-1Inner Peace
Disclaimer: See Chapter 1
A/N: I truly appreciate your reviews and alerts. Thank you.
Chapter 10:
The excited voices from the next room were loud enough to break their concentration and David and his team turned to follow the activity. Something had just happened and the agents in the next conference room were talking excitedly and putting on their jackets. Agent Timothy Miller, the lead agent of the team, led the way out of the room but hesitated at the entrance to the adjoining conference room.
Miller pushed the door ajar and spoke to the agents from the doorway.
"Sinclair, we've located Don's SUV and we're on our way there now to check it out."
David hurried over to his side. "Where is it? "
Colby, Liz and Nikki rushed over to join them before Miller had a chance to answer the agent's question.
Miller's eyes flickered from agent to agent noting the worried expressions on all of their faces; they were a close team and it was easy to understand their anxiety in the loss of not only their SAC but the Professor as well.
"I'm sorry." he said shaking his head slowly. "We just don't have a lot of information yet. All we know is that our GPS tracking data shows Don's car in the San Gabriel Mountains. Mount Wilson to be more specific and its stationary somewhere off of the Angeles Crest Highway." He glanced toward the elevator when another agent called to him. "Look, I gotta go. I'll call you as soon as I know something."
Colby let out a whistle. "The San Gabriels….what the hell are they doing up there?"
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"Put one foot in front of the other."
This had become a mantra to Don as he walked toward the foothills but he couldn't remember the name of the poem that the verse was from. It helped him ignore the incessant heat from the scorching sun and the relentless wind as it continually pummeled them with hot air. Periodically they would be hit with an exceptionally strong gust of wind that would force them to stop and drop into a tight huddle, placing Samantha in the middle to protect her from the harsh sand blasts that came with the breeze.
The terrain was getting tougher to cross as well. They could no longer travel in a straight path, the relatively flat ground was now dotted with rock formations and high sand dunes. Several times they had to alter their course and go around a particularly steep sand dune or waste precious time and energy just trying to get over it. Thick scrub brush and rows of prickly cacti forced them to skirt around them in their efforts to get to the foothills.
Don glanced sideways at his brother who appeared to be laboring under the child's weight. She only weighed thirty-five pounds but under these conditions even the bottles in the bag at his side were becoming heavy.
Sammy's small arms were clinging tightly around Charlie's neck and she had her legs wrapped around his waist with her little feet tucked in the crook of his elbows. Her small head lay upon his shoulder and from the way her body was slumped against Charlie's back she must have had fallen asleep again.
"Let's take a break. " Don said, pointing toward the trees. "There's a little shade over there…at least it's better than nothing. "
He turned to go in that direction but was caught by surprise when his brother kept on walking.
"Charlie! Didn't you hear me?" He hurried to catch up to him and grabbed his arm, pulling him abruptly to a stop. Charlie was muttering something under his breath and Don could swear that it sounded like some kind of mathematical calculations.
"Hey!" he said, his voice rising with concern. "We need to take a break and it's my turn to carry Sammy."
Charlie looked up with a bewildered expression on his face. "Huh?" He swayed slightly from the sudden stop and Don put his hand under his elbow to help steady him.
"What are you doing? Come on, let's go over there and sit in the shade." He turned toward the group of trees but waited to make sure that Charlie was going to follow him.
"Oh. Sorry. I was just working on some figures." Charlie mumbled absently as he headed over to the trees.
Don lifted the little girl from his brother's back and laid her in the coolest spot that he could find. She had grown increasingly listless as the sun rose higher in the sky and it appeared that even a child's energy could be quelled by the extreme heat of the desert.
Charlie lifted the bag from his shoulders and sank wearily to his knees beside of the little girl, removing his hat and tucking it beneath his knee so that the wind couldn't blow it away. He pulled off his make shift bandanna and wrung it out before tying it loosely around his neck to dry. He bent over and removed Sammy's hat and then pulled a torn piece of cloth from his bag and gently wiped the sweat away from her face and neck, pushing her wet hair back behind her ears.
"How's she doing?" Don asked quietly as he sat down on the other side of her.
