Author's Note: Hello, all! This is my first CSI: NY fanfic, so please don't blame me if the characters seem OOC or I get something wrong. The idea for this story came from my best friend, Zoe tabbycat, and this chapter is dedicated to her. You're all free to review, comment and criticize if you find something wrong, but please, NO FLAMERS! And now that all the serious stuff is over, R & R!
Shattered Glass
Disclaimer (there will only be one in the entire story): The clock on the mantelpiece could tick till the end of time, but even then, the wonderful world of CSI: NY and its characters still wouldn't belong to me. If it does, then Mac and Stella would have ended up together.
Summary: The Danvilles used to be the typical "happy family", with a father, a mother, two mischievous little boys and an adopted sister; all they lacked was a dog for a pet. After several years, husband and wife decided they were no longer suited for marriage, and they applied for a divorce. Now, when everything seems to have settled down, the murder of a beloved one threatens to shatter the family into smaller pieces than before. Will the murderer succeed or be brought to justice?
Chapter 1 - 173 Brookville Alley
It was 4:06 in the afternoon precisely, and the bright afternoon sun beat down on the skyscrapers and roads of the Big Apple. One Ellie Danville was finally free of school – for the weekend, anyway – and at this point, she was strolling down the streets of her hometown, shopping for a present for the upcoming Mother's Day.
Jo Danville had adopted Ellie when she was at the mere age of two, taking care of her when her own birth mother was imprisoned by the police for various small crimes and drug addiction. Ellie owed a lot to her adoptive mother, and Jo had been her role model for as long as she could remember, which was exactly the reason she was peering at the glass of various shops, squinting to see past the glare of the sun on the reflective surface. Well, the other tiny reason that she had absolutely nothing to do for the afternoon might be a contributing factor to her stroll.
"Maybe I could get her flowers – carnations? Nah, too unimaginative. Chocolates, perhaps? Nope, I got that for her last year. Artwork? Mum doesn't even like art, even though she had accepted my kindergarten work with grace. Perfume? No way in hell, Mum wasn't the kind of person that cares about her appearance that much." Ellie sighed and bit her lip, looking around at the different pedestrians for inspiration.
An ancient, balding man with a paunch carrying a battered briefcase – she didn't think her mother would appreciate something like that. A woman in her thirties who was so skinny that her business suit hung off her frame – Jo would be sure to scoff at her figure and tell her to eat more unhealthy food. Yet another woman in her mid-twenties which had so much jewellery on her arms, earlobes and face so she looked like a walking Christmas tree that escaped from Tiffany's – her mother would have laughed and walked away.
"Wait a minute." Ellie turned her attention back to the walking Christmas tree. Why couldn't she get Jo some jewellery? Earrings, bracelets and rings were definitely out of the question – she wanted something more special for her mother, something that was different from any other. Spotting a dimly-lit jewelry shop at the end of the street, Ellie started towards it, hoping the ideal present was inside, waiting for her to purchase it.
Forty-five minutes later, Ellie exited the shop, tucking the package which contained her precious locket for her mother into her shoulder bag. The locket was silver in color with a golden cover, and had an oval frame to place ones photo. Ellie had told the store owner to engrave an inscription on the back, and she was heading for the photo shop at the end of Brookville Alley where a friend of hers, Katrina specialized in fitting photos to frames.
The job was an easy one, and Katrina was soon done and seeing her off. "See ya, Ellie," Katrina waved her away, standing at the doorway of the store. "Have fun during the weekend!" Ellie waved back, and started on her journey home. She was soon out of sight of Katrina and other passer-bys, musing over Jo's possible reactions to her present. Abruptly, she came to a halt right next to one of those big green rubbish bins with a cover, for she had heard a yowling coming from one of them.
Ellie stretched out a hand and lifted the cover.
*Shattered Glass*
"Mac?"
Flack pushed the glass door of the office open. "A person called 911 and reported a body found on 173 Brookville Alley."
Mac looked up from his pile of paperwork, which was stacked neatly in front of him – very typical Mac behavior. "Tell Jo, Lindsay and Danny to get ready and check it out. I'm on my way."
The four of them were seated in the black Avalanche mere moments later, and Jo steered onto the main road, which would have been the quickest way there if not for the fact that it was a Friday and nearing six o'clock – the rush hour.
Jo huffed in frustration as they were soon surrounded by cars which were all honking their horns. Sighing, she suggested, "Why don't Lindsay and Danny go and check out the crime scene first before it gets contaminated; Mac and I don't mind sitting out on the fun, right, Mac?"
