Hope you guys still enjoy the story! Here's another chapter!
Three days later, Greg was on his way to work as he ran into his neighbor on his way out.
"George, what a nice surprise to see you out here!" Mrs. Dandridge said with a big smile on her face, standing in her doorway.
"...It's Greg, Mrs. Dandridge. What are you doing out here? It's late." He smiled back at her, being a bit more in the mood for small talk than he's been the last time he saw her.
"Oh I heard something outside and wanted to check it out. I thought someone was breaking into one of the apartments, but gladly it was just you!"
"Well next time you think someone's breaking in, look through the spyhole, that's what it's for."
"It's so nice of you to worry about me." She laughed. "I made a cake today. You want to come in and get some?"
He shook his head smiling. "Thank you, but I'm on my way to work."
"Oh..." When Greg wanted to walk away, she approached him again. "So how's your hand doing? You never told me what happened."
"I did. An accident at work, it's fine."
"You're a police officer, right? Did someone shoot at you?"
He knew she meant well, but she was getting on his nerves. Moving on was hard to do when people kept reminding him of the past. "I'm not an officer, I'm a CSI." She kept talking, but he just walked away rather annoyed.
As Brass walked into the break room, Greg, Nick and Russell were sitting there sipping on their coffee cups. "Hey Greg. I just got a call. We were finally able to identify the Jane Doe."
"...In our case?" Nick asked suspiciously. Him and Russell wondered why Brass told Greg, not them.
"Her mother reported her missing a few days ago. Her name's Naomi Goss and it looks like she dated Daniel Watts," Brass explained.
Greg looked quite shocked. "...Dated? The rapist?"
"The way the mother tells the story they were keeping contact all the time he's been imprisoned. Could you talk to him again?" the detective asked, looking at Greg.
"Sure." Greg got off his seat, but Russell pulled him down again.
"You're not going anywhere," he said with his hand still on Greg's arm.
"Why? He might have the information we need to solve the murder."
"You're not going," Russell said again, interrupting the young CSI while giving Brass a look.
"D.B., maybe we should talk outside..." Brass suggested, knowing what this was about.
"There's nothing to talk about. You'll have to get the information yourself."
"You know that I would if I could, but..."
Nick chimed in. "Maybe I could give it a try."
"Guys. Stop it, I'll do it." Greg tried to get up again, but was held back by Russell once more. "Will you stop doing that?!"
"You really shouldn't do it, Greg. That guy's dangerous."
"He's not. He could've killed me if he wanted to but didn't even hurt me."
"Somehow I don't find that comforting at all."
"...I'm doing this, end of discussion."
"You've endangered him by letting a limping officer protect him at a murder scene, you're not getting another shot at it." Russell had an angry look on his face as he looked at Brass. They didn't resolve their problems with each other over Spencer being out at a scene with Greg despite being injured, yet.
"Russell, I appreciate your concern, but this doesn't have anything to do with your problems with Brass. We need that information." Greg gave him a soft smile.
Nick knew that there was no way to change Greg's mind. "How about I'll be there, too? Make sure that guy won't hurt Greg."
"That's not necessary." Greg sighed.
"He's a big guy, I'm not sure you'd be able to hold him back," Russell said with discomfort in his face.
"I can handle that. And there'll be a uniform present, too."
"I said there's no need to..." Again, Greg was being interrupted.
"You'll have to make sure this guy keeps his distance, you got that, Nick?" Russell gave him a pat on the back.
"Sure. Let's go."
All the way to the station, Greg didn't say a word.
"Are you alright?" Nick asked his colleague. When Greg didn't answer, he went on. "...There's no need to be scared, I'll be there to make sure he won't hurt you."
"I'm not scared and I don't want you in there," Greg replied angrily. It was hard for him not to yell at Nick at the moment.
"...What?"
"I can do this alone, I don't need you to babysit me!"
"I'm not babysitting you, it's Watts I wanna keep an eye on!"
"You don't have to."
"Yeah but I want to."
Greg rolled his eyes, he was too angry to talk with Nick about this now. They finally reached the interrogation room where Daniel Watts was already waiting for them. Greg put his hand on the doorknob, but hesitated to open the door. "Please don't go in there."
Nick gave Greg a look as he rolled his eyes and opened the door himself.
