Chapter 4

The next morning, Hotch awoke to an empty bed. He found a note under a cup of coffee and a pastry bag. 'Follow the clues to find us, Love K and K.' He chuckled; K and K meant Kahlan and kids. He went to the kids' room and found it empty. His brows furrowed. And where would the first clue be, Babe? He took a drink of the coffee and with as cool as it was, he knew they had been gone a while. What are you all up to? He shook his head and got dressed. When he heard Dave laugh next door, he decided to go and see if his unofficial parents knew anything.

Dave looked surprised to see him when he opened the door. "Why aren't you with your wife and kids?"

Hotch's brows furrowed. "You don't know what they're up to?"

Dave laughed. "Apparently not. Kahlan texted us last night to let us know we were on our own for the day. I just thought you would be with them."

Hotch showed him and Cindi the note. Cindi laughed. "Then you better hurry and find them."

"I would if I could figure out what the first clue is."

"Where was the note?" Dave asked.

"Under a pastry bag and a coffee," Hotch told him as he walked back to his room with them following.

"Did you look in the bag?" Cindi asked. Hotch's look told her he hadn't. She shook her head. "That's probably her way of telling you she wants you to eat."

Hotch went to the bag and sure enough, he pulled out anther note and a map of the city. He smiled. "I should have known."

Dave and Cindi shared a smile and then left him to his clue.

Hotch took the pastry out, took a bite of it, and sat down with his new note:

'I am your constant companion even though sometimes you do not see me.

If you try to chase me, I will run away.

If you try to run away from me, I will chase you.

What am I?

Tell your answer to the gentleman on the bench on Durward Street to receive your next clue.'

He chuckled. Only my family would turn vacation into a game. After another drink of the cold coffee, he grabbed his jacket and headed out of the hotel with his pastry and his clue. As soon as he stepped out of the hotel, he saw a man get out of the car that was parked across the street. He mentally smiled. The other one must have followed Kahlan. He chuckled. God knows what they'll think of all this. Oh well. He chose to ignore him and made his way toward his destination.

On his way to Durward Street, he stopped and got a hot coffee. By the time he got to the street, his coffee and pastry were gone, but his brows furrowed as he looked at the six benches lining the street. He took a deep breath as he counted four men sitting on them. I'll look insane if I go up to the wrong one. Hmmmm. . . He took the note out of his pocket and read it again. 'Tell your answer to the gentleman on the bench. . .' The bench. . . Two sets of benches were sitting side by side. Could 'the bench' mean one that is by itself? There were still two men. He ran a hand along his chin as he studied the two men. He smiled. 'The gentleman' doesn't mean man, it means an actual gentleman. One of the men was an older man wearing a suit. He chuckled. He wasn't sure what Kahlan and the kids had done to get the man to play along, but he was a little nervous to approach him. How do I do this without looking like a complete fool?

He took a deep breath and went and sat down on the bench with the man in the suit. The man nodded graciously and went back to watching the street. Only one way to find out. Hotch cleared his throat and looked at the man. "Would you happen to have a note from a woman and three kids?"

The man looked at him and smiled. "That depends on if you have the correct answer."

Hotch smiled. "It's a shadow."

"Very good, young man, you have earned yourself another clue," he told him as he reached into his suit jacket and pulled out an envelope. Before he handed it to Hotch, though, he smiled again. "When your wife approached me this morning, I do have to admit I thought she was. . . a little off." Hotch chuckled. "But after hearing exactly what she was doing and then that precious little girl looked at me with those big brown eyes," he chuckled. "Well, I had to help," he finished and then handed Hotch the envelope.

"Thank you," Hotch told him with a smile. "They never cease to amaze me."

"I can imagine. Well, good luck with your quest. May your search be quick," the man told him as he got up and then turned to walk down the street.

Hotch licked his lips and opened the envelope. He smiled as he read the next clue:

'Most people call me Jack.

I am not your son,

I am popular, but not for a good reason.

You are at my first now.

Go to my last stop and find your next clue.'

