Obsession
Disclaimer: See Prologue
A/N: You guys are awesome! Thank you so much for your reviews.
Chapter 30:
The red sun and the blue haze from the fog had changed the color of the mist to various shades of lavender and purple . The vivid colors made the sky and the surrounding mountainous peaks look more like a painting than the real thing. The coastal fog would eventually turn to orange and golden yellow pastels as the sun rose higher over the eastern horizon.
It was quite a spectacular sight and most people would take the time to admire this display of nature's art but the group approaching the Point had more urgent concerns on their minds.
Don was a native Californian and had seen many of these majestic sunrises in his lifetime but today he didn't even notice it. The breath taking array of colors didn't even register as they slid across his vision. His eyes were fixed on the Projecting Point and as the helicopter drew closer he couldn't hold back a curse when he discovered that it was encased in a heavy coastal fog. It was as if the Projecting Point and the surrounding woods had vanished.
"Agent Eppes." the pilot called out loudly so he could be heard over the noise of the helicopter blades. "Visibility is less than a quarter of a mile, a dense fog advisory has been issued."
Don's nerves were already stretched to the limit, he didn't need this latest barrier preventing him from landing on the cliff top. This wasn't a complete surprise though, he had been warned of the possibility before taking off, but Don had insisted on seeing it for himself.
"Bottom line it for me." he snapped impatiently.
"We have to wait until the fog thins out before we can land. The mist is already beginning to dissipate at sea level so it will probably be another thirty or forty minutes."
"Great! Just great!" The SAC muttered heatedly. Don took a calming breath. "All right, let's pick up the trails below the fog." Don contacted the SWAT team leader in the other helicopter. "Ridge 2, this is Ridge 1, come in."
"Ridge 2, over."
"I want you to pick up the Ray Miller Trail where the fog ends and follow it down the mountain. Check out anything that moves along that trail."
"Roger that sir."
"My team will take the Trancas Canyon Trail and do the same. Meet us back at the Point in thirty minutes. Ridge 1 out."
Don twisted around in his seat so he could face the pilot. "Take us out of here." he said grimly.
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Alan sat in a booth across from Amita and Larry in a small diner that faced the Malibu Memorial Hospital. It was six fifteen a.m. and a brilliant blue sky and bright sun seemed to mock him as he stared out of the window. How was it possible that only a few miles down the coast his sons were completely surrounded by a thick coastal fog. At six o'clock the young LAPD officer had come in and informed them that the assault had been delayed, so here they sat, still waiting for Don to land on the cliff top.
"Would you like another cup dear?"
Paula, the waitress and part owner of the restaurant, asked him as the coffee decanter hovered over his cup. Her hand trembled slightly from age, but she managed to keep a firm grip on the handle. She and Benjamin, her husband, had opened the diner back in the sixties and the two of them had gained a lot of experience over the years in dealing with people who were waiting to hear bad news. Although they were both gray now and perhaps moved a little slower than they used too, they still liked to help people, so they had decided to keep their diner open.
The proximity to the hospital assured them of unlimited customers and the people who came over to their little diner usually needed the comfort and understanding that they could provide. Over the years Paula and her husband had heard about more tragedies than the both of them cared to remember. "But this one," she thought sadly, "just might be the worst one of all." She waited a moment and then repeated her question. "Would you like a refill?"
"What? Oh. I'm sorry...yes, please." Embarrassed , Alan moved his hand so she could pour the coffee.
She refilled his cup and those of his companions but before she turned away she patted his forearm.
"You just watch that point over there, honey." She pointed to a spot near an antennae on the roof of the hospital. "The helicopter approaches the hospital from that direction." She sighed and shook her head sadly. " You won't be able to miss it."
They had arrived at the all night diner around five thirty that morning and the waitress had recognized Alan immediately. Apparently, the news reporter had flashed his and Don's photo along with Charlie's during his report and she had suggested that they sit in this particular booth so that they would know when the medivac helicopter arrived.