"Okay, I guess." Charlie responded worriedly.
He looked up just as Don closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the tree. Charlie carefully studied his brother and was amazed at his appearance. The effects of the trek had transformed him; he hardly resembled the Don Eppes that he had driven out with the day before. His brother had also removed his hat and bandanna, presenting Charlie with a clear view of his face. There were dark circles beneath his eyes and his face had darkened from his exposure to the sun, except where the dark stubble of his beard had grown. His hair was sticking out in all directions and the sand in his hair made it appear lighter in color. Loose threads hanging from the ripped sleeves of his shirt fluttered in the wind and caught Charlie's attention. His eyes traveled over the rest of Don's clothing, noting that his normally neat attire was now sweat soaked, dirty, sand covered and crumpled from their constant wear. He looked more like a drifter than an FBI agent.
"He looks so different." Charlie thought to himself. "Anyone that saw him now would have to do a double-take to recognize Don Eppes.
He looked away guiltily and swallowed hard before returning his gaze to his brother's face. "My fault…..it's my fault that he looks like this. I pushed him into coming out here in the first place and then I suggested walking across the desert to the hills…..my fault that he got hurt yesterday. I've got to find a way to get him out of this."
"Charlie?"
Startled, Charlie blinked and realized that Don's eyes were open. Embarrassed, he ducked his head and quickly looked away.
"What's going on Charlie?"
Charlie looked back and met his gaze. "I ah…..I'm sorry Don."
"What did you do?" he asked as his expression changed to one of puzzlement.
"What did I do?" Charlie asked incredulously. "I practically forced you to come out here yesterday and almost got you killed…..which might still happen by the way. We're walking across the desert and if it doesn't kill us, the kidnappers might still catch up to us and finish the job and …..and you look terrible. You should see yourself." He stopped ranting when Don's face broke into a grin.
"No offense Buddy, but I think that you look worse than I do."
Self-consciously, Charlie scratched at the stubble on his own face and glanced down at his own attire, realizing that his brother was probably seeing the same thing that he was.
Don scooted over and squeezed his shoulder. "Charlie you have no idea how glad I am that you convinced me to come with you." His eyes drifted down to the sleeping child and lingered there as he spoke in a voice thick with emotion. "Before we started out yesterday, I was sure that we were going to find her too late…you know…like the others." He raised his head and gazed into his brothers eyes. "But all of that changed when we found her and now we have a chance to get her back to her family." Don's eyes softened as he continued. "You gave us that chance Charlie and you have nothing to apologize for. Our coming out here has given this little girl another chance at life and no matter how tough it gets, it's worth it and I wouldn't have it any other way." His lips curved upward in a slight smile as he added. "I'm proud of you Buddy."
Charlie ducked his head, not wanting his brother to see the unshed tears in his eyes. The emotion in his brothers voice and the overwhelming warmth in his eyes made Charlie realize that they had finally broken through the barrier that had been created in their childhood and now only love, friendship and respect for each other remained.
"Thanks." he said softly and met his brothers eyes, reflecting the same warm glow back too him.
Samantha stirred, drawing their attention and ending their discussion. They tried to keep the mood light for her and not let her know how worried they were about their situation. She opened her eyes and yawned widely as she gazed up at both of them.
Charlie smiled at her. "Hello sleepy head." He stretched out his hand and patted her hand softly. "Are you thirsty?"
She nodded her head and sat up as Don scooted backwards to reach the bag. He searched through it for her water bottle and moments later removed the cap and handed it to her. Only a fourth of the water was left in the bottle, but it would have to be enough to hold her over until lunch.
"Drink it slowly, don't gulp it down or it might make you sick."
"Okay." she said as she put the bottle to her lips.
Don removed two half empty bottles and quickly handed one of them to his brother. The water was warm but it still felt wonderful sliding down his parched throat but he forced himself to only drink a fourth as well, and capped the bottle before he was tempted to drink more. He frowned at their dwindling water supply. Even though they had been drinking sparingly, the water still appeared to be disappearing at a fast clip. A sudden thought occurred to him and he turned to his brother.
