Disclaimer: CSI: isn't mine.

For all other disclaimers and warnings please see the Author's Note at the beginning of Chapter 1.

Chapter 21

Subsidized Price

John Morgan was concerned, in fact he was more than concerned. Not that he showed it, of course, you didn't get to be one of Las Vegas' most prominent lawyers without having a good poker face.

When he'd decided to go ahead and request a date for Gil Grissom's appeal to be heard it had been the result of a great deal of careful consideration. The timing had to be perfect. It couldn't be left too long, Grissom's intent to appeal had not been registered until well after the official deadline, and while it was still allowed to go ahead, the judge was not obliged to hear the case. One of Morgan's main arguments that the appeal should still be allowed was the Grissom had been too ill to make the application earlier, but for that to work he would have to show that Grissom had acted as soon as he was able, if the judge perceived that further, unnecessary, delay had occurred it might lose them the case. They could not afford to leave it too long.

However there were risks to going too early as well. If Grissom was deemed still to be mentally unfit then all hearings regarding his appeal and any trial which might be ordered as a result would be put on hold leaving Morgan's client in limbo, incarcerated and, quite possibly, in a secure mental facility, until such time as he was declared well enough to go ahead, and Grissom's condition was one that would probably get worse rather than better under those circumstances.

After getting reports from both the prison psychologist who was overseeing Grissom's treatment and an independent psychiatrist who had had two private meetings with Gil to assess his state of mind, Morgan had decided that now was good a time as any to go ahead. His client seemed to be responding well to his new medication and had been successfully weaned off the old one. Morgan had detected more of the Dr. Grissom he had encountered in the past during their recent meetings, especially when discussing the possibilities raised by some of the evidence Gil's former colleagues were gathering.

All in all he'd been cautiously optimistic that his client would give a good showing in court. Morgan had anticipated that the hearing might raise Grissom's anxiety levels, but had hoped that Grissom's familiarity with the courtroom process would give him an advantage that might counteract at least some of his nerves.

What he hadn't expected when he entered the small anteroom to the court where he would be able to communicate with his client before he entered the main courtroom, was to find his client, face white as a sheet, staring out of the television screen. Behind the tinted glasses his eyes were full of fear, like those of a startled rabbit.

"James?" Morgan asked, aware that his client might not be alone. "James, can you hear me?"

He watched as his client licked his lips and nodded nervously, his gaze, still wide and frightened was now directed a little below the camera line, presumably he was focusing on Morgan's image on the corresponding screen in the prison room where he was located.

"Are you OK, James?"

Grissom was shaking his head, a movement which merged into a shiver that Morgan could see passing down the prisoner's neck and into his spine.

Just when Morgan thought that Grissom wasn't going to speak at all, the figure on the screen opened his mouth. "I c-c-ca c-c-can't d-du do this."

The attorney's heart sank. If they tried to postpone the hearing at this short notice the judge would probably just throw the case out of court permanently. A lot of consideration had been shown and trouble gone to in order to allow Grissom to use the video link to appear and if he failed to do so in spite of all that he would be seen as having wasted the court's time and, even if Morgan persuaded Grissom to go through with it, that stutter could ruin his intended strategy of stressing Grissom's illustrious career and service to the cause of justice.

"James, we need to do this today. We have one hour before the court goes into session. If you can tell me about any specific problems you have I'll do my best to deal with them, but we can't just let this drop."

"I c-can't s-s-say."

"Is that because you're not alone? There should be a handset in front of you, you can talk to me quietly and my part of the conversation will only go to the earpiece, not through the main speaker, all you have to do is pick it up."

For some reason it wasn't enough, Grissom just shook his head sadly and stared blankly at the camera once more. He looks like he's about to face a firing squad Morgan thought. Then he realised what had prompted that idea. Although the image on the screen was limited to a head and shoulders view, there was something about the way Grissom was holding his arms.

"James, are your hands cuffed behind you?"

"Y-yes, and t-to," there was a pause. Grissom appeared to be working out how to position his mouth for his next words, "the chu-chu-chair b-back."

Morgan kept his temper in check, his client was being treated appallingly in his view, but he didn't have time to get angry, he needed to get things sorted out, and quickly.

"OK, James, is there a reason for that? Can you tell me?"

Grissom was obviously trying, but was unable to utter anything coherent, his stammer worsening as he became more and more frustrated by it.

Morgan shook his head and held his palm up to the camera in a signal that Gil should stop trying, then, raising his voice, he called out for the guard who was in the room with Grissom to come to the microphone.

