Jordan stood there and watched Griffin first bluster, and then cower, under Garcia's wrath. He was relieved that the older officer had made it to the hospital when he did. Jordan was certain that Griffin was the man responsible for the boy's condition and he wasn't about to let him be taken again. His radio buzzed and he stepped out of the room to take the call. "Jordan here."
"Sergeant Jordan, the DA called and she has the warrants for both the DNA samples and laboratory records that you requested. I'm forwarding them to you now," the dispatch agent said.
"Thank you," he said as he headed out to his patrol car. A few minutes later he was heading back inside, both warrants printed up. He saw Griffin and his attorney heading his way and smiled to himself. He walked towards them and then stopped, blocking their way out.
"Is there a problem officer?" Griffin's attorney, Bill Rugter asked.
"None at all," he said, handing him the warrants.
"What is it?" Griffin asked, annoyed.
"Warrants for your DNA, which you have already graciously provided. I also have a warrant for any and all lab records pertaining to any new drugs which are being developed by the RCM CBT Globalnet Sanyoid Corporation Laboratories, as well as all employee records," Jordan smirked.
Griffin smirked back, knowing that none of the paperwork had his signature on it, only Copen's. "Fine, I'll call and make sure that they cooperate fully."
"That won't be necessary. Dr. Rubbenfeld has already been notified and is on his way to meet with the officers and technicians that have been dispatched," Jordan told him.
"Well, you seem to have it all under control then. I'm going home to get some much needed sleep," Griffin said, trying to push past him.
"We aren't finished here quite yet," Jordan said, putting his hand up.
"Wrong, we ARE finished here," Griffin said dismissively as he attempted to walk past the officer.
Jordan shook his head, not moving. "You should advise your client to cooperate," Jordan said to Rutger, handing him the warrants.
Rutger looked over the warrants and sighed. "Arthur, the warrant includes a search of your person, and your vehicle."
Griffin rolled his eyes. "I don't have a vehicle, I came in with my intern."
"Then I'll need to inspect your intern's vehicle," Jordan said.
"Fine, I'll let her know," Griffin as he tried to push past the officer again.
Jordan shook his head. "First I'll be needing your clothing and to check any other personal items you might have on you."
"This is outrageous! I will be making a call to the captain of the Beverly Hills Police Department and have your badge!"
Jordan just smiled. "I'm afraid that won't do you any good."
"Why is that!?"
"One, I am following the judge's orders which are clearly outlined in the warrants. Two, that isn't my precinct, and even if it were...I. Am. Following. The. Judge's. Orders. Now, we can go into a room where I'm sure the kind nurses here will provide you with scrubs that you can wear home, I can take you into the station, or we can do this out here in the hallway. It's all the same to me," Jordan told him.
Griffin went to say something but Rutger shook his head. "Arthur, let's just get this over with and then I'll drive you home."
"Fine, and once we are finished here I will be filing a complaint with whichever precinct you work for," Griffin said through clenched teeth.
"Please do, I'll be happy to give you the number once we're finished," Jordan smirked as he took Griffin's arm and lead him back down the hallway.
Half an hour later Jordan had bagged and labeled Griffin's clothing. A second officer had been called in to assist. Griffin sat in a chair, fuming as Jordan went through his wallet and other personal items. He smiled a little to himself, proud that he had managed to drop the vial of Ketamine into Jessica's bag as he had given her the instructions regarding the investors. He made a mental note to call and tell her to get rid of it as soon as possible.
"When was the last time you saw Kendall Knight before here at the hospital?" Jordan asked.
"He and my intern were going out to grab a bite to eat," Griffin said.
"Even though he hasn't been feeling well?"
"He's a sweet boy and I think he said yes, just to be nice. There has been a little tension between the two and Jessica said she wanted to make up to him for coming on a little too strong."
"Too strong?" Jordan asked.
Griffin nodded. "She's new to the entertainment business and like many people who meet someone famous, got a little carried away. She told me she was embarrassed and asked if I would intervene on her behalf, which I did."
"How so?"
"I explained to Kendall that she had come to me, worried that she had gone a bit too far. I had asked her how, and she said she had slipped a note with her number on it into Kendall's wallet. She also said she had kissed him on impulse the other night, after she drove him home. I admonished her and told her I would speak to Kendall."
"And?"
"And I did. He said he understood and would accept her apology. They left after the meeting and she said she would drop him off at home after they ate." Griffin told him.
"Is she the young lady who was here earlier?"
"Yes."
"Isn't she a little old to be making a pass at a seventeen year old?"
"I don't make judgments based on age," Griffin said.
Jordan just looked at him for a moment before writing something in his notebook. "I'll need her number."
"Fine," Griffin said writing it down.
"I understand that Mrs. Knight is doing some work for you. We haven't been able to get ahold of her and need to know where she is."
"She and Mrs. Diamond are doing some promotional work for their sons' upcoming album."
"Do you know her itinerary and how we can reach her?"
"My intern would have that information, I do know that they are driving. We've tried calling her, but there was no answer so we left a message asking her to call back as soon as possible."