"...Who are you?" Dan asked confused.
"Hello Dan. This is Nick Stokes, a colleague of mine." Resentment was obvious in Greg's voice. Nick figured it was aimed at the criminal when it really wasn't.
"What's he doing in here?"
"He, uh... works that Jane Doe case."
"So? If you want to know anything, you ask me. They don't get any answers from me."
Brass walked into the room, as well.
"...You heard him, guys." Greg gave them a sign to leave but both didn't.
"Don't mind us, we're just here to observe," Brass replied.
"How about you do that behind that window? Greg, come on. I wanted to apologize. You know I'd never hurt you."
"Didn't look like it when you attacked him." Brass gave him a look.
Dan jumped off his seat angrily. "How about you shut the hell up?!"
While Brass and Dan started bickering, Greg opened the door. "Get out."
"D.B. wants us to stay. I want to stay," Nick whispered to his colleague.
"But I don't want you two in here, you're ruining everything."
It took Greg a few minutes to be able to convince Nick to leave the room, but he was successful, after all, with Brass' help. Both walked out, but watched him through the window.
"Thanks, man. You know I'm not comfortable around those clowns." Dan smiled at him. "So... Here it goes. I'm sorry for attacking you the other day. I didn't mean to hurt you."
"Thank you..." Greg replied. "But that's not why I'm here. I wanted to talk about her. Her name's Naomi Goss and her mother told us you two were dating for quite a long time."
Dan was silent for a few moments. He looked rather thoughtful. Greg could see the felon having an internal monologue. "I don't know what you're talking about," he finally said. "I don't know her."
"Come on. We found her DNA at the back of your car and her mother says you two dated. Don't play any games with me."
"It's none of your business." Dan got off his seat.
"We checked the visitor's log, she stopped visiting you a few days before she shot at me. Before that, she came by every other day. What happened?"
It took him quite some time, but Dan finally started talking. "I don't know, man. Her last visit was great. We had fun and she said she loved me. She told me she had to take care of some business and that she wasn't able to come visit me the next week, but... She didn't come the following, either." He looked sad at Greg. "Now I know why."
Greg tried not to look too sensitive although he was going through a whole range of emotions at the moment. "Was it random or... Did she try to... take revenge?"
"Revenge?" Dan raised his eyebrows.
"It can't be a coincidence it was me she shot at."
Dan walked a few steps over to Greg. "You don't think I asked her to do it, do you?"
Greg was getting a bit nervous as this big felon was coming closer. "Well, did you?"
"Of course not! Come on, man. You were the only one of those pigs who was nice to me. I don't blame you for my being here."
"...Did Naomi know that?"
"I don't know. I never talked bad about you in front of her."
"...But you did talk about me?"
"Come to think of it, I don't think so."
Greg sighed. "How else did she know about me?"
"I don't know. Maybe you weren't her target, after all." Dan shrugged.
Greg got off his seat. "Well, thanks for your cooperation."
"Hey Greg. Just one more favor, please?"
Annoyance was obvious in Greg's face. He prepared for another ludicrous plead. "...Yeah?"
"Find out what happened to her. I don't know why she wanted to hurt you, but she was a good person."
Despite Greg's disbelief over Naomi Goss' character, he was indeed touched by Dan's affection towards her. He smiled at the felon. "I will."
Greg bumped into Nick on his way out of the interrogation room.
"Sorry," Nick said, "I was just about to rush in there, had he taken another step towards you."
Greg gave Nick a look before walking past him. "I could've handled it myself."
"You wouldn't stand a chance against this huge guy." Nick followed him. "Are you okay?"
"Stop asking if I'm okay!" He gained speed.
Nick didn't just pretend he was this oblivious to Greg's mood, he actually was. "Did I do something to upset you?"
"You and Russell, you're treating me like a child, you make decisions for me and don't even care how I feel about that!"
"What?! We're only doing this when it's necessary because you'd make a decision that would put you in danger! Like today, you didn't waste a second thinking about going in alone with that monster!"
Greg stopped and turned around before walking out of the station, facing Nick. "I knew what I was doing. I'd say it's evident by the fact that I'm standing here talking to you without a single scratch on me, isn't it? There was no need for you to act like you were my personal bodyguard!"
"But Greg, I..." Nick was left standing there as Greg rushed out of the station.