Chapter Three

Don led Jack up to Charlie's room and they spent several hours going through his belongings. Don found a large stack of journals in a box in Charlie's closet. He was surprised because it had never occurred to him that Charlie even kept a journal.

Over the last few hours Don had learned quite a few things about his brother that he hadn't known. He had not noticed that Charlie was suffering from headaches or that he was sinking into depression. He had noticed that Charlie might have lost some weight but until he had spoken with Terry about it that afternoon, it hadn't really registered.

The thing that bothered him the most was what his father had told Jack about Charlie's emotional breakdown Tuesday afternoon. He knew that his brother felt badly about the distance he had put between himself and their mother near the end, but Don had no idea that it weighed so heavily on his heart.

Don thought that he had put his feelings of indignation toward Charlie's behavior during their mother's final days behind him, but he now realized that it had been an invisible wedge between them. Perhaps that was why he didn't notice the things that everyone else had seemed to easily pick up about Charlie's mood recently.

By two o'clock in the morning Jack and Don had gathered three small boxes of journals, notes, work from school and various consulting jobs together. They decided to head back to the FBI offices and, with the help of impartial eyes, start dissecting his brother's life.

Terry and David were there with Danny and two other agents named Adam McGrail and Rhonda Blum. They were two of the agents that Jack had been training for their new posts in the Missing Persons Squad. As Don and Jack approached the central hub of the office, Don got a chill when he saw the photograph of his brother pasted to the top of a large white board with a rough time line of his movements over the last few days.

Friday 3:00 AM - Missing 20 hours
As the timeline read now, it went back as far as Tuesday with a thick line pointing out the last time anyone had seen him.

4:00 PM Tues. - emotional breakdown on anniversary of mother's death

7:00 PM Tues. - goes to memorial service with family

9:00 AM Wed. - arranges for L.O.A. from work - cites medical reasons

6:30 PM Wed. - tells father he's leaving town

9:00 PM Wed. - tells brother he's leaving town

7:30 AM Thur. - leaves for work - MISSING

Terry saw Don looking at the timeline and stepped over to him. "Don, there haven't been any admissions to any of the hospitals for attempted suicides. The way that timeline reads now, it may look a little bleak but we still have a lot of blanks to fill in."

Jack called the agents together and made introductions. "So people, I know it's hard to get answers at three in the morning but tell me what we have got."

Terry took a sheet that David handed to her and said, "We have contacted all of the major airlines and no one using Charlie's name has purchased any tickets. We won't be able to check the smaller airlines until morning. We also contacted the bus and train stations and they have no record of Charlie purchasing tickets there either. If he did buy a ticket, he could have paid cash and then there would be no record. We are going to get the surveillance tapes from 8:00 AM up to now but that will take until at least 10:00 in the morning."

Jack nodded and turned to Agents Blum and McGrail. "Going through those surveillance tapes will be up to you two when they come in." He then turned back to Terry and waited for the rest of her report.

Terry gave Don an encouraging smile before she continued. "David and I have contacted every hospital in the LA area and no one fitting Charlie's description has been admitted. That holds true with the morgues as well. We are still trying to contact the various taxi services but at this hour we are having to leave messages for the managers. Once we have his phone records from his office, cell and home that will make the job much easier but we won't have those until at least mid-morning."

Danny stepped forward and said "So far our timeline is pretty sketchy. We won't be able to run a check on his bank account until 8:00 AM but I have already requested his recent credit history. I estimate that we should have that by midday, barring any problems."

Jack said "All right let's put on a pot of coffee and start going through these journals and notes. I want to caution everyone one here that Professor Eppes has Top Security Clearance with the NSA and if you come across anything that seems pertinent to that clearance you are to bring it directly to me. Is that clearly understood?"

Agent Blum frowned and said, "Yes, sir, but if he had Top Security Clearance, would he just leave notes laying around?"

