Nine Wives
100,000
Polygamists
37
States
11
Religions
1
Bloodline
Esperanza Eppes walked into the FBI office carrying a bag of food for her, Alan, Don, Lupe, and Charlie. Her brother-in-law was walking behind her and Alan behind him with a drink tray. Lupe was walking beside him. The tall lanky teenager was becoming a woman, a little too quickly for the Eppes' taste, but she still was awkward in her body, which was a good thing. All four had come strait from Cal-Sci. Charlie and his father had waited in her new office while she was in a department meeting. It was not often that the four could enjoy a meal among themselves without the children these days. They were both in day care.
Don looked up from his desk. "I smell something good." He grinned. "And not just the food."
Lupe giggled as she looked at him.
Espa playfully swatted his shoulder as he turned to stand up. "What did you bring me?" He asked. Don loved food, especially Espa's food, which was amazing since he was still a lean-mean-crime-fighting machine. He ate more than anyone else in the room, which belayed his appearance.
"Wait and see." She said and took Alan's arm and led him to the war room. Charlie smiled at his brother and they both followed behind. The room was surrounded on all sides by windows, but it was private enough for the family to enjoy a meal.
"We need to eat quickly." Charlie said. "I have to go pick up Amita so we can go to Stanford."
"What? Are you sampling the wine in Napa Valley?" Don asked looking at him.
"No…there is a math conference there." Charlie said. "But I hear there are some great Cabernets there."
"Uh-huh." Don said eyeing him.
"Can I came?" Lupe asked. Lupe was smart, not genius smart like Charlie, but smart enough to go to any university she chose. She liked math and science and so she, Larry, and Charlie spent a lot of time together.
Espa shook her head. "Certainly not. It is a long boring drive and they will want to work on their…work."
Lupe saw strait through that and smirked a little at Charlie. "Of course." She said.
"Munchkin…can't you be a kid for a little longer and not think like an adult?" Don asked eyeing her.
"Since you live off Chinese when you do not come home I figured sandwiches and soup would be a nice change." Espa said changing the subject as she sat herself in a chair as Don shut the door behind him.
"You are not just eating salad I hope." Don said looking at her. She shot him a look. "I mean, you are eating for two again and I want to make sure you both are okay." He smiled at her and she nodded. He dropped into a seat beside her and affectionately patted her abdomen as he looked up at her. "So do you know what we are having yet?" He asked as she handed him a sandwich and a bowl of a steamy tomato soup.
She smiled at him. "Yeah. I know what I…" She saw his look and smirked. "…we are having, but I learned my lesson from the last time. No one gets to know until it is born."
"That is not fair." Don said pouting a little at her as he chewed on a large bite of his sandwich. It was his favorite. She always brought him his favorite.
"Not fair…" Espa looked up at him. "You carry a kid for ten months and see how fair that is." She said. She testily jabbed her spoon into her soup.
Don and Charlie just stared at her. Pregnancy made for interesting mood swings in women. Nice, to bitchy, to crying in seconds. The two men could never figure out Espa's mood totally lately. Alan, however, took it stride having seen it four times now with the women in his life.
"Baby, hey, I'm sorry…I just…" Don said gently touching her left hand.
"When you know what it is like to have a parasite in you for the better part of a year come and talk to me." She said sitting forward the swell touching the table making it more pronounced. She was not appeased by his gentle words and he knew it. "Can you pass me the butter dad?" She said her tone changing instantly.
"Sure honey." Alan said.
Charlie was deep into eating his food to notice the confrontation fully. Or if he had he was not letting on.
"And a baby is not a parasite." Don said. "It is a gift."
"Actually Don…" Charlie began.
Alan shot his younger son a look that silenced him into scraping the last bit out of his soup cup. Espa smirked a little. "Yes, and as much as I am resenting you at the moment for it, it is a gift you gave me and we share." She said gently and reached to touch his cheek. "And I thank you for it." She smiled as he turned to look at her.
"I love you, you know that." Don said leaning against her palm.
"I know." She said offering a half smile. Then she started to giggle.
"What?" He asked looking at her.
"Just trying to imagine you with swollen ankles and a belly from a baby." She said giggling as her hand dropped down.
He chuckled at that and touched her cheek. "You are so beautiful when you smile like that." He told her. "Seriously keep feeding me this well and I am going to have to run three miles a day to keep it off instead of two." He grinned and they all burst into laughing.
Colby walked in. "Sorry if I am interrupting, but…" He smiled at them. "What's for lunch?" He asked Espa leaning over her. Lupe smiled at Colby and he smiled back. "Hey kiddo." He said and she passed him her bag of chips, which he took without question.
"What is it Colby?" Don asked watching as Espa lifted her sandwich. She had learned he would just steal it anyway since she let him. He took a big bite looking like a squirrel with a cheek full of nuts.
"Thanks Espa." He grinned. "Man that is good…" He chewed and then turned to look at his boss's impatient stare. He chewed a bit and then swallowed. "We need to go to the desert. They found some teenager dead by the road."
"Oh my God." Espa said.
"Yeah." Colby said. "She was thirteen or fourteen. Lupe's age." He said looking at the young girl as she sat in her loose shirt and jeans.
"What the hell was she doing in the desert?" Alan asked. Espa nodded in agreement.
Lupe sighed. "I know better than to be in the desert. Unless you drink a gallon or more you die."
