Numb3rs: Miracle

Disclaimer: I don't own them, I just borrowed them. Numb3rs and its characters are the property of those that created them. No copyright infringement intended. No financial reward gained. All real places and organisations are used in a fictional sense. Original characters and the storyline are mine however.


CHAPTER TWO

-100-1111-1110-

Statement of Donald Alan Eppes, Special Agent, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Los Angeles Field Office.

I am currently performing duties as the supervisor of the Violent Crimes Unit.

I remember Friday the 11th day of December 2009. I was on medical leave for injuries (laceration and dislocated left shoulder) sustained in the line of duty two days previously. I was unarmed.

At about 4:30pm I attended the Wilshire Boulevard Temple with my brother, Professor Charles (Charlie) Edward Eppes.

On entering the building I noted two older males and a female in her early fifties who I now know as Sylvia Elizabeth Levi, to be seated in the seats on the ground floor. There were no persons visible to me in the upper gallery.

Upon reaching the front of the synagogue and the raised dais I heard a loud noise from the direction of the entrance. I observed the doors hit their stops as a male person ran inside.

I now know him as Steven Donald Isaacs. I had never met him before this incident.

I would describe Isaacs as approximately 5'10", about 180 pounds, Caucasian with a pale complexion, light brown hair and brown eyes. I estimated him to be in his early twenties. At the time he was wearing a dirty grey jacket over a flannelette shirt, faded and torn blue jeans and joggers.

I noted that he appeared extremely agitated, twitching and sweating, his movements jerky and slightly uncoordinated. Based on my experience in law enforcement I came to the conclusion that he appeared to be suffering withdrawal symptoms.

In his right hand he was holding a semi-automatic firearm, matte black in color. I was unable to determine the model. I immediately pushed Charlie to the floor as I crouched beside him.

Isaacs proceeded down the centre aisle and I recall he said words to the effect: "Everybody get down."

At this point I observed the door to the synagogue open again and two Los Angeles Police Department officers entered, service firearms drawn.

Isaacs then pulled Levi from her seat and held her in front of him as a human shield. As he turned from side to side in an agitated manner I saw that he was holding his firearm against the right side of her head. I was less than eight yards away and my view was not obstructed.

Isaacs said words to the effect: "Stay back or I'll waste her."

I felt immediate concern for Levi and believed that her life was in danger.

At this time I observed the two males that had been seated make their way to the exit.

After a brief period of negotiation during which more physical threats were made against Levi the two LAPD officers left the synagogue.

Isaacs then made his way towards the front of the synagogue, still holding Levi to him, his firearm at her head. When he was approximately four yards away he turned and saw my brother and I.

I stood, raising my arms to indicate I was not a threat.

I said: "Let the woman go."

Isaacs said words to the effect: "She's not going anywhere, neither are you."

At this time Isaacs pointed his firearm at my face. I observed that Isaacs had his finger on the trigger. I couldn't tell if the safety was engaged or not. I immediately felt that my life was being threatened.

I again asked for Levi's release. Isaacs then violently pushed her towards me. I was able to catch her and assisted her to the floor next to Charlie.

Isaacs then used both hands to shove hard at my right shoulder forcing me fall to the floor. I landed on my left side before rolling onto my back. The fall aggravated my injured shoulder and I was in pain.

I looked up to see that Isaacs was approximately one yard away, his firearm aimed at my face. I again felt in fear of my life and held still.

Isaacs then ordered me to sit with Levi and my brother. He kept the firearm pointed at me as I obeyed his order.

Isaacs then said: "Try anything else and I'll waste you."

I took this to mean he would kill me. I again raised my hands to show I was not a threat.

Isaacs lowered the firearm and backed off. He began pacing a few yards away. Every few seconds he would look in our direction and I believed that all of our lives were under threat.

I assessed Levi, finding that aside from appearing to be distressed she was physically unharmed. I indicated that my brother continue to care for her as I maintained a watch on Isaacs.


Charlie looked up from the pages he was reading. Had he and Don been at the same incident? His brother's distillation of the events down to cold hard facts was something he was finding hard to emulate in his own thoughts. His brother had provided him with his statement in order to 'assist his memory' before his appointment to have his own statement taken an hour or so from now. He was sure that if it weren't necessary to prove the charges his brother would have left out the fact that he believed Isaacs would shoot him.

He put Don's statement down and gazed into the distance across his office. He didn't see the expressions written on the whiteboard against the wall, instead once again finding himself in the synagogue two days ago.


Suddenly the pacing stopped. The gunman spun and for a heart-stopping moment swept the muzzle of his gun across his three hostages. Charlie stopped breathing as the woman buried her face against his chest.

"Anybody moves, they die. I mean it!"

What had caused the sudden reaction Charlie didn't know, none of them had moved or made any sound. The man scratched at his neck as the gun waved back across the threesome. Paranoia, Charlie concluded, another symptom of withdrawal.

"We're not moving." Don's calm voice responded.

"See that you don't."

"Just calm down and think things through."

"I am calm." The gunman's voiced sounded anything but. "You're my tickets outta here. But if you try anything, I'll waste her first."

"You don't need to kill anyone. We'll do exactly what you want. Just take it easy."

Charlie's heart stopped once again as his brother's calm words had an unexpected reaction. The gunman rushed over to shove his gun into Don's face.

"You sound like a cop." He snarled in suspicion as his hand shook. "I don't like cops."

He didn't know how Don managed to sound so calm and controlled when he answered the accusation with truth that was also a lie. "I'm not a cop."

"You sound like one." The gunman repeated, pressing his gun now against Don's forehead.