"What were you muttering about anyway? You know….when we first came over here?" Don asked, tilting his head slightly. At Charlie's hesitation he added sarcastically. "Tell me that you haven't been trying to calculate how many grains of sand there are in the Mojave Desert."
"Of course not, that would be impossible." Charlie scoffed as he took a sip of water and then paused as if he was thinking over a problem. "I mean, to do that, one would have to know the exact depth of each section of the Mojave……"
"Charlie." Don cut him off as he leaned his head back and closed his eyes; he just wasn't in the mood to hear about a mathematical theory.
"….and then, of course, the wind gusts would have to be taken into consideration…." Although Charlie's voice sounded hoarse and raspy he was really getting into it now and his arms were beginning to move around enthusiastically as his explanation became more involved.
Sammy eyed them curiously and her head turned from one brother to the other as they talked, like she was watching a tennis match.
"Charlie." Don's throat was just as dry and raspy as his brother's but this time he spoke a little louder.
"….not to mention the fierce storms that move tremendous amounts of sand around…." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I suppose there are a number of applications that I might employ to…."
"Charlie!"
Charlie blinked and stared at him. "What?"
"I was only joking." Don narrowed his eyes as he studied his brother's face. "Are you sure the sun isn't getting to you?"
Charlie untied the cloth around his neck and retied it back around his forehead before answering. "I was joking too and besides, I think the sun is getting to you more than it is to me."
He took another sip of water and his lips curved upward into a mischievous smile. He had noticed that Sammy was enjoying their antics so he thought he would keep it going a little longer.
Don eyed him suspiciously. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"What's the name of that song that you've been singing?"
Now it was Don's turn to look bewildered. "Song?" What song? I haven't been singing any song."
"It sounded like you were singing but maybe you were just repeating the same verse over and over again."
"Did not."
"Did so."
Samantha giggled at the playful tone of their voices encouraging the brothers to continue with their banter.
Don squirmed self-consciously and retied the make shift bandanna around his head. "I don't know what you're talking about. You must have been hearing things."
'I don't think so. Let's see now…..how did it go?" He mused out loud and winked at the little girl, prompting another giggle. "Oh, I know. It went something like this. Put one foot in front of the other. I've heard the quote before but I don't remember who wrote it."
The sunburn on his face hid Don's blush as he looked away. "I didn't realize that I was talking…or… singing out loud." He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't remember where I heard the quote from either."
Charlie tilted his head. "That's okay. I didn't mind." A grin crossed his features as he tucked his water bottle into his bag and put his hat back on.
Don smiled back as he stood up and put his own hat on. "We'd better get moving if we want to make it to the mountains by nightfall."
Charlie's eyes drifted toward the distant mountain range. He was sure that "the mesa" was over the right ridge of the lower foothills, and from there, it was a short walk to Hesperia's city limits and help.
Of course they had to get there first and his shoulders drooped at the thought. He rubbed at his eyes and stared at their destination. There was a purple haze on the horizon where the mountains met the desert floor and the distant vision seemed to shimmer in the sunlight, making it appear almost surreal.
Charlie felt a hand on his shoulder and he looked up in surprise. His thoughts had strayed and now worry darkened his expressive brown eyes.
"Don." He said softly. "Do you think Dad is okay? He must know by now that we're both missing and that has to be really hard on him….and he's not as young as he used to be." He looked away. "I…I don't want to lose him."
Don's eyes softened even more. "I'm worried about him too Charlie, but Dad is strong and he won't give up hope. And he won't have to face this alone, don't forget that Robin, Amita and Larry will be there for him too as well as the rest of our team."
Charlie nodded his head in agreement. "You're right. He won't give up."
"Ready?" Don asked as he held his hand down to him.
Charlie grabbed his hand and let him pull him up and then picked up the bag that contained their remaining water and food.
Don knelt down next to the little girl. "Are you ready to go for another ride sweetie?"
The little girl sighed and climbed to her feet.
Charlie took her water bottle and screwed the lid on tightly before putting it in the bag at his waist, and then he lifted her up and placed her on his brother's back.
