David hung up the phone and slumped in his chair. Colby glanced up from the file he was reading. "What now?

David glanced around the bullpen. Once he was sure nobody could hear them, he rolled his chair over to where Colby sat. "You're not going to believe this, but there may be a mole in this office."

Colby's mouth dropped open, and he shook his head. When he could speak again, he said, "Who? Not on our team..."

"Charlie has come up with one name for us to check. He handed Colby a page from his notepad. "This guy in dispatch. I need you to check on him – discreetly. It may be nothing, or he may be tied in with the people who shot Don."

Colby whistled as he took the paper. "Ted Moresby? Never heard of him."

"Me either, but Charlie found out he graduated from the school where Agincourt teaches. Now, that's a pretty slim connection, but it's all he's come up with so far. And It's pretty clear that somehow the thieves knew Charlie would be involved in the case. Who better than dispatch to determine which team investigates which crime?"

"I don't know. I'll check it, but it sounds backwards to me. Why pressure Charlie to quit consulting and then make sure Don is on the case?"

"True." David started pushing his chair back toward his desk. "But right now, it's all we've got." David rolled his eyes as his cell phone rang again. "Now what?" He flipped the phone open. "Sinclair."

"David, Ben Cole here. I've heard something through the grapevine that I thought would be of interest to you. Someone is trying to shop a Van Gogh that sounds a lot like the one that was stolen from the Getty."

David flipped his notepad open. "I don't know if I want to know about your grapevine, but give me what you've got."

Ben chuckled. "Don't worry, Agent, it's on the up and up. When an important object hits the market, all of the dealers, reputable and otherwise, hear the rumors."

"And what are those rumors saying now?"

"An unidentified dealer on the west coast of the US is sending out feelers, testing the waters to see if there's a market for a high profile Van Gogh painting. Now, a few decades ago, it was relatively easy to find a market for such things. But they're becoming less and less marketable. It's rare to see something like this show up for sale. The new trend is to simply trade them from one criminal to another."

"Do you have any idea who that dealer might be?"

"I can't be certain, of course, but I do have an idea. I suggest you verify it with the local law enforcement, but check into David Heller. He's well-known to Interpol, and possibly to your own art crime division. He has a reputation for making bold moves, and selling a Van Gogh within a week of its disappearance would qualify as bold, don't you think?"

"Sure would! Sounds like he's a perfect match for the gang we're dealing with. Well, thank you for this, Ben. I'll follow up on it. You have anything else for me?"

"Afraid not. But I'll keep my ears open, and I'll let you know if I hear anything more. And, David?"

"Yes?"

"Maggie and I want you to know that we're here to give you any help you might need. Don't hesitate to call us, all right? We haven't been here long, but we've grown to regard you all as our friends."

"Thanks, Ben. You don't know how much I appreciate that."

When David finished the call, he turned to Colby. "It looks like we may have caught a break." David stood. "Let's get Liz and go to the conference room."

--

Alan shifted the bags in his arms so he could grip the doorknob to Don's room. As he opened the door, he heard a welcome sound -- both boys were laughing. "Hey, Dad," Charlie said, pushing his laptop aside and jumping to his feet. "Let me help you with that."

"Thank you." He studied Charlie's face as he handed him a bag. "You got some sleep, I hope."

"I did. How about you?" Charlie craned his neck to look in the bag. "What'd you bring? Anything good to eat?"

"No. It would be rude to eat in front of Donnie. I brought pajamas and slippers and some books and magazines to keep him occupied. Didn't you eat before you came back here?"

Don laughed. "No, Dad. He and Amita were too busy to eat."

Charlie blushed. "Actually, I had to stop at the FBI office. Unlike some people, I'm actually working on the case."

"Aw, Chuck, that's cruel! Here I am, seriously wounded, and you're trying to make me feel bad."

"Well, you deserve to feel bad. Turning that cougar loose on me without any warning..."

Alan dropped his bag onto the spare bed. "Cougar? Are you okay?"

"He's fine, Dad. 'Cougar' is a disparaging term for an older woman."

"Charlie! Haven't I taught you better manners than than?"

"As usual, Don is not telling you the whole story. A 'cougar' is an older woman obsessed with younger men. This particular older woman had a disk I needed, and she gave the definite impression that she was interested in more than my mind. And your son sent me to get the information from her knowing full well..."

"I did not know she would find him attractive. She normally exhibits much better taste."

"Boys! Enough! Don, did you intentionally put your brother in an uncomfortable situation?"

"Yes, sir."

"Charlie, did you survive?"

"Yes, sir."

"Then I suggest you both drop it. And, Charlie, if you need to see this... cougar... again, I suggest you take Amita with you. Now, give Donnie his pajamas."

Charlie handed Don the bag. "Good idea, Dad. And since I found at least one FBI employee that David needs to check, it sounds like a good possibility that someone is going to have to visit the woman."

Alan turned from emptying his bag. "'Did you say an FBI employee? You think someone in the FBI was involved in this?"

"It's a possibility," Don said. "It looks like the thieves were putting pressure on Charlie before the first theft. They wanted to get him off the case or keep him distracted enough that he wouldn't be effective. But what difference would it make if my team wasn't assigned to the case?"

"Good point. Do you think Charlie might still be in danger?"

Don and Charlie exchanged glances. "Possibly," Don finally admitted. "Unless we can make it appear that he's off the case."

"But if they have someone inside the FBI, won't they know?"

"So our only option is to take him off the case," Don said softly.

"No," Charlie said. "Find another option."

"Charlie," Alan started.

"Dad," Don interrupted, "haven't you learned by now that Charlie's going to do what he wants to do, no matter what anybody says?"

