Mind Games

Chapter 51

See Chapter 1 for disclaimer

A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews, all. From them, I take it you're keeping up, and am doing my best to keep the chapters coming. Here's 51…

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David stepped away to a corner of the garage to answer his cell phone. "Yeah. Okay, thanks, Nikki."

He turned and stepped back to face Rogan, Wilkes, Masters, Ian, and Colby. After the Eppes brothers had gone, the agents had stayed behind to discuss the impending trip, and had been meeting for nearly an hour. Toward the beginning of the meeting, David had called Nikki and asked her to run over to the Santa Monica office of Express Packaging to see if she could get a description of the man who had dropped off the package. She'd just reported in, and he looked at the group. "Nikki said the woman told her that the package had been dropped off with a hold order over three weeks ago. No one there remembers what the man looked like; too much time had passed since then. The man paid cash, and the return address was to John Smith, and a P.O. box."

Colby grunted. "I'd bet any money the return address is more fictional than the name."

Masters looked at the rest of the group, except for Wilkes, who sat behind him in the corner with his arms crossed over his chest, his posture and his expression clearly conveying that he was protesting the proceedings. "All right, so Ian, Granger, and Sinclair will make up the surveillance unit," Masters said, continuing the conversation that David's phone call had truncated. "You guys are going to have to hang well back - if he sees you before you see him, you'll spook him."

Wilkes spoke, reluctantly. "Don's denim jacket contains a tracking device. I can call down to Cypress Institute and get the GPS locator."

Masters shot him a quick look and nodded with approval. "Good. We can put one on Charlie, too, although the surveillance team should have them in sight at all times."

Wilkes rose wearily. "Just to be safe, you should give Charlie some distress signals, privately, without Don's knowledge. He'll have to know about the surveillance, but we should keep quiet about anything we don't absolutely have to tell him."

Rogan frowned. "What are you saying?"

Wilkes' eyes flared. "I'm saying what I've been saying from the start. This is a bad idea."

Rogan, normally unflappable, bristled. "And I think you're paranoid. Eppes nearly took a bullet last night, diving to pull Charlie down out of the line of fire. Or maybe you missed that."

"And the adrenaline rush did something nasty to him. Did you see his face afterward? I had to pull him off. Or maybe you missed that," Wilkes shot back, his face flushing with anger.

"I didn't see that," growled Masters.

"I did," said Ian Edgerton. His quiet voice was more powerful than a shout, and captured the attention of everyone in the room. "His face changed. It didn't mean he was going to act on whatever he was feeling – or that he was even angry with Charlie." He looked directly at Wilkes. "Maybe he was pissed off at the man who shot at his brother. We can't know, and it doesn't do any good to speculate. Granger, Sinclair, and I will just need to stay on top of them, that's all."

Masters chimed in, "We'll have a command post set up in the area, just a few miles away. We can send in reinforcements, cordon off the area if our mystery man shows. Unfortunately, we can't use a wire or even a radio except in an emergency; the camera in the denim jacket would pick up anything that Don or Charlie might say. We'll meet with Don later, set up some signals that he can give the surveillance unit if he feels that either he or Charlie is in trouble. We can do the same with Charlie." His voice was curt, dismissive. He moved on with the planning, patently ignoring Wilkes, who stood there for a moment, then shook his head, and walked out.

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Alan looked up from the sink as Jonathan Wilkes pushed through the kitchen door and paused. "Where's Charlie?" he asked, and Alan inclined his head in the general direction of the living room and the stairs.

"He went upstairs to pack."

Wilkes hesitated. "Do you mind if I go up to talk to him?"

Alan gestured. "Be my guest." It was on the tip of his tongue to ask what was going on; but something in the way Wilkes avoided his gaze made him think that he might not get an answer, anyway. Moments later, David and Colby pushed through the door on their way back through to pick up their jackets, which they had left in the dining room. They each murmured a polite apology for the intrusion and smiled wan identical smiles that did nothing to hide the troubled expressions in their eyes. It was then that Alan knew that the anxiety he felt was warranted, and he promptly wiped his hands, and headed for the stairs, catching a glimpse of Colby and David on their way out the front door.

Alan ascended the stairs purposefully; he had every intention of walking in and simply asking what was going on, but as he reached the hallway, he could hear Wilkes' voice, and he found himself slowing to a stop in the hall, listening.

"Just out of curiosity, what did he say to you?"

There was a pause, and Alan could almost see Charlie's shrug. "Just what we said. It's a good chance to end this thing once and for all."

