Ecklie strode confidently into work on his first morning back from hospital. He knew he would be doing paperwork all day which would have annoyed most CSIs, Ecklie was looking forward to it. He didn't have to go into the field, and he would be undisturbed. He quickly went into his office before heading towards the break room. His arrival was greeted with silence, he wasn't welcomed into the banter like the night supervisor was, his employees didn't carry on speaking until he motioned them to be quiet like Grissom's team did.
His employees immediately fell silent and moved to sit around the main table. Every single one of them hated him, he didn't have anyone even close to a friend in work, and all of them couldn't wait until the day one of them got his position or, even happier, he was fired. The last two weeks had been some of the best ones they had worked. They had not had Ecklie there, instead they either governed themselves or the other supervisors stepped in.
The times they had governed themselves had been awkward but manageable, the ones with the swing shift manager had been fun, they had hardly been aware he was a supervisor. But Gil Grissom, the enigmatic night shift supervisor, got all their respect and they found themselves inexplicable drawn to him, interested in his opinion, and then the simple challenge of making the man talk. They didn't know this had been a game for the night shift since they had all started and that Grissom was now good at recognising the signs.
They had ocassionally heard Eckile talk about him, it had always been with hatred, they had never known why but had assumed the worst. Within the one day he had been there supervisor they all realised, it was because Ecklie knew he could never measure up to him in anyway, and the only thing he had over him was power, which Gil Grissom had no desire for anyway. They also had no doubt that this was part of the reason they respected him.
All inwardly groaned as Conrad Ecklie walked into the room, but went about their normal routine, saying nothing, as before.
He silently handed out assignments to the people around the table, not making eye contact or even hardly looking up. He refused to be drawn into conversation when he stated he would be doing paperwork and he discouraged discussion amongst themselves with his steely glare.
All were relieved when he left, they were still use to his routine although mourned his return. He had still actually scared them that day. He had been smiling.
A smile which instead of lightening his face, darkened it, ensuring that all who saw it would always remember it and remember it with fear. And know for a certainty that the plans he was smiling about were cruel.
Ecklie entered his office and the smile on his face broadened, he could now sit there undisturbed all day, awaiting that night. He could be patient, he had no doubt. But that night was the night when he would finally get Sara Sidle.
Shift was almost over and Ecklie was barely managing to maintain his ... excitement, if it could be called that, his face determined. He turned over the sheet of paper he had been finishing and laid it in the out tray. He glanced at the sheet of paper which was now at the top of the pile.
A request for an earlier leave of paternity, he glanced at the dates and the shift, realised it was one of the night shift and smiled slightly as he signed it let Grissom deal with problems within his shift.
He laid it in his out tray and glanced at the next sheet. Another night shift request, he smiled again, more trouble for Grissom. He glanced at what it was, a request for an earlier leave of maternity leave, suspicions began to grow in his mind, he scanned through the page looking for the name.
He found it. He tore the top sheet from the out tray and looked for the name. He also found that one. He looked back towards the maternity leave request and his eyes sought out the name again, when they found it he stared at it, unable to take his eyes off it.
His scream could be heard all through almost all the CSI building, and could still be heard clearly even in the break room. His employees groaned, knowing there work would be even more miserable for the next few days than usual. All of them would rather have a bloated decomp than face Ecklie when he was annoyed.
The words in the scream were barely audible, just a string of curses were coming out mixed with a few names which they recognised and all feared for those people all happy that they weren't them at that moment.