Interstate 159- 291 miles from the Utah-Nevada border
Time to change cars, Hinders decides minutes after ending his call with Rossi.
Coasting at 75 miles down the interstate in the stolen Chevy Volt, Hinders spots a side entrance to the Manti- La Sal National state park. He pulls the Chevy Volt into the entrance and parks in the furthest parking spot that is hidden by a covering of trees. A national park gas n' diner is about a half mile away and if he can haul the agent to a car that he can steal, then the rest of the planned trip to make it to Nevada by morning should be a breeze.
The Police Chief slides out of the driver's side with his bag of supplies in hand. He doesn't need to wipe down the car for prints because he hopes- prays, really- that Rossi finds the car and the smell and feel of the torture Hotchner has gone through. When he opens the back door, he finds Hotchner lying unconscious on the backseat unrestrained.
"Hey!" Hinders yells and slams his fist against the roof of the car. Hotch twitches and slowly drifts awake and then quickly yelps out when Hinders pulls him out of the back seat and onto the ground. Hinders pulls out the pair of handcuffs from his bag and kicks Hotch onto his side where he handcuffs the agent's wrists. "Get up. We're walking."
"No," Hotch groans. He glares up at Hinders and adds, "I'm not going anywhere."
"I sent of a picture of you to the news which means I'm guessing that your little boy saw it. You want me to send another one, this one with you bleeding to death?" Hinders asks.
"You did what?"
"And this isn't a democracy, agent." Hinders hoists Hotch onto his feet and then thrusts him forward and away from the car. He walks up behind the agent, tightly grabs Hotch's handcuffed wrists and begins quickly walking the agent quickly back towards the interstate. When they reach the entrance, Hinders drags Hotch onto the flat grass that lies a few feet below the fence that lines the interstate. The silence from the empty road allows Hinders to hear Hotch's weak breathing.
"Come on, now," Hinders grabs a chunk of Hotch's hair and yanks it back. Hotch curses aloud as the force causes him to fall on one knee. "What the hell is wrong with you, Aaron?"
"I'm injured. You can't…expect me….to walk wherever the hell we're going without difficulty."
"And you can't expect me to not put you through excruciating pain with your smartass remarks. Keep walking." Hinders begins pushing Hotch again until they come across the trees from the national park that also line the highway. In the first set of trees is a small ditch that he had come across on his run though trip to Port Gamble, a ditch deep enough to hide Hotchner and make it to the dinner less than a quarter mile to 'borrow' a car.
"You are going to listen clearly if you want some water, Aaron," Hinders says. He releases Hotch's hands and walks around to face the agent. "I'm going to leave you here and-"
"Don't kill anyone."
Hinders shakes his head and smirks. "Again you think this is a democracy- well, there goes your chance to get some water. Lay down and stay out of sight and I might change my mind."
The 'borrowing' of a car, a silver Ford Escape in particular, is quick and easy.
And it only takes a quick and easy strangling of the sole man in the parking lot to do so.
Hinders proudly strides back to the spot where he had left Hotchner with a brown paper bag filled with a clear bottle of Vodka in one hand and a dirty water bottle he had found in the trunk of the Escape in the other. The Vodka is an additional prize from when he cleared up any loose ends by hiding the dead man in the woods, walking into the diner and finding the diner owner, locking the owner in the large fridge in the back in record time.
He finds the agent wheezing and curled up in the small ditch. "Jack, 'm coming home," Hotch repeats nonsensically. "'M coming home."
The Police Chief kneels next to the agent and twists off the cap to the dirty water bottle and then holds the bottle inches away from Hotch's lips. He places his hand behind Hotch's head and lifts the agent towards the bottle and quietly watches Hotch chug and choke on the water.
"Arrogant Rossi, arrogant son of a bitch David Rossi…." Hinders says softly with fascination, "He should have asked me instead of talking to that girl's mother about Mic. Mic would have married my Sarah-Lucy if it wasn't for Rossi's little question. The next morning, half the town wanted Mic arrested before Rossi arrogantly walked into the station at 10 that morning."
"What the hell did you do, Agent Rossi?"
"My job."
Hinders feels anger suddenly bubble up in him again at the memory of Rossi saying those two words and then walking away without a care. Angry enough to whip the now half-filled water bottle into the darkness of the woods and pull out the needle of Tymatizole.
"A body showed up that night on the same beach- tell me, Aaron." Hinders holds the needle inches away from Hotch's neck, "What would you have done? A younger girl was killed that day and I know that the real killer murdered her out of spite. What would you have done, Hotchner?"
"Don't," Hotch licks his lips, "Don't."
"What would you have done?" Hinders roars. "Even with the dead girl, Rossi still was sure that it was Mic!"
"Please." It hurts the agent to beg- Hotch hadn't even begged during the psychotic George Foyet. "I can't answer for Rossi- ahh!" Hotch screams when the needle is jammed into his neck. "I'm not going to piss you off."
"That's so goddamned sweet of you."
Hotch licks lips again and feels himself losing his battle to stay awake. "I trust Rossi and his decision making. I'm sure he was…right about Mic."
Hinders stands and takes a swung of his Vodka. "He wasn't right about Mic and I have proof."
