A/N – Content Warning – The following chapter contains…content.
Yeah, they all do, but the point is; this chapter might contain content that is worthy of a warning.
No, we are not going to tell you what kind of warning. But now you've been properly warned. We can't give it away! So, trust us.
Chapter Twenty One: Something Wicked This Way Comes
Thomas Belt backed his white 350 utility van into the parking space reserved for grounds and maintenance, which was less than twenty-five feet away from the rear door of the small brick building. The man he had contracted to carry out of the first part of the plan had just arrived in a brown sedan, which he parked on the edge of the semi-circle driveway that led in front of the buildings. They both would need to have a clear path to the main road when this thing went down.
Thomas watched his partner, a man he knew as Ed Tackett, climb from his car. With a glance toward the windowless utility van, Tackett turned and began to casually stroll across campus, heading around toward the front of the single story building, which housed the daycare center.
Pulling out his 9mm Berretta, keeping it below window level, Thomas slowly screwed a long silver silencer in place. He didn't intend to use the weapon, as he had been forbidden to inflict any lasting harm on the professor. This was supposed to be a discrete job, no blood, no public violence. Sitting the loaded weapon down in the passenger seat, Thomas picked up the tranquilizer gun that he had brought and checked its load. He was using a fairly large dose of a common animal tranquilizer, which would be more than enough to knock a man as slight as Doctor Eppes out for several hours. It wasn't part of his usual method, but he wasn't going to risk trying to take this man without it.
Laying a greasy cloth over both weapons, Thomas stepped out of the van. Leaving the doors unlocked, he circled around the building, past the fenced in playground where a group of older children where playing. Some of the mulch from around the plant beds had been strewn into the yard and Thomas began to rake it up, turning toward the quad so he would be able to see the loggia that ran along the side of the mathematics building. He had never failed to collect a fee, and he was not going to start with his first kidnapping, even if he was following someone else's blueprint to pull it off. Without taking his own pride into account, failure simply was not an option. Robert Torres, representing the Valdario crime syndicate, had hired him to abduct the only brother of the FBI agent who was going to testify against Miguel Valdario. The consequences of such a failure would not only be the end of his career, but possibly his life.
He had spent the entire week mapping out every move the energetic young man made, and how the FBI agents assigned to his protection countered him. It wasn't that they couldn't keep up with him, but often they made little effort to, as long as he was within their line of sight. Thomas had fully expected yesterday's events to prompt an increase in the precautions the FBI was taking, but the professor had shown up for his early morning class with the same two agents who had followed him in on Wednesday.
The bald agent, a man named Greer, and his partner, Agent Burrows, had proved to be the slowest to react to the swift movements of the good professor, albeit only marginally so. Still, Thomas would take any edge he could get. They also kept their distance from their charge, unlike the tall slender black man, Edwards, and his stocky partner, Foster. Those two had gotten so close on Tuesday morning that the young mathematician had actually turned around and asked them to back off.
Greer and Burrows would follow him into his classrooms or his office, but Thomas had never seen them enter the Day Care Center. Perhaps they felt that it would be too obvious if they did, however there were few people on campus who didn't know that these men were not students, regardless of how well they attempted to 'blend in'. While he felt a certain derision for the agents assigned to the professor, he didn't kid himself about their training or their orders where the safety and well being of Dr. Eppes was concerned. If he or Tackett were caught, they had a good chance of being killed in the process. Not that Tackett was taking much of a risk. He would never even be seen by Dr. Eppes or the agents, and he had no knowledge of the real stakes behind this undertaking. As soon as he got his lazy ass around to the front of the building, he would be responsible for leaving the trial of breadcrumbs that would lead Dr. Eppes right into his lap.
Of course, a million things could still go wrong with this operation, but as long as the professor didn't drastically change his routine, then Torres' plan should work.
So, given the fact that the conditions were perfect for this plan to succeed, Thomas was almost unprepared to see the young man and his colleague, a Professor Fleinhardt from the physics department, walking toward the Day Care Center nearly a full half hour before he usually left the math building.
Tackett saw them too and immediately quickened his pace, stopping to straighten his suit jacket before he walked casually into the building that housed the daycare center. He was supposed to have a good thirty minute lead on Dr. Eppes. Now, they would be lucky if he could get in and out before the professor caught up to him.
Dropping his rake, Thomas turned on his heel and headed back for his van. If Tackett pulled this off, there was a chance he would need to shoot that tranquilizer gun at a moving target.
As they strolled along toward the Campus Daycare Center, Charlie looked ahead at a young student rollerblading in a figure eight around two of the stone archways that lined the broad open-air walkway, which ran along the edge of the west quad. He was paying no attention to his colleague's disquisition about his lecture on String Theory as a subset of Quantum Field Theory. As the mathematician stared at the young man on the rollerblades, he could almost envision him as a young child; then as a toddler and subsequently as a baby. The capacity to envision someone throughout their growth process was not something Charlie had delved into before Adam had come into his life. But the concept of human development and the natural progression of time suddenly fascinated him.
