Mists of Memory:
Chapter 3
A few weeks after Grissom returns to work, he is sitting at his desk and thinking over his conversations with Jessica. He had tried to find out what she was planning on doing to catch her father, but she wouldn't tell him. She refused to tell him any of her plans, saying that she didn't want him to get involved. So when he had returned to Vegas he didn't say anything about what had gone on in Massachusetts. He also didn't mention anything to Brass or Robbins about knowing Jessica. She was constantly in his thoughts, causing him to worry about what she was planning.
In the midst of his reverie his phone rings, interrupting him. There has been a murder at a motel, so Grissom puts his mind back on the job and heads out. He phones Greg on the way to the hotel to tell him that he is assigned to the case. As Grissom arrives at the scene, he begins to observe everything he sees. The motel is old and dingy. There are police cars in the parking lot, and yellow crime scene tape across one door. He sees Jim Brass and Sophia Curtis standing just inside the doorway of the hotel room as he approaches. Behind him, Greg is walking quickly to reach the scene only a few steps after he does. Jim turns to them with a worn expression on his face. "We may have a problem." Grissom gives him a quizzical look, and with a sigh, Brass continues. "The room is registered to one Angie Davis, which is the alias of a friend of mine who works for the FBI."
Grissom's stomach starts to churn, and a feeling of nausea starts to wash over him. "Can you identify her," he asks.
Brass pauses, disturbed. "She was shot in the face, there isn't much left."
"If she's a friend you shouldn't be on the case," Grissom says softly.
"That's why I've been given the lead on this investigation," Sophia replies.
Grissom nods, and then asks with trepidation, "What is your friend's real name?"
"Jessica Davis. I've already notified the FBI. I've been trying to reach her on her cell, but there's no answer."
Then Doctor Robbins arrives. "I thought this was your night off," Grissom says to Al. "This may be a special case," he replies grimly as he enters the room. "Jim told me who victim possibly is, so I decided that I should be the one to take care of her," Robbins says as he walks further into the room and heads towards the body. Greg follows Robbins into the room but keeps his distance so Al can do his job. Grissom stays near the doorway; he is not usually fazed by the crime scenes he investigates but this time he may know the victim.
Grissom looks around the room, trying to see if anything looks amiss. He sees the blood tissues which are sprayed across the walls and floor, and notices that there appears to be no void in the pattern on the ground, indicating that the killer was standing fairly far back when he fired. He sees the single black suitcase which her belongings are still in setting at the foot of the bed, knowing that everything she brought with her would be in that bag. His eyes travel up her body, starting at her sneakered feet, moving to her jeans which are stained red with splotches of her blood, then to her torso, on which the t-shirt is stained dark red with her blood. The size and shape of the body are the same as Jessica. He sees Al taking her liver temperature and cringes, uncomfortable with the idea that the dead woman who lies on the saturated motel room bed is Jessica. He is unable to look at the remnants of her head, a first for him in all his years in the field. He does notice though, that the hair color is the same as Jessica's.
Jim Brass is also still standing in the doorway, shifting restlessly on his feet, he asks Al if he can identify her. "There is too much blood for me to see if she has a tattoo, I'll have to wait till I get her back to the morgue." Grissom looks quizzically at the doctor, "Tattoo?"
"Yes, Jessica has a tattoo of a ladybug on her right shoulder," replies Robbins. Grissom starts to say something and then stops himself, a gesture that the others miss. He takes out his cell phone, presses a few buttons, and places a call. He gets a hold of Catherine, and asks her to help with the crime scene. She complains that this is supposed to be her night off. "I know but I need you on this one, please," he asks. Catherine agrees, and Grissom hangs up and turns to Greg who is busy looking for fingerprints around the perimeter of the room. "I need to leave, but Catherine will be here to help you," Grissom tells Greg, who looks at him questioningly, but just nods in affirmation.
Grissom heads out of the motel room quickly, and rushes into the sanctuary of his car. He breathes deeply, trying to calm the swell of unsettled emotions within him. A moment later, he starts the car and drives away. He doesn't have any particular destination in mind as he drives, he is just trying to escape the torrent of pain and nausea which is threatening to overtake him. After driving around for over an hour, he finds himself near the lab but can't bring himself to return to his office. He heads out again, deciding to go home and take a shower before returning to work.
TBC...
I do realize the cruelty of leaving this chapter this way. It will be continued soon.
Thank you to ericloca and csifreak04 for your reviews. My mom is happy to recieve the compliments for her work.