There were footsteps, a moment's pause, and then the camera view changed to a wider image, revealing the prison guard standing behind Grissom's chair. The name patch on his uniform shirt read 'Hunter'.

"Well, Mr. Hunter, as my client is currently too upset to speak properly, perhaps you'd be kind enough to explain to me why he is so severely restrained?"

Hunter shrugged as if he didn't really care. "He was reported this morning for a class 'A' code violation. As it's a violent offence regulations say he's to be kept under heavy restraint whenever he leaves his cell, at least until he's been through the disciplinary process and it's decided what else to do with him."

Although he was listening to what the guard was saying, most of Morgan's attention was on Grissom's face. Skilled at reading the reactions of witnesses and juries he was able to learn a lot.

For one thing it was clear that, while Grissom had seemed to know why he was restrained, he had not been aware of most of what the guard was saying. His head slowly moved from side to side, in disbelief at what he was hearing and denial of the accusation. Then his head ducked briefly and he turned it as far away from the camera as he could for a moment or two. When Gil looked back two tears were slowly dribbling down his cheeks, he had had no way to halt their progress. Morgan could see that his client was fully aware of the possible repercussions from this turn of events.

"Precisely what has he been accused of?" Hunter shrugged again in response, he was clearly one of those people who did the minimum required for their job and lacked any interest in asking questions about what didn't directly affect them.

"Not a clue, don't wanna know either, but I'm not letting him move while it's just me and him in here."

"Then I suggest you leave."

"Yeah, like I'm gonna do that. Can't leave an immobilized prisoner unattended, ya know. Besides, hot shot lawyer like you should know that Nevada law requires a licensed videographer be present in the room when closed circuit TV's being used, and as I'm the only guard on duty right now who's done the training and got the licence, I guess I get to play gooseberry."

Morgan had noticed Grissom perk up slightly at the suggestion he might be left alone and then drop back down into despair the guard's response. Maybe it wasn't just that he couldn't explain his problem with the guard present, maybe his problem was the guard's presence.

"Mr. Hunter, Nevada State law also enshrines my client's right to confidential legal advice. Either leave the room or think of some other way to facilitate that or I will be lodging my complaint with the judge. I'm going to speak to my assistant for a moment, I expect you to have come up with something by the time I return." brusquely he walked away from the camera and out of the room.

Outside in the corridor he beckoned over his legal assistant, a competent looking young man, and then started to issue instructions.

"Get onto the online legal library; I want to see any and all of the statutes that refer to the use of AV equipment in criminal court cases. Get anything similar from the Department of Corrections administrative regulations too. I also need you to call the prison where my client is being held and tell them I'll want a direct telephone conversation with the Warden or one of the Associate Wardens in half an hour's time, make sure they know that it is regarding James Price, that it can't be dealt with by anyone of a lower grade and that it's time critical. If they can't or won't give me that then start calling in favours and get the home or cell numbers of any off duty prison staff of that rank. Oh and inform the clerk of the court that, while I'm making every effort to avoid it I may need to put last minute motion before the judge and it's regarding the rules for closed court proceedings, so I'll need to do it before the official proceedings can commence. If you get through all that I need an outline of prisoner disciplinary procedures and a list of what they consider to be 'Class "A" code violations'."

The assistant didn't bother with the niceties and immediately headed off to find a quiet space where he could set up his lap top and start making the calls."

Morgan allowed his frustration to show for a moment as he ran his hands through his hair. Deciding that he had given Hunter enough time to decide on a course of action and not wanting to leave it long enough for his client to think he'd been abandoned, he took a breath to compose himself and re-entered the ante-room.

The video screen still showed the wide view with Hunter continuing to stand behind Grissom. It must have been intimidating for the man in the chair to be aware of the presence behind him but to be unable to move even enough to turn his head around and actually see who was standing there.

"So, may I speak to my client in confidence?"

Hunter did not reply aloud. With a facetious smile he stepped forward and picked the handset up from the tale with a supercilious flourish, then held it in position beside Grissom's head. Next he made a great show of stepping back so that he was holding the receiver at arm's length. In his other hand he was holding some kind of remote and, after a final grin, he pointed it towards the camera and the screen turned back to the head and shoulders close-up of Gil.

"This seems to be the best we're going to get for now, Grissom." Morgan kept his voice low to prevent it being overheard, but felt safe enough to use his client's real name. He needed to use every possible method at his disposal to try and rebuild some of Gil's confidence, in the hope it would reduce the stammering to more tolerable levels.

