The letter had arrived later on that evening, in the hand of an elderly gentleman. Megan recognized the man from an old printing shop, he specialized in calligraphy.
It followed that the man had written the letter under duress, and while the letters were beautiful, he collapsed of a heart attack before he could tell anyone what he'd seen. The killer had scared him so badly, that in his 80 years of age, he couldn't take the excitement.
"Kind of extreme measures to go to avoid a handwriting analysis." Megan commented.
Anderson had showed back up when the sun had begun to set, "I didn't find a damn thing."
Megan handed her the note, "This just came in."
"I just wish we had something to compare it to." The female agent rubbed her temples, "A goddamn fingerprint might be nice."
"Why are you on this case?" Don asked her.
She looked at him, "My boss, back in New York, had actually been prepared for this guy. He'd figured it out early, that the guy wanted the siblings of the top agents. So he put me in charge of watching his younger sister. The girl was eighteen, she had just graduated. There was a secondary objective in not putting her in protective custody."
"She was being used as bait." David murmured.
"Yeah, against my better judgment and my boss's, but I was the second in command and had guarded the witnesses to Mafia trials. I was the best."
All the agents stared at each other, they knew what was coming.
"So I had one little lapse in judgment and the next thing I know, I'm carrying a headless body, covered in blood to a New York ambulance while my boss has a breakdown."
"Christ." Colby said.
"I promised my boss that I would find the bastard that did this and give his little sister peace."
"That's why either you or Davidson was missing each day."
"We were watching Charlie; we didn't think to keep our eyes on Amita as well."
"You didn't know." There was a soft murmur from Charlie.
"We can't let you go there alone." Stated Don, folding his arms.
"If this girl sees you, then she might hurt Amita."
"No, she won't see us. You draw her out and we'll be there."
"I only want the plan that will work best for Amita, regardless of how it affects me."
"Charlie, I'm not letting you go in there alone, end of story.
The two brothers engaged in a more steel-eyed version of a staring contest than had ever been seen before.
"The note says we have until tomorrow night at midnight to put a plan together. That's when she's demanding Charlie."
"Does it say where?"
"No. All it says is for Charlie to go to this street corner and then someone else will bring the address."
"Undoubtedly, someone who has no idea they'll be doing it yet."
"Let's get some sleep then." Suggested Alan, "I think we'll all need it for tomorrow."
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With too FBI agents posted right outside the door and one inside, Larry, Alan, and Charlie spent a fitful night tossing and turning on their cots. Larry had gotten the most sleep out of all, but Charlie and Alan had spent the night wrapped in their own thoughts.
Don was supposed to be with his family, but had spent most of the night pacing the halls of the FBI offices. He wasn't too worried about the lack of sleep affecting his work; he'd gone three days, successfully, on only a few hours. Right now, his mind was too concerned with the welfare of his brother, the girl who would probably be his future sister-in-law, and his unborn niece or nephew.
When dawn finally showed itself, Don had figured out that he would take Colby, Granger, Anderson, Davidson, Megan, and himself to go with Charlie. He would put back-up nearby but far enough out of range so as not to be detected.
There was a meeting in the conference room around ten that night. It was the first time Charlie had left his room all day. The agents lined the tables, while Charlie sat the furthest away, flanked by his father and Larry.
Don's eyes kept falling back to his brother while he outlined his plans. Charlie seemed to be miles away, contemplating his life, the end of which seemed fated only two hours away.
"Now, Charlie gets the instructions at 11:30, he has a half an hour to get to the location. The kidnapper has agreed not to hurt Amita if she gets Charlie without intervention. I think that if we let Charlie go in, distract the killer, we can take this girl out and get both of them back without any problem."
He hesitated over the next statement, "My brother has asked that Amita be saved first, if it's necessary. We must take all precautions to retrieve Dr. Ramanujan safely and make sure that she is not harmed in any way."
The agents all nodded.
Alan stood up, "I hope no one here minds, but I was wondering if I could speak to my sons in private?"
Without any objection, everyone left the room.
The father sat down opposite his two sons, "Charlie, I know you love Amita, but you have to accept Don's help. He's the best chance you have."
"I know it doesn't seem logical dad, but this guy wants me and Amita will get out unharmed for sure."
"Don't get me wrong, I'm proud that you're taking the chivalry route, but I just think I'd rather take the chance of getting both of you back. I don't want to lose one of my sons."