"Rafting the Grand did get in your head huh?" Espa smiled.
"Sure did." Lupe smiled.
"All right." Don said standing up. He kissed his wife. "Thanks for lunch. I will see you at home later okay? Charlie…good luck on your…math thing."
"Thanks." Charlie said.
"Sure." She smiled at him. "I love you." She said as he pushed open the door.
He smiled. "I know…" He looked at Colby leaning against the back of her chair as he swallowed the rest of the sandwich he had taken. He reached over and grabbed her coke and took a swallow. Alan and Charlie were about to protest when Espa shook her head. "Granger!" Don barked.
"Oh…sorry…Thanks Espa." He said flashing a smile before he dashed after Don who was shaking his head.
NUMB3RS
Don and Colby drove several miles on the dirt road that they were sent on. Don parked his suburban and as they got out a mid-aged blonde woman walked toward them.
"FBI?" She called to them.
"Yeah, how you doing?" Don asked.
"Rachel Willons, California Bureau of Investigation." The woman said offering her hand.
"Don Eppes."
"Colby Granger." Colby said taking her hand.
"Abner Stone did this." She said without preamble.
"Did what?"
"Kidnapped the girl and beat her." Rachel said.
"Abner Stone from the polygamy cult?" Colby asked.
"He's one of the fugitives on your ten most wanted list." Rachel said. "He assaulted her last night. I've got roadblocks going…"
"Hold on, how do you know he did it?" Don asked.
"She told me." Rachel said looking back at them as they walked.
"We were told she was dead." Colby said.
"No, the guy that found her was afraid to touch her, thought she was dead. She was just unconscious." Rachel said.
"Okay, where is he?" Colby asked her as they walked.
"Uh, local PD." She said nodding behind them.
"All right." Don said as he nodded to Colby to walk back to talk to the man. "This is her up here?"
"Yeah." Rachel said. "Josephine Kirtland."
"Hi, Josephine." Don said looking down at her. She was strapped to a stretcher as paramedics prepared to load her up and take her to the hospital. "Can you tell me who did this to you?"
"The Prophet." The young blonde said softly.
"Abner Stone." Rachel said for Don as his eyes flicked up to her.
"What about where it happened?" Don asked.
"Um, in the desert." The child said squinting because of the sun in her eyes. "They fell asleep and I ran away."
"Oh, yeah." Don said gently looking down at her. "Did you have to run for a long time?"
"All night." She said looking away from him.
"Where? On this road over here?" Don asked pointing.
"No…" She said looking about. "Though the mountain." She said.
"Where, up here?" Don asked pointing behind Rachel.
"I don't know." The traumatized girl said as she shut her eyes. The paramedics loaded her up.
"All right." Don nodded. "Okay, guys, thanks."
"This is where they found her." Rachel said watching Don as he rubbed his face watching the child a moment longer.
"Uh-huh. I mean, she couldn't have walked more than, what, ten miles at most." Don said as he joined her and they walked along the road a bit.
"I don't know, it's hard to say. She's a tough kid." Rachel said.
"What do you got on Stone?" Don asked.
"Apostolic Saints, fundamentalist polygamists." She said. "Abner Stone controls the families, properties, monies, and sex lives of his followers. If they defy him, they defy God. In which case, God, through Abner, orders removals."
"Removals?" Don asked her.
"Exile. Or death." She said flatly.
"Right." Don nodded.
"He's been hiding in Canada. He's back for a reason."
"Yeah, you know him pretty good?" Don asked watching her.
"Yeah, I've been tracking him for about twelve years now."
"What's going on with this little girl?" Don asked watching the ambulance take off.
"Most likely?" She looked at him. "His seventy-third wife." She said flatly.
Don just stared at her. He had one and she was enough to manage. How could any man want or need more than that? He sighed. This was going to be interesting.
NUMB3RS
Don met with AUSA Meeks as they went up to the bullpen together in the elevator of the FBI building. Espa was walking into the elevator. She smiled and gave a quick kiss her to her husband as they passed. She was in a hurry and he recognized it. He smiled and then turned back to Meeks knowing his wife had likely been talking to Assistant Director Hodges, her godfather. She often came in to listen to chatter for him if she had a few moments if he had something he wanted an opinion on it.
Meeks informed Don that Stone's church was under surveillance and that the church's money was frozen by the DOJ. US attorneys could never get anything out of the people because they were so secretive.
Don walked with him to the war room where Megan was reading some papers. Megan informed them about Abner Stone. He murdered his own brother to take control of the Apostolic Saints group. Most of them lived in a town known as Lewisburg and all local PD were members. They discussed the group "bleeding the beast." They want to catch Stone for rape and conspiracy to commit rape.
Don stuck Josephine's picture up. Number seventy-three of his wives.
NUMB3RS
Espa looked up as Rachel and Colby walked toward the room where the young girl had been brought in. Espa had been called after her class to come and talk with the young girl who had been attacked. She had made sure Lupe was able to watch the girls for Alan since he had meetings.
"Colby, you are working this case?" She asked. She smiled up at him.
"Yeah. Gotten anything out of her, yet?" Colby asked as he came before her his hands on his hips.
"No. They have been bandaging her up. They are just finishing up. I am supposed to be her advocate since she does not have a parent." She said.
"It is not surprising you have nothing out of her. She is confused." Rachel said. "It happens with rape victims."