"Don't attempt to talk too much right now, I'll try and frame my questions so that you can answer me with a nod or shake of your head."

He waited for Grissom to show his agreement before continuing. "You've been cross-examined by me in court numerous times, you know how I work. Have you ever had reason to think that I'm not good at my job, or that I ever put less than a hundred percent into what I do?" He watched his client indicate a negative, his eyes serious. "Good, because I need you to trust me, to believe that I am doing everything I can to sort this out. I also need you to hold onto the fact that today's hearing is not about your innocence or guilt, but simply about whether the events leading up to your accepting the deal offered by the DA's office affected your ability to make a reasonable, well considered decision and the probability that a severe miscarriage of justice happened as a result. There will be no jury, and I don't even intend to call you as a witness. The judge may have a few questions for you, and there'll be a few formalities, like we discussed on my last visit, but that should be it for you other than to just sit and listen."

Morgan sat back a little, trying to exude an air of confidence and reassurance. Slowing his speech down a little and lowering the pitch of his voice slightly he began again.

"For the next hour I'm going to be doing my best to ensure that, by the time the judge sees you you will be able to speak freely and that this morning's events have as little effect as possible, including getting you out of those restraints, but it is going to take me most of that time so, in return, I need you to work on something else."

The face on the screen looked puzzled but nodded. "OK, what I want you to do is relax. Close your eyes, take some steadying breaths, and go through whatever relaxation techniques you know. Tell yourself that this is just another court appearance and you're here as an expert witness as usual. It's true you know, it's just that you're here as an expert on Gilbert Grissom, not bugs or forensics or anything else. It's almost certain that this judge will have encountered you before and that's to our advantage. I need you to appear and behave as much like Doctor Grissom the expert criminalist as possible.

"I need to go now, I'll try to speak to you again just before the hearing starts to let you know what I've achieved. OK?"

Grissom nodded again, hope wasn't in his eyes, but a desperate need for it was. "I'll t-t-try." he promised.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

The red light over the A/V room door which indicated that there was a broadcast taking place was currently off, so Paul Anderson tapped gently on the door then slipped inside. Hunter was near the door leaning against the wall. When Anderson entered he made a point of checking his watch.

"Court's gonna be in session in a couple of minutes, I'm just waiting for the signal."

Paul handed him a sheet of paper. "From the Associate Warden." he said, looking across the room. James Price was slumped awkwardly in his chair, his cuffs preventing him from slipping too far from his seat.

"Well, it's not what I expected, but I guess it's what we have to do."

Paul nodded, he'd been surprised by this course of events himself. Immediately after helping deliver Price to this room he'd gone to see the Associate Warden who would be dealing with the report from the mornings 'incident'. He'd tried to give his version of events but had been told to save it for the preliminary hearing. Next he'd tried to argue that the earliest the hearing could take place would be the day after next and that, until Price's innocence or guilt was decided it was unfair to have it affect his appeal. The Warden had given him short shrift. The inmate disciplinary procedure would not be changed for one individual; as convicted felons prisoners were not entitled to be presumed innocent until proven otherwise; and, considering the category of the reported offence, the Warden was not prepared to put his guards or the other inmates at risk by relaxing the rules regarding restraint.

Then, twenty minutes later, he'd been called back to the office. Apparently the Associate Warder had been 'thinking things over'. He now felt that, because the formal charging process had not yet begun, he was prepared reduce Price's level of restraint for the duration of his court hearing. Also the Warden had 'now recalled that' the practices for CCTV court appearances used by the prison, although based on certain state laws, were not actually governed by those laws, at least not in Price's particular case. In view of Price's 'difficulties' the Warden had therefore decided that Anderson's presence in the A/V room would be more appropriate then that of the prison's videographer.

The speech about what the law said regarding video court appearances had confirmed Paul's growing suspicion that Price's attorney had become involved. Still, it didn't matter; he was just relieved that James was going to have things a little fairer. He'd taken the Warden's written orders and hurried to get to A/V before it was too late and the hearing started.

"You wanna wake him?" Hunter nodded toward Price. "He seemed to drop off about ten minutes ago."

Paul walked towards Price whose grey head was drooping right forward onto his chest. It wasn't a comfortable position to be sleeping in, and Paul was amazed that the prisoner was doing so considering his circumstances. All that he could think of was that Price had been worn out by the morning's stress.

"James? It's me; you need to wake up now." He placed his hand on the prisoner's shoulder, and it was then that the man suddenly jerked awake. There was a sharp intake of breath and a grimace of pain as his wrists suddenly pulled on the cuffs around them.