The three of them had run out of things to say so they just sat quietly, sipping the coffee, and taking strength from one another while they watched the skyline for the helicopter that would bring Charlie back to them.
Alan watched the sunrise with trepidation, literally torn in half by his emotions. He was anxious for Don to get up to the cliff top but he was equally terrified of what his son might discover once he made it up there. His hand shook as he lifted the cup and the hot coffee spilled over the edge, burning his hand. The pain barely registered in his worried mind and he didn't really pay it any attention until a distressed Amita was patting his hand with a napkin and cleaning up the spill. More concerned with calming her down than with the burn, he reached for her hand to assure her that he was fine when his fingers touched upon the sleeve of her red shirt. No, that wasn't right, he realized suddenly, it wasn't her shirt…this was Charlie's shirt.
Amita slid into the booth beside him, misunderstanding his reaction. "I'm sorry." she whispered miserably. "I should have asked you if I could wear this. It's just….I feel him close to me….I can smell him on this shirt."
Alan smiled sadly. "It's okay. I think it would please him to know that you are wearing it." he gently wiped the tear from her cheek and hugged her tightly as he looked over her shoulder and met the professor's worried eyes. Unshed tears glistened brightly in the corners of Larry's eyes and he looked away, unable to hold Alan's gaze.
Alan had never known the cosmologist to be at a loss for words... until now. His attention was drawn back to Amita as she shifted in his arms. She laid her head upon his shoulder and he stroked her hair gently as Charlie's last words echoed through his mind. "Could you help Amita too." He closed his eyes and whispered. "There, there now."
A whiff of cologne assailed his senses and it tugged at his heart with such force that he couldn't hold back a sob; Amita was right, he could smell Charlie's cologne on the shirt. Alan held her close and closing his eyes once again he took comfort from that familiar smell.
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Charlie was running, but he couldn't seem to get anywhere. No matter what direction he ran in, he always ended up back at the tree. He panted and gasped for breath, stretching his arm out to support himself against the tree. Sweat was running in rivulets down the side of his face; he was so hot. He couldn't remember when he had ever been this hot before, it was as if the heat was coming from within his own body. But he couldn't worry about that right now, he had to run, someone was after him, he couldn't remember who, only that he had to get away.
Suddenly, someone grabbed him from behind and he fought them like a man possessed, pulling at the arms that were holding him close. Panic-stricken, he couldn't breathe, dark spots were swimming before his eyes before he finally got himself free. Frantic, he turned around and felt his heart stop beating as he stared into the malevolent eyes of Henri Bashere!
Charlie's eyes snapped open and with a part of his mind still within the dreamworld he frantically tore at the arms that were restraining him. His frenzied movements soon had him sliding from the branch and left him dangling by the belt that he had fastened around the smaller bough. The pain that resulted from the initial jerk of the belt cut through his panic-stricken mind and he ceased his struggles instantly. A groan escaped his lips before he clenched his jaw tightly and grabbed the branch. Wide awake now, he pulled himself back up to the bough that he had been sitting on and quickly twisted himself around so that he could unbuckle the belt. He let out a sigh of relief when he could pull the belt free and removed the pressure from his side. His head fell back against the tree and he closed his eyes again until the pain subsided.
Finally, he opened his eyes and they widened even further at the sight that greeted him. The darkness had been replaced by a strange pink and purple light show. It was surreal, he was totally enveloped in a world of colors. It felt as if he was completely cut off from the rest of the world as he looked around in amazement. The fog that swirled around him was so thick that he could only see two feet in front of him.
Charlie sat up straighter when he heard a loud noise pass overhead. He looked skyward and although he couldn't see it, he knew what it was. Don... it had to be his brother, and that thought brought a relieved smile to his face. Charlie couldn't keep from grinning, he had survived the night and now help was nearby. Of course, his brother would have to wait for the fog to clear before he would be able find him and it would be hard for Don to spot him while he was in the tree. He glanced at his watch, six a.m.. The mist would burn off in another half hour and then he would work his way down the tree and out into the open... someplace where he could be seen from the air.
