12 – CHAPTER TWELVE – 1.230^12
About two hours later, they arrived at Huntington Memorial Hospital. Since Don and Charlie hadn't seemed to be in the need of immediate medical treatment, they'd decided to go to the hospital nearest the Craftsman in case they had to stay over night. The doctors agreed that as long as the two brothers rested sufficiently and ingested enough liquids it wouldn't be necessary. And since they didn't want anything else except to get home (and not only in order to appease their father), they readily swore to do that.
When they approached the Craftsman they weren't surprised a bit when they saw a light on, although it was nearly midnight. They were equally unsurprised when the door was torn open as soon as the vehicle crunched on the gravel in the driveway; after all, Colby had phoned their father from the hospital to let him know they were on their way home. They were a bit more surprised by the presence of not only Alan, but also Larry and Amita.
Alan, followed by the other two, had already rounded the vehicle when Don and Charlie had just finished their struggle with the seat belts, and opened the doors for them. "Oh my God, my boys, my boys!" he called, as he'd been doing since he'd left the house. "Are you alright? Are you hurt?"
"We're fine, dad," Don reassured him quietly while they all got out and the three Eppes hugged tightly. Don noticed the tears on Alan's cheeks, and hastened to reassure him, "It's alright, Dad. Nobody's been harmed."
Both brothers were heartened to see their father seemingly no worse for wear after his brush with the mobsters. Without realizing it, they relaxed their shoulders and let out matching relieved sighs.
Alan nodded, swallowing, then turned towards his youngest to hear the same from him.
"We're alright," Charlie hastily said as soon as his father's gaze was upon him. Luckily for him, the only recognizable trace of their adventures was the discoloration of his temple to where Alan's trembling eyes were drawn. He could hardly stand it to see their father so confused and overwhelmed. The whole thing hadn't seemed that bad to him. Well, ok, the hours in the dungeon had been something… nightmarish. During their hike through the wooded mountains, though, their prison had retreated further into the past and had become something Don and he'd endured successfully together. And not for the first time Charlie thought of how everything would have gone differently if Don hadn't been there.
"Oh God, Charlie, I'm so glad you're alright!" Amita had also now pulled herself out of the tensed numbness she'd been feeling as they'd heard the car draw up. She could finally breathe again, and she hugged Charlie tightly. As she released him with her eyes moist and her face wet with tears, an equally pale Larry silently patted him on his shoulder. His mouth and eyes were open as if he was seeing a ghost.
"How… how are you?" Amita asked, her words directed to both of the brothers, while she tried to dry her eyes with the backs of her hands. It was in vain, as new tears fell in a steady stream.
"We're fine, really," Charlie answered, smiling slightly. "Only a bit tired maybe."
Colby and David took that as their clue to leave. They didn't want to be intruders in an obviously emotive family reunion. Before they said their good-byes, however, the latter took from the trunk the crutches Don had been given at the hospital. When he turned back to the Eppes clan, he didn't miss Alan's wide-opened eyes by any means. As Don's trousers had covered the splint and as they were still standing by the car, his injury had been hidden from Alan's eyes until now.
"Okay then, take care," David hastily said avoiding Alan's look. He thrust the crutches at his boss, climbed into the passenger seat and disappeared with Colby into the night.
"What – what is that, Donnie?" Alan wanted to know after he'd found his voice again.
"Crutches," Don answered shortly before he got carried away with more words. "It's really nothing, dad, just sprained. I'm not supposed to strain the foot, that's all." He grinned. "Charlie patched me up good while we were still in the woods."
Larry, the reticent observer, noticed (with the help of his widely open eyes) the exhaustion in the two brothers' features. Unsurprisingly, the events had chased gauge bosons and quanta out of his mind and replaced them with concern.
"Do you… do you still need anything?" he asked into the tense silence. "Can we do anything for you?"
The two brothers smiled warmly. As much as they appreciated the sentiments, the idea of a hot shower and being able to sleep in real beds were the only things on their minds. "No, thank you, Larry," Charlie responded. "We're really just a bit tired. They gave us pain killers in the hospital."
"Oh," Amita uttered. "Oh. Then… then we'd better go."
Charlie's features turned regretful for a brief instant. He was aware, though, that he was too tired to take advantage of her presence. He was really wiped out, and after all he'd see Amita again tomorrow. And maybe by then the situation wouldn't be so strangely awkward for all involved.
"We'll drop over sometime tomorrow, though," she went on before adding hastily, "Of course only if you're okay with that."
"Now, stop it," Don smiled. "Friends are always welcome at the Eppes' house."
