The Conspiracy
Chapter 2
The Book

"Morality is nothing more than an expression of expediency" - Nietzche

Darkness.

Darkness and pain and cold.

Spencer curled up where the rough floor met the walls of his prison. The metal cuff around his ankle was cutting into his skin where he had tried to pull his foot through. They had taken his shoes.

On the first day he had crawled in an arc allowed by the chain, He had found a pit, he could only imagine how deep, but no other walls. It was as if he was chained at the dead end of a corridor, to a ring in the wall.

He had tried to dig out the ring; he tried until his fingers bled, but it was embedded deep in the wall.

The walls were wet, of this Spencer was glad because they had left him no water, and sometimes it felt like days without contact with his captors.

He had no idea how he got there. His last memory was walking back to the hotel, after another fruitless day looking for Andy. Then he woke up here.

Where ever 'here' was.......

It was deathly quiet in this hell hole. The sound of his heartbeat seemed to echo through the tunnel – for that was where he was, of that much he was certain. But a tunnel to where?

He thought it had been at least five days since he had been brought here. The only way to tell the time was by the sound of rats scuttling across the floor. That had happened four times, and he thought that if they came out at night, then he was in the fifth day.

He rolled onto his back and listened. The rats were moving about again. One ran across his manacled ankle and he yelped in fright. He curled back up again.

Hotch, please come and find me.........

-0-0-0-

The next shop they tried was a few doors along. Dave took the photo from Aaron, and the two men entered. A bell tinkled as they opened the door, and the young woman behind the counter looked terrified for a moment before she regained her composure.

'I've not seen him.' she said, but her eyes said different. Hotch wandered around the store while Dave spoke to her.

'Are you sure, Miss? You see, I am certain that he came here, and yet no one seems to have seen him.'

'You must have the wrong town.' she said, with a shaky smile. Dave smiled warmly back.

'If you remember anything, we are at the hotel over the way.' he said gently. 'Please come and see us if you think of anything.'

'I will.' she said.

She turned from him and went out into the back of the shop. Hotch watched her go.

'She knows something.' he said.

'I think she does, but she's scared of something.' Dave said as they left the shop.

'Or someone.' They walked in silence back towards the hotel. As they crossed the lobby, Hotch went to the desk and turned the register around, and began to flick back through the pages.

'Hey! That's private!' The hotelier snatched the book from Hotch and locked it in the desk drawer.

Hotch didn't say anything but he went to join Dave at the foot of the stairs.

'I want to take a look at that book later on tonight.' he whispered to Dave. Dave nodded and they went up the stairs to their room.

'I'm sure Reid was here.' Hotch said. 'He's in trouble, and it seems like the whole town knows about it.'

'And you're right. We need to get a look at that register. We can go down tonight after the doors close.'

Hotch looked at his watch. 'We could sit in the bar tonight and try and pick up any gossip.'

'Good idea, if anyone will talk to us.' Dave grinned. 'I have my doubts!'

The bar was anything but lively. The men sat around tables playing cards and a huge TV screen showed the sports channel, although no one seemed to be watching it. Dave and Aaron sat at the bar and watched the sports, waiting for an opportunity to engage the locals.

'Any golf on?' Aaron asked the barman, the same man here did everything it seemed.

His reply was a scowl, and Aaron guessed that the conversation was over. He took the photo out of his pocket and went over to the guys playing cards.

'Excuse me,' Hotch began politely. 'Do any of you remember seeing this man around town in the last week?'

The men ignored Hotch, who put the photo in the middle of the table.

'He's very memorable.'

'We've not seen him.' One of the men looked away from his cards and looked up at Hotch. 'When are you gonna stop poking your nose into our business? Just get out of town before you regret ever coming here.'

'And why would I ever regret coming to your friendly little town.' Hotch snatched the photo off the table and returned to Dave who was watching from the bar.

'I'm going for a walk, Dave. You coming?'

'I won't Aaron.' he said. 'I need to get some sleep.'

Aaron inclined his head to his friend and left the bar. Dave drank the last of his beer, and said good night to the barman.'

'Think I'll turn in.' he smiled. 'It was a tiring journey.'

'And what a shame, since it was for nothing.'

Dave went back to his room. He didn't change. They had work to do in the night.

-0-0-0-

Hotch just wanted to walk off the bad humour that he was feeling. He was glad he didn't come alone to look for Reid. It was like a bad movie, and if Dave hadn't been there, no one would believe it. It was so obvious that the people were hiding something. What the hell had Reid got himself into? Let him out of his sight for a minute, and he gets into trouble! Where on Earth was he?

His thoughts ended there, when he heard someone behind him.

'We asked you nicely to leave town.' the sheriff said, 'And look, you're still here.'

