whole bunch of ice. The water splashed her in the face, and the ice cubes gathered around her body. Her wet clothes were making her colder, and she was trying as hard as she could to keep her hair from getting wet.
"Cold?" he finally asked.
"No," she lied. He shrugged, and got the second bucket of ice from the counter. He poured it right over her head, and she bit her lip as the ice and water soaked her face.
"This is going to be your bed tonight," he said smiling again. "It's supposed to get below freezing outside so this is such a brilliant idea, right? It's almost like you're sleeping out there."
Her body would adjust, and the ice would eventually melt so this was still nothing compared to what Reid was going through. She would take this punishment again and again if Jack kept letting her talk to the guys in the basement.
"I'll check on you every few hours," Jack continued. "Gotta keep replacing the ice and making sure the water is still cold and stuff. I don't much like sleeping anyways."
"When did you start killing?" Prentiss asked. She was sure that Garcia already knew that information, but it wasn't going to be much help to the case unless they found the final victim that got away. She might know something about Jack that the team didn't. Jack sat down on the toilet next to her, and looked her right in the eye.
"It was right before I finished high school," Jack said. "I was probably about the same age as that kid downstairs. I had this crush on this one girl like all year long. We went to the same schools since like 5th grade, but she never talked to me. Not once. I kept trying to talk to her, and she would always brush me aside. Every damned time. I knew that she would fall in love with me if she gave me a chance. We were perfect for each other."
"Did she already have a boyfriend?" Prentiss asked.
"She was talking to this one guy. A jock. He was an asshole, but they went everywhere together. I finally asked her prom that year. She said no of course, but when she took the bus home, I followed her. She got off the bus, and then I got off the bus. I'm sure it doesn't take a profiler to figure out what I did to her, and you know what? I think she liked it. I think she liked every second of it until she stopped breathing. I took her clothes when she was dead, and dumped her in some trash can in the alley. It took a long time for the cops to finally find her. That jock was taken in and questioned, but they eventually let him go. They never wanted to talk to me though. I couldn't be a murderer. I was a favorite of my teachers, and I was voted most likely to win an Oscar or something. I couldn't be the guy who killed perfect little Mary Sue."
"Why did you keep killing after her?" Prentiss asked. The water around her wasn't starting to warm up at all. She was freezing, and it was impossible for her to keep her teeth from chattering in her mouth.
"Don't know," he said standing up. "Liked it obviously. And I thought, I could have any girl I wanted. Didn't matter if she said no or yes. She would be mine if I wanted her bad enough, and it worked. Dear old grandma never questioned why I wouldn't date all these pretty girls more than once. She was concerned when she finally found all the girl clothes in my closet, but I just told her they were gifts or I was storing stuff for one of my girlfriends and she left it at that. Granny never once thought her beloved grandson was capable something like murder. Well, I'll be back pretty soon. Goin try to finish that book. I like reading."
He turned to leave when Prentiss spoke up. She didn't have any other interest in his victims or how he could concentrate on a book when he was holding two federal agents captive.
"Where do you go when you left me earlier? You were gone a long time," Prentiss said quickly.
He stopped in the doorway.
"Remember how they were telling you that Colin died?" Jack asked her.
"Yes."
"I didn't kill him or anything," Jack said. "Don't care if you believe me or not, but I'm not the kind of guy to hide my kills. Harold just called me down, and had me get rid of the body. You wanna know what his own request was?"
"What?" Prentiss asked.
"I could put the body anywhere I wanted, not just in a trashcan. Weird, right? Almost did anyways, but changed my mind. Dumped him by some hotel or something. Wasn't doing it cause I liked the kid or anything. I'll be back soon."
Jack turned off the light, and shut the door behind him. Sitting in a freezing tub in a strange house in the dark was unnerving. The ice wasn't melting fast, and it seemed like whenever she moved, she just got more of her clothing wet. It clung to her body, and she brought her legs closer to her the same way Aedan and Reid were sitting. She really hoped that she was right about Maggie. It didn't matter where they left her body. The team would find her, discover who she was, and go looking for her. They were going to get rescued soon.
Hotch didn't know what time he fell asleep, but it wasn't too long after lying down. He was exhausted both mentally and physically. They were trying everything they could, and they still weren't finding any clues on the whereabouts of Reid and Prentiss. He kept reminding himself that they were together, but Reid was with Morgan when he was first abducted and he still almost died. It was his second night at Harold's new residence, and Hotch couldn't shake the feeling that the youngest member of his team already suffered through another rape. That was all Harold really wanted Reid for. Reid proved himself time and time again, but there was only so much a person could take. Hotch was willing to work all day long to bring Reid home, but he was still human and he still needed sleep. He wasn't back in the hotel room until after 1am. He took off his tie and his jacket and collapsed on the bed with his shoes still on.