Alan stepped forward until he could see through the doorway. He wasn't trying to hide himself, but Charlie was moving back and forth, listlessly pulling clothing from a drawer and folding it on the bed, and Wilkes' back was turned; neither of them noticed him. Charlie kept his eyes down; he wasn't meeting Wilkes' gaze, Alan realized. His son was trying to keep his expression bland, but Alan could see tension in it. Whatever was going on, Charlie wanted no part of it – yet he was going along with it.

"Did he threaten you?"

"No!" Charlie's head shot up at that, and he stared at Wilkes. "Of course not." They locked eyes for a moment, and then Charlie's gaze faltered and he turned away.

"You don't have to do this, Charlie. It's okay to say 'no.'" Wilkes' voice had turned gentle, but Alan had heard enough.

"Don't have to do what?" he asked sharply, stepping through the door.

Wilkes and Charlie both looked at him guiltily, and Charlie, flushing, said, "Nothing, Dad."

Wilkes looked pointedly at Charlie, as if daring him to speak. "Why don't you tell him? Conaghan's cleared him, you know that."

Charlie shot him a sharp look, then turned to Alan and paused just long enough for Alan to know a falsehood was on the way. "It's nothing, really. We're just going on a trip – all of us. You knew that – we told you."

Alan's eyes narrowed, but he tried to look nonchalant. "Yes, so then what's the big deal? Why wouldn't you want to go?"

"Who says I don't want to go?" Charlie retorted, defensively. Alan could see frustration rising in his face. "I'm fine with this – now why don't you get out, and let me pack?" He turned his back on them, and they hesitated for a moment, then Wilkes moved out of the room, and Alan fell into step beside him in the hallway.

"Well, then, maybe you can tell me," said Alan a bit crossly. "Where are you going?"

Wilkes' face was expressionless. "You sons are going on a hiking trip, ostensibly alone. They'll be under surveillance the whole time, but the team will need to keep their distance."

Alan's face contorted in bewilderment, and he stopped at the top of the stairs. "A hiking trip? What on earth – why?"

Wilkes paused and faced him. "Don was contacted by our unknown man last night. He's turned on the current in Don's head again, and has been speaking to him since yesterday. The man thinks he's in control, and has instructed Don to bring Charlie on this trip, obviously to get them alone. Masters and Rogan are going to try to set him up - see if the man makes an appearance anywhere in the area, with a plan to apprehend him before he tries anything."

Alan stared at him, aghast. "But neither of them is ready for something like this – and to use my sons as bait…?" His voice trailed off, rising, as Wilkes turned and started down the stairs. "You can't do this!"

Wilkes kept moving. "That's what I told them," he tossed over his shoulder, and he strode for the front door, letting himself out, as Alan stared in stunned incredulity after him.

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Robin paced the length of her living room, turning quickly on her heel as a knock sounded on the door. She flew to open it, stepping aside to let Don in, and tried not to slam the door in Bill Masters' face as he waited outside.

"I can't stay," said Don. "I have a lot to do. They're going to take Charlie and me away for a few days."

She shook her head at him, in angry bewilderment. "I know what you're doing – I called the office looking for you, and Colby told me."

Don's face darkened. "He shouldn't have done that."

Her eyes flashed. "I'm cleared; there was no reason he couldn't. And you shouldn't be doing this! Don, what in the hell are you thinking?" Her expression softened, and her eyes searched his face, anxiously. "Are you ready for this? And what about Charlie?"

"We're as ready as we're gonna get." It was Don's voice, but his eyes were strange, hard and unreadable. "We don't have a choice. The man is calling the shots; we have to roll with it if we're going to catch him."

She shook her head, slowly, her eyes still on his face. "Don, I – well, you know better than anyone, I guess, if you're up to this, but - ," she paused, waiting for him to say something, but he was silent. She was afraid for him, and afraid for Charlie, afraid of what it would do to Don if anything happened to his younger brother on his watch. She'd seen the burden he'd carried the last few weeks, and knew how close to the edge he was walking, mentally. "Just be careful. Please." She tiptoed and leaned forward to kiss him, and he barely responded – he didn't lean forward and inclined his head only slightly. When their lips met, it was like kissing a stranger.

