Disclaimer: NUMB3RS don't belong to me, but to it's wonderful creators. I don't gain anything form this writing, so please, don't sue me!

BROKEN INNOCENCE

Chapter three

Charlie entered the conference room at the FBI headquarters with an uneasy feeling. He loved helping his brother with his work and was amazed at the closeness that gave them. But this case was different. It made him different. Always stubborn, now he became obsessed about solving this case. He wanted, he needed to find that guy and make him pay for everything he's ever done to other people, especially those girls. He remembered the other case that gave him similar feeling – the case of Derreck Lamberg, the drug dealer who was abusing his own daughter. It was the first time in Charlie's when he actually wanted to kill somebody. Now, he realized, he felt the same way, although it wasn't because he felt guilty of abandoning his childhood friend, Jessica. No, he just wanted that son of a bitch to be punished, and hard.

Charlie went quietly to the table, looking at the photos of the crime scene, that David's been presenting to Colby and Don on a big screen. It wasn't for another half a minute, that anyone of them realized he was already here. It was Don, actually, who took a look around the room and spotted his younger brother sitting near the doors and watching intently the photos

"Hey, Charlie, I haven't heard you coming in," He said, a bit puzzled.

"I didn't want to disturb you… Do you have anything specific about that case?" Charlie asked, motioning to the screen. "Anything unusual?"

"Nope, just another ordinary family," Colby went to him and handed a fat file. "It's almost everything we could find about those people. Nothing stands out."

"And we didn't really expected it to," Sighed David. "Perfectly normal… What drives a man to abuse and kill some random, absolutely typical families?"

"That's what we're gonna find out," Don turned to Charlie. "What do you got for us?"

"All right. Firstly, you must understand that his choosing of location is nearly perfectly random."

"Nearly perfectly… random? Weren't that you who told us nothing can be truly random?" Colby sounded really interested in that.

"Well, what I meant, was that I couldn't find any pattern, according to which, the killer choose some houses and then observed them in order to find what he wanted."

"A young pair with little daughter," Intersected Don.

"Exactly. And it doesn't mean I couldn't come up with some algorithm, but that would probably be useless. So I tried to approach it a bit differently," He opened his laptop and opened several files that were full of information about the previous victims. "On the one side I'll take every bit of information we have on the victims and I'll try to create a threat assessment for all the young couples with daughters that have recently moved into LA and the area. On the other, I'll try to gather and analyze all the info we've got on the killer – where exactly he attacked, what time of a day it was, everything. For example, we know he attacked the families that moved into their houses recently. It's possible that guy has some access to information about sold houses, maybe he even is a real estate agent."

"Good. You think that'll work?" Don looked at his brother expectantly. He was a bit startled to see a grim look on Charlie's face.

"It'll have to."

Alan Eppes was worried about his sons. It wasn't really a new feeling: he learned to live with the ever-existing fear for his older son, Don, very long time ago, since he decided to become a cop. But lately Alan had some vague feeling about his younger son. Charlie, although over thirty, in some aspects was still very naïve and innocent. Something however changed, that occupied his mind and made him… well, different. Even Alan, who knew his son inside out, couldn't exactly pinpoint the exact cause of his uneasiness. He knew something was wrong.

That was why he was really relieved to see both of his sons coming home that evening. They were tired and hungry – but nothing was wrong as far as Alan could see. Except, of course, the fact that Charlie nearly fell asleep over his plate of lasagna, which caused Don to make some snide remarks about the quality of their dad's cooking.

"He's wearing himself out, don't you think?" Alan asked Don as soon as Charlie has gone to bed.

"We're all working very hard on that case," Don's face clearly shown all the exhaustion. "Charlie included. But that's the way it works, especially now…"

Alan was surprised to see Don at lost with words and watched him carefully as his son groaned in frustration and ran a hand through his hair.

"You're really tired too, Donny. Go get some sleep."

"Okay, Dad. Can I crash here tonight? I don't want to fell asleep behind the steering wheel…" Small smile.

"Sure. Goodnight, Donny."

"Night, Dad."

It pained Alan to see both of his sons so exhausted that they dared to show that. Both of them were a bit withdrawn when it came to expressing what they felt. It was different today, they were so exhausted that they weren't able to hide that. But all the while he could see something that will give them the strength to wake up in the morning and get on that case – real determination, need to end it once and for all.

Alan shook his head slightly as he watched slightly snoring Don who was lying on the couch. Determination, indeed. David was right the other time: he had two very stubborn kids.

And he wouldn't have them any other way.