"Dad – "
"I've… I've come to terms with Don's job, but it makes me uncomfortable every time he goes on any type of raid. Now, you're telling me that I have to put you out there, without training, in a similar situation? Forgive me if I'm a little nervous."
Charlie sighed, "I'm not doing without good reason."
Don looked at his brother, unsure if they wanted to reveal the news.
"Dad," Began Charlie, "There's something you don't know about."
Alan leaned in, wondering what could suddenly make Charlie choose death over tactical maneuvers.
"Amita's pregnant, and I'm the father."
Their father was silent before falling forward and putting his face in his hands, "Oh God, Charlie. Why didn't you say anything before?"
"I know, I messed up."
It's not that, I mean, you could lose a child or that child could lose its father."
"I'd rather have the child lose me. Even if I'm not around, I still want to know that my child is."
Both his father and brother nodded.
"If I don't come back, you guys will take care of Amita and the baby right? Get her citizenship finalized and be there for her?"
"Charlie, you know you don't have to ask something like that. This is my grandchild we're talking about here." Explained Alan, "I'll try to see if I can get Amita to move in to the house."
"This kid will never want for anything." Don assured him.
A silence fell over the group, "Thanks guys."
The younger brother got up and gazed out the window, "You know, there's a distinct possibility that I won't be around to see my own little daughter or son."
Alan and Don stared down at the table.
"I know Amita will be a great mom, god knows she's straightened out me and Larry enough times. I'm kind of hoping, especially if I'm not around, that the kid won't be like me."
"Charlie – "Alan got up.
"I mean, think about it. Amita having to send the kid to special schools and get special tutors and still work at the university? Mom at least had you to support her, but Amita would be all alone." When Charlie turned around, there were tears in his eyes.
"Chuck," Don walked over to his brother, "She said that she wanted the baby, because if you died, it would be all she'd have left of you."
The two brothers embraced each other, and Alan hugged his youngest son after.
"I'm gonna do my best to get both of you out of there."
Charlie nodded, and took a final glance out of the window, "I know."
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Charlie couldn't keep from looking over his shoulders every couple of seconds. The streetlamp above his head shone brightly on him. It felt like this uncomfortable beacon, pointing him out to the world.
He took a look at his watch. 11:29:58. There was a business man walking toward him.
Unconsciously, he took a step backward, but the man walked right up to him. He was close enough to see the fear in Charlie's face, and Charlie could see the swollen cheek and blacked eye.
The eyes of the hidden FBI agents were drilling into his head.
The man didn't speak, he opened his briefcase, pulled out a sheet of paper, and handed it to Charlie, and walked right on by. Zombie-like, the man continued into the evening, never to be seen again.
A few notes were scribbled at the top, with a crudely drawn map at the bottom. It was obviously not the work of the killer, but of a man who had worked in the cut-throat world of business and been scared so ferociously that he couldn't hold a pen steady.
He began to walk to the destination indicated, and found that he was being led into the parts of Los Angeles that he wouldn't go into during the daytime.
It was bad enough, having a decapitating axe murderer waiting on you, but the prospect of not making it to the location was somehow worse.
True to her word, the killer was right about it being nearly half an hour to the destination.
He stood in front of an abandoned warehouse and felt the logical absurdity of his being afraid when what he was doing what was right. Morally and mathematically.
The watch flashed a day-glow green hue, 11:58:00. Two minutes for the agents to get in place, two minutes that Amita and himself were guaranteed life and security.
It was then that he got a glimpse of his brother out of the corner of his eye.
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Don and the others hung back in the shadows, they hadn't made a sound. He motioned for Anderson and Davidson to head around the back, while Colby and David broke up to cover the sides. He and Megan would run in the front door directly after Charlie.
Megan even got around Charlie without him even spotting her, and the pair inched ever further toward the door.
Colby and David tried their best to keep concealed. Both men made a path to stand beneath the row of windows lining the warehouse sides. It would prove an easy escape route for a fleeing killer if the men weren't posted there.
From behind him, Colby heard a small scraping of gravel. He couldn't even turn around fast enough. A large blunt object slammed into the back of his head, sending him into unconsciousness.
On the other side of the building, David managed to turn around, he began to speak, but his voice didn't come through. His lips formed the words, "What the hell?" Before he was struck and his body crumpled to the ground in the alleyway.
No one had heard a thing.
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Around the front of the building, Charlie pulled on the handle to the door, and it screeched loudly in protest. He pulled hard on the large steel frame, forcing the door completely open. A cursory look inside showed him nothing.
He took a deep breath and stepped inside.