Hotch laughed. This is even easier than the first one. He looked around and then took out his map and studied it. He knew the clue was referring to Jack the Ripper, so all he had to do was remember where the bodies of the mutilated prostitutes were found. He was almost positive the first one was found on Buck's Row, so he wasn't sure why Kahlan had said that Durward Street was the site of the first. He looked at the map. He also knew all of the murders happened in the Whitechapel district. He smiled. They've changed the name of the street. He looked at the surrounding area hoping the other street names weren't changed and would jog his memory. Hanburg sounds right, and so does Mitre Square. Hmmmm. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Sometimes I really wish I had Reid's memory.

He looked at sky and a grin crossed his lips. Dorset! He looked at the map and walked to the targeted street. Once he got there, he looked around. But where exactly? He walked down the street slowly trying to take everything in. 'Find your next clue' means it's somewhere where I can see it. He started running everything he knew of the last victim through his head. He knew she was the most mutilated.

A beautiful fountain set off to the side caught his eye. He walked up to it and smiled. The base of it had hearts going around it. The last victim was also the only victim who had her heart removed. He walked around it and found an envelope at the back. He picked it up and chose to ignore the people giving him strange looks. He walked to the nearest bench and opened up his next clue.

Before he had a chance to read it, though, the man who had been tailing him walked up to him. Hotch pulled the piece of paper back toward him.

The man eyed him warily. "Exactly what is it you are doing, Agent Hotchner?"

Hotch stood up and fixed the man with his stare. "That is none of your business."

The man looked up at Hotch because Hotch towered over him by almost a foot. "You have been traipsing around the city all morning. I saw that man pass you information. You also found another envelope here."

"And?"

"Exactly what kind of information have you been gathering?"

Hotch really wanted to say 'government secrets' but he knew the man would probably arrest him, and he was only doing his job. "It is nothing for you to concern yourself with."

The man huffed. "Then let me see it." Hotch held it out to him, and he took it and read it. Hotch wanted to laugh at the look on the man's face. "What is this bloody mess?"

"A game I am playing with my family. If you would be so kind as to give it back, I would like to get on with my day."

The man looked at it one more time and then handed it back to Hotch. "You are solving riddles to find your way around the city?"

"What can I say? My family likes adventure."

The man finally smiled. "Then, by all means," he motioned toward the bench. "Good luck with that one."

Hotch watched him and he was pretty sure he heard the man mumble 'Crazy Americans' as he walked away. Hotch shook his head and finally looked at his next clue:

'We are all here, past and present – never changing.

You may not use us to light your way.

The sun and heat are our only true enemies.

Right now we are where the stars used to shine for guests, no matter day or night.

Find us and find your next clue.'

Hotch's brow furrowed as he reread it. Ok, I shouldn't have bragged about the others being easy. He bit his lip as he got up and started walking. He thought for a second about calling Reid, but decided against it. If they want me to play, I will be the one playing. He found a little coffee shop and went in. He got himself a coffee and sat down at a table as he ran the clue over and over in his head. After several minutes he leaned back in the chair and put his hands on the top of his head. Come on Hotchner! It can't be that hard. Stop over thinking it!

His elbow was jostled and he quickly pulled his arms down and looked to see a waitress. "I'm sorry," he quickly apologized.

"Not at all, I'm sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going," she told him with a smile and noticed his empty cup. "Would you like a refill?"

Hotch looked at the cup. "Please," he told her as he handed it to her.

"I noticed you were lost in thought," she told him with a chuckle. "I didn't mean to disturb you."

He sighed. "Just trying to figure out a riddle."

She pointed at his phone on the table. "Why not Google it?"

He smiled. "That would take all of the fun out of it, don't you think?"

She smiled. "And what do you get when you solve it?"

He shook his head. "I don't know about a what, but I know the who. My wife and children have set up clues for me to find them."

She laughed. "You're American?" He nodded. "And this is how you spend your vacation? You must have a great family."

He smiled widely. "Yes, I do."

