Chapter 5

Hotch turned over on the couch again. He couldn't sleep. He kept thinking about Jack. Where is he? Is he scared? Is Jessica with him, or are they all separated? He sat up and fought the urge to get up and go to Kahlan and demand to know where his son was. She wouldn't tell him, and he worried that if he pissed her off, that she would make a call and then his son would pay for his anger. Somebody had to be with them. She wouldn't have just left them locked up somewhere, not without food and water. Would she? Did she leave them alone, but give them a ration of supplies? Would they run out before we solve this case? He shook his head angrily and got up to get a glass of water. He searched the cabinets for a glass. He finally found one, and went to the sink. The water was surprisingly cold and felt good to his dry throat.

He put the glass on the island and stood there listening to the wind. Kahlan had been correct about the weather. Kahlan. The profiler in him was starting to feel empathy for her, but the father in him wanted to still strangle her. He worried what she was capable of. She was capable of kidnapping, so what else was she capable of? How did she even get Jessica to cooperate and pick up Jack at his school? Even if she threatened Jessica, he didn't think that Jessica would knowingly put Jack in danger. What ruse did she use? And how did she get Will and Henry? Will is a cop for Christ's sake. She would have never have been able to surprise the man. Will was so always so vigilant with Henry. Hotch paced back on forth in the kitchen as he pondered what Kahlan had done to get to two boys who were so well protected. It bothered him that some regular woman could come up with a plan that had apparently worked easily. Maybe it wasn't easy. Maybe something had gone wrong. Don't think that!

Would Kahlan still go through with her plan if something had gone wrong? He knew he would do anything to get his son back, so maybe she was just doing the same. He could understand her desperation, but he would never put someone else's child in danger to find his own. Would she? Would any mother put another child in danger to save her own? Hotch shook his head. Maybe after three years he, too, would resort to drastic measures. He found himself getting angry at all of the people who had failed to help Kahlan and her son. At the top of his list was Davidson, the FBI agent who had the chance to take the case but failed. Hotch was sure he could get rid of the man. He knew most of the supervisors in the building, and even if he couldn't get him fired, he was sure he could get him reassigned to someplace horrible where he wouldn't be in charge of anything important.

He looked at his watch, 4:30. He went back to the couch. Maybe he could get a little sleep before he had to start the day. He laid there listening to the wind, and then he thought he heard something else. He tried to focus his hearing on the inside of the house. He wouldn't bet his life on it, but he thought Kahlan had cried out in her sleep. Seemed like he wasn't the only one having trouble sleeping, and he wasn't sure if that made him feel better or worse. He pressed the palm of his hands into his eyes, trying to will himself to sleep. Eventually, he drifted off.

XXX

Hotch's alarm went off, and his first thought was to throw the phone against the nearest wall. He stopped himself of course. He sat up and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. He felt that he was being watched and his head snapped toward the kitchen.

"Morning," Kahlan told him from the island in the kitchen. She was drinking a cup of coffee and watching him.

Hotch got up and walked to the guest room to wake up Rossi and then went to the restroom to get dressed.

Rossi came out of the bedroom dressed and looked rested. He couldn't say the same for the woman at the island.

"Coffee?" Kahlan asked him but didn't wait for the answer as she turned to fill another mug. She scooted the mug to him and sat down again.

"How's the weather?" Rossi asked her as he saw her wet boots.

"Not as bad as it could be. I think you guys could actually get whatever it is that you want to do done."

"We were actually considering heading to Nebraska." She smiled at that. Rossi could tell she wanted to get things moving.

"If you wanted to head north we wouldn't be able to, the wind is worse up there, but south is good," she told him as she went to her room.

Hotch emerged from the restroom wearing a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt with a blue v-neck long sleeve shirt over it. He joined Rossi in the kitchen. "Where's Kahlan?"

Rossi poured his friend a cup of coffee. "Getting ready to go to Nebraska."

Hotch looked at the window. It was snowing, but the wind had all but disappeared. Hotch accepted the coffee with a nod of thanks. "She was up and moving around the kitchen and didn't even hear her," Hotch told him clearly upset about it. Maybe she could have surprised Will.

"How'd you sleep?"

"I didn't until about five."

"So you think that two hours sleep is supposed to keep you on the top of your game?" Rossi asked with raised eyebrows.