In the four months that he had cared for this child, he had watched him grow from a helpless infant to a baby on the cusp of walking. Adam was a volatile and unpredictable variable, with a fully formed personality. He was quite willful at times when he didn't get his way; but he also harbored an uncensored delight in everything that was put before him. His curiosity was voracious and now that he was an independently mobile creature, Charlie continually found that he had to keep a very close eye on him, lest he invariably end up in a potentially dangerous situation.
"Charles?"
Charlie was pulled from his musings at Larry's light touch on his arm. Larry followed his gaze to the rollerblader and nodded pensively.
"Contemplating infinity?"
"Not the infinite, but rather the finite. Time progresses at a set pace; but as the amount of time left in a given space decreases, its passage appears to increase. Yet as we grow older things change more slowly."
"I'm I correct in assuming that you are speaking in reference to Adam and the inevitable arrival of his aunt and uncle?"
Charlie frowned slightly at the mention of the family coming to take Adam from him. He looked up into the sky with his eyes closed, feeling the warmth of the dappled sun shining between the leaves of the trees and into the exterior edge of the walkway on his face. When he brought his head down and opened his eyes he noticed the thirty-five year old 'student' sitting not so casually on a bench at the far end of the quad, waiting for him to continue moving.
'They try to blend in, but they just can't.'
Charlie felt a pang of irritation at the continued presence of the security precautions, although he was well aware of their necessity. The fact that dozens of people were dead and the USDA prosecuting this case had nearly been blown to bits yesterday afternoon was proof enough of that. Still, this situation was robbing him of the last few moments of happiness he would have with Adam before he was taken away. That made him angry, yet it also served as a reason to force himself to assuage his distress. He knew all to well how difficult his young charge's departure was going to be and he really should be trying harder to distance himself from the child, but that was a task he was finding himself not equal to. With a sigh, he continued moving toward the daycare center.
"He has changed so much, Larry. When I first met Adam, he was just a helpless infant. He ate, slept and pooped; and that was pretty much it. There were no real emotions to perceive and understand, just the basic elements of human existence. He was just a tiny invalid who needed constant attention. But now…
Larry, do you realize that he'll be walking soon?"
"Walking? Isn't he rather young for that? He's what? Seven months old now, right?"
"Actually, he's almost eight months old. But, yes, according to everything I have read, this is quite early to start walking; especially for boys. However, he is pulling himself up on everything, a phenomenon called 'cruising' and it isn't outside the scope of normal for him to succeed, even at this early age. And he's already using words….well, it sounds like words. It's really a language all his own. He chatters on all the time, clearly enunciating everything, except…"
"You have no idea what he's saying?"
"Most of the time, I really don't. But he has vocalizations for everything and I'm growing more fluent in 'Adam' as time progresses. Some of his 'words' are easy to understand. He calls Don – 'Non', you already know he calls me 'Lee Lee'. As for the rest... well, let's just say that when he does start speaking in understandable English, it will be a verbal explosion. He'll probably go from speaking this baby gibberish to fully formed sentences."
Charlie took a moment to consider what he was trying to say before continuing.
"It's just that over the last few months I have watched this child change from an altricial infant, into a real person with understandable emotions and a personality that demands attention."
Larry stopped to readjust his satchel and had to trot to catch up with Charlie, who had been so focused on his diatribe that he hadn't even noticed Larry's momentary absence as he continued talking.
"He looks more and more like Ethan everyday, Larry. He has gone from wearing clothing that's four months in size to clothing sized for a twelve month old and some of those outfits are actually a little small. According to his pediatrician, he is in the ninetieth percentile for height and weight. He has grown so much, and changed so much, that I swear if I blink I'm going to miss something."
Larry fell into step next to his friend and clasped his hands in front of his chest as he walked.
"I gather this is about more than just missing his next big achievement? You're worried about how far away he will be living soon?"
"He'll be going home with them, which, from my understanding, is the east coast. Somewhere in Maryland,… I think that's what Colby said. Larry, I have been trying to distance myself emotionally from this child, but it isn't working. I have even tried listing to myself all of the things that I will be able to do once he is gone, and I find that I don't care about those things so much any more. Every time I see one of those infernal agents watching me, I tell myself that this is better for him. He needs to be with his family, where he is safe and not exposed to this..." Charlie waved his hand broadly in the general direction of the end of the quad. "...this kind of danger... this uncertainty... I don't know Larry; all of these arguments, no matter how compelling, fall mute when ever I look at him."
Charlie could hear the hint of desolation in his own voice, but he continued; unconcerned as to what Larry might presume about his manifest affection for Adam.
"Even if I fly out as often as my schedule will allow, he will have changed so much that I'm not sure I would even recognize him. Will he remember me after a couple of months? He doesn't seem to remember his own parents. He doesn't cry for them, at least not that I know of. He is happy and content, so I can only assume that he isn't feeling their loss. Will that happen when he leaves me? It's been four months since Ethan and Becky died. Four months from now, will he even recognize me if I go to the east coast to visit him on his birthday?"
