Chapter 4

Thursday,

UCLA Administration Building

Los Angeles, CA

0920 Local

David offered a polite smile of thanks to the clerk that brought Fawwaz's file over. As soon as she left, he opened it up and after a quick scan, handed a portion over to Charlie. Charlie shot an apologetic glance at Mac before beginning to read the file. From the moment David had joined the two at headquarters, he'd been polite but distant with the JAG officer.

Mac gritted her teeth and moved so that she could read over Charlie's shoulder. Sinclair was sorely trying her patience. If he didn't amend his behavior soon, she was going to have to give him a Marine-style attitude adjustment. Damn, she'd been in such a good mood this morning, too, despite a lack of sleep. It was a small price to pay. Harm had stayed with her last night and they'd talked for hours - well, not just talked. They hadn't resolved everything, there was still a lot to go over; but, for the first time since the devastating prognosis, she'd felt there was real hope for the two of them.

Charlie shifted slightly as Colonel MacKenzie - 'Mac' he told himself firmly - moved in next to him. She wasn't in uniform. He'd heard Don on the phone this morning agreeing that it would be best if she dressed as a civilian. If there was more to this McKlellan matter than a hate crime, they didn't need to wave a red flag at what might be left of a terrorist cell, whether it was foreign or domestic. Mac was dressed comfortably in jeans, tank top and a cambric shirt. She looked like a typical denizen of any university - a very attractive denizen. Commander Rabb was one lucky man. Giving himself a mental shake, Charlie determinedly refocused on the task at hand. He moved the papers over so they could both read easily and acknowledged her grateful look with a quick smile of his own.

He wasn't sure what to make of Sinclair's behavior. Charlie liked the Special Agent but David's attitude towards Mac bordered on rude. Don had explained why JAG was involved and he couldn't understand why David was taking personal offense when the officers were just following orders. It was illogical and detrimental to the investigation. Don would be seriously ticked when he found out about it and Charlie knew he would. His brother had an almost sixth sense when he was working a case and whether someone told him or not, he'd know something was off. The problem was that Charlie didn't really know what to do about it right now. It wasn't like he had any kind of authority over David.

Shaking his head slightly, Charlie returned his attention to the records in front of him. Quickly, he scanned the pages, looking at class schedules and records of previous years. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Akil Fawwaz was a typical student. His classes were normal for his major, there weren't any odd gaps or inappropriate courses. He stayed in a dorm, played junior varsity soccer and was a solid B student. Charlie shrugged a little and glanced back at Mac, "I don't see anything, do you?"

Mac shook her head, "Seems like your average student." She looked at David, "We should check his room and interview his roommates and friends."

Sinclair gazed at her for a few seconds and then nodded, "Sure, just remember this kid was the victim, not the criminal."

Mac gave him a long look and then took a deep breath, "Agent Sinclair, did I somehow give you the impression that I thought otherwise?"

David shifted a little, "Well, it's your Petty Officer that's been accused of killing him."

"He's not my Petty Officer," Mac's tone became considerably colder. Charlie's eyes grew wider and he began to unobtrusively edge away from the two.

"Okay, he's your Senator's Petty Officer," David scowled impatiently. "The point is you can't make Fawwaz into the bad guy here just to get McKlellan and the military off the hook."

Mac was on her feet in an instant, leaning towards the FBI agent, "Mr. Sinclair, if this is an example of how you conduct an 'unbiased' investigation, then I would say Senator Coughlin has every right to be concerned. You're making assumptions based on facts which are not in evidence and if this is the best you can do, I will request that you be removed from this case." Her voice grew quieter and more intense, "My JOB, Mr. Sinclair, is to discover what happened in that hotel room in Compton and then report my findings to my commanding officer. I don't give a tinker's damn who the evidence implicates. And as for you, I don't care what your personal opinion is of me or my profession but by God, don't get in the way of my investigation or you will find my boot prints on your six! Are we clear?"

She had to give the agent credit, he didn't flinch. He also didn't argue with her, which Mac considered more important. Maybe they could salvage this ad hoc partnership. She glanced over at Charlie and stifled a smile. The young man was looking at her with trepidation, apparently wondering if he was about to become collateral damage. She turned her attention back to David, her tone so normal that Charlie was now looking surprised, "Shall we go?"

David gave a non-committal shrug while he mentally berated himself. He'd let his feelings color his actions and given the JAG officer legitimate cause to tell him off. It didn't make him like her or the reason the military attorneys were involved any better but he could see where the Colonel would think she had valid concerns. For the good of the case, he needed to be more detached. Don wouldn't look kindly upon internal strife within the team. Speaking of which, he glanced over at Charlie, "Why don't you wait for us here? This probably won't take too long." The tone of his voice made it clear this was not as much of a request as it was an order.

