WELL HI. Lol I've been watching too much Nemo. Ahem, thanks to Chris (who enjoys my epic superpowers), Wileret, csi Cameron, YoblingDramoineLover, jevans47403, cutiehooty, Brillows4Ever, and El Gringo Loco for your lovely reviews. I appreciate feedback, and I've always said that if one person gets joy out of my writing, that's plenty. Keep them coming, guys, and for the folks who are adding me to their favorites/alerts, thanks, and feel free to drop some reviews too! =) It seems like a lot of you hate Kat Peterson, and believe me, I do too, and I created the scrawny little bitch!
I had a lot of fun writing this chapter despite the nature of what happens in the chapter. In a reply to a review, I told someone that my style of writing is dark with a sense of humor. I think that I establish that here, so enjoy.
Enough rambling, though…on to chapter 4!
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Catherine blearily looked at the evidence that was laid out in front of her, closing her eyes for a brief moment in order to control her emotions. There was so much evidence that needed to be sorted through in order to come to some conclusion as to who might have killed Christine Danielson that it was almost overwhelming.
She knew that Greg was one room over looking over the photographs, but Catherine still had a pile of bags to look over as well. It was the last thing that she wanted to do at the moment, though. However, she had put it off for two days already due to catching other cases and there really not being enough time in her shift to look over the evidence.
Catherine glanced at her watch, her body telling her at the same time that she desperately needed some sleep. It was seven in the morning, the time when most people were just waking up and getting ready to start their day. She thought back to the day before, trying to remember when she had fallen asleep. Catherine determined it was around ten o'clock when she had fallen asleep, only to wake up at one in the afternoon because she was so restless and had to prepare for Sam's funeral.
She sighed, willing her brain to focus on the evidence before her. "Come on, Catherine," she coached herself. "Focus."
She looked up as Grissom entered the room, managing a smile for him. He smiled back, standing next to her and looking over the bags of evidence. "Have you started going through anything?" Gil asked.
Catherine blinked. "No, I uh…just got here. I had a B&E earlier," she told Grissom.
"How'd that go?" Grissom asked.
"Okay. I found a credit card at the scene that didn't belong to the homeowners, so Akers is going to talk to the guy," Catherine answered, finally picking a bag up from the pile of evidence and opening it.
Grissom frowned, following her suit and picking up a bag himself. "You think it's your guy?"
"Neither the husband or the wife recognizes the name," Catherine replied as she carefully picked up the evidence, laying it flat so that she could start snapping pictures of it.
"Who brings a credit card to a B&E?" Grissom asked.
Catherine shrugged. "The same type of criminal who uses a match to find his way out of a dynamite factory?" she suggested.
Grissom laughed slightly in response. The pair settled into a comfortable rhythm, working quickly and efficiently through the pile of evidence, sorting out what was important and what seemed to be excusable. They didn't talk much, but the comfortable silence was okay with the two of them. Catherine glanced at the time, wincing when she saw that it was after nine. Their shift has ended over an hour ago, yet she and Grissom were still working hard. Catherine briefly thought about grabbing a cup of coffee to hold her over until she was finished, but decided against it. She figured that it would make her so jittery that it would cause her not to be able to sleep when she finally did get home.
Catherine's phone rang, and she glanced at it, frowning when she saw that it was Lindsey's school calling. Panic ran through Catherine's mind as she flipped open the phone, wondering what was wrong with her daughter. "Hello?" Catherine asked anxiously.
"Yes, may I please speak to Catherine Willows?" a voice spoke.
"Speaking," Catherine answered.
"Hi, this is Richard Little at Butterfield Academy. I was wondering if Lindsey was going to be attending school today," Richard said pleasantly.
"Uh, as far as I know. I'm currently still at work," she explained, knowing that the school officials knew that Catherine worked nights. "My mother would have told me if Lindsey wasn't going to school."
"Yeah, we were told that she would be back today-"
"Yes, yes, I know," Catherine cut him off impatiently. "Uh…let me try to get a hold of my mother, see what's going on. I'll call you back, Mr. Little."
She hung up the phone without saying goodbye, ignoring the worried look that Gil was sending her way. Catherine dialed her mom's number, nervously tapping her fingers against the table as she waited for her mom to answer.
"Morning, honey," Lily finally answered. "How-"
"Mom!" Catherine exclaimed. "Where's Lindsey?"
"I dropped her off at school. Why, what's-"
Catherine cut her off. "Did you watch her go inside?"