Charlie suddenly stopped walking and stood staring up at the bright afternoon sun again. When he spoke, it was with an edge to his voice that seemed uncharacteristic.
"Why the hell am I doing this to myself? Adam is NOT my child. He belongs with his family. He deserves to have a family, rather than some surrogate guardian."
Charlie's dropped his chin and softened his voice. "I'm sorry. I guess this is getting kind of hard. If Colby's information is accurate, and I see no reason it shouldn't be, I expect that the Millers will be back in the states sometime in the next few weeks. I just have to keep reminding myself that this is for the best."
Once again, Charlie allowed his gaze to wander over to his 'protection detail'. "This is what is best for Adam."
"Charles, I don't think………"
Charlie's cell phone chirped loudly in the front pocket of his bag, cutting off Larry's response. As Larry held open the front door to the Campus Day Care Center, Charlie paused to pull his cell phone from his satchel. Agent Burrows casually made his way over to the wall along the arched walkway and nodded to his partner, who took up a position on the bench at the edge of the quad.
"Hello?" Charlie answered as he stepped in through the door that Larry was holding open, leaving the two agents outside.
"Charlie."
Don's voice filled his ear.
"Sorry, we're running a little late. I'm just pulling up to the front of the campus now."
"Hey, Don." Charlie walked toward the end of the short hallway to the large room that served as a playroom for the smallest of the daycare's constituents. "You're not late."
Larry lingered close to the door, as Charlie walked up to the knee-high wall that blocked the door of the room from the area where the crawling infants and toddlers where allowed to roam free. "Larry and I just got to the daycare. I'll get Adam and meet you out in the quad."
Opening the gate into the carpeted area, Charlie's eyes scanned the room for Adam. He didn't spot him among the other babies, and as Don began to ask about the lunch menu at the café, Charlie cut him off.
"Hang on a sec, Don."
Deducing that Adam was still in the nursery, Charlie turned to the rotund woman who looked after the little ones.
"Marla, where's Adam? Don't tell me he took another long nap today."
Marla scooped up a little girl with pigtails, who was trying to pull the chair out from under one of the other children, and spoke in a slightly frazzled voice.
"No, your brother picked him up. He said that you called him and asked him to."
Charlie felt as if he had just been sucker punched in the stomach. His school satchel dropped from his shoulder and the cell phone fell from numb fingers, as he stammered out a one-word response.
"W..when?"
Marla looked bewildered by his reaction as she pointed toward the rear door of the center, labeled 'exit only', which faced the parking lot.
"Just a few minutes ago, Doctor Eppes. If you…."
Charlie didn't wait to hear the rest of her sentence and he took off at a dead run for the back exit.
"Doctor Eppes! What's wrong? What's going on?"
Charlie flew through the back door so fast; it hit the exterior wall and almost shattered the glass.
Marla's shouts had alerted the two agents just outside the front door of the building that something was amiss. They were halfway down the hall when the sound of the door, slamming against the cobblestone mortar, reverberated through the small center.
Reacting to the loud noise, both agents drew their weapons, bursting into the playroom, just as Larry grabbed the phone from where Charlie had dropped it on the floor. The sudden appearance of two armed men elicited a scream from Marla, which in turn, frightened the children and started up a chorus of terrified shrieks.
Ignoring the ruckus, Agent Burrows grabbed Larry's arm and shouted, "Where is Doctor Eppes?"
Using the telephone as a pointer, Larry gestured toward the back door. Both agents were halfway across the room before Larry got out the words, "Someone just abducted Adam Burdick!"
When Tackett exited the rear of the daycare center with the child in his arms, Thomas plucked his dart gun up from the front seat and opened the sliding door of his van, waiting for the professor to exit the building. If he believed that his brother had just walked out that door, he would have no reason to alert the agents with him that he was exiting through the back. Silently urging Tackett, who was strolling toward his car at a controlled pace, to move faster; Thomas stepped behind the dumpster. Using it as cover, he lifted the dart gun and aimed for the backdoor.
The door slammed open moments later, and Charlie came tearing out of the rear entrance to the daycare center. The young man didn't slow his pace until he reached the edge of the parking lot. Thomas had just lifted the gun and had his finger on the trigger, when the two agents dashed through the door, followed closely by the other professor who had accompanied Dr. Eppes into the daycare.
If the agent's guns had not been drawn, Thomas might have exchanged the dart gun for his automatic. But even if he opened fire on the two agents, chances were at least one of them would get a shot off in his direction. If Tackett could get away with the baby, they would still have accomplished half of their mission, and the cartel would still have a means to manipulate the agent who was testifying against Valdario. Spying the professor, the two agents moved forward and Thomas immediately stowed the dart gun.
In those split seconds, Charlie had scanned the entire parking lot. Seeing no one, he turned his head toward the semi-circle driveway that lead in front of the buildings. He immediately spied the conspicuously large man in a dark suit, holding Adam in his arms. The man had picked up his pace when the back door had flung open and he was heading toward a brown sedan.
"ADAM!"