"Espa has dealt with girls like this before Rachel. She's one of us." Colby said instantly defending his friend.
"Who are you?" Espa asked her eyes flicking between them.
"You work with the FBI?" Rachel asked. "I am Rachel Willons, California Bureau of Investigation." She held out her hand.
"Dr. Esperanza Urriolabetia-Eppes. I consult for the FBI." Espa said taking the hand.
"And she is married to Don, Rachel." Colby said with a smile. "She helps us out a lot."
"Dr. Eppes. You can see her now." The resident said coming out. "She is conscious and alert."
"Good." Espa said as she walked in followed by the other two. She walked to the girl's bedside. "Hey Josephine. I'm Espa. You know Rachel and this is my friend Colby. We want to find out what happened to you all right."
The girl nodded as she fretted with her hospital gown, clearly nervous. "He picked me up after school and took me to a motel." She said.
"He…the prophet?" Espa asked
"Yeah." She nodded.
She looked up at Rachel and then Espa as Colby took a step forward. "Was there anyone else there?" He asked
"Um…three men I…didn't know." The girl said.
Colby nodded. "Did you see any guns?"
The girl nodded and took a breath. "After he made me get married he told me to change clothes, so I climbed out the window. I didn't want to go home because he knows where we live so I went to a friend's house." The girl said looking at Rachel and then Espa. Espa laid a reassuring hand on her.
"We understand. Go on." Espa said gently.
"But he found me anyway, and took me to…a trailer in…in the desert." The girl said.
"Who is your friend?" Colby asked softly.
"Lee Brady." She said looking at Espa.
"Okay." Colby said. "We're going to want to talk to Lee, and do you remember about how long the drive was to the trailer?"
"Like, um…an hour, maybe." She said sighing
"Okay." Colby said. His eyes flicked to Espa who nodded as his phone rang. "Excuse me." He said softly. "This is Granger." He said stepping out.
"Josephine…" Rachel said softly as Espa gently stood by her. "Did Prophet Stone force you to have sex with him?"
Espa felt the girl take her hand softly and she looked up at Rachel. The girl did not answer and looked away from both of them. It was answer enough.
"I can look after her Rachel. You need to track the man down." Espa said breaking the minutes of silence. "Don can use all the help he can get."
Rachel nodded as she realized that Espa was getting the girl to open up more than she was.
NUMB3RS
Charlie and Amita were on their way to Stanford in Charlie's car. After Amita played some music that Charlie could not stand the phone rang.
Charlie put it on speaker. It was his brother needing help to find where a trailer was in the Mohave desert. Charlie pulled over and did some equations and found the approximate location that they were looking for.
Don thanked them and they went on their way again.
Don and Megan searched the grids that Charlie had given them. After about half an hour Don saw something. He spotted something and then had Megan go tighter on it. He found it and smiled. He was going to call Colby to go look into it and take the guy down if he was there.
NUMB3RS
Colby got a call as he paced outside the room. Espa was inside talking to her as Rachel listened at the door. He touched Rachel's arm and nodded to her to follow him. He nodded to Espa that they were going. She nodded and looked back to the girl.
"All right, great, I'm on my way." Colby said as he walked. "Oh, and listen Don, the girl said the bodyguards are armed, all right." He clapped his phone shut. "They found Abner Stone's hideout." He said to Rachel.
"I'll ride with you." She said following him.
A young woman was at the desk. "I'm looking for my daughter, Josephine Kirtland." She said softly to the receptionist.
Rachel paused hearing the name. "Excuse me, Emmanueline Kirtland?" She asked walking to the woman. The woman looked at her in surprise. "I'm Rachel Willons, California Bureau of Investigation. I'll take you to your daughter." She said gently. "Thank you." She said nodding to the receptionist. She looked at Colby who was waiting at the door. "I'll catch up with you."
He nodded.
"Is she all right?" Emmanueline asked.
"She's a little beat up, but she'll be okay." Rachel said as she led her toward the room through the doors. "This way. You live in Lewisburg, Emmanuline?"
"No, my husband moved us out three years ago. We live in Bakersfield now."
"Well, but you're still Apostolic Saints? You still believe in Prophet Stone?" Rachel asked. The woman ignored the question and rubbed her nose as she looked down. "Where is your husband?"
"He was killed last year."
"I see." Rachel nodded. "Did you know Prophet Stone wanted Josephine for a wife?"
"That's why were exiled from Lewisburg. My husband didn't want Josephine to marry Abner. The Prophet had his eye on her for a while."
"But now your husband's gone, and Abner came to talk to you about Josephine?" Rachel said. The woman nodded. Rachel paused in the hall. "Did you send her to that motel?"
Josephine's voice reached them from the room she was in with Espa at her bedside helping have some ice chips as they talked about Espa's pregnancy and children. "Mom." She set the pictures she held down on her lap.
The woman walked in and stood stunned looking at her daughter in her hospital gown and bandages. She looked at Rachel. "I didn't know he would beat her."
"But you were willing to let her marry him." Rachel said.
Emmanueline shook her head a moment.
"Oh, my God." Josephine said sitting up from her pillow. "You told him where to find me?"
Espa gently touched her shoulder. "Easy." She said softly.
Emmanuline stepped forward. "It's an honor to be the Prophet's wife." She said. She laid a hand on the foot of the bed.
