I explained patiently, hoping that he'd understand."Your daughter's been brainwashed by an organization that I've infiltrated, Mr. Fullerton"
"'What part of 'I want my daughter back' don't you understand?" the man glared at me. I could sense the worry and impatience in his tightened fist, hunched shoulders, and the bags under his eyes.
"I've got the trust of two cult members, close to Elizabeth" I said.
"lot of good that's done you! My daughter isn't with me!" he snorted.
"If you want her back, you gotta give me more time." I told him firmly. "Many parents with missing kids would kill to be in your position!"
"Yeah...If I had my kid back!"
"We're very close to that!"
After some more arguing, and much effort on my part, I finally got three more days to get Elizabeth back. Not a lot, but better than nothing right?
With that, I went home, and started to make myself some coffee. Time was not on my side, and I needed to gather my thoughts. The house had become the place for me to do it, even before my injury.
"Hey Donnie!" Dad greeted me when he came into the kitchen. He frowned when he saw me measuring the coffee and water.
"I've got only three days to get Elizabeth back, before her father fires me!" I explained.
"Any luck?" he leaned on a counter.
"I saw her, when I had lunch with Antha and a few others." I told him.
"Antha left you a message, by the way." Dad said.
"Thanks!" I checked it. She just called to ask if I wanted to get together with her tomorrow.
What could I do? Sadly, I didn't have the resources of the F.B.I at my disposal. I'd have to wing it somehow. Megan , Coop and the others were busy with that fugitive, and I was just a plain old civilian.
"I'm sure you'll think of something" Dad said gently as he sat near me.
"The father just wanted to pull her out. He doesn't realize that's the worst thing we can do right now." I confided.
"You can't really blame him for being impatient" Dad remarked as he relaxed into the chair.
"I know" I sighed and laid my head on the back of my chair.
"I can really understand where's he's coming from" he added gently, in a whisper, and I knew that he referred to my fugitive recovery days. That talk at Cal Sci had really hit home how it had affected my father very deeply. "Not knowing...how she is, not being able to see her..."
"She's gonna come out of this cult, in one piece, and go home where she belongs" I promised.
At that moment, Charlie came in with a huge grin on his face, and an envelope. Quickly, he gave it to me, almost roughly. If he hadn't been so enthustiastic I would have been a bit annoyed.
"Aren't you gonna open it?" he asked in a tone that took me back to a time when we were kids and he'd give me weird presents.
"Sure..." I said. What was it? I mean, Charlie didn't look serious enough for this to be about his will,or giving me power of attorney. Did he put my name on the house deed? With my finger, I opened the envelope. Charlie's eyes were that of a dieting person eyeing someone else's sundae. It was a Lease!
"It didn't seem right you didn't have an office to do your work." he began, talking quickly. I was still in shock. "I figured you'd be statically more likely to get more challenging cases that were worthy of your experience and skill. The office is right in the business district."
I couldn't accept this! I wanted to make it on my own! I should have known that Charlie still felt the need to make amends. How could he have known that some nut would have possession of something that pierced through FBI issued goggles? Or that it had been a trap?
"Buddy, I really appreciate this..." I began gently
"Hear me out!" Charlie interrupted me. "Let's make a deal. I'll pay for the first twelve months of rent. If by that time you don't have enough clients to pay it yourself, I'll incur all the costs of getting out of the lease and you'll owe me nothing. In the more likely scenario that your firm grows and the rent can be made, you'll, at your own pace, repay me."
"Well..." My brother had thought this out. He knew how I would react to this. Suddenly though, I had an idea, that required the use of my new office. When this case settled, I'd decide what to do about it. "Why don't you take me to it, and maybe we can work on the runaway case? I've got a plan, now that I've seen Elizabeth."
Happy, Charlie began, while getting his coat and opening the front door, to babble about various mathematical theories that could get Elizabeth to see what he called the 'logical fallacy inherent in cults', and how she, statistically would be better off staying with her father and furthering her education.
"If you could explain that..." Charlie began at one point, and reached into his pocket for the car keys.
"Actually, it's not your math skills I need" I admitted once we got into his car and I winced because I accidentally sat on a a spiral bound notebook. There was no room for my feet, thanks to all the textbooks. The car was like a mobile library.
His eyes widened and he looked at me as if I had grown a third eye. "What?"
TBC