Disclaimer: I don't own anything Numb3rs, it's all property of CBS and whatnot, so don't sue.
Chapter 24: Broken Mirror That Shows Nightmares
It was the start of another day for the city of Los Angeles, and as it would soon be discovered, the end of yetone moreyoung life...
The crimescene was buzzing with activity when Don and Colby were pulling up to it. They exited their cars and got ready for another day in the lives of FBI agents. They were on the case of a serial killer who targeted young men at random, this was his sixth victim.Don walked up toDavid and Megan who were already at the scene. The moment Don met Megan's gaze, he knew something was off. She looked haunted and pale, trying desperatly to keepit together. Behind, David mirrored the same expression.
" Hey, what's goin on?" Asked Don quietly, assuming that the homicide was pretty bad.
" Don, the vic is... umm... John Kirk, 31. He had hisID on him. He looks to have been stabbed multiple times and then bleed out." SaidDavid keeping his gaze away from the lumpy sheet covered form on the gurney a few feet behind him.
" How bad is it?" Asked Colby, eyeing the way his two other teammates were visibly shaken. In answer all he got was a look from both David andMegan. It was bad.
With a nod, Don strod past them both with Colby behind him.
" Don, wait before you..." Started Megan, but by then, Don had already asked thecoroner to pull back the sheet. The moment, the sheet was pulled back, two hearts stopped beatingall together. Don felt like someone had taken awhite hotknife and rammed int straight into his heart.
" Oh my God." Whispered Colby beforehe turned back to Megan and David in disbelief.
Lying of the gurney was a dead ringer for a certain math genius. John Kirk was the spitting image of Charlie Eppes.Unruly curls, a large nose, and a shadow of stubble. What was different, besides that fact that John was dead,were his eyes. Where Charlie's were a deep, vibrant brown,this man's were a cloudy dark blue. This wasn't Charlie, but it was an image the four agents could have done without.
The first thought that had run through Don's mind was " Oh my God Charlie, no!"
Don finally let out a long breathe before he turned to Colby.
" Son of a Bitch." Whispered Don before he turned and sprang to action, he walked past his agents, a man on a mission. He turned to histemporarily stunned agents and then barked.
" What the hell are you all standing around here for, wehave a serial killer to catch. Get to work!" He yelled before he went off to talk to the patrol officer who'd found the body.
Several hours later...
The FBI team sat in the war room, crimescene photos of all of the victims were adorning the walls and white boards. Don's face was pale and drawn, his mouth an unhappy line as he gazed at the photos. Colby seemed to be off in another world, seeing John Kirk was a nasty shock to say the least. Megan and David were both concerned for their fellow agents, though deep down, they knew that this was a nightmare turned reality for all of them.
They had to pull themselves together, they had a killer to catch, and sitting here shaken wasn't going to solve anything.
" Okay, what do we know so far?" Asked Don.
" So far, this killer isescalating in his violence. His first vic, Joseph Malenio was strangled with some kind of rope, his latest victim, John Kirk, he was stabbed multiple times and then left to bleed to death. If he gets someone else, it's gonna be more messy than before." Said Megan with grim certainty.
WIth a nod, the four of them went back to their desks and began to try and catch this guy. They all worked well into the day.
" Hey guys, CSU just called, said that our vic, John Kirk, he found back real hard, they found a hefty amount of foreign DNA under his nails. Came back male, probably the closest we have to an ID." Said Colby as he put his desk phone.
" Have they found out who the DNA belongs to?" Asked Megan anxiously.
" Their still running it but, by the looks of it, the DNA might be to degraded, it rained a little last night." Said Colby.
" Well, it better than nothing. Hey listen up, Megan, you andDavid go check out the vic's place again, see if there's anything there. Me andColby, we'llgo talk to those who knew him." Said Don as he got up and put on his jacket. The four FBI agents filed into the elevator and headed downstairs before they spit up to do their tasks. As the two SUV's pulled away from the FBI building, a silver SUV pulled up.
1 hour later...
Don and Colby were sitting in the livingroom of John Kirk's parents house.The young man's mother was beyond tears, she sat in a coner of the room, clutching what looked likea ratty old teddy bear in her hands. The father had dead a few years earlier, John Kirks older brother, Micheal Kirk sat across from them on the verge of tears, talking fondly of his brother in a shaky voice.
Across town, Megan and David were scowering through Kirk's apartement, fromall offramed pictures, they could tell that there victimhad a love for life, pictures of him in rock climbing gear,skydiving, mountain biking.
" How do you think Don's handling this?" Asked David as he sifted through some mail.
" Better that I thought, but still,I can only imagine what's going through his mind. That was probably a nightmare turned reality forhim." Said Megan with a small faraway look.
" Not just him but Colby's been acting almost the same way too." Said David.
" Well, you must have noticed how close he and Charlie have gotten over the lastmonths before he disappeared. I actually caught a glimpse of a photo Colby keep in one of his desk drawers. Apparently he and Charlie had become goodgym buddies." Said Megan, smileing fondly to herself.
" Where did he go Megan?" Sigh David before he turned his full attention to the mail in his hands.
Two hours Later...
Don and Colby met up with Megan and David, the four of them headed inside, all the while discussing their findings. The elevator ride was thankfully uneventful and when the dorrs parted, they headed straight for theWar room.
" We still don't have much to go on." Said Don ashewalked, his head turned to his team behind him.
Megan was about to say somthing when she gasped and stopped dead. David and and Colby turned confused gazes to her before the followed her wide eyed gaze into the War room. Don watched as their gazes grew wide and disbelieving as well.
Don turned his gaze to what everyone else was looking at and his heart stopped dead for a full minute when his gaze fell on the figure standing before the wall of crimscene photos.
The man was dressed in a black suite jacket andacid washed blue jeans and had a mass of unruly curls of hair. Don watched in shock as the man turned around to gaze at them with deep, vibrant dark brown eyes.
" Charlie?..." Whispered Don.