"Agent Sinclair," Tom's voice in his earpiece jarred David from his thoughts.

"Yeah, Tom. What's up?"

"Tomlin just made another call to Yang's phone..."

"To Yang's phone? Not to Yang?"

"Unfortunately, one of Yang's buddies from 13W answered. The phone is still on the same path as before."

"Damn," David muttered. "Any idea where Yang is?"

"None. Sorry. I'll let Agent Liu know. Maybe her team knows Yang's location."

"Yeah, do that. Let me know what you find out." David slammed his fist on the steering wheel. He pulled out his cell phone and filled Liz in on the news about Yang.

"You think he's heading this way?"

"I have no idea. Tom's getting in touch with Agent Liu. I just wanted to give you a heads up. Did Ben and Maggie get there yet?"

"Not yet. I'll give LAPD a few more minutes then I'll give them a call."

--

After the call was finished, Liz crossed the room, knelt on the couch and looked out through the blinds.

"What do you see?" Don's soft voice startled her.

"Nothing." She glanced at the kitchen door to make sure Charlie and Alan were still busy. "David called. One of Yang's associates has his phone, and we don't know right now where Yang is."

"But Yang's a businessman, not a thug, right?"

Liz sighed. "I've heard he dabbles in both."

"Crap," Don said.

"My thoughts exactly," Liz glanced at her watch. "He was wondering if Ben and Maggie were here yet. But I don't think they've had enough time."

The kitchen door swung open, and Alan and Charlie entered the dining room, carrying plates and silverware. Don glanced quickly at Charlie and then looked at Alan. "Dad? Maybe we should wait on dinner. Ben and Maggie are coming over."

"No problem," Alan said. "I'll just put foil over the casserole and turn the oven down. Casseroles are very forgiving."

"Speaking of forgiving," Charlie said softly, ignoring his father's warning glare, "Don, I'm sorry for what I said. I never intended it to sound the way it came out."

Don studied his brother's face for a moment, then nodded. "It's okay, Buddy. I'm sorry I overreacted." Don paused as his cell phone rang. He flipped it open and answered, "Eppes."

"Don?"

"Megan? Where are you?"

"I'm at LAX waiting for my luggage. I just figured I'd check in and see how things were going."

Don sighed. "How long do you have."

"That bad, huh? Well, I am at LAX. It could be hours. And my cell phone battery is well-charged. So give me the sordid details."

After Don had given her the Reader's Digest version, Megan let out a low whistle. "You want me in the office, or at Charlie's house?"

"You must be tired. You don't have to..."

"I know I don't have to, Don. I want to. Believe me, after that assignment, I need to."

"Okay. Call David. If he doesn't have a preference, why don't you come here to Charlie's house? We've got a casserole in the oven, and Ben and Maggie are on their way."

Megan chuckled. "Casserole at the Eppes' house. Finally, a bit of normalcy. Too bad Larry's still in space. See ya, Don."

Amita looked up from the computer. "Megan's back? That's great!"

Charlie sat on the arm of Amita's chair. "How'd her assignment go?"

Don shrugged. "She didn't say and I didn't ask. I suggest you don't ask her either. She probably can't or won't talk about it."

"Was it some secret stuff?" Charlie persisted.

"Yeah. All I can say is that she was not thrilled about taking the assignment, but she wasn't given any choice."

Amita squeezed Charlie's knee. "It sounds like we'd better leave it to her to bring it up."

"That makes sense." Charlie rubbed his eyes. "Hey, if you guys don't mind, I'm going to go upstairs and lie down for a while." He stood and stretched gingerly. "Come and get me when everybody arrives."

Alan glanced at his watch. "Are you due for your pain pills yet?"

Charlie shook his head. "Not for another hour." He bent and kissed Amita. "See you in a little while. Sorry I'm such miserable company."

"You're wonderful company." She reached up and touched his cheek. "I'll bring you your pills in an hour."

Charlie made a quick stop in the bathroom. As he washed his hands, he gazed at his reflection. The bruises on his face had reached the fading technicolor phase. Once they had faded completely, he should probably shave. But not today. He did not relish the thought of shaving left handed. He turned and headed to his room.

He kicked off his shoes at the foot of his bed, and decided not to go through the effort of taking off anything else. It took a few minutes of twisting and turning before he finally got comfortable. Alone in the silence for the first time in days, he let his eyes drift shut. His arm was beginning to throb, making him wonder if there was any flexibility in the timing of taking pain pills. He made a mental note to check the internet when he went back downstairs. Somebody somewhere probably did some kind of study.

Fatigue finally began to win out over his active brain. He felt himself drifting off to sleep when he heard a scrape. He turned his face toward the door, wondering if someone was out in the hallway. But it didn't sound like feet on the hall carpet. There it was again. Not in the hallway. Over his head. On the roof.

Normally, he would just assume it was a squirrel or bird. But the events of the past few days came back to him, and he pushed himself to his feet with a groan. Padding quietly to his door, he opened it carefully, and looked up and down the hallway. Empty. He could hear his father's voice, then his brother's voice downstairs.

He was halfway down the stairs when Don noticed him. "Hey, Buddy? What's the matter? Couldn't sleep?"

Charlie put his index finger to his lips, and waited until he was next to Don before he spoke. "It's probably nothing, but I heard something on the roof. It was a scraping sound."

Don and Liz were on their feet, weapons drawn, before he finished speaking. "Dad, Charlie, Amita, lock the doors behind us and then come back in here and stay away from the windows."

Don went out the back door, and Charlie locked it behind him. Alan locked the front door behind Liz, and the two men joined Amita in the dining room. Charlie picked up his cell phone, dialed 911, and stood, his finger on the 'send' key, waiting.

