Time Out or Time Served?
Catherine Willows was sitting in a prison cell looking very dejected and frustrated.
She shouldn't even have been in there. She hadn't done anything wrong. It was all a mistake on the part of the arresting officer. What was worse is that she had a bandaged arm, a through and through wound, and hadn't been allowed any calls. She had to wait until morning when it was a reasonable time for the officer's superiors came in. She would certainly have that officer's badge, or she'd get Jim Brass to do it for her.
So she sat, and she waited. She thought back to how the nightmare all began.
All she had done was take a break from work and gone down to the store to buy some coffee for the team. She was dressed in a blank shirt with a tank top underneath, black slacks, her Sig Sauer .38 in its holster on her hip and some cash in her pocket for the coffee. She'd left her purse and ID back in her locker. That was her first mistake.
Her second mistake was to try and stop a robbery that started after she had ordered the coffees. Two males dressed in black came in brandishing pistols and demanding cash telling everyone in the store to lie down on the floor. The cashier had hit the silent alarm they'd recently installed and waited for the police to arrive. The robbers hadn't seen Catherine at first, nor did they know she had a gun. That's when all hell broke loose.
Police cars pulled up out front and the robbers panicked. They headed out the back door. Catherine went after them to try and stop them. Yes you guessed it, her third mistake. The police out the back had the two robbers on the pavement, disarmed and about to be cuffed when Catherine ran out, gun in hand. A rookie cop yelled out "GUN!" and fired a shot at Catherine. The shot hit her arm and spun her around and she was suddenly pounced on by several cops, cuffed and heaved up to her feet again. Her pistol was retrieved by the rookie cop's partner.
"Nice work rookie, looks like there were three of them, not bad looking either."
Catherine simply had to say something, her arm was bleeding and she was in pain. They hadn't even asked her to identify herself. That was going to change now.
"If you guys can your self congratulations, I'd be obliged if you at least ask me to identify myself, then uncuff me so I can get back to work and get your butts kicked."
"Hey Sarge, the lady wants to get back to work and kick our butts," grinned the rookie.
"Sorry sweetheart, your crime spree has ended now, you can wait until the boss comes in in the morning and complain to him, our shift just ended, all we gotta do is lock you and your boyfriends up and go home."
Catherine was stunned, these smart ass cops didn't care, she had never seen them before at her crime scenes so they wouldn't recognize her either. All she could do is wait but she tried one more tactic.
"This will be the biggest mistake of your career boys, arresting a CSI is serious business."
"You got a badge on you lady? I thought not, hardly even wearing clothes as it is, skin tight clothing, maybe I'll hang around and do the body search later," smiled the Sarge.
She wasn't going to get out of this soon and as for her arm, it hurt like hell, but there was a faint hope, CSI would be called to the scene and when blood matching hers came back, the proverbial shit would hit the fan. She'd just have to wait it out.
Grissom had walked into the break room to hand out some more assignments and found only Sara and Greg there.
"Where's Catherine?"
"Not back from the store yet with our coffee."
"Well in that case, grab your stuff, that's where we are going, robbery just went down there, three in custody, two males, one female."
"But where can Cath be?" Sara asked Grissom.
"I have a suspicion but it'll have to wait a bit."
They got to the store and Greg started taking pictures, Sara found blood and swabbed it. Grissom followed a hunch and found a 9mm bullet lodged in a wall panel. All were sent back to the lab to be processed. Needless to say, the results wouldn't be known for hours, or perhaps days depending on its priority. Grissom gave the blood and bullet priority one.
The blood came back as Catherine's blood, and the bullet came back as a match to a rookie cop, the blood on the bullet was Catherine's as well. He didn't like where this was going, his suspicion was a very real possibility now. If he was right, Brass could be called in as a Captain, not a homicide detective.
Being processed as a criminal was almost novel for Catherine if it wasn't so real, her wound was cleaned with basic first aid and bandaged before she was strip searched and given her clothes back and put into a holding cell on her own. She decided to push for her rights, hell they hadn't even read her her rights. Someone higher up was going to suffer for gross incompetence.
"Hey out there, I want my phone call and a doctor."
"Shut up in there, nothing until a reasonable hour, who do you think you are?"
"I want your badge number and name as well, and you'd better remember it, because shortly you're gonna lose it."
"Hey lady, you go into a store to rob it and get caught, now you think you're the queen of bloody sheba? Can it or feel my boot up your ass."
She decided to shut up and wait, the others would be looking for her now. Upon reflection this was sort of funny, although it would be funnier if she didn't have a hole in her arm. She started laughing at this predicament because she knew the guys would laugh as well. It WAS funny.
Morning finally arrived and Catherine hadn't slept at all well on the tiny bunk in her cell. Her breakfast was brought in and then she demanded a phone call and to see a superior officer. It was met by stubborn resistance, instead she was going to be interrogated about the robbery and taken to an interrogation room.
"Interrogate your little hearts out boys, but I demand a female officer in here at all times."
"There isn't one available so it's just us," replied bad cop 1.
"Very well then, ask away, and just remember one thing, try anything stupid and I'll have your badges, I'm making a list."
"Why did the three of you attempt to rob that store?"
"Is this an interrogation or twenty questions?"
The cop slammed his fist on the table hard while Catherine just smiled.
"I ask the questions you dumb bitch, you can't even pull off a robbery right and you sit there smiling?"
"Well for one thing I'd be asking for my name, occupation etc, you know the standard stuff."
"You didn't give it, no ID on you, so you are currently listed as Jane Doe, no known occupation but I'd guess hooker."
"Would you like to know then?"
"Makes no difference to me lady, you will still be going to jail."