"He gets that from your mother," Alan said. "I was never that stubborn."

--

While Don dozed, Alan pulled out his briefcase and worked on a presentation for a potential new client. And Charlie stared at the folders surrounding him on the spare bed.

The door opened, and Liz peeked into the room. "Hi," she whispered.

Charlie looked up and gave Liz a smile. "Hey," he said.

Alan stood, smiling, "Liz," he said softly, "Come on in."

"Thanks," Liz said, walking to Don's side. "How is he?"

"A lot better. He still sleeps a lot, though. How are you holding up?"

Liz shrugged. "Okay, I guess. How about you and Charlie?"

"We're okay. Charlie's been muttering over those files for a while now. It does not sound encouraging."

"It's not," Charlie said, waving a hand at the scattered folders. "I've been at this for almost a week, and every time I turn around, there are even more questions." He looked hopefully at Liz, "Did you bring me more data?"

"Sorry, no. But Colby and I are on the way to talk to Fred Agincourt."

"Really? Where is Colby?"

"He was on the phone with David, getting some last minute instructions. He should be here in a minute."

"Do you think I could go with you?" Charlie said, pushing his laptop aside.

"Charlie," Alan said, "you are not an agent. I don't think Colby and Liz need you tagging along."

"Dad," Charlie stood, "I'm not a kid..."

"Wait," Liz said, "Alan, I think having Charlie along would be a good idea. He is a teacher. He might have some insights Colby and I wouldn't have. I, uh, well, part of the reason we stopped by was to see if Charlie would come with us."

Alan did not look convinced, but before he could say anything, Don stirred. "Dad?" he murmured, "What's going on?"

"Liz is here to see how you're doing."

Don opened his eyes and grinned sleepily. "Hey, Liz. How's it going?"

"Not bad. But I can't figure out why you're getting to sleep all day while the rest of us are doing all the work."

Alan stood, both hands pressed to the small of his back, and stretched. "Liz, are you going to be here for a few minutes?"

"Sure. Why?"

"I thought Charlie and I would go find some coffee."

"No problem. I'll wait until you get back. Remember, I need to take Charlie with me," Liz said, sitting in the chair Alan had just vacated. "I'll keep your seat warm for you."

When they were alone, Liz took Don's hand in hers and leaned down to kiss his cheek. Don turned suddenly so she connected with his lips instead. Surprised, she tried to pull back, but he reached up and held her in place. After a long, loving kiss, he released her. "Sorry," he murmured, "I..."

"Hey," Colby's voice came from the doorway. "Oh. Oops. Sorry."

Liz straightened. "Granger! Has anybody ever told you you have great timing?"

"I have great timing?"

"No," Liz and Don said in unison.

"I can go," Colby said, backing into the corridor.

"No," Don said, squeezing Liz's hand. "Stay. Dad and Charlie are going to be back in a few minutes anyway." Don raised the head of his bed. "So, how's the investigation going?"

Colby shrugged. "It's going. It looks like you're feeling better. Unless Agent Warner is just practicing her CPR."

Don shook his head, grinning. "I'm feeling much better, thank you. So, listen, before Dad gets back and puts a stop to it, why don't you fill me in on what's going on with the case?"

"Well, Liz and I are on the way to see Fred Agincourt. We thought we'd bring the Whiz Kid along because he understands teachers a lot better than either of us does."

"Was that what Dad was complaining about when I woke up?"

Liz laughed. "Yeah. He wasn't too thrilled when Charlie asked if he could join us."

Don sighed. "I can understand where he's coming from, Liz. We're dealing with dangerous people here."

Liz leaned forward, the smile leaving her face. "I know they're dangerous. But you know, Charlie was hurt on campus. And he was shot at while driving home from school. It sounds to me like he'll be safer with us than he would be on his own at Cal Sci." She stood and walked to the window, turning her back on Don.

"Liz?" Don said softly. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to imply you would put Charlie at risk."

"No?" She turned to face him. "What did you mean to imply?"

"I'm worried, Liz. I don't know what these guys are going to do next. If the Agincourts are involved in this, and I'm almost positive they are, going to see Fred could stir up a hornets' nest. Now," he said, "how are you going to approach Fred Agincourt?"

"Well," Colby said, "we made an appointment to see him at school. He has elected not to have a lawyer present, but he reserves the right to stop the interview at any time. We agreed that Liz would take the lead. She's less threatening – well she looks less threatening anyway."

Don smiled at Liz, "And we know appearances can be deceiving." He held out his hand toward her. "Come on and sit."

She at on the edge of Don's bed. "I was planning on asking him about Ellen Davis; try to get a feel for how he got along with her. Ask him if he knew anyone with a reason to want to hurt her. The papers have already connected her murder with the thefts, so I'm not going to be able to shock him with the news."

"Too bad," Don murmured. "I like your plan." He took her hand. "Listen, you're a good agent, Liz. I trust you to take care of Charlie, and you didn't do anything in that gallery that any of us wouldn't have done." He looked to Colby for confirmation.

Colby put a hand on Liz's shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "He's right, Liz."

"What you two have very carefully left unsaid is that I shouldn't be on a team with someone I'm in... involved with. And once your team is back up to full strength, I'll be going back to my own team. Of course," she smiled at Don, "I'm based in LA now, so it's not like we won't be seeing each other at work."

"And outside of work," Don said, bringing her hand to his lips, "we'll be doing a lot more than seeing each other."

Colby rolled his eyes, "Oh, man. If you guys are going to get all huggy body kissy face on me, I'm going to go find Alan and Charlie."