The Darkness Within her Eyes
Part 2
Chapter 10
Quandaries and Boundaries
Wow, I can't believe this story already has 10 chapters… Double digits! Yay! I guess I shouldn't be saying "already" as it's taken me a pretty long time to write all this… but I'm still happy.
I guess I should answer some frequently asked questions. Actually, there weren't that many questions asked, so I'll just answer all of them.
Someone (my cousin) asked if Marks has anything to do with Karl Marx. The answer is no. This story has nothing to do with communism.
This plotline is not stolen/borrowed from "Cold Burn" by Max Allen Collins. I haven't even read that book yet, though I intend to. No one actually asked if it was, but when I read the back of "Cold Burn" it sounded kind of similar.
The reason that the last chapter had so much drama was because it was sort of like the climax to that story ark. It was basically the KevinMacJ.T. love triangle reaching its pinnacle (I think that's the right word). It's like the drama that happened when Kevin attacked Ashley and the KevinInsanity story ark came to a climax.
Mac agreed to Kevin's proposal.
Final question. Is Sheila coming back? The answer is yes, although you might not realize it. It's a mystery, and tracking down Sheila will soon become a main part of it.
Sorry if these questions made you impatient for the story. I tried to answer them as quickly as I could. If you have any further questions or comments please say so in a review, e-mail, or private message.
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"I don't remember any of it," said the frustrated voice of the young woman. Sighing, O'Riley punched the button on the tape-recorded, causing it to halt in its regurgitation of their interrogation of Ashley Abbot. It was a high-tech piece of equipment, but the tape recorder proved to be useless in helping them find out anything more than Ashley had told them – not much.
"So Marks, what do you make of this?" asked O'Riley, a humorless smile decorating her almost inflexible, always serious face.
Marks had an odd feeling, like a student put on the spot. It always seemed like O'Riley was testing him. "Well, she seemed to be telling the truth. I mean, she seemed honest enough. And she looked to the right, not the left. If people look to the left it means they're making something up, and looking to the right means they're remembering –" O'Riley cut him off.
"Marks, that's a theory. It's not always true. We can't know if she's being honest or not based on an imprecise science."
"Well… then I guess we can't really learn anything from the interview. She didn't tell us anything. I guess we can't do much for this case until trace analyzes that bloodstain on the coat."
O'Riley nodded. A strange sense of relief washed over Marks, once again feeling like a student, this time one who had just barely passed his exams. Or a suspect who had just barely held it together during his interrogation.
VvV
"Second time this week, Fisher?" asked chief of the Genoa Police Force, raising a bushy eyebrow.
Kevin groaned inwardly. His reputation would never let him be. "Hey, it wasn't my fault. Last time I found an unconscious woman, and-and this time I was assaulted! By a man who broke down my door and invaded my apartment, no less!" He was almost surprised by his own reaction. He felt mostly defensive anger that the police chief didn't believe him, and no guilt over his first lie. Maybe he was getting used to lying again. Being a good liar may not be an admirable quality, but it came in handy to a person like himself, thought Kevin.
"Hey, chill out. Now calmly explain what happened between you and Mr. Helstrom."
Kevin, realizing he had been gesticulating wildly during his speech, stiffened his shoulders and put his hands by his side. I just told you that, Kevin felt like saying, but he restrained himself. He had to try to act as civil as possible to get out of here as soon as he could.
The truth was, he was sick with worry for Mac. That stupid J.T. 's actions had sent her to the hospital. Sure, he hadn't actually done anything to her, but when she fell down the stairs it could have really hurt her or the baby. Kevin had to see if she was all right, and this police chief was the only obstacle in his way
"I went up the stairs to my apartment. Mackenzie was with me. I saw the door to the apartment was open and then J.T. charged at me and pushed Mac down the stairs. He beat me up and I must have fallen unconscious or something because next thing I know I'm in an ambulance." Kevin felt a small sense of accomplishment at remaining sane while completing his lengthy monologue. At least, it seemed lengthy to him.
"There, that wasn't so bad, was it?" asked the police chief in a patronizing tone.
"Now, can I go see my fiancé?" asked Kevin, his impatience getting the better of him.
"We have to keep you under observation for the day. I'm sorry, but it's policy. You're still a suspect in an attempted murder, and now you've been involved with another assault."
"Well, can't you have someone go with me to the hospital? Like a police officer, I mean. You said I had to be kept under observation, they could observe me just as well there!"
To his surprise, the chief nodded. "Alright, Fisher. You can go see her, but Officer Wood is going with you. Come right back here as soon as you're done talking to your fiancé."
"Thank you, sir," said Kevin, his voice filled with gratitude. He soon left the building accompanied by the willowy, brown-haired Officer Wood. The chief smiled to himself.