"Well, no-"
"Mom! She's not at school!" Catherine yelled. "Shit!" she cursed. "I'll call you back later." She slammed her phone shut. She looked at Grissom, who was looking more alarmed by the second.
"Cath? What's-" he started, only to stop talking as Catherine shook her head vigorously.
"It's Lindsey. She didn't make it into school when my mom dropped her off this morning," she said. "I gotta-"
"Go, go," Grissom cut her off this time, waving off her words.
Catherine nodded, jogging out into the hallway. She crashed into Warrick, nearly falling backwards when he didn't even budge. Warrick stuck out his arm, wrapping an arm around Catherine's waist to keep her on her feet. "Whoa, Cath. Where's the fire?" he joked.
"It's Lindsey," Catherine gasped, pulling away from his grip. "She didn't go to school today!"
"Okay, okay," Warrick said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Okay. Calm down. Where could she-"
"I don't know!" Catherine responded hysterically. "My God what if they got her again? What if-"
"Hey, hey!" Warrick chastised gently, placing his other hand on her shoulder and shaking her slightly. "Hey! No one reported anything suspicious, right?" Catherine shook her head to confirm his statement, and he continued, "So she is probably cutting class or something! It's okay, Cat. Calm down, take a deep breath. We're going to find her."
"We?" Catherine asked.
"Yeah. I'm done here, so I'll help you find her, okay?"
Catherine nodded vigorously. "Just hurry up, Warrick," Catherine said anxiously.
"Let me put my papers down, and we can go," he replied calmly.
Catherine nodded, running a hand across her face. She froze, yanking out her cell phone once again. She dialed Lindsey's number, crossing her arms as she cradled the phone between her ear and shoulder. The phone rang several times before Lindsey's voicemail finally picked up. "Linds, it's Mom. Call me when you get this," Catherine spoke tersely before shutting her phone. Obviously, her phone was on, and she wondered if Lindsey was purposely ignoring her call or if she physically couldn't…
"Hey, let's go," Warrick reappeared, breaking Catherine out of her thoughts.
Catherine tossed the keys to her Mustang to Warrick. "You drive," Catherine told him. "I'm too worried right now."
Warrick caught the keys, grabbing Catherine's hand and pulling her to the parking lot. He led Catherine to her car, unlocking the vehicle with the keyless entry. Once they were seated and had on their seatbelts, Warrick fired up the Mustang. "Where to first?" he asked.
Catherine thought for a long moment. "I guess we can try this one restaurant by the school. I know that she and her friends like to go there after school sometimes," she told Warrick.
Warrick nodded, putting the car into drive. "What is the name of the restaurant?"
"Charlie's," Catherine responded numbly. For a brief second, panic spread throughout her chest and she wondered whether Lindsey was deliberately skipping school or not. After all, less than two weeks had passed since Lindsey's kidnapping, and Catherine questioned whether all of Joe Hirschoff's acquaintances had been round up. She forced herself to calm down, staring out the window.
"Hey," Warrick said softly, reaching across the space between the two of them. "We're gonna find her, Cat."
"I really hope so," Catherine responded miserably. "I can't go through that again."
Warrick squeezed her hand briefly before focusing in weaving in and out of traffic again. Before they knew it, Catherine and Warrick pulled up to the small restaurant. Catherine got out of the Mustang quickly, striding up to the doors with Warrick close behind her.
"Hi, how are ya'll doing today?" the hostess greeted them. "Two?"
"What? No," Catherine shook her head. "We're actually looking for someone." She flashed her CSI badge, using her thumb to cover where she actually worked. Warrick stood behind Catherine, his arms crossed menacingly.
"What, are you two cops?" the girl asked nervously.
Catherine made a big deal of looking at the girl's nametag, and replied, "Something like that, Amy. Why, is there a problem?"
"No, I uh…no," Amy replied meekly, her gaze flicking back to the kitchen. She shook her greasy black hair out of her face, revealing several piercing in her ears. "Who are you looking for? An employee?"
"No," Catherine answered, pulling a picture of Lindsey out of her wallet. "We're looking for her."
Amy glanced at the picture, her gaze flicking with recognition. "Hey, I know her!" she said. "She's in here once and awhile. Her name's….Lauren? Lizzy?"
"Lindsey," Catherine snapped.
"That's it, Lindsey!" Amy snapped her fingers. "What did she do?"
Before Catherine exploded, Warrick spoke up. "We're not at liberty to discuss that," he said seriously. "Was she here today?"
"Oh, you just missed her and a group of friends," Amy said. "They left like fifteen minutes ago."
"Did you hear where they were headed?" Catherine asked.
