Chapter 6-Slim Lead, No Clues

"We cannot banish dangers, but we can banish fears. We must not demean life by standing in awe of death." - David Sarnoff

The drive to Quantico was a silent one. Hotch stared out of the front passenger side window while Rossi drove. Even though he was pre-occupied, Hotch could feel his friend's eyes watching him.

"You all right?" asked Rossi, worried.

Hotch looked over at the older agent. He let out a deep breath. "As all right as one could be under the circumstances." He chose his next words carefully. "Oddly enough, Dave, I'm not afraid to die if my death results in the capture of our killer."

Rossi glanced at the Unit Chief. "You're not going to die, Aaron. We won't let you. You have too much to contribute to society and you have a young son who needs his father to teach him that there are good things in life as well."

"Haley can teach him that just as well as I can," Hotch said wearily.

"Perhaps. But a son still needs a father's guidance just as much as a mother's."

Hotch's eyes shifted to his friend's face. "Since when did you become a philosopher, Dave?" he asked with a tired grin on his face.

Rossi smirked. "I think it was right after my divorce."

"Which one?"

"I'm not sure. I think after each one."

Both men allowed themselves a chuckle. Rossi noticed it had been the first time Hotch had allowed himself a form of laughter since this case began.

"You know, we'll be in Quantico in a few minutes. Once we get there I suggest you retrieve that letter from your desk and we'll drop both of them off at the lab at the same time," Rossi advised. "Hopefully they'll be able to find something."

Hotch folded his arms as he leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes. He could hope all he wanted that the lab would find something so this nightmare would end; but he had a gut feeling that wasn't going to happen.

Following at a safe distance, he kept the black SUV in sight. He had rented a vehicle for a few days to be able to get around and to keep an eye on Agent Hotchner. He suspected the profiler would head back to Quantico with the letter he left taped to his door. He also knew the agent would be coming back to Alexandria as soon as he got the results of having a lab go over everything; unfortunately, they wouldn't find anything as he had worn latex gloves when touching the paper and envelopes. An amused smirk appeared as he continued driving. He thought about things up to this point. He had completed the final arrangements earlier in the day for where he would take the agent once he had him where he could punish him endlessly before he killed him. He had thought about possibly gunning the profiler down in the street but decided against it as he himself would probably die in a hail of bullets immediately following. Besides, shooting him would provide no real entertainment. He wanted him to know he was going to die and know he couldn't prevent it. There would be the fun and entertainment; watching Hotchner die slowly aware it was happening. He wondered what it would feel like, knowing you were going to die and couldn't stop it? Also, he would be taunting the FBI as well; realizing they were suffering knowing one of their own was slowly dying and couldn't do anything to save him, not until it was too late anyway.

He noticed the FBI building looming in the distance. Only thing he had left to work out was how to lure Hotchner into his trap without the agent realizing it was a trap. He slowed down watching the SUV turn into the building's parking lot knowing at this hour it would look strange for him to be entering the FBI building when most of the offices inside were probably closed. He sat behind the wheel with a set of binoculars watching as the two agents got out of their vehicle and started toward the double doors. Putting the binoculars on the seat beside him, he decided his time could be better spent working out how to lure Hotch into his trap within the next seventy-two hours. He then made a casual U-turn and headed back in the direction he had just traveled. But there was one thing he didn't see.

"Did you see that?" Rossi asked Hotch as they watched the smaller vehicle driving off.

"Yeah," Hotch agreed as their eyes stared in the direction the other vehicle had taken knowing there was no way they could pursue the vehicle as it had stopped outside the FBI parking lot at a safe distance which told them it would be gone by the time they reached the spot where it had been. But they had still seen it in the lights of the well-lit area. "A late model dark Ford mustang follows us to the FBI building and once here suddenly turns and leaves."

"Almost as if the driver wanted to see where we were going before he left to go back where he came from and to make sure we saw him leave," Rossi surmised.