Ed Tackett turned his head toward the voice. Seeing that Belt had failed to subdue the professor, he put on an extra burst of speed to get to his car.
"ADAM!" Screaming the child's name, Charlie changed his route, turning toward the man with a speed that astonished Larry and the pursuing agents.
Keeping his voice amazingly calm and feeling like he was commentating at a golf tournament, Larry relayed the scene to Don over the phone.
"Don, the kidnapper is heading for a dark brown sedan. Charlie is running after them, as well as the agents who were watching Charlie, but they won't get there in time. "
"Adam! STOP!"
The man didn't look back, but he knew from the proximity of the voice that he didn't have time to put the baby in the car seat that was waiting in the back of his sedan.
"Help! He's taking my baby! ADAM!"
He could see that the professor's shouts had drawn the attention of several people from across the semi-circle, and now they too where heading in his direction. The situation was made worse by the fact that the baby in his arms had suddenly realized that something was wrong and he had started screaming at the top of his lungs, as if he were returning the professor's call. When his screams failed to guarantee his release, the baby began to struggle against the restraining arm of his abductor.
Yanking the driver's door open, Tackett jumped in and turned the key, which was already in the ignition. Adam, unaccustomed to such rough treatment, began to scream even louder. As he tried to sit the baby up in his lap, so he could turn the steering wheel, the child began to claw at his arm and squirm, desperately trying to release himself from the force that was restraining him. Pushing the increasingly hysterical baby down on his lap, the man gunned the accelerator and tore out of his parking spot, sideswiping a red firebird as he peeled away from the man who was chasing him on foot.
Agent Greer had stopped at the end of the parking lot and as the sedan passed by; he shouted, "FBI! STOP!"
Taking aim at the retreating vehicle, he fired a shot, attempting to blow out the tire.
"NO! What are you doing!?" Charlie screamed in protest, fearing that the baby would be hit by the gunfire.
"Doctor Eppes, get back in the building!"
Ignoring the commanding voice of Agent Burrows, Charlie never even slowed down.
Despite the fact that there was no hope of ever catching up to the car on foot, Charlie continued to chase after the vehicle as it moved around the semi-circle toward the road. He was overwhelmed with relief when he looked past the car speeding toward the exit and saw Don's big black SUV.
From the moment that Don heard Larry tell the protective detail that Adam had been abducted, an almost instinctually reactive persona seemed to envelop him and he slammed his foot down on the gas pedal. He turned frightened eyes to Colby, who had accompanied him to the college and was planning on joining them for lunch to give Charlie an update on the Millers.
"Don... what...?"
Colby never got a chance to finish his sentence as Don, cradling the phone between his shoulder and ear, flipped on the lights and siren that were standard on all FBI issue vehicles. Don's voice was steely, but calm, when Larry finally put the phone to his ear and began speaking.
"Larry, tell me exactly what's happening!"
When Larry called into the phone that the kidnapper hadn't left campus, and that Charlie, Greer and Burrows were chasing him; Don gave up on giving cars time to get out of his way. Steering his vehicle up onto the sidewalk and through the grass, Don never even took his foot off the accelerator. The phone dropped from its perch between his chin and shoulder with the first swerve and subsequent bump, and Colby instinctively reacted, grabbing it before it hit the floor.
As Don rounded the corner, he scanned ahead to see if any cars were coming out of the driveway, which was about four hundred yards ahead.
There were no vehicles moving in the day care center's small parking lot, but Don could see Charlie running at top speed down the semi-circle driveway, toward the road. Agent Greer had just fired a shot toward a brown sedan, which was heading toward the exit.
Colby had taken over the conversation with Larry and followed Don's gaze. He heard the driver of the sedan gun the engine, and much to his amazement, Charlie's pace actually increased. The thought passed through the back of his mind that Charlie could probably give him or David a run for their money. Looking back into the hard eyes of his boss, Colby ignored the now frantic voice of Larry Fleinhardt and said almost calmly, "You won't make that entrance in time, Don. I'm calling this in."
Colby flipped the phone shut, cutting off the physicist's words, then opened it again and speed dialed Megan. Colby turned his head and saw Burrows drop to one knee and take aim, following Greer's example and firing at the sedan.
Keeping his eyes on the moving car, Don knew Colby was right and that he couldn't get to the driveway in time to block the exit. The fact that the agents had both fired at the vehicle only served to increase his fear. Agents as well trained as Greer and Burrows did not draw their weapons if they did not intend to use them and they never fired unless they had a clear shot. But seeing Charlie actually running ahead of the agents, he couldn't help but curse at the two men.
"God damn it! They're gonna hit Charlie or Adam!"
Don steered the SUV up over the curb again, and cut across the grassy slope. Megan answered her cell just as he hit the gas, gunning the eight-cylinder engine. Colby quickly relayed the situation to the acting agent in charge, as they flew down the slope at an angle, ripping up the turf. Don crashed over the curb at the mouth of the parking lot, jostling the SUV and causing Colby to inadvertently cut Megan off and drop the phone, just as the kidnapper's car flew out of the last curve and into the straight a way.
