A/N: Yes, I know, I'm horrible and I deserted you for a while. The story has been brewing in the back of my mind the whole time, its just I rarely get time to right. I have handed in a piece of long overdue coursework this week, so I thought I'd have a marathon writing session: this chapter is extra long in a half-hearted attempt to compensate.
Next morning, as Charlie walked along the glass stalls to his brother's office, he was still full of confidence in his maxim. Maths was unbeatable. Maths would solve the case.
"Charlie!"
"Hey Don, I'm not interrupting am I?"
"No no, It's OK, we were waiting for you. It's been pretty slow this morning. As we have no new leads I thought I might be able to give you a breakdown of the case."
"Yeah sure," said Charlie, sinking into a chair and depositing his grubby backpack beside it.
"Right," said Don, "Lights, Camera, Action, if you please."
Charlie started when the lights actually did go off. He looked around and smiled when he saw it was only Terri who had dimmed them for the slideshow to work more effectively.
"First vic," said Don as a photograph of an emaciated child appeared on the screen. Charlie was horrified. The kid had been beaten in several places and blood congealed around the brow line. Don bowed his head. "This one was found alive," he said quietly. "Died within an hour of being admitted to hospital. FBI wasn't involved then, LAPD found her and assumed it was domestic abuse. The report says she was too frightened to tell them anything about herself, not even a name. Claims she couldn't remember."
"That badly abused, it's not entirely impossible, though," put in Terri.
Charlie nodded, still staring and the bruises and blood on the young child's body. The normal questions of who would do this? were running through his mind, but in the case of the brilliant mathematician's they were accompanied by numbers, hundreds of numbers, to try and come up with an answer to that question.
"Vic number 2," said Don, changing slides. "Same sort of thing. Bruising not as heavy, and he'd eaten better as well, but he was 2 years younger and he wasn't as strong as the first girl. He was dead when LAPD found him." Don shook his head.
"These people are sick," said Charlie quietly.
"Tell me about it."
"The third, fourth and fifth all had the same MO. Suffocated. They were beaten pretty badly and obviously hadn't been feasting in the run up to their deaths, but LAPD could see they weren't regular abuse cases, so they called us in."
Terri spoke up, "ME said that they had all enjoyed pretty healthy lifestyles up until a month or so before their deaths. Naturally, missing persons was checked and turns out they were kidnapped at 2 week intervals all in the same area. Two of the kids lived not 2 blocks from each other. Went to the same school, mothers probably in the same mothers' union . . . Someone should have noticed earlier."
Charlie was still staring up at the projected image of the last child, a little boy of around 8. He seemed to be having trouble asking something that was on his mind. "What about, you know – other kinds of, you know – abuse?"
"Sexual abuse? None. That's what we can't get our heads around. It seems like these sickos just get off on killing children. Not one of them was touched, and they were examined pretty thoroughly."
Charlie nodded. He looked at the picture on the screen again and felt slightly relieved.
"What about maths?" Asked his brother probingly, stirring him from his reverie. "Anything suggests itself?"
Charlie considered. "If these people are serial then a statistical analysis of what we know of their movements is our best shot at finding out when and where they'll strike next."
Don nodded, "OK, thanks. We know roughly the area they are taken from and there is the 2 week separation between each one."
"The first two don't fit that," interrupted Terri.
Charlie looked at her, and she clarified, "They were taken from the same area, but they were found at least a month before the others started disappearing."
Charlie was thoughtful but Don spoke up. "Serials like to keep to plan, regular patterns, but sometimes other things get in the way, you know? One of the guys we have an eye on for this runs a business – stuff like that can get in the way."
"Evolution." Said Charlie, "Alter to survive. If he was going to keep to his precious scheme, he might risk getting caught. Better adapt the schedule so he can carry on tormenting kids in peace."
Charlie's humourless sarcasm caused Don to look up. He rarely heard his brother bitter about anything, except an unsolved maths problem. "You OK?" He asked.
Charlie shrugged. He didn't need to state that it was sick, or that it was wildly unfair. In fact, Don probably felt it more than he did, from what their dad had said.
Don was looking at him, "We're going to catch these guys," he said earnestly; Charlie got the feeling he was trying to convince himself as much as anyone else, "We need your help."