Rossi sighed wearily. "Hotch, I'm more positive than ever that our UnSub is following you around now that he's finally found you."

"Good," was all Hotch said as he opened one of the double doors. Rossi followed with a grim expression on his face.

"What makes you say good?" he asked as he pushed the button to the elevator and waited.

"Because as long as he's following me he's not killing another innocent person who resembles me," Hotch replied earnestly as there was a 'ping' followed by the opening of the elevator doors.

While their two fellow agents were back in Quantico, come morning, Prentiss, Reid, Morgan and JJ all met in the room JJ and Emily shared and ordered breakfast for each of them. None of them discussed the case while they waited for their orders to arrive, and only after the waiter had delivered their meals and left did the four agents while eating, discuss what they had to do.

"Okay," Morgan finally said as he took a bite of toast. "Reid and JJ will go check out the law firms of the deceased. Prentiss will finish checking out the families, and I'll question Brandon Cooper." The last name was said with a touch of anger,

JJ took a sip of her coffee. "Derek, are you going to question Brandon Cooper or beat his answers out of him?" She sensed her friend's slowly burning rage.

"If I have to," Morgan replied coldly. "If he's the one threatening Hotch I'll make sure he knows we're going to be watching every move he makes and that he won't get near Hotch. And I'll also make sure he tells his brother the same thing."

"Maybe I should go with you," Prentiss chimed in. "You need someone to remind you to watch your temper with this guy."

"What? You think I can't handle talking to Cooper?" Morgan asked leaning back in the chair with one arm draped over the back. There was a tense sound to his voice.

"That's not what I meant, Morgan, and you know it," Emily answered.

"Then what did you mean?"

Prentiss struggled to find the right words. "Look, I know you're upset about what's happening to Hotch; we all are. But we have to go about this the right way. Hotch would expect nothing less from any of us. He wouldn't want one of us turning vigilante just because someone is threatening him. Besides, we're not even sure Cooper's the UnSub much less his younger brother even though the brother right now seems a possibility."

Morgan's face softened as he leaned forward with forearms resting on his thighs with hands between his knees, rubbing his hands together. "I know you're right," he said softly. "It's just that it galls me that somebody would go after Hotch not only for putting them in prison years ago, but because Hotch did his job."

"It troubles us too," said JJ. "But we have to keep our cool here."

"I know. And I will," Morgan said more calmly now.

It had come to him nearly an hour after he had left Quantico and returned back in Alexandria. He knew exactly how he would lure Aaron Hotchner into his trap. He now had it all set. But he would wait until Hotchner returned to Alexandria before he put his plan into motion. He didn't mind the wait. Sitting in a booth in a diner with a nearly eaten sandwich and a partially-filled cup of coffee in front of him, he pulled out the photo of Hotchner and stared hard at it with a chuckle. Soon, he told himself, very soon now, Aaron. You are going to belong to me.

"Is that your brother, sir?" the waitress asked as she passed by with a glass pot of hot coffee. She stopped at his table on her way back to the counter. "He looks just like you."

The man looked up at her sadly. "No. But a lot of people have said we do. He was just someone I knew who died."

"I'm so sorry. It must be hard losing a twin. What was his name if you don't mind my asking?"

"I don't mind and he wasn't my brother. Just a guy I know. His name was Aaron. He was murdered by a kidnapper while working on a case."

"Really? Was he a police officer?"

"FBI really," the man answered. "I'm not at liberty to say what the case was about. But he was kidnapped by the killer he was looking for and murdered."

"How awful!" she explained. "Have they arrested anyone yet?"

The man sighed wearily. "Not yet. To be honest, I don't think they'll even find who did it." He checked his watch. "I have to go. Thank you very much for listening to me vent. By the way, what's your name?"

The waitress smiled and pointed to her name tag on which was printed the name: MARCY. "That's me. Marcy Copland. And your name?"

The man tossed a few bills on the table. "Shane Cooper. And this is for you, Marcy." He tucked a five dollar bill into her uniform pocket, nodded and smiled. He then walked out of the diner without looking back.