Charlie looked at him in surprise, "I can't come? Why?" Mac was staring at the agent with the same expression.

David took a deep breath. Dammit, this wasn't going to go smoothly, "Charlie, you've got enough to do. You don't need to waste your time listening to us ask Fawwaz's friends routine questions."

"I'm already here. It's not wasting my time. The more data I have... " Charlie trailed off and then scowled. "Did Don tell you to do this?"

"He didn't have to. You were supposed to look at the school records and that's it. Nothing was said about going along during interviews. I can't take you with us." David took on a stubborn look.

Charlie's eyebrows came together as he tilted his head to one side. It was clear that he was annoyed, "Can't, or won't?"

Mac looked from one man to the other, "Will one of you tell me what is going on?"

Charlie turned towards her, "David is worried that Fawwaz's friends will turn into homicidal maniacs while I'm there and then he'll have to explain to Don what happened."

Mac stared at him in disbelief and then turned towards David, "Are you serious?"

"He's a civilian and he's my responsibility, Colonel. He is not going with us." David glared at her. It was certainly easier to get angry with the JAG lawyer than it was with Charlie.

"Dr. Eppes is not a child. He is a skilled consultant and a member of this team. He should stay with us," Mac countered firmly while lightly emphasizing Charlie's title. This was familiar ground. She'd been dealing with Harm's overprotectiveness from almost the first moment they met. She folded her arms and raised an eyebrow, "And if you think the UCLA campus is such a dangerous place, why would you want to leave him alone and unprotected?"

"I didn't say it was dangerous," David sputtered.

"So contrary to our earlier discussion, you DO think Fawwaz was part of a terrorist cell?"

"I didn't say that either!"

"Were you planning on arresting Fawwaz's roommate?"

"Why would I - No!"

Mac looked from David to Charlie and back, "So Dr. Eppes is - how shall I put this? Socially challenged? You're afraid he'll pee in the potted plants and embarrass the Bureau?"

"Don't be ridiculous!"

Her expression turned more serious, "Has Don Eppes given you reason to fear him to the point where you make irrational decisions concerning his brother?"

"No, of course not!" David stared at her in disbelief. How did this get so out of hand? "I'm not being irrational. It's just, oh, dammit! Look, Colonel... "

"So what you're saying is that there doesn't seem to be any reason for Charlie to stay behind. Good, I'm glad that's settled." Mac cut in. She turned to the young professor, "Ready?"

Charlie nodded, keeping his expression neutral. He'd rarely seen David so thoroughly frustrated but he couldn't find it in him to sympathize with the man.

Fifteen minutes later, they were walking down a corridor, looking at the room numbers. "315, here it is," David stepped up and knocked on the door. Fawwaz's roommate was from Kuwait and Mac had suggested that Sinclair do all the questioning. She had no idea how Americanized this kid might be but it was a safe bet that he'd be more comfortable talking to a man. Fortunately, Sinclair wasn't so annoyed that he wasn't willing to listen to her input. Mac gave him points for putting the case first and leaving the personal animosity behind.

They heard someone say, 'One moment' and then the door opened to reveal a young man dressed in warm-up pants and a UCLA soccer shirt. He looked curiously at the three people in the hallway, "May I help you?"

David held up his badge and ID, "Are you Rashid bin Asim?" The young man hesitated, then nodded, looking slightly worried. David tried a reassuring smile. He was used to that brief pause while people hurriedly scanned their lives, trying to pinpoint anything that would warrant a visit from the FBI, "We'd like to talk to you about your roommate, Akil Fawwaz. May we come in?"

For a moment, it looked like Rashid was going to refuse but then he shrugged and stepped backward, inviting them in. He glanced at the three as they entered. Mac noted that although he gave her a mere cursory look, he lingered on Charlie before returning his attention to David. Once they were inside, he turned and braced himself against the dresser, "What do you want to know?"

David hesitated a moment, "You know what happened to Akil?"

Rashid nodded sharply and scowled, "He was murdered. Have you caught the sharmute who did it?"

"We have a suspect in custody," David said calmly. "We're trying to get a clearer picture of what happened." He pulled out a small notebook, "How long have you known Akil?"

"A little over a year. What does that have to do with his killing?"

"We're just trying to fill in the background," David smiled disarmingly. "Were you two close?"

The young man began to look irritated, "I do not know what you mean."

Sinclair shrugged his shoulders, "I mean, were you friends? Would he have talked to you if he was worried or upset about something?"

Now it was Rashid's turn to shrug, "Maybe. We talked about many things. Classes, sports," he shot a glance at Mac and then quickly looked away, "Women, home, the usual things."