"See that's where you are wrong, no ID, no evidence, no rights read, no charges, no arraignment, no phone call, no trial. You messed up badly."
"Sounds like you've been through the system before, maybe I should just run your prints and find out your previous."
"Now you're thinking, but it's too late, no rights read remember? But here go ahead run my prints if it will make you feel better. Now I'd like my phone call if you don't mind then I think I'll go home and sleep in a comfortable bed."
She was taken back to her cell and the two interrogating cops were bemused, she was smiling, even laughing at them. Why? She wasn't leaving here soon, the previous shift guys had her cold with a gun, coming out the back of the store. Criminals don't carry IDs like normal people do, she was wearing black like the others were, so what the hell was it with her?
"Ok lady here's your phone call, you have two minutes to call your lawyer or your boyfriend."
"Oh I'm not calling either of those but thank you."
She dialed Jim Brass' phone and informed him of what was happening, where she was, and how much fun she wasn't having.
"Ok lady your two minutes are up, hang up or I'll disconnect the phone for you."
"Gotta go Jim, don't know whether you heard that or not, but expediency would be nice, yeah in my locker, thanks Jim, see you all soon."
"So who were you calling, boyfriend, lawyer, pimp?"
"Trust me when I say you'll find out. You badass cops always push people around like this?"
"It's a living sweetheart, why you want to find out how badass we really are?"
"Not really, but I'd suggest you look for another line of work."
"Shut up bitch and get back in your cell, your arraignment is due for 2pm."
"Oh? Which Judge?"
"Rampling."
"Oh good, then you can really feel small, he likes me."
Catherine's nightmare ended sooner than she thought, although she was relieved. Captain James Brass came storming into the lockup looking like he'd explode if someone touched him. He went first to the desk sergeant.
"Who is your superior officer this watch?'
"Who's asking?"
"Captain Brass, homicide." He flashed his badge and the sergeant moved like lightning.
"This way please Sir."
The door to Captain Sheldon's office was opened abruptly at the noise outside it.
"What's going on out here."
"Captain Brass to see you sir, I told him you were very busy, but he insisted."
"So he should if it's urgent, come in Jim, nice to see you again. What can we do for you?"
"Firstly you can take me down to the cells and release one of your prisoners who has no reason for being there."
"What the hell are you saying Jim?"
"Come with me and I'll show you and please just play along with me for now."
They went down to holding and spoke to the officers on duty.
"You have a female in custody I believe officer?"
"Yes Sir, she was brought in early this morning, caught red handed, gun in hand with two other robbers in an attempted heist."
"I see, was she read her rights? Given a phone call? Is she injured?"
"She had her phone call just twenty minutes ago sir, it's not on record as to whether her rights were read or not, they weren't when Johnson interrogated her an hour ago."
"Was a female officer present at the time of her being brought in and when she was interrogated?"
"No sir, not to my knowledge."
"Do you know who she is? Name? Occupation? Address? Anything?"
"No sir, she's listed as Jane Doe, possibly hooker, no address, at least that's what was written down on the report."
Brass piped up, he'd had enough now.
"Everyone just assumed everything without any evidence is that right?"
"Yes sir, looked clear cut to us, the gun she had is on that board there. In answer to your previous question, yes sir she was injured, but the arresting officer applied first aid. She even offered us her prints sir, but no one took them."
"First aid for what exactly."
"Gunshot to the upper arm, it was a through and through."
"Ok that clinches gross stupidity as well as gross incompetence in your officers Roy. Sorry but it appears to be true."
"Yeah I guess so Jim, heads will roll now."
"You two officers get all the paperwork on this case now, contact all officers involved and get them in here now, in uniform, my office, 2 hours."
"What's going on sir?"
"The gun on that board is a Sig Sauer .38, issued to Catherine Willows, CSI LVPD Crime Lab. That's who was arrested after she attempted to foil the robbery."
They went in to see Catherine, who wasn't smiling much now, the pain in her arm was worse and the blood stained bandage hadn't been changed since it was put on, nor was the wound clean.
"Well don't you look pretty Cath."
"Shut up Jim, just get me out of here and to a hospital before my arm falls off."
"Love to hun, however there is a little matter of your arraignment."
"Hell Jim, I haven't even been charged with anything, nor read my rights, come on this isn't funny anymore, this hurts really badly."
"Ok I'll call the paramedics, I think you could use them, I'll take your weapon back to the lab for you and clean up the loose ends here."
"Thanks Jim."
All the documentation couldn't be destroyed until after the IA investigation so it was still an active case. The Judge was amused at the situation but clearly worried that it could happen again. The officers involved in the case were outraged when they found out that their 'big bust' (pun intended) wasn't so big after all. Every single one of them had ignored procedure and violated Catherine's rights and they knew it. Even if it had gone to court it would have been thrown out but Catherine didn't really care about that now, she was now at home after being taken to the hospital for treatment which turned out to be more extensive than the first aid could handle.
Antibiotics and minor surgery to stitch up the wound were needed and she was on medical leave until it healed.
Brass actually had some more fun with the officers involved, they were gobsmacked to find out that their Jane Doe was a CSI, on duty, and therefore required to carry her weapon. They were all suspended pending an IA investigation. The results of which demanded that all but one lose their badges permanently. The rookie was sent to another precinct to start over and learn with a good partner.
Captain Roy Sheldon was grateful to Catherine as it did clear up a lot of bad work happening on his patch, the department was also grateful that she didn't sue them.
The entire team at the lab was glad she was back but also partly disappointed, they had wanted to get a picture of her sitting in a cell. Catherine was not amused at first, but really could see the funny side.