Kahlan emerged from her room carrying her bag. "Chadron is only about four hours away. If we leave now, you'll have plenty of time to interview and check out the town." She put her bag by the door, and went back to her coffee.

"I want to check in with the team," Hotch told them and headed to the guest room for some privacy.

Hotch dialed Garcia first. "I was beginning to think you had forgotten me, sir," Garcia told them as she answered the call.

"Has she made any calls on her phone?"

"No sir, sorry. And before you ask, I ran all of her husband's family. They are all present and accounted for in Reliance. I have checked her financials and the little life insurance she received when her husband died, has dwindled down to almost nothing. She had done a lot of traveling back and forth between all of the states and here."

"What was the longest time she spent in Virginia?"

He could hear her typing. "Ummm. Looks like the longest stay was two days when she met with Agent Davidson."

How did she find where we live if all she ever stayed was two days? "What about her family? Where do they live?"

"That will take a little time, but I will get back to you as soon as I know. How are things going there?"

"We're heading to Nebraska."

"Is Reliance as small as she made it sound?"

"Smaller," he said and ended the call and dialed Morgan.

"Hey Hotch," Morgan said from across state lines.

"How's it going?"

"It's not. Damn snow has us stranded in Bowman. The locals think the snow will let up enough tomorrow. The Crockett's believed the same as Kahlan about the harvesters."

"We're headed to Nebraska in a bit. You get a look at the postcard?"

"Yeah. Devin's mom swears it is his writing, but the language wasn't his. Definitely not a seven year olds thinking."

"How was the boy's room?"

"Like a tomb. I don't think anyone has been in it since the abduction."

"Alright, so no leads?"

"None. You?"

"None. Keep me posted," Hotch told him and then dialed Reid.

"Reid," answered without looking at his caller ID.

"Hey, you guys getting anywhere?"

"Hey, Hotch. JJ is with the family now, but I've interviewed the local police. They actually have a partial plate. A witness saw a truck with Wyoming plates, but could only remember the first two numbers. I am having Garcia run it anyway. We should be able to get to Kaysville this afternoon."

"How is JJ doing?"

"Ok, I guess. She didn't sleep well last night, but that is expected."

"Yeah. Keep me updated."

"Sure thing."

XXXXX

"Chris, go get Mike," an older woman told the young teen.

"Yes, Ma'am," he answered, got up from the table, pushed his chair in, and left the house.

Three other boys sat at the table and ate in silence. An older man came into the room and all of the boys stopped eating. "Tommy, you and Wyatt need to check the fence in the south pasture."

"Yes, sir," Tommy told him as he and Wyatt picked up their plates and scraped them into the trash. Neither boy had finished eating. They put their plates into the sink and left the house.

"Josh, you need to feed the animals, and you best not make a mess of my barn this time!" the man yelled. Josh flinched, but got up to take care of his plate and left.

Chris showed back up with Mike. The younger boy was dirty and had been crying. He stood there before the couple, looking at the floor. "Get upstairs and get yourself and your bed cleaned up," the woman told him.

"Yes, Ma'am," he told her and went upstairs.

"Chris," The man stood up. "I want you to help me work with the new boy this morning."

"Yes, sir," Chris said with a smile.

XXXXX

Half way to Chadron, Hotch stopped for breakfast, the restroom, and gas. A little truck stop café made the perfect place for all three items. Hotch gassed up the SUV and Rossi went in to grab them a table. Hotch noticed Kahlan standing by the doors for a few minutes. She pulled the bottle of pills out of her pocket, and Hotch watched her sort several of them into her hand. He didn't think any of them were actually Tylenol. What the hell is she taking? He wondered and made a mental note to have Garcia check her medical records. Right as she was about to take the pills, a woman screamed her son's name. A little boy had gotten out of a car and started running toward the store. Kahlan saw a truck coming around the pumps. Hotch couldn't get around his vehicle in time, but Kahlan ran out in front of the truck, scooped up the little boy, and fell with the boy in her arms out of the way of the truck.

The hysterical mother ran to her son. "Oh God. Thank you!" she told Kahlan as she took the boy from her arms.

"No problem," Kahlan told her as she got up.

Hotch came up to woman and looked the boy over. He didn't even have one speck of dirt on him. "Are you ok?" he asked the boy. The boy nodded.