"You don't know of any problems he might have had with anyone?"

"No. I do not understand. You said you have the man who killed him."

"I said we have a suspect. We still have to prove he did it." David explained, his manner soothing. He glanced down at his notes, "Do you know why Akil was in the Compton area?"

"No," Rashid frowned. He looked away from David and his attention was once more caught by Charlie. His expression became one of puzzlement, "I know you, do I not?"

Charlie shook his head, "I don't believe we've met."

Rashid accepted that with a slight nod and shrug before turning back to David, "I do not know what else I can tell you. Akil was a good friend. He did not deserve to die."

Sinclair nodded, "You're right and that's why we're here." He looked down at his notes again, "Did Akil have a girlfriend?"

"Yes, but I do not think it was serious," Rashid looked mildly disapproving. When David raised an inquiring eyebrow, he elaborated, "She is American and a Christian. Her name is Debbie Atwater. I do not believe his family would have been happy to know they were dating."

David's response was interrupted by a sharp rap on the door followed almost immediately by man walking into the room. He was dark, thirtyish and also dressed casually in warm-up pants and a t-shirt. His look of irritation was quickly replaced by one of surprise at seeing the three other people in the room.

Charlie watched as the man turned his attention to Rashid and fired off a question in what the young professor could only assume was Arabic. That started a short and rapid dialogue between the two men. Charlie was interested to see how tense the pair became before the older man suddenly shrugged. Rashid relaxed as well and turned back to David, "Forgive me, this is my cousin Husam. I was supposed to pick him up at the library and as you can see, I forgot. Are we finished?"

Sinclair nodded, "Almost. When was the last time you saw Akil?"

Rashid stood silently for a few seconds, frowning a little in thought. Finally, he said, "Tuesday morning, around 9:00. I was leaving for a class and he was still in bed. I told him he needed to get up." He looked down at the floor, "He was not here when I got back."

"What time was that?" David looked at the young man intently. If they could narrow down the timeframe, it might prove or disprove the hate crime theory. It could be that Fawwaz hadn't meant to be in Compton at all, had gotten lost and been unlucky enough to cross paths with McKlellan.

"11:30." Rashid glanced at his cousin before looking back to David, "Is that important?"

"It might be," David looked over at Mac and Charlie as he pocketed his notepad. "Thank you, Mr. Asim. I appreciate your help." He pulled out a business card, "If you happen to think of anything else, please give me a call." Gesturing to the other two, he walked out of the room.

Mac waited until they were out in the parking lot before looking over at David, "Rashid is supposed to be from Kuwait, isn't he?"

David stopped and eyed her for a moment, "Yeah, so?"

Mac frowned, "He and Husam were speaking Farsi." At Sinclair's blank look, she elaborated, "Farsi is mainly spoken in Iran and a sizable portion of Afghanistan. Why weren't they speaking Arabic?"

David looked exasperated, "How would I know? Maybe his cousin is from Iran."

"They're watching us," Charlie cut in quietly. He kept his attention nervously fixed on Mac and David, "Why would they do that?" It was all he could do to keep his shoulders from hunching together. Even with the brief look he'd caught of Rashid and Husam at the dorm window, their intensity had been obvious and startling. It brought back memories of one of the neighborhood dogs that used to scare the hell out of him when he was little. Its stare had been that of a predator, too.

"Move," David ordered. They resumed walking. David dropped back slightly to shield Charlie and found Mac had drifted back as well. "Keep it natural, don't hurry." He turned his head to look at Mac and, at the same time, to see if he could spot the two men. No luck, the dorm was a regular rabbit warren of windows and he had no idea which one belonged to Asim. He sighed in frustration. Leave it to Charlie to know precisely where their room would be. "I can't see if they're still there. I don't know where to look."

"Could you spot them again, Charlie?" Mac asked quietly. It seemed ridiculous that the rather innocuous interview could have inspired any sort of violence from bin Asim and his cousin, especially in the middle of the UCLA campus, but these days you just couldn't tell.

Charlie looked over his shoulder at her, "Yes."

"Colonel, I don't think it's a good idea to let them know we've seen them," David frowned. Dammit, why the hell had he listened to this frustrating woman? Now look what had happened! The last thing he wanted to do was put Charlie in any sort of jeopardy. He'd made that mistake once during the sniper case and he had no intention making it again. He'd never forgive himself if anything happened to the younger Eppes and after the ass-chewing he'd gotten from Don for nearly getting Charlie killed, he knew Don would never forgive him either.

"I think you're right," Mac agreed. She looked at Charlie, "Stop and tie your shoe." She pointed at his foot when he gave her a startled look, "Kneel down for a second and tie your shoe."

