Title: May you live in interesting times (Part 4)
Disclaimer: Own nothing, not being paid.

Thank you to the anonymous reviewers.

"Thank you for coming in," Liz said, gesturing to two seats around the table.

Lesley Henshaw's parents, Jan and Gary King, settled themselves down in the chairs and looked anxiously at Liz. The couple were in their late 70s, although they looked older than their ages. Jan walked with the aid of a walking stick and Gary had hearing aids; he'd told Liz she'd have to speak up if she wanted him to hear a word she said.

"Anything we can do to help find who killed our daughter," Jan said, picking at a tissue in her hand.

Liz winced as she sat down opposite them. She hadn't intended to give them false hope, but if it meant that they had rushed to the FBI office, all the better. "I'm afraid you got the wrong impression, Mrs King. This isn't about your daughter; it's about your son-in-law, Robert."

"Robert," Gary said, glancing at his wife. "We only saw him earlier this afternoon-"

"Is he okay?" Jan interrupted, clearly anxious at the thought that something else could have happened to a member of her extended family. Her fingers shredded the tissue. "We just had lunch with him, and he was fine."

"Mr and Mrs King," Liz said, "Robert has assaulted a FBI agent and abducted him."

"What, no! Gary..." Jan looked at her husband and reached out for his hands.

He put his own hands out, squeezing hers tight.

"I don't believe it...how could..." She shook her head. "No, I don't believe it. He couldn't have done something like that. He wouldn't have, not Robert. You must have made a mistake."

Liz pulled the still from the surveillance video out of the folder in her hands and placed it down in front of them. "There's no mistake, Mrs King," she said gently.

"Oh, God. That's him, that's him." Jan put a hand to her mouth, the crumpled tissue pressed below her nose, tears springing to her eyes.

Gary nodded, gulping back his own reaction and patting his wife's other hand.

"What has he done?" Mrs King's question was rhetorical. "He's hurt and kidnapped a FBI agent?"

Liz nodded. "Yes, Special Agent Don Eppes."

There was a shared glance between the couple. "Why do I know that name?" Jan asked, her brow furrowing.

"He was the FBI agent in charge of...Lesley's case," Gary reminded her, having to pause before he spoke his daughter's name. There was so much sadness in his voice, even after five years.

"He was," Liz confirmed, to an audible cry of shock from Jan. "And I need your help, to help Robert."

"Anything," Gary said for both of them.

Liz perched her hands in front of her, concentration fully on the couple. "Okay. How was he when you saw him today?"

"He seemed fine," Jan said. "Maybe a little quieter than normal to begin with, but then he loosened up. He helped me make lunch and we sat and talked. He was...it was a good day, actually. Sometimes you have to watch what you say with him about Lesley, but he was fine today."

"How do you have to watch what you say?" Liz asked. "Like does he get angry or shut down?"

"He just gets quiet sometimes, and he might snap at you if he's not in the mood to hear it," Gary answered. "But today, he was joking about her, talking about when they first got together."

"Do you think he's been depressed?"

"No..." Jan looked at Gary again, her face contorting as she thought. "No...I don't know...maybe? He wasn't in a good place after Lesley died, but that's natural; we weren't really either."

To Liz, that was an emphatic yes. There was a knock at the door and she looked up. Another agent, Brian McNamara, who had been pulled in to help was standing at the door, gesturing for her to step out.

"Excuse me for a minute," Liz said, standing and walking to the door. She stepped outside and closed the door to the room, glancing back to see what the Kings were doing before giving Brian her full attention.

"We got a phone call from the LAPD," he said. "One of Henshaw's neighbours saw him fighting with another man in his garage just a few minutes ago. The man's hands were tied and he looked hurt. The description fits Agent Eppes. He called out for help, the neighbour ran inside to call the police, and when she next got to a window they were both gone, the garage door closed. She didn't hear a car leave, so looks like they're still in there."

She breathed out a sigh of relief. Don was still alive. Their assault and abduction had just turned into a probable hostage situation. She looked at her watch. Colby would nearly be there, and David and Nikki not far behind. "You've called David and Colby?"

Brian nodded.

