Obsession
Disclaimer: See Prologue
A/N: I really appreciate your reviews.
Sun Tsu
The more you read and learn, the less your adversary will know
Chapter 12
Wednesday
The Brinks armored truck moved slowly through the LA morning traffic. The truck had just left the Los Angeles National Bank with money the Federal Government had accumulated from the sale of confiscated property of convicted criminals. Five bags of money totaling well over fifty million dollars were headed for the Federal Reserve Bank in Sacramento.
Wayne Johnson had decided to take charge of this operation personally; he couldn't afford anymore mistakes. Currently in a large delivery van exactly one car behind the Brinks truck, Johnson was mentally checking off the necessary steps as his plan began to unfold.
He picked up his cell phone and pressed a few pre-arranged buttons for a conference call. After all of his men had checked in he gave them the signal to begin the operation.
Wayne watched in his side view mirror as the UPS truck slowly pulled into the left lane and passed his van. The driver eased his way through the traffic until he passed the armored truck and pulled into the right lane directly in front of the vehicle. The traffic continued to crawl along and once again Johnson watched as a semi tractor-trailer moved into the left lane and worked it's way between the cars until it was alongside of the armored truck. The car in front of Wayne veered off at the next turn, giving him the opportunity that he needed and he quickly moved into position. Another one of his men was in a car directly behind him with a device that could emit a pulse of infrared light. With this device they could take control of the traffic lights.
The plan was a simple one, take over of the truck as soon as it passed under the approaching underpass. The traffic light would turn red as soon as all of their vehicles and the armored truck were stopped directly beneath the bridge.
The light changed and once again the traffic moved forward. This time, however, the UPS truck, tractor-trailer and armored car disappeared under the bridge. At a signal from Johnson, his partner kept the light green long enough for him to maneuver his truck beneath the bridge. The light changed to red and the traffic came to a stop as he moved even closer to the rear bumper of the truck. The Brinks vehicle was now effectively hidden from view on all sides and his men went into action.
Three men wearing facial oxygen masks jumped out of his van and quickly approached the vehicle. One of them rolled a canister under the armored vehicle and smoke rapidly encased the truck. The truck doors opened almost immediately as two guards jumped from it coughing and wiping at their eyes. Realizing what was happening the guards tried to defend themselves but to no avail. They were already weakened from breathing in the smoke and were quickly subdued. The door to the back of the truck was flung open and another guard stumbled onto the highway. He barely made it past the bumper before Johnson's men overpowered him. With the truck surrounded by the large vehicles no one saw them put the unconscious guards in the back of the truck along with the now empty canister. They took over the vehicle and when the traffic light changed to green the armored truck started moving along with the rest of the traffic…right on cue.
"As smooth as silk." Wayne smiled and sighed with relief as they headed for the appointed meeting place. He checked out the other commuters on the highway and grinned again. Apparently they had been so focused on their own affairs that no one had witnessed what had just taken place. The smoke had dissipated quickly and if anyone had noticed it, it would have disappeared before it's source could have been discovered.
The trucks veered off the highway at different exits. The van, UPS truck and tractor-trailer would be immediately returned to their owner, a rental company that had so many trucks that it was unlikely they were even missed. Johnson and his men would meet up with the Brinks truck at a dockside warehouse in San Pedro.
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Don decided that his luck was taking a turn for the worse. He found that riding in the elevator with a friendly Patrick O'Connell was worse than the sullen Patrick O'Connell that he had become accustomed to.
For starters, the man talked incessantly. Secondly, he was just too cheerful for this time of the morning. Last night's meal at the Eppes casa seemed to have unleashed the real Irishman and he appeared bound and determined to make up for lost time.
Smiling from ear to ear he praised Alan's lasagna and although Don was sure that his last comment "what a remarkable sense of humor for someone of his age." was meant as a compliment, he made a mental note not to share that last little tidbit with his Dad. By the time they had stopped at the second floor the Irishman had moved on to Charlie. Dr. Eppes said this, Charlie believes that and the Professor said this…and on and on and on. Don was contemplating shoving him out of the elevator at the next stop just to shut him up, but he sighed inwardly and patiently waited for the door to slide open so he could make his escape.
Finally, the door opened on his floor and with a sigh of relief and a muttered "it's about time" he stepped out of the elevator. The Irishman was in front of him and Don did a double take. Did he really see Patrick perform an "Irish Jig" as he exited the elevator.? No, he didn't see that… did he?" He blinked and kept an eye on the man as he walked toward the bull-pen.