"No, I'm just the hostess," Amy said with a shrug. "Let me ask the dude who waited on them. Yo, Shorty!" Amy yelled.
Catherine cringed at the loud yell, the girl's voice permeating her throbbing head. She placed a couple of fingers against her temple, feeling comforted when Warrick placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing slightly in an attempt to sooth her frazzled nerves.
"Yo," the employee labeled as Shorty swaggered up, a towel slung over his shoulder. "What's up, Boo?"
"Cops are here, B," Amy said.
"Who you looking for?" Shorty asked nervously.
"You guys seem to be kind of nervous around here," Warrick spoke up, raising his eyebrows as he looked the young African American up and down. "Is there a problem?"
"Nah, dawg," Shorty said with a shrug. "Just wondering how I can help Las Vegas' finest."
"We're looking for this girl," Catherine spoke up, holding up the photo of Lindsey.
Shorty glanced at the picture, a smile coming across his face. "That's the fine little Mami with the hot ass that came in earlier," he said. "She's so hot…and a real flirt. I'd like a piece of that-"
Warrick could sense Catherine's blood pressure going through the roof, so he cut Shorty off. "What do you know about her whereabouts?" he asked.
"Man, dawg, I don't know," Shorty hesitated. "I don't wanna get caught up with no cops."
Before Warrick could stop her, Catherine stepped up to the taller man, snarling, "Unless you want us to bust you and your little friends right now for whatever you're doing back in that kitchen, you better start talking!"
Despite the height and weight advantage that Shorty had over Catherine, he still looked nervous and chastised as she glared at him. Warrick didn't blame him at all. Despite her petite frame, Catherine Willows frightened even the toughest criminals when she was pissed. "Look, babe, this isn't going to get back to me, is it?" he asked. "Cause that fine little gal offered me-"
Warrick saw Catherine's fists start to clench, and he grabbed her shoulders, pulling her back and taking a step in front of her. "Look, son, you better start talking before I unleash my partner on you, and trust me when I say that she isn't the lady you want to mess with right now," Warrick warned. "It's been a very long night and she's pretty much looking for a fight."
Shorty glanced at Warrick, then at Catherine. Seeing the enraged look on Catherine's tense face, he sighed. "Look, she and her friends were talking about going to Spencer's at the Vegas Mall and a few other places," Shorty admitted. "They were heading there when they left. I overheard them talking."
"Who was she with?"
"I don't-" Shorty began, but he stopped when he saw the pissed look on Catherine's face. "Uh, it was another girl and two guys. The one dude's name was…Brian? Ryan maybe? Sorry, Boo."
Catherine glared at Shorty and Amy, turning on her heel and walking out the door. "Thank you for your time," Warrick said to the duo, moving to follow Catherine to the door.
"Hey, bro, let me ask you a question," Shorty spoke up. "That partner of yours taken?"
Warrick scoffed, raising an eyebrow. "Yeah, she's taken," he lied. "She's got a man. A good one at that."
"Man, pity," Shorty responded. "That's one sexy milf."
"Sorry, homey, but she is way out of your league," Warrick shrugged, resisting the urge to knock out the waiter himself. With that, he turned and quickly followed Catherine. By the time he got to the car, Catherine was on the phone to Jim, informing him of the suspicious behavior going on at Charlie's. She flipped the phone shut, seeing the somewhat amused look that Warrick was giving her.
"What?" she growled. "I'm just making sure that-"
"-that the twenty-five year old wannabe thug hinting that he wanted to sleep with your underage daughter pays? I wasn't gonna say anything, Cath," Warrick said with a shrug.
Catherine sighed, getting in her car as Warrick unlocked the door. Once again, he fired up the Mustang and peeled out of the parking lot, purposely leaving black tire marks in the concrete. Warrick sped to the Vegas Mall, parking as close as possible as he could to the entrance where he knew Spencer's was.
"Where do you want to go first?" Warrick asked Catherine.
"Well, Captain Douche Bag said that she mentioned Spencer's specifically, so I guess there," Catherine answered.
Warrick wanted to laugh at her nickname for Shorty, but chose not to. Catherine was obviously irate and he didn't want any reason to fuel her temper, so he simply followed her as she made her way determinedly to Spencer's.
He was close on her heels as she entered the store. Warrick couldn't help but wonder how out of place they looked in the store that had a huge display of farting machines and Simpson's memorabilia by the front. He stuck close to Catherine, trying to ignore the fact that they were winding through an aisle that had all types of novelty condoms for display as Catherine searched for Lindsey.