He smiled as he headed down the street to his car after leaving the diner. He didn't care if anybody knew the name Shane Cooper because they would never find him; and by the time they did, it would be too late to save the FBI agent. Anyway, he really didn't care because as long as they didn't find out the truth he was safe. He unlocked the driver's side door, slid in behind the wheel and closed the door. He removed Hotch's photo again and stared at it intently.

"It's all set, Aaron. I have everything ready for you now. All I need is for you to return here from Quantico and you will be mine. All I have to do is wait. And as I've waited all these years I can wait just a bit longer." He tucked the photo back in his pocket, turned the ignition key, and slowly pulled away from the curb. Waiting was not his best trait, never had been. So this time, he'd have to force himself to be patient. After all the months of planning and waiting, it wouldn't do now to lose control by rushing things. Nothing could be gained by rushing things. Besides, he wanted to savor the profiler's death, to enjoy it. And the only way to do that was not to rush.

Rossi and Hotchner sat in Hotch's office drinking coffee while waiting to hear from the lab hoping something would be found on one of the envelopes or letters; but no more than Hotch. He needed something to grab onto that would hopefully lead to the identity of his stalker. Getting up slowly, the agent walked over to the window and looked out as Quantico, Virginia started to awaken. Rossi's eyes watched him.

"You're going to drive yourself crazy, Aaron, if you don't relax," he said. "We asked the lab to rush it."

Hotch, turning slightly, looked over at the older man. "How can I relax? Haley and Jack will be back in ten days. What if we haven't caught this UnSub by then? Dave, I can't have my family walking back into this nightmare. I won't do it."

"You don't have to. You can just call Haley and have her extend her stay with her parents. You don't have to tell her why; just tell her you're out-of-town on a case and it'd be better if she and Jack stayed with her folks for a few extra days rather than come back to an empty house their first day back."

Hotch gave Rossi his best 'you've got to be kidding' look. The older agent shrugged his shoulders.

"It was just a thought," he added. It was then the phone on Hotch's desk rang; the two agents studied each other before Hotch walked back to his desk and picked up the receiver.

"Hotchner." He listened to what was being said by the caller. "You're sure? Did you run the tests a second time? No, no, it's all right. We were just hoping for something different. Thanks." He hung up and letting out a deep breath hung up before he looked at Rossi.

"That was the lab. They ran the tests twice. There was no DNA and no prints on either envelope or letter." He bowed and shook his head sadly.

"We didn't really expect there would be any, did we?"

"No. But I was somehow hoping this person would somehow slip up just one time and give us something to work with."

Getting to his feet, Rossi approached Hotch and placed a hand on his shoulder. "We've caught guys with a lot less, my friend," he reminded the younger agent. "Believe me when I say once we put together a profile on this guy it'll be just a matter of time before we catch him." He saw Hotch look up at him. "And we will catch him."

There was a long moment of silence before Hotch spoke again. "Dave, I've never mentioned this to another person on the team; you're the first. I trust what I'm about to tell you will remain in this office?"

Rossi's eyes narrowed with concern. "What's wrong?" he asked gently.

"I think for the first time I'm scared. It's a strange feeling because I always preach to show no fear to an UnSub, and here I am feeling fear."

Rossi thought he understood. "Aaron, it's okay to feel fear in our business. And given what we do, I'd be surprised if you didn't feel anything. I believe by feeling something it keeps us from becoming too cocky in what we do. It makes us human."

Straightening up, Hotch ran a hand over his dark hair. "I guess we head back to Alexandria and re-join the team." He smiled grimly and headed out his office followed by Rossi. Reaching the elevator he pressed the down button. After a few minutes, the elevator doors slid open allowing the two agents to step inside. Rossi pressed the button for the lobby as the doors slid closed. Hotch glanced at Rossi who appeared to be calm although he knew inside the agent was a jumble of nerves, while he himself had a suspicion that things for him were going to end very badly.