Chapter 4

Reid grinned as he strolled across the campus at CalSci. Memories floated into his mind as he took in the familiar buildings and landscape.

"What's it like being back, kid?" Morgan asked.

"Feels great," Spencer replied.

"You attended CalSci?" Agent Granger asked.

Spencer nodded. "Among several other degrees, I earned a PhD in Mathematics."

"You and Charlie will get along great," Granger said with a smile.

"Do you know if Professor. Fleinhardt still teaches here?" Reid asked.

"You know Larry?"

"He was one of my advisors."

Neither Morgan nor Reid missed the knowing smile on Agent Granger's face.

"He's still here."

"And…?" Morgan prompted.

"And I'm sure we'll run into him."

He was right. No sooner had they entered the CalSci math department then they found a distracted Larry standing just outside the caution tape that prevented him from entering Charlie's office. The caution tape was a formality. Without hard evidence of what happened to Charlie, the FBI could not technically call his office a crime scene. Nevertheless, Don had convinced CalSci administration to keep the caution tape in place until Charlie returned.

Professor Fleinhardt's pose was so familiar to Spencer, with one arm pulled tight around his chest and the other resting against the side of his face. For a moment, Spencer was back in his lecture hall listening to Professor Fleinhardt review for an upcoming exam.

"Professor," he said and Larry looked up, his eyes moving reluctantly away from Charlie's empty office.

"Spencer Reid?" Larry's eyes grew wide as he took in the sight of his former student.

"How are you, professor?"

The professor sighed. "I confess, Spencer, that you have chosen an unfortunate time to visit."

"I'm actually here to help find Dr. Eppes."

"Indeed?"

Spencer nodded. "This is Agent Morgan. We're part of the BAU out of Quantico."

Larry's gaze returned to Charlie's office. "I hope your presence can assist in locating the whereabouts of Charles."

Even in the grim situation, Spencer couldn't help but smile. He hadn't realized how much he missed his old teacher's unusual mannerisms.

Agent Granger stepped up to the door and pulled aside the caution tape. Morgan followed him into the office. Reid made to follow as well but hesitated when Larry didn't move.

"Coming, professor?"

Larry sighed. "When observing the mysteries of the universe, I've learned that keeping a distance is preferable before engaging in closer proximity."

"Didn't you spend some time on the International Space Station? You can't get much closer to the cosmos than that." Spencer said incredulously.

"Hence my analysis."

Spencer shrugged and stepped into Professor Eppes' office.

The space was cluttered, but tasteful. Agent Granger stood back and watched as Morgan and Reid moved about the room. Morgan scanned the desk while Spencer observed the chalkboards.

"Some of these files are from the FBI," Morgan said. He nudged some papers out of the way to get a better look at the FBI seal printed on the front of a folder. "Was Dr. Eppes consulting on a case for you when he disappeared?"

Colby sighed. "Yes and no. We were working on a case involving a series of car jackings. Charlie was helping at first, but Don could see that the stress was starting to affect him. Finals were coming up and Charlie was feeling overworked. Don…sent Charlie home."

Both profilers noticed the hesitation in Colby's words.

"There was trouble?" Morgan asked.

"Nothing out of the ordinary. Just a sibling argument like you might expect."

"So they argue regularly," Morgan pressed.

"That's not exactly how I'd put it."

"How would you put it?"

Colby thought for a moment. "Don and Charlie's relationship runs a lot deeper than either of them will ever admit. Charlie's prestigious career intimidates Don. But Don being the older brother makes Charlie feel inferior. They will never admit how much they look up to each other. When Don dismissed Charlie from the case, he thought he was protecting his younger brother. But Charlie saw it as his older brother rejecting him."

"The argument could have been the event that caused Charlie to run," Morgan said.

Colby didn't argue the theory. He'd suspected Charlie may have run away after the heated argument in the bullpen. He could still remember the younger man's red face, the moisture building in his eyes as he glared at his older brother.

"Professor Fleinhardt? Could you look at something for me?" Spencer's voice was loud enough to carry into the hallway. He still stood in front of the chalkboard, half covered in scribbles.

Larry plodded into the office, eyes downcast.

"Look at this equation," Spencer said, pointing at a line of numbers and symbols.

Larry nodded. "It's Charles' Cognitive Emergence work. It appears he abandoned this fragment of equation mid-thought."

Spencer didn't answer and Morgan stepped closer. "Reid?" he said simply.

The young agent continued staring at the board.

"What is it?" Colby asked.

"I think Agent Eppes is right. I think Charlie was kidnapped. And I think he was taken from this office."

"What makes you say that?" Morgan asked. He wasn't questioning the younger agent's theory, but they would need to explain it to the rest of the team.

Reid pointed to a line of numbers on the board. "Professor Eppes has a defined thought process. You can see him work through his problems, reaching solutions then double checking his work."

"I'll take your word for it," Colby mumbled.

"But this line here," Reid slid his finger along the final line of numbers scrawled on the chalkboard. "It's incomplete. It doesn't fit the pattern."

"You think someone interrupted him?" Morgan guessed.

"Do you have the surveillance footage from the building?" Reid asked Agent Granger.

Colby scowled. "We asked the school for it, but they refused to hand it over without a warrant."

"Even if the footage helps locate Professor Eppes?" Reid said, sounding surprised.

"Privacy is a big deal these days," Colby said with a shrug.

"Guys?" Morgan said. His eyes were fixed on a spot just under the desk. He bent down. When he straightened up again, a broken cellphone was clutched in his gloved hand. "Think we have enough for a warrant now?"

Colby took out his phone and dialed Don.