Don deliberately walked slowly behind the man trying to put enough distance between them so he could escape to the break room for a well-needed cup of coffee. He watched as Megan lifted her head in surprise to his jaunty greeting of "Top of the Morning to you." as the man made his way over to his desk. Don couldn't hear the greetings that were called out to David and Colby but judging from their expressions the Irishman had caught them by surprise as well.
With a glance at his team Don strolled to the break room. After quickly preparing his coffee he stuck the coffee stirrer between his teeth and made a bee-line back to his desk.
"Good morning." he mumbled as he sank into his chair.
He received the same responses from his team members and glanced sideways at the Irishman. Patrick already appeared to be immersed in his work.
"Anything new this morning?" he asked as he fired up his computer and pulled out file folders from his desk drawer.
Colby looked up from his computer long enough to say. "Not on this end, did Charlie come up with anything yet?"
An enthusiastic voice responded to his question. "Charlie said he would be over as soon as he got the data from the super computer. He didn't think that it would take very long but he couldn't give me a time."
All heads turned toward the Irishman in surprise. "I just talked to him, he's on his way to CalSci right now."
Three astonished faces turned back to face Don, obviously waiting for an explanation. O" Connell had turned back to his computer so Don just mouthed the words "Don't ask." and rolled his eyes.
Megan snickered and looked down , her hair successfully hiding the grin that had suddenly enveloped her face. Colby wasn't as subtle and he laughed out loud , forcing David to turn away to hide his own laughter.
Don took a sip of coffee and mumbled that it was too early in the morning to be around so many cheerful people and shouldn't "said people" be busy working on the case?
Still grinning his team quieted down and soon all were immersed in the case.
"Colby, did narcotics send over that picture yet or get an I.D on that John Doe?"
"Nothing yet, Don, at the very least we should have had a photograph with that original documentation."
"Well, get a hold of Hendricks and find out what's going on. We need that information."
Colby opened his phone and started dialing just as the elevator door opened and Charlie walked out carrying his ever present laptop. Patrick O'Connell was out of his seat and beside the young professor before he had taken several steps, greeting him with a slap on the back that threatened to send the young man tumbling to the floor.
Don started to get up to rescue him but then stopped when he remembered his elevator ride that morning. "Oh, sweet justice" he thought as the corners of his lips turned upward in a mischievous smile.
"It's okay Patrick, I have it, really, you don't need to take it." Charlie was saying as he gripped his laptop tightly to his chest.
"But I just want to help." O'Connell responded as he tried to take the laptop from it's owner.
"I know but I've got it, okay?" Charlie had a white-knuckled death-grip on his laptop, refusing to let the Irishman take it from him.
"Hey Charlie, did you come up with something?" Don asked struggling to keep a straight face.
Relief flickered across the young man's face as he turned toward his brother. "Yes and no. Yes, I found proof that there is a connection between all of the cases, and no, I can't tell you what it is yet. It's a "hidden set." I know it's there but I can't identify it yet. I need more data."
Don's desk phone rang before he could respond and he waved a hand to stop Charlie's explanation.
"Eppes." he answered and his eyebrows rose as he listened to the caller. "Let me get this straight, the bank manager got a phone call after the robbery telling him that he should specifically notify my team. Really? What's the address? Okay, got it , thanks." he added as he hung up the phone. He stood up and grabbed his jacket from the back of his chair and turned to his brother.
"Sorry, Buddy, we have to leave, I'll let you know when we have more data. Come on guys, we've got an armored truck heist to investigate."
Charlie grabbed his arm and held him back as the other agents headed for the elevator.
"Don, wait." he said anxiously. "The heist is connected to this case, isn't it?" Without waiting for an answer he pressed on. " The person behind this has probably set another trap for you."
"Don't worry Charlie, we'll be careful" He squeezed his brother 's arm and hurried to join the others. "I'll see you at dinner." he called back over his shoulder.
Charlie watched as the elevator door closed with an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. The bull-pen which had been so active only moments before now seemed eerily quiet to him.
Sighing to himself he headed for the elevator. As he pressed the button and stepped aboard he remembered that he was supposed to tell Don that Angus Fitzgerald would be joining them for dinner that evening. Alan had convinced him to give the man another chance and he had been on the verge of refusing when he realized that the dinner might help raise his father's spirits. Charlie was so worried about Alan's state of mind that at this point he was willing to try anything.