Charlie patted her gently on the back as she put her arms around Don's neck. He slipped his brothers belt around her back, threading it underneath Don's arms until he could buckle it across his chest. It had been necessary to punch a new hole in his belt so that it wouldn't fit too tightly around either of them but just tight enough to ensure that the little girl wouldn't slide from their shoulders if she fell asleep. Don tucked the little girl's feet in the crook of his elbows and they started forward, side by side.
"You can recite or sing the quote if you want to." Charlie teased him to try and keep the little girls spirits up.
"Shut up Charlie." Don retorted playfully.
"It is a song and I know it." Sammy piped up with a little more energy in her voice.
"You do?" Don asked, sharing a grin with Charlie. "Why don't you sing it for us while we walk to the hills?"
"That's a good idea." Charlie added encouragingly. "But keep you head down so your hat can keep the sun off of your face. Okay?" He asked as he adjusted the hat so it covered her head and face completely.
"Kwis….Kwingle…sang…it…to old man wintew."
Charlie lifted the edge of her hat to catch the little girl's eye "He did huh?" he asked playfully.
"Uh…huh." Sammy answered excitedly. "Wanna heaw it? I like it a lot."
Charlie lowered the rim of her hat. "Go ahead and sing. Maybe you can teach Uncle Donnie the rest of the song." he said, unable to prevent the smile that was spreading across his face.
"Funny Charlie, funny."
Sammy's muffled giggle seemed to make the heat a little more bearable and for a short while her song made their steps a little lighter.
"Put ..one foot.. n fwont of the othew." She sang slowly, pronouncing the words as only a five year old could.
An… soon…you'll be…walkin..cwoss the floow
Put ....one foot…n…fwont of ..the…othew
An…soon you'll….be…walkin…out…the doow
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Robin stepped anxiously from the elevator and glanced around the floor. As soon as the Judge had called for a recess, she had hurried over to the FBI Office. Although she had been in constant touch with the ADIC and Don's team, it still wasn't enough; there had to be something that she could do to help with the investigation. Her fear for Don's safety and Charlie's as well, was almost overwhelming, prompting her to take some kind of physical action. Her steps slowed as she moved around the office noting a number of people standing in front of one of the large wall plasma screened TV's.
There was a breaking news banner flashing across the bottom of the screen and a live video feed was coming from the front of the FBI building. Robin stepped up behind the crowd and listened intently.
"This is Emory Washington of the Channel 6 news, reporting to you live from the Federal Bureau of Investigations Los Angeles Headquarters with an exclusive breaking story. We have just received confirmation that Special Agent Don Eppes and his brother, Professor Charles Eppes are missing. The FBI has launched an official investigation into their disappearance.
Agent Eppes is the lead agent in charge of investigating yesterday's abduction of little Samantha Wilkins, and his brother, Professor Eppes, is a consultant on that case. It is not known at this time if their disappearance is related to the kidnapping case."
"The media sure moved fast on this one." A soft voice spoke up behind her.
Robin turned around to face the speaker and immediately embraced him in a hug. "Oh, Alan. Are you okay?"
Alan patted her back softly. "Yeah, I'm fine."
She stepped back and thoughtfully studied his face.
Uncomfortable under her scrutiny, he shrugged and added. "Well, as fine as anyone could be under these circumstances."
"How do you think they found out about it so quickly?" she asked with a nod toward the news broadcast.
Alan shrugged again and crossed his arms. "I don't know. The reporters certainly seem to have contacts everywhere these days."
Her eyes searched his face. "Have you heard anything?"
He shook his head. "Agent Miller is out so I asked David if he had heard anything. Come on, I'll tell you what he told me over a cup of coffee.
"Sounds good to me. " She said and hooked her arm through his and they made their way to the beak room.
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All talk ceased and everyone became focused on David when his phone rang. He quickly flipped it open. "Sinclair." You found Don's car? Where? Really?" David rubbed his forehead. "Any sign of Don or Charlie? " He held his breath, afraid of the answer….afraid that Miller was going to tell him that they were too late; that his friend's dead bodies were found in the car. "Nothing? Yeah. Okay, thanks." He closed his phone and shoved it back into his pocket.