Charlie pushed an errant curl out of his eyes and rubbed his forehead; his skin felt warm to the touch. "Ut oh." he thought. "I think I'm running a fever." He carefully lifted up his shirt to check his wound. It had bled through his makeshift bandages but the bleeding had stopped. Charlie felt his skin around the cut and winced , it was tender and very warm. "Crap, it's infected, no wonder I feel so hot." Sighing he pulled a half empty bottle of water from his jacket pocket and gulped it down. He searched his pockets, there was one small bottle left and he was still so very thirsty. Charlie looked longingly at the water but then he forced himself to put it back into his pocket deciding that he would need it more when he got out of the tree. Don would have water, he told himself, but he still had to find him first.
Charlie found himself getting impatient and fifteen minutes later he had decided that he had waited long enough. He began the slow process of climbing down the massive old oak.
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Bashere smiled grimly as the helicopter flew over him. "Damn Feds!….no, damn Don Eppes.!" he hissed as he slowly made his way down from the rocks. As he got to the bottom of the hill he spotted Picarry's remains.
The Frenchman stepped lightly over the rocks until he was standing over the man's mutilated body. "My, my, that lion must have been really hungry." he murmured as his eyes drifted over what was left of James Picarry..
He started to turn away but hesitated as a thought occurred to him. He bent over the remains and searched through Picarry's s pockets until he found the man's wallet. Bashere pulled out his own wallet and removed his money and any cards that could be traced back to him and then put his wallet in Picarry's pocket. He straightened up with a smirk on his face. "Thank you again Mr. Picarry." he said sarcastically. "You just bought me a little extra time, they won't be looking for me anymore, they'll be looking for you."
The helicopter passed overhead again, prompting him to hurry onward; he had to find the spot on the trail where he had last seen Charlie's tracks. He had to move faster, he told himself, he had to find the young professor before the fog lifted.
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Alan, Larry and Amita were the only patrons at the moment so the cook and waitress, Benjamin and Paula, the owners of the diner, were sitting on stools in front of the counter watching the early news The morning newscast was suddenly interrupted by an announcement of "breaking news." Benjamin increased the volume as his three patrons joined them at the counter
The anchorman announced breaking news at the La Jolla Point and the picture shifted to a newscaster standing on an overlook area beneath the cliffs. Other news vans could be seen behind him, it was no longer a local story, all of the major networks were now covering it. The FBI had designated the area around the park as a "no-fly" zone so the news media had been restricted to ground coverage only.
"This is Michael Whittemore reporting live from the La Jolla Cliffs at Point Mugu." The camera panned toward the sky where two helicopters were approaching the cliff and then back down to the reporter. Whittemore turned to face the camera.. "As you can see , now that the fog has dissipated, the rescue operations have commenced and the FBI SWAT helicopters are headed for the cliff where the downed lear jet crashed last night. However, we have been told that the Medivac helicopter will not be allowed to land until the FBI have secured the area. The fate of young Professor Eppes is still unknown at this time and all of our attempts to contact his father have resulted in failure. We have been informed that any survivors will be taken to Malibu Memorial Hospital and there is a good chance that Mr. Eppes is already there, waiting for his son's arrival."
"That is truly a despicable man." Larry mumbled, surprising everyone.
Alan patted his shoulder. "I agree with you Larry." he said without taking his eyes from the tv screen. .
The camera shifted to the helicopters that were now hovering over the visible tail section of the plane. As they watched one of the choppers landed, disappearing from view, while the other one continued to hover above the site.
"The FBI still refuses to comment on the identities of the other passengers that were on board the plane, only saying that this it is still an ongoing investigation. We will remain here as the story unfolds."
The camera panned back to the top of the Point and as they watched, the first helicopter rose up and continued to hover over the cliff. The second one began to fly in a continuous circle around the crash site.
Alan's hand covered his mouth as he watched and waited, unable to take his eyes off of the television screen.
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The fog had turned to orange and golden yellow by the time that Don and his team had returned to the Point. A thin veil of the mist still remained over the crash site, but they now had enough visibility to land.