Both Larry and Amita gave the three men a warm smile in which there was also a generous dose of relief. Then they too said their good-byes and were gone.
Alan barely noticed their parting words. He was still looking worriedly at his two sons and at the way his eldest was favoring his injured foot. He still didn't seem to be convinced by Don's words that it was nothing, but remained silent knowing that exaggerated worry would only get on his sons' nerves.
'But, my God,' he thought, 'they'd been kidnapped! How could worry be exaggerated then?'
The past hours and days had left an impression in his mind; an impression that would probably accompany him until his demise.
But it was over. Alan watched from the corner of his eye as his sons trudged (well, Don actually sort of hopped) into the house, tired and exhausted. He said the words in his mind, 'It's over.' But he didn't feel them. He knew that his sons were fine but that wasn't enough. He knew that they were home again but he couldn't take it in properly. 'They're back, they're here again, you're seeing them right in front of you.' It didn't work, though. As long as the memory of the fear and the worry and the trepidation was still inside him, it would never be over.
0 – 0 – 0
"So they're back?"
The Russian nodded. "We've been watching the house; they arrived there an hour ago."
The boss' features darkened. Granted, the chance had been slim, but still they'd dared to hope that something could have happened to the two of them that would have prevented them from returning home for a long period of time – or even better, never. It would have made many things a lot easier.
Now, however, they were back, and that in a way that didn't give him and his men the slightest advantage. His well-thought-out plan had been destroyed by these pests. But that had been the last time. They wouldn't mess with his business again. He would make sure that they'd never get in his way again. And above all, he'd be careful that no-one would be able to pin the tiniest bit of proof on him.
0 – 0 – 0
Alan didn't wake his sons the next morning. That was something the doorbell did. Alan wasn't too surprised to see David and Colby outside, and asked them in, just when a hobbling Don and, behind him, Charlie came down the stairs.
"Morning. How are you?" the two agents greeted them.
"Couldn't be better," Don answered happily.
"Shouldn't you be resting?" Alan asked before Charlie could reply to the friends' question. So he answered his father's.
"Dad, it's ten o'clock. We are rested."
"You are?"
"Yes, dad, don't worry. We'll take care of ourselves," Don appeased him and tried to sound neither too argumentative nor too annoyed. "But we have to make our official report of the kidnapping."
"It won't take long," David, too, reassured him.
"If you say so," Alan huffed and disappeared into the garden. He'd surely find something that would keep him busy, there. He didn't know where precisely his bad mood was coming from. A large part certainly came from the injudiciousness of his sons – how could they pretend nothing had happened? –, but maybe also from the suppressed feelings of the past days. Maybe also Don's and Charlie's bad mood had rubbed off on him. Tiredness had its own part to play. That was understandable, for it was after midnight that Alan had informed Millie at her obviously concerned begging about the state of his two sons. She had really stood by him during the past two days. And despite his relief, he still hadn't found sleep since he'd made sure every half hour that Don and Charlie were really lying unharmed in their beds.
So whatever the reason for his ill humor – the fact was that it was there. The two agents on duty and the two brothers exchanged glances, but they silently agreed to leave Alan alone.
After the brothers had led the agents into the living room, David began by saying to Don, "Merrick told us to tell you that your request for desk duty has been accepted. You're on duty again tomorrow if you want. If you want he'll also sign you off for a week, though."
"And that's something he hasn't offered to anyone before, so think about it," Colby joined in, but Don shook his head.
"You don't seriously think that I'm sitting here twiddling my thumbs while these mad guys are still running around out there, do you?"
His co-workers exchanged a wry smile. No, they really hadn't thought that. And after all, they could understand Don. Charlie and he had been kidnapped by the same men that had killed a co-worker. They, too, in Don's place, would have done anything to solve the case.
"Well then, let's start at once with your reports." They all slid a bit forward on their seats as if the changed position would help them to become more serious.
Taking their statements was a long and annoying task, and Don was glad that they were doing it in the comfort of his childhood home. Charlie and he were indeed quite fine, but they still felt effects of the lack of fluids and the surplus of adrenaline of the last few days. Not forgetting the two nights spent sleeping on hard floors.
"Okay… I think that's it," David then said after an hour and a half, looking quizzically at his co-workers who nodded, a bit tired.
"I can't think of anything we might have forgotten," Don agreed and Charlie murmured a low contribution as well, "That's what I thought around an hour ago."
The three agents grinned, and also Charlie forced himself to a wry grin before he couldn't hold back his curiosity anymore. "So? What's the meaning of all this? What's behind everything?"
The agents exchanged glances. "Well," Colby then uttered, "that's exactly the thing we want to find out now."