"I'll get the itinerary from your intern when I question her. Perhaps you could tell me what happened to your nose? It looks a little discolored and swollen," Jordan said.
"I got hit in the face while playing racquetball the other day," Griffin said.
"And your finger?" Jordan asked, pointing to Griffin's hand.
"Caught it in the door," Griffin said, silently cursing that the officer was so observant. "Is that all?"
Jordan made a few notations on his pad and handed Griffin back his things. "Thank you for your cooperation, you're free to go now."
"It's about time," Griffin grumbled as he stood up.
"Free to go for now...please don't leave town without first clearing it with the DA's office," Jordan said, looking more at Rutger for confirmation, than Griffin.
"I'll make sure of it. Come on Arthur, I'll drive you home," Rutger said, taking Griffin's arm. He wanted to get Griffin out of the building so he could determine exactly how much trouble his client was really in.
They had only gone a few feet when Griffin turned at looked at Jordan. "I will be back to check on Kendall later. I think of all the boys as mine, and do not take kindly to anyone interfering with my family."
Jordan took a step towards him. "Perhaps you would like to make that statement to one of the ACTUAL family members? I'm sure I could get Officer Garcia to come out and have this discussion with you."
"Arthur, stop. You are just complicating the situation. I understand that you that you feel you're being protective and most likely in shock after seeing the condition the young man is in, but this is NOT helping," Rutger said.
Griffin gave a cold smile. "Yes...you're right, it probably is shock. After all Kendall was perfectly alright this afternoon, when I last saw him. Seeing him like this just makes me...angry."
"I understand, and we need to get you home so you can get some rest," Rutger said as he gently pulled Griffin back down the hall.
Antonio stood in stony silence as he listened to Olivia explain what had been happening with Kendall. Sam had gotten back to the room just in time to stop Antonio from putting a fist through Griffin's face. Sam had told them nothing had been found in the ambulance, and that the medics were going to make full statements about what they knew.
Antonio stared down at the boy he had known for nearly fourteen years and tried to hold down the fury that threatened to overwhelm him.
"Is he going to live?" Antonio asked quietly.
Olivia went over and stood next to him. "It's going to take some time for him to fully regain his strength, anemia can really take a toll on your system, but with the proper treatment I think he'll be just fine."
"Can he breathe on his own?"
"Yes, I intubated him as a precaution because of the Ketamine. I think he's experiencing what they call a K-hole and his respiration was dropping a bit. He was already exhausted and I didn't want him to have to fight to breathe."
"And the ra...the rest?" Antonio asked, his voice breaking.
Olivia sighed. "There's no permanent physical damage and while it makes it difficult to prove legally...it is a good thing that a condom was apparently used. We will want to check his bloodwork every three months for a year, just to be sure."
"Will there be any permanent damage from the drugs?" Antonio asked as he sat on the bed next to Kendall.
"I don't think so, but the fact is, we just won't know until we determine everything that was in the drug, how much was given, and for how long," Olivia told him.
Antonio sat quietly, staring at Kendall for a moment. "What actual evidence do we have against Griffin?"
"At the moment...only circumstantial. We can't even prove they were together," Sam said.
Antonio stood up and then leaned down and kissed Kendall on the forehead. "Te prometo, que aunque me tome el resto de mi vida, voy a vengarme de este hijo de su puta madre. Se va a arrepentir de poner sus ojos en ti." Antonio looked at Sam. "Where are the other boys?"
"I'll take you," Sam said, heading for the door.
Antonio looked at Olivia. "I know you're doing everything you can, but..."'
She smiled and patted his shoulder. "I'm not going anywhere and if he starts to wake up I'll send someone to get you. We'll be running another PCV test and then moving him to a private room in the next half and hour."
Antonio nodded and followed Sam out the door. They started for the next room when Jordan called out to them. They stopped and waited for the younger officer to join them. "I asked Mr. Griffin about Mrs. Knight's whereabouts and he said that they're on the road. I'll have to get their itinerary from his intern. I'm going to call and arrange an interview with her after I drop this evidence off at the station," Jordan said, indicating the bag he was holding.
"Did he say anything at all about Kendall?" Sam asked.
"Only that he was fine when he saw him leave for the day. However, that's another thing I need to discuss with Ms. James."
"Why?" Antonio asked.
"According to Mr. Griffin, Kendall and his intern left to grab a bite to eat after the meeting. Then she was going to drop him off at home," Jordan told them.
"That doesn't make sense. Kendall hasn't been feeling well and doesn't like her... she's been making him very uncomfortable," Sam said.
"That's what Mr. Griffin said. He said she approached him, asking him to intervene because she realized she crossed the line and she wanted to apologize."
"I honestly don't think he would have gone with her," Sam said thinking back on the conversations he'd had with Logan and Camille.
"Was there anything else?" Antonio asked.
Jordan debated for a moment before speaking. "Griffin has a couple of bruises that he claims are from a game of racquetball and getting his hand caught in a door. I'm not sure it's even worth trying to verify it with the people at his club. I'm pretty sure they'll all cover for him, but I'm going to try."