Finally, at the back of the store, Catherine noticed Lindsey looking over a rack. Her eyes narrowed as she saw her daughter, and Warrick had to walk faster in order to keep up with Catherine's increased steps.
"See anything you like?" Catherine snapped at Lindsey, ignoring the fact that her daughter was reading the back of a package of furry handcuffs.
Lindsey's head snapped up at Catherine's voice, and she hastily put the package back. "Mom! What are you doing here?!" she gasped, noticing that Warrick was right behind Catherine.
"I should ask you the same damn question, Lindsey!" Catherine exclaimed. "Why aren't you in school?"
"I uh…we have off today," Lindsey stammered. "There-"
"Bull!" Catherine cut her off. "I got a phone call today asking why you weren't in school!"
Lindsey turned beet red, seeing that other customers were starting to stare. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her three friends take off out the door. "I…I'm sorry, mom," Lindsey finally spoke up, a tear trickling down her face. "I…I just couldn't go back yet! I wasn't ready to face everyone about what happened to me, or to Grandpa," she admitted.
For a brief second, Catherine's face softened. Then, her eyes hardened as she grabbed Lindsey's arm and lead her out of the store and back to her car. "Don't you dare use your Grandfather's name for this," she said. "You were fine yesterday and I heard you telling Aunt Nancy that you were looking forward to going back to school so you could take your mind off what happened!"
Lindsey pulled her arm, trying to get her mom to let go of the strong grip she had on her arm. "Let go of me!" Lindsey groused to Catherine.
"No, not until you're in my car," Catherine snapped. "You obviously can't be trusted!"
"I can't be trusted?!" Lindsey repeated incredulously. "You're the one who didn't even have the guts to tell me about Grandpa! I had to find out due to the damned news!"
Catherine froze in the middle of the parking lot, her sudden bust of adrenaline fading slightly before she glared at Lindsey again. "Who the hell do you think you are?" Catherine yelled. "You are such a selfish brat!"
"Screw you, mom! I'd rather be a selfish brat then a mean, old, heartless, pathetic bitch like you!" Lindsey yelled back.
Catherine's first instinct was to slap the taste out of Lindsey's mouth but she resisted. Instead, she simply stared at her daughter. "That's it. No phone, computer, friends, video games, or television. You're grounded, Lindsey," she said with an air of shakiness she detested.
"Ugh!" Lindsey rolled her eyes. "For how long!"
"A month," Catherine snarled, and she couldn't help but think to a similar conversation she had with her daughter about five years previous when Lindsey had been caught attempting to hitchhike. "And if you push me, I'll make it two!" Catherine added before Lindsey could protest.
"Whatever," Lindsey answered, shoving past Warrick until she got to the Mustang. "Well, are you going to unlock this piece of shit Midlife Crisis Mobile sometime today or are you going to just stand there like an asshole?"
"You're grounded for two months," Catherine shot back, frustrated at her daughter's attitude. She snatched the keys out of Warrick's hands, unlocking the door. Lindsey climbed into the backseat, her lips moving as she did so. Catherine could only imagine what her daughter was saying about her.
She slid into the driver's seat as Warrick silently slid into the passenger's seat. Meeting Lindsey's glare through the rearview mirror with one of her own, Catherine growled, "That's three months!"
"What?!" Lindsey yelled. "I didn't-"
"Want to aim for four?!"
Lindsey wisely stayed silent, silently fuming as she stared out the window. Her gaze was so stormy Catherine was almost expecting steam to be coming out of her ears. The ride back to the lab was in uncomfortable silence. Warrick wanted nothing more than to reach across the seat and squeeze Catherine's hand in encouragement, but chose not to with Lindsey in the back.
The only talking in the car was when Catherine dropped Warrick off at the lab. She thanked him for his help and told him that she would see him later that night. Warrick said goodbye to Catherine and Lindsey, not overly shocked when the surly teenager refused to acknowledge his statement.
Catherine sped back to her house, taking turns a little sharper then usual. Lindsey didn't speak to her, however, even as they walked into the house.
She stared at her daughter, finally just shaking her head as she tossed her keys on the counter. "I don't even know what to say, Lindsey," Catherine began. "You are out of control. I should have been asleep by now!"
"Like always," Lindsey snarked, starting her trek up the steps. "You act like you never skipped school-"
Ignoring Lindsey, Catherine spoke above her. "Go to your room. You are not to use the phone, computer, or watch television. If I find out that you do you will be in huge trouble!" Catherine called up the stairs.