She patted him on the shoulder and left to get him his refill. When she came back, he was rubbing his hands together rapidly still obviously trying to figure the riddle out. "Any luck?" she asked as she set his cup down.

"I think I've figured out parts of it, but I'm at a lost as to the whole," he confessed.

"Is human help out of the question?"

He raised his brows as he considered it. "Is there a planetarium here in London or actually one that is no longer being used as a planetarium?"

Her brows furrowed as she thought. "Yes. There are a couple of them."

He smirked at the news. "Do any of them have anything to do with wax?"

She gave him a strange look. "Wax?"

He shrugged. "Maybe not," he told her as he handed her the clue.

She read it and smiled. "Well of course it is wax."

He raised his brows as he looked at her. "I got that the second and third lines are talking about wax. The forth line refers to a planetarium, but I still haven't got the first line. That will explain which planetarium."

She grinned. "What would be made out of wax that would be considered 'we'?"

Hotch tilted his head as he thought about it. A smiled slowly made its way onto his face. "Wax figures."

She laughed. "Only one place that I know of that used to be a planetarium and now is a home for wax figures, Madame Tussauds."

He pulled his map out. "And where would that be exactly?"

She took the map and flipped it to show the right place. She sat it down and pointed it out. "Marylebone Road and Baker Street."

He looked at the map and then gave her a smile. "Thank you."

"If I were you, I'd get a trolley. It's not that close," she suggested. "Good luck," she added and then left him.

XXX

Hotch got out of the taxi and went into the wax museum. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the man tailing him get out of another taxi, and he laughed. He wasn't sure where he would find the next clue, so he looked around. After searching the whole place, he took a deep breath and headed to the information desk. "Would you happen to have a message for an Aaron Hotchner?"

The woman smiled. "We do," she told him and then handed him an envelope.

"Thank you," Hotch told her and went out and sat down on a bench in front of the museum. He opened it to find his next clue:

'The kindly gentleman did nothing wrong.

He secretly desired to let his morals go.

Once he did, it was too late to make things right again.

We are awaiting you where the second is named.'

What the hell? You've read too damn many books, Babe. He shook his head and reread it. He ran a hand across the back of his neck. A man who wanted to let himself do bad things. . . That probably covers ninety percent of the population. He ran a hand through his hair. Has to be in the past; she used past tense. So some guy that gave in to his urges and once he did he regretted it. Ok, who? He looked at his watch: 12:43. Second? Could she be referring to a specific time? He got up and started down the street. No. She couldn't possibly know exactly how long it would take me to figure them out. He huffed. She probably thinks they're all easy.

He went into a little pub and ordered a soda. Think Hotchner! She loves evil. . . so the guy was evil? The waitress sat his drink down but didn't say anything because Hotch had reverted to his work face without realizing it and it scared her. She walked away quickly, but he didn't notice; he was lost in thought. He finally noticed the glass in front of him and took a long drink. But he was good to begin with. He changed. He tapped on the table as he thought about it. Put yourself in her shoes. She likes evil, dark, the macabre. . . It has to be someone famous. . . He took another drink as he tried to think of all of the evil men in London's past. 'Where the second is named'. Hmmm. . . There's two. It's two unsubs. He took another drink. Two famous men in London's past. One was good, one was bad. . . He shook his head. He couldn't think of any pair of men in London's past. Wait. Books. . . That's got to be it. It's not someone real, it's two guys from literature. He smiled for a second but it quickly disappeared. Damn, though, there are a hell of a lot of books set in London.

He bit his lip. A famous book that Kahlan would like with two main characters, one good and one bad. . . He smiled. No it's not! I was right the first time. It's one guy, but he has two different names! He quickly pulled out the map and opened it to show all of London. He scanned it and his smile grew bigger. He finished his drink and walked outside. He figured he was only a little over a mile away, but he went ahead and hailed a cab.

"Hyde Park, please," Hotch told him as he climbed in the back.

"Where exactly? The park is over 142 hectares."

While Hotch had no idea what a hectare was, he knew form the map that the park was huge. "Main entrance?"