Espa looked at the woman and shook her head sadly.
Josephine looked at her mother half angry and half shocked. "He raped me." She said lowly. Josephine looked about unsure how to handle that.
NUMB3RS
Colby was sent out to the trailer that was found. They had SWAT there and opened the door. A gun went off and they all stood ready, but Colby who was in charge looked in and saw it was a booty-trap and that it was clear to proceed.
Rachel came out and joined Colby as they looked around the trailer. They had been there, but left in a hurry. They found cord in the bedroom where the beating must have taken place.
Rachel found a piece of paper in the trash of symbols over an area. They had no idea what to make of it.
NUMB3RS
Charlie and Amita decided to turn around to help Don and then continue for the lectures in the morning. Amita offered to drive through the night so he could rest. He was not to keen on her music and they both laughed about it.
NUMB3RS
Rachel walked into the ward where Josephine was. Emmanueline was at the machine made coffee station waiting for her coffee to pour so she could drink it.
"Emmanueline, does this mean anything to you?" She asked holding up the paper.
Emmanueline shook her head and reached for the coffee.
"Why did you tell Abner Stone how to find Josephine after she ran away?" Rachel asked.
"Since we've been in Bakersfield, she's known too much of the world."
"She's fourteen and you gave her to a man in his forties." Rachel said as she saw Espa coming toward them. "Hey." She nodded.
"Hi." Espa nodded. "I was hoping you would get back before I had to go meet with Don."
"I was trying to save her eternal soul." Emmanueline said. She looked at Rachel and sighed.
"How did he get in touch with you?" Rachel asked.
"Came to the house." Emmanueline said. "He knows where all his believers are."
"With three men?" Rachel pushed. Emmanueline nodded. "What were they driving?"
"It was a big, silver…" Emmanueline started and sighed. "It was big."
"An SUV?" Espa asked her.
"I don't know what you call it…it was like a truck, but closed up." Emmanueline said.
"Okay, where were they headed?" Rachel said.
"The new city, I guess." Emmanueline said. "He needs her 'cause she's pure breed."
"Pure breed?" Espa asked.
"And what does that mean?" Rachel asked.
"Well, the Kirtlands go back to Indiana, before Abner's grandfather came out west. We're from the original line of Apostolic Saints." Emmanueline explained. They rounded a corner and Emmanueline saw her daughter talking on the phone. "NO!" She cried running in. Espa and Rachel followed. She ripped the phone from the girl and slammed it down.
"Stop it. You can't control me." Josephine hissed.
"You will not talk to that boy." She said and took her daughter's shoulders and shook her.
"Hey, hey, wait a minute." Rachel said pulling her off as Espa moved in to soothe the girl.
"I can talk to whoever I want. I'm not like you." The girl said definitely.
"Do you want to go to hell? Is that what you want?" Emmanueline asked daughter nearly screaming. "And you…you let her call?" She asked rounding on Espa.
"Listen, you have to calm down or I can take her from your custody. Do you understand me?" Rachel asked.
Emmanueline suddenly became quiet.
"Who were you talking to, Josephine?" Rachel asked.
"That boy, Lee Brady." Emmanueline said. "I forbid you…" She shook her finger at the girl.
"I don't have to listen to you." Josephine said. "You handed me over to get raped." Espa gently tried to calm her as Rachel started to drag her mother from the room.
"Josephine, it's a spiritual marriage. He's God's chosen." Emmanueline protested.
"You're insane." The girl spat. Josephine rolled into Espa's arms as she tried to hush the upset teen as Rachel talked with the mother outside the room. Espa cooed to her as she started to sob.
"Emmanueline, listen to me. Please let me take you to talk to someone to help you…women who have been plural wives who have gotten out it."
Emmanueline shook her head. "God has given me signs."
"What signs?"
"The Prophet is taking us back. We're coming home from exile. And the price of admission is Josephine? I know that you are scared because this is the only life that you have known, but there is another way, a better way to lead a spiritual life."
"Temptation comes in many guises." Emmanueline said looking from Rachel to Espa as she came to the door since Josephine had cried herself into and exhausted sleep. "I'll be back in the morning for my child." She said and quickly left.
Rachel sighed and Espa walked to her. "This is a mess." She whispered to Rachel.
Rachel just nodded.
NUMB3RS
Charlie and Amita met with Colby to discuss the paper that Rachel had found. Colby had a copy of ir that they could look at. He also showed them a quilt with the same letters and x marks.
Colby showed them a money jar. The man was a millionaire and yet he wanted his followers to collected pennies to fund him. Clearly they did not know his assets. Charlie can not believe it. Another group into purity. Everyone seems obsessed with the concept.
Amita gets Charlie to blow off the conference and help the FBI find this man whose patterns in quilts and papers are very important to him and his followers.
NUMB3RS
Rachel went and reported to Megan and Meeks about Stone in a silver SUV, but that is not totally clear because the woman has no idea what an SUV is. They have roadblocks up and Megan thinks they still may be in the area.
Rachel told them that his believers revere him and they are all practiced liars to keep the government from sniffing out information. One would think he was too smart to be hiding with his follows, but Megan knows his personality needs to be revered to function. He also is a sex predator looking for prey.
Meeks suggests finding every Apostolic Saint in the LA area to interview them and try to find out more information. There are fifty to sixty so that will take time. Megan has Rachel use Don's work station since he took part of the night off to be with his wife and to celebrate the baby pictures that she had taken.