Jack looked directly at this young woman and said, "As I said, Professor Eppes hasthis clearance but he is also a civilian, and, from what I have seen looking through his belongings, he is a bit unorganized and may have been lax in the privacy of his own home. Agent Blum, we never refer to someone who is missing in the past tense." Jack looked around the room at all of the people assembled. "This is one of the most grueling and emotionally taxing jobs in the FBI. When someone is missing we do not stop, we do not rest, we do not go home with the flu or because our kid got sick. We stay focused and on the case until it is solved, and we find our missing person. We maintain the attitude that he or she is alive and somewhere out there, and it's our job to find them."

The silence that followed Jack's words spoke volumes to him. Agent Blum was looking down and obviously felt badly about her slip. She and Agent McGrail had been briefed by Danny, and she knew that Don Eppes was Charlie Eppes' brother. "All right now, let's get to work." Jack stepped over to the boxes that he and Don had brought in and started to hand out all of the things that needed to be scanned through.

By 7:00 AM Don was getting a little cross-eyed trying to read Charlie's chicken scratch. He had learned a few things about his little brother that he had never known. For instance, Charlie had a very nice flare for poetry. He wrote in his journals about a young woman whom he cared for deeply with dark lustrous hair and unfathomable eyes whose smile set his heart alight. Don had an idea who he was talking about although Charlie never named her.

Jack stepped over to Don and said, "Why don't you go splash some water on your face and get a cup of coffee, then we can head out to Cal Sci."

Don went up to his desk and pulled out an electric razor that he kept in the bottom drawer and went to the bathroom to clean up a bit. Once he had finished shaving and washing his face he stood staring into the mirror, lost in thought. Many of the passages that he had read in Charlie's journals floated to the surface of his mind. He was obviously in love with someone, probably Amita. He enjoyed his work as a teacher and spoke fondly of his students. He really loved working with Don. In one passage he wrote that getting closer to his big brother was the best things that had happened to him since before he graduated from college.

Don never realized how much his leaving, had hurt Charlie. In an entry from an older journal Charlie described how happy he was that Don had finally come back home. Charlie wrote that he was pretty sure that Don had left because of him, although he didn't really know what he had done. He was hoping that his big brother would someday forgive him, and want to be his friend as well as his brother. This passage had broken Don's heart, and he vowed to make sure that Charlie understood how he felt about him. He had found only one passage that was somewhat disturbing and pointed to the beginning of a state of depression. It was dated nearly six weeks ago when he and Charlie were working together on a case involving a released outbreak of the Spanish flu.

Charlie wrote:

As I watch these innocents suffer and die, I can't help thinking
about Mom. Don said that she didn't suffer this way because of
all of the morphine that she was given, and I do believe him.
But what does that say about me? I had to ask my brother this
basic question about a woman who lived in the same house with
me all my life, a woman who loved me with all of her soul, and
yet I turned away from her in her darkest hours.
I feel so useless and weak. I was undeserving to have her in my life.
She was an angel, perfect and beautiful.
She was the only person who understood the real me.
She was the only one who never expected me to be anything
other than who I was, who I am.
I hate myself for leaving her, for not being like Don or Dad,
for not being strong enough.
I know in my heart that she has forgiven me for my weakness.
I 'm just not sure if I'll ever be able to forgive myself.

With that one exception there wasn't anything else in his journals that sent up warnings that Charlie was suffering from depression.

The most recent journal that he had read dated three weeks ago mentioned that he was having some trouble sleeping but that was about it. "Where are you, buddy?" Don whispered to his reflection. He stood staring into the mirror as if he was waiting for a reply. After a moment he shook his head and left the bathroom.

Friday 8:00 AM - 24 Hours Missing
The first place that Jack and Don went was Charlie's office. When they got there Don stopped cold in his tracks and he instinctively turned around to check if he had the right office. "This is wrong."