The driver of the truck ran up apologizing the whole way.

"It's ok. He's fine," Kahlan told the man.

"Are you alright?" Hotch asked Kahlan.

"A little wet, but fine," she told him as she started brushing herself off. Her legs and her back were covered in mud and snow. "I think I'll go change," she told them as she headed back to the SUV to get her bag.

The truck driver apologized again to Kahlan and the woman and her son and went back to his truck. Hotch finished gassing up the SUV as Kahlan went inside to change.

Rossi saw Kahlan and immediately got worried. "What happened?" He pictured an argument between Hotch and Kahlan, and Kahlan ending up on the ground. No, Hotch would never hit her, would he?

"I slipped on some stupid ice. I'm gonna change. These pants are too wet and cold now," she told him with a smile and went into the restroom.

Hotch pulled the SUV away from the pumps and into a parking space by the restaurant. Hotch went inside to find Rossi as Kahlan went out to put her bag back in the SUV.

"Did you see that?" Hotch asked Rossi.

"What? Her slip on the ice?" Rossi asked confused.

"She said she slipped?" Hotch asked clearly surprised.

"And that's not what happened?" Rossi asked eyeing his friend worriedly.

Hotch was about to answer when he noticed Kahlan come into the restaurant, so he gave Rossi a look that told him he would tell him later. Kahlan sat down in the chair between the two agents. A waitress came up and asked them what they wanted to drink. The guys ordered coffee and Kahlan ordered a hot tea.

When the waitress brought them their drinks, she took their food order. Hotch ordered an omelet, Rossi ordered eggs and bacon, and Kahlan only an order of toast. Rossi looked at her with furrowed brows. "Ok, we've been with you for almost forty-eight hours straight, and I haven't seen you eat anything yet. What's up with that?"

"Really? You're how old and you haven't learned that you should never ask a woman about her eating habits?" Kahlan dismissed his question with a laugh.

"You think I'm old?" He asked her with a feigned hurt look.

She shook her head. Hotch studied her a little more closely. Pills, not eating, clothes a little baggy, is she sick? He wondered as she laughed at Rossi.

"No, not old, but old enough to know better. How many times have you been married?" She asked him.

"What makes you think I've been married?" He looked at Hotch. Hotch just shrugged.

"Oh, please! Someone like you, let me guess. Two? Three?"

Hotch actually laughed. Rossi looked wounded. "Someone like me? What do you mean?"

"Italian gentleman. A lady's man. Probably a hopeless romantic, too. You charm women without even meaning to."

"I don't know whether to take that as a compliment or an insult.

Kahlan laughed. "A compliment, I assure you."

"Are you sure you're not a profiler?" Rossi asked her with a smile, but she didn't answer.

Breakfast came and went and they were back on the road and to Chadron within an hour.

Kahlan lead them up to the home Kyle Redman. She introduced the agents to Susan and Mark, Kyle's parents. Susan started crying as she thanked the agents profusely for helping to look for her son. Kahlan took Susan into the kitchen and let the agents talk with Mark.

"Mr. Redman, we have talked with Mrs. Hunter, and we know Kyle was abducted in the fall. Can you remember anything go on in town at the time?" Rossi asked him as he led them into the living room.

"Yeah. Chadron always has the Harvest Festival the first week in November. Town fills up with people from all over the state."

"Do you remember anyone sticking out? Anyone you might have noticed hanging around?" Hotch asked him.

"You know, I do remember talking to my brother about seeing a few out of state plates parked along main street. The Festival normally doesn't bring in people from out of state."

"Do you remember which states?" Hotch urged him on.

"I remember one from California. Never seen one of them in Chadron before."

"Any others?"

"One from South Dakota, a couple from Wyoming, I think."

The interview went on for a little while longer once Mrs. Redman collected herself. Hotch was back in the driver's seat and they were on their way to Colorado.

XXXXX

"What's wrong, Jack?" Jessica asked him as she noticed his mood darkening.

"I want to see Daddy. When can I see him again?"

"I know, Buddy, but I honestly don't know when we'll see your daddy again."

"Jack! Come play with me!" Henry yelled from the other room. Jack got up and went into the next room to play with the younger boy.

"I don't blame him," Jessica said.

"I know. I'm going crazy being locked up like this!" Will said as he looked at Jessica. He got up and paced around the room.