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Colby flexed his shoulders and rolled his head, trying to loosen the knots in his neck. The day and evening had flown by in a frenzy of preparation, and it was about ten a.m., roughly twenty-four hours since Don had told them he'd been contacted. Colby was now standing near the garage with David, waiting for Charlie to come out of the house. Don had pulled his SUV back to the garage to pack it, trying to get it off the street and keep their activities out of sight as much as possible. Colby doubted the man was anywhere near, however; he was too smart for that. No doubt, he was already somewhere up near the Angeles National Forest, waiting for them.

He and David continued to stuff gear in bags, wondering when Charlie would show. They had to give him his GPS tracking chip and a few last minute instructions, words that weren't meant for Don's ears. He rubbed the back of his head, uncomfortably. "This sucks," he muttered.

David straightened, glanced at him, and then trained his dark sunglasses out on the yard. "Yeah? Which part?" His lips quirked in a half smile, half grimace.

"All of it," grumbled Colby. "Don just - doesn't seem right. I can't put my finger on it, but he's not himself. I'm worried about him – and I'm worried about Charlie. What if Wilkes is right? Don just isn't acting normally."

David kept his eyes on the yard. "You can hardly blame him. Maybe he's not normal per se – but it doesn't mean he's a danger to Charlie."

"Maybe not," Colby said, as Charlie stepped out of the back door. "But the Don I know would never ask Charlie to do this."

David shot him a sharp glance as Masters directed Charlie toward them. "Who says he did? Charlie made it sound like a joint decision."

"Charlie said so," murmured Colby, as he watched the slight figure drop his backpack next to the SUV. Masters pulled him aside and spoke quietly to him, and Charlie nodded and began to cross the lawn toward them, as Colby continued. "I asked him point blank this morning if it was Don's idea, and he said yes. He backpedaled fast, and said that he agreed with him, but I'm not so sure he really does."

David stared at him for a moment; then turned his eyes on Charlie as he approached them, trying to mask the concern on his face with a smile. "Hey, Charlie."

Colby fished the GPS tracker out of his pocket, and put an arm around Charlie's shoulders, trying not to look shocked as his arm rested on what felt like bone under Charlie's baggy shirt. His grip was brief, and he gave Charlie an affectionate shake that masked the movement of his other hand as he slipped the GPS tracker into Charlie's palm. "Put that in your pocket, and keep it with you," he said, under his breath. "It's a GPS tracker. No one needs to know about it but you." More overtly, he handed Charlie a radio, as Charlie slipped the tracker in his pocket. "Keep that in your backpack."

Ian Edgerton had sauntered casually across the lawn to join them. "Don't stick with a situation that doesn't feel right," he added softly, his smile belying the content of his words. "If something spooks you, get out. We'll be watching; we'll catch up with you. We'll be behind you on the trail – if you can, head back the way you came; you'll reach us faster. If you can't run, do something big that we can pick up from a distance – wave your arms over your head."

"Thanks," said Charlie quietly. "We'll be okay." He glanced over his shoulder across the yard at Don, uncertainty in his gaze, and Colby studied him. Colby had stated that Don didn't seem himself; Charlie was actually worse. His normally rounded, boyish face was drawn; his usual breezy self-confidence shattered. He was thin, pale, barely recovered from his injuries, a shadow of his former self, mentally and physically. Colby wouldn't have bet that he would have made it a lap around the local park, much less survive a backpacking trip across hilly terrain. His earlier conviction was growing stronger by the minute. 'This is a really lousy idea,' he repeated to himself, for at least the tenth time. He watched as Don, Rogan, and Masters headed toward them, watched Charlie's shoulders tense at his brother's approach.

"We ready?" asked Don. His eyes rested on Charlie, briefly, and Colby tried to determine an expression in them, with no success. Don's gaze flicked over the group. "I've got the denim jacket packed, but he's going to instruct me to take it out and put it on when we get up there and the rest of you disperse. As soon as I do that, Charlie and I will to have to watch what we do or say – he'll have a visual on anything in front of me, and an audio on anything around us." He looked at Charlie. "It's gonna be like New Orleans, Charlie, when we had the bug in our room; we'll have to be careful what we discuss, but with the camera, we'll also have to watch our expressions and gestures – especially you. When I'm facing you, the camera will pick you up."

Charlie nodded, soberly. "I've got it." Colby relaxed, just slightly – Don's expression was unreadable, but he certainly sounded normal, in full possession of his faculties.