He was in a deep sleep when his vibrating phone woke him up just after 4am. He didn't want to answer it. He still wanted to sleep, but he could do that after his friends were found and Harold was dead. He rolled over and found his phone on the nightstand. He answered it on the second ring when he saw it was the sheriff.
"Morning," Wilson said. "Sorry to wake you."
"What is it?" Hotch asked. He sat up in his bed, and reached over for his tie.
"Just got a call. Might be a lead. Lady says there is someone sleeping out by her door, and he isn't moving. It's a cold morning so we probably should check it out. Already told her to keep her doors locked." The sheriff sounded nervous. Hotch thought it would be weird if this was really one of the fugitives. They would have no reason to sleep outside.
"Is it a residence?" Hotch asked. He put a jacket over his coat and was checking his reflection in the mirror.
"It's a business, just a small one. Mom and Pop hotel just a block from here. I'll meet you outside. We should leave now before people start waking up," Wilson said. He hung up before Hotch had time to answer.
Hotch put his phone in his jacket, and when he left the hotel room, he found Rossi already waiting for him in the hallway.
"Thin walls," Rossi explained. "What's going on?"
"Sheriff says somebody called about some guy sleeping outside her hotel," Hotch said. "It's scaring her and the sheriff thinks it might be connected to the case."
They walked out together, and Hotch zipped his jacket up to his neck when the cold air hit him outside. It was snowing lightly in that early morning in December, and Hotch predicted they were in for a hard winter. The sheriff was waiting by the lamp post, and indicated for them to follow him. They walked in silence. Wilson was probably afraid of waking up people who lived nearby, and Hotch was trying as hard as he could to stay awake without coffee. Rossi kept his hands in his pockets as they kept up with the sheriff, and Hotch was thinking about going back to grab his hat. He wasn't prepared for the cold. He had a lot of things going on his mind, but the weather obviously wasn't one of them.
The trio had only been walking a few minutes when they all came to a complete stop. They didn't need Wilson to tell them they reached their destination. The hotel was on the corner of Maple Street, and had a large sign welcoming visitors inside from the cold, but the blinking sign had been turned off. The only light they had to see with was coming from the street light, and that wasn't offering them a very good view. The red brick building was more narrow than wide, and had a tiny staircase leading up to the entryway. Hotch took a step closer, and saw what the caller was complaining about, but it wasn't exactly a man. It was just a boy. The wavy blonde hair didn't have that much snow it so he wasn't out there that long, but he was dead. There was no question about that. The kid had bruises across his face and long red marks were all over his chest and stomach like he had been beaten. Some of his hair was sticking to the deep slash on his throat that Hotch was sure killed the kid. He was naked with his legs stretched out in front of him, but the most unnerving thing Hotch saw was the boy was still in handcuffs. Most of the fingernails were broken off, probably from him banging against the wall, and the fingers themselves were discolored. Even in death, this boy was a prisoner. His hands were resting on his stomach, and the kid's head was leaning to one side. His eyes were cracked open still, but they were never going to see again.
"Oh my God, Colin!" The sheriff ran forward, and took off his jacket. He covered up the boy's privacy, and put his face in his hands. Rossi ran up behind him. The sheriff fell to his knees.
"One of the brothers?" Hotch asked. Hotch didn't look too closely, but he wondered if this boy had been raped like most of Harold's victims. He would have to find that out from the coroner.
"Colin McCormick," Wilson said. "Older of the brothers. Oh my God. Who would do this to him? He was a good kid. He was a good kid…"
Rossi knelt down next to the body, and closed Colin's eyes for the last time.
"God rest his soul," Wilson said.
Hotch bent down next to Rossi to get a closer look at the body, but he was sure that Harold wasn't the murderer. The only thing that really screamed Harold was the dropping off of the body. The murder itself was much too messy to be Harold's work.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Rossi asked.
"Harold didn't kill him," Hotch said. How long had Colin been dead? It couldn't have been that long since the body was just discovered. Harold didn't tend to keep "guests" in his home for long periods after they died. He just found new guests to keep him company.
"How do you know?" Wilson asked. The sheriff was crying, and he couldn't stop staring at Colin. He gently moved some of Colin's hair away from his face, and nobody objected.
