Star of New York
Chapter 8
Kate bit back the tears as she packed a bag. Never, ever, did she think it would end like this. She'd never thought it would end at all she realised. She'd taken him for granted, and he'd gone elsewhere. She hadn't showed him enough times how she felt, hadn't said how much he meant to her enough times, and now it was too late.
She looked around before she left, trying not to imagine some unseen mystery woman here, in their home. The place they'd really and truly fallen in love, the place she'd thought they'd start a family, and have to move from when it got too crowded.
She walked, avoiding getting run over and bumping into people on auto pilot. Her feet took her to Central Park.
The place where all this started, she could remember him saying that, their first Christmas together, when he made her go ice skating.
She stared into space, ignoring her cell as it rang and rang. She didn't want to talk to anyone. She had nothing left. The job she loved and thrived on was no more, and her marriage was over.
…...
Don kept hitting redial, leaving increasingly more agitated messages. He had just done something he hated, having to tell a family, a father, that his daughter was dead, after all this time. The look on the man's face was something he always found hard. More so because for a brief half an hour, he'd come face to face with the real possibility that he could become a father, how easy it was for that to happen. He needed Kate, he needed to see her, for her to make him laugh, ease the tension he felt at this situation. But she wasn't there.
"Kate for God's sake!" he left a final message "Stop being a stubborn bitch and call me, or come home, or at least let me know you're OK! I will trace your phone if you don't"
He threw the cell onto the sofa, punching the wall. He rubbed at his knuckles, he knew he'd overreacted when she'd approached him but it'd taken him by surprise. Being honest, he'd forgotten about the picture.
He never thought she'd leave him, they had had much worse arguments than this, and apart from the one time, neither of them had even slept in the spare room.
Well, this wasn't going to happen like this, he decided, he wasn't going to let her get away with overreacting like this. He refused to let it. He still had this damned Lewes case hanging over him...
…...
"So what's the plan partner?" Greenwood sauntered into the lab, the lollipop hanging from his lip in residence once again.
"For one" Danny glared at him "I ain't your partner" he snatched the lollipop away "And for two, no eating in the lab"
"Okay buddy" Greenwood grinned at him "Whatever you say"
Danny curled his top lip in disgust, turning away. Looking up in disbelief as Don, Sheldon and Mac became visible through the glass window to the room.
"Hey!" he banged on the window "What the hell is going on?!"
"You sonofabitch!" Danny looked startled at Don's reaction initially, then had to force himself to get between him and Greenwood, he had no idea what Flack's problem was, but he was tempted to let Greenwood get flattened.
"Woah there Flack!" Greenwood stepped back "Easy buddy!"
"Where do you get off searchin' my desk?!" Don demanded, trying to push past Danny.
"Just tryin' to get up to speed!" Greenwood defended "Sorry if I caused a problem"
"Don!" Mac interjected "My office!"
Don glared at Greenwood "I ain't done with this!" he warned before following Mac from the lab.
"What the hell is going on?!" Danny repeated to Hawkes.
"Beats me" Sheldon shrugged, but could not meet Danny's eyes "We just got called out to a Jane Doe"
"Flack's supposed to be on personal time" Danny said "We shoulda got that call"
"All I know man" Sheldon replied as he escaped Danny's probing gaze for the safety of autopsy.
…...
"Don!" Mac closed the door to his office "I need you focused on this"
"Right" Don glared through the window.
"What was all that about?" Mac asked, he knew his friend and colleague well enough to know that this wasn't just the Craig Lewes case, or that Greenwood had violated his personal space.
"That bastard" he spat the word "Told Kate somethin', somethin' she didn't need to know, and now combined with me takin' today off, she thinks I'm havin' an affair, she's left me"
"The picture of Jess?" Mac asked quietly "In your desk?"
"You too?!" Don stared in disbelief.
"I caught him" Mac admitted "Kate has a problem with that picture?"
"No, maybe" Don said "I don't actually know because I didn't tell her who it was, he just told her about it, she didn't see it"
"Don" Mac sat down, giving him a long look "Your marriage is your own business, but what I know of Kate, she wouldn't hold that picture against you. That said, I need you on the ball for this, if you need to speak with Kate then go"
"I don't even know where she is" Don admitted "But I'm good, I'll be OK, let's just get this Lewes case sorted out"
"If you're sure?" Mac checked.
"I am" Don told him, meeting his eye.
…...
"I dunno what you did" Danny told Greenwood "But I sure..." he was cut off by Greenwoods phone ringing.
"Greenwood?" he answered "Uh-huh" he waited "Yup" he listened again "On my way"
He cancelled the call, grinning at Danny "We got someone at the precinct wanting to confess to murder" he said.
"Oh great" Danny replied, removing his lab coat "Just great"
…...
"I am telling you" Joseph Clare said "I killed Carl"
"How?" Danny asked suspiciously, leaning back in his chair.
"With a horse shoe" Joseph said "I caught him doping the horse and I hit him"
"Where did you get it from?" Danny asked.
"It was lying about" Clare shrugged "Does it matter?"
"Yes it does" Greenwood said "If you're trying to cover for your groom"
"It wasn't Tommi!" Clare protested "It was me! I hit him with the shoe, I didn't mean to kill him, but I soon realised it had, so I left him there, I hoped people would think the horse did it"
"What did you do with the shoe?" Danny quizzed him, leaning forward.
"I got rid of it"
"Where?" Greenwood asked with a grin "Which roof?"
Glaring briefly at Greenwood, Danny leaned back again. He was professional enough not to show cracks whilst interrogating a suspect, but he was seriously staring to despise the man. Though it was a valid question, it had also been Danny's trump card.
"I...I don't remember" Clare replied "Look, I have confessed, what more do you want?!"
"I want the truth" Danny said "And I don't think what you are tellin' me is" he nodded to Greenwood to step outside "I'll be back"
"Hey there Terminator!" Greenwood rounded on him "Whatcha doin'? We got a confession, and a case wrapped, let's get on it!"
"Shut up!" Danny said through clenched teeth "I swear, you don't shut up I'll be the one confessing to murder, you stupid bastard! You just blew that well and truly!"
"Steady there CSI!" Greenwood held up his hands "I could take offence at that!"
Danny stepped into his face "GO AWAY!" he said, ignoring the uniform that stepped over, sensing trouble "You've managed to piss a lot of people off today, so seriously, get outta my face before I do somethin' I regret!"
"Danno, buddy, leave it" He heard Don's voice beside him "He's not worth it"
"You changed your tune" Danny said without looking away "Half an hour ago, you tried to knock his head off"
"Trust me Danny" Flack replied "It's all good, I'm back on my case, he's back on his. Let it go"
Danny stepped back "You say so" he shrugged, both men watching Greenwood walk away.
…...