"Does thermal imaging show anything?" he asked the pilot as they hovered over the site.
"No sir, no life signs in the immediate area."
"Okay, take us down." he told the pilot. "Ridge 1 to Ridge 2."
"Ridge 2, over."
"There are no signs of our targets, I say again, the area appears to be secure. Stay airborne until I call you down and continue to patrol the perimeter. Ridge 1 out."
"Roger that. Ridge 2 out."
"Could Charlie have survived that?" Don thought as the helicopter descended. His heart sank as they slid the door open and climbed out. The helicopter took up a lot of the crash site and since they had already determined that they weren't in any immediate danger, he ordered it to lift off and cover them from the air. That said, however, he wasn't about to take any chances. Quickly jumping into agent mode, he gave signals to his team and guns drawn, they all spread out to find cover in the surrounding rocks.
"This is the FBI, come out with your hands in the air!" Don called out.
Silence greeted his demand so he sent silent signals to his team to move closer to the main body of the aircraft. Edgerton scouted the crash site while Don and his team dodged to either side of the opening of the plane. Another hand signal, and they crouched down to peer through the opening. Don held up his fingers and silently counted to three and right on signal they burst through the opening ready to fire at any threat . No threat greeted them however, just silence.
Sunlight filtered through the broken windows and the jagged opening revealing the destroyed interior of the cabin. Remnants of the once luxurious cabin were scattered in pieces everywhere. The team began a quick search of the debris for anyone hiding there while Don worriedly searched through twisted pieces of metal and piles of broken furniture for any signs of his brother. He exhaled a breath of relief as their search failed to find any sign of Charlie.
The main cabin turned up empty so they advanced toward the cockpit. The door had been ripped from it's hinges and was lying on the floor in front of the doorway.
There was something on the door and the agents moved closer to check it out. A trail of multiple bloodied paw prints ran across the door. Four pair of eyes followed the trail from the cockpit to the jagged opening at the rear of the plane. Don lifted his head and met his teammates anxious eyes before turning his attention back to the cockpit.
"What do you suppose made those tracks?" David asked apprehensively.
"Coyotes." Edgerton stated, as he bent down to enter the cabin. "Picked up their trail outside." he met their startled eyes and shrugged. "Sorry, thought you heard me coming."
Megan cleared her throat, trying to cover up her uneasiness. "Ah, your sure they're coyotes?"
The tracker squatted down and looked at the door. "Yep, they're scavengers, probably smelled the blood and came running." He looked up just as Don's face paled and quickly stood up. "Look, Don, I'm sorry…. I wasn't thinking. I'm going to go back out and check for tracks."
Don simply nodded and watched him leave. He swallowed and turned to David and Colby who were closer to the doorway. "Check it out."
The two agents stepped carefully forward and peered through the doorway. Their reaction was instantaneous and both of them mmediatley backed away from the cockpit.
"Oh, man….that's nasty." Colby said in a shaky voice.
David swallowed hard before he spoke. "The…ah…the pilot and co-pilot are no longer a threat."
Don studied his face. "Dead, huh?"
"Very." Colby confirmed grimly.
Don and Megan stepped around them and took a quick look. They retreated just as quickly.
"What a way to go." Megan murmured in a shaky voice.
"Yeah." Don agreed as he spoke into his radio. "Ridge 1 to Ridge 2."
"Ridge 2, over."
"The pilot and the co-pilot are dead. That narrows our search to four targets and our hostage. Over."
"Roger that, Ridge 2 out."
"Ian, come in."
Edgerton's voice crackled over the radio. "I just checked out the tail section. If anyone was sitting back there they were probably sucked out. There's a large hole in the floor big enough for a man to go through."
Don swallowed nervously. "Understood, we're on our way out." he glanced at his team. "Let's go , there's nothing else in here."