Charlie nodded quickly and knelt down to begin fiddling with his shoelace. Mac positioned herself to continue shielding him and offered David a tight smile as the agent took up a defensive position as well. It was definitely better to be paranoid than sorry. They could feel stupid about it later. She looked down at Charlie, "Can you see them?"

Charlie turned his head slightly so he could peer around her legs, "Yes... no... there's only one at the window now and I can't tell who."

"Okay," David motioned for Charlie to get up. "Let's get to the car and get out of here. We can try to figure it out later." They made it to the SUV without incident and David got them off the campus as quickly as possible. Once they were on the road, all three breathed a sigh of relief. Charlie leaned back against the seat, finally able to relax and consider what he'd seen. He was pretty sure he hadn't misread their expressions, even at a distance, but now he was considering the context. Perhaps they had problems dealing with foreign authority. From there, he jumped to the language anomaly, "Mac?" He waited for her to turn and look back at him, "Do you speak Arabic as well as Farsi?"

Mac grinned at him, most people would have just asked about the Farsi. This kid was bright. "I'm fluent in Farsi and I can get by in Arabic. There are a number of similarities."

Charlie leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, "Really? Do you speak other languages as well?"

She nodded, "Russian, some German and a smattering of Japanese. How about you?"

"French, German, Latin, Greek - although most of it has to do with math." Charlie grinned, "You could say I'm only fluent with mathematicians."

Mac's eyebrows rose in an innocent manner, "Does that include English?"

Charlie stared at her for a second and then chuckled, shaking his head, "Touche."

"What were they saying, Colonel?" David interrupted.

Mac's gaze lingered on Charlie a moment longer before she looked over at David, "Husam wanted to know what was going on. Rashid told him we were government police asking about the killing. Husam was worried about the questions you asked and Rashid assured him that everything was fine." She paused for a moment and then shook her head, "I suppose that could be taken a number of ways." Mac hesitated briefly before continuing, "Rashid is also pretty positive he knows Charlie but he can't remember where." She looked back at Charlie, "You sure you don't know him?"

Charlie shrugged, "I've never met him personally. Maybe he attended one of my lectures."

David looked in the rearview mirror, "Or he's seen your picture. Charlie, you're pretty famous in the academic world, has any of those bios mentioned your consulting work?"

"I don't usually read them. They might, but I'm sure it would be pretty general - something like: 'consults with a number of agencies'. I've worked with a lot of different departments of the government." He looked from David to Mac, "Would it matter? If he does remember where he saw me or figures out who I am, he'll just know I'm a mathematics professor at CalSci."

David heaved a frustrated sigh, "Who happened to accompany an FBI agent during the investigation of his roommate's death. Charlie, if he figures out who you are, he'll also know how to find you." His fingers beat a rapid tattoo on the steering wheel, "Man, Don is going to be pissed."

"Why?" Charlie was beginning to feel irritated again. He expected Don to over-react and usually let the over-protectiveness of the other agents slide, too. He was Don's little brother and they tended to be careful with him. Sometimes, though, it made him feel like he was six and he didn't particularly enjoy it. "We don't know anything yet. I might have over-reacted to what I saw. Maybe those two were just feeling paranoid about being visited by the FBI. This isn't their country, maybe they're worried they're about to be railroaded." He folded his arms, "Before we decide they're some sort of terrorist cell, don't you think we ought to check them out? And until we have some information one way or another, I don't think we need to bother Don about it."

"Charlie," David sounded resigned, "You know how angry Don will be when he finds out we didn't keep him informed?

"Look, I'm not saying we don't tell Don. I'm saying we check out all the facts first and then tell him. Doesn't that make more sense?" Charlie sounded like he did when he was trying to explain one of his equations to the mathematically-challenged.

Mac looked over at David, "He has a point. Right now, all we have is that they spoke Farsi instead of Arabic and they watched us leave. I know it didn't seem so at the time but when you get right down to it, it's not much."

"Alright, we'll see what's in the database for Rashid and see if we can find Husam as well. And then we will tell Don everything, is that clear?" Sinclair shook his head as the other two glanced at each other and nodded their agreement. How the hell had he wound up as odd man out?

Husam looked at his 'cousin', "Well?"

Rashid shook his head, "I am not sure. They are gone?"

"Yes, they went right to their car and left," he paused, "I do not like that one was familiar to you. What if he somehow knows you?"

"That does not make sense. He said he did not. Why bring him here merely to lie?" Rashid frowned, where had he seen that face before?

"Try to remember, Rashid, we cannot afford mistakes." Husam turned on his heel and left. He would have to contact his superiors and the others to formulate contingency plans. It had been the height of bad luck walking into Rashid's room while there were federal agents there. They would need to be ready for anything.

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