Lindsey slammed the door in response. Catherine sighed, slamming her fist down on the counter. Catherine regretted the action, shaking her hand as pain shot through it. She was beyond pissed. She should have been asleep at this point, catching up on much needed sleep and not playing detective in searching for her daughter who was skipping school.
Wearily, Catherine trudged up the steps, not even bothering to pull her clothes off as she walked into her room. Instead, she set her alarm and fell face first into her bed.
However, even though her mind was full of anger and images, Catherine fell into a restless yet deep sleep.
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Lindsey Willows was pissed. She left her room once while her mother was sleeping, and that was to make herself some soup for dinner. Her mother would probably bitch her out for eating, but Lindsey didn't care.
She was so angry that she made Rush Limbaugh look tame.
Lindsey glared up at her ceiling, staring at the white paint. Lindsey wondered if her mother would actually stick to this punishment. It wasn't as if Catherine would be able to police her daughter's every move. You have to actually be home to do something like that, Lindsey thought bitterly.
She wanted to cry, but she wasn't about to give her mother the satisfaction of knowing that she got to her.
"This isn't fair!" Lindsey suddenly exclaimed. She sat up, feeling the sudden urge to get a soda out of the refrigerator. She was thirsty, but Lindsey decided that even with her mother being so pissed, she couldn't deprive her of food or drink.
Lindsey got off her bed, slowly opening the door and creeping past Catherine's door and sneaking down the steps. She sighed as she got to the kitchen, opening the refrigerator and grabbing a soda. She longed to grab one of her mother's Coronas, but knowing her mother, she probably would know if one bottle was missing…hell, she would know if it was moved a fraction of an inch!
Lindsey scowled as she opened the soda, taking a long swig. God, her mother was such a drama queen, Lindsey thought to herself. It's not like I was doing anything criminal!
Lindsey looked around the kitchen, her eyes settling on her mother's keys. Setting down her can of soda, Lindsey picked up the keys, fingering the shiny black key with the silver Mustang logo.
God, how she longed to drive her mother's new convertible. However, Lindsey had just gotten her permit, and Catherine wasn't ready to hand over the keys to something so fast and expensive to allow her daughter to practice with. Instead, she was resigned to driving her grandmother's beat up Saturn to practice.
Lindsey glanced at the clock, seeing that it read 7:00. Her mother didn't wake up until nine o'clock, or ten at the latest. She could take the Mustang for a short ride, and her mother would never know that she had driven…
She smiled to herself, tossing the keys to her right hand and scurrying out the door. Lindsey quietly pulled the door shut, thinking to herself.
Mom will never know…
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Catherine forced her eyes open as her phone rang. She blindly reached a hand out, grabbing her cell phone off her nightstand. She blindly looked at the display, flipping it open she saw it was Jim. "Willows," she answered tiredly.
"Catherine," he said softly. "Where are you?"
She sat up, Jim's tone sending chills down her spine. "I'm in bed, Jim," Catherine answered. She squinted at her alarm clock, noting it was right before ten and that her alarm was about to go off. "What's wrong?"
She heard Jim sighing, and panic rose. "Catherine, it's Lindsey," he said.
"Wha…Lindsey's here, in her room. She's grounded," Catherine told him, confused.
"Uh, no she's not," Jim informed Catherine. "She's here, and she's in trouble."
Catherine closed her eyes, working to control her temper. "What…what happened?" she asked.
"She's okay, Catherine, but…Uh, Lindsey took your car keys, and went for a ride-" Jim started.
"She what?!" Catherine yelled into the phone.
"She was clocked doing 90 in a 55-"
"She what?!"
"And then she led the officer on a three mile chase-"
"SHE WHAT?!"
"And then she proceeded to sideswipe a concrete barrier and wrecked your car."
"WHAT?!" Catherine yelled, shooting out of the bed. Her feet tangled with the blankets, and Catherine fell gracelessly to the ground. "Where are you?" Catherine asked, the agitation showing in her voice as she struggled to kick the blankets off. "Is she okay?"
Jim rattled off the address, then sighed. "She's fine, Catherine," Jim said. "She's just in a lot of trouble."
"Oh, you bet your ass she is," Catherine muttered.
"I'm sending an officer to your house now," Jim informed Catherine. "He should be there in ten minutes."
"Thanks, Jim," Catherine said with a sigh, slamming her phone shut. She wasn't sure what to expect when she got to the crime scene, but Catherine had a feeling that it was going to be a very long night.
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End 4/?
Uh oh…Lindsey's in troubleeeeee!
Read and review please! 3