Charlie saw the sedan nearly crash into the side of his brother's vehicle and his heart jumped into his throat. He knew Adam would never survive a car crash if he wasn't properly buckled into a car seat. By some strange miracle, the vehicle defied the laws of physics and managed to stop just short of making contact with his brother's truck by mere inches, effectively pinning Colby in so that he would have to exit through the driver's side after Don.
The driver's door of the sedan instantly swung open and the man jumped out. He had Adam tucked under his left arm like an awkwardly sized football, as he took off in a full run back toward the west quad. Climbing from the SUV, Don pulled his weapon and shouted, "FBI! Put the child down and put your hands on your head!" He knew it was a waste of breath, but he wanted everyone in earshot to hear him identify himself as federal agent.
Charlie never slowed down, veering quickly to his left, a full pursuit-model graph playing out in his mind. He heard his brother's voice echo across the parking area, but he could also hear Adam's screams, prompting him to continue his own pursuit.
"Leelee Leelee Leelee"
The child's terrified voice, calling for him repetitively, fueled an unfamiliar fire in Charlie's soul. Putting on an incredible burst of speed, Charlie was peripherally astounded to find that he was actually gaining on his target. He could clearly see Adam struggling in the man's grip. His little legs were kicking as hard as he could manage and he continued to scream for Charlie. When the terrain began to slope, the man momentarily lost his footing and while Charlie watched helplessly, Adam fell out from under the kidnappers arm.
Tackett turned his head to look back at the baby as he bounced on the grass and rolled, but he didn't dare slow down, and once he was unencumbered by the wiggly and surprisingly heavy baby, he put on a new burst of speed.
When Adam hit the ground, Charlie was sure that his heart actually stopped. Adam stopped crying on impact and as the baby bounced twice, and then rolled toward him, Charlie was certain that the fall had killed him.
"Adam! No!"
Charlie's pace never faltered, but time seemed to slow to a crawl as he approached the now still form lying in the grass. When he dropped to the ground next to the baby, he couldn't quite comprehend what he was seeing. Adam was lying there on his back with his mouth opened wide as if he were crying. But despite the child's efforts, there was no sound. He didn't appear to be dead at all, but he wasn't breathing either. As his face began to turn a shocking shade of red, Adam took in a huge breath and the scream that emanated from him was the most frighteningly wonderful sound Charlie had ever heard in his life.
Even in his panic, Charlie logically considered that he should not move the baby. Rather than pick him up, Charlie leaned down over Adam and placed his cheek against the baby's tear streaked face in an attempt to offer some sort of comfort while the distraught child's screams filled his ears. However, when Adam opened his eyes and saw Charlie hovering right over him, he reached up with surprising strength and grabbed a hold of the young mathematician's neck. Adam sat up on his own accord and literally tried to climb up Charlie's chest. Scooping the screaming baby up into his arms, Charlie was suddenly overwhelmed with the same emotion that had prompted his desperate sprint after the car.
The two agents in his protection detail were right on Charlie's heels and Agent Burrows stopped to hover over him, while Greer continued after the would-be kidnapper.
"He okay, Doctor Eppes?"
Charlie began to rock back and forth on his knees, unaware or simply not caring about the concern of the agent standing behind him. After a moment, Burrows gave up on getting an answer as he scanned the area for any secondary threats.
Besides the fierce anger at the thought that someone had dared to try to take this child away from him, Charlie was overwhelmed with the desire to protect Adam at all costs… - at any cost. Holding him as tightly as Adam was clinging to his neck, Charlie realized quite suddenly that he would give up everything…including his own life, if that was what it took, to keep this child safe. His whole body was shaking badly and tears ran freely down his face as Charlie held Adam close. Still rocking him back and forth in a comforting motion, Charlie didn't even realize what he was saying.
"Oh, baby. Its okay, I've got you now. Daddy's got you."
Colby and Don came tearing up the slope toward Charlie and the infant. Colby never veered from his target, the unspoken understanding that Don would stop to check on Charlie and the child. As Don came to a stumbling halt, he could hear Charlie crying and the words that he was saying. With a glance at Agent Burrows, Don asked, "Is he all right? Charlie! Is Adam all right?"
When Charlie lifted his head and met his brother's eyes, Don knew he would never forget the look of pure rage etched on his younger brother's face. He thought that the look he had seen in Charlie's eyes when they discussed Valdario was malevolent, but that paled in comparison. This was a sight that was instantly etched into his mind forever and as Charlie's upper lip curled, he practically spit out the words.
"Go! Get that son of a bitch!"
Don didn't need to be told twice. Casting a hard stare at Burrows, which clearly said 'don't let anyone near him', he turned on his heel and took off running after the Colby, Greer and the kidnapper. The kidnapper had gotten a considerable head start on all three of his pursuers and Don pumped his arms attempting to gain speed. As he scanned the terrain to see what direction their quarry might take, he saw Colby actually surpass Agent Greer and motion him to cut to the right. Then, Colby moved left and used a decline in the slope to put on an additional burst of speed.
"FBI! STOP!"