Jack stepped into the office and looked around, slightly confused by Don's reaction. The office seemed basic enough. It had a large desk set back near the window. There was a large blackboard covering one wall as well as a roll-out blackboard that could be positioned anywhere. A set of file drawers sat against the wall and the various shelves around the rather spacious office were filled with all manner of odd objects. As Jack looked more closely he began to get an inkling of what was bothering Don. This office was clean, and neat. The desk had some folders on it in a neat pile. There was and in-out box in the corner of the desk with some papers neatly stacked in the bins. There were mathematical equations on the roll out blackboard that was resting neatly in the corner of the room near the file cabinet. This office bore no resemblance to Charlie's room at his home.

"I've been to this office hundreds of times, Jack. Charlie is a slob and I've never seen it look like this. Even when Amita straightens up for him it doesn't look like this."

Jack turned to Don and asked, "Who is Amita?"

Don was looking over the files on his brother's desk and said, "Charlie is her thesis advisor. She's in this office as much as he is sometimes, I know that she keeps the place somewhat straightened up, but she would never do this. Charlie has always had his things all over the place but he still knows where everything is."

Don continued to thumb through the folders on the desk. "These are class and assignment schedules for all of the different courses he teaches. They are set up in an easy to follow order. This just isn't like him."

Jack opened the first of the file drawers in the corner and started looking through them. "These files are in immaculate order. They contain lecture notes, student data, papers done by students that have been divided into two groups, graded and upgraded."

Don opened the drawers in Charlie's desk and, after sifting through the contents that were also neatly organized, he picked up a small scrap of paper and sat down in the chair. "Monday the 6th, 7:00 AM."

Jack walked over to the desk where Don was sitting. "What's that?"

Don held out the piece of paper that bore his brother's handwriting. "That is what he wrote on this paper. It's this Monday." Don put the scrap down on the desk and continued to look through the other drawers. He pulled out a folder that was labeled Important. Don felt a chill go down his spine when he looked through the document inside this folder. It was Charlie's life insurance policy that he had through the University. Don hadn't even been aware that Charlie had a life insurance policy. According to the date stamped on the top he had made some kind of change to this policy on Wednesday. "What are you doing, Charlie?"

Jack stepped over to the desk and looked at what Don was holding. "We'll need to bring that with us, Don." he said gently. Don closed the folder and handed it to Jack when something fell out of the back. Don reached down and picked up a photograph. It was the one that Charlie had been holding when he broke down Tuesday afternoon. Don could see that the photo was bent and slightly crumpled as Charlie had clutched it in his hands while his father comforted him. Don was still looking at the photograph of his mother with him and Charlie in the park when he looked up at the sound of someone knocking on the door frame to the office.

Standing in the doorway was a young man who looked a little nervous and was holding a short stack of papers. "Umm… er, I was looking for Professor Eppes."

"Are you one of his students?" Don asked, standing up and walking over to the young man.

"Umm, yes, my name is Mark Rodgers. Professor Eppes said that I had until today to turn in my midterm." he said, looking down at the papers that he held. He was clearly confused by the two men in his math professor's office but he looked quizzically at Don as though he vaguely recognized him.

Don looked at this young man and realized that he was nervous. "When was the last time you saw Professor Eppes?"

Mark shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot. "In class on Monday; I was sick during mid-terms, and he told me that if I could complete a take home test, he would count it as my mid-term. Is there a problem? Where is Professor Eppes?"

Jack stepped forward and said, "There isn't a problem with your paper, Mr. Rodgers. You can leave it on the desk." Mark stepped hesitantly into the room and set the papers on the desk while Jack watched him. "Tell me, Mr. Rodgers, have you noticed anything out of the ordinary with Professor Eppes lately?"

Mark turned around and looked at the two men in his teacher's office and came to a conclusion. "You are the police aren't you? Is Professor Eppes all right? Why are you here? Where is he?" Jack could see that this young man was genuinely concerned and that their presence was unnerving him considerably.

"We are looking for your teacher, son. He didn't show up at home last night so we are just trying to figure out where he is." Jack saw that there was suspicion in this young man's eyes and he pulled out his badge and showed it to him. "I am Jack Malone and this is Special Agent Eppes, your teacher's brother."