Colby's brow furrowed and he leaned forward. "David?"
"They found Don's car about an hour ago."
Colby stood up quickly. "Where?"
"Abandoned near a trail head in the San Gabriel Mountains but there's no sign of Don or Charlie."
Colby's eyes widened in surprise. "No sign of them. What does that mean?"
Nikki let out a whistle. "It could take months to search those mountains."
"What about their cell phones?" Liz asked. "Have they located them yet?"
"Miller's all over that." David said, trying to answer all three questions at the same time. "They have their GPS signals but they're showing up in two separate locations. One of the phones is stationary and they're zeroing in on that one right now but the other one is moving along one of the trail heads and his agents haven't caught up to it yet." He paused and rubbed his face tiredly.
Colby snapped his fingers. "Charlie's laptop! Tell Miller to track that and I'll bet we'll find Don and Charlie."
David shook his head. "They already have it Colby. It was in the car."
Crestfallen, Colby sat on the edge of the table. "Did Miller have anything else to say?"
"The forensic team just arrived and will be towing the SUV back to LA within the hour but to speed things up, they've already e-mailed some of the prints they found to Jackson." He nodded to one of the two agents that were still working in the other conference room. "There is something odd though. Miller said that they found another set of tire tracks but only one set of footprints were found at the scene." He jammed his hands into his pockets again and paced around the room.
Colby crossed his arms and leaned against the table. "There should be at least two sets of footprints. Someone had to drive the cars out there."
"There have to be tracks…..unless…." Nikki paused with an agonized light in her eyes.
"They were carried from the vehicle. " Colby said grimly, finishing her sentence for her. "But as I said before, there would still have to be at least two sets of footprints."
"Maybe the driver of the other vehicle never got out." David said as he sat down heavily in his chair. He glanced up at the worried faces of his team and tried to put his own fears aside for the moment. They couldn't help Don and Charlie but maybe they could find that little girl.
"Let's get back to work." he said quietly. "Samantha Wilkins is still out there."
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Juan turned off the ignition and hopped out of the truck. Now that they knew their captives were still in the fields, all they had to do was find the point where they entered them and just follow their trail.
Feeling success at his fingertips, Juan's mood had improved considerably and with a renewed energy he began to search the ground in front of the old house for footprints. It didn't take him very long to discover the agent's tracks.
"Look at this Rico." he called out.
Rico hurried over and Juan knelt down as he pointed out several footprints to his cousin. Suddenly he stood up and nudged his Rico excitedly. "It won't be long now. Come on." Juan checked the ammo in his rifle and Rico pulled out Don's gun and together they entered the fields anticipating a very short search.
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"Colby did you get anything from WAFA on the male immigrants that are working the onion farms?"
"There are 7,000 day laborers and farm workers David. I'm running all of the male photographs through our facial recognition software and comparing them against the sketch but so far we don't have a match."
"How many migrant labor camps are there?"
"One hundred to one hundred and fifty but I'm going to narrow the search to those that are closest to the onion farms."
David picked up the sketch and shook his head. "If he's here illegally we're not going to find him in the database."
Liz looked up and nodded toward the outer office. "Miller is back and Wright is with him."
They all looked up and watched as the ADIC and Miller's team walked by them and entered the next conference room. They were only in the room for a few minutes when the assistant director pointed toward David's team and Miller and his other team members began to gather up their folders and equipment and followed Wright out of the room.
Wright pushed open the door to their conference room and led everyone inside.
"Agent Sinclair, Agent Miller has found evidence linking the Eppes's disappearance with your kidnapping case.'
"What evidence?" David quickly crossed the distance between them.
"We found a set of fingerprints that matched one set in our database." Miller informed them.
Colby jumped up. "Let's go get that son of a bitch!"
Wright shook his head. "We don't know who he is."
Nikki crossed her arms and tilted her head to the side. "You just said that you found a match."
Miller shook his head. "I said that we found a match in our data base but we can't identify him." He glanced around at the puzzled expressions. "They're a perfect match to your kidnapper's prints."