It was one thing to see a man point his gun at his brother, it was another to see that selfsame gun rammed hard against his head. All of his numbers, everything he'd learnt about law enforcement and criminal behaviour over the years, even his own cognitive emergence studies gave him one likely outcome. Don was a hairbreadth away from dying and there was nothing he could do to prevent it. Charlie saw his brother's hands again come slowly up, his only outward reaction to the probability of his impending death. His voice sounded even calmer than before, each word enunciated clearly.

"I just want all of us to get out of this alive."

"Yeah?" The gunman seemed unconvinced but pulled his gun back. "Well you diss me or try anything and maybe I'll kill you first."

Charlie was sure he saw the faintest hint of satisfaction pass over his brother's face. Surely it didn't mean what he thought it did, had his brother just provoked the gunman in some subtle way to put himself into the line of fire and thus removed the woman? Again Charlie knew the answer to that one, Don had just done exactly that. He would sacrifice himself if it came down to it.

"Sounds fair." Don responded evenly. "Just tell us what you want us to do."

"For now, how about shut-up!" The unstable gunman yelled right into Don's face, the weapon shoving hard against his captive's head. "Think you can manage that?"

Don's hands rose a little higher and Charlie just had to breathe, he'd held his breath for so long now he was seeing spots. Finally the man backed right off, returning to his pacing, muttering now to himself and scratching absently at itches that were probably imaginary. Charlie looked back at his brother and found him sitting with his eyes closed, breathing deeply. For all of his tough façade Charlie knew Don had been rattled. He would have known even better than his younger brother just how close he'd come to being killed.

"Don?" Charlie dared, his voice barely a whisper.

The eyes flashed open, darting to the pacing man before settling back on him. "Charlie, you alright?"

"Am I-?" Charlie could barely believe his brother's question. He clamped his mouth shut before he started shouting. "You-" Again he couldn't continue.

"I know what I'm doing." Don whispered. "We'll get out of this."

"All of us." Charlie finally managed insistently. His brother sacrificing himself to save them was not part of any of the expressions tumbling through his mind.

The gunman pulled his jacket more closely to him, shivering as if cold. Every now and then he would sweep his gun across them as if believing they were about to try something. The woman whose name they'd learnt was Ms Levi reacted little less each time as the gunman didn't follow though with further threats. She was far from complacent and Charlie believed she was more in shock than anything else, not having said anything other than her name when asked and confirming she was unhurt. Don almost exclusively kept his attention on the man aside from brief but regular glances at Ms Levi and himself.

During one such glance Charlie shot his brother a frustrated look. Nothing was happening. Sure there had been sirens, lots of sirens, but those had stopped some time ago and there had been nothing since.

After a glance at his watch Don shifted carefully to be a little closer. Waiting for his moment he leant over and whispered in his ear. "Any moment now, Charlie. Be ready."

He knew Don wasn't warning him they were about to try an escape, no his brother was reminding him that jumpy as he was the gunman would be likely to react badly to the opening of negotiations as it would breach the status quo. Don again moved slightly, placing himself where he would be closest to the gunman.

It was as if Don could see beyond the walls and knew intimately what was happening outside right down to the timing as there was suddenly a noise at the door. It started to ease open. The gunman reacted, spinning and letting off a single shot. With hyper aware senses Charlie saw the mark appear in the wood panelling near the door. One question was emphatically answered, the gun worked. The door banged shut.

"LAPD!" A male voice shouted. There was more but it was lost under the gunman's next words.

"Stay back!" The gunman shouted. Moving quickly he lunged and grabbed a handful of Don's shirt at his shoulder, pulling him up.

Offering no resistance Don stood and let himself be held in front of the gunman, the gun now pressed against the side of his head.

"Throw phone!" The officer explained.

"No one comes in! You open that door and I'll shoot someone."

"They want to talk." Don suddenly said.

"What?"

"The throw phone means they want to talk." Don explained patiently. "If you don't want them to come in you need that phone."

Charlie saw the indecision as the gunman thought that over. "I don't want them in here."

The statement had two simultaneous meanings. Don provided a solution to the problem. "I can get it."

"No. I'm not letting anyone go."

"I won't go. I'll come back in with the phone." He promised, his voice soothing.

The man came to a sudden decision shoving Don away with enough force to have him stumble a few paces before he could recover his balance. Don stopped and turned, hands held up. Meanwhile the man had already changed position.

Charlie's view of his brother was suddenly blocked as he found himself staring down the barrel of the gun. He barely heard the man's words around the blood rushing in his ears as his heart hammered in his chest.

"You don't come back, I'll kill him." The gunman didn't know how effective that threat was.

"I'll be back. It will just take a few minutes, okay?"

"You come back." The man warned again as he shifted, moving up and around to stand behind Charlie and Ms Levi.

He resisted the urge to look behind him, he knew what he would see and would prefer not to see that again if at all possible. Instead he stared into his brother's eyes. He found reassurance there as Don nodded before turning and making his way quickly up the aisle to stop just inside the door.

"I'm coming out to get the phone." Don stated each word loudly and distinctly. "I'm a hostage and I'm unarmed."

"Come out slowly." The officer replied. "Show us your hands."

"I'm opening the door." Don warned, one hand already raised as he stepped forward to pull the door open, moving with great caution. Those outside would not be sure whether or not he was the offender or a hostage, no matter what he'd just said. Given the shot fired at them they would be understandably nervous.

Finally the door was fully open and Don stepped through. As it swung closed Charlie felt suddenly cut off and isolated.

.