Mark opened his eyes a little wider and looked at Don. "I thought I had seen you before." His demeanor changed considerably once he realized who Don was. "The only thing that I can tell you that was a little odd about Professor Eppes, was two weeks ago during a lecture he kind of spaced out for a minute."

Don frowned and thought that Charlie spacing out wasn't all that unusual, for him at least. "What do you mean he 'spaced out'?"

"Well, he was explaining the methods of deciphering complex variables and he just sort of stopped talking in mid-sentence. Professor Eppes can get distracted sometimes but not when he is giving a lecture. He just stood there with a completely blank look on his face for a few seconds, then all of the sudden he just sort of woke up and continued on with the lecture as if nothing had happened."

Don looked confused by this young man's account. This student was right about one thing. Charlie would never space out like that during a lecture. When Charlie was teaching, he was alive with enthusiasm and to lose his train of thought mid-sentence was definitely out of character. Don wanted to be sure of what was happening and asked, "Mark, how long was a few seconds?"

Mark seemed to think about that for a moment then said, "I'm not really sure, maybe fifteen or twenty seconds. It wasn't really that long, but it was enough that a couple of us called out his name before he snapped out of it." Mark began to leave but when he got to the door he turned back and said, "We all really like Professor Eppes. You need to find him, he's the best math teacher on campus and…
…Well, if there is anything that I can do to help I will. All of us will… his students, I mean." He turned away and hurried out of the office.

Jack watched the young man almost dart through Charlie's classroom and said, "We should go see the Dean. My guess is that the entire campus will know about your brother within the next half an hour." Don took the photo that had fallen out of Charlie's life insurance policy and pocketed it.

Don and Jack entered Dean Cummings' office, but not before news of Charlie's situation had reached his ears. He recognized Don and ushered the two men into his office as soon as his secretary said that they were here to see him. "June, I do not want to be disturbed until I have finished with these gentlemen." With that he closed the door and offered a seat to Jack and Don.

"Agent Eppes, you look like you could use a cup of coffee; actually you both do." The Dean stepped over to a small table behind his desk and began to pour coffee for both of the men sitting there. "Professor Fleinhardt came by to see me early this morning and told me what was going on with your brother." he said, as he handed cups of coffee to both agents. "I must say that I am quite disturbed by this news. Professor Eppes…
Charlie came to see me Wednesday morning to arrange for a leave of absence. It was apparent to me immediately that something was bothering him."

Jack pulled out his note pad. "Why is that sir?"

The Dean sat back in his chair with a thoughtful expression on his face. "There wasn't anything specifically that I could point to, but I remember feeling very concerned about him. Professor Eppes is usually quite relaxed and confident in himself when we have spoken in the past; but on Wednesday morning he was guarded and tense."

Flashback

Wednesday 9:30 AM
Charlie stepped into Dean Cummings' office with a pensive look on his face.

"Good morning Professor Eppes, how can I help you?"

Charlie came over and took a seat in one of the leather upholstered chairs in front of the Dean's desk and cleared his throat nervously. "There is something that has come up… Umm, I need to take some time off. It's personal, sir, but umm… unavoidable."

Dean Cummings could see that something was truly bothering Charlie. He was acting nervous and upset, which was quite out of character for this normally easy-going and confident young professor. "I can see that this is important to you, Professor, and I will help in anyway that I can. How much time do you need?"

Charlie frowned and winced as though in pain and looked down quickly as if to hide the expression on his face, but the Dean was a very observant and astute man and did notice. "I'm not sure how much time I'll need, hopefully only a few weeks, sir."

Dean Cummings raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Professor Eppes, you do remember that you are up for peer review in two months, don't you?"

Charlie sighed and carefully composed his face before looking directly at the Dean. "I know sir, but this is something that I really cannot put off." Charlie was careful to keep his expression neutral but something in his eyes caught the Dean's attention.

"Take what ever time you need. The peer review can wait if need be." He stood up with Charlie and extended his hand to shake Charlie's, whose grip seemed weak.