"Oh, well." he thought, "Don would just be in for a surprise." A mischievous smile suddenly appeared on his face as he pressed the button for the lobby.
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Bashere was already at the warehouse when Johnson and his men arrived with the armored car. He climbed out of this limo as soon as the doors of the warehouse closed behind the trucks.
"Any problems?"
"No sir, not a one. Everything went according to plan." he answered as he opened the rear doors of the armored truck. The three guards were still unconscious on the floor of the truck and the money bags were being moved closer to the door by one of Johnson's men. One by one, he handed the bags out and Wayne put them on the ground. He grabbed some tools and after removing the locks he stepped away from the bags as Bashere came over to look inside them.
The Frenchman removed four stacks of bundled currency and handed them to Johnson."
"You'll get more after the last job" He removed a folded paper from his jacket pocket. " Be sure to put this note on one of the guards."
Wayne took the paper from him; he already knew what it was, some kind of coded message that Bashere was taunting the FBI and LAPD with. A dangerous game in his mind, but then he wasn't the one who was paying for this job. If Bashere got his kicks writing those messages, then so be it. As long as he got his money, the Frenchman could do whatever he wanted.
"What about the guards?" He asked and barely supressed a shudder as he felt the man's cold gaze on him.
"What about them?" He asked in a dangerously quiet voice, narrowing his eyes as he moved closer. "I don't want any witnesses…is that understood?"
Johnson swallowed and he could suddenly feel the sweat start to form on his upper lip. "Yes sir, no witnesses."
"Good." Bashere studied his face then turned to leave. "Were finished here. Remember, two days and were done." He turned and looked back over his shoulder to add. "Don't forget your little surprise for our favorite FBI agents tomorrow."
"Don't worry, we'll get them this time." he called back as the door of the limo closed. Johnson watched as the car disappeared and absently wiped his upper lip. If he had been a religious man he could believe that he had just been standing face to face with the devil for he had never met a man who fit that role more perfectly than Bashere.
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Later in the afternoon Don and his team returned to the FBI office after meetings with the employees of the Armored Trucking Company and the Los Angeles National Bank.
David and Colby were studying the web-cam videos from the traffic security cameras trying to pinpoint the location of the truck hijacking. They already knew the truck's intended route but so far they had not been able to establish how far the truck had remained on it's schedule before the hijacking.
Colby suddenly snapped his fingers.
David looked over. "Did you see something?"
Colby shook his head. "No, but I bet Charlie could come up with something, pretty quick."
His partner grinned at him. "He's already trying to find a connection between the other cases. Let's just keep looking."
Colby grimaced and settled down to peruse the videos again. "Where's O'Connell anyway, shouldn't he be helping us with this?"
David shrugged his shoulders. "He said he had a personal call to make to Ireland." Glancing at his watch, he added. "He should be back soon."
"Yeah, probably after we've finished here." His partner grumbled. "Why can't he make his calls from here or is there something that he doesn't want us to hear?" He raised his eyebrows suggestively.
David clicked on the next set of web-cam videos. "Give it a rest Colby, like Don said, we don't have any evidence, besides Patrick says he can call home for free if he calls from the Embassy. It's as simple as that, man."
"So he says." Colby retorted but dropped the subject and focused his attention on the videos.
Meanwhile, Megan and Don were busy checking out the employees of the bank and the security company. Specifically, the guards that were on the truck and the bank manager that handled the hand-off.
Megan looked over her glasses at the lead agent. "Anything yet?"
He rubbed at his eyes and arched his back as he answered. "Nothing but a stiff back. You?
Don glanced at his watch and sighed, once again the time had gotten away from them. Six-thirty, they should have called it a day an hour and a half ago. All of them, with the exception of O'Connell were still suffering from the effects of the explosion. He gazed around the room at his team, fatigue visible in their movements and on their faces.
"Let's call it a night guys. There's nothing more that we can do here tonight." He ordered, turning off his own computer and putting his files away. Tomorrow was another day and any new information would come with the morning light.
The weary team cleared their desks and quietly headed for the elevators.
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"That was delicious. What did you call it again?" Don asked as he lifted his glass of water and took a sip.