Don nodded vigorously and thereby seemed to shake off his former tiredness. "Okay, first of all, what did these guys want from us?"
The answer came at once. "Kill you?" Colby offered, and he managed to keep up his cool façade. He noticed David's reproachful gaze and added, "What? Don't be offended, guys, I'm glad they didn't, but it damn looked like they wanted to!"
Slowly, Don shook his head. The whole thing was still pretty confusing. "If they'd wanted to kill us, they wouldn't have been holding on to us for so long."
"Maybe they wanted to squeeze you for something first?"
"But they didn't try."
"Perhaps they were waiting for someone to do it?"
"Who?" Don was gradually becoming more irritable. This whole puzzling on and on was going nowhere and the assault was definitely getting to him. "Maybe for Santa Claus?"
"Maybe for their boss," David proposed.
Don was wondering. "Possible. But honestly, I don't believe it. This whole abduction doesn't look as if it had been expertly planned, but still I don't think it wouldn't have taken a whole day to get their boss to them. Besides it wouldn't have been necessary for an interrogation, at least they could have tried earlier… no, it all doesn't make any sense."
"But it's possible," David persisted. "We should keep that option in mind."
"Well, okay," admitted Don, still slightly unnerved, "but still, it doesn't help us get a clear view of what's going on."
"And you say they didn't make any demands?" Charlie piped up for the first time in the debate. He hadn't been sure if he interrupted the agents in their work if he verbalized a thought. It was elusive; he was as uncertain again as in his first cases for Don.
"No," Colby answered. "Neither to Alan, nor to the FBI."
"And the law firm?" Don chipped in.
David shook his head. "If yes, we don't know anything about it."
"And what if," Charlie joined in again, "they just wanted to tantalize you a bit further and not make their demand until after some time? That often happens with abduction cases."
And how do you think you know what happens in abduction cases?, Don wanted to retort, but he contained himself. For one, he knew that it'd be unfair – he didn't want the bad mood to rise up again – and two, it occurred to him that Charlie had not only with the FBI, but also with his other counseling jobs probably learned more than he, the Big Brother, was aware. Instead he wondered.
"Yeah," he finally uttered and was surprised that Charlie's theory did really sound logical. "That could fit."
"Okay, so that means," David summarized, "that the mobsters kidnapped you to demand the release of somebody, probably by the FBI."
"And maybe in addition to that at the law firm," Don joined in.
"For all I care. But who do they want released?"
"Prisoners?" Colby suggested.
Don shrugged. No matter which way they looked at it, nothing made sense.
"Possible."
"But wait a moment, Don." Apparently something had occurred to David. "If they kidnapped you to demand the release of something or somebody, whatever it might be – aren't you still in danger then?"
Don felt the others' tense gazes on him. In his thoughts, he agreed with his co-worker. He, too, had already come to that conclusion. For whatever reasons Charlie and he might have been kidnapped – their flight had disarranged the opponents' plans, but not destroyed them. That meant that these guys would probably come up with something new to enforce their aims. Maybe the mob had already started the planning. They'd have to make up for the lost opportunity as soon as possible and make the necessary arrangements.
"Go away, please."
Confused, Charlie stared at his brother. "What?"
"Leave the room now, please. I have to talk to David and Colby about something alone. Go in the garden or somewhere."
"What is this? Do you think you're allowed to tell me where I can and can't be in my own house?"
"Oh Charlie, that's not what it's about. Just leave us alone for awhile."
"I'm not a little child anymore! You can't order me –"
"Charlie, that has nothing to do with it." Don's voice was sharp and wasn't allowing for any disagreement. "But I have to talk about something work-related with my colleagues that quite honestly is nothing to you. It'll only take a minute."
Charlie's eyes flashed. For a long moment he just stared at his brother. Finally, however, he turned on his heels. At the bottom of the stairs he glanced back gloomily and then rushed up the stairs into his room.
Well, Don thought, better than nothing. The garden would have provided a double advantage, though: for one, Charlie wouldn't have been able to eavesdrop on their conversation, and two Don would have been able to keep an eye on him.
After the agents had heard the unmistakable sound of Charlie's bedroom door closing, they turned their gaze away from the empty stairs.
"Well?" Colby challenged Don to start the conversation. "What is it that you want us to talk about?"
"I agree with David. I also assume that the mobsters have still their sights on us. Therefore we should think about how to get Charlie and my father to safety."
Both men had been thinking along these lines themselves and were silent before something occurred to David, "And what about you?"
"Why, what about me?"
"Well, these guys are targeting you as much as your family, for whatever reason."
"Possible. So?"
