Hotch's thoughts on the almost 2 hour flight drifted back, into the past. It was the third case, he was allowed to act officially as a Profiler. Gideon was a perfectionist who only reluctantly had shared responsibility, Hotch had to fight like a lion to be part of the team.
A fight on two fronts, Hotch remembered. On the one hand the senior agent who credited him for nothing on the other side Haley, who gave him hell because he had dropped his job at the prosecutor's office. A job that would have straight paved the way for him into the Senate. Where Haley wanted to see him.
The longer time was passing by since her death, the clearer Hotch saw his ex-wife. Not that it changed anything about the feelings that were still present, but Hotch got a different perspective on things.
They had completely different life plans, they tried to bring them together, but both failed miserably.
Hotch was wondering now, whether he was ever made for marriage or relationships. He thought, he loved Beth, but when she got the job offer from the Far East, he let her go. And that had nothing to do with this saying, if you love something, you have to let it go ... No, Hotch loved Beth simply not enough to ask her to stay.
'Coward', the little devil on his shoulder said, "you just were afraid, she´s gonna accuse you one day, to have given up her life for you. Because you don´t believe, you´re worth it.'
Hotch groaned, was this the truth? He heard the announcement of the flight attendant and strapped in. Barely 15 minutes later, the Boeing 737 was landing as smooth as butter at the Bangor Airport.
After he had his bag snatched from the baggage carousel, he looked out fot the Budget counter.
The formalities were completed quickly and Hotch went outside. He took a deep breath, the air was so different here than in DC, where the haze sometimes lay like a shroud over the city. He pulled off his jacket, it was the beginning of October, but not as fresh as Hotch expected. The foliage was in full swing.
He has always loved the autumn season. The dancing games of the falling leaves in the park, Hotch smiled. Jack was just like him, he loved to jump into the biggest pile of leaves. Once Jack had lost his shoe in one of these clusters, it took them almost an hour to find it.
He opened the tailgate of the Jeep Wrangler and stored his luggage. Hotch had deliberately opted for a Jeep, as he also deliberately had given up the suit. His visit wasn´t truly official and his whole appearance was documenting this.
He knew the way to the 'Woodland Inn' still, as if it were yesterday ...
They were summoned after the discovery of the second girl's body, on behalf of the Sheriff, who simply overruled the mayor. Sheriff Drake was an experienced man and he just knew, that there would be more victims than Kerry Dent and Maureen O'Day.
How right he was.
Kristen Gaunt, Eva Miller and Alienore Brewster. All very pretty, blonde girls aged from 9 to 11.
They were found two days after her disappearance ... naked, abused and dead in the Bangor sewers.
Hotch shuddered by the thought. He had seen a lot in the course of his work certainly, but this delicate, little girls ... they still dominated his thoughts.
Hotch set the turn signal and pulled over into the forest path, which led to the Woodland Inn. The little guest house was on the outskirts of Bangor, into the woods.
He came by the Brewster house and stopped. Hotch got out, the once beautiful property was obviously empty, weathered the shutters and the wild garden. Nevertheless, the estate gave the impression as if someone was bothering to curb sprawl, partly a few shutters were even painted.
Hotch knew that Nora's father had shot himself, a few months after the attack on Nora. Her mother had died three years before the incident.
Except Alienore there was no one left, from the Brewster family. Hotch guessed, it was Cassidy Munroe, who was trying to overcome the expiry. After Hotch had walked through the house, he got back in his car and drove the last few miles to the Woodland Inn.
oOo
"Hotch is... where?" Morgan asked in surprise when Rossi put him in the picture about Hotch's absence this week.
"The ice cubes in my Martini are warmer than this case, if you ask me, Rossi."
"Well, not for Hotch nor for Cassidy Munroe." Rossi said firmly. "We all have cases that are important to us, You´re certainly no exception, Morgan."
Derek shrugged, "maybe. When can we expect 'Officer Cold Case' back in town?"
"He´s overlooking some papers and doing some interviews, I guess, Hotch wil be back at the end of the week."
"Okay, then we have the run of the house," Morgan grinned and headed for the kitchenette to get some coffee.
Old cases ... as if the new ones were not sufficient enough, to make ones blood run cold.
"You also think, ist´s good to take a look at the cold cases every now and then?", he asked Reid, who thoughtfully turned the spoon in his cup.
"What do you mean?"
"Whether you are Rossi´s opinion, pretty boy."
Reid looked at Morgan blankly. "I've probably just lost the thread", he noted.
"Obviously. I wanted to know what you think about Hotch's trip into nowhere."
"Just because Maine isn´t one of the largest states, you don´t have to call it 'nowhere.' Reid lectured. "Maine has an area of ..."
"I didn´t want to know it this exactly, genius." Derek tipped a splash of milk into his coffee.
"You know how the press called Alienore Brewster? The Rosebud of Maine. I wonder how it would be if she´d wake up again after 17 years."
"How likely is that?", Morgan asked, interested now.
"I don´t know her medical report, Morgan. What is clear, the poor thing has had tremendous bad luck. She escaped the Butcher, however, and then was hit by a truck when she was wandering helpless through the city, at midnight."
"Crap," Derek stated and Reid nodded. "She was the last victim of the Butcher. Gideon and Hotch never found out why he stopped so suddenly. We sometimes talked about his old cases, you know?"
"You miss Gideon," Morgan replied. "Although he left you all alone?"
"It´s true that I have been pretty mad at him, for a long time. But now that he's dead, I think, it´s ridiculous. Wasted time. And Nora Brewster? For her everything here would be completely new territory. With almost 20 years missing, present time would be like she missed ages. And then, no one knows whether her brain may have been damaged, not to speak of her muscles. In any case, she´d have a long way back. "
"Then she better remain in her Rosebud state," Morgan concluded.
oOo
Cass looked out the kitchen window when she heard the car. She doubted a little, that this was Hotchner, who got out of the Jeep. No suit, no dark SUV? She crossed the small entree and went out onto the porch.
"Miss Munroe?", her guest asked and checked her out, from top to bottom. "I'm Agent Hotchner, you remember me?"
Cass nodded, "Sure I do. But without suit, I have to get to get used to it." Cass smiled briefly.
"Um ... yes. Since this is no official visit, I thought it´s best, to dress casual."
She had little resemblance to the little girl from the past, Hotch thought. She had grown up, he estimated her to 1.75 meters, perhaps even a bit taller. And she was not so skinny anymore. The brown, short hair was standing in all directions, it was no longer kept in shape by a braid.
Cass turned to the same considerations as Hotch. She found him changed as well. She remembered Hotch as ambitious, attentive and focused. Now he looked somehow tired and beaten. Life had dug it´s mark in Hotchner's face, Cass thought.
"I'm glad that you are here. I didn´t think someone personally would make the effort, frankly. After Agent Gideon has not responded anymore ... I didn´t know, he's dead."
"Gideon has left the BAU, more than 8 years ago, Miss Munroe. He was killed a few months ago." Hotch went into the house with Cass.
"I didn´t know, your boss just said he...well. I guessed, I got on his nerves and he just stopped answering my calls. I should have known better." Cass said softly, "I have prepared the tower room for you, Agent."
"Hotch, please."
Cassidy smiled, "Cass. And I'm really glad, you´re here."
"Even if I can´t help you?"
Cass nodded, "well then, Hotch. But I am not considering this option. Nora deserves justice and she will get it."