Don lead the way outside, pulling plastic gloves from his pocket as he went. They separated and began to search through the wreckage that was large enough to hide a body. Ten minutes later Don stopped in front of an open suitcase. Strips of bloody cloths lay in heaps on the ground beside the bag along with a number of empty water bottles. He squatted down and sorted through the torn shirts and the clothes in the suitcase. All of the clothing in the bag appeared to be new; price tags still remained attached to the sleeves of the shirts and pockets of the pants. A trained observer, it didn't take him long to note that all of the clothing matched his brother's size. A clothing tag lying on the ground caught his eye. Someone had left the area wearing a new leather jacket and a new tee shirt. His thoughts darkened, "If it was Charlie, he was hurt…but he was alive." He clenched his jaw tightly as he spotted a crumpled shirt caught under a bush near the suitcase. Don had just stretched his hand out to pick it up when Ian called out.
"I found a body, it's a little to the right of the plane, near the edge of the woods." His voice sounded strained. " It's under a piece of the broken wing."
Don stood up, crumpled shirt forgotten, and glanced apprehensively in the agent's direction as a sudden feeling of dread began to spread through his body. Megan, Colby and David were almost there before he started to move. His legs felt heavy and seemed to move of their own accord as he reluctantly followed along behind them.
Edgerton stepped away from the body as he got closer and placed a hand on Don's arm. The pity in the man's eyes ripped at his heartstrings. "Maybe you shouldn't go over there. It …it…might be Charlie."
"Oh, God!" Megan gasped and put her hand to her mouth. She recoiled and stepped backwards, dropping suddenly to her knees to empty her stomach.
David and Colby appeared to be close to repeating her actions as Don jerked his arm out of Edgerton's grasp and stepped around him.
As Don's eyes drifted downward, that little bubble of hope that he had been so carefully cradling within his heart abruptly burst with such force that it felt like he had received a physical blow to his heart. The pain was almost too much for him to bear as he sank to his knees beside the body of a young man wearing a tee shirt with the symbol for pi on it. The only other identifying feature was the curly brown hair.
Don's anguish had clouded his mind and he had not fully taken in the condition of the body lying in front of him. As his hand gently caressed a few of the curls, his gaze shifted to the body's face and his eyes widened in horror. Don's face blanched and with a quick intake of his breath he recoiled.
The face of the young man had been eaten away by an animal. Don's stomach twisted and he turned to the side, retching uncontrollably. "This wasn't happening,this couldn't be happening." he told himself. His mind searched desperately for some way to make his thoughts believable.
As if from a distance, he heard David asking Edgerton about the condition of the body.
"Did coyotes do this too?"
The tracker nodded. "Yeah, they go for the soft places first, face and fingertips." his voice trailed off as he looked at the body. "I'm going to check for tracks."
He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to meet Megan's teary eyes. White-faced, he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and stood shakily to his feet. Don locked eyes with his friends and their sympathetic gazes seemed to lend fuel to a feeling that was quickly growing within him, and he stubbornly rebuilt that little bubble of hope in his heart.
Don's eyes hardened as he pointed a finger at the body. "That… is … not … Charlie!" he rasped emphatically. "It must be that other guy!" He pivoted on his heel and strode angrily away from them to stand beside the suitcase that he had been checking out before Ian had called to them. The team had followed him and were watching him warily, not really sure of the best way to help him. He appreciated their concern but he had to convince them that they were wrong.
Don took a deep breath to steady himself. "I don't know how I know, but that is not my brother." his eyes softened. "It can't be."
"Don…I." Megan started to say as she wiped away a tear.
Don bent over and plucked the crumpled shirt from beneath the bush and as he spread it out upon the ground the design on the front of it was revealed. The other's knelt down beside of him and stared in amazement at the symbol for pi.
"Look, whoever wore this shirt was injured." There was a dash of hope in the tone of his voice as he traced the tear in the shirt with his gloved finger. "He was hurt, but he managed to clean the wound and bandage it."
"If it had been a deep wound there would have been a lot more blood." David said, becoming infused with Don's tone, desperately yearning for a different outcome.