The man realized that Colby would overtake him on his present course and veered off to the right, running directly into Agent Greer. He literally bounced off the large man and into Colby, who grabbed him roughly by the lapels and lifted him off his feet, body-slamming him into the ground.
"I SAID, 'STOP'!"
The man landed flat on his back, the wind knocked out of him, as Colby came down across his sternum, pinning him to the ground. Don caught up with them seconds later. Agent Greer had his gun trained on the man, as Colby reached for his cuffs. Without missing a beat, Don stepped up to the suspect and put his foot under the man's shoulder. As Colby moved aside, Don kicked the suspect over onto his belly.
"Mister, you just made the biggest mistake of your life."
Reaching down, he grabbed the man's arms and yanked them behind his back with vicious force that made him cry out in pain. A quick search of the suspect yielded an un-holstered 9mm Beretta. Don retrieved the weapon and after checking the safety, handed it to Agent Greer, who tucked it into his own waistband. By this time, sirens were clearly identifiable in the distance.
Don twisted the kidnapper's arms and dropped to one knee on the man's back, causing another grunt of pain as he took the cuffs that Colby held out and fastened them a little too tightly over the kidnapper's thick wrists.
"FBI, you're under arrest. You have the right to remain silent, which is probably a damn good idea, because if you say anything I don't want to hear right now, I might actually kill you."
Taking a deep breath, Don managed to get his anger in check, and he quickly delivered the remainder of the man's Miranda Rights without any additional adlibbing. The recitation of the familiar words acted almost as a mantra that allowed Don to gain complete control over his raging emotions. Then, he lifted his eyes to his fellow agents, who were both staring at him apprehensively as if they were waiting for him to start pistol-whipping the cuffed suspect. He met Colby's eyes and nodded. The silent reassurance eased the other agent's shoulders and Don almost smiled as he said, "That was one hell of a take-down. Did you two practice that at some point?"
He was only partially joking. The move was executed so flawlessly that it almost looked choreographed. Agent Greer chortled in response, but turned somber again as he looked back up the hill to where Agent Burrows was acting as the lone sentry over the man they were supposed to be protecting.
Charlie was still rocking back and forth on his knees, holding the baby. Holstering his weapon, Colby jerked his chin in the direction of the distraught mathematician.
"Go check on Charlie, Don. We've got this scumbag."
With a look of appreciation at both Colby and Greer, Don jogged back across the quad toward the place where Charlie sat in the grass with Adam. An ambulance had arrived while Don was cuffing the kidnapper and an EMT was trying to get Charlie to release his hold on the baby so he could check him for injuries. As Don approached the scene, Larry rushed up next to him. The physicist looked out of sorts and was still clutching Charlie's cell phone tightly in a white knuckled fist.
"When I saw the baby fall I felt it would be prudent to call for an ambulance, just in case."
Don nodded in agreement, and then suddenly realized that they were nearly surrounded by a throng of on-lookers. Agent Burrows still had his weapon drawn and looked prepared to open fire into the crowd if he though for one minute that any of them posed a threat to Charlie or Adam.
Don took another deep breath, and blew it out loudly. He could hear more sirens in the distance and knew that LAPD had also been called. "Okay, let's move back folks, there's nothing to see here!"
Larry joined in his efforts, asking several people he knew to give Professor Eppes some space.
Thomas Belt had abandoned his vehicle, as well as his weaponry, milling in with the crowd that was forming around the scene. He could see Tackett in handcuffs, being lead toward the SUV that had blocked his escape. When his apprehended cohort slipped and nearly fell, the crowd actually cheered and Thomas quickly applauded in unison with several of the students. When Tackett turned his head, he quickly spun around. The last thing Thomas needed was for Tackett to call him out in the middle of this crowd.
At that moment, two LAPD cruisers pulled up just behind the ambulance. With a glance at Charlie, Don altered his course to meet them at the curb. Identifying himself as a federal agent, Don quickly briefed them about the attempted abduction, leaving out the back-story as to why this particular CalSci professor needed federal agents trailing around after him. Pointing out the cuffed suspect, whom his fellow agents were leading across the parking lot, Don thanked them for their quick response, and asked them to work on crowd control and take witness statements. When the LAPD officer asked him if he was in charge, Don hesitated. Turning back toward the hilltop, he saw Charlie was still kneeling on the ground with Burrows hovering over him.
"You want to talk to Agent Granger. He's in charge of this scene," he said pointing Colby out to the officer, and then he headed back over to his brother.
Don could see from Charlie's pallid complexion and shaking shoulders that he was in a state of emotional shock. As the EMT attempted to pull Adam from his arms, Charlie only clutched the baby tighter. Larry was talking to him softly, but Charlie would not yield his grip on the baby. Don stepped forward and put out his hand, putting an end to the tug of war.
"Hey. Back off a minute."