Edgerton spoke up. "Cell phone service isn't great out there. We gave Charlie a radio, but the camera will pick up any attempt at conversation, so you shouldn't use it unless it's a true emergency. Rogan, Masters, and Wilkes will follow you on the ride up, pretending to make sure that you aren't followed. As soon as they hit the junction of the Angeles Forest Highway and the Angeles Crest Highway, they'll peel off, and begin observing phone and radio silence, as far as both of you are concerned. Colby, David, and I are heading up separately, and we'll get to a spot near the trailhead to wait for you. We'll be well behind you on the trail; within field glass range but no closer, at least until we get a line of sight on our man. We can't afford for him to pick us up."

There was a pause as he waited for questions, and when there were none, Masters nodded. "I think we're set. Good luck, gentlemen."

Colby watched the two brothers walk away across the lawn with a sinking feeling in his heart. He knew from a prior experience that if Charlie confided in anyone about something that might be bothering him, it would probably be him. He felt responsible somehow, and the look that Charlie gave him right before he turned away hadn't helped matters. He'd hesitated for just a split second, his dark eyes had met Colby's; and for an instant, Colby thought that Charlie was about to tell him something, ask him something. Then he turned away and the moment was gone, but it left Colby wondering if he shouldn't have done something more to make sure that Charlie was truly okay with the plan. Maybe Charlie felt that he couldn't contradict Don; maybe he'd been hoping that someone would step in and call off this craziness, maybe all Charlie needed was someone to vindicate his own fears by standing up and declaring the mission a venture in insanity, and Colby had let him down. He'd said nothing, and let him walk away.

"What's the matter?" asked David, and Colby tore his eyes off Don's SUV as it pulled out of the driveway.

"Nothing," Colby muttered crossly. "Let's get this shit packed up and get moving."

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Charlie wasn't sure what he'd envisioned on the ride up, but it wasn't complete and total silence. It was suffocating; and filled with tension. Charlie had thought that perhaps they'd get a chance for a few last bits of conversation and planning before Don had to take his jacket out, but Don kept his eyes grimly on the highway ahead and his lips tightly closed. It made Charlie wonder if Don thought that the jacket, even packed away as it was in the rear of the vehicle, could pick up conversation, and so he too, kept his mouth shut, and his eyes on the road. His gaze was better off there anyway when he was so tense; he was still a little afraid that if he looked at Don too long he'd experience another flashback. Especially when Don looked as he did now - cold, dark, forbidding.

It made Charlie wonder what was going on in his head, and he chanced a sideways glance. Was the man talking to Don now, whispering plans, filling his head with hatred?

He wrenched his gaze back to the road, his gut flipping as he saw the sign for the Angeles Forest Highway, synonymous in his mind with the point of no return. Don slowed slightly as he passed the intersection, and picked up speed again on the other side, continuing down the Angeles Crest Highway. Charlie stole a glance in the side rearview mirror. Rogan, Masters, and Wilkes had been behind them the whole way, pretending to make sure that Don and Charlie weren't being followed to make it look believable in case they were being watched, and as Charlie looked in the mirror, he saw them swerve onto the Angeles Forest Highway - they'd turned off, as planned. They would make sure there was no one following them, and then proceed to the command post about ten miles away, where they would set up radio contact with Edgerton, Granger, and Sinclair, and the rest of the tactical team, which was being spread out throughout the area. In spite of all the manpower around them, however, Charlie knew that for practical purposes, he and Don were now alone.

Don drove on for a few more miles, and then pulled into the parking area for the Ridgeline Trailhead. There was a single vehicle there; otherwise, the lot was deserted. Charlie imagined the trail didn't see too many hikers at the beginning of March; the coastline was temperate, but the mountains were cold. The sun was shining brightly, but as Charlie slid out of the vehicle the brisk wind made him shiver and pull his jacket around him.

He stood near the rear of the vehicle as Don zipped open his backpack and pulled out the denim jacket; then lifted out a folded sweatshirt, holding it carefully. He took a quick look around the area, then pulled a gun in a holster from the bundled sweatshirt, and strapped it on with practiced ease. The sight of it made Charlie's stomach twist with apprehension. It was a stark reminder of the danger they were facing, and he tried to compose his features as Don slipped on the denim jacket and turned toward him. Charlie tried not to look directly at the buttons, one of which held the lens. "Nice day for a hike," Don said for the camera, and smiled, his dark eyes glittering in the bright sunlight, before he slipped on his sunglasses.

Charlie forced a smile in return, fighting the shudder that ran down his spine.

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End Chapter 51

A/N: The Angles National Forest and the highways mentioned are real, as is the town of Three Points, mentioned later. The trails and their descriptions are fictional.