Disclaimer: We do not own any of the recognizable characters from Numb3rs in this story. If anyone 'owns' them it would probably be the following: Cheryl Heuton, Nicolas Falacci, Scott Free Productions and CBS Network. Unrecognizable characters are our creation and are not, despite appearances, meant to portray any "real life" person or persons. We're both poor college students, not worth suing.

Thanks: Beta Readers and Editors, Antoinette and Ely. Without their help, this tale would not be as tightly written as it currently is. Thank you, ladies!

Feedback: Positive, negative, we'll welcome it all. Certain creative license has been taken by the writers in order to make certain scenes fly by or, just because we're not Native Los Angelinos.

Synopsis: It was just the flu, so how'd he end up in ICU fighting for his life?

Arsenic And New Kevlar

Chapter 6

By AmyD & Suisan

Looking at Megan as she slumped against the glass of the observation room, barely able to hold herself upright, Don felt his own fatigue creeping across his shoulders. "Neither one of us is physically able to handle this interview, are we, Reeves?"

She gave him a tired smile. "We're going to have to, Don. You really want to put David in there with her?"

Don tossed a look at the woman on the other side of the glass. "No, but we really don't have a choice. Right now, handling a three-year old, let alone a possible psychotic, poisoning bitch from Hell would be beyond my abilities."

Megan blinked, her shoulders slumping after a few seconds of thought. "Oh, Hell, you're right. If I went in there..."

"You wouldn't ask any questions, you'd just backslap her into next week." Don quipped.

She smiled. "The term is 'bitchslap,' and it wouldn't be just into next week either."

Don grinned in return, saying, "Yeah, I know. Just checking to see if you'd catch it."

He looked out into the bullpen just in time to see David coming into the area looking disgustingly fresh.

"Well, at least one of us is coherent." Megan said. "You want to tell him or should I?"

Taking a few steps on none-too-steady legs, Don opened the door to the room and called out for David to join them. "Sinclair, over here."

David turned and headed for the Observation room. His eyes widened when he saw Megan and Don. "Did I look that bad?"

Don leaned against the doorframe and crossed his arms. "I dunno... do we look like a vulture wouldn't touch our carcasses?"

David nodded.

"Then, yeah, you looked this bad when I sent you home. You see why I said I needed you at the top of your game?"

"Yeah, thanks."

"You're welcome, and you can return the favor right now." Don pointed with a lazy hand over his shoulder at the prisoner behind him in the interrogation room, it was too much effort to point. "We got her. You get to talk to her."

David walked into the observation room, his eyes going wide when he saw who Don was talking about. "When did this happen?"

Megan checked her watch. "About seven this morning."

David looked down at his watch. It was close to Noon. Hattie had been sitting there for well over four hours. He smiled. "Okay. Not a problem. You staying to watch?"

"Yeah, like I'd miss this." Don said.

"Go get her, Tiger. I wouldn't miss this for the world." Megan patted David on the arm as he brushed by her.

Don handed David the file on Harriet MacPherson. "Here, read this - at least glance over it - before you go in there. It's not pretty but you need to know what we found out."

David nodded. Forewarned was forearmed. "Who collared her?"

"I did," Megan replied. "Just as Granger's father showed up at the scene."

David looked up from the file. "Colby's dad's here?"

Don nodded. "Yeah, he was coming to town on another matter, met Megan at Granger's place and found out his son had nearly died. Some welcome to Los Angeles, huh? He's with Colby right now or I wouldn't be here."

David processed that little piece of information and stored it away. "Did she say anything?" He asked Megan.

"Mad Hattie?" Megan indicated the old woman.

David grinned. "You just think of that?"

The Behaviorist shook her head. "No, but wait til you talk to her ... you may just agree."

He snorted. "So, no protestations of innocence? Nothing like that? Maybe she really is crazy." He glanced back down at the file, skimming over the lab reports and photos.

Megan shook her head, clearing it of the very vivid memory of Hattie protesting her innocence and her declaration of love for Colby. "Just the usual protests, she wouldn't - she loves him, that sort of thing. Made my skin crawl."

"Okay." He looked back through the window at Hattie, the very picture of innocence, her back ramrod straight, her hands folded neatly in her lap. "You think she's all there?"

"Maybe. I'm really not sure. I wouldn't be able to make a sound judgment call on her anyway." Megan gave up trying to stay on her feet, and slid into a chair that Don, somehow, had intuited that she needed. "Thanks, Eppes. David… play her like you think she's all there, that she's really innocent and see what happens."

Don made noises of agreement. "If that fails, treat her like a nut."

David swallowed a laugh. "Got it. Then you'll both go and get some sleep, right?"

"Yeah... Go get started. I'm going to make a few phone calls and make arrangements for one of our psychologists to take a look at her once we get her shipped to County." Don left the small observation room and headed toward his desk.

David looked at Megan, the exhaustion just rolling of her in waves. "You going to be able to stay awake for this?" He put a hand on her shoulder.