VvV
Catherine leaned back in her chair, feeling content. She was absorbing every word of the speech Grissom had been called upon to make. " As technology becomes more advanced, it becomes available to both criminals and the law. In the end it comes down to who can better utilize their resources."
They had made it to the conference, finally. It seemed that everything had worked out. They had found an excellent hotel to stay at, and they all had enjoyed a good night's sleep there.
Sara had even been able to change into more formal clothes. Now Sara, seated beside Catherine, had other issues on her mind. The one that kept coming back to her was the bloodstain that Mr. Abbott had shown her. She hoped that he had turned it over to the authorities. She wished that she could meet him again, but it was unlikely that their paths would ever cross a second time. After this conference ended tomorrow, they would all be going back to Las Vegas, which was probably for the best.
Sara knew she was a workaholic who sometimes got too close to her cases. But she had a stressful, and important, job, and it was hard to sit by and do nothing when crime was going on. There had actually been a few cases like this where people had come to her and asked for help. In general, she was unable to do anything unless she was assigned the case. It would just get in the way of the ongoing investigation and cause more problems if she acted without prior approval. It would be foolish to try to help in the Abbott case. After all, it wasn't even in her city.
"And our most important resource, " Grissom finished, "is our minds." He returned to his seat amidst thunderous applause.
VvV
"Bingo. Houston, we have a match," said Agent Hailey Wing to no one in particular. She looked at her research, more than a little pleased with herself. It was dark in the room, to let the chemicals react properly. The coat that had previously had a red-brown spot on it was now adorned with a purplish spot. Positive for blood. Human blood. And as her computer program had revealed, an exact match to Ashley Abbott's blood.
She emerged to the room where Marks and O'Riley were gathered, listening over interview tapes. "What did you find out, Hailey?" inquired O'Riley.
"It's definitely a match to Ms. Ashley Abbott. All the alleles in common," stated Hailey. O'Riley gestured for her to continue. "Also, you said this coat belonged to Missis Gloria Abbott, correct?"
"Yeah," said O'Riley, a slight degree of impatience ringing in her voice. That wasn't exactly unusual; O'Riley was always in a rush.
"Well, it was thinly spread out, but unevenly. Judging by the photos of the crime scene, there was water everywhere by the time authorities arrived on the scene. This would indicate that the water mixed with the blood. Since it was unevenly distributed in the fabric, it would seem that Gloria Abbott was there immediately after the attack happened, maybe even while it was going on. Before the blood had a chance to mix evenly."
"Gloria said she just walked in to find her there… so either she's lying or was incredibly lucky to find her right at the time of the incident," mused Marks.
"Thanks Hailey, you've been a great help," said O'Riley.
"Yeah, thanks!" added Marks.
"No problem," said Hailey. She still had an odd nagging feeling that she was missing something.
VvV
"What do you mean I can't go in?" exclaimed an aggravated Kevin.
"Mackenzie has just had an ultrasound to see if the child she is carrying is alright. Under normal conditions only the father would be allowed to see her, but she doesn't want to see him either," said the doctor, unfazed by Kevin's anger.
Kevin exhaled a string of obscenities, only to be reprimanded by a glare from a passing nurse.
"Well, can you at least tell her I'm here?" asked Kevin, once again regaining control, though with difficulty. The one good thing was that at least Mackenzie seemed to be unharmed from what he had been told, but Kevin was still worried about the kid.
Suddenly, Kevin was hit by the irony of it all. He couldn't believe that it was J.T.'s kid he was worried about. He shook off that thought. He was worried about Mac's kid. And even if J.T. was technically the father, he wasn't the one the kid would grow up with. Kevin would be. The thought of this suddenly shocked Kevin. He didn't have any clue about how to be a dad.
I guess I'll just do the exact opposite of everything Tom did, thought Kevin.
He sat down in one of the waiting room chairs, unsure of what else to do. Officer Wood, who had never said a word this whole time and might as well have been made of wood, was already sitting down. Across from Kevin was J.T., who looked equally anxious to see Mac. If you didn't want to lose her, you shouldn't have cheated on her. You idiot, J.T., Kevin thought to himself.
Kevin picked up a magazine, even though he didn't feel at all like reading. But he needed a way to pass the time, and this was all that he could think of to do. It was some kind of skiing magazine. Oh joy. Kevin didn't ski, nor did he know anything about it. The woman on the cover, wearing some kind of skiing uniform and holding up a medal, grinning, looked kind of like Mac. This made Kevin feel even worse.
Kevin put the magazine back on top of the pile of countless others. "Hey Fisher," said J.T.. Kevin was caught off-guard by his tone. There was no anger, or even noticeable animosity. He seemed to be simply tired.
He must have been sitting here since they got here, realized Kevin. That would have been at least six hours ago. He must have been feeling pretty guilty if he was willing to just wait this long. But it serves him right, decided Kevin.