The sheriff was pointing his gun at Hotch.

'I guess it's time to show you that we mean it.' He stepped back. 'Ok, boys, show him.'

First Hotch's guns were removed, then two men held his arms while another hit him hard in the mouth. His neck cracked as his head was knocked sideways. Hotch twisted himself out of the men's grip and turned to face his attackers. One stepped forward, and the light from a nearby window glinted off the knife he was holding.

Hotch looked to the Sheriff. Surely this was illegal. But all the Sheriff did was move his gun towards him again.

Hotch bent his knees and put his hands out, palms forward, and began to circle the man with the knife. The first lunge and Hotch caught his arm and twisted the knife from his grip. The other two men attacked. A punch to the stomach, and he doubled over, trying not to vomit. The second was a knee to the groin, and this time he went down. At the edge of his vision, he saw someone pick up the knife.

'Don't kill him.' he heard a voice say. He thought the Sheriff, but he was hurting too much to think straight. He got onto his hands and knees, and tried to stand. A kick in the throat and Hotch sprawled onto his back. He coughed and his hands went to his neck. He tried to turn over to get up, but someone kicked his hands from under him. He collapsed onto his side.

'Now we are sorry to have had to do that, but we asked nicely. Now', the Sheriff said, 'will you leave?'

Hotch heard the retreating footsteps. When it all became quiet, he forced himself onto his hands and knees again, and using the wall for support, he managed to stand.

Bent forwards, he staggered along the street back to the hotel. He made it as far as the steps to the door before he fainted.

-0-0-0-

An hour later and Dave was getting worried. A town this small, he could have walked every street by now and still have time left! He decided to go and look for him, and vowed they wouldn't split up again. They already had one missing agent.

He crossed the deserted lobby, and opened the door onto the street.

'Oh no! Aaron!'

Dave knelt by the prone figure of his friend and felt for a pulse. His vital signs were all ok. He turned Hotch onto his back.

'Aaron, help me get you back to our room.'

Hotch's eyes fluttered open. Dave helped him get up, and half carried him back across the lobby to the stairs.

'Nearly there, Aaron, just up the stairs.'

Hotch slowly took the stairs, and Dave opened the door. He led Hotch to the bed and Laid him down.

'What the hell happened? Who did this?'

'The sheriff and three others.' he said hoarsely. 'They took my guns. I think I'm going to be sick.'

Hotch stood up with Dave's help again and staggered to the bathroom. He threw up in the toilet, clutching his abdomen. His groin hurt, sending pain in tsunami waves through his body. His throat felt bruised, and his lip was split. He sat by the toilet and rested his head on bent knees.

'I guess they want us to leave.' Dave said.

'Well we're not going to.' whispered Hotch. 'Whatever Reid got into, he's in trouble, and we are going to find him.'

Dave took him back to the bed and got a face cloth from the bathroom, and gently washed the blood off Aaron's face and neck. There was a shoe print bruise on the front of his throat where he had been kicked, and Dave was concerned about damage that had been caused.

'Can you swallow ok?' he asked. Aaron nodded.

'I'm ok, really.' His voice was thick and talking was painful. 'We need to take a look at the register if there's no one down there.'

Dave nodded 'I'll go. You stay here.'

And with his gun in his hand he went out of the room and down the stairs. It was dark in the lobby, and he used a pen torch to see his way to the desk. The register was locked in the drawer, but it was easy to pick the lock. He drew out the book and put it on the desk.

He put the gun on the table and held the torch as he turned back the pages to a week ago.

He ran his finger down the names, but Reid wasn't there. He was about to close the book when he noticed a shred of paper in the fold of the pages, as if a page had been torn out.

He closed the book and returned it to the drawer. He was about to leave when he noticed something familiar under the desk. He pulled it out, and grabbing his gun, he ran back up to the room.

He locked the door behind him and showed what he had found to Aaron.

Reid's messenger bag.

-0-0-0-

A tiny light.

Reid screwed up his eyes against the light and looked away.

'Two men have come to town looking for you. A big man with black hair and an older one with a beard. You had better hope they leave town soon, or you will all die.'

The light went, but Reid's retina retained the image. He rubbed his eyes.

Hotch and Rossi!

Hotch and Rossi had come to look for him. He knew they would. As soon as they smashed his phone he knew they would come.

His stomach was growling for food, but once again, they hadn't brought him any. He wondered if the plan was to starve him to death.

He crawled in the direction that he had seen the light, but he came to the drop at the extent of the chain.

So the drop was between him and the way out. Not that that helped at all. He was well and truly chained and he could move about ten feet in one direction.

He went back to his cold miserable corner.

Be careful Aaron, Dave, these people will stop at nothing.......