Don knelt down in front of Charlie so he could see his face. The blind rage from a few minutes ago was gone and now there was stark terror reflecting back at him from his brother's dark brown eyes. Charlie's expression served to reignite his own anger and Don had to fight the urge not to get back up and rush their suspect, who was being held in place by Agent Greer while Colby was speaking with the LAPD. Forcing back the notion that he could beat any information they needed out of the cuffed man, Don turned back to his brother. When he placed a hand on Charlie's shoulder, he could feel the tension in the taut muscles and he gave his brother a tight squeeze, hoping to focus his concentration back on him.
"Charlie? Hey. Look at me, Buddy."
Charlie responded to his brother's voice and slowly his eyes began to focus on Don's face.
"Buddy, Adam fell pretty hard. He might be hurt. You need to let these people take a look at him. They won't take him anywhere without you. But you have to let them hold him for a minute."
"I almost lost him, Don." Charlie said, in a strangled voice.
Don could feel the tremors running through Charlie's body and he felt an uncustomary shakiness in his own arms as he replied.
"But you didn't, Charlie. We didn't lose him. He's right here and he's safe now. But we need to know he's okay. Now let go of the baby so these people can do their jobs."
Adam was still whimpering and breathing in harsh hiccups, but now that he was being held tightly against Charlie's chest, his sobs had subsided. When Charlie gave in and released his hold on the baby, lowering him to the grass, Adam immediately started crying again. Charlie lurched forward to pick him back up, but Don scooted over beside him and held his brother's shoulders firmly.
"He'll be okay, Charlie."
As the EMT laid Adam out flat and began an initial assessment, the child started to scream again in earnest and Don had to tighten his grip on Charlie's shoulders to keep his brother in place. He knew full well that Charlie had developed an intensely powerful agape love for Adam, but as he restrained his brother, Don was shocked at how deeply his own feelings had rooted. The sound of Adam's heart wrenching wail invoked in him an almost irrepressible desire to backhand the EMT who was making the child cry. Reminding himself that this man was only doing his job, Don continued to hold tightly to Charlie's shoulders. As the unsuspecting medical technician rotated Adam's hips to check for dislocations the baby let out an impressively loud bellow. Charlie shuddered violently at the sound and Don decided that he'd had enough. He moved Charlie slightly behind him and pulled himself to his feet, stepping up to where the EMT was kneeling with Adam.
"Is he okay?"
"He appears to be. I can't detect any broken bones or overt trauma. The scrapes on his face look to be the worst of it, but he'll still need to have x-rays so we can be certain. We'll take him to Huntington. His father will obviously be able to stay right with him but the for the rest…" he said, eyeing the man with his gun still drawn but held down as he continued to scan the crowd. "…the ER has a comfortable waiting room."
Don nodded his thanks and he turned around to help Charlie to his feet.
Less than five feet away, moving with the crowd that was beginning to disperse, Thomas Belt's mind was racing. Tackett knew nothing that could incriminate him or the syndicate, so his cohort was on his own. Torres' plan had failed, and there would be no time to call in and ask for permission to improvise. Still determined that he would not allow this to be his first failure, Thomas discreetly made his way back across the parking lot to his van.
The EMT stood with the wailing baby still in his arms. Charlie continued to look dazed and although his hysterical edge seemed to have diminished, there were fresh tears in his eyes. Nevertheless, he found his voice and stepped forward assertively.
"He's frightened. Give him to me."
With a complacent nod, the EMT slid the baby into Charlie's waiting arms and the child's struggles immediately ceased, but not his hysterical crying.
The medical technician and his partner escorted Charlie and Adam toward the ambulance, with Agent Burrows following closely behind. The agent had holstered his weapon, but he wasn't about to take his eyes off Charlie or Adam again anytime soon. Knowing he didn't have to say it, but unable to stop himself, Don turned to him and said, "No one except medical personnel goes near them, is that understood?"
Nodding, Burrows moved to step up into the ambulance. The EMT, however, put out his hand and stopped him. "Sir, we don't have room for any passengers."
Burrows pulled back his jacket to reveal his badge and gun just as Don pulled out his own badge.
"This man and the child are under federal protective custody. This agent will accompany them wherever they go. This is non-negotiable, so don't even try to fight it or he will consider you a threat and you don't want that."
The EMT raised his eyebrows at the low-key effort at coercion, and moved aside so that the agent could step up into the ambulance. Burrows sat down on the gurney next to Charlie, who was cradling Adam to his chest and patting his back gently. Looking down at Don, Charlie's eyes reflected his fear and uncertainty.
"You're not coming too?"
"Hey, Buddy, don't worry. I'll be right behind you; I just have to take care of some things first. You stay with Agent Burrows, okay."
Charlie swallowed hard, and Don could tell he was trying to suppress his panic. Stepping up into the back of the ambulance, Don reached past Burrows and patted Charlie on the knee.
"I'll have someone bring your car to the hospital, where are your keys?"
"I... um... in my satchel, I think. It's... I dropped it..."
Charlie was starting to sound a little hysterical and Don squeezed his knee tightly in an effort to bring him back into focus.
"Charlie, I'm going to take care of this. You know that, right?"
Charlie furrowed his brow, but nodded and Don continued. "You just stay with Burrows and take care of Adam. That's the only thing you need to worry about. Okay, Buddy?"
