Fic: Last Chance, Chapter 5 (Numb3rs, Charlie / Colby, Ian / David)
Title: Last Chance, Chapter 5
Pair: Charlie Eppes / Colby Granger,
Ian Edgerton / David Sinclair
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Not mine, etc.
Feedback: Always Welcome
NUMB3RS Main List
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
“You want me to watch it with you?”
Ian shook his head and David left him alone to the AV-room. He waited for a while outside the door, but Ian didn’t ask him to come back.
“David?” Megan approached him carefully. “How is he?”
“I don’t know, he’s not saying anything. I mean he doesn’t talk that much anyway, but… You need help?”
“Are you sure you’re up to it?”
“Yeah. What are we doing?”
“Going through a list of warehouses RG. Rentals owns.”
“How do you know it’s one their places?”
“We checked some feezeframes from the vidoe. There was an add in the background, half covered. We contacted RG and we got a list of locations in the L.A. area.”
“Are you sure they’re in L.A.?”
“He’s been to Charlie’s house twice, he has to be somewhere in L.A.”
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Colby put his gun back to the holster and gave the guest an awkward smile.
“Sorry about that. We’re little nervous right now.”
“At least you didn’t shoot me before asking for IDs.” Martin commented and came in.
“It’s dark outside, I didn’t see who it was.”
“It’s okay. Definitely not the weirdest thing that has happened in this house. So what’s going on?”
“Remember Carson?”
“The Nutcase Carson? Yeah.”
“He’s on the loose and he’s got a hostage. Megan and Don are working on it.”
“Where’s David? And Ian, you’d think he would want to be involved.”
“They were on that vacation when this started, they just got back.” Colby noticed the small carry-on Martin had left next to the door. “I thought you weren’t coming back till Friday.”
“We finished everything early. It was so hectic I had to keep my phone off to focus. I didn’t even have time to listen my messages.”
“You got Don panicking for a while. Anyway, good thing you’re back, I could use some help with Charlie.”
“Why?”
“Carson was here. Twice. He left two packages for Ian.”
“What kind of packages?”
“First one contained three severed fingers.”
“And the other one?”
“A DVD of Carson with his hostage.”
“Charlie saw those?”
“Yeah.”
“How did he take it?”
“Well… he was nauseated, but I don’t think that was the biggest thing about it. He’s freaking out because Carson was so close to the baby.”
“Makes sense.”
“Can you try talking to him? I-” Colby paused and grabbed his ringing phone from his pocket. “Granger. Where? Okay, I’m on my way.” He hung up.
“What was that?”
“They think they found the warehouse where Carson`s keeping the victim. The SWAT-team is meeting us there. Can you stay with Charlie?”
“Sure.”
“Listen, if something happens….” Colby pulled a small key out of his key ring. “My spare gun is in the top drawer.” He pointed to the wooden cabinet. “You know how to use a handgun?”
“Yeah.”
“It’s loaded, just snap the safety off.”
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“I talked to the paramedics.” Megan explained. “They’re taking the kid to the hospital as we speak.”
“Is he gonna make it?” Don asked.
“They were carefully optimistic. Their words, not mine.” She sighed. “I got this feeling…”
“What kind of feeling?”
“Don’t you think this was little bit too easy? We saw that sign on the tape, we found the warehouse and the victim. I think Carson just let us find him.”
“So where do you think he’s going now? Out of state? Hide somewhere?”
“No, I think he’s still planning something and that includes staying here. I guess we’ll have to wait till we can talk to the victim.”
“Nothing interesting.” Colby announced and joined them outside the warehouse. “The forensic team did a preliminary check. Nothing we didn’t know, and nothing that would tell us what he’s up to.”
“Did you call Edgerton?”
“No, I’m pretty sure David wants to handle that. Are we going back to the office?”
“Yeah.” Don groaned. “There’s nothing we can do here.”
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“-and then the airline hostess poured the whole thing on my lap.” Martin finished his story. “That was the Grand Finale.”
“Okay, I admit. That was worse than my experiences.” Charlie chuckled, and leaned over to straightened out Helen`s blanket. “I think she’s really asleep now. She always sleeps these five or ten minute shorties before she really falls asleep.”
The content look on his face slipped. He looked at Martin and the alert expression made it clear he had heard it too. A sound of glass breaking. Charlie`s fingers curled around the edge of the crib.
Martin considered the options.
“Stay here.” He pulled his cell phone out and handed it over to Charlie. “Lock the door, call Don and the others and stay quiet.”
He stepped out of the nursery and waited till he heard the click of the lock.