"Thank you," Antonio said as he shook the other officer's hand.
"Hopefully the records from the lab will help confirm things. We already have officers there collecting evidence and our technicians will be going over the results. We're also looking for Dr. Sean Copen, who left the material here for Dr. Burns. I'm going to get this to the station and then give Ms. James a call, here's my card if you need anything," Jordan said, handing Antonio a business card.
Antonio took it and nodded. "Thank you again," he said as he and Sam continued to James' room.
Carlos, Logan, and Camille were talking quietly when Sam opened the door. He saw James was sleeping and eased the door open the rest of the way.
"Hey daddy," Camille said sadly.
He smiled as he opened the door the rest of the way and Antonio walked in. Both boys stared at him for a few seconds and then Carlos jumped up and rushed to him. "Papi! Why are you here?"
Antonio hugged his son tightly. "The doctors need a parent here so they can legally treat Kendall."
"I-I thought Griffin could do it?" Logan said quietly. Carlos' dad showing up worried him considerably.
"Griffin isn't family," Antonio said with a small smile.
"W-What's going on?" James asked groggily. The voices had awoken him and he looked around in confusion.
"Papi came!" Carlos said, still holding tightly to his dad.
James was instantly awake. "Why? Where's Kendall? Is he okay?"
"He's doing alright," Sam said softly.
"How are you feeling James?" Antonio asked.
"I-I'm okay. Have you seen Kendall?" James asked, sitting up. He went to stand but then thought better of it and Antonio helped him sit back down.
Antonio nodded and sat down next to James. "He's doing better, but there is something we need to talk about."
"What is it Papi?" Carlos asked.
"It's about Kendall and why Sam called me," Antonio said, looking over at his friend.
"He's really sick, isn't he? I knew I should have made him go to another doctor...it could be leukemia, lupus, aplastic anemia!" Logan said, beginning to panic.
"No Logan, that's not it son," Antonio said softly.
"Isn't that why you brought him in though?" Logan asked, looking at Sam.
Sam looked at Antonio who nodded. Sam went over and sat down next to Camille and Logan. He took a deep breath. "Camille and I were walking in the park and we found Kendall there, lying under a tree."
"Wait, what was he doing in the park?" James interrupted.
"A man came over and said he had seen him run out of an ally, across from the park. It looked like he had been mugged." Sam said, stopping to let the boys absorb that before he continued.
"W-What!?" James asked.
"It looked like he had been mugged?" Carlos asked, not missing the way Sam had phrased it.
"Yes Mijo. Sam and Camille brought him to the hospital and then found that his wallet and phone hadn't been taken," Antonio said, putting one arm around his son's shoulders and the other around James'.
"So someone just beat him up and left him there?" Logan asked.
"It's a bit more complicated than that," Sam said.
Camille couldn't hold back the tears any longer and started crying into Sam's shoulder.
"Camille..." Logan said as he fought back the major panic attack he felt starting to take hold.
"Papi?" Carlos asked looking at his dad.
"Dr. Burns found marks around his throat. It looks like someone may have tried to strangle him," Antonio said carefully.
"Oh my God!" Logan said, dropping his head to his hands.
"What else?" James asked quietly. He knew there had to be more even though he didn't want to hear it.
"He..um, he..." Antonio started, suddenly finding it impossible to speak.
Sam put an arm around Logan. "Boys, this isn't going to be easy for you to hear, and you need to try and stay calm. Kendall is going to need you to be strong for him. He's going to need you now, more than ever."
"W-What happened?" Logan asked
"Please don't say it, please don't say it, please don't say it," James chanted to himself.
"Olivia... Dr. Burns... found signs of sexual assault," Sam said quietly.
"Why would anyone d-do that!?" Carlos choked out.
"I don't know Mjo, but we're going to find out," Antonio promised, pulling his son close. "When was the last time anyone spoke to Kendall?"
"I-I t-talked to him at lunchtime," Carlos said as he hugged his dad.
'What did he say?" Antonio asked.
"T-That he was t-tired and g-going to try and rest b-before the meeting started again," Carlos told him, tears starting to fall.
"It's my fault," James said, his voice barely a whisper.
"J-James...no," Carlos said.
James jumped up. 'I HUNG UP ON HIM! I TOLD HIM TO LEAVE ME ALONE AND THAT I DIDN'T WANT TO HEAR FROM HIM OR OUR FRIENDSHIP WAS OVER!"
"You didn't know..." Carlos started.
"He BEGGED me to help him and I hung up!" James yelled. He felt as if the walls were closing in as he heard Kendall's pleas for his help. He ran for the door,opened it, and ran down the hallway as fast as he could.
"James!" Antonio called after him. He detached himself from Carlos and took after the teen. He saw James turn down another hallway and ran faster, trying to keep him in sight.
James made it to the outer doors and pushed them open. Tears were blinding his visions as he ran out and he didn't see the ambulance that was backing up.