"Right, and there's no blood trail leading away, so he was able to stop the bleeding." Colby added, wanting with all of his heart to believe that his friend wasn't dead and laying on the ground under that broken wing.
Megan watched Don's face closely. She knew what he was doing, he was latching on to a false hope, he had no proof that the body they had found wasn't Charlie. She prayed that he was right, but she knew he was going to fall that much harder, if he was wrong.
"Don, I hope your right, but we still don't know if……"
Don's eyes lit up excitedly as he looked up. "Yes, we do." he interrupted her. "Guys, check this out." he held up the shirt. "Look at the color, it's faded, it's been washed a number of times." Without realizing it, he held the shirt tightly to his chest. "This is the shirt that I gave Charlie for his birthday…..this is his shirt." That bubble of hope swelled within his heart as he met their eyes. "My brother walked away from this crash and he's out there somewhere."
"He may be right." Edgerton called out from the edge of the woods and waved them over. "There are tracks over here."
Don reluctantly placed the shirt back where he had found it and with a hopeful glance at his team, he jogged over to join the agent. "What have you found?"
Edgerton was kneeling on the ground and the senior agent followed his lead and knelt as well. "See these." he pointed out. "These are tracks of a smaller man and he was running away from someone; see how they're spaced apart." he waved to a second set of footprints. "And here are the tracks of a much larger man, also running."
Don looked up and grinned at the other agents. "I'm thinking that Charlie's the only one who had a reason to run from these guys." He stood up and reiterated his earlier statement with much more conviction this time. "That body is not my brother."
David sighed. "Okay, that still leads us with four people. Charlie, Bashere, Krill and Picarry."
"Ian, if only two of them went this way, where did the other two go?"
The tracker stood up and motioned for them to follow him as he walked back across the site to the woods on the other side of the plane. Pointing to more tracks he explained that two more men had taken another trail down the mountain.
"These are the men that fired on the helicopter, see, here are the shell casings."
"Okay, let's put it together." Don mused aloud. "Benton, the pilots and Harken are dead." he refused to even consider that the dead man was his brother. "Charlie's on that trail over there with Bashere right behind him."
"And Krill and Picarry are headed down the mountain on this trail." Megan swept her arm in the direction of the trail.
Edgerton had left them and returned to the clearing where they had landed. Don and the rest of the team joined him as he was donning his backpack once again. The tracker met his gaze.
"I'm going to get started on Charlie's trail. Those tracks are at least ten hours old, I've got some catching up to do."
"I'm coming with you." Don said firmly.
"Actually Don, it would be better if I go alone. I can go faster and quieter." he said and lifted a hand to forestall the older agent as he walked over to the edge of the trail. "You guys should take the chopper out over this trail. You might spot Charlie from the air and it will keep Bashere distracted while I come up behind him." He looped his rifle around his shoulder as he waited for the agent's decision.
Don scrubbed his hand through his hair. It made sense, although he didn't want to admit it but Charlie's chances of survival was greater if Edgerton went alone. He finally nodded his head in agreement.
"Keep that radio on and stay in touch." he called out as Edgerton disappeared into the woods without another word.
Don took a deep breath and forced himself away from the trail.
"Ridge 2, this is Ridge 1. Over."
"Ridge 2. Over."
"We have another body, Adam Harken, so you can cross him off of your list." They were all convinced now that Charlie had gotten away. " Return to the ranger's station and pick up Ranger Cromwell. Our perps have split up."
Don pulled a map from his jacket pocket and with the help of his team he spread it out on the ground. He ran his finger along the marked trails while they held it steady against the breeze.
"Listen up. We believe that Krill and Picarry have taken the Ray Miller trail head and I want your team and the ranger to track them. We also believe that Dr. Eppes and Bashere have taken the Trancas Canyon trail. Edgerton is already following them and my team will cover it from the air. Understood."
"Roger that. We're on our way. Ridge 2 out."
Don watched as one of the helicopter's left for the ranger's station and the other descended to the crash site. The SAC and his team hurriedly climbed aboard and as they took flight Don relayed the events to the assistant director.