"For one," Rossi said. "Harold always cleans up the bodies. He doesn't want them to be dirty when they go home. He also liked to leave them either at their homes or where they worked. He never dropped them off at some random location. Colin worked at a bowling alley right?"
"Yeah, and part time at the station," Wilson said. "Pretty sure he wanted to be an officer like his uncle. Colin idolized his uncle. Hugh was the only male figure Colin and Aedan had when they were growing up, and both boys just adored him."
"I think the marks on his neck look hesitant," Hotch said bending down closer. "Harold knows exactly what he is doing at all times. He wants everything to be perfect. This would be considered sloppy to him. Whoever killed Colin doesn't have the same skill as Harold Caldwell."
"Where's Aedan?" Wilson asked. "Should we look some more?"
"He's not here," Hotch answered. "It was either Jack or Chris that killed Colin, but Harold wouldn't allow them to kill anyone else. Aedan is still with Agents Prentiss and Reid."
"How am I going to tell Hugh?" Wilson asked slowly. "How?"
"Do you know where he is now?" Rossi asked. "Did he go home to sleep?"
"You're funny," Wilson said with a sniffle. "He fell asleep on his desk. He's still there. I told the other officers to leave him alone so it's quiet in there. He hasn't gone home since they went missing. You have no idea how much he loved those boys. We all did. I remember when Hugh first brought Colin to the station, and the little guy was so nervous that he would do something wrong, but he never did. He grew up around us. He would have been such a good officer. I think he was actually braver than most my men."
"Don't wake him up," Rossi said. "He's going to find out eventually, but don't go waking him up or anything. I have a bad feeling he isn't going to handle this well."
Wilson kissed the boy on his cheek, and tucked his jacket more tightly around the body. He was still crying. They still had a few hours before the sun came up, but it was very cold.
"We need to get him out of here," Wilson finally said. "I'm not leaving him here. My God, we failed him. We are going to find your brother Colin. Don't worry. We will find him." Wilson looked up at Hotch, and Hotch felt the pain this man was going through. It was horrible. "Please help me with him. Please."
Rossi stood up, and walked back to the sidewalk with his phone by his ear. The coroner was the only way to get Colin away from the hotel. The scene still needed to be photographed, but nobody was going to make Wilson remove the jacket. That would belong to Colin until he got something better to wear. Hotch got up when Wilson bent his head back down near the boy. He needed time to say goodbye and Hotch understood. Hotch decided not to call the rest of the team until later. As tragic as this was, Colin was dead. They couldn't bring him back, but the others still needed their sleep. They wouldn't be much help with the search if they were exhausted.
"So now it's just Reid, Prentiss, and Aedan," Rossi said when he got off the phone. They were a safe distance away from Wilson so he couldn't hear them. "Reid has officially been there an entire day, Prentiss has been gone almost a day, and Aedan is spending his third day there."
"Do you think he is still alive?" Hotch asked. He did have suspicions that the younger brother was already dead. They knew how Harold worked, but they still weren't sure of Chris or Jack, and it was one of those two that killed Colin.
"I have to believe he is," Rossi said. "Harold would have made them drop the brothers off together if they were killed together. Aedan has to still be alive."
"Harold always kept his guests in the same room, and I'm betting you he still does," Hotch said looking back at Wilson. "Reid probably saw Colin die."
"Do you think Colin was raped?" Rossi whispered.
Hotch couldn't honestly say. He didn't look that closely where the body was sitting, but he didn't notice any bruising around the thighs. "I don't know, but the coroner will tell us. If he was though, it's almost guaranteed that Aedan was raped too. Don't tell any of the others until they wake up. It will be a few hours before we find out what happened to Colin anyway."
"Agreed," Rossi said.
Harold probably wasn't even awake yet. He had one of his goonies drop off Colin while he stayed in dream land. Hotch needed to find out which one killed Colin. He was going to spend the morning looking over their victims to see which category this young man fell in. Most serial killers tended to keep a pattern so Hotch was certain he would find out the murderer. As terrible as he felt for thinking it, he was grateful the body they found didn't belong to Reid. He was so afraid he was going to find the young doctor slumped over against a wall just like last time, but this time, Hotch would get there too late.
yay chapter 11. the next chapter will b more um exciting and bloody and fun to write haha. lets just see what exactly harold wants to do with reid when they r finally alone again haha and by alone i mean harold doesnt care if aedan watches. so ya. till next time guys! xoxo plz review!