The Scotsman was delighted with the praise. "I'm so thrilled that you liked it. This particular dish was called Filet of Kilmelford Halibut, with Fennel Pollen, Samphire, Violet Artichokes and Sauce Barigoule."
"Yeah…ah…right, that's what I thought you said."
Alan admonished his oldest son with mildly raised eyebrows as he turned back to their guest. "He's right Angus, this was really great, thank you for preparing it for us." Alan took a sip of wine. "I have to admit, Angus, I'm glad that you talked me into letting you cook tonight's dinner."
"Oh, your more than welcome and I didn't do it all, you helped me." He said praising Alan generously. " I'm just happy that all of you enjoyed it." Angus added, with a hopeful glance in Charlie's direction. He was obviously waiting for the youngest member of the family to comment on the dinner.
Halfway through the meal Charlie suddenly got an inspiration and had to pull a small notebook from his pocket. He immediately started scribbling numbers on the page and three pages later he was no longer paying attention to the conversation that was going on around him. That is, until he felt the painful result of a kick to his shin.
"Ow!" slipped out as he quickly raised his head, looking around for the culprit.
Alan suspected the reason for Charlie's sudden attention and took advantage of it.
"Charlie, what did you think of the meal?"
"Huh?" Oh, I've never had fish prepared that way before but it was really good, " He glanced sideways at his brother and the smirk on Don's face proved his suspicions. "Ah, Angus where did you learn to cook like that?"
"My late wife was a marvelous cook and an excellent teacher, so I must give her the credit for my culinary skills. Also, my hometown is a seaport, so fish has become a large part of our diet."
"Angus, what part of Scotland did you say you were from?" Don's natural investigative skills were beginning to take control.
"Inverness." His green eyes seem to light up as he spoke of his home. "As I said before, it's a seaport since it is close to the Ness River and the Caledonian Canal. It's also known as the "Capital of the Highlands."
"You sound like you are a little home sick." Alan commented.
The other man flushed and looked away momentarily. "Yes, well I suppose I am. I've enjoyed my trip to the states very much but we all miss our homes when we are away from them, don't we?"
Alan looked around the Craftsman before answering. "I suppose your right, it's okay to visit somewhere for a little while, but I usually can't wait to get back home again."
Don was getting bored and had a sudden inspiration himself. "Look, Dad, why don't you and Angus play your Chess game. Charlie and I can clean up, after all, you guys prepared the meal."
"He's right." Charlie agreed, immediately seeing his brother's strategy. He stood up and started gathering the dishes before Alan could answer. "We'll take care of this."
"Are you sure?" the Scotsman hesitated.
"Come on Angus, let's go before they change their minds." Alan remarked as he rose from his chair. "Let's get that game started. I believe that we are two for two."
"If it's okay with you Alan, I'd like some more wine. Why don't you start setting the game up and I'll fill our glasses and bring them right over."
He took the older man's glass and starting pouring the wine. Alan shrugged and strolled over to the small round table in the foyer. Moving the crystal bowl to the side, he set up the pieces as Angus carried the full glasses over.
Angus placed the glasses on the table and pulled up his chair. "Isn't this marvelous, let's toast to a wonderful evening." They raised their glasses in a toast and both took a drink.
"It's your move Angus." Alan prompted as he took another sip of his wine. He paused for a minute as he swallowed the wine, a puzzling look appearing on his face.
"What's the matter?" The Irishman asked with concern.
"It tastes different, how does your taste?"
Angus smiled at him. " This is a Scottish wine that I just opened. I wanted to surprise you." he took another sip. "What do you think.?" Angus inclined his head. "Would you like a different wine?"
Embarrassed, Alan shook his head. "No, no this will do just fine. I was just expecting the other one." he took another sip. " I believe it's your move."
"Yes, yes I know, I'm just trying to figure out what your next move will be." he replied amicably.
Alan had a sudden thought. "Do you have a large family?"
Angus looked up and smiled. "No, not really. I have two daughters, both are married now and two granddaughters from Marla, my oldest. Amy is my youngest and she is pregnant with her first child., due next month actually." He paused as he moved his knight to a new position. "If things go well, I should be back in time for the birth."
Alan looked ruefully at the kitchen door and snorted. "Two huh…and one on the way." He shook his head sadly as he carefully studied the board. "I'm still waiting for my first."
At that moment Charlie and Don came through the swinging door to collect more dirty dishes.
