Fic: Everyone Has A Secret, Chapter 2/3 (Numb3rs, Don / Martin, David / Ian, Bobby)
Title: Everyone has a Secret, Chapter 2/3
Pair: Charlie Eppes / Colby Granger,
Don Eppes / Martin Fridegord,
David Sinclair / Ian Edgerton,
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Not mine, etc.
Feedback: Always Welcome
NUMB3RS Main List
Chapter 1/3
“Sinclair.” Don grabbed David by his arm as soon as he stepped into the bullpen, and dragged him into the break room. “Start talking.”
“Don-”
“I’ve had one hell off a morning, and I just got here less than an hour ago. I had to explain to the higher ups I’d never even seen before why one of my men used his security codes and bureau IDs to enter the databases without authorisation.”
“I was-”
“We don’t have a case and you know full well that private use of the databases is forbidden. What the hell were you doing?”
“I did a background check on someone-”
“Well, it must have been a bit more, because they noticed it right away! Whose information did you check?”
“Bobby’s.”
“Why?”
“It’s… personal.”
“I don’t care. I lied to my bosses that I authorised the search, so you better have a good excuse.”
“I… we… I think he’s lying about his past.”
“So you misused the bureau database for that?”
“Come on, it’s not like you’ve never bent some rules.”
“I’ve done that, but usually that doesn’t bring the higher ups on my case within ten hours. Sit down.” Don took a seat on the opposite side of the table. “Start from the beginning.”
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“You got a minute?” Bobby walked into Martin’s office and closed the door. “This is important.”
“Someone searched you from the FBI`s databases. I know, they just called me.”
“I got the call on the way here. Did they tell you who it was?”
“David. Or at least his IDs. And after that thing you talked about with that man…”
“It probably was him.” Bobby finished. “They don’t think he found anything, but he’s suspicious.”
“That’s what they told me too.”
“Anything else?”
“Just the usual “We’ll tell you as much as you need to know and nothing else” speech.”
“Did they say anything about relocating me?”
“No. It’s just David.” Martin sighed and leaned back in his chair. “He’s curious, but he’s not working for anyone and he definitely didn’t dig up all that to sell it forward.”
“Yeah, I…” Bobby sunk into one of the stuffed armchairs. “I like my life here, I don’t want to leave.”
“Then I think you should tell him.”
“Yeah…” He pulled his phone out and weighted it in his hand. “That six month period… I was send from one place to the next like a Ping-Pong ball. I don’t wanna start that again.”
“It’s David.” Martin reminded. “You trust him, don’t you?”
“Yeah. But I’m probably not the best judge of character-”
“Anyone can make couple mistakes. Especially in your age.”
Bobby gave him a crooked smile.
“Should I be insulted?”
“No. Take it from someone older than you: Smart people go by two guidelines.”
“What’s the first?”
“If your gut tells you not to trust someone, it is probably right.”
“And the second?”
“If it says you can trust someone, it’s right about eighty percent of the time.”
“What about the remaining twenty percent?”
“Then you hold on and take what comes along.”
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“Six months of blank. Don’t you think that’s suspicious?”
“There could be some totally normal reason for that.” Don stated. “Maybe he took some time off, or travelled to India to find the light.”
“And lied that he had just moved to L.A. when he had moved here way over a year ago? And kept his apartment ready the whole time? It doesn’t make sense.”
“I admit that it sounds weird, but it’s not your problem.”
“And his accent.”
“He doesn’t have one.”
“Exactly. He said he lived his whole life in Wyoming, but I’ve never heard him slip into an accent. Everyone does that sometime, unless they try to hide it.”
“A lot of people hide their accent when they move away.”
“That well? I don’t buy it.”
“Let’s recap. Twenty-four hours ago everything was fine, one drunken stranger later the guy is lying about everything and you don’t mind breaking the rules to dig up his past.”
“You just said you thought it was fishy too-”
“I’m telling you what they told me. Drop it, you’ll be dropped.”
“They’ll kick me out?”
“I think the exact phrase was: Transfer to Antarctica to investigate penguin smuggling.” Don headed to the door, but paused when his phone started ringing. He pulled it out of his pocket and flipped it open. “Eppes. Hey… Yeah, he’s here.”
He shot David a sharp glance.
“When? I’ll tell him.” He hung up. “That was Martin. He asked if you could go to his office.”
“Why?”
“Bobby wants to talk to you.”
“You think he knows I know?”
“You don’t know, so how could he know?”
“Yeah, but if he assumes I don’t know, but suspects I do know-”
“Sinclair.”
“I’m freaking out, aren’t I?”
“Sounds like it. Get going.”
“Yeah… what if it’s something bad? What if he used to be a mafia hitman and now the bureau’s hiding him in exchange for co-operation?”
“He’s a little young for that.”
“Right. What if he’s-”
“Move or I’ll move you.”
“Got it, I’m going.”
David rushed out of the break room, but barged in again few minutes later.
“I have no idea where Martin’s office is.”
Chapter 3/3