"Okay, thanks," she said, turning back to the Kings. They were watching her through the window, worry and anticipation clear on their faces. Their lives were just about to get a whole lot more complicated and stressful. She opened the door and walked back in and sat back down in the chair she was sitting in before. The Kings were holding hands again, the reassurance each gained from the grip clear.

"Robert is at his house, with Agent Eppes."

There was an audible moan of distress from Jan. "We're going to do everything we can to end this peacefully, but I need your help for that. What can you tell me about Robert's house?" Liz asked.

Jan pressed her lips together, trying to hold in tears. "I don't know what might help you."

"He's got security shutters on every window," Gary said slowly. "And the doors into the house are reinforced. There's one from the garage, and the front door. After..." He stopped. "He did that after."

"That's very helpful, Mr King," Liz encouraged, as she wrote it down. "Does he have an alarm system?"

"No. But if he's home, he'll have the shutters down in the rooms he's not in. Lesley's death..."

Liz could understand her death having made him paranoid. "What about his phone? The phone in the house, I mean. Does he have a cordless?"

"No, he's just got the main phone, said that most people call his cell anyway, so what was the point in having a cordless in the house? It's in the dining room, on the wall that divides it from the kitchen."

"How long is the cord?"

Gary thought for a moment. "Only a few feet, but there's another foot or two if you detach it from the wall."

The room went quiet as Liz wrote.

"It was off the hook when they found Lesley. She was only a few feet away."

Liz looked up at Jan's words and gave her a sad smile. "You've both been very helpful."

"What happens now?" Gary asked.

"We try to talk to Robert, see what he wants and try to talk him out. We'd appreciate it if you could stay for a while, in case we need more help." Liz could see that they were both very upset by what they had heard and by the reminder of everything that had happened with their daughter. "I can get someone to bring you some coffee or tea, something to eat?"

"We're fine at the moment," Gary answered for them both.

"I'll keep you up-to-date," Liz promised, picking up the pad of paper, pen and folder.

"Agent?" Jan asked as she got to the door.

"Yes?" she answered, turning back to face them.

"Has Agent Eppes got a family? A wife or kids?"

Liz could see how important the question was to her, to someone who had already lost a daughter and was losing someone she regarded as a son, no matter what way the hostage situation turned out. "He's got a girlfriend, and he's very close to his brother and father."

"Thank you," Jan whispered as Liz left the room.

She stopped and looked back. Gary had enfolded his wife in his arms, silent tears slipping down his cheeks as his wife sobbed.

LAPD were evacuating houses and cordoning off the area when Colby arrived in Henshaw's neighbourhood. There were already gawkers and news vans outside the barriers, reporters doing their bit for the networks, even though all they could know for certain was that there was something going on, and none of the specifics. A couple of news cameras followed his car as he flashed his badge and was allowed past the barriers. Now they'd know that the FBI was involved in whatever was going on.

He parked where he was directed and asked a patrol officer for the person in charge.

Captain Michelle Ruiz was in her early 40s and clearly someone who was very used to being obeyed. Her sharp eyes assessed him as he walked over to join her.

"Special Agent Colby Granger, FBI," Colby introduced himself, holding his hand out to shake. Ruiz shook it, short and sharp, before dropping his hand.

"Captain Michelle Ruiz, LAPD. From what I understand, that's one of your men in there?" She nodded in the general direction of Henshaw's house. They couldn't see it from their position; once HRT and David arrived they'd move in closer to start the negotiations.

"Yeah, Special Agent Don Eppes. He's supervisor of the Violent Crimes Squad."

Ruiz whistled. "Sure picked an important one, didn't he?" She gestured for him to follow her to a surveillance van. "We're still evacuating houses, but we're almost done. I've got Vanessa Hogan waiting for you; she's the neighbour who called the police. Figured you might want to talk to her yourself."

"Thanks," Colby replied as they climbed in the van. "Has there been any movement from the house? There's shutters on all the windows, from what we were told by Henshaw's in-laws. Are they down?"

"No and yes," Ruiz answered. She moved to a small table in the van and indicated their position on a street map. "We're here." She dragged her finger across to a dead-end street and indicated halfway along it. "Henshaw's house is here. We're waiting on the blueprints for the house. Your guy will be negotiating?"