"Look, all I'm saying is that I could help you improve your stance if you would let me do a few calculations."
"Listen, Chuck, how many times do I have to tell you, baseball is all about how you play the game, not numbers." He turned around and headed back toward the kitchen carrying a stack of dishes.
"Hey baseball is the most statistically driven sport in the world." Charlie countered as he collected the remainder of the dirty utensils and followed his brother into the kitchen. As the door closed they could hear Charlie finish his sentence. "and don't call me Chuck."
Angus smiled sympathetically at Alan. "I'm curious Alan, have they always gotten along so well?"
An eager look crossed Alan's features as he moved his game piece. "Check." he said and took a hearty drink of the wine. He was feeling more and more relaxed now, more than he had in a long while, so he leaned back and crossed his arms as he watched the Scotsman ponder his next move.
The Scotsman shook his head ruefully. "My, my, I should have been paying more attention."
"To answer your question about the boys, well no, that haven't always enjoyed each other's company." He paused and took another drink, eager to discuss his favorite subject, his sons. " Charlie's genius at such an early age built a wedge between them. It put them in different worlds actually. Donnie was athletic, outgoing and very popular with the kids." He sighed and looked down at his hands for a moment and his expression softened a little as he spoke of his youngest. "Charlie, on the other hand, had to have special classes and teachers. He didn't have much time for anything else and when they graduated they more or less went they're separate ways. It wasn't until Donnie came back to LA and Charlie started working with him that they discovered that their worlds weren't so different after all." He shook his head slowly. "Now , they're almost inseparable, not just brothers but true friends."
"Really? That's amazing, most brothers at their age have already gone their separate ways."
Alan grinned. "Yeah, I think they're making up for lost time." His smile faded though as a thought occurred to him, one that he had been worrying about all week. "They've become so close now that I don't know how they would cope if something happened to one of them."
"What do you mean, Alan?"
Alan shrugged. "You know how dangerous Don's job is and how Charlie works with him sometimes."
The Scotsman nodded his head.
"God forbid that I should ever lose my boys but if anything ever happened to Don, I would probably lose Charlie too, especially if he thought that he was responsible."
"I don't understand, what are you saying?"
"You see, when Charlie first started working with his brother there was a case involving serial bank robbers. Charlie predicted the day, time and place of the next robbery and Don's team confronted them. Shots were fired, one agent was killed and Donnie's arm was grazed by a bullet. Charlie felt responsible and retreated into his own world, a world where the outside couldn't touch him, he lost himself in his numbers, working day and night on an unsolvable math problem. It was Donnie that finally brought him back to us."
With a trembling hand he took another sip of wine. " Losing Donnie would be horrible enough." he took another drink. "Yet, I know in my heart that I would lose Charlie as well, not physically but mentally. He would not be able to face the loss, especially if he felt responsible and the numbers in his head would take over and I would lose him forever." Alan's voice broke and he took another sip of wine to hide his emotional state. "In Donnie's case, he would be devastated if something happened to Charlie, especially if he thought it was his fault. He would live the rest of his life in misery, never forgiving himself."
Angus seemed stunned by this revealation and his brows drew closer together as he studied him. "You really believe that this could happen, don't you?"
Before Alan could answer, a burst of laughter suddenly erupted from the kitchen. The sound of their voices reminded the elder Eppes that his sons were still there and that was enough to shake him out of his dark reverie. He couldn't understand what had come over him, why had he started talking that way. Alan couldn't believe that he had just told his deepest fears to someone that he had known for less than a week. Suddenly embarrassed, he made eye contact with the man sitting across from him.
"Please forgive an old man's foolishness." he said apologetically. " I believe it's your move, Angus."
"There are no apologies necessary, Alan. There comes a time when we all need to talk to someone about our concerns." He took a sip of wine and studied the chessboard. " I hate to point this out, but "checkmate".
"Now, who should have been paying attention. You sidetracked me with that question about the boys, but it won't work again. Shall we play another?"
The Scotsman nodded and they set up the pieces to play another game.
"Oh, Angus, before I forget, I wanted to ask you if Charlie ever autographed that book for you?"
The Scotsman flushed and looked away. "To be honest, I've been too embarrassed to ask him again."
"Nonsense, I'm sure he'll be happy to do it for you. We'll ask him as soon as he comes out of the kitchen. In the meantime, I believe that you have the first move."