Charlie smiled, "I understand. I have a half day today. I promise, I'll get to work on it as soon as possible."
Don's mobile rang and he answered it tersely, "Eppes. Right. Got it. On my way." He put the phone back in his pocket and said "Sorry guys, I have to go. Tubman's making trouble to answer questions. Says he doesn't accept his authority and wants to see his superior officer."
"You need backup?" Asked Terri.
Don shook his head. "Should be fine." He ruffled Charlie's hair (causing him moderate annoyance) and said "See you later," and was gone.
"You want me to get you the data Amita was using?" Asked Terri.
"Thanks, Terri," said Charlie.
He decided to go over to CalSci to work on it, rather than trying to work with FBI agents scurrying round him. Maths required concentration and concentration required peace. He had not been in his office 15 minutes however, when there was a knock at the door.
"Hey Charlie, is that the kidnapping data?"
Charlie smiled at his student and secret crush. He gestured to the board behind him and said "I've done some preliminary analysis of this stuff from the FBI, but its not clicking."
Amita smiled, "Yeah, I've been there."
"What does appear to be obvious is the difference between the first 2 cases and the other 3. Don has a theory that something outside of the murderer's control caused him to change his pattern, but I don't know, now that I look at the data, it's more like the first 2 had a different intent from the others."
She looked at him quizzically, "Why do you say that?"
"Well the time not fitting with the pattern could be as a result of the murderer's lifestyle, but the actual injuries –" He indicated to her different stats on things like size, pressure etc. of the children's bruises, as well as BMI when brought in, "– Well they just don't look the same. It's almost as if there was a different killer."
"Don does think they were working in a gang right?"
Charlie shook his head. "I don't think its just different people. Like I said, the intent was different. I mean different groups. People with a different goal."
"So you're saying there are two groups of malicious child killers out there?" Said Amita slowly.
"Well I just hope not," said a weary voice from the door. When Don entered, he looked drained.
"You OK?" Charlie asked.
"I will be if you tell me you have good news," he replied, taking the only chair left and looking into his brother's face.
Charlie shrugged, "I'm sorry," he said, "There's nothing much at all I can tell you yet. Amita and I were just discussing the possibility of 2 separate gangs."
"Like I said," said Don, "I hope not. We can't even nail one gang."
Charlie changed the subject abruptly. "Are you sure they aren't being abused Don?"
"What? Yes, I'm sure. Why'd's'it keep bugging you?"
Charlie shrugged. "They must have wanted them for something." He said.
Don checked his watch, "you got anything else for me buddy?"
"Well, there is one thing," said Charlie, and Don inwardly smiled. He had known Charlie would come up with something. However small, it might lead to something bigger. He had to admire his younger brother – the guy stuck to it.
"See here –" Charlie uprooted a map from the endless papers that lounged about his desk. The map was marked with red circles, all concentrated in one area. "These people aren't stupid, or you would have caught them by now. They aren't going to be taking children from their own street. In fact, considering we know that all the abductions are centred in West side of town, it's highly probable that the abductors are located on the East side of town."
"Can't you do that thingy – what you did that time you helped us with the serial rapist. Something about locating the point of origin."
Charlie closed his eyes in mortification. Hearing such elegant mathematical techniques referred to as 'that thingy' was like hearing the taj mahal referred to as 'that barn.' When he opened them, he was just in time to see Don and Amita exchange amused looks. "I'm sorry. There just isn't enough data. Last time you had loads more victims, you had motive, besides which, all the attacks were spread out, as if randomly. This time they are within the same locality. All I can say is that your guys are definitely not from the West side of town."
Don nodded, disappointed, but at least Charlie had been able to point out something he had never noticed before. He was just about to leave, when Charlie said, "Oh yeah, another thing: I did a statistical analysis of the frequency of the attacks, just so you could be prepared for the next one, if it happened."
"Yeah? And when should we expect another one?"
"Well, unless my results are wrong, there would have been another murder two days ago."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A/N again: If this was the TV programme, there would be one of those cool blackout moments when they have just delivered something supposed to keep us in suspense. Somehow, it just doesn't have the same effect in words. Oh well . . .