NUMB3RS
Don looked across the table at his wife. Finally, that had had time together. He reached for her hand. She jumped a little and looked at him. "Hey. You seem a little preoccupied sweetheart. Everything okay? I mean you haven's spoken since we looked at the ultrasounds." It was one of the few times that he had been able to sneak away for dinner with her. It was clear her mind was on other things. Not that he blamed her. She had a lot on her plate these days. Full time faculty, full time mom, part time consultant to the FBI, and full time wife. And if she had some spare time, which he wondered if there ever was, she volunteered for as a rape and exploited kids advocate. It was a lot even not pregnant, and the fact she was made him leery to let her just do it all. Were there enough hours in the day to manage?
She smiled a little and then looked down at her plate of penne gorgonzola. "Sorry. I was thinking about that girl and I was thinking about being chair of three combined departments. Big shoes to fill."
"Come on now. You will be great." He said taking a bit of his Tuscan Steak.
"I hope so." She smiled at him. "I do not feel I am ready and I am the youngest chair in history." She sighed. "Not that I really want to bore you with that." She reached across the table. "Does the girl have family outside the cult?" She asked touching his cheek.
"Her mother is all. Her father passed away."
"I see." She said. She took a bite and then sat back. She touched her belly. It was starting to swell as the baby within her grew. "So the cult is all she has known?"
"Well, according to Megan and Rachel she has a boyfriend." He said looking up. "What did she tell you?"
"She is angry." She said. She sighed and smiled a little. "I am not great company this evening."
"Hey. I understand." He said softly watching her as he pushed a lock of her long hair back. He then rubbed his hand through his own. "I need to cut my hair." He said.
"Why?" She asked looking up. "I like it."
"It is starting to curl." He said looking up at it.
"So…you will look a lot like Charlie." She giggled. "So cute and adorable."
"He is a curly haired black hole." He said. "And I am not him. I am a federal agent. I do not want to be cute and adorable. I need to be professional."
"Professionalism doesn't mean you can't be cute and curly haired." She smiled at him. "Besides if you cut your hair, I will cut mine."
"You wouldn't dare." He said looking at her. "Your hair is so lovely."
"It's heavy." She said. "I can give it to help kids." She smiled.
He shook his head. "Well maybe a couple inches…"
"To the shoulder." She said.
He scoffed and touched her hair and flicked a lock back.
They boxed up their leftovers and went to the car. Don was not sure what to make of his wife's daring statement that she would cut her hair if he did. He was aware that she had not taken it well when Charlie had cut his hair a couple of days ago.
He sighed as they drove through downtown. "You think Dad would mind if we just left the kids there and then went home to a night of…"
"Donnie…" She smiled at him. "As appealing as that is, he has a career now too." She smiled and patted his thigh and he took her hand gently. "I love you, but I am already pregnant." She smiled at his feigned look of innocence at that.
"I just wanted to have time with you. I hardly get any time alone with you these days. I have to steal time." He said. He was right. Espa had been helping her godfather on an NSA case as well as helping on Don's.
"And what a handsome thief you are." She smiled. He chuckled as they drove to Pasadena to get the girls. He was content with his family and having Espa and Zephyr and Annie to come home to was wonderful. Lupe was with them and she had only a couple more weeks with them. Family had always been tight with Don and he had melded the two groups he cared for.
NUMB3RS
Charlie and Amita walked into the Eppes family home and found the new department chair for Charlie and Amita's department sitting drinking wine together in the front room. Mildred, or Millie as she liked to be called was tipsy.
Alan was surprised they were back because of the conference. He was just getting up to open another bottle of wine when they had come in
Charlie explained they had work to do, but Amita got interested in something on the table Millie had brought with her. Alan points out that the whole string theory work is going back to the sixties when they felt vibrations.
Charlie is shocked that his dad is having fun and fairly intoxicated like Millie. Amita hugged him before they walked to the garage to start work.
NUMB3RS
Megan found there were seven men, twenty-three women, and thirty kids who are members or ex-members of the Apostolic Saints. Rachel said they had seven families to look into because of the seven men.
Meeks wanted agents to sit on the locations until they could get there.
Espa came into the bullpen on the phone. She looked at Megan and Rachel. She told them it was Josephine. She had left the hospital and come home. She had found blood and was panicked. She had skipped with her boyfriend and found her mother missing and she thought Abner took her.
Rachel looked at Espa and nodded as they moved to go get them after telling the girl to stay put at the home.
Espa returned home knowing the two women would have it under control.
NUMB3RS
The two kids were brought in to be interviewed. Megan interviewed Josephine and asked why she thought Stone took her. The girl pointed out he was the only one because she would follow him because she was a zombie really. She blindly followed him.
Rachel had the boy, Lee Brady, in another room. He was a younger male member of the Apostolic Saints who had been kicked out so the older men could have all the women. He had a receipt to prove where they had been as the FBI looked at the house. He was nervous, but claimed their innocence in the mother's disappearance.
NUMB3RS
Charlie and Amita were working on the chart that they had on the blanket. Millie walked in from in the house and looked at it. She wondered why they were looking into cattle breeding. Charlie realized it was Stone's genealogy. He was so inbreed that he could not have many offspring. Hence he needed Josephine because she was far enough away from it.