She elbowed him in his chest, and Mac simply smiled. "Go on, and we'll meet you there." The couple left the car and jogged on ahead, leaving the others to inch towards their destination at the pace of a snail.
*Shattered Glass*
Danny and Lindsay flashed their badges at the guards, ducked under the bright yellow tape that surround the perimeter of the crime scene and found that Don had already arrived at the scene and finished questioning potential witnesses.
"Well, the witnesses have been unbelievably helpful in creating more work and trouble for us. They have seen nothing, heard nothing and know nothing. Now, isn't it very helpful of them?" Flack commented, the sarcasm evident in his voice.
"Very funny, Flack. Have you got any idea on the victim's identity?" Lindsay asked.
"Nope. She wasn't carrying anything with a name on, but I'm positive I have seen her before. Her build and figure – it's so familiar. Her name is just on the tip of my tongue, but I just couldn't figure it out." Flack shrugged.
"Okay. We'll start here. Mac and Jo are still in traffic." Danny took charge of the situation. "Montana, scene or body?"
"Scene," Lindsay answered immediately. Cases involving teenage girls had always rattled her and she could usually handle herself better if she didn't have to deal with the body personally.
Danny gave a brief nod and headed off into the alley, while Lindsay checked around for any clues. She found a couple of tread marks, most likely boots, and photographed them.
Meanwhile, as Danny reached to the body, he couldn't quite shake off the feeling that something was very wrong here. The dark chocolate brown skin and the curly dark hair gave him a sense of dread.
After taking several photos of the victim lying face-down in the middle of the alley, he enlisted the help of a couple of officers to turn the young girl over. When her face came into view, Danny couldn't help but freeze, his eyes wide with recognition.
"Crap," Danny muttered to himself. "Lindsay," he called, raising his voice. "I might be wrong, but isn't this Jo's daughter, Ellie? She witnessed the murder of the girl who was pretending to be an old man, didn't she?"
Lindsay jogged over, hoping against hope that Danny's mind was playing tricks on him. But when the girl's face came into view, she knew there was no mistake. Her coal dark locks framing her face, her chocolate brown skin reflecting what was left of the rapidly fading sunlight, the watch that she herself had given to Ellie Danville on the girl's birthday strapped on her wrist. She stood up quickly, the body rattling her more than she would admit.
"We have to call Mac and Jo and tell them to arrive as soon as possible," Lindsay told him, her voice tight. She took out her cell phone and reluctantly made the call to her bosses.
"Mac, it's Lindsay. There's something that you really should see here," Lindsay began, her finger threading through her hair nervously as Mac's voice came over the line.
"I know the traffic's bad, but this is serious. You and Jo both have to come," she urged in a low voice as she felt the tears form at the corners of her eyes, her back to the girl that had once laughed freely, without a single care in the world, so much like her friends in that café…
Mac's reply was that they would be right over, and Lindsay forcefully wiped away her tears and turned back to the crime scene, trying not to think of the lifeless body Danny was working on.
Jo showed up a mere fifteen minutes later, her face showing obvious confusion while Mac followed closely with a perfectly solemn expression. He knew it couldn't be good news, if Lindsay's tone over the phone was anything to go by. Danny gave his wife's hand a comforting squeeze before slipping away, leaving her to deal with the Assistant Supervisor.
"What's up, Lindsay?" Jo asked, her southern accent slipping in her anxiety.
"Jo, I think you actually know our vic here," Lindsay said to Jo, a look of sadness in her normally cheerful eyes. It was no use beating around the bush with Jo. She was practically like a human lie-detector.
"Who is it?" Jo asked, worry evident in her voice.
"It… It's Ellie, Jo," Lindsay told her heavily.
Jo stared at her, her eyes begging Lindsay to tell her that it was a joke, but something in Lindsay's expression gave a silent response to her unasked question.
"No… No! This can't be true," Jo's pitch was now slightly hysterical, and her head shook from side to side in denial as she took a step closer to the body. Mac, who had been a quiet observer to the breaking of the tragic news, followed her like a shadow.
Jo had soon covered the short distance to her destination, and she stared at her little girl unbelievingly: at her dark tresses, at her lithe limbs, but most of all, at the wide glassy chocolate orbs which would never again sparkle with delight and joy.
Jo leaned against the worn brick wall for support and let the tears flow freely.
Author's Note #2: Since there was an AN above already, I'll keep this short. If you want to look at the locket Ellie bought, then the link is on my profile. The question is: IS THERE ANYONE WILLING TO HELP ME BETA? If you're interested, please PM!
Bianca tabbycat :D