"Steady. I need you to stay calm now; it's nearly time for your hearing to begin. In fact your lawyer has already had to enter the courtroom, so I'll have to let you know what has been worked out. My colleague, Mr. Hunter and I are going release your hands, but then they'll have to be cuffed again in front of you. Just take it easy and don't do anything until we tell you to."

Clearly Price wasn't going to risk getting into more trouble and he obeyed implicitly. Paul stayed in front of James doing all the talking whilst Hunter handled the cuffs. The creases surrounding Price's eyes were even deeper than normal and he looked tired and beaten down.

"OK, James," Paul continued after Price was more comfortably secured, "once the court signals that they're ready for the link Mr. Hunter will operate the equipment to get it set up, but then he'll leave the room." Price's expression brightened slightly, it seemed he liked what he was hearing. "I'm afraid that you can't be left alone in here though, so I'll be remaining with you, just sitting by the door in case you need anything and to vouch that nothing untoward happened during the broadcast. OK?"

Price nodded, but it was tentative and he still seemed worried about something.

"James?"

Price's hands moved as though he wanted to touch Paul, but he was careful to stop himself. His eyes scanned Paul's face as he spoke quietly to him, occasionally moving to check on Hunter's position.

"I-I'm sorry. I... stuff you're g-going to hear. F-for-forgive me?"

Anderson didn't know what Price meant. "We've discussed how I deal with this job, James. I may not make judgements on prisoner's guilt or innocence, but I believe every last one of you has the right to an appeal. Don't rob yourself of that right by worrying about how I will react to what I hear today. Do what you have to do; anything else can be dealt with later."

There was a beep and a red light came on by the monitor screen. Hunter coughed then warned them they had one minute.

"Steadying breaths, James, and keep your rate of speech slow, it should help. I'll be by the door if you need me." With that he patted Price on the shoulder and moved away.

Price was following his advice and breathing evenly. Anderson was a little surprised when James carefully removed his glasses and placed them on the table, before resting his hands on his lap where the cuffs would be hidden from view. He'd never seen Price without his glasses except first thing in the morning or immediately after a shower, so he had assumed Price couldn't see much without them. Maybe it was a trick to build his confidence, perhaps he felt he could deal with this better if the figures on screen in front of him were a little blurred.

The light changed to orange and Hunter pressed a few buttons on his remote. A split screen image of different views of the court appeared allowing Price to see the judge and his own attorney at all times, while the main part of the screen would show anyone who was speaking at the time. A final flick of the remote and the camera went on. The light beside the screen went green and sound began to issue from the speakers. There was a brief click from the door as it closed behind Hunter's departing figure.

John Morgan had just introduced himself as 'counsel for the appellant' and Anderson listened as 'the appellant' was asked to identify himself to the court.

"I'm Gilbert Grissom, d-date of birth, Au-August sixteenth nineteen... fifty-six."

It appeared that Anderson's advice to slow down had helped reduce the stammer considerably, but that wasn't what had Paul's attention.

"Doctor Grissom, we are here today..."

Gilbert Grissom? Doctor Gilbert Grissom? Paul's mind was reeling. He'd known that the prisoner was reluctant to talk about himself, but he'd had no idea that 'James Price' was a false name. Who had he been spending his time with? What had this man done that meant his identity had to be hidden so deeply? A serial killer who'd got a deal in exchange for revealing the locations of his victims? Maybe that explained those trips to crime scenes and the visits he received from detectives and criminalists. Was this why Price, no, not Price, was this why Grissom was so certain that Paul would no longer be willing to help him when today was over?

Paul stopped himself. If that theory was true then why on Earth would 'Doctor Grissom' ask for an appeal? He had to stop speculating and listen. Maybe all would be revealed.

A/N Just a reminder that I live in the UK and have no real knowledge of either UK or US law or prison regulations other than what I research on the internet. Therefore, while I've tried for some accuracy, nothing written here should be assumed to be completely correct. Just like on the show itself I have occasionally made adjustments or downright invented stuff for dramatic effect, although I have kept that to a minimum. The loophole that allows Paul to take over from Hunter in the AV room comes from when I tried to research the procedures used when someone makes a court appearance by video link. I could only find two references in the Nevada Revised Statutes, neither of which seemed to apply. I took the stuff about the videographer from them, but there was nothing about A/V links being used in prisons and nothing in the Nevada Department of Correction's administrative regulations either, so I felt free to play. I hope it worked.

Reviews and comments are welcome as always.