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“Agent Eppes?” One of the latest newcomers of the office approached Don and the team carefully, keeping his eyes mostly on the ground. “Sorry, to bother you but… but…”
“Calm down. What do you want?”
“We still don’t know what to do about that tip. Agent Edgerton didn’t leave any instructions.”
“What tip?”
“The eyewitness from the warehouse area. He called maybe ten minutes ago. He said he remembered it on the way home-”
“He remembered what?”
“He saw a man leaving the area maybe half an hour before our people got there.”
“Did the man match Carson’s description?”
“Yes, sir. And he said….”
“What?”
“He wasn’t sure, but he thought he saw the man carrying a small parcel.”
“Where the hell is he going?” Don exclaimed. “We found his hideout, he has to know that.”
“He knew that Ian was out of town so he let the previous packages to Charlie’s house.” Megan reminded with a slightly panicked tone. “He probably doesn’t know that Ian is back in L.A.”
Don ran out of the bullpen with the rest of the team in tow.
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When Martin snapped the lights on, the man in the living room seemed to freeze in surprise. He recovered quickly and pulled a gun out of his pocket.
“Calm down, I’m unarmed.” Martin came down the stairs slowly, keeping his eye contact with the other man. “You don’t need that gun, Carson.”
“Should I know you?”
“No. But I know you. Why are you here?” He glanced down to confirm what he thought he had seen when the lights came on. Carson had a small packet in his other hand. “Come on, I’m not a fed. I just wanna talk.”
“Why?”
“Because you look like you need it.”
Carson let out a hysterical laughter. “I’ve gone way past that point.”
“No, you haven’t. There’s nobody else around. Let’s just calm down.” He pointed down to the parcel. “What do you have there?”
“None of your business”
“Is that for Ian?”
“Yeah.”
“Like the ones you left here before?”
“Yeah. They’re all for him.”
“Why did you give him that kinda gifts? I usually prefer chocolate.”
“He…. I…. I just want him to listen to me.”
“I’m listening. You don’t need the gun. Just put it down and I’ll listen to you.”
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“Babe, just stay calm.” Colby repeated to the phone in his calmest voice. “We’re on our way. Just stay with the baby right where you are and stay quiet.” He eyed the scenery on the car window, trying to keep his nerves in check.
“I can’t reach Ian.” Megan reported and closed her phone. “But the back-up will meet us at the house.
“You really think Carson’s there?”
“He has nothing to loose, and he was seen carrying another packet. He’s not going anywhere till he’s delivered it.”
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“He’s never gonna love me now.” Carson stated with a faint voice. Once he had started the words seemed to fall out of his mouth on their own.
“No.” Martin said softly. “But you can love someone else. If you stop here you can do that. You can get better and when you do-”
“Not after what I’ve done.”
“You’re sick. You wouldn’t do that if you were yourself, would you?”
“No.” Carson pressed his eyes shut for a minute. “I’m a good guy. Really. I just… I can’t control it. Like I’m in my body but someone else is controlling it.”
“They know that. The doctors know that. I know that. You can take control if you want. Focus on it. You can make things right.”
“I don’t know.”
“You can. You can stop this circle right here.” Martin reached for Carson, holding his hand in front of him. “I’ll help you. Give me the gun, and I promise I’ll help you.”
Carson lifted his gaze from the floor. A slight change in his expression made him look like a lost child. He gave the gun to Martin.
“Thank you.” Martin went to the drawer and locked the gun next to Colby’s spare.
“Fridegord.” Edgerton’s voice came from the garage door. He stepped out of the shadows, holding his gun. “Leave.”
“What are you gonna do?”
“What do you think? What I should have done last time.”
Carson seemed to shrink against the wall. His voice had become thick and foggy.
“Ian? I’m sorry…. I’m so sorry….”
“Are the others coming?” Martin asked.
“I don’t need them here.”
“You’re not shooting an unarmed man. He gave up, he’s surrendering.”
“So he can escape again.” Ian stated. “I’ve handled things this way before, and the result is permanent.”
“Wait till Don and his team come here, okay?” Martin took few steps closer, blocking the sniper’s line of fire. “Don called some time ago, your boy is in the hospital. Isn’t that more important?”
“Get out of my way.”
“No.” Martin closed the gap between them. “You’re a professional. You shoot if they tell you to shoot, but if you do that on your own, that’s murder. That’s entirely different. You do what you have to at work, but you’re not a murderer.”
“Last warning.”
“Ian, listen to me-”
Ian’s face had gone from determined to unreadable. He pulled the trigger and Martin slumped down to the floor.
Five seconds later two bullets penetrated Carson’s chest.
TBC