They also realize that Josephine has to have a sister and that is whom Stone is after next and that Emmanueline can most likely tell Stone who she is.
NUMB3RS
Megan talked with Charlie and then talked with Josephine at the FBI office. Josephine told her that she had a bunch of sisters. All were half sisters in Lewisburg who had stayed there.
Rachel pointed out that Josephine could have a sister that the girl had not idea about. Megan feels sorry for them because they just wanted to run away and be happy together. Women are supposed to have a kid a year and they breed whomever they are told to in order to have that happen.
Stone's finger prints were all over the house. Rachel told them the men would find someone younger than Josephine if they had to because they would marry girls as young as nine.
Megan decided to call the seven families to get information.
NUMB3RS
Amita was working it out and found that Josephine and Emmanueline had the same father. They were half sisters. That was why Stone took her. She was the sister he was after.
On a back road a patrol car spotted a silver SUV. When it was pulled over the patrolman was shot and the SUV drove away leaving the man to bleed to death at the side of the road from a shotgun wound.
NUMB3RS
Don and Rachel were sitting in the war room the next morning looking at the video from the patrol car. Espa was behind them drinking herbal tea. She was there to help out Josephine since she had no legal guardian right now. She had been on the phone much of the morning looking for social workers.
"His megalomania is increasing." Rachel said. Don rubbed his hands on his face. "He's becoming more dangerous. But he's gonna make mistakes, he's gonna make mistakes."
"He never attacked anyone outside the cult?" Don asked as he leaned back in the chair and folded his hands behind his head.
"No, he's definitely becoming disinhibited…but let me tell you, Abner's always been on this path." Rachel said scoffing a little.
Espa sighed. "He seems hell bent to have his way or die trying."
"Yeah." Rachel agreed.
"How do you know him?" Don asked sitting up and turning to look at her.
"I grew up with him." Rachel said. "I was married to an ASC elder when I was thirteen and the old man was in his sixties." Don shook his head looking at his wife a moment before looking back at Rachel as they both listened to her. "I got out when he died…I was nineteen."
"I'm sorry." Don said.
"Oh, I'm not." Rachel said.
"Six years." Espa said softly. "Six years of hell."
"I'm sorry for Emmanueline. You know, the cult is bad enough. They raise girls for breeding…that's it." Don shook his head and gently touched his wife's belly. He was determined his daughters would never know about such things. "There's no skills, no education, and the threat of eternal damnation if they rebel. But Emmanueline, she's in the hands of a psychopath."
"Hold on a second, let me ask you this…" Don said raising up to follow her out. "What do you think he's gonna do next? I mean, try and get through roadblocks into Canada or…"
"Well, that would be rational, but I think he wants a showdown." Rachel said. "And that we have to be afraid of."
"Yeah? Why's that?"
"Abner came to get a Kirtland girl…okay, maybe. But you know what I think? I think that he's afraid of losing control of Lewisburg, being on the fringes." She said going into the break room to get herself some coffee.
"You think he's really go back there? I mean, he's got to know we're all over the place."
She sighed. "I don't know." She shrugged. She walked out leaving Don to watch her go.
Espa touched his neck softly. "She is worried." She said.
"Yeah, and this is personal for her." Don said looking over his shoulder at his caring, understanding wife. She was motherly and nesty when she was pregnant and that was good for the kids. She seemed to understand people more.
"Yeah, but she understands what is at stake. Let her do her job." She said.
He sighed. "You're right. How are you doing? You are on your feet more than you should be."
"Oh, don't start…" She sighed. "I was just getting ready to go check on the kids."
"Do that." He said. "I will be in the war room if you need me."
NUMB3RS
Charlie and Colby were working on aerial pictures of rural California near LA. Megan was coming in with food for the kids. She found out nothing from the families she talked to.
Charlie asked her if anyone had told her about her sister. Megan was getting ready to tell her. She was waiting until Espa was there since the girl trusted Don's wife more than anyone else.
Megan brought the food to Josephine, Lee, and Espa. Megan told Josephine they were looking for her mother everywhere. There was something else. Megan looked at Espa and then back and then asked if she knew if Emmanueline was her sister. Josephine was shocked and had no idea.
NUMB3RS
Meeks talked to an elder of the Apostolic Saints that he brought in. The man was very little help. He was covering for Stone and everyone knew it. Meeks accused him of having more than one wife and asked how many were underage when he first had sex with him.
Don interrupted telling him that they found the SUV. Three other cars were stolen. Don had APBs out on them. He also had the MP3 player. They now knew what podcasts he made.
Charlie was listening to them showed Don and Meeks where the site was and how to get into it. Charlie listens and tries to find where Stone is because he can track him in real time.
NUMB3RS
Colby went out with Rachel to a small farm house at the end of a dirt road where Stone podcast the last August.
Charlie listened to the podcasts and then heard Stone tell his followers where to meet him at the New City where they could live free and happy. He told his brother and Don went to go to the address.
Colby and his team looked about the area. Rachel was near the house. Gunfire erupted from the house. Rachel was shot in the shoulder and crawled for safety behind a rock to hide as she fired back. Colby shot and cried out to her. It was an ambush.
Colby called for a medic and backup ASAP.
Don arrived in his SUV within half and hour. He was ready with SWAT and took over the lead. He looked at the area as he asked Colby about himself and Rachel. Both were pinned and Rachel was in the kill zone.