David tried to decipher Don's facial expression. "That means," he explained carefully and wondered if Don was still tired and not thinking things through or really didn't think he was in danger, "that you're as well in danger and should be protected as well."
Don snorted. "Do me a favour, David, and only suggest things in the future that advance this case."
David was about to say that his suggestion was very relevant and by no means irrational, but from the corner of his eye he noticed Colby's warning gaze. Don had already hit the roof a few days ago, and since at the moment Charlie was upstairs and also Alan was very close, it didn't seem prudent to be testing David's luck.
Consequently there was an awkward silence for some seconds before Colby made the next suggestion, "Do you have any relatives they could go to for some days?"
Don wondered. "Yeah," he finally said. "Our aunt Susann lives in Baltimore. She's been wanting Dad to visit her for a long time, anyway. And she certainly would be happy if Charlie arrived with him."
"She should be," David murmured, wondering if Charlie might be in agreement, but he considered it better to think of it as the helping hand of fate that Don hadn't heard his comment. His boss was too occupied with Colby's response.
"Sounds good. Another state, a law abiding citizen probably…"
"You betcha," Don uttered. He couldn't imagine aunt Susann ever having gotten as much as a parking ticket. However, it then immediately occurred to him that he wasn't sure whether his father's sister even held a driver's licence.
"Of course we'd need a pretext and a made-up story that everyone would swallow," David participated again in the conversation.
"We'll find something, I'm sure. There'll be a math congress somewhere that Charlie just has to go to and Dad accompanies him. And that's all anyone needs to know"
"Okay, that sounds plausible. Now we should…" – David hastened to correct himself – "now it's up to you to tell the two of them."
Don sighed deeply, knowing what would come now. Anyway – he'd no choice.
"Charlie!" he called up the stairs and was nearly certain that Charlie would remain upstairs and sulk. However, his brother apparently was too curious and wanted to know the exciting things the three agents had been talking about, so he entered the living room nearly at the same time as Alan.
"What's going on?" Alan wanted to know, crossing his arms in front of his chest. He didn't seem to have lost his bad mood.
"We…" Unbelievably, Don had to clear his throat. "It's this…" How he was squirming! "It'd be better if you and Charlie went to aunt Susann's in Baltimore for a few days."
Don had been talking to his father on purpose. It was better for all of them if Alan acted as a negotiator between his two sons. At least he hoped so. He ignored the fact that past events didn't really corroborate his thesis.
Alan raised his eye-brows, but Charlie's reaction was by far more offensive.
"What?", he gasped. "You cannot be serious! These mobsters are still walking around free, and if –"
"That's exactly the point, Charlie," Don interrupted his little brother, determined and already quite irritable. "As long as these guys are still on the loose I do not want you to roam their district without any protection!"
"But if we don't find them the whole thing won't be resolved!"
"Right, but that's not your problem! Just let us do our job and go to Aunt Susann's with dad!"
Charlie glared sullenly at his brother. It was clear that he wasn't even considering following his orders. "And you?" he demanded snappishly. "Are you coming with us to Aunt Susann's?"
"No, of course not. Someone has to solve the case, after all."
"Oh, so that means, it's two different ballgames depending on if they've kidnapped you or me, or what? Why on earth can you stay and I can't? I can help you, Don! I've already started with the analysis and if –"
That was it. Don had finally reached the end of his tether. "Just be good for once, will you?" he yelled at Charlie. "I'm not letting you argue with me! You're going to Baltimore and that's it!"
Breathing heavily, they were standing face to face glaring into each other's eyes both of them feeling they were in the right and neither willing to back down.
Charlie knew that Don was serious. He didn't want to have him here, under no circumstances. But Charlie also knew that he couldn't simply leave now. For one, he couldn't leave Don alone since the danger was also there for him, and two he knew that it would be much more difficult, if not impossible, to complete the network analysis from the other side of the continent – and do it before the mob could commit a massacre. Don wouldn't give in, though. He was blind to all logic and wanted to force his own will onto Charlie.
Charlie was fuming. A surge of fury like he'd seldom felt, was boiling up inside him. Don was being so narrow-minded! At this moment, he would like to kick his brother's sorry butt into the next state. He couldn't bear to look at him anymore. It was like in Larry's office a few days ago, or was it years ago? For the moment, he couldn't tell. Abruptly, he tore his eyes away and rushed to the door. He wanted to make Don see with his own eyes that he had to stay here. But later, when he'd be able to look into his eyes without longing to send him to hell.
"You stay here!" Don shouted after him when he realized what his brother intended to do and what that meant. Charlie had already banged the door behind him, though, got on his bike to ride anywhere where he could give free rein to his anger.