Charlie said, "Thank you, sir." The Dean noticed that as Charlie walked to the door he was moving slowly and deliberately as though willing himself to remain composed.

Jack jotted down everything that Dean Cummings had said about his interview with Charlie but the dean continued before he could ask any questions.

"It was obvious to me that he had a headache when he came to see me. My wife suffers from migraines and I am quite familiar with that look even though Professor Eppes was doing an admirable job of trying to conceal his discomfort. I spoke with Professor Fleinhardt shortly after seeing your brother and he reminded me of the fact that the anniversary of his mother's death was the day before. I know that in times of increased stress or periods of depression my wife will have more headaches than when she is relaxed, and I got the sense from Professor Eppes that he was definitely under some stress."

Jack did not look at Don when he asked his next question but he knew what the younger agent would be thinking. "Did Charlie seem depressed to you, Dean Cummings?"

Dean Cummings pursed his lips in thought before answering. "Whether it was depression or stress from some other source I can not say. He looked as though he was short on sleep, and he looked thinner than usual. He had a headache and there was something in his eyes, an expression that I couldn't quite read. What I do know is that when he left my office I felt concern for him that has now turned to outright worry. If there is anything that I can do to help you find him, please feel free to ask. Charles Eppes is one of the finest mathematics professors that this university has seen in a very long time, and while I may not be a close friend to him like Professor Flienhardt, I would be distressed to see any harm befall him."

Jack held up the folder from Charlie's office with the insurance policy in it. "Actually there is another matter that you could help us with. Professor Eppes made a change to his life insurance policy that he has through the university. Is that something he would have done here on campus?"

The Dean frowned and took the folder. "Yes, our Human Resources department handles all of these policies internally." He stepped over to his office door and said, "Please follow me, gentlemen." and he led them out of the office. They arrived in the HR department and the Dean spoke to the receptionist. "Jennifer, Professor Eppes came in recently. Whom did he speak with?"

The young woman behind the desk smiled brightly and said, "Yes, that was Wednesday morning. He spoke with Caroline." The Dean smiled and thanked her, and then led Don and Jack into the HR offices toward the back of the cubicles. He rapped lightly on a cubicle frame to get a middle aged woman's attention.

Caroline turned around from her desk and said, "Good morning Dean Cummings." with a smile that faded slightly when she saw Jack and Don.

"Caroline, Professor Eppes came in to see you Wednesday morning. What was that about?" Caroline glanced up at the two men standing with the Dean and he said, "I'm terribly sorry, Caroline Johnson, may I introduce special agents Malone and Eppes from the FBI."

Caroline's eyebrows shot up at the mention of the name Eppes. "Agent Eppes, are you related to Professor Eppes?"

Don smiled at her and said, "Charlie is my brother." Then his smile faded and he took a seat in front of her desk, with a sober look on his face. "Miss Johnson, my brother is missing and we are trying to find him." Don took the folder from the Dean that held Charlie's life insurance policy and showed it to her. "We found this in his desk and saw that he made some kind of change to this policy on Wednesday. What I need to know is what that change was."

Caroline looked up at Dean Cummings, clearly concerned by this alarming information, and the Dean nodded to her. She pulled open a drawer in her own desk and shifted through a couple of files then pulled one out labeled Eppes. "The change he made confused me a little. It was a bit unconventional. He changed from a sole beneficiary to joint beneficiaries."

Jack said, "Why is that unconventional, Miss Johnson?"

Caroline looked up at Jack but turned and spoke directly to Don. "Because he added his father as the second beneficiary. Being that this is a life insurance policy it is unusual to include someone who should predecease you as a beneficiary."

Jack jotted down what Miss Johnson had said and then asked, "Who was the sole beneficiary before Professor Eppes added his father?"

Miss Johnson looked woefully into the eyes of the agent sitting in front of her. "You were the sole beneficiary until Wednesday, Agent Eppes. This is alarming news. I hope you find Professor Eppes soon."