NUMB3RS
"What has happened to religious freedom in this country?" Stone asked as he paced in the house speaking into a phone to the media. "We are a private, peace-loving group of Christians, attacked again by an overreaching and paranoid government. We're forced to defend ourselves and our beliefs."
Espa beckoned Megan over. "Megan…Stone is talking to the media." She said.
Megan looked up and then shook her head. "Thanks." She said.
"We live according to the laws of God's word…Deuteronomy 21-15 – 'To the nation of the unclean…" Stone continued.
Megan dialed on her phone as Espa saw Lee and Josephine out of the room. "What are you doing here? Go back." She said softly to them.
"Is my mom in there?" She asked.
"'…I defy you.'" Stone continued in the background.
"Uh, I don't know." Megan said. Her eyes flicked to Espa who shrugged a little and looked back. "You guys are supposed to be waiting inside for the social worker." She said. She then talked to the phone. "Listen, I have Abner Stone on his cell phone from inside the farmhouse, talking to the media. I need that line cut off."
"'I will demolish your high places.' Stone rattled on.
"If I hadn't run away, none of this would've happened." Josephine said sadly.
Megan clicked her phone closed. "Hey. Listen to me this is not your fault." She said as she watched Lee put a reassuring arm around the girl. "That man is sick, and you are not responsible for any of this."
"Listen to her Josephine." Espa said gently. "She is right. This is not your fault and you know it."
"'I will lay waste to your cities, so your very enemies who come to live there will stand aghast at the sight of it.'" Stone continued.
NUMB3RS
Don made ready. He got behind to shields and moved to get Colby. Colby jumped behind when they reached him under cover fire. Bullets from automatic weapons hit the shield, but just bounced off. Don then moved the group to go get Rachel who lay on the ground. Colby put his arm about her and half carried, half walked her back as Don walked his shield unit back step by step.
Back by the vehicles Rachel got medical attention as Don spoke on his PA system to Stone. He was going to run a phone line out to talk to Stone and negotiate, but it was met by gunfire and so Don had then pull back.
Rachel argued with Don. She knew what Stone was capable of and did not want it to happen. Don ordered her to go get medical help, but she refused. She wanted to get this man like she had wanted all her life. Don looked at her and then yielded understanding her.
A shot was heard from within. Rachel told them he was shooting people who wanted to leave.
Don had people ready to move in. He waited a moment waiting for Colby to give him a report. He and his group crept closer, but halted as a door opened. Abner Stone came out using Emmanueline Kirtland as a shield holding a Bible high as he cried out to his people still inside.
Colby cried out that there was a gas tank and so everyone jumped back. The farmhouse exploded knocking Stone and Emmanueline forward, but they did not fall. Don was shocked, but recovered quickly.
He ran forward and handcuffed Stone a little harsher than he normally would because of his anger at the man for killing all the men and women within.
Emmanueline was grabbed by Rachel. She was very sorry and Rachel understood as they both went to the ambulance to be checked out.
At the FBI office Espa had seen Josephine and Lee to the social worker and had come back into the bullpen as the house exploded. She gasped and dropped her head knowing that many had died. It made her ill inside.
Megan looked at her and sighed. "Are you okay?" She asked.
"I have been better." Espa sighed and looked away. "Tell my husband that I am at Charlie's house."
"Are you okay to drive?"
"Yeah." Espa half smiled. "I just need to be home with my babies."
"All right. Good night."
"Night Megan." Espa said as she turned and went. It would be a while to get home in rush hour traffic. It would give her time to think and relax.
NUMB3RS
Lupe walked into the garage. It was dark and nearly dinner time, but Charlie was out working. She needed to talk to him. She saw him there writing on the chalkboards. "Charlie?" She asked coming into the light where he was working on his Cognitive Emergence Theory.
Charlie looked up. "Yeah Lupe?" He asked looking over at the lanky female teenager. She wore a school sweatshirt and jeans as she dropped onto the couch.
"I need to talk to someone."
"Don't you and Don talk a lot?"
"Yeah…but…he might kill the guy."
Charlie set down his chalk. Don had just been talking to him and he knew his brother was in the house, but the girl wanted his advice. He was not sure whether to be thrilled of nervous that the young woman needed his help. "Why would he kill a guy?"
"I, uh, did something stupid." She said.
"I see. What Lupe?"
"I, uh, slept-with-the-quarter-back-cause-he-is-super-cute-and-I-am-kinda-upset-about-it-now." She said super fast and without a breath.
Charlie looked at her. "You mean you…with this guy?"
"Yeah."
Don had not left the garage. He had been in the other room because Alan had asked him to put in a load of laundry. He listened in the semi-darkness. His sister had lost her virginity to a jock? She was just a kid. Hell, he was a jock and had lost his at seventeen…
She was treating it like it was consensual, which was good, but that still did not mean the jock would suffer less. He stole her virginity from her because she had been told it would be cool. She, however, could not give consent at her age.
Lupe sighed. "It was stupid. He doesn't even like me. How can I tell Don?"
"I think you need to tell him. He will find out otherwise and be mad." Charlie said walking to her.
"He's right." Don said walking from the washer to where they were. Both were startled as Don, who was wearing black, materialized from the shadows. "Who was he Lupe?" He asked crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned against Charlie's desk.