Colby continued studying the map. They were lucky in one way that the shutters were down, made their approach much easier as Henshaw wouldn't be able to see them coming. Not lucky in another—wouldn't be as easy to assault the house. "Yeah, Agent David Sinclair. He should be here very soon, along with HRT."

"We have any idea whether he's armed?"

That was a question that Colby had been wondering about. They had no idea what Henshaw had done with Don's cell and gun. "He could be, Agent Eppes was armed when he was taken."

Ruiz nodded, taking the information in. She cut to the chase. "Best guess as to what he wants?"

Colby tilted his head to the side in a half shrug. "Revenge? To be heard? We're not sure."

"Okay." The captain waved her arm in the direction of the door. "I'll introduce you to the neighbour."

Vanessa Hogan was standing with her arms wrapped around her chest, clearly very eager to get out of the limelight after being questioned a number of times.

"Ms Hogan, this is Agent Granger of the FBI," Ruiz introduced them, before tapping Colby on the arm and nodding to him. The captain then moved off to coordinate the running of the scene again.

"I know you've already told the police what you saw, but it would be really helpful if I could hear it," Colby said.

The arms tightened further around her chest, but Vanessa nodded. "I just can't believe this, you know? After Lesley... You don't expect this in your street."

Colby nodded his understanding, encouraging her on.

"I was picking up my mail. I knew that Robert had gotten home a while before, I'd seen his car in the drive. The garage door started opening and I was going to go over and talk to him; I don't even remember what about now." She shrugged and shook her head, her eyebrows disappearing under her bangs. "But the garage door opened and there was another man with him. They were fighting. The other man, his hands were tied and he ran into Robert like a bull. Robert fell back, and the other man tried to get away. It looked like he had a black eye and there was some blood. He was trying to run for the garage door when he saw me, yelled out for help. Then I ran inside to call the police, and by the time I got to a window the garage door was closed again."

"You didn't hear a car?" Colby questioned.

Vanessa shook her head decisively. "No, I don't think he left again. I'd have heard it. I never would have thought that Robert could hurt a fly. He was always so nice, and helpful. You could count on him to be looking out for everyone else on the street, you know?"

There was only one more thing that Colby thought she might be able to answer. "One last question and then you can go, get a coffee or tea. Did you see any sort of weapon?"

There was another shake of her head.

"Okay, thank you," Colby said. "You've been extremely helpful. The police officer will escort you out past the barriers." The patrol officer nodded at his words and Colby turned away.

Now it was a waiting game.

"Alan, do you want some tea, or some coffee..." Amita trailed off when Alan didn't look in her direction.

She angled her head to the side, her brow wrinkling as she tried to determine exactly what Alan was looking at. It was a toss up between a photo taken a year ago of Charlie, Don and Alan or a photo of Don by himself, smiling in that way that made the corners of his eyes crinkle and had always made her wonder whether he was flirting, just slightly, when it was directed at her. Harmless flirting, but flirting nonetheless. You couldn't help but smile back when Don was in that sort of mood. It was always a huge juxtaposition to how serious he was most of the time, you almost wouldn't credit it with being the same man. Even with Charlie losing his clearance, the Crystal Hoyle case coming back to haunt Don again, and the stabbing, they'd seen more of those smiles since he'd started dating Robin again than she could remember ever seeing in the previous years.

Alan still didn't turn as she came up beside him and she rested her hand on his shoulder, knowing that the Eppes men weren't very physically demonstrative and Alan was probably only just holding it together. Something more comforting and affectionate could be all it took for him to break, and she knew he wouldn't want that, not while they didn't know what was going on. Charlie was similar in that way, all but dancing away most of the time from her when she'd tried to hug or touch him after Don had been stabbed. It was hard, when it was the main thing she could offer and it wasn't accepted, but she knew that it was the way Charlie dealt with things.

He was going to be devastated when his plane landed. Not being here while it was happening, not being able to help, even when that help was tearing him apart, to share in the worry. He'd gone through this once with Don and then again when she'd been kidnapped. She didn't know whether he could cope a third time. Alan had left a message on his voicemail, asking him to call straight back. The one thing Amita hoped was that Don was found safe and sound before that happened.