"You're in charge Agent Sinclair. " The ADIC informed him. "Miller will brief you on what they have discovered and his team will be at your disposal if you need them." He pushed the door open and turned around with his hand on the door.
"Bring them home Sinclair."
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It was midday now and the sun was at its highest point and its ray's beat down on them mercilessly. Don glanced up at the sun and squinted, covering his eyes with his hand. Nothing but pristine blue sky as far as the eye could see, not even a cloud overhead to provide a brief shade once in a while. They had been pushing pretty hard since their last break and it was past time to find some shade and take a short rest.
Twelve-thirty and the sun was a huge fireball that seemed to follow their movements and somehow managed to stay directly above them as they trudged through the desert sand. The heat was almost unbearable and Don had to stop for a moment to catch his breath. He staggered to a stand still and grabbed his brother's elbow as he walked by to gain his footing.
"We need to stop for a while." Don panted. "It's time to have some lunch."
Charlie gazed at the terrain in search of some shade and then pointed to a couple of Joshua trees lined on one side by a cluster of cactus and Yucca Scrub.
"How about over there?" He asked pointing toward the area.
"It'll do." Don mumbled as he turned and stumbled toward the spot.
A male red-tailed hawk eyed them suspiciously from his perch atop one of the Joshua trees and its head swiveled around as he tracked their movements. The bird took to the air abruptly with an angry call when the small group sat down beneath his tree.
They watched it fly to another group of trees and land in the very top of one of them. The bird swayed with the breeze but managed to look fierce as he kept a beady eye on the intruders below him.
"Did you see the size of that hawk?" Charlie asked, keeping an eye on the bird. "He's huge…he has to have a wingspan of at least five feet."
"Guess he didn't like out company." Don said sarcastically, seemingly unimpressed. "Just be grateful that we're a little higher on the food chain than he is."
"Speaking of food." Charlie said as he pulled the blanket out of the bag. "I'm starving."
They sat in a small circle on the blanket in a slightly shady area provided by the large row of cactus and yucca scrub.
Charlie grimaced on the third bite of his bread and decided to take larger bites because the sun and the wind were literally sucking the moisture from his meal. The first bite had been normal, the bread was crusty on his second bite and by the third he was eating peanut butter toast. He finished it off in another two bites but the last piece had been barely chewable.
Samantha's mood had changed drastically and for the first time the brothers discovered that she had another side to her personality; one that was beginning to tax their patience.
Samantha made a face as she took another bite of her folded slice of peanut butter bread. "Hard." she said trying to hand it back to Don.
"It's all we have sweetheart. You'll have to eat that one." Don said gently as he took another bite of his bread. "I don't understand it. Look at this…it's…like…like a piece of toast."
"You both need to eat it really fast before all of the moisture gets sucked out of it." Charlie said and gulped down a sip of water to help wash the rest of his meal down. "Sammy you need to eat your sandwich before it gets too hard."
Irritably she glared at him and then suddenly she threw her sandwich at him. "No! Don't want it!" she cried loudly.
Charlie was caught by surprise but still managed to catch the bread before it hit the ground. "Very well." he said with more patience than he felt. "I'll put it back in the bag and you can eat it later." He unsealed the bread bag and tossed it in, resealing the bag quickly before the moisture could be sucked from the remaining slices.
Sammy stretched her small hand out toward the bag and demanded. "Want anothew one…..a soft one."
"No Sammy." Don said firmly. "You have to eat that one, the rest is for our dinner tonight."
They were down to five slices of bread now and three would be used for dinner, leaving only two slices left for breakfast but if luck was with them, tomorrow they would be having lunch in Hesperia.
Samantha was tired, hot, and hungry and she wanted to go home. She pouted and glared at her two new uncles; her lower lip began to quiver and she promptly burst into tears which is why the brothers missed the first "hiss" and failed to hear the rattle….….until it vibrated around the clearing …. a second time.
TBC
A/N: The song "Put one Foot in Front of the other" is from the animated version of "Santa Claus is coming to Town." The quote that Don and Charlie are thinking of was written by an Irishman named Brandan.