Charlie nodded again. Don was about to remind him that everything was going to be all right, when the EMT spoke up from behind him, trying not to sound too irritated.
"We have to leave now."
Don stepped down onto the grass, keeping his eyes on his brother until the EMT abruptly closed the door.
After watching the ambulance back down the slope, pull out into the parking lot, and pull up onto the grass to get around the vehicles blocking the mouth of the drive, Don paused to take a deep breath. Once again, anger surged through him and he turned toward the SUV where Colby and Greer were heading with their cuffed suspect. Larry, who had been joined by Marla, as well as the head of the Campus Daycare Center, stopped him halfway there.
"Don, this is Alberta Foster, the director of the Campus Childcare Program. Miss Foster, this is Professor Eppes' brother."
The woman stepped up to Don and extended her hand. Still fighting to suppress his anger, Don declined the handshake but managed a congenial nod.
She spoke with an unsteady voice. "Agent Eppes, we are so sorry about this. Marla had never met you. Everyone knew that you were an FBI agent and she was thrown by the badge."
Marla was openly weeping and she reached out and touched Don's arm, a forlorn expression on her face.
"I'm so s… sorry. We always ask for identification when someone we've never met picks up a child, and he had a badge and he showed me his ID and….and… I'm so sorry. I didn't know."
Don stepped away from them abruptly and turned, sprinting towards his SUV where Colby was putting the kidnapper into the back seat. Don pushed his colleague aside and roughly grabbed the suspect's shoulder, jerking him around to face him. Both Colby and Greer looked as if they expected Don to start punching the suspect in the gut, and while Greer stood back, willing to let Don get in a few well earned hits, Colby took a firm hold on Don's arm and said "Eppes, think about this."
Turning to Colby with fire in his eyes, Don shook off his restraining hand. "Back off, Granger."
Then reaching into the man's jacket pocket, he pulled out the fake badge and ID. Flipping it open for a closer look, Don had to admit that he could have been fooled by it as well. The guy hadn't gotten this badge out of a box of crackerjacks and that reinforced Don's belief that this was set up by Valdario. That led to one conclusion; his identity was no longer a secret and the absolute certainty of that fact terrified him much more than he had expected it to.
Colby stepped forward. Taking in the uncustomary look of distress on Don's face, he took the badge from his hand and gave it closer look.
"Let's see what we have here."
Shaking his head, he addressed the prisoner.
"Kidnapping, and impersonating a federal officer. I guess today just wasn't your lucky day was it?"
Don stepped back and let Colby take the suspect's arm to put him in the back of the vehicle. The sound of his cell phone ringing brought his attention to the floor of the passenger side and he reached in and picked it up. Seeing Megan's name on the LCD screen, he answered.
"Reeves, where are you?"
"Don! Thank God. David and I are about five minutes away. What the hell happened?"
Don shook his head, unable to come up with an adequate answer. Slamming the door of the SUV on the suspect, Colby was about to take the phone from Don's hand when he finally spoke.
"You can give me a ride, and I'll fill you in. Drive around to the parking lot behind the Campus Day Care Center. It's over at the far end of the west quad. In the meantime, get another detail over to my brother's house."
He hung up without providing any more information, and turned to look at Colby and Greer.
"Granger, take this piece of sh..."
He stopped himself, pausing to take a deep breath, and then forced a grim smile.
"Take the prisoner to holding, Colby, and do what you do. Greer, I need you to get my brother's satchel, he dropped it somewhere and his keys are in it. I'll have David drive Charlie's car to the hospital. Take your vehicle and stay with Burrows and my family."
He paused, emphasizing his words with steely eyes.
"Do not let them out of your sight. I want one of you with them at all times…you know the drill. Know where they are and where they are going next. As of this moment, Adam Burdick is now your responsibility, as well as my brother."
Agent Greer nodded and immediately headed back toward the daycare in search of Charlie's bag.
Don turned back to Colby. "Megan and I will meet you back at the office. I need to tell my father what happened. I don't want him to leave, so I'll have to convince him to stay put and wait for us to bring Charlie and Adam home. There's no way I can do that over the phone."
Colby looked past Don at the suspect, who was sitting in the back of the SUV, his eyes toward the floor. "It was Valdario, right?"
"Who else could it be?"
Don exhaled loudly. "It was well planned and thought out. Think about it. They must have known when Charlie picked up Adam for lunch. They knew I was a regular visitor to campus and that no one would question the badge."
As he continued to sort through the facts as he knew them, the urgency in Don's voice increased dramatically.
"They had an FBI badge with my name on it, Colby. They have my name, they know where my brother works, and they knew about Adam. I don't know how they found out, but the cartel knows who I am."
TBC
A/N – I hope our warning was adequate and that it was everything you expected. We've exceeded the halfway point on this story, (at least we think so)….and we hope you are still enjoying it! Please continue to share your thoughts with us! WE love to hear from you!
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Chapter Twenty Two is in progress…..
'till then
dHALL
and
Alice I