Shaking out of his reverie, Alan turned to her and gave her a smile. "You want some coffee?" he asked, obviously not having taken in what she had said.

"Sure." Amita nodded, aware that her voice was way more upbeat than it should have been, compensating.

One last longing look at the photo and Alan put his arm around her waist, guiding her to the kitchen.

She slipped her arm around his back, trying to give him all the mental and emotional support she could.

Alan waved her away when she started to help, and she let him, knowing that the routine would be a comfort for him. She could see the slight tremble in his hands when he got the cups out of the cupboard, the teaspoons out of the drawer. The silence felt oppressive, like she should break it, but she didn't know what to say. Avoid Don and try to find some other topic of conversation that couldn't include Charlie, because that was related to Don? Talk about Don and risk making Alan more anxious than he already was? Make the excuse of having work to do and go and hide behind her laptop in the garage? None of the options felt right but she didn't know what else she could do. So, for the moment, she kept silent.

The coffee was finally ready. Alan handed her a cup, glancing at her face as he did so.

"Thanks," she said, trying not to sound so falsely cheerful this time.

Alan ran his finger around the rim of his cup, his gaze thoughtful. "It's okay, Amita. I'm not going to fall apart if you mention Don's name."

Obviously she'd looked like a deer caught in headlights. She opened her mouth to speak, and then closed it again, wanting to choose her words carefully. "I just... It's hard to know what to say. With Charlie, when Don was stabbed he wouldn't really let me in." She looked down. "Well, other than at first, when we didn't really know what was going on. But after that..."

"He was Charlie," Alan replied, a slightly wry smile on his face.

"Yeah." She felt an answering smile of her own. "I want to help, Alan, but I'm just not sure how."

"You are helping, just by being here," Alan said. "I'd hate to be alone, no one to talk to, or if there was someone here, someone who doesn't even know Don."

They each contemplated their coffees for a few minutes, the only sound being blown breaths and faint sips and swallows. Amita could see that Alan was a bit steadier and less shaky, the warmth, caffeine and sugar all doing their job. She felt calmer too, and she realised that she'd also been affected by what was going on. Not having Charlie to concentrate on, to hold it together for, and having finally stopped moving and trying to figure out how to handle Alan, she had time to think about how she felt. With Don's stabbing, her worry for him was so entwined with her worry for Charlie that she couldn't have separated them. Here she had a chance to figure it out. She was scared, upset and worried for Don, and just a little bit angry that he kept on doing this to them. It also had made her think about her own experience and how terrifying it was. The one thing she had known then was that she could count on Charlie and Don to find her and try to bring her home.

A phone rang, startling them both. It took Amita a moment to recognise that it wasn't her cell, that it must be Alan's. They both put their coffees down and Alan led the rush out of the kitchen. He ran into the living room and scooped up the still ringing phone off the table.

"Hello," he answered, his voice anxious and the word rushed. "David... What's happening?"

Amita circled the table as he spoke, moving close enough to be a support, but not so close that she was invading his personal space. She could hear David's voice over the phone, speaking rapidly and not giving Alan a chance to reply, but could not make out the actual words. The tinny voice stopped, and Alan paused for a moment before speaking.

"Just be careful, all of you. I - I don't want you getting hurt trying to—" He broke off, breathing heavily, his voice choked up with unshed tears. David said something, and then Alan handed the phone to her.

"Oh, okay," she said, surprised, almost fumbling the phone as she put it to her ear. "Hello?"

"Amita, how's he holding up?" David asked. The noise in the background indicated that he was in a car going at a very fast pace, with lights and sirens. She thought she also heard a female voice speaking, Nikki from the sound of it.

"Okay," she answered, turning away from Alan, trying to give him some privacy to pull himself together and hide the fact that she was talking about him. It made her slightly uncomfortable, answering questions about someone she was in the same room as.

"I need you to make sure that the TV stays off. It looks like Don's being held hostage, and it's going to be all over the channels. There's already TV stations covering it, even though they don't really have anything to report yet."

"Okay," she said again, nodding and her stomach sinking at the words. That much she could do.

"I'll call when I can, to let you know what's going on. I've got to go."

The call ended and she closed Alan's phone, turned and put it back on the table.

No TV. That would make the time go so much quicker.

TBC...