"You bet ... I'll just grab another cup of sludge from the coffee maker before I go home." She looked up at him with a not quite awake smile.

He quirked an eyebrow. "You really want to do that? Why not make it easier on yourself and just go play in the traffic on the 405?"

"I don't want to. Don took away my spare clips, anyway." Megan pouted.

"Then I should probably take them from him." He replied. He paused, and then added, "Thank you."

"For what?" Megan blinked at David, looking rather like a startled owl.

"For keeping me from making an ass of myself at the hospital and making me eat."

"Oh, that ... you'd do the same for me, right?"

"Sure, of course. But it couldn't have been easy. All I wanted to do was track down the bastard that had done it and rip his head off."

She shook her head and waved him on to the interview just as Don came back in and handed her a fresh cup of coffee, doctored just the way she liked.

"Sinclair ... be nice." Don admonished the young agent.

David smiled a truly evil smile. "Of course. I wouldn't be any other way."

"This is going to be good." Megan said, looking after David and sipping at her coffee.

"I just hope we don't have to rush in there and pull him off her. Not that I'm capable of any fast movements right now." Don sipped his own cup. "Not that I'd hurry to get in there if he were killing her--"

Megan was too tired to admonish Don. Hell, she agreed with him.

He pulled another chair out from under the recording console, hit a few buttons as David walked into the interrogation room, and watched as the screens in front of him and Megan lit up. "We need to record this ... for the court and for Colby." He quietly explained when Reeves sent him a sidelong glance.

She nodded and sipped her coffee.

David's voice came through loud and clear. "Mrs. MacPherson, I'm Agent David Sinclair."

David walked into Interrogation Room One, determined not to let his personal feelings about the woman in the front of him interfere with the case at hand.

"Mrs. MacPherson, I'm Agent David Sinclair."

"Hello, Agent Sinclair." Hattie said, sitting up straighter in her chair.

Don had told him to ...be nice... and he certainly wasn't about to muck up anything that Hattie MacPherson might say but, damn, it was tempting to think about just strangling the crazy bitch there and be done with it.

He sat down across the table, opened the folder in his hands and took out several 8x10 pictures. "Ms. MacPherson, do you know the reason why you were brought here?" As he laid each photo down on the table between himself and Hattie, he noticed how her eyes locked on the ones of Granger's apartment.

"Yes," Hattie replied. "Agent Reeves told me I was a suspect in the poisoning of Colby ... but I would never do that. He's too dear to me."

"Ma'am ... then how do you explain this?" He pointed to the picture of the bottle of arsenic found in Hattie's kitchen.

Her trill of laughter sent chills down David's spine. "Oh, that! Agent Sinclair, I use that to make my own special brand of rat bait. Works much better than the commercial crap you find on the market and isn't nearly as bad for the environment."

David nodded. "So, would it surprise you to learn that the macaroni and cheese that Agent Granger consumed three days ago was laced with it?"

"It was? I have no idea how that would've happened. Oh dear..."

"Yes, ma'am." Calling Hattie 'ma'am' made David's stomach turn but he put his feelings aside and pushed ahead.

"Not only was the arsenic found in the macaroni and cheese but in some soup which was also consumed by Agent Granger."

The knowing smirk that crossed Hattie's face made David's hand itch to reach out and slap the old bat. "Guess I should just confess now, right, hmm, Agent Sinclair?"

David schooled his face into neutrality. "Ms. MacPherson, the sooner we get this sorted out, the sooner we'll be rid of each other."

"And what, exactly, do you need 'sorted out', Agent?"

"How exactly the arsenic from your apartment got into the food that was eaten by Agent Granger. Do you realize what the sentence is for the attempted murder of a federal agent?"

Hattie rolled her eyes and sat up even straighter. "Oh, yes. I know." She sighed and said "Guess I didn't use enough or he'd be dead already. As for how the arsenic got into dear Colby's food ... I'm pretty sure a smart young man like you has already figured that out. Haven't you?"

David frowned but said, "Yes. What I don't understand is why."

"Research." Hattie said, as if that explained everything.

"Research? For what?" Now David was well and truly confused. What was Hattie up to?

"Do you really need me to spell it out for you, Agent … may I call you David?"

"No, you may not. And yes, you really do need to spell it out for me. It's been a really long day."

"My, we're snippy when we're being so righteous." Hattie leaned forward, not enough to make David lean back away from her, but enough to make him a little paranoid. And she was smiling that damnable smile again! "It started out as an accident..."

David quirked an eyebrow. "An accident?"

Hattie nodded. "I had made a batch of the rat bait and thought I had cleaned everything up before making a batch of brownies, but I must have missed something. Next thing I knew, dear Colby was sicker than a dog and I realized that the Internet wasn't revealing nearly enough about arsenic poisoning and here was the perfect opportunity to actually watch a case progress!"

"But why?"