The man nodded and merged into traffic.

Hotch figured the clue was referring to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and seeing Hyde park cemented that thought, but he had to admit he had no idea where in the park they would be. Hopefully there's a brochure at the entrance.

Within minutes he was there. Hotch paid the driver and got out. He stared at the massive arched entryway and looked around to see if he could see his family, but he didn't so he headed in. He smiled at a young lady handing out pamphlets on the park. He took one and thanked her. He found a bench and studied the map of the park. He pinched the bridge of his nose. The lake is called the Serpentine; she'd like that. Joey would like the playground. The boys would like the open grassy areas if they brought anything with them. Hmmm. . . He stood up and decided to go in the direction of the closest playground near the open areas along the lake.

Before he walked too far he noticed the man tailing him on his radio. The man then laughed and Hotch knew he was in the right place. I guess if I can't find them I can ask him where his partner is. He chuckled and went in search of his family.

After walking for what seemed forever, he heard someone yell. "Daddy!"

Hotch stopped and looked around. He was positive that was Joey's voice but he didn't see her anywhere along the pathway he was traveling, but with all of the trees hiding most everything he wasn't sure if he would be able to see her. He closed his eyes as a thought hit him. He raised his eyes and scanned the trees, and sure enough, his five year old daughter was making her way down one of them not too far ahead of him. He shook his head and made his way toward her. He smiled as he came up to the tree she was in, but his heart skipped a beat when he saw her. She was hanging upside down from one of the lower branches. "Would you please stop before you fall and hurt yourself," Hotch told her.

"Catch me, Daddy," she told him and then let herself fall.

"Don. . ." he couldn't get it out before she turned and landed in his arms. "Child! You are going to cause me to have a heart attack one of these days."

She giggled and moved to hug his neck. After a few moments she pushed her way out of his arms and down onto the ground. "Come on, we have lunch," she told him with a smile as she grabbed his hand and pulled him down the walk way.

He took a deep breath and let himself be guided as his stomach growled. Joey looked back at him and giggled again. "It better be something good with all the work I had to do to find you all." As soon as they got passed the last tree, Hotch saw Kahlan sitting on a blanket beside a picnic basket, and the boys were right behind her throwing a baseball.

Kahlan smiled as she stood up. "We were starting to get worried," she told him as she advanced on him and leaned up to give him a quick kiss.

"Finally! Dad's here. We can eat!" Wyatt yelled as he went to the blanket. Joey and Jack quickly joined him.

Hotch and Kahlan both laughed at them. "This was all your doing wasn't it?" he asked her as they sat down with the kids.

"It was my idea, yes, but the kids helped with the riddles," she told him as she handed out sandwiches.

"Did you like it, Daddy?" Joey asked as she got out a bottle of water and handed it to him.

He laughed. "It was unique, I'll give you that."

"I gave the first riddle," Joey told him as she passed around a bag of grapes.

"Yeah, who did the second?"

"That was me," Wyatt told him. "I thought you might like one about one of the most famous serial killers there ever was."

"Cause I don't get enough of them at work," Hotch told him dryly as he tried to hide a smile.

"But you knew it, didn't you?" Wyatt asked with a smirk.

Kahlan laughed. "Jack did the third one."

Hotch looked at him with surprise. "Did you make it hard enough?"

Jack smiled as he took a bite of his sandwich.

"So you did the last one?" Hotch asked his wife.

"Yep."

"You all planned all this morning?"

Joey giggled. "We did it back home as soon as we knew we were coming."

Hotch shook his head and then took a bite of his sandwich. After he swallowed he fixed Kahlan with a look. "This almost got me into trouble with our friends. I think he thought I was gathering intell or something."

Kahlan almost choked on her water. "Sorry, Hun. I didn't think about them. I guess you did look kind of suspicious," she told him with a laugh.

He shook his head at her. "It wouldn't have been funny if he had pulled me in for questioning."

That made her laugh even more. "No, that would have been hilarious!"

He shook his head again and threw a grape at her. "Love you, too, Babe." She was still laughing.