The next two days were frantic. The FBI team worked hard with almost no rest. As for Charlie, he did all he could, he worked even during his breaks in teaching, which almost caused him to forget about his classes. He didn't have also time to renew his friendship with Monica, save for a few short calls, during which they talked mostly about math. He even promised her he'd borrow her an interesting book, which could be a chance for them to meet, but he soon found out it was impossible for him to lie down on his work – it consumed him all.

Luckily Amita was there for him, she kept on watching him, reminded him of eating and raised his spirits. Occasionally, she would come up with some bright ideas he could adopt into his analysis. But it took a lot of time. An time wasn't something they could waste.

"I'm worried," Amita watched the list of potentially endangered families.

"About what?" Said Charlie, eating his lunch – it was one of a few breaks he let himself take.

"When could he strike next? You worked out this algorithm, I know, it predicted the attacks before, but now things changed."

"How so?"

"He didn't accomplish what he came for," Amita gave Charlie serious look. "It may cause him to want… I don't know, some kind of revenge? He may be driven to do it again, this time maybe quicker, more brutal…"

"It's a possibility," Charlie nodded. "So we don't have any more time to waste. How are you doing on the families?"

"There are several dozens of them… And all of them in danger! It's so frustrating…" Amita suddenly stopped, gaping at the screen of her laptop.

"What is it, Amita?" Charlie was concerned. She looked really scared.

"Come… Take a look," Amite showed him the screen. "Here, right in the middle."

Charlie looked. What he saw, scared him. On the list of threatened people there were clearly seen the names: Matthew and Monica Dawson.

"I don't know what I can tell you, buddy," Don sighed. When Charlie called him a few minutes ago he was on a verge of panicking. He now sounded calmer, but he was still nervous. "I understand that they have shown up on your list, but aren't there many other names? It isn't very likely that'll be them, buddy."

"I know, but I can't help feeling nervous. Those people… Monica was my best friend at the college, and Molly… I wish you met her, she's a great kid…"

"Charlie, please calm down," Don could feel that Charlie could break down any minute. He had to do something, take some action, that'll calm him. "Listen, buddy, send me everything you've got right now. All the names, possibilities… We'll analyze them from our, criminal point of view, and if there'll be such a need we'll send a patrol to your friend's house, okay?"

"Yeah… Thanks, Don. I just feel like I should bloody do something!"

"Listen, it'll be okay. You just calm down and send me those information. I'll take care of that, okay?"

Don didn't know what else he could do. Luckily Charlie seemed to calm down. His voice was calm and business-like. It triggered something in Don's mind, but he was too busy to think about that.

"Right. I'll send them in a minute. Take care, Don."

"See you, buddy."

When Charlie put down the phone, he wasn't nervous at all. Amita wondered at this change: one second he was rambling to Don about the danger Monica and her daughter were, the next he was calm and calculated. It seemed like he made some decision.

"Are you okay?"

It took Charlie a few seconds to answer.

"Yeah… I think I'm good…" Suddenly he looked at her with a new force. "Amita, I have to ask for a favor."

"What is it?"

"Could you send Don all the information we've got? All about the endangered families?"

"Sure, but why?"

"Don promised they'll look at them from their point of view. It may give us a hook." Charlie said, while searching through his shelves. When he found what he wanted - the old-looking book - he met Amita's eyes. They were full of concern and confusion.

"All right. Not that I'm complaining, but why can't you send it?"

Charlie raised his hand in which he kept the book. Amita recognised the title - it was the one Charlie promised to borrow to Monica.

"Because I'm going to Monica's house."

Don and his team were working on the information that Charlie send them. Truthfully, it was send from Amita's e-mail, but they didn't stop to think about that. They were too busy analyzing the files, the locations of the houses, traffic density, possible escape routes – everything that may have affected the killers plans about who to attack.

"I think I've got the one," Nikki said, presenting her file. "It's got the best escape routes and observation points… It's perfect."

"Okay, Nikki, good job," Don took a look at the file and made a somber face. "Anyone else?"

"This looks quite good, but I wouldn't really choose it." Colby said waving his file. "And rest of them are junk."

"Same here, Don. Nothing worth considering." David looked at his boss' face. "What is wrong?"

"This people…" Don motioned to the file Nikki was still holding. "Are Charlie's friends."

He quickly dialed his brother's number and raised his cell to his ear.

The dead signal was all he got.

End of chapter three.

A/N: Don't we all love cliffhangers!

Thanks guys for you reviews, they warmed up my heart. I'll try to post the next chapter soon, but real life (and geometry test) are getting into my way. Gah!