Hattie went on as if David hadn't said a word. "So I added a bit more to the next batch of goodies I made, and a bit more after that--" She leaned back, blinking like an owl. "What were we talking about again, dear?"

"Why would you want to watch someone be poisoned?"

"Oh heavens! I wouldn't want to do it … I had to do it. Research, you know?"

That was the second time she had said that. "Research for what?"

"My novel. What else? Do I look like a screenwriter to you?"

David swallowed the remark that threatened to leap out of his mouth. "Okay but why Agent Granger? He helped you out. I personally know that he put together a bookshelf for you, among other things. Of all people, why him?"

"He was handy. I didn't have to go far to find him and he's such a doll!" Hattie smiled.

For once in his career, David was speechless but he managed to recover enough to ask, "Your novel's a mystery?"

Hattie nodded and leaned forward, whispering, "You know, if you had dropped by just a bit more often, you could've been a part of the novel too."

David swallowed. "Well, some things are not meant to be."

"Alas, how true is that? I was wondering ... how is dear Colby? Will he be all right?"

A knock on the glass behind him made him turn around. He saw Don motioning to him. He nodded and started to collect the photos, putting them back in the folder. He stood and left.

Behind him, Hattie had the last word. "Young people today, no respect. Unlike Colby ... he was raised proper. HE would've excused himself from a lady's presence, not just left."

David had to actually fight the urge to go back in and give the crazy bat a real piece of his mind but Don's hand settled on his shoulder and he didn't.

Megan was standing next to Don. She nodded toward Hattie, "That one is going for the diminished capacity plea in a hurry. She'll probably get it too."

"Crazy bitch." David muttered.

"You got that right." Don replied.

"I'll call County Hospital and see if they have her bed ready." Megan volunteered as she glared one last time at Harriet MacPherson through the glass. "Damn loon will probably convince all the docs there that she's nuts and she'll do her time at the State Mental Hospital instead of prison."

"Not if I have anything to say about it." Don growled. He looked at David and said, "You did really well. You didn't strangle her."

"Not because I didn't want to, Don. I really could see myself doing the old bat in and not even fretting over it." David said.

"What stopped you?"

"You, Megan and Colby."

Don grinned.

And so did Megan. "Colby will delighted to learn he's had such a positive effect on you." She said, just before a giant yawn split her face.

"Finish up what you're doing so you can go and get some sleep." Don told her before heading off in the general direction of the break room.

"The last thing you need is more coffee." Megan called after him. Don waved in a hand in her direction. A few minutes later, Don had not returned, making Megan look at David. This was how it had all started with Colby. Maybe Mad Hattie had gotten to Don too.

Megan shook her head. Lack of sleep is making you leap to conclusions that aren't there. Lack of sleep or no, when another few minutes ticked past and still no Don, she was on the verge of asking David to check the bathroom. Then Larry, her boyfriend, appeared almost as if by magic. One minute, he wasn't there, the next he was. She looked up at him and blinked. "Larry? What are you doing here?"

"I came to pick you up, my fair lady." Larry replied. "I know you've had a long couple of days and are not fit to drive."

She frowned and eyed him. "How did you know I'd be here?"

He quirked an eyebrow. "It's 12:30 P.M. on a Friday, where else would you be but at work? I saw Don on my way up, he asked me to tell you both to head home."

Megan and David look at each other. "So, that's why we haven't seen him in the last few minutes, the sneaky bastard." Megan muttered.

"Megan, I brought the '31, let me take you home and I promise to have you back here as soon as you want in the morning." Larry held out a courtly arm to Megan, looked at her with those sad puppy dog eyes of his and she was toast.

David swallowed the laugh that threatened to come out. He cleared his throat and addressed the quirky professor. "Larry, just get her home ... I have a few more reports to start and then I'm heading over to the hospital to check on Colby."

"Right this way." Larry said to Megan. "Your chariot awaits."

Megan saved her notes and shut down the computer. "Sir Lawrence, thank you ... but you're aren't getting away that easy. Wild card night." Larry looked startled. "Please? I really need it." Much to David's surprise, the physicist blushed as he nodded and the two lovebirds walked toward the elevators arm in arm.

"I don't want to know, I don't want to know, I don't want to know." David chanted to himself, forcefully putting from mind any images of Megan and Larry and-- "Talk about an odd couple, but they really do suit each other." He finished up his last line of the report and saved the document.

He stretched and looked around the bullpen, a slow smile crossing his face. Inspiration had just struck. He was going to pull a 'Don Eppes' on Don. After opening the Outlook directory on his computer and locating the number he needed, he reached for the phone and dialed a number.

"Alan? It's David Sinclair. No sir, everything's just fine. We just arrested the person who poisoned Colby. Yes, we are all quite happy about that. No, Don has disappeared from the office. I think he went back to the hospital to check on Colby. Yes, I'm pretty sure he's not gotten much sleep either. Gardena Medical Center ICU. All right. See you there. Bye."

He hung up, chuckling to himself. Don would never know.