Don glanced back, hearing the door lock click, and gave Charlie the thumbs up. Then he turned his attention to the task at hand. Hunched slightly, he crept into the yard, his eyes in constant motion, searching, searching. The back yard was clear, so he stepped away from the house and turned his attention to the roof. He heard the scraping noise Charlie had described and raised his gun. Scanning the roof, he backed up slowly, mentally cursing the mass of overhanging branches that obscured his view.

He heard a car pull up in front of the house. Several car doors slammed and he heard Liz yell, "Ben, Maggie! Get in the house now. Charlie! Open the door!"

He debated going out front, but he needed to find out who or what was on the roof. Finally, among the leaves, he caught sight of movement. "FBI! Hold it right there!"

The movement continued, and Don shifted, trying to make out the figure. Too big to be a squirrel. Definitely not a bird. It moved over the peak of the roof toward the front of the house. "Liz!" he called, "He's heading your way!"

Liz shouted, "FBI! Freeze!"

Don kept watching the roof, hoping that the police officer who had brought Ben and Maggie was helping Liz out front.

"Don!" Liz called, "Get out here! We've got him."

Don pointed his weapon down and ran to the front of the house. He expected to see Liz handcuffing a perp. Instead, she leaned against a police car, grinning.

"What's going on? Where is he?" Don asked, scowling in confusion.

Liz pointed at the roof. "There's your intruder."

Don looked where she was pointing. "A raccoon?! What the heck?" He leaned against the car next to Liz. "Charlie's gonna pay for this." His laugh was cut short as he grimaced and massaged his belly.

"You okay?" Liz studied his face.

"I'm fine," Don murmured. "I think I'm overdue for a pain pill."

Liz wrapped her arm around Don's waist. "Let's get you inside." She turned to the officer. "Thanks for all your help."

"Any time, Ma'am," the officer replied. "You want me to call animal control, Sir?"

Don scowled at the young man. "I'll leave that to my brother. But if I find out you have told a soul about this, I'll have a chat with Lieutenant Walker."

The officer grinned and held up his hands in surrender. "My lips are sealed, Agent Eppes. I didn't see a thing."

"Good man," Don said. "And thanks for your help." He leaned against Liz and they made their way slowly to the house.

--

At Liz's shout, Charlie had run to the door and unlocked it. Once Ben and Maggie were inside, he hesitated, watching Liz and the police officer.

"Charlie!" Amita called, "Get in here and lock the door!"

Reluctantly, he complied. Then he turned to Ben and Maggie. "Hi. Welcome to the asylum."

"What's going on?" Ben asked.

Alan rolled his eyes. "Charlie heard a noise on the roof, and Don and Liz went into cop mode. Come in, and have a seat. We're heating up your casserole for dinner, by the way."

"I hope you like it," Maggie said.

"I'm sure we will," Alan said with a chuckle. "Anything tastes better if you don't have to make it yourself." He paused, embarrassed, "I'm sorry. That did not come out right."

Maggie laughed. "I know what you mean. Don't worry. Is there anything I can do to help?"

"I think everything's under control. In here anyway."

Charlie had drifted toward the front window during the conversation. "I think they've got it under control out there, too."

"Charlie!" Alan said, "Don said to stay away from the window!"

"I think it's over. Don and Liz are coming up the walk. They're laughing." Ignoring his father's protests, Charlie opened the front door. "Is everything okay?"

Don holstered his gun. "Charlie! I thought I told you..."

"I know what you told me," Charlie stepped back to let Liz and Don through the door. "What was on the roof?"

"A raccoon," Liz giggled. "But don't worry. That nice police officer has promised to keep quiet."

"I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have said anything about the sound... Don? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Buddy."

"You don't look fine. Here, let me give you a hand."

"You don't have one to spare," Don chuckled. "I'm just a little sore. I think I'm overdue for a pain pill."

"Dad? Where are Don's pain pills?"

"I don't know. Donnie? Don't you have them?"

"They're in my pocket. Charlie, Dad, please stop hovering. I'm fine." He reached into his pocket before he sat down. He opened the childproof prescription bottle and surreptitiously shook two tablets into his palm. As he put the bottle back in his pocket, he noticed Liz preparing to say something and gave her a warning look. He swallowed the pills and leaned his head back on the chair, closing his eyes.

Alan bent to push the ottoman toward Don. "Liz? You want to lift his feet?"

"I can get my own feet," Don muttered, still not opening his eyes. He grimaced as he lifted his feet onto the ottoman. "I'm fine."

"Can I get you anything?" Charlie asked.

Alan put his hand on Charlie's shoulder. "Come on. Help me with dinner. Liz can keep an eye on your brother."

Amita and Ben took seats, but Maggie followed Charlie and Alan out to the kitchen. "Why don't I make a salad to go with the casserole? I'm sure you have salad fixings here."

"Normally I do," Alan said, "but things have been a little crazy around here. You're welcome to see what you can find in the fridge."

Charlie busied himself gathering glasses and napkins while Alan checked the casserole. He paused next to the dining room door. "Dad, Don didn't look so good. You think he's okay?"

"I think he just overdid it, Charlie. You know how he is. He won't admit there's anything wrong until he can't stand up any more."

A smile crept across Charlie's face. "True. He did take off like a maniac when I told him about the noise. I hope he didn't do any more damage."

"There's enough of us around to keep an eye on him. And if worst comes to worst, the hospital is not that far away. Now go set the table. Maybe we'll get to eat before the next interruption."

Charlie laughed. "Don't forget. Megan's coming."

"We're not waiting dinner for her. We'll make sure we leave her some." As Charlie pushed the door open, Alan added, "And don't pester your brother!"

"Yes sir!" Charlie lifted his right hand in a vain attempt at a salute.