"That may not be the best way to…" Charlie started, but Don's cold gaze shut him up and he went back to the chalkboard.
"I, uh…" Lupe swallowed and looked down. Even in the low light Don could see her skin was flushed with embarrassment.
"Lupe…sweetheart. Remember no secrets." He said. He dropped down before her and gently touched her knees as she sat there. "Who did this?"
"Why? It's not like he raped me. It was my own fault." She said.
"How old is he?"
"Eighteen." She said. "He is the high school quarter-back. He is nice enough." She said looking up at him.
Don gently pushed back a lock from her face of her dark hair. "He is an adult and you are not. You can not do that by choice at your age." He touched her face. "You don't need to be embarrassed sweetheart." He smiled a little. "You are not a consenting adult Lupe. It is rape. Statutory rape of a minor. Not to mention you could have gotten an STD or pregnant…"
"But I said yes." She said her voice full of regret. "I do not want those…"
"Yes, but you are a kid." He smiled reassuringly. "You seem okay, but I will have you checked out anyway, huh." He sighed softly. "What is his name?"
"Ashlei Gordon. Please…don't hurt him." Lupe said.
"Oh don't worry. I won't hurt him." Don said softly. "He might wish I did. I will have him arrested. Will you testify?" He asked.
"I do not want him to loose his football." She squeaked.
"Honey, someone has to stop him from praying on defenseless little girls." Don said gently. "Come on, lets get some hot cocoa and I will have you talk to me more about it okay." Don said gently. Far more gently than he felt. Really he felt like flying to Boise and shooting the kid, but that would be harsh. He had been a teenage raging hormone once, and it was not until he met Espa that he had settled down with one woman.
He watched Lupe go into the kitchen of the house and he looked back at his brother who was watching him. "You're going to get that rapist aren't you?" Charlie asked. Don had never heard such a harsh tone from his brother.
"Yeah, I will track him down, but why are you so…"
"Emotional? My sister-in-law was tricked into sex, by a handsome jock who had no interest in her. He should learn consequences."
"Yeah. He will." Don said and went to follow Lupe into the house to talk about what had happened. He was going to record her and use it as leverage to arrest the kid who had raped once and would rape again until he was caught and punished, as all serial rapists did.
NUMB3RS
After Don and Lupe had had a good long chat after several cokes and some shed tears, they both came down to the smell of Espa's cooking, Alan seated in the front room looking at a blanket, Charlie in a chair, and the girl's playing with a tea set on the ground at Alan's feet.
"You know, map blankets were part of the Underground Railroad." Alan said as they came in.
"Really?" Charlie asked.
"Yeah." Alan nodded. "They stitched escape route, so the escaping slaves could find safe houses."
Lupe smiled and came to lean against the chair. "They were also used during the French Revolution to send messages and give away who needed to die."
"Wow, I didn't know that." Charlie said as he looked up from his keyboard.
"Yeah, well, it worked well in those cases, but, uh, why in the world would this, uh…"
"Hard to call him a man isn't it?" Charlie asked.
"Yeah, it's hard to call him a man." Alan agreed. "Why would this jerk put his genealogy on the blanket?"
"Trying to rewrite history, I guess. Cover up his genetic inadequacy." Charlie said as Lupe dropped to play with the girls while Don went to check on his wife and the food.
"These poor people. They were looking for God and all they did was find this…monster." Alan said. He looked over at Charlie who was reading on his laptop. "What are you doing?"
"Just chatting with Professor Pivito here. You know, he's still at that math conference, and he said it really isn't all that exciting." Charlie said.
"Oh, really." Alan said feigning shock. He chuckled.
Lupe smiled as she took tea and faked she was sipping from the cup.
"You mock me, but you know, occasionally these things can be…"
Don came back in and smiled as he held his beer.
"Hey, Donnie." Alan smiled.
"Hey." Don said.
"Come, sit with us." Alan said.
"All right." Don said as he moved it sit down near Alan. He sighed as she let his head roll back. "Hey, what's up?" He asked his brother.
"You look beat." Alan observed.
"A lot of people died today, Dad." Charlie said softly.
"Yeah." Alan said shifting to look at his elder son. "But you…you saved this woman and this child." He got up and stood a moment. "That's something, isn't it?"
"I don't think…I don't think it ever feels like enough." Charlie said.
"Well, you can't save the world, Charlie." Alan said.
Don sighed and rose to his feet again. "What's the score of the game?" He asked.
"I don't know. You've got to put it on." Alan answered as Don walked to the cabinet and opened it. He chuckled.
"Where's the remote?" Don asked looking about.
"Don't ask me." Alan shrugged.
"Where's the remote?" He asked the three on the floor.
They shrugged at him.
"Where's the remote, Charlie?" Alan asked.
"I have no clue." Charlie said not looking up from his chat.
"Well…" Alan lifted a remote.
"That's not it." Don said taking a sip of his beer. "Charlie, where's the other remote?" He asked his brother. He moved his finger like a clicked and his brother ignored him.
Annie crawled to the fireplace and reached under the metal holder holding several logs. She smiled and lifted it to her father. He smiled and hugged her to his leg before dropping down to the ground.
The smells were great from the kitchen and they could hear Espa walking in and out as she brought things out. Don settled and let Lupe rest her head on his stretched out leg and the girls